For a comeback that ended up spanning over 4 years, pendulum's first full length release since 2010 ended up being surprisingly cohesive and a generally successful evolution of the group's unique rock/dnb crossover sound.

Everything that made Pendulum what they are; the blended dnb/rock structures, rob's belting vocals, the innately chantable lead lines, is right here, all with an updated palette of sounds.

Fans will be disappointed in the lack of new material released as part ... read more

There Is No Right Time is the quintessential less-is-more album. With little more than some simple drum loops, carefully selected chords, and a sparse use of vocal snips, Youandewan's crafted a listen that does just enough to keep your attention while giving you the space to fill in the blanks.

Moon Safari is like if trip hop had 3 pints in a pub garden in the late summer and realised maybe life isn't so bad after all. While not particularly profound or challenging, Air's debut is the perfect pairing for carefree moments we wish we had more of.

If 2021's Always Inside Your Head exists as some dreamlike ethereal haze, Hyperphantasia is an ultra sharp sugar rush bursting with vivid colours and pulsing lights. It's an intense experience which while well packaged, feels too scatterbrained for it's own good in parts.

Always Inside Your Head is Lone's most cohesive work to date, which patiently crafts a dreamlike haze that's easy to slip into. While not acknowledged until the final track, there feeling of a constant ebb and flow is instilled throughout many of the tracks, with lead melodies lazily drifting in and out and synth pads which rise and fall like waves on the beach. While it won't demand it, this is a release that's well worth your attention.

Enter Shikari finally got their UK No 1 album with A Kiss for the Whole World, and this surprise release certainly sounds like a band who have that monkey off their back. There's a sense of self-assuredness that was lacking on the previous record, and (while maybe not the best storytelling in their discography) it's resulted in some of the most well-rounded Shikari songs potentially ever.

Psyop or not, consider me a fully paid-up goose. Any album that's this challenging yet accessible, sincere yet self-aware, is worthy of shooting it's creators into stardom.

Squarepusher's foray into classical instruments/arrangements is certainly interesting, but the structure of many of these tracks makes a full listen a chore rather than a satisfying challenge.

On Scuba's 2010 release there's an unnerving sense something has happened to the human race. This is more than the general gloom of a typical post-dubstep release - for much of the tracklist you're presented with a world of order, industry and machines which feel as if they're earnestly whirring away despite their operators no longer being there to supervise.

This sense crystallises when in 'Before', which briefly introduces a warmth and colour in the synth leads ... read more

It's no wonder this release is still talked about, 30+ years on and it still sounds completely unique. What a weird mix of haunting vocals, 90s turntable scratches, organs, harmonicas... all of which comes together to create an incredible unsettling, eerie, gloomy atmosphere.

I really don't know how to parse much of the album, but I have a feeling I'll keep coming back to it to try.

Imaginal Disk is absolutely one of the most accomplished album in recent history. A cohesive and engaging concept, absolutely bursting with ideas, and all pulled together by detailed and lavish production bringing it to life.

But what really elevates it to an all time great is the evolution throughout many of the tracks on here. Magdalena Bay could have settled for wrapping up tracks like Death & Romance or That's My Floor in a conventional pop song structure, but the ideas are pushed ... read more

The New York duo's longest release so far is in many ways an authentic glimpse into the New York socialite party world it spawned from; heady, addictive, mesmerising - but equally ostentatious, vapid and ultimately a bit shallow.

At first glance, the shift in sound on this latest effort may come as a surprise; tight drum machine programming and warm bass notes have been replaced with crashing cymbals and distorted guitar riffs. But the new sound palette is no gimmick, and Daniel Avery's ability to craft intricate tracks which evolve and contort, assisted by some fantastic guest vocals, may be better than ever.

Cerulean's eurotrance nostalgia is a nice enough soundscape, but many of the tracks with guest vocals feel like ultimately-rejected ideas originally produced to be hits, and some of solo tracks (in particular tracks 6-8) are complete misses.

If Universe was an unsuccessful attempt the recapture the magic of 2019's Analog, the latest effort is a total rejection of it. Unfortunately, that means all attempt at nuance and poise has been replaced with obnoxious cacophony.

Really, the opening track is really the only one worth checking out here.

A shift towards a very well crafted hyperpop sound, a focused no-filler tracklist, songwriting as hilarious and brash as ever - Underscores is undeniably on her way to stardom with this 3rd album.

It's difficult to write an album as direct as this in its social commentary without coming across preachy. Fortunately, Gil Scott-Heron tackles issues such as racial injustice, addiction, economic decline and the pressures of fatherhood with such strong wit and storytelling as to make this one an absolute gem.

This PS2-era inspired release makes all the right noises, but in a lot of ways flies too close to the sun in its emulation of source material.

Sam's latest effort is his most accomplished yet, leaning further into the sharp production and catchy synth leads he's been refining for years now. The songwriting across the 12 tracks is also some of his best so far. It does however lose a fair bit of energy in the 2nd half, which indicates he knew which the strongest tracks were chose to front-load them in the tracklisting.

It's clear to see why Boards of Canada's debut release is so acclaimed. You can't help but marvel at it as a technical achievement and how well it crafts that unshakeable sense of uneasiness it's known for. Personally, it felt a little too one-note across it's hour plus runtime, which limited my enjoyment of the record as a whole.