Songs of Silence almost without words is an very interesting and truly unexpected work by synth-master Vince Clarke. If one is open for spheric sounds one can use it even as background for meditations. Thanks, Vince, for a White Rabbit in the Cathedral of the Red Planet praying The Lamentations of Jeremiah (sentence with my favourite tracks of this album, added by the groovy-rhythmic "Scarper" and the nice (sung) song "Blackleg").

I appreciate Rickie Lee Jones abilities as singer-songwriter, beginning with her first two albums "Pirates" from 1981 and her eponymous debut from 1979, also some fine albums in the in the 2000's. But I'm not sure if I need that great jazz standards interpreted by this extraordinary artist - of course, at least the Pieces of Treasure sound misty, smokey and gives a feeling of a dark jazz bar. Maybe I will enjoy it again, sitting with my wife on my dining table, with a good ... read more

Pain to Power is, after a great deal of EPs, finally and long wished, the first full length studio album by the band from Manchester with the name Maruja. If you like bands as Squid or Black Midi (Geordie Greep) you will not be disappointed with the post-rock music of Maruja. Let me draw your attention to the usage of saxophone on Pain to Power, in particular for the second track "Look Down on Us" or the more silent third track "Saoirse" as examples. The full album is ... read more

There is an ambivalent feeling listening to Police's fourth album. Ghost in the Machine contents a track such as the opener "Spirits in the Material World", almost a harbinger for Police's last, best and most sophisticated album "Syncronicity" (imo), but also tracks such as "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic", which is a radio friendly chart hit, don't get me wrong, it's nonetheless an excellent and stunning song. Fortunately I like both ... read more

When I first listened on the radio to "Message in a Bottle" I was eighteen years old and totally flashed out by this kind of music I never heard before. Unfortunately I didn't recognise The Police first album and I could enjoy a song as the killing "Roxane" a little later than it was released. Beside the overwhelming first track Sting, Copeland and Summers delivers further bangers on their second LP with "Bring on the Night", "Walking on the Moon" ... read more

Porcupine Tree follows Pink Floyd.

I just love this record and I appreciate the artist Ólafur Arnald from Iceland very much. The music of his 2013 album For Now I Am Winter takes me with its ambient sound into another mood. Therefore my collection contents an older 180 gramm repress and the 10th anniversary release on clear vinyl, the latter sounds excellent.

Very pleasant indie folk album from Norwegian singer-songwriter Juni Habel (her second one) with appropriate fingerpicked guitar and sparse but effectful accompony.

The first track of Sharon "Shasha" Mansur's debut studio album is just overwhelming and makes me think of GoGo Penguin, in particular at the first moments. Later there are Oriental influences traceable which completes "Outside In" to an outstanding musical piece. The second track "Tunnel Maze" continued on seamlessly from the opener. "If I Can" starts with an Asian appearing pattern followed by a warm piano tune. The whole album convince with both ... read more

I like this demo and prefer it to the first album releases of Sophia Regina Allison aka Soccer Mommy.

Erika Michelle Anderson's debut is an experimental lo-fi album on the path to The Grey Ship (from the following album Past Life Martyred Saints) and other fine songs. Little Sketches On Tape is a signpost for things coming.

If you'd compare These New Puritans debut album with their recent album from 2025 without knowing which band that is you would hardly recognise that this two albums are from the same band. Nevertheless Beat Pyramid offers a thrilling dance-punk album with more spoken than sung words. Remarkable is the successful rhythmical usage of distinct repetitive words/sentences, such as in "Numerology", "Elvis" or "£4".

An empty bliss beyond this World by James Leyland Kirby is a very unique ambient hauntology album with sampled ballroom music from the first half of the 20th century following a concept with the main idea or concept to reflect the ability of people who are Alzheimer diseased to remember music at last, the result is a little stroke of genius.

hyacinth is a exciting singer-songwriter debut album with psychedelic elements, great job of Alexander Malch and Martyna Bunar, kudos to this young artists. I have to admit that I like this kind of music very much, it makes me think of artist such as Phil Elverum, Jason Moline and Mark Linkous, who I really appreciate. Nevertheless and disregarded for my rating I have a little problem with the album: The dynamic range is that wide that I cannot find a comfortable volume to listen to the full ... read more

The second self-made album by Tarul offers a pleasant mix of "shoegazed" indie pop/rock. Fortunately the first two tracks "Looms" and "Baccus" will give you a good idea about the following eight songs. Therefore you could decide, if you would like to continue - or not. I did it and it made me curious about Tarul's first album, which was released four years ago in 2021. I think it's perceptible that the artist is a passionate singer-songwriter who loves ... read more

The New Eves from Brighton catched me via their debut studio album with a both experimental and great musical "genre-blend" of folk and punk rock which makes me curious about attending a life performance of this obvisiously extraordinary band. According to a Südwestdeutsche Zeitung report their stage-performance at the Glastonbury festival must have been spellbounding. If you'd ask me to find something comparable to New Eves' music I would answer actual nothing, but if ... read more

Best Europop.

The eponymous opener of Stanley Clarke's School Day is pretty stunning, in particular the bass run is stirring. Also in the long run the fourth album by the musician from Philadelphia remains a good funky jazz album and became therefore part of my vinyl collection.

There's not much more to say as in an obituary by BBC: 'If chocolate fudge cake could sing, it would sound like Barry White.', nicknamed and crowned as the Walrus of Love or the King of Disco, I cannot remember another male artist who is comparable to him regarding this special smooth-disco-soul genre he was the master of. His fifth studio album, with Barry's full control about songwriting, producing and performing, demonstrates that with six timeless soulful songs, every ... read more

His seventh album A Night on the Town is one of the best of the English artist Rod Stewart. In particular the A-side of the vinyl contents wonderful songs, among them a very successfull cover of Cat Stevens 67er song "The First Cut is the Deepest" and two of my top favourite songs written by Stewart with "The Killing of Georgie (Part I and II) and "Tonigt's the Night (Gonna Be Alright). Nevertheless the B-side contents rocky-bluesy songs with fiddle and rock-guitar such ... read more