Lovely added electronics and continued experimenting fuels a varied, exciting, and unpredictable tracklist that is distinctly The Smile. They are extremely comfortable and free on this album and I feel this release best displays the band's chemistry. I love the winter-y qualities of this album. It sounds like frozen trees (with brittle and wiry guitar work e.g. 'Zero Sum'), a thin layer of mist, and snow over lonely parks (e.g. synths in the second half of 'Don't Get Me ... read more

Floating Points is an incredible musician. 'Crush', 'Promises', and 'Cascade' is one of the best three album runs I've ever heard. Floating points has always had a talent for creating tech house bangers, and this album is an onslaught of just that with him at the top of his game. Every drop is subversive and exciting. The way the songs seem to swirl around as they build adds a sense of magic to them (that moment in 'Ocotillo' [3:47] feels like ... read more

Warm sunny house music. The album is interspersed with memories and snippets of life which adds a personal and intimate quality giving so much depth and character to the music. I think it's clever how with such an explosive feature list, a lot of the songs remain understated, painting the picture of a beautiful campfire instead of huge fireworks. So the moments where it goes into that sound (e.g. near the end of 'adore u') feel cathartic. Really pretty stuff! I particularly ... read more

Hyperactive jazz combines with artsy rap, and the result is a really interesting album. It sounds like a modern Ornette Coleman in neon! I love the disorienting mixture of sampling, looping, and live instrumentation, it turns jazz bangers into mind-bending beats (e.g. record scratching sound of 'Three Headed Axe' and rhythmic squawks on 'Fragrance (some days dosn't have fragrance)'). This blurring of what's live adds to the mysterious and eerie atmosphere the album ... read more

Punk rap JPEGMAFIA. His energised vocal delivery lends itself very well to this genre. Right from the first track, loud drum beats, chunky electric guitar work, and a high energy delivery combine for a sound that seems unstoppable. Anything and everything is pulled together for exciting instrumentals. His excitingly eclectic sampling flips between abrasive punk rap ('SIN MIEDO'), and luscious tracks ('I'll Be Right There'). I particularly enjoyed 'I'll Be ... read more

This creative project is an excellently subversive album, constantly dipping into different genres (something helped in part by excellent and wide ranging features e.g. Flo Milli, Yeat, Ludwig Göranson, and Khruangbin). It is so well seasoned! The music is rich and often in your face, always jumping to the next exciting idea (e.g. the crazy progression of 'No Excuses'), to wind down with a Khruangbin feature is so clever and a complete contrast to the buzzing electronics on the ... read more

This album is a forest of patiently stitched together treasures. An eclectic mixture including samples (chopping up 'Miserere' by Gregorio Allegri [effectively sampling something from the 1600's!] on 'Passage'), glitches (stuttering electronics on 'Intro'), and stripped back beauty (the simple repetitive guitar on 'Midnight'). Hushed and mysterious - it's exciting getting to explore all these treasures. It feels like a sharing. The looseness ... read more

I am always excited to hear their new music. It always makes me smile! Their distinct style of fragment-y beats are cozy, satisfying, and have a lovely level of busyness. On this release, the samples are often framed front and centre (e.g. vocals on 'bao an') - giving the project a full and rich sound. This was a very warm release. I particularly enjoyed 'tanomsok', 'bao an', and 'pirang'.

Jam time! This would be lovely live! The improvisations and noodling create laid back atmospheres so effectively that track length seemed immeasurable. It is a very casual and warm album. The tracks still had exciting and interesting progressions e.g. unique guitar tone on the solo in 'Life Saving Gun' (which also has great splashy drums!). I particularly enjoyed 'Oblivion' and 'Life Saving Gun'.

This is a very sweet release. The beats are cool refreshing and have a satisfying swing (e.g. the push ad pull of the beats on 'Valenza'). I love how well this release flows, bookending it with longer less chopped up tracks was a nice detail. I particularly enjoyed ' Hexia' and 'Valenza'.

This is the sound of a futuristic spaceship drifting in space - cold, lonely, sleek, bleeping and chirping, vast, but with human warmth inside, there is nothing left but time and beautiful views. Inside that silvery ship is someone who can't sleep and is just sat reflecting and remembering. The ambient inspired instrumentals are so pretty and patient. It is a low-key listen. The depth achieved is clearly influenced by James Blakes Endel releases. And the surreal dreaminess is strengthened ... read more

The bangers keep coming! This is an addictive and incredibly well balanced album. Charli XCX's talent for making emotionally rich dance anthems fuels the album. The maximal stylish electro pop is consistently stripped to it's essentials on here. This makes the music impactful and front footed. By doing this, you cn listen to as many anthem songs as you want without it being tiring. It also achieves this by having ballads like 'I Might Say Something Stupid'. I will definitely ... read more

From the second the harp comes in on the opening track, you know this is an album of gorgeous sounds. The whole project has a lovely sense of calm and peace (e.g. the slow back and forth lower harp line on 'Anima - Breathe'). There is no rush. It gives the solos so much space. Just a pretty jazzy tapestry. I particularly enjoyed 'Tange - Touch' and 'Altera Vita - Another Life'.

The pop and metal combination is very satisfying. The flow of the album was also very satisfying as each song transitioned into the next. The glittery juxtapositions of sweet breakcore and electric guitars and metal vocals were very busy and exciting (e.g. 'Top 10 staTues tHat CriEd bloOd' dips into light flick-y sections). It was a cool genre combination that had me thinking of Poppy and Fire-Toolz. I particularly enjoyed 'YOUtopia', 'Top 10 staTues tHat CriEd bloOd', 'a bulleT w/ my namE On', ... read more

This K-pop is enjoyably bouncy and catchy (I loved the contrasting airy drums and the thick springy bass). I thought framing some of the tracks in rock context gave it a large, fun, and epic sound (e.g. guitar on 'Midnight flower'). Just a bright and fun listen. I particularly enjoyed 'Heart Raider'.

This hip hop release has great experimentation. It has a raw and immediate sound, finding an interesting mix between more traditional beats and something more fluid and jumpy. This projects sound lends itself to the vulnerable and emotional lyrics. I particularly enjoyed 'Dizzy', 'Looping', and '5onthe.'.

Bass-y and dub-y tunes. I loved how this release seamlessly melds dub reggae and techno. This album explores the smoky and hazy atmospheres of both genres. Finding an otherworldly crossover space that reminded me of FSOL (e.g. 'Gamma Raze' and 'Future Mystic'). The album achieves a gorgeous deeper sound in the second half of the track-list. It also has some very satisfying grooves - e.g. thumping bass on 'New World/Old Future', and the light bell contrasting with the thick bass kicks on 'Dark ... read more

A more intimate and instrumentally stripped back release than their last, this jazz LP is a gorgeous flow of consciousness. The saxophone-led tumbling songs are very satisfying and groovy (I thought the constantly shuffling drum rhythms helped keep the songs unpredictable (e.g. 'Katabtic'). I particularly enjoyed 'Jellyfish', 'Don't Be Sad (It's Too Late)', 'And Then There Were Three', 'Katabatic', and 'Alpenglow'.

The raw production of this reggae album gives it a golden warmth. It has lovely variation by leaning into soul sounds (e.g. more non syncopated rhythm of 'Light Up The Darkness'). A sunny day album. I particularly enjoyed 'Sekkle Down', 'Dance With Me', and 'Light Up The Darkness'.

Uneasy and gorgeous jazzy experiments from Thom! I love the variation in this album - from the loose atmospheric electronics of 'The Big City', to the stripped back intimate ballad of 'Knife Edge', and the explosive jazz of 'On The Ledge' it all combined to create a rich and unsettling album. It was cool hearing how his various bands' sounds came through on here ('Prize Giving' had organic drums like The Smile, and 'The Big City' had the cool eerie electronics of some of his his prior solo ... read more