Uk national anthem

Pleasantly average. Inoffensively okay. Softly wishy-washy

Poppy’s biggest flaw on I Disagree is never allowing her music to settle and develop, as she always seems to be looking to find the next way to add another genre into the mix. Ultimately, the constant hopping between here and there makes the record annoyingly inconsistent and immature, which is a real shame, as there’s many great moments on the album too

The elusive funk and soul collective SAULT come back for their second album of 2020, this time with even more empowering messages to tell and plenty of well-polished and arranged grooves to play for our delights.

Peaceful as Hell serves as a unique blend of industrial rock, noise pop and hyperpop, with an overall sound as confusing and unwelcoming as the year it’s been released, whilst remaining surprisingly sentimental.

You know that feeling when an album, which you previously regarded highly, becomes so uninteresting that you struggle to make it even half-way through... yeah, this...

The production here is absolutely top-notch, with every single beat sounding immaculately crisp and intriguingly abstract. Brigham’s uses of sampling, reminiscent of the likes of Madlib and MF DOOM, gives Marlowe an extra dimension that so many other hip hop albums fail to utilise. In fact, you’d be forgiven for thinking that some of these beats have been leaked from a secret Madvillain recording... if it wasn’t for L’Orange’s insanely energetic flows. His delivery ... read more

I don’t think I’m American enough to understand what makes Sugar so special compared to their contemporaries. Nothing on here is bad, but hardly anything is memorable either. It all kind of just exists in a murky space between grunge, alt-rock and power rock, with the record never quite settling comfortably into anything of note.

An extremely curious listen, in a very much similar way to how The Glow Pt.2 by The Microphones captures attention: lo-fi production teamed up with alternative structure and a healthy blend of genres. The gritty hardcore moments don’t quite hit the mark though, especially with the closing track, which leaves an unfortunate bad taste in the mouth. All in all, it’s one I’ll be returning to (and giving a rating soon...)

If you had to draw a line as to where Public Enemy turned from one of the best hip hop groups on the planet to incredibly repetitive and annoying has-beens, that line would be drawn somewhere partway through this record

The psychedelic, stoned funks of Cypress Hill’s beats, along with B-Real’s nasally vocals, created a rap record that was years ahead of its time. Its influence on the underground hip hop community, and culture in general for that matter, cannot be understated either, as the group aided with the push of making marijuana usage prominent in rap music. But ignore all of its influence, this is just a damn good record, packed full of creativity and individuality

Look, you don’t get recognition as being one of the most influential trip hop record of all time without doing something right, and Massive Attack certainly get a lot of things right here: trippy percussion, fantastically contrasting vocals between male and female singers, and beats which, simply, go hard as hell.

Aside from the lacklustre “One Love”, every track on here is enjoyable in its own unique way. “Safe From Harm” maintains its killer, driving bass ... read more

Bossanova covers everything a pixies record should be. “Rock Music” packs plenty of hard-rock punches, while “Ana” and “Havalina” bring softer, dream-rock aesthetics. “Hang Wire” adds a sinister edge to the back-half, and you can’t ignore “Dig for Fire”, a track that’s as much Talking Heads as it is traditional Pixies. And it all seems to flow together so brilliantly too, with many tracks clocking in around the 2 minute ... read more

Although it doesn’t quite scratch the sprawl (if you’ll pardon the pun) of Daydream Nation, Goo still ticks all of the noise rock boxes many times over

This doesn’t feel like it’s aged all too well for me unfortunately... give me Graceland over this please

N/R

Hopefully this debut mixtape from Bree Runway is a sign of where she’s heading artistically, because this project is packed full of promise. With a healthy blend of electro-pop and accessible pop rap, 2000AND4EVA manages to differentiate itself from the pack without straying too far as to discourage fans, hence creating a sound that a large audience can enjoy, without it sounding as though she’s selling-out.

Ehhhhhh, I know it’s supposed to sound messy and abrasive, but the technicality (or lack thereof) present on the first few tracks made me feel like finishing the album would be a fruitless chore.

N/R

On Nowhere, Ride makes shoegaze as light and breezy as a sunny stroll across the beach, creating false memories of open-top drives through summer cities and tranquil boat journeys across calm, glistening seas

Better then ‘Selected Ambient Works 85-92’ and that’s a hill I’ll die on.

Hey Siri, define mediocrity...