New releases on CD & DVD
CD: Kamasi Washington - Heaven and Earth
Wednesday, 20 June 2018
It would always be difficult to follow The Epic, the 2015 release which turned LA saxophonist Kamasi Washington from leader of the local scene to international star. So this musical and spiritual journey lifts off into the heavens, the 16 pieces divided equally into firstly Earth - the external world perceived by Kamasi - then Heaven, which Kamasi describes as the world he sees inwardly.
Blu-ray: Force of Evil
Tuesday, 19 June 2018
Force of Evil is much more than a stunning film noir classic: it’s first and foremost a film about money and power and their tragic power of attraction.
CD: Jim James - Uniform Distortion
Monday, 18 June 2018
How great is Uniform Distortion? As great as Greg Sage’s Straight Ahead or Neil Young & Crazy Horse’s Ragged Glory or Dungen’s Ta det lugnt or...
CD: Soulwax - Essential
Saturday, 16 June 2018
It took Soulwax 12 years to release 2017’s From Deewee, a triumphant one take clash of live drums and electronic wizardry. It’s taken less than 12...
CD: The Orb - No Sounds Are Out of Bounds
Friday, 15 June 2018
For their 15th studio album, The Orb have decided to sidestep the more techno-influenced sounds of their two previous albums Moonbuilding 2703AD and...
CD: Christina Aguilera - Liberation
A reflective yet conflicted album |
CD: Melody’s Echo Chamber - Bon Voyage
Long-awaited follow-up to 2012 debut is wonderfully weird prog-odyssey |
DVD/Blu-ray: The Goalie's Anxiety at the Penalty Kick
No particular place to go: refreshed soundtrack revives Wim Wenders's debut feature |
CD: AMMAR 808 - Maghreb United
North African trance hits the spot |
CD: Lykke Li - So Sad So Sexy
How does jettisoning her indie roots work for the Swedish popstrel? |
CD: Black Sedan - Adventure Lit Their Star
Musical outing from polymath Mark Hodkinson proves a woozy, worthwhile listen |
CD: Lily Allen - No Shame
Broken marriage vividly dissected under the microscope on the singer's fourth album |
CD: Gruff Rhys - Babelsberg
The sometime Super Furry frontman heads for the apocalypse armed with hope and an amazing clutch of songs |
CD: Wooden Shjips - V
San Franciscan psychedelicists lay down some sunny vibes |
CD: Snail Mail - Lush
Sadness and shred in equal measure on Baltimore teen’s debut |
DVD: Here to Be Heard - The Story of the Slits
Well-told documentary on Britain's groundbreaking female punk band |
CD: Kanye - Ye
Suicidal ideation, greed, marital strife and paternal sexual obsessions as entertainment: just another day chez West |
CD: Roger Daltrey - As Long as I Have You
The Who singer's latest outing proves utterly unessential |
CD: LUMP – LUMP
Collaboration between Laura Marling and Mike Lindsay of Tunng is a beautiful, odd little gift |
Blu-ray: Intimate Lighting
A very bearable slightness of being pervades Ivan Passer’s Czech feature debut |
CD: Jennifer Warnes - Another Time, Another Place
Crossing musical boundaries |
CD: Oneohtrix Point Never - Age Of
Globe-straddling experimentalist in bamboozlingly confident form |
CD: Morcheeba - Blaze Away
Now a duo, the imperishable downtempo outfit come back with a convincing new set |
CD: Snow Patrol - Wildness
Have the Northern Irish gloom-rockers developed a lighter touch? |
CD: Chvrches - Love Is Dead
Scotland’s electropop trio aim for full mainstream integration |
DVD/Blu-ray: Coco
Big-hearted musings on death and memory, disguised as a family blockbuster |
CD: Gretchen Peters - Dancing with the Beast
Gone to look for America |
CD: Caroline Rose - Loner
US singer-songwriter lays on the sass too thickly |
CD: Judith Owen - redisCOVERed
Admirably improbable set of cover versions is only partly successful |
latest in today
The Rolling Stones, Twickenham Stadium review - until the ne...
Eel Pie, the tiny eyot in the Thames, is not too a long walk from Twickenham stadium – within hollering distance, almost, if you had that kind of...
theartsdesk at Leipzig's Blüthner Piano Factory - a per...
Have you ever wondered why the Steinway grand piano is invariably...
Natural World: The Super Squirrels, BBC Two review - silline...
Squirrels are a breed as diverse as they are ubiquitous: they inhabit environments as extreme as desert and tundra, and all the lush greenery,...
The Courtesan’s Gaze, Fieri Consort, Handel House review – h...
From an early age, Barbara Strozzi would have entertained the guests of her father’s Venetian academy with songs, including her own works. A...
The Best Films Out Now
There are films to meet every taste in theartsdesk's guide to the best movies currently on release. In our considered opinion, any of the titles...
The Best Plays in London
London is the theatre capital of the world, with more than 50 playhouses offering theatrical entertainment. From the mighty National Theatre to...
CD: Kamasi Washington - Heaven and Earth
It would always be difficult to follow The Epic, the 2015 release which turned LA saxophonist Kamasi Washington from leader of...
Enter theartsdesk / h Club Young Influencer of the Year awar...
Are you a young blogger, vlogger or writer in the field of the arts, books and culture? If so, we've a competition for you to enter.
The...
Ismaili a Go-Go: How the Aga Khan funded a music renaissance
Many of us recognise that rather striking modernist building in Cromwell Gardens near South Kensington tube, having seen it on the way to the V...
Bach Weekend, Barbican review - vivid and vibrant celebratio...
John Eliot Gardiner was 75 in April, and to celebrate, the...