New releases on CD & DVD
CD: Karine Polwart – Laws of Motion
Monday, 15 October 2018
Karine Polwart has a stellar track record as a pop and folk songwriter and interpreter of traditional songs, from Malinky through a solo career that has garnered six BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, including Folk Singer Of The Year 2018.
CD: Neneh Cherry - Broken Politics
Saturday, 13 October 2018
Collaboration clearly suits Neneh Cherry. From co-writing with husband Cameron McVey, to projects with Youssou N’Dour, her band cirKus, The Thing and RocketNumberNine, the give-and-take of partnership has produced some stunning work that has always seen the singer give as much as she has taken. Cherry is an honest, open performer and that translates to her vocal style. Much attention has been focused on the involvement of Keiron “Four Tet” Hebden as producer on this project, and his...
DVD: A Moment in the Reeds
Friday, 12 October 2018
Mikko Makela’s debut feature is as sheerly concentrated a piece of filmmaking as you can imagine. The Finnish director – previously better known as...
CD: Jess Glynne - Always In Between
Thursday, 11 October 2018
The first release from Jess Glynne’s new album, “I’ll Be There” confirmed the North London singer as the first ever British female artist to have...
CD: Kurt Vile - Bottle It In
Wednesday, 10 October 2018
Kurt Vile is a cult artist with growing commercial heft. He’s gained this without making concessions to mainstream sensibilities. Ever since Walkin’...
CD: Jaakko Eino Kalevi - Out of Touch
Prolific Finnish sonic auteur favours style over impact |
CD: Tom Morello – The Atlas Underground
The guitarist and songwriter has lost none of his blistering rage |
CD: John Grant – Love Is Magic
The singer-songwriter is on fine form on an immensely rewarding fourth album |
DVD/Blu-ray: The Miraculous Virgin
More than mystifying: Slovak Surrealism of totalitarian character |
VOD: That Good Night
John Hurt's screen swansong gives crusty weight to scrappy script |
CD: You Me At Six - VI
Well-established rockers are new to our dubious reviewer but he's impressed |
CD: Echo & the Bunnymen - The Stars, The Oceans & The Moon
The Bunnymen indulge in some pointless self-harm |
CD: KT Tunstall - Wax
Sometimes the middle of the road is no bad place to be... |
CD: Jessica Sligter - Polycrisis: yes!
Disquieting commentary on Europe’s downward spiral |
DVD/Blu-ray: Zama
Argentinian auteur Lucrecia Martel mesmerises with depiction of the chaos of colonialism |
CD: Cat Power - Wanderer
Chan Marshall’s tenth album is a haunting thing of great beauty |
CD: Nile Rodgers & Chic - It's About Time
Very daytime Radio 1 but the disco kingpin's comeback album has just enough pizzazz to stand up |
DVD/Blu-ray: Iceman
Prehistoric revenge thriller, with lots of hollering |
CD: Cher - Dancing Queen
A shameless celebration of all that glitters |
CD: Rod Stewart - Blood Red Roses
An old hitmaker won't ever let you down |
CD: Tim Hecker - Konoyo
Long avant narratives and moments of shimmering beauty from Canadian-Japanese collaboration |
CD: Mudhoney - Digital Garbage
Grunge's unsung pioneers sound vital as ever |
DVD/Blu-ray: The Breadwinner
Riveting animated tale of life under Taliban rule |
CD: Prince - Piano and a Microphone 1983
Is this a glimmer of hope that treatment of the Paisley Park archives is going to be respectful? |
CD: Christine and the Queens - Chris
Empowering alt-pop that refuses definition |
DVD: Mario
Keeping the game straight: Swiss youth drama tells how football treats its gay players |
CD: Malcolm Middleton - Bananas
Scotland's great mordant romantic returns to his songwriting roots |
CD: Glen Matlock - Good To Go
Toughening-up needed on former Sex Pistol’s first solo album for two decades |
CD: Hawkwind - Road to Utopia
The grizzled, grimey drug-rockers get an easy-listening makeover with somewhat surprising results |
latest in today
Barneys, Books and Bust Ups, BBC Four review - the Booker Pr...
You had to keep your eyes skinned. Was that Iris Murdoch or AS Byatt, Kingsley Amis or John Banville, Margaret Atwood or Val McDermid – maybe,...
The Inheritance, Noël Coward Theatre review - tangled knot o...
Its roots are in an emotional truth: Matthew Lopez saw the film, then read the book, of Howards End when he was 15 and 11 years later...
Hallé, Gardner, Bridgewater Hall, Manchester review – drama...
Edward Gardner was back amongst friends when he opened the Hallé’s Thursday series concerts. This was the place where he made his mark, as the...
Ciarán Dowd, Soho Theatre review - terrific spoof swordsman...
The Edinburgh Fringe does throw up some...
Barbara Kingsolver: Unsheltered review - too many issues
“When men fear the loss of what they know, they will follow any tyrant who promises to restore the old order.” Mary Treat, the real-life 19th-...
Reissue CDs Weekly: Rockin' in the USA - Hot 100 Hits o...
One marker arrived on 1 August 1981, when MTV began...
Modern Couples, Barbican review - an absurdly ambitious surv...
What an ambitious project! Modern Couples: Art, Intimacy and the Avant-garde looks at over 40 couples or, in some cases,...
The Music of Harry Potter, CBSO, Seal, Symphony Hall, Birmin...
Imagine an orchestral concert made up exclusively of contemporary works by living composers: a programme in which every note was written within...
