News: Mercury Prize 2026 Nominees Announced

 

The 2026 Mercury Prize just announced their 12 Albums of the Year nominees. Highlights of this year's nominees include previous winners Suede and Dave, War Child for their charity album HELP(2), Florence + The Machine, Paul McCartney, RAYE, and others.

The 12 albums are chosen by an independent judging panel that acknowledges British and Irish artists' achievement across genres. The artists must have a UK release date between 30 August 2025 and 17 July 2026. The award will be given on October 22 at the Utilita Arena in Newcastle, the second time the ceremony hasn't been held in London.

One of the highlights is definitely Suede's 2025 album "Antidepressants", the iconic band won the Award in 1993 and now they are nominated again. HELP(2) is a charity album benefitting War Child and it features a stacked lineup with new tracks by Pulp, Arctic Monkeys, Olivia Rodrigo, Depeche Mode, Big Thief, Wet Leg, Young Fathers, Cameron Winter, Damon Albarn, Anna Calvi, Ellie Rowsell of Wolf Alice, Nilüfer Yanya, Fontaines D.C., Beth Gibbons, The Last Dinner Party, Beck, Bat For Lashes, English Teacher, and more. 

The Mercury Prize started out strong with Primal Scream's Screamadelica winning in 1992 and Suede's self-titled debut winning in 1993. There have been lots of great artists who have also won since, including Pulp, Elbow, Portishead, Franz Ferdinand, and others. 

Mercury Prize Class Of 2026 Nominees:

Dave - The Boy Who Played the Harp
Dove Ellis - Blizzard
Florence + The Machine - Everybody Scream
Jade - That's Showbiz Baby!
Knats - A Great Day In Newcastle
Kojey Radical - Don’t Look Down
Nia Archives - Emotional Junglist
Olivia Dean - The Art of Loving
Paul McCartney - The Boys of Dungeon Lane
Raye - This Music May Contain Hope
Suede - Antidepressants
War Child Records - HELP(2)

New Music: Flea Joint

          

London quartet Mystery Jets have offered up another slice of their forthcoming new album, the band have now shared "Flea Joint" as a way of previewing their seventh LP, "A Hole To See The Sky Through". Speaking of  "Flea Joint", the band’s frontman Blaine Harrison has said: "We wanted to create something which felt really linear and hypnotic, so over several hot summer nights we set about improvising melodies and hooks over a layered patchwork of jittery, skippy loops. That process of gradual refinement reminded us of how a piece by Fela Kuti or Can might have been written, yet something about the cyclical riff evoked 80s Manchester, and that steered us back a little closer to home." The two track get lifted from the band's forthcoming full-length, which is due to arrive on 21st August.

New Music: Bye Bye Bailando

           

Flans continues celebrating four decades in music industry with the release of their new and fourth single "Bye Bye Bailando," taken from their latest album, "Flans 40 Sin Control." The new track follows the success of the singles "Si Mañana Es Nunca," "Trágico Mágico," and "Por Amarte Así," solidifying a phase in which the singers focus on relatable, everyday stories, accompanied by contemporary sounds and a renewed vocal style that showcases the adaptability and harmony between Ilse and Mimi. Rather than dwelling on the past, the now duo says this anniversary is an opportunity to thank their fans for their support over the past four decades and, at the same time, continue captivating new generations. Video directed by Selma Cervantes. 

New Music: All Falls To Me

           

Jesus Jones shares their new single "All Falls To Me" is the second track to be taken from the upcoming band's new album "Twilight" to be released in September 2026, the visuals are taken from the band's travels, on the world tour they did in 2023/2024. The tune start with a Flamenco intro and the goes into transition to a dancy sound pretty much as Jesus Jones trademark, in the video you can see Mike diving into the idea of Solipsism the tought that the onlu thing which truly exists is oneself. 

Rocktrospectiva: The Absorbing And Uplifting "First Contact" Turns 25

Released on 30 July 2001 "First Contact was the debut studio album by US house producer Roger Sanchezwho after establishing himself as a popular DJ and remixer throughout the 1990s, decided he wanted to create more of his own music and record a studio album, feeling he had "a bit of a story to tell with his life." Conceiving the album to be a very personal "reflection of his life", Sanchez recorded First Contact over a four-year period. Music critics have described the record as a disco house album which displays a disparate array of influences and styles, including garage, Latin and electro. Numerous guest vocalists, including Cooly's Hot Box, N'Dea Davenport and Sharleen Spiteri, contribute vocals to the record. The album spawned four single "I Never Knew", "Another Chance", "You Can't Change Me" & "Nothin' 2 Prove."

Throughout the 1990s, disc jockey Roger Sanchez had been brought to a worldwide audience via his career as a remixer, but he wasn't satisfied. Like many DJs, he wanted to be an artist. And he wanted to be the best and if remixing had taught him one thing, it was how to make records." Sanchez conceived the idea of making an album when he found himself producing enough of his own material. He said of making First Contact: "I think for me what happened was that rather than initially saying 'Oh, I want to do an album', it got to the point that after years of just doing one off singles and remixes, I started producing a couple of my own tracks and I just felt I had a bit of a story to tell with my life."Although Sanchez had released several DJ mix albums and compilation albums in the 1990s and 2000s, including his then-recent Ministry of Sound mix Sessions Eleven: The R-Senal Sessions (2000), First Contact was the DJ's first studio album.

Sanchez said he wanted to create a "very personal" album that gave listeners "a little bit of background about where I'm from and where my mind is at, plus some of my own experiences so people could relate to it and vibe with it." Upon its completion in 2001, the album had drastically changed from its previous form a year and a half earlier: "I just thinned it out, focused it and concentrated it more. I'm very happy with the outcome." The DJ felt the final album "reflects and expands on the sounds that have shaped his life."

Sanchez constructed the album's tracks "like a house." He explained: "Everything has a foundation and the track is a construction. The skeleton frames, the beams are the bassline, and you build it up around that. I often start with the drums, although recently I've started to subvert that, to challenge myself more, and start with, say, a melody. I treat every track as a problem that I have to solve." Production of the song "Another Chance" was initially an issue as Sanchez felt it needed vocals, so he sampled the 1982 song "I Won't Hold You Back" by rock band Toto after he found the Toto IV album lying in the studio. Despite never taking 'blatant' samples, he made an exception for the Toto track as "lyrically it just made the track and hit something I'd gone through." Tom Ewing of Freaky Trigger described the production of "Another Chance" as Sanchez "hearing something in the winsome intro of an old Toto hit, cutting it loose, and then letting this tiny scrap of song spin through seven minutes of house music." 

The album composition described by Sanchez as "a reflection of my life", is a lush and soulful house and disco house album, mixing smooth garage styles into a harder sound influenced by "fresh new beats" emerging from the United Kingdom and Europe. The album explored different styles and influences, including garage, electro and Latin music. A brief skit opens the album, in which Sanchez is heard logging on to his computer, which invites him "to select a track". This  was followed by "Computabank", influenced by 1980s electronica acts like Depeche Mode and Kraftwerk, and incorporating styles of electro and industrial music. Julie C of Resident Advisor said the song gives listeners a taste of the style of electronica music "now filtering through their air waves" that had been adopted by Daft Punk. The emotional second track "Another Chance" featured two hooks, namely the repeating vocal, sampled from Toto's "I Won't Hold You Back", and the double drum-hit "that kicks the track up a notch each time it comes."

"Contact" was a deep house track fusing throbbing bass sounds and flanged sampling work. The disco-styled diva house song "You Can't Change Me" was a collaboration with Armand van Helden and vocalist N'Dea Davenport. The lyrics were based on an argument Sanchez had with his ex-girlfriend: "She became my manager and it broke up pretty badly. My career, my music comes first, and I travel all over the world. This is how it is, so if you walk into my life you have to expect it. "The Partee" was a big beat and house track driven by a brassy Latin music groove that highlights Sanchez's Dominican roots. "Ventura" is a 'formless' track based upon a chunky groove, followed by the disco-styled "I Never Knew", which features strings and "lite-funk" vocals from the group Cooly's Hot Box. "Nothing 2 Prove" is a laid-back song featuring vocals from Sharleen Spiteri of the group Texas. The genesis for the song came after Sanchez remixed Texas' hit "In Our Lifetime". Angela Johnson sings on the "electro soul" closing song "Leavin'". 

First Contact was released to general acclaim from music critics by hailing the album as Sanchez's return "to the dance/club scene" and describing it as "undoubtedly one of the best albums released that year." also cited the album in which house music finally had found a new direction, after the genre had been "going round in circles uncertain of which direction to take." An extraordinarily absorbing record" that sounds "at once eerily uplifting and emotional, statuesque and clinical."

 

First Contact Track List: 

 

0. Try

1. Computabank

2. Another Chance

3. Contact

4. You Can't Change Me

5. The Partee

6. Ventura

7. I Never Knew

8. Nothing 2 Prove

9. Leavin 

10. Static  

Rocktrospectiva: The Acclaimed And Influential "Is This It" Turns 25

Released on 30 July 2001 "Is This It" was the debut studio album by US band The Strokes, it was recorded at Transporterraum in New York City with producer Gordon Raphael during March and April 2001. For their debut, the band strived to capture a simple sound that was not significantly enhanced in the studio. The album spawned three singles "Hard To Explain", "Last Nite" & "Someday". 

Formed back in 1998, the Strokes consisted of singer Julian Casablancas, guitarist Nick Valensi, bassist Nikolai Fraiture, and drummer Fabrizio Moretti. Casablancas's stepfather and Moretti's and Fraiture's older brothers introduced the quartet to the music of reggae artist Bob Marley, protopunk group the Velvet Underground, and alternative rock band Jane's Addiction. Discussing the formative stages of the group, Moretti noted, "Our music was, like, [the Doors'], but trying to be classical. We all took music classes and tried writing songs, and when we put them together they were this crazy amalgam of insane ideas that we thought was really cool." In 1998, Albert Hammond Jr., whom Casablancas knew from his time at a Swiss boarding school, moved to New York City to attend film school and joined the Strokes as a second guitarist, his arrival provided the catalyst for the band's musical and emotional evolution.

After the deal with RCA, the Strokes started working with Gil Norton, who had produced recordings for alternative rock group Pixies. Although the two parties developed a rapport, the band were unhappy with the results of preliminary sessions which they thought sounded "too clean" and "too pretentious"; the three songs recorded with Norton were scrapped.

Before recording started, the Strokes and Raphael organized a listening session with the musical material Hammond and Casablancas had brought to show the tone and energy they liked. At the meeting, the band said they wanted to go in a different direction than contemporary music. Casablancas wanted Is This It to sound like "a band from the past that took a time trip into the future to make their record". The approach for the album became more studied than that of The Modern Age. The group wanted the majority of songs to sound like them playing live, while they requested a few others to be like "a weird, in-studio production with a drum machine, even though no drum machine was used". The songs of the latter type were done track-by-track and were crafted into non-standard rock arrangements. Raphael's background in industrial music played a large part in the album's conception.

During six weeks in the studio, the Strokes' gritty sound became the emphasis of the sessions. The band usually recorded songs only once, based on Casablancas's preference for "raw efficiency". RAT effects pedals and overdriving amplifiers were used at times, "taking sounds, disintegrating them and then bringing them back". The band wanted things to be only slightly stressed, with no heavy-handedness in terms of studio effects; only distortion and reverse echo were widely used. Throughout the process, Raphael improvised according to the reactions that he got from the group. At one point, he had to cope with the threat of eviction from his Transporterraum studio, but once the Strokes received backing from RCA, time and money were no longer pressing concerns. The label's A&R delegate initially did not like what had been recorded and felt that the album was not going to be professional enough. The producer and the band were given complete control only when Casablancas persuaded the delegate by playing him some of the new material on a boom box. 

Inspired by the Velvet Underground's production and the direct approach of punk rock band Ramones, the miking scheme for the drum kit included only three microphones: one above it, one for the bass drum, and one in the corner of the studio. It was crafted to capture "a compressed, explosive sound". On Moretti's advice, the transfer from the two loud guitars and the rumble of the bass picked up by the drum-kit microphones was not eliminated. The guitars were recorded more simply; Hammond and Valensi both used Fender DeVille amps on opposite sides of the room, while Raphael positioned a mic on each. The sound was then fed directly into a preamp with no equalization. Valensi commented that guitar teacher and mentor Bowersock was invaluable because he was articulating things to the producer that the group could not. While the rest of the Strokes played to a click track, Casablancas sang through a small Peavey practice amp to retain a sense of low fidelity on the album. Raphael mixed as he went along to maintain control of the record until the final mastering stage; the producer aimed to show the Strokes a final product as soon as the band finished performing a track.

The composition of the record reflected on Casablancas's stuff about life and relationships of young people in New York City. Exemplifying this theme, "The Modern Age" is a rant about the oddness of modern life. "Barely Legal" concerns a girl who has just arrived at the age of consent. Discussing its risqué nature, Moretti has stated, "It should be taken the way you interpret it. The lyrics mean different things to different people." "Alone, Together" continues the sexual theme by dropping hints about cunnilingus, while the yelp at the start of "New York City Cops" was created as a pastiche of rock band Aerosmith. "Soma" takes influence from the fictional drug in Aldous Huxley's 1932 novel Brave New World. Here Casablancas is discussing drug use to fit in with the cool crowd.

The music on the other hand has been described as a garage rock revival, indie rock, and post-punk revival album. All songs on the album were mixed using 11 or fewer audio tracks. According to Valensi, the album contains "no gimmicks, no tricks" to try to get the listener to like the compositions. It opens with the title track, which features a simple, metronomic drum line, a recurring feature in the rest of the record. Containing one of the slowest tempos, "Is This It" is the Strokes' attempt at a ballad. "The Modern Age" follows and includes a guitar riff accompanied by a complementary drum line. Its staccato verse is followed by an upbeat, singalong chorus and a guitar solo. Discussing the album's simplicity and measured approach, Valensi has commented, "We don't put in a guitar solo just to have one." "Soma" incorporates jerky rhythms and starts and ends with the same guitar and drum chimes, while "Barely Legal" contains some of the album's softer guitar melodies inspired by Britpop as well as drumming patterns that evoke the sound of primitive 1980s drum machines. The fifth track on the record, "Someday", is infused with rockabilly elements and interlocking guitar lines, the latter a recurring element of Is This It. "Alone, Together" is driven by a staccato rhythm, and climaxes first with a guitar solo, then a repeat of the central guitar hook. "Last Nite" is also a guitar-driven song, but leans towards pop music influences. At its core, there are reggae-inspired rhythm guitar lines played by Hammond, and studio noise effects. The rhythm section plays simple interlocking notes and beats.  Like "Soma", "Hard to Explain" contains processed drum tracks using dynamic range compression and equalization studio techniques to make them sound like a drum machine.

The album had two cover art, the international cover art of Is This It is by Colin Lane and features a photograph of a woman's rear and hip, with a leather-gloved hand suggestively resting on it. The model was Lane's then-girlfriend, who explained that the photoshoot was spontaneous and happened after she came out of the shower naked. Lane recalled that a stylist had left the glove in his apartment and noted, "We did about 10 shots. There was no real inspiration, I was just trying to take a sexy picture." The result was included in the book The Greatest Album Covers of All Time, in which Grant Scott, one of the editors, noted influences from the works of Helmut Newton and Guy Bourdin. 

For the American market and the October 2001 release, the cover art of Is This It was changed to a psychedelic photograph of subatomic particle tracks in a bubble chamber. The image first appeared on new age artist Bruce Becvar's 1988 album The Nature of Things. 

The album received widespread critical acclaim; and described the Strokes as "a great groove band", and noted that "the beats implode, clashing/resolving with punky brevity and gnarly faux simplicity". One of the best debut with a perfect 10 review by a guitar band during the past 20 years. Some reviewers noted that "Is This It" sounded similar to the works of 1970s bands the Velvet Underground, Television and the Feelies. and suggested that, while the work of the Velvet Underground is an obvious inspiration for the Strokes, the band's only similarity to the other groups is the confidence with which they perform. Althought some reviews smashed the record a called it such a bore album who doesn't deserved al the excessive hype it has it. Even thought, the album is considered so influential something like a world-changing moment in mainstream music in the US and the UK.

 

Is This It Track List: 

 

1. Is This It

2. The Modern Age

3. Soma

4. Barely Legal

5. Someday

6. Alone, Together

7. Last Nite 

8. Hard To Explain

9. New York City Cops 

10. Trying Your Luck

11. Take It Or Leave

New Music: Now We Can't Be Friends

          

Bloc Party has premiered a new song called "Now We Can't Be Friends," a track off the band's upcoming album, Anatomy of a Brief Romance. The single marks the third song to be released off Anatomy of a Brief Romance, following "Coming on Strong" and "Love Bomb." the new album it's due out September 11.

New Music: Violins

           

Blondshell has a new album on the way, produced by Yves Rothman, Sabrina Teitelbaum aka Blondshell new album Violins is set for release on September 25, Now the LA based rocker released the title track new single which sums up the album in a lot of ways according to Teitelbaum: When I was writing I felt really drawn to images of patience and kindness, for example putting your head on someone’s shoulder, alongside images of violence. I was also inspired by the idea of healing slowly and refusing to be rushed by any outside force. Things genuinely just take the time they take. I’m not at a point in life where I can have a no assholes policy yet, but I like the idea of weeding out people that aren’t going to let me have limitations. In the Sabra Binder-directed video, below, Teitelbaum undergoes a tumultuous bonding experience with a melting ice sculpture of a fawn. 

New Music: Lonely In The Future

           

The Strokes return with a new album, Reality Awaits. And now shares a new track called "Lonely In The Future", which according to lead singer Julian Casablanca explains why there’s no need to repeat themselves. The new track is a fuzzy, angular banger in which Casablancas lashing out at critics, clones, and the like. With his voice constricted by the Auto-Tune plugin, he begins with a been-there-done-that sentiment.

Retro: Vanilla Ice En Concierto

Hoy hace 35 años tuvo lugar el llamado "Concierto Del Año" como los medios de aquel entonces se encargaron de llamar al show que Vanilla Ice conocido también como el rapero blanco ó el "Elvis del rap, vino a dar a Guatemala. 

 

Y si efectivamente era todo un suceso por la talla del artista que se trataba y porque era algo raro y bueno todavía lo sigue siendo, que un artista en su prime venga a ofrecer shows por estos lares, generalmente lo hacen cuando ya les paso el momento, y si no, a manera de decir que "peor es nada" la infame moda de traer grupos o artistas tributos para que el público se conforme al menos con eso. 

 

Hubo una vez una división entre el rap comercial y el de las calles, y precisamente Vanilla Ice pertenecía al primera que sin necesidad de entrar en polémicas y enfrentamientos con la industria musical, lograron tener éxito, la llamada época dorada del rap comercial con nombres de la talla de M.C. Hammer, Kid 'n' Play, Tone Loc y por el Iceman que ayudaron a popularizar el género entre finales de los 80s e inicios de los 90s.

 

Por aquel 1991, se barajeo la posibilidad de traer a M.C. Hammer y hasta confirmaron que el malogrado acto C+C Music Factory vendría a ofrecer un show, al final todo se quedo en la nada, pero curiosamente se confirmo la llegada de Vanilla Ice y desde ese momento, se convirtió en el evento del año. Había jingle que decía así: "Coca Cola te trae una noticia que bien te cae es Vanilla Ice es Concierto compra tus entradas en Discos & Cosas a Q. 40.00 y Q. 65.00"  toda una ganga comparando los precios de los shows de hoy en día. 

 

El concierto tuvo lugar en el Teodoro Palacios Flores, pusieron de teloneros a un grupo llamado Stress que la verdad nada que ver con el estilo de Vanilla Ice, pero era lo que había, al final hizo su presencia frente a una 8,000 personas aproximadamente durante unos 90 minutos interpretando los temas de su disco "To The Extreme", aunque por momentos me recordó mucho al "Extremely Live" álbum en directo que por ese entonces también se estaba promocionando. 

 

El show tuvo sentimiento encontrados para muchos fue increíble y para otros no tanto y entonces comenzaron a correr el mensaje que ese no había sido el verdadero Vanilla Ice sino un impostor, ya que no se parecía físicamente, además que no se sabia los pases de baile como en los videos, casi no hubieron bailarines, el sonido estuvo malo (aunque eso siempre ha pasado en los conciertos que se han dado por aquí), al final vino e hizo lo suyo y su show quedo marcado en los anales de eventos musicales destacados en la historia nacional y que hoy 35 años después recordamos como uno de los momentos más icónicos de aquel 1991 y de la década de los 90s. 

Rocktrospectiva: The Finest And Brilliant "Life's Rich Pageant" Turns 40

 

Released on 28 July 1986 "Life's Rich Pageant" was the 4th., studio album by the US alternative rock band R.E.M., produced by Don Gehman and recorded at John Mellencamp's Belmont Mall Studio in Belmont, Indiana. This was the only album the band recorded with Gehman, who moved them from the more obscure and dense sound of their earlier albums to an accessible, hard rock-influenced quality. The album spawned two singles "Fall On Me" & "Superman."

During the first half of 1986, the band took a break from touring to recover energy. They wanted to make a change from the sound of their previous album, with Mills saying "We wanted to get away from the sort of murky feelings and sounds that we got out of Joe Boyd, producer on Fables of the Reconstruction] in London". They wanted a "really hard-driving record, but we also like to throw in a lot of things: pianos and organs and accordions and banjos and what-not" and considered working with Gehman as they liked the acoustic sound of his work with John Mellencamp.  They initially met for a number of demo sessions at John Keane's Studio in Athens, Georgia, in January & March 1986 (These recordings would later be released as the "Athens Demos" on the 25th-anniversary re-release of the album). After being initially skeptical, they embraced the new recording process with Gehman 

Recorded at Mellencamp's Belmont Mall Recording Studio in Belmont, Indiana, in April and May 1986. The recording studio was larger and had newer technology than they were used to, and they enjoyed the area, attending many concerts in nearby Bloomington while there. The band were also happy with the production of the record and the extra clarity of the vocals 

The album's title was inspired by a line spoken by Inspector Clouseau in the 1964 film "A Shot in the Dark." The cover art features an image of drummer Bill Berry and a bison below, alluding to the album's environmental theme and referencing Buffalo Bill. By then, the band's fame was already transcending the boundaries of college rock, so a new recording was needed to propel them into a more mainstream sound, and indeed, the gamble paid off, as the production allowed the album to reach gold status, peaking at No. 21 and becoming, at the time, the band's best-selling and most successful album. 

Two singles were released from the album: the powerful and ecologically charged "Fall On Me," a favorite of Stipe and myself, and "Superman," sung by Mike Mills. But other tracks also appeared, which curiously became unofficial singles: the equally powerful and socially and ecologically charged "Cuyahoga," about the highly polluted river that flows into Lake Erie, referencing the times the river caught fire due to the high levels of pollution; and "Flowers of Guatemala," which, it is said, alluded to the genocide in that country during the armed conflict. 

Praised by many critics who highlighted the band as brilliant and unconventional with a promising future. They emphasized the dark folk sound of its predecessor, "Fables of Reconstruction," but noted its much more dynamic and upbeat sound. While some cited a lack of progress in the band's sonic evolution, this was of little consequence, as the band was at the zenith of its career and everything from then on would run smoothly, thanks to the outstanding work of Don Gehman, who definitively made the band sound much more open and unmasked. 

 

Life's Rich Pageant Track List:  

 

1. Begin The Begin

2. These Days

3. Fall On Me

4. Cuyahoga

5. Hyena

6. Underneath The Bunker

7. The Flowers Of Guatemala

8. I Believe

9. What If We Give It Away?

10. Just A Touch

11. Swan Swan H

12. Superman 

New Music: Pin Up Boys

           

The Manchester, England four-piece Westside Cowboy are releasing their debut album, It Goes On, on August 2. Now they have shared its second single, "Pin Up Boys," The band collectively had this to say about the song in a press release: Pin Up Boys was written a year and a half ago using an acoustic guitar, a drum machine sample pad and some screwdrivers as drumsticks. It is by far the longest serving song on the album and the one that we have played the most live, which was a blessing and a curse when we came to record. After realising this song was set in its ways, we thought the recording should be a somewhat faithful version of the live performance. We hope you get something out of it. Jack Shep directed the song’s video and had this to say about it:  Westside Cowboy's performance style is so energetic and distinct. They clearly have a mountainous future ahead of them, and it was awesome to work with young people at the precipice of starting something really special together. In the video we wanted to capture the band's dynamism, through a spotlight. We follow this fixed, malevolent spotlight chasing our hero (played by the band's mate, Will) as he tries to escape its gaze. As he runs, he manages to escape, splitting into a new spotlight with a new version of the band. The whole thing begins to buckle and shatter.”

New Music: Cigarette Curls

          

Beth Orton shares "Cigarette Curls" a wonderful, time stood still and beautifully put together not a sound out of place. Beth Orton reflects here on a past relationship that ended abruptly, leaving the singer feeling lost and alone. The metaphor of 'cigarette curls' symbolizes memories that linger like smoke, while the repetition of being 'afraid' highlights the fear and regret of not following one', the single is taken from her forthcoming album "The Ground Above" video directed by Joseph Lynn & Imogen Knight

New Music: I Feel Hope Coming

           

The Alabama Shakes have shared their optimistic new single "I Feel Hope Coming,"  the latest track off I Must Be Dreaming, the reunited band's first album in 11 years. The new single is a call to protest. "This younger generation makes me feel hopeful because they can see through all the political lies — that song’s about holding onto that hope, and refusing to give up," Brittany Howard said of the track in a statement. 

Albums: In Times Of Dragons

Tori Amos' "In Times Of Dragons" is the US singer and pianist 18th., studio album, which has been described by Amos herself as a "metaphorical story about the fight for Democracy over Tyranny, reflecting the current abhorrent non accidental burning down of democracy in real time by the 'Dictator believing Lizard Demons' in their usurpation of America". The album has released three singles so fr "Strong Together", "Shush" & "Gasoline Girls." 

So, the expectatios were high for her new album, described as a conceptual album about the current dangerous times we are in - where democracy itself is on the line. Amos added: As I'm fleeing from the character that is my sadistic billionaire Lizard Demon husband, I came across people I had not been allowed to see in years, and they had not wanted to see me because of the relationship I found myself in. To avoid being captured and dragged back to the Lizard Demon's penthouse, I run to the deep south of the US to throw him and his henchman off my trail. One of the many characters I meet on the journey is The Daughter. 

A remarkable record in where he music is slow and somber. Her piano is deep and sonorous. Her voice impassioned. The strings luscious and sweeping, it's the sound of someone at the top of their game singing from their heart. “Song of Sorrow” is just beautiful. The production feels intense with  piano, voice, strings, that produced a certain effect on every listener, in which the more you listen the deeper things are. 

The synths underpin a lot of the emotion, the electronic bleeps appear for punctuation."Stronger Together" is the culmination of our relationship as it is transformed with The Daughter choosing to stand by me no matter what challenges lay ahead. Whatever we will face in the future, we make a vow to each other that we're Stronger Together, in "Pyrite" we have an upbeat banger, the drums are pulsating and bass driving. The most pop song here is "Gasoline Girls" taht turn it into the standout of the set, and with "Strawberry Moon" which features Amos' daughter and their interaction at the beginning is a delight, "23 Peaks" is a huge achievement unlike anything the artist has ever recorded, and of course "Provincetown" a return to form on her career and the quite remarkable "Blue Lotus". 

Perhaps the only complain is that the record it's too long about 17 tracks at 76 minutes, there are certain moments in which you can easily lose the touch, but then at the end of the album, things seemed to hook all over again, however, the album captures the mood and manages to replicate all over, the somber atmosphere is great, low key songs that shows a performer anger against the system or everything, this is an emotionally heavy, often devastating set but a one of a kind in her interesting career so far. 

 

In Times Of Dragons Track List: 

 

1. Shush 

2. In Times Of Dragons

3. Provincetown

4. St. Teresa 

5. Gasoline Girls

6. Ode To Minnesota

7. Fanny Faudrey

8. Veins 

9. Strawberry Moon

10. Song Of Sorrow

11. Flood

12. Pyrite

13. Tempest

14. Angelshark

15. Blue Lotus

16. Stronger Together

17. 23 Peaks 

New Music: My Lover

           

The Afghan Whigs shares their new single "My Lover" a song that neatly distills the emotional ambivalence of a deceitful relationship sustained by lust but doomed to fail, it's the 3rd., single taken from the band's forthcoming new album "Soft Control" due out next 8th., August.

New Music: Day In The Sun

           

Teenage Fanclub have announced their new album, Do Not Dare To Dream, out 9th October, and shared its lead single, Day In The Sun, with a video by Donald Milne filmed at Black Bay Studio on Great Bernera in the Outer Hebrides. The album is the band's thirteenth and follows the melancholic warmth of 2023’s Nothing Lasts Forever, whose lingering understated vibe makes Day In The Sun all the brighter. Those lush multi-part harmonies, 60s jangle, rich acoustic textures, and organ are still there in abundance alongside some really nice flourishes — that really subtle vox wah in the back and that harp opening, all accentuate that Californian psych glow, presenting a playful sparkling optimism that leans towards The Byrds.

New Music: Sounds We Cannot Hear

           

Protomartyr are back with their first album in three years. It’s titled Hotel Usona and will be out September 25. The first single from Hotel Usona is "Sounds We Cannot Hear"  which has Protomartyr’s signature sound augmented with horns, tubular bells, xylophone, and more, with Casey's lyrics setting a dark tone from the start. The video, a disquieting psychological thriller set at a hibachi restaurant, was directed by Danny Scharar & Harris Mayersohn and features comedian and actor Nate Varrone.

New Music: Blue Shadows

           

The Avalanches are back and now shares "Blue Shadows" the second collaboration between The Avalanches and Karen O, the solo artist and Yeah Yeah Yeahs frontwoman having featured on "Dial D For Devotion" from the band’s 2020 album We Will Always Love You. “Blue Shadows” also marks the third single from The Avalanches in 2026, the track follows "Every Single Weekend" with Jamie xx and "Together" with Nikki Nair, Jessy Lanza and Prentiss.

Rocktrospectiva: The Mature And Thoughtful "Play" Turns 35

Released on 23 July 1991 "Play" was the 9th., studio album by the British new wave group Squeeze. Back in the day was the first LP in the Squeeze discography to feature only four official members instead of five. Tony Berg produced the album. The album spawned the singles "Sunday Street", "Satisfied" & "Crying In My Sleep".  The album spent one week at number 41 in the UK Albums Chart in September 1991.

Considered one of Squeeze's most mature and thoughtful albums in which the liner notes are written out as a theatre script, with the songs laid out as dialogue. Play was a simple and low-key collection of songs charting the dissolution of a love affair. Reduced to a quartet by Jools Holland's departure for a career as a BBC television presenter, this aided the group to play with a loose, R&B-inflected casualness. 

Play may be one of Squeeze's greatest late period works. Producer Tony Berg, who'd just scored a sizable U.S. hit with the irresistible Michael Penn cut "No Myth." His studio wizardry meshed well with a collection of tunes that tackled various vagaries of love and loss, from breakups (the upbeat "Crying in My Sleep," the downbeat "Letting Go" to keeping it honest "The Truth," "House of Love", slice-of-life scenes "Sunday Street," "Satisfied" and even a relaxed celebration of coming back from a concert tour "The Day I Get Home". 

Though Play was only a moderate success in England, just missing the Top 40 of the British charts, the period is looked on warmly by both fans and even the band themselves, despite a challenging time behind-the-scenes where Difford entered rehab to address his relationship to alcohol. The album also received some positive reception from critics by proclaiming the record to be probably Squeeze's best post-reunion album. 

 

Play Track List:  

 

1. Satisfied

2. Crying In My Sleep

3. Letting Go

4. The Day I Get Home

5. The Truth

6. House Of Love

7. Cupid's Toy

8. Gone To The Dogs

9. Walk A Straight Line

10. Sunday Street

11. There Is A Voice 

New Music: All Falls To Me

            

Jesus Jones shares their new single and oficial visualizer of "All Falls To Me" is the second track to be taken from the upcoming Jesus Jones album "Twilight" to be released in September 2026, the visuals are taken from the band's travels, on the world tour they did in 2023/2024. The tune start with a Flamenco intro and the goes into transition to a dancy sound pretty much as Jesus Jones trademark.

Rocktrospectiva: The Outstanding "Panic" Turns 40

Released on 21 July 1986, "Panic" was a song by the English rock band the Smiths, written by lead vocalist Morrissey and guitarist Johnny Marr. It was the band's first recording as a five-piece featuring new member Craig Gannon, "Panic" bemoans the state of contemporary pop music, exhorting listeners to "burn down the disco" and "hang the DJ" in retaliation. 

The song was released by Rough Trade as a single and reached No. 7 on the Irish Singles Chart and No. 11 in the UK Chart. Morrissey considered the song's appearance on daytime British radio a "tiny revolution" in its own way, as it aired amongst the very music it criticised. It was later included in the compilation albums The World Won't Listen and Louder Than Bombs both from 1987.

"Panic" was recorded at London's Livingston Studios in May 1986. It was the group's first recording sessions since they completed work on their third album The Queen Is Dead six months earlier. During the interim period, bassist Andy Rourke had been fired due to his heroin addiction, which had interfered with his playing. The band hired Craig Gannon to replace him, but after they rehired Rourke, guitarist Johnny Marr offered Gannon a position as second guitarist.

The then five-piece band worked with producer John Porter; this was his first work with the group in two years. He was concerned that the song was too short, so he copied the band's first take from 5 May and spliced a repetition of the first verse at the end to increase its length. The group was unimpressed and opted to leave the song as they originally structured it.

A story circulated as the basis for the song holds that Marr and Morrissey were listening to BBC Radio 1 when a news report announced the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. Straight afterwards, BBC disc jockey Steve Wright played the song "I'm Your Man" by pop duo Wham! "I remember actually saying, 'What the fuck has this got to do with people's lives?'" Marr recalled. "We hear about Chernobyl, then, seconds later, we're expected to jump around to 'I'm Your Man'". While Marr subsequently stated that the account was exaggerated, he commented that it was a likely influence on Morrissey's lyrics. The band later commissioned a T-shirt featuring Wright's portrait and the phrase "Hang the DJ!"

Now "the anecdote might well be true," writes Tony Fletcher in A Light That Never Goes Out, his biography of the Smiths, but he states that "I'm Your Man" had been off the UK pop charts for several months by the time of the Chernobyl disaster and that "Morrissey hardly needed further provocation to attack Wright, whose highly ranked afternoon show treated all popular music as secondary to his madcap party format". The antagonism was apparently mutual; former Smiths manager Scott Piering says that at a 1985 meeting, Wright and his producer both made clear that they disliked the band's music. Moreover, the song itself makes no mention of the radio.

The song began with Morrissey mentioning chaos unravelling throughout Britain and Ireland (specifically mentioning London, Birmingham, Leeds, Grasmere, Carlisle, Dublin, Dundee, and Humberside). In the second part of the song, he revealed that the source of this chaos is pop music, which "says nothing to [him] about [his] life". In reaction, he implores listeners to "burn down the disco" and "hang the DJ", the latter lyrics repeated with the addition of a chorus of schoolchildren. Journalist Nick Kent described "Panic" as a mandate for "rock terrorism". John Luerssen calls it a "commentary on the tepid state of pop music in 1986" and a "chiming guitar song," based around a rotation between the G major and E minor chords.

"Panic" drew negative reaction from some critics who construed Morrissey's lyrics to have a racist connotation. Paolo Hewitt in the NME wrote, "If Morrissey wants to have a go at Radio 1 and Steve Wright, then fine [but] when he starts using words like disco and DJ, with all the attendant imagery that brings up for what is a predominantly white audience, he is being imprecise and offensive". Fletcher says that the lack of any explicit indication the song was about radio meant "Panic" "could be construed as reviving the racist and homophobic 'Disco Sucks' campaign of late 1970s America".

Morrissey denied the accusation, and in a September 1986 Melody Maker interview with Frank Owen decried Owen's suggestion that he was leading a "black pop conspiracy". Additional criticism was sparked by the same interview, wherein Morrissey was quoted naming reggae as "the most racist music in the entire world". Marr, in particular, was incensed by the article and in a 1987 NME interview threatened to "kick the living shit" out of the writer if he met him, such was his anger at the article's slant. He also countered that "disco music" could not be simply equated with "black music", saying, "To those who took offence at the 'burn down the disco' line [...] I'd say please show me the black members of New Order!"

The single cover had an image of a young Richard Bradford, known for his lead role as private eye McGill in the 1960s British TV adventure series Man in a Suitcase, features on the sleeve cover. Etching in the runout on the British 7" single reads "I DREAMT ABOUT STEW LAST NIGHT", a pun on a lyric from "Reel Around the Fountain" ("I dreamt about you last night"), while the 12" version did not have a matrix message. The German 12" runout reads "HANG THEM HIGH MONIKA/HANG THEM HIGH MONIKA

Two music videos were released for "Panic", both of which were directed by Derek Jarman. The first, which the band does not appear in, saw the song used in medley with "The Queen is Dead" and "There Is a Light That Never Goes Out" in promotion of the band's then-recent studio album of the former's same name (although "Panic" does not appear on the aforementioned album), which Jarman created as a short film for the 1986 Edinburgh Festival. The second, better-known video for "Panic", in promotion of its release as a single, sees footage of the band performing the song at a gig overlayed with footage from its segment in Jarman's film.

 

Panic Track List

 

7-inch Vinyl record

 

1. Panic

2. Vicar In A Tutu

 

12-inch vinyl record and CD

 

1. Panic

2. Vicar In A Tutu

3. The Draize Train (Instrumental) 

New Music: Get Up And Dance

           

The UK band Man/Woman/Chainsaw have dropped a new single "Get Up and Dance", featuring Emmie-Mae Avery on lead vocals, the track is off the band’s debut LP Cannonball. From Emmie-Mae: “In my mind it’s set in a club, where you spot someone who’s been trying their luck with different people all night and decide to turn the game back on them. It starts playful but then takes a forceful approach, as you push them to prove their interest and test how far they’ll go, aiming to have them make a fool of themselves.”

In Memoriam: The Influential Bassist "Jennifer Finch" Dies Aged 59

Jennifer Finch, the longtime bassist for influential grunge rock group L7, has died. Finch, who had been diagnosed with thyroid cancer in 2011, revealed she was diagnosed with an aggressive form of brain cancer last week. She was 59.

Finch's bandmates shared the news of her death on Saturday on Instagram, calling her a "beloved bandmate, friend, and fellow troublemaker".

"She had a long courageous fight with brain cancer and was loved by many wonderful friends, musical peers and fans worldwide," wrote L7's Donita Sparks, Suzi Gardner and Demetra "Dee" Plakas.

Finch was due to join L7 on the feminist rock band's The Last Hurrah farewell tour this year, however, she pulled out last week after revealing her brain cancer diagnosis, giving the band her blessing to forge ahead.

A GoFundMe campaign to help pay for her treatment, launched by friends and family, swiftly surpassed its goal and raised nearly $US400,000. Despite initial radiation treatment, "unforeseen complications" led to Finch enduring "multiple surgeries and a string of difficult setbacks".

Born on August 5, 1966, and raised by her adoptive parents in Los Angeles, Finch had a passion for photography, often documenting the city's burgeoning punk and alt-rock scenes, snapping influential groups like The Cramps and Bad Religion.

In the early 80s, Finch played bass in Sugar Babydoll, led by future Hole frontwoman Courtney Love, and The Pandoras.

Finch joined L7 in 1986, a year after Donita Sparks and Suzi Gardner formed the band. They released their self-titled debut in 1988 via influential independent record label Epitaph.

After adding Dee Plakas on drums, the group's 1990 album Smell The Magic made them one of the few non-Seattle bands signed to Sub Pop and earliest all-female groups in the grunge explosion. Finch even dated Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl for a time.

Their 1992 album Bricks Are Heavy is considered one of the era's most significant, featuring L7's biggest crossover hit Pretend We're Dead, a searing political commentary on the marginalisation of women in society inserted into a hooky anthem.

Fiercely rejecting traditional beauty standards and fearlessly advocating for women's rights, L7 co-founded Rock for Choice in 1991, a concert series raising funds and awareness for reproductive rights.

Four women playing loud, aggressive tunes confronting sexism and political disillusion was considered a feminist statement in and of itself. But L7 did not actively try to be a feminist band.

"We don't write in any contrived way," Sparks told Double J in 2019. "We write from very personal experiences and they just morph into something else. "We're not writing feminist lyrics. We're writing L7 lyrics and I think they speak to everybody."

In 1996, two years after their fourth album Hungry for Stink, Finch left the band and played in other groups, namely OtherStarPeople and The Shocker, and launched her own label, Little Pusher Records.

Following an acrimonious split in 2001, L7 reunited in 2014 and Finch rejoined, playing on their 2019 reunion album Scatter The Rats.

The band then toured regularly, playing headline shows and festivals throughout the US, UK and Australia where, in 2023, they performed Bricks Are Heavy in full on tour.

New Music: In Blood

           

British band Ladytron shares "In Blood" the second track on band's nww studio album "Paradises", the synth-pop track features their signature dark, electronic sound, and its official music video was directed by band member Daniel Hunt

New Music: Martini Me Fasto

           

The National frontman Matt Berninger has a new solo single "Martini Me Fatso" the tune is not quite like anything Berninger has released before, perhaps his side project EL VY might be the closest parallel. The song swings and the arrangement is closer to jazz-rock or bluesy adult contemporary than usual. The lyrics and vocal performance, though, are unmistakably Berninger, 

New Music: Stand Together

            

Shed Seven return in pure indie style with their new single ‘Stand Together’, their first single since 2024 and the lead track from their forthcoming, self-titled album. It’s a confident statement of intent from the York outfit, signalling both a return to their roots as well as the broadening of their sound. Opening with a classic Britpop-inspired guitar riff, the track evokes the spirit of the 90s and recalls a similar tone to that of The Seahorses. Rick Witter’s unmistakable vocals remain as clear and sharp as ever, carrying the same urgency that helped to define Shed Seven’s original success. Alongside this,  the gripping soul of Mary Pearce and Beverley Skeete adds another dimension entirely to the chorus. With gospel-inspired flourishes that reinforce the song's overarching theme of togetherness. It’s an unexpected but effective pairing, lending the track a sense of scale without losing the gritty, guitar-led identity of the band. 

 

Rocktrospectiva: The Charming And Stylish "We Are The Pipettes" Turns 20

Released on 17 July 2006, "We Are The Pipettes" was the debut album from a British girl group with a pop style inspired by the sound of the early 1960s, but which was eventually overshadowed by the arrival of Beatles British Mania. Now with an indie pop sound, the three members—Gwenno, Riot Becki, and Rosay—played in a band called The Cassettes and had already achieved some success with a few singles, making it essential to release an album. 

 

Prior to its release, tracks like "I Like A Boy In Uniform (School Uniform)," as well as the incredible "Dirty Mind," "Your Kisses Are Wasted On Me," and "Pull Shapes," had already been released. While many didn't like the album because it didn't maintain the inspirational momentum of the singles, they did their best to encapsulate the 60s trend with contemporary culture, fitting it perfectly into the diverse era of the 2000s. The band's synchronization was evident on the album, and of course in the videos; the outfits and choreography were well-rehearsed, and their aim was to recapture the throne they had lost to the British Invasion. As is often the case, people expected their sound throughout the album to be inspired by Spector's famous Wall of Sound, fused with bands of the time like The Go! Team or I'm From Barcelona. However, they emerged with a unique style that, while having some revival elements, made them sound fresh and different in a certain way. 

 

Empowering Girl Power, a blend of innocence with hints of sexual aggression, a touch of French feminism, and a sound that emerged from consuming similar styles of bands, was evident in the three girls. Each had her own personality, from the housewife to the sexy librarian to the mod and avant-garde one. This amalgamation of personalities gave the album its unique touch. Besides the standout tracks, there was also the story of the bad girl "Judy," reflecting the eternal struggle of girls seeking to rebel against their parents, from their clothing to the music they listen to and the joy of feeling young, alive, and free. Gareth Parton's production was what ultimately crowned an album full of beautiful and dignified sound, emphasizing the all-encompassing power of a 60s girl band updated for the 2000s. 

 

The album also featured interesting tracks like "Because It's Not Love (But It's Only A Feeling)," as well as new songs such as "Sex," "Shy Did You Stary," and "I Love You," which helped shape the album. In conclusion, it was a modern indie pop album that drew on the pop sound of the 60s and was received as a breath of fresh air amidst the indie rock and electronica sounds that were prevalent at the time, at least during the project's existence.

We Are The Pipettes Track List:

1. We Are The Pipettes

2. Pull Shapes

3. Why Did You Stay

4. Dirty Mind

5. It Hurts To See You Dance So Well

6. Judy

7. A Winter's Sky

8. Your Kisses Are Wasted On Me

9. Tell me What You Want

10. Because It's Not Love (But It's Still A Feeling)

11. Sex

12. One Night Stand

13. ABC

14. I Love You