Produced by Arthur Rizk (Power Trip, Spectral Voice, Kreator, Wayfarer, Sumerlands, etc), and recorded at fabled Berlin studio, Hansa Tonstudio, Absolute Elsewhere is a hulking triumph of a record. The spirits of Tangerine Dream, Tom G Warrior and Brian Eno pervade (all of which recorded at Hansa). Cosmically, sonically and aesthetically, this record will go down on the annals of history as one of the greatest metal albums of all time. Absolute Elsewhere is a genuine game changer. This Colorado band set a new benchmark for progressive heavy metal with their open minded approach to music.

Full review here.

The Imperious Horizon is truly impressive. Impressive, impassioned, immaculate, imperial; all superlatives fit. This is one of the best albums that Winterfylleth have treated us to. It is arguably going to be lauded as one of the best extreme metal albums, ever, in years to come.

Full review here.

Famed for her distinctive voice and her unique storytelling skills, Amelia numbers Serge Gainsbourg, Scott Walker and Edith Piaf amongst her heroes and, whilst the inspiration of each of those iconic characters is clearly channelled on Between the Moon and the Milkman, we’d also suggest that Kate Bush (in particular) has also had something to say during the course of Amelia’s musical development. Between the Moon and the Milkman is very special indeed. Songs crafted with love and passion.

Full review here.

Midas is the highly anticipated second album from Wunderhorse. The band, formed by frontman Jacob Slater, was originally planned to be a solo project. In 2021, it became a band. Since their debut album, Cub, their popularity continues to surge. Each track on Midas is excellent and sounds even better in the live arena. It shows the band’s growth since their previous album and leaves fans wanting more. Expect big things from this band.

Full review here.

Torulf is a Nordic Tribal artist from Sweden. His compositions are manifestations of his own outer voyages and inner experiences. Torulf’s Saga, a series of concept albums, traverses visual soundscapes by setting sail on mythical journeys – spellbinding stories bringing a bond between ancient and new paths. Through distinct rhythms and melodies, using electronic and folk instruments, the Torulf Saga unfolds in Swedish and Old Norse.

Full review here.

The backstory to Homecoming is brilliant. Before a show in 2023 that hadn’t sold very well, J. Chambers got word that his bid for funding through the Arts Council had been accepted. From trying to ‘catch a vibe’ to enhancing the vibe, a journey began to Jamaica to record at world famous studios with an array of people. The result was Homecoming; J. Chambers most complete work to date.

Full review here.

This album throws you into the middle of the mosh pit and precedes to riot about you thrashing your conscious with ideas of societal imbalance and disparity.  A no holds barred observation of the corruption and greed within Government and a recognition of the inequality in which we live due to our leaders unethical and self serving behaviour.  It’s a high energy, driving album which will galvanize the rebellious spirit of those actively loathing the abhorrent abuse of power that is rife within our Governmental institutions.  As the band say in the lively track Blood Soaked Shores: “We won’t keep quiet, we’ll fight for our say.”

Full review here.

Overall, Short n’ Sweet is an upbeat album full with powerful vocals and instrumentation. The music videos suitably capture the meanings behind the songs. They allow listeners to develop a deeper connection with the album. Some tunes sound similar to one another and can become repetitive but individually they are all highly enjoyable songs.

Full review here.

The Decemberists return for album number 9. As It Ever Was, So It Will Be Again is a truly amazing addition to their canon. Colin Meloy suggested this is their best album yet. Of course he does, this being the clarion call of any and every artist midway through their third decade of music making. But, this time, you know, he may well just be right. The Decemberists may well have just gone mega.

Full review here.

The third album of a trilogy that brings the curtain down to devastating effect. A case of saving the est until last yet also an album that shows the growth of the band steered by Phil Styles. Dark and heavy – make that VERY dark and VERY heavy, The World We Inherited might be bleak yet is a stirring tribute to the delights to be found in heavy music. A genuine eye-opener and hopefully a launch pad for a band whose potential is on full view.

Full review here.

Album #3 from West Yorkshire husband-and-wife duo Plumhall is a showstopper. The duo well and truly rocked the At The Barrier boat when they opened for Fairport Convention on this year’s Winter Tour and they’ve become firm favourites of ours. We’ve described Michelle Plum as Karen Carpenter, reimagined for West Yorkshire and partner Nick Hall is an amazing guitarist – and no mean vocalist himself, either. And, with songs of the quality of Way Down in the Well, That Further Shore, This Room (Locks and Bolts) and the Ric Sanders-featuring title track, that’s a potent formula for a stunning album, right there.

Full review here

Given an invitation by Elles Bailey to sit back, buckle up and enjoy the ride, it would be churlish to refuse. Under the layers lies a complex record. There’s reflection and introspection, there’s pain and anguish, but there’s also determination, redemption and hope. And, most importantly, a whole load of love, all delivered on what is, hands down, a top notch set of songs.

Full review here.

Former Scarborough buskers The Buffalo Skinners announced their overdue return to the record racks in dramatic fashion with Picking Up What You’re Putting Down. With its Fender Jaguar guitars, Vox AC 30 amplification and the mellow sound of a Fender Rhodes keyboard, the album is awash with 1960s sounds and iconography. It’s impossible to listen and to not be reminded of The Doors and violinist James Nicholls takes his violin into territory only previously trodden by the boldest guitar explorers. Super-vocalist Clare Quinn adds vocal weight and frontman Peter Seccombe is on top form.

Full review here.

Linda writes perfectly-formed, thoughtful songs, she can interpret well-known songs in a way that makes you believe they’re her own. She’s the owner of one of the most alluring, vivid singing voices that you’ll ever hear. Originally from Waterford and now settled in East London, Linda Moylan is special.

The Fool is a collection Linda’s reflections of the gentrification of her city surroundings and a eulogy to the resilience of her working class, immigrant experiences. It’s an enchanting album and Linda charms, with songs like Irish Love Song, Hide Me London and the sultry Burn Me Blue. And, if you can’t hear Linda’s definitive, minimalist, version of Eric Bogle’s Green Fields of France without picturing yourself in a Flanders graveyard on a hot summer’s afternoon, then you can’t be human in the way that we understand the term.

Full review here.

On the album Embers, God Is An Astronaut don’t exactly introduce music to you, they launch it at you. Calmness changes to an eruption of sounds as they take you on a cosmic musical journey. There is control and beauty as well blistering rides as the guitar riffs are hammered out. God Is An Astronaut yet again show their ability to mesh the light and the dark. Raucous crashing chords, with loud chiming guitar licks descend into tranquil synthesised moments.

Live review here.

What Happened to the Beach? is the third studio album from Declan McKenna.  Saying goodbye to his 2017 debut album and the 2020 space-rock excellence of Zeros, McKenna introduces us to a new era of the psychedelic and ethereal. The album has hints of Los Angeles in its influence, where it was written.

Full review here.

Public Service Broadcasting have a reputation for using  famous historical events as inspiration for their unique music. The Titanic, World War Two, The Space Race and Welsh mining are amongst their chosen themes so far. It is unusual for musicians to regularly choose such subjects.

On this occasion they have chosen the inspirational Amelia Earhart focussing particularly on her final flight when she was lost over the Pacific Ocean. The album is a musical celebration of her life her. PSB capture this wonderfully instrumentally and in song with the help of dreamlike vocals from EERA.

Full review here.

The welcome – and long overdue – return of the Master.  Richard Thompson returned with his first album in 6 years.

Produced and recorded in Woodstock, NY, with help from Engineer Chris Bittner, Ship to Shore is a pared-back affair, a collection of twelve compact, easily-digestible songs that all, to one degree or another, contain the ingredients that you’d expect and desire from a Richard Thompson album: deep, dark and often darkly humorous lyrics, full, satisfying sound, engaging tunes that never go precisely where you expect them to and, perhaps best of all, oodles of soaring, mind-bending guitar solos. 

Full review here.

Eggsistentialism (another great cover) might be the Egg’s ‘wilderness years’ album yet their DIY philosophy reaps rewards in the form of a set that veers wildly from lush pop and psychedelic grooving to an angry energy and a melancholy retro. A record about survival, it’s a triumph that celebrates the will and determination to survive. And thrive!

Full review here.

John Moreland has carefully and credibly earned himself a place in the secretive files of cult listening, that august group of individuals, who, always steering a consistently true path, somehow avoid much in the way of mass acclaim. Which, however rewarding for the soul, makes for a tougher haul in this business called music. This is album number seven, since becoming one to watch in 2011, and appears somewhat by surprise.

Surprise? Well, given the singer-songwriter effectively took on a self-imposed period of silence from November 202 2 and stopped working entirely. The result of that unplugged year at home is Visitor.  Moreland recorded the album, at his home in Bixby, Oklahoma, in only ten days, playing nearly every instrument himself. Indeed, the near only other participant is his wife adding her vocal to one of the 12 songs.

Full review here.

Lancaster’s finest purveyors of Punk and Roll clambered another step up the ladder towards Rock and Roll greatness with an end of year album that managed to continue their knack of topping their previous album. Earth To Grace had it all from monster singles to monster riffs with messages of hope and defiance; Massive Wagons are the band that makes you feel good about yourself. Not a groove on the LP wasted. Top lads too.

Full review here.

Like many musicians in the early part of the twenties, global struggles and our ability to deal with such struggles form much of the background to Something In The Room She Moves. During the pandemic, Holter became a first time mother; this experience roots the album in the present whereas previous efforts had maybe looked further forward or at the subconscious.

Full review here.

If we’re looking at a ‘proper’ Prog album to celebrate 2024, look no further than The Likes Of Us. The first album form the trimmer Big Big Train, still guided by the serene presence of Gregory Spawton, and one where new singer Alberto Bravin makes hi singing and songwriting mark. Look no further too than Beneath The Masts for a track that has already earned the status of a genuine meisterwerk by the Passengers.

Full review here.

The Falkirk Pre-Mods, as no-one has ever really called them, have been plying their caustic vitriol for many a long year now, something fans of a certain Nottingham duo may find surprising, given, broadly, they sing from a similar hymn sheet. But Aidan Moffatt and Malcolm Middleton are older and uglier by far, their music also offering even greater dark on the underbelly of society. And for that we should be grateful, with this late outpouring following fairly swiftly on the back of 2021’s As Days Get Dark. Not band for a band that has broken up at least twice since their 1995 formation.

Full review here.

One of the most enthralling things about Untouched By Fire is that it feels like there are so many more stories to tell. Under the stewardship of Arð and Mark Deeks, these age old stories are in the best hands. The creative vision is unparalleled; Arð continue to tread the path of excellence musically, thematically and sonically. Untouched By Fire is a resounding success of an album.

Full review here.

Maybe not an instantly recognizable name, but Kati Rán’s collaborative soundtrack work for Netflix’s Vikings: Valhalla series, plus her work for films and video games, not to mention stage appearances with Wardruna, Myrkur and Gaahl’s Wyrd to name a few, an indication that her music will be familiar to many.

SÁLA – Old Norse for both “sea” and “soul” – features an impressive line-up of diverse musicians who contribute to the record, including Gaahl, Napalm Death’s Mitch Harris, members of Heilung, Sígur Rós, and numerous others.

Full review here.

Twelve songs, some of which have had previews, in some way, shape or form, notably the co-write with Blue Rose Code’s Ross Wilson.

Knightley tackles a welter of subjects dear to his heart, his pen always adjacent thereto, each on his sleeve, sung with his polished mahogany dream of a voice; one that gets better, year on year.

Cool World is not only another ferocious LP from Chat Pile but is a remarkable achievement in songwriting and furthering their sound. It takes the best parts of their previous work and pushes them to their limits. Cool World not only stands up against their debut God’s Country but actually excels and results in an even better finished product.

Full review here.

Anthropometricks is a musical tour de force, showcasing music imbued with inventiveness and ambition, that offers a truly engaging listening experience of real depth. The awe-inspiring interplay between the musicians is given a great soundstage, where it feels as if you are actually in the studio with the musicians. So, a great job by Garry Boyle in engineering and mixing the album. This album is very highly recommended.

Full review here.

All Hands Together is a revelation. At least, to anyone who has spent any time whatsoever on England’s inland waterway system it is. Three Idle Women relate their experiences and stories of life on the cut in ten wonderful songs, each awash with quirky instrumentation and dripping with some of finest, most uplifting close vocal harmonies that you’ll ever hear. In or review we suggested that, if these songs don’t delight you, then you must be made of either iron or concrete – and we mean it. The imagery of the Oxford Canal, past and present, is sparklingly vivid and the songs, most of which have flowed from the ladies’ own biros, get straight to the point, and that point is: life afloat can be hard and beset with trips and hazards but, by gum, it’s fun. Set your tiller, start the engine and cast off for a cruise you’ll never forget.

Full review here.

13” Frank Beltrame Italian Stiletto with Bison Horn Grips is another wild ride from Xiu Xiu. However, it manages to stand out in their discography through the amazing production and song writing. You will not hear another album like this in 2024.

Full review here.

New album,Too Many Souls, demonstrates Avi C. Engel’s instrumental virtuosity. On the album, a range of instruments are played, including acoustic guitar, gudok, percussion and melodica, alongside a unique and engaging voice. This superb album is the first to be released under a new name. Previous albums were released under the name Clara Engel.

Full review here.

WOOF is an album that sees Fat Dog fulfilling and surpassing the potential that their singles and live shows set up. WOOF is an album that whilst feeling off kilter and strange throughout, sounds extremely well crafted and thought out, creating an overall sound and feel which is truly original to Fat Dog and their music. The power and energy that the band bring throughout the albums 33-minute run time is truly admirable, especially for their debut record. 

Full review here.

Goat are relentless in their musical output. Over the last few years they have released music from the studio, from the stage and for the screen. Each an every time they deliver something unique, in their own little way. Their self titled 6th album contained some of their finest work to date.

Full review here.

Whether this is an ongoing project or a one off, Magnetar make their mark on the metal world with There Will Be No Peace In My Valley. If you’re a fan of the great black metal bands like Darkthrone or Bathory, or great thrash records a la Metallica or Testament, or the brilliance of British bands like Iron Maiden, Judas Priest or Motörhead, then Magnetar will definitely be something you need to invest in.

Full review here.

Romance feels like an important album for the band with them continuing to build and evolve on their sound reaching heights that they hadn’t previously. It’s an incredibly enjoyable listening experience throughout and is one that you can just tell how much love and effort was put into it as a whole. Believe the hype.

Full review here.

Hannah Sanders has one of those voices, the sort that make you stop, sit up and take stock. A sublimely English instrument, it has a purity and clarity across the register. As happy with a whisper as a scream, if the latter seldom required. Savage doesn’t, his voice an earthier tool, encrusted with a workmanlike efficiency that hews away at the forefront of modern songmanship. She brings the English rose, he the American(a) cactus, despite hailing from the South-East of this country, their partnership a bridge that brings together the twain of the genres, with no clunky switch, as the one becomes the other.

Full review here.

This is the re-birth of The Zutons – it’s a second chance for lead singer Dave McCabe and the rest of the band. And they’re grabbing this opportunity with both hands. The new album was the first test and they’ve passed that with apparent ease. The songs are well written and the music is both classic Zutons and fresh at the same time.

Full review here.

Wallpaper Music II is an excellent album, full of great musical pieces, that show off an ensemble completely in sympathy with each other, and able to take the music into some surprising places. The compositions, lyrics and production by Kevin Figes, across the album, are of a very high standard throughout. This is an album that you won’t regret seeking out and spending time with.

Full review here.

This new Renaissance box set includes the complete iconic BBC Sight & Sound In Concert performance from 8th January 1977 on CD 1. The second CD includes a BBC Radio 1 In Concert performance from 4th October 1978, which is previously unreleased. It features material from the album A Song For All Seasons, released in March 1978, alongside again some classic Renaissance tracks. All the discs feature the classic Renaissance line up of Annie Haslam, vocals, John Tout, piano, organ and keyboards, Michael Dunford, acoustic and electric guitars, Jon Camp, bass guitar, bass pedals, backing vocals, and Terence Sullivan, drums and percussion.

Full review here.