Ghosts in the Machine: Vince Clarke, Neil Arthur and Benge Talk Doublespeak
Veteran synth‑pop figures Vince Clarke, Blancmange’s Neil Arthur and producer Benge have released "Doublespeak", a covers album that reinterprets eleven songs from the 1970s‑2000s with warm analogue electronics. The project, which began in 2017, was assembled remotely over nearly a decade, with the trio exchanging files and Zoom sessions rather than meeting in person. By deconstructing the originals and rebuilding them with vintage synths, the record avoids typical cover‑album pitfalls and even includes two new original tracks. "Doublespeak" drops on 29 May via London Records.
Wanderfal Festival at The Cornish Bank for April 10 – 11
The Wanderfal Festival will take place at The Cornish Bank in Falmouth on April 10‑11, featuring headliners Stealing Sheep, Opus Kink, The Golden Dregs, Nadia Reid and The Leisure Society alongside acts such as Oh Mr James, Voka Gentle and emerging talent...
The Shits – Diet Of Worms
The Shits release their third album, *Diet Of Worms*, marking nearly a decade of activity in Leeds’ volatile DIY punk scene. The six‑piece band expands its sound with three guitars, layered effects, and a surprisingly melodic bass line, pushing noise‑rock...
Inner Ear: Croatian Music for April, by Jakub Knera
Jakub Knera’s piece maps Croatia’s vibrant underground music scene, highlighting how artists blend indie, hip‑hop, electronic and folk influences while maintaining cross‑border collaborations with Serbian and Bosnian musicians despite lingering political tensions. Traditional instruments such as the tambura are re‑imagined...
The Yugoslav Psy-Op That May Have Given Us Laibach… and Inspired Rammstein
Bosnian satirist Dr. Nele Karajlić alleges in his new book *Solunska 28* that the Yugoslav socialist state deliberately engineered the 1980s rock scene to channel youth energy, suppress nationalism and create a shared cultural identity. He cites covert directives to youth...
Fishing for Pearls: Ghostface Killah in 2006
In 2006 Ghostface Killah dropped two landmark solo albums, *Fishscale* (March) and *More Fish* (December), solidifying his reputation as a hip‑hop auteur. Both records showcase dense, razor‑sharp lyricism paired with a kaleidoscope of samples from soul, funk and even European...
Reissue of the Week: Fall Heads Roll by The Fall
Cherry Red has issued a four‑CD deluxe reissue of The Fall’s 2005 album *Fall Heads Roll*, adding extensive liner notes, bonus tracks and a previously unheard “lost record” from 2006. The package showcases the band’s brief commercial upswing after John...
Iztok Koren & Raphael Rogiński – Nocturnal Consolations
Polish guitarist‑composer Raphael Rogiński and Slovenian multi‑instrumentalist Iztok Koren have released *Nocturnal Consolations*, an album that fuses banjo, balafon, gimbri and prepared strings into a dense acoustic tapestry. The record treats Central‑European folk traditions as a field of forces, weaving...
Actress and Suzanne Ciani Unveil Collaborative Album, ‘Concrète Waves’
Actress and pioneering synth composer Suzanne Ciani are releasing a collaborative album titled *Concrète Waves*. The record captures material from live performances commissioned by London’s Barbican Centre and Barcelona’s Sónar festival in 2025. Werkdiscs will issue the album on 27 March 2026 as...
Symphonies From Destruction: Kinshasa in Action by KinAct
KinAct, a Kinshasa‑based street art collective, released their debut LP *Kinshasa in Action* on Nyege Nyege Tapes, turning discarded city materials into a full‑blown industrial soundscape. The album was born from a 2022 residency in Kampala, where the group transformed...
Natalie Marlin on The Chemical Brothers’ Hanna OST
Natalie Marlin’s latest Low Culture Essay examines the 2011 film *Hanna* and its unlikely soundtrack by The Chemical Brothers, arguing that the score has become a touchstone for her evolving trans identity. The electronic duo, known for festival‑ready anthems, delivered...
EFG London Jazz Festival Announces First Acts for 2026 Edition
The EFG London Jazz Festival will run from 13 to 22 November 2026, spanning ten days and multiple iconic London venues. The first wave of announcements includes Malian singer‑songwriter Fatoumata Diawara headlining the Roundhouse and Samara Joy returning to the...
James K Unveils ‘Friend’ Remix Album
james K is set to release *Friend Remixes*, a 12‑track reinterpretation of her 2025 LP *Friend*. The album features reworks by notable electronic artists including Objekt, Drew McDowall, JASSS, Priori, Loidis and Roza Terenzi. Objekt returns to remixing after a decade, delivering a...
FKA Twigs Sues The Twigs Over Trademark Dispute
British singer‑songwriter FKA twigs has filed a new lawsuit against the 1990s duo The Twigs to secure exclusive trademark rights to her stage name. The dispute dates back to 2013 when the duo challenged her use of "Twigs," prompting a $15,000...
A Lot of Opportunities: Pet Shop Boys’ Please Revisited
Pet Shop Boys’ 1986 debut album Please sold roughly three million copies worldwide and delivered hit singles like “West End Girls” and “Opportunities (Let’s Make Lots of Money)”. Produced by Stephen Hague, the record blended hi‑NRG dance beats with witty lyrics,...
The Leaf Library – After the Rain, Strange Seeds
London‑based Leaf Library releases its fourth album, *After the Rain, Strange Seeds*, a nine‑track record that marries spooky pastoral motifs with their signature indie pop sensibility. The album unfolds slowly, layering 1990s‑style mumblecore vocals, krautrock‑inspired drums, and wall‑of‑noise guitars into...
Neurosis Release First New Album in a Decade
Neurosis has dropped their first album in a decade, “An Undying Love For A Burning World,” featuring eight tracks. The record was recorded over three weekends in Seattle and includes new contributions from SUMAC’s Aaron Turner on vocals and guitar....
Reissue of the Week: Roland Brival’s Créole Gypsy
Roland Brival’s 1980 debut *Créole Gypsy*, a Pan‑Caribbean spiritual jazz masterpiece, has been freshly remastered and reissued by Soundway Records. The album fuses American spiritual jazz with Martinique’s bèlè and carnival rhythms, featuring multilingual vocals and a blend of sax,...
Leila Bordreuil + Kali Malone – Music for Intersecting Planes
Leila Bordreuil and organist Kali Malone have released the collaborative LP “Music for Intersecting Planes,” blending cello, feedback, organ, and sine‑wave drones. The record juxtaposes Bordreuil’s chaotic, feedback‑laden textures with Malone’s slow‑moving, ecclesiastical organ meditations, creating a push‑pull tension that...
Native Instruments to Go Into Full Insolvency
Native Instruments announced it is moving from preliminary to formal insolvency proceedings, confirming the Berlin‑based music‑tech firm’s financial distress. CEO Nick Williams said the company is in active talks with multiple potential buyers, indicating strong interest from parties rooted in...
Teerath Majumder – Dust To Dust
Bangladeshi composer‑producer Teerath Majumder releases the experimental album *Dust To Dust*, expanding his signature blend of traditional Bangla elements with avant‑electronic sound design. The record traverses starkly contrasting sonic worlds, from train‑like helium‑filled drones to dubstep‑driven guitar solos, echoing influences...
Organic Intelligence LIV: Psychedelic Porto
Lovers & Lollypops, a Porto‑based independent label founded in 2005, has grown from a niche underground rock imprint into a multidisciplinary cultural platform. The label now releases eclectic albums, curates concerts, runs festivals, and operates its own venue on Rua...
Retro Instinct Versus Future Fetish: Emperor Tomato Ketchup 30 Years On
By 1996 Stereolab faced a creative dead‑end despite commercial success, prompting Tim Gane to adopt a looping‑based writing method sparked by a modest Godz cover. This breakthrough, recorded with John McEntire at Idful Studios, produced *Emperor Tomato Ketchup*, an album that...
Kwes – Kinds
Kwes releases *Kinds*, an ambient‑electronic suite inspired by his daughter’s curiosity. The opening tracks, “Blue White Violet” and “Blue White Cyan,” offer serene, fluttering chords that induce a flow‑state calm. Mid‑album pieces such as “Brown Green Yellow” and “Violet” shift...
ELUCID & Sebb Bash – I Guess U Had To Be There
ELUCID, one half of the acclaimed duo Armand Hammer, releases his first full‑length collaboration with Swiss producer Sebb Bash, titled *I Guess U Had To Be There*. The album pairs ELUCID’s densely packed, cryptic verses with Bash’s cinematic, often discordant...
A Question Of Lust: Depeche Mode’s Black Celebration Revisited
Depeche Mode’s 1986 album *Black Celebration* marked a turning point, with Martin Gore stepping into the primary songwriting role after Vince Clarke’s departure. The record’s darker, sample‑rich sound and Gore’s lead vocals on four tracks signaled a shift from synth‑pop fluff to brooding...
Simo Cell & Abdullah Miniawy – Dying Is The Internet
French producer Simo Cell and Egyptian vocalist Abdullah Miniawy release their second collaborative EP, *Dying Is The Internet*. The record expands on their 2020 debut with fully formed, experimental bass tracks that fuse Arabic maqam melodies, trumpet, and autotuned vocals with...
Delphine Dora – L’ineluctable Pulsation Du Temps
Delphine Dora’s new album *L’ineluctable pulsation du temps* merges rapid piano arpeggios with lingering drone synths to examine the pressure of modern temporality. Inspired by sociologist Hartmut Rosa’s ideas on acceleration and resonance, the record titles tracks with French terms...
Low Culture Podcast: Suicide’s Debut Album
The Low Culture Podcast episode features Luke Turner and John Doran dissecting Suicide’s self‑titled 1977 debut album. They trace the New York duo’s art‑gallery origins, jazz‑trained Martin Rev, and Alan Vega’s Iggy Pop‑inspired aggression, highlighting the record’s raw three‑channel production and...
Rewire Completes 2026 Lineup
Rewire has unveiled the final wave of artists for its 2026 edition, adding experimental musicians Lucy Railton, Slikback, Matthew Herbert, and others to an already robust roster. The four‑day festival will run from 9 to 12 April across multiple venues in The Hague,...
Tara Clerkin Trio Detail New Album, ‘Somewhere Good’
The Bristol‑based Tara Clerkin Trio announced their new eight‑track album, Somewhere Good, slated for release on 5 June 2026. It follows their critically praised 2023 mini‑album On The Turning Ground and will be available digitally, on CD, and on vinyl. A limited‑edition...
The Four Seasons: Bill Orcutt’s Music In Continuous Motion
Bill Orcutt’s new album *Music In Continuous Motion* returns to his signature four‑guitar format, delivering a looser, more organic sound than the mathematically precise 2021 release. The compositions loop like a fixed‑gear bike, creating perpetual motion that feels both hypnotic...
Phew and Danielle De Picciotto – Paper Masks
Japanese post‑punk veteran Phew teams with Berlin‑based vocalist Danielle de Picciotto for the experimental album *Paper Masks*. The record transforms de Picciotto’s English and German vocal snippets into manipulated sound objects, creating an eerie, ambient dialogue. Drawing on their long‑standing friendship, the...
Skaņu Mežs Announces First Artists Playing 2026 Edition
Riga’s avant‑garde festival Skaņu Mežs has unveiled the first wave of artists for its 2026 edition, scheduled for October 9‑10 at Hanzas Perons. The lineup features pioneering electronic acts Gudrun Gut and aya, metal outfit Krallice, and a trio of experimental...
Modest Mouse Return with First New Song in Five Years
Modest Mouse has broken a five‑year silence with the single “Look How Far…,” released on GP Records. The track features veteran drummer Janet Weiss, known for her work with Sleater‑Kinney and Quasi. It follows the band’s 2021 album The Golden Casket...
That’s How We Make It Our Home: Will Oldham Selects 13 Valiant Records From Louisville, Kentucky
Will Oldham’s new community‑centred album *We Are Together Again* was recorded in Louisville’s End Of An Ear studio and features a roster of local musicians. To accompany the release, Oldham curated a Baker’s Dozen of 13 Louisville records that span the city’s hardcore,...
Tanya Tagaq – Saputjiji
Tanya Tagaq’s new album *Saputjiji* erupts as a sonic assault on colonialism, war, and the climate crisis, merging her Inuk throat‑singing roots with industrial noise and post‑rock textures. The record features confrontational tracks like “Fuck War” and collaborations with punk...
Okkyung Lee + Explore Ensemble – Signals
Okkyung Lee’s new album *Signals*, commissioned by London’s Explore Ensemble, presents a stark, abstract sound world that blends improvisation, composition, and noise. Recorded live over a year at European festivals and then re‑shaped in the studio, the work features hand‑signal...
New Age Doom Featuring H.R. – Angels Against Angels
New Age Doom’s latest album *Angels Against Angels* showcases a daring fusion of jazz, experimental electronics, progressive rock, dub, metal, hardcore, punk and reggae, anchored by the iconic vocals of Bad Brains frontman H.R. The record features a returning roster...
Fugazi Share Previously Unreleased Recordings Made Alongside Steve Albini
Fugazi has issued a digital collection titled *Albini Sessions (Benefit For Letters Charity)* featuring twelve previously unreleased tracks recorded with Steve Albini in October 1992. The material represents early versions of songs later refined for the band’s 1993 album *In...