Moving Away From the Pulsebeat: Post-Punk Britain 1977-1981
This gargantuan post-punk collection has legends like Joy Division and the Cure, but it’s the lesser-knowns who provide the many unexpected thrills.
cherry red records
‘When the Alarm Clock Rings’ Isn’t Worth Waking Up For
The always reliable Cherry Red Records delivers an unusual psychedelic garage-rock comp that feels made of lesser entries despite the label’s great research.
‘Come Together: Adventures on the Indie Dancefloor 1989-1992’ Celebrates Madchester
Full of gems from the Happy Mondays, the Charlatans, the Stone Roses, and many lesser-known acts, this massive Madchester retrospective leaves surprisingly few holes.
Joe Meek and the Blue Men See the Future on Essential Outtake Compilation
Joe Meek and the Blue Men’s I Hear a New World Sessions delves into Meek’s famed archive and delivers on the promise of an “Alternative Outer Space Fantasy”.
The Auteurs’ New Box Set Neatly Slims Down Their Legacy
While Luke Haines’ morbid British rock outfit is happy as a cult act, this box set, repackaging their 2014 reissues, makes a case for the Auteurs’ greatness.
British ToyTown Pop Anyone? ‘Climb Aboard My Roundabout’
Grab your copy of Climb Aboard My Roundabout! The British Toytown Sound 1967-1974 and settle down to listen to three CDs of pre-pubescent pop.
Luke Haines and Peter Buck Subvert Alt-Rock with ‘All the Kids Are Super Bummed Out’
Luke Haines and Peter Buck’s All the Kids Are Super Bummed Out is a weird jumble of pop art, lo-fi, and gallows humor thrown in a bucket and left unattended.
‘Howard Jones at the BBC’ Looks at a Portrait of the Artist As a Young Man
Howard Jones at the BBC highlights the new wave and synthpop star’s early ascension and the role of BBC Radio in his discovery and development.
The Beau Brummels ‘Turn Around’ As a California British Invasion Band
The Beau Brummels’ Turn Around: The Complete Recordings (1964-1970) presents the San Francisco band in all of their folk-rock glory.
Various Artists: Musik Music Musique 2.0 – 1981
This 51-track compendium of 1981-vintage synthpop tries mighty hard but ultimately falls short. Licensing issues likely kept some of 1981’s best from this set.
The Stooges Remained Musically Powerful on the Verge of Total Collapse
These recordings still carry that talismanic “lost album” energy that makes one wonder what a fit and healthy Stooges might have done next.
Level 42 Deliver a Masterclass of Aspirational 1980s Pop
Level 42 started off wanting to be Return to Forever and ended up next to Culture Club and Spandau Ballet in the top 40. How did that happen?