Nicely gritty work from London's Rarelyalways – an artist who's certainly got a touch of grime in his music, but one who also manages to come across with a more widely soulful style as well! Rhythms are nicely sharp around the edges, and have a bassy bottom that we really love – qualities that are partly due to the great production work from Ricco Komolafe on most of the record – yet the set also features plenty of other musicians in the mix too, which is definitely part of the depth that gets nicely past what you might expect! Titles include "Urgent", "Remote", "Fire", "Work", "City Boy", "MSG", "Voice Note 0142", "Help Desk", and "AOB". LP, Vinyl record album

Great work from this ultra-hip trio – an amazing combination of keyboards, bass, and drums – served up in styles that are rooted in funk and jazz, but go to so many other places as well! The drums crackle with a quality schooled in 70s breaks and beats, stripped down to their core – and the mix of keyboards echo a range of innovators from CTI to Money Mark, with a spacious flow that leaves plenty of room for the basslines to drive the tunes! Other instrumentation includes bits of guitar and percussion from the group, plus some guest tenor and strings as well. Titles include "Hedron", "Differently Still", "Confessions", "Triangle", "Can't Leave The Night", "CS60", and "Since You Asked So Kindly". LP, Vinyl record album

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

Badbadnotgood have always been pretty damn great, actually – and never better than on album IV – a remarkable step forward for the group! As ever, they take inspiration from some of the best prog, jazz, funk (and proggy jazz funk...they blend) of the 70s and beyond, but weave it into fairly distinctive and genuinely fun modern sound. It's built to last, too –we're sure be able to come back to their work in a couple decades and it'll still work! IV finds them with the confidence to trade in some fairly subtle, smoothed out moments between to more boisterous ones, and they're more dexterous in the instrumentation – especially in the horns, keys and percussion – but some great vibes, strings, flute and more when the mood calls. Includes the great vocal track "Time Moves Slow" with Sam Herring of Future Islands, "And That, Too", "Lavender", "IV", "Chompy's Paradise", "Structure No. 3", "Cashmere", "Hyssops Of Love" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

A really different sort of record from Badbadnotgood – and we mean that in the best way possible, as the group are really maturing and opening up their sound! The core blend of funk and jazz elements is still at play on the record – but there's also a more expansive vibe too, one that uses larger arrangements to really color in the sound and create all this sense of sonic wonder – a vibe that really comes through on one track that features guest work from cosmic musician Laraaji, and five more that feature the legendary Brazilian artist Arthur Verocai! In a way, the spacious quality of Verocai's own music might be a good way to describe the approach here – although the group certainly leave their own mark on the sound too. Titles include "City Of Mirrors", "Unfolding", "Love Proceeding", "Timid Intimidating", "Beside April", and "Talk Meaning" – the last of which features guest work from Terrace Martin and Brandee Younger too. LP, Vinyl record album

Nicely gritty work from London's Rarelyalways – an artist who's certainly got a touch of grime in his music, but one who also manages to come across with a more widely soulful style as well! Rhythms are nicely sharp around the edges, and have a bassy bottom that we really love – qualities that are partly due to the great production work from Ricco Komolafe on most of the record – yet the set also features plenty of other musicians in the mix too, which is definitely part of the depth that gets nicely past what you might expect! Titles include "Urgent", "Remote", "Fire", "Work", "City Boy", "MSG", "Voice Note 0142", "Help Desk", and "AOB". CD

You might know Leland Whitty from his work in Badbadnotgood – but as a solo artist here, he's a very different creature – able to weave these spare and subtle soundscapes that feature Whitty himself providing most of the instrumentation, while opening the door to guests on a few of the album's tracks! Drummer Lowell Whitty is on most numbers, providing an acoustic core next to the blend of sonic elements, keyboards, and guitar that make most tracks sparkle – often with an energy that's a bit more laidback than Leland's famous combo, and which show a more sensitive side of his sound. Titles include "Silver Rain", "In Circles", "Glass Moon", "Svalbard", "Windows", and "Anyhow". CD

... CD

Ben Marc has been bubbling under on the London scene for years, but this is his first full length set as a solo act – and an album that really delivers on all the work Marc has done in the worlds of jazz, soul, and soundtrack projects! The music is a nice mix of modes – some crackling beats that recall the cosmic sound of London from years back, but fitted to songs that are more complex, and less aimed at the clubs – beats tuned more towards some jazzier riffs and fuller dimensions of color – almost anthemic in the way warmer moments flow out with an uplifting vibe. Titles include "Sweet Nineteen, "Mustard", "This Time Next Year", "Glass Effect", "First Batch", "Jaw Bone", "Keep Moving", "Dark Clouds", "Way We Are", and "Straight No Chasing". LP, Vinyl record album

Nick Waterhouse has always had a commitment to classic-styled sounds in his music – and here, he seems to hit that mark even more than before – recording in Memphis with a nicely deep tone that blends together vintage elements of soul and pop, served up with these rich backings that somehow feel like they were lifted off an old school 45 from one of the great labels in the city back in the day! Nick wrote all the tunes himself, but the orchestrations and overall instrumentation add as much to the set as his vocals – as does the well-styled production, which was done by Waterhouse and Paul Butler. There's a lot of cuts here that are almost in a popcorn soul mode – with a nice slinky groove – and titles include "Medicine", "The Spanish Look", "Place Names", "Minor Time", "Fugitive Lover", "Silver Bracelet", and "To Tell". LP, Vinyl record album

You might know Leland Whitty from his work in Badbadnotgood – but as a solo artist here, he's a very different creature – able to weave these spare and subtle soundscapes that feature Whitty himself providing most of the instrumentation, while opening the door to guests on a few of the album's tracks! Drummer Lowell Whitty is on most numbers, providing an acoustic core next to the blend of sonic elements, keyboards, and guitar that make most tracks sparkle – often with an energy that's a bit more laidback than Leland's famous combo, and which show a more sensitive side of his sound. Titles include "Silver Rain", "In Circles", "Glass Moon", "Svalbard", "Windows", and "Anyhow". LP, Vinyl record album