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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

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

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

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Timeless, sun-toasted LA psych from The Allah-Las – a chiming, dreamy little guitar rock gem on the Innovative Leisure label! There's some garage-charged numbers, and on the fllipside of that approach, there's some surprisingly delicate numbers – plus some swaggery, late 60s Stones-y styled tunes, too. They wear their influences pretty proudly, but the songs are really strong and memorable – it's no mere stylistic rehash – much like what labelmate Hammi El-Katib is doing with his 60s forbears, The Allah-Las are making a pretty strong new school take on classic fuzzed out rock! Titles include "Catamaran", "Don't You Forget It", "No Voodoo", "Sandy", "Vis-A-Vis", "Seven Point Five", "Ela Navega", "Busmans Holiday" and more. 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". LP, Vinyl record album

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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

A pretty tight little album from Nick Waterhouse – and even though his conga's apparently getting stolen in the cover phot, he's got more than enough of a combo to make up for that loss! The groove here is in a place between vintage soul and garagey rock – maybe garage soul, with Nick's blue-eyed vocals sounding maybe a bit raspier than before – getting tight push from the horn section in the group, but also plenty of great guitar with a sweet 60s twang! Titles include "Man Leaves Town", "Wreck The Rod", "Song For Winners", "I Feel An Urge Coming On", "Black Glass", "Wherever She Goes", and "El Viv". CD

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