This Christmas, the BBC is treating us to something special: the first new Wallace and Gromit film in 16 years. It has all the classic elements: Nick Park as co-director, a prominent role for the Pontcysyllte aqueduct, and of course, cheese. Before its television debut on 25 December, the new film will premiere at the … Read more
“ Eight solo albums into Laura Marling‘s career, one would be tempted to describe Patterns in Repeat using a lot of the same adjectives that have long defined her songwriting: intimate, stunning, sincere. To celebrate Patterns in Repeat on those terms might also be a way to make up for lost time – the record … Read more
News of Tyler, the Creator’s seventh album came as a surprise as it arrived shortly after he announced he wouldn’t be releasing new music this year. The promotional campaign for Chromakopia suggested a high-concept piece of work that would take time to fully unravel. The mysterious videos featuring the rapper in a mask and military … Read more
Developer Bioware faced a tough challenge with Veilguard. After a decade since the last Dragon Age game, fans had high expectations, especially considering the studio’s struggles with previous releases like Mass Effect: Andromeda and Anthem. While Veilguard introduces charming characters and new locations to explore, the writing is lackluster and the combat becomes repetitive quickly. … Read more
Following their intense 52-week audiovisual project Drift in 2019, collaborations with Irish producer Kettama, and a busy touring schedule, the unstoppable Underworld is back with their 11th album, Strawberry Hotel. This album is a departure from their previous work, ranging from Born Slippy-inspired tracks to a simple closing guitar piece, with a standout performance by … Read more
On August 11, 1973, in an apartment block in the Bronx, an 18-year-old DJ named Kool Herc, also known as Hercules, played funk records at a dance party. He turned up the beats, rapped along to the music, and unknowingly gave birth to a new style that would eventually dominate popular music. In “Hip-hop Is … Read more
Lady Gaga’s 2024 has been a mixed bag so far. On one hand, her duet with Bruno Mars, “Die With a Smile,” has been a massive global hit, remaining in the UK Top 3 and ranking as the second most-streamed song on Spotify worldwide. However, the release of the album “Joker: Folie à Deux” and … Read more
French filmmaker Pierre Morel directed the original Taken film, where Liam Neeson’s character goes on a mission to rescue his daughter and later his wife. Given Morel’s experience with this type of action thriller, it’s no surprise that he was chosen to direct a similar story in this new film. In this version, a female … Read more
Is there an act that has had a second coming as underwhelming, yet at the same time as long-lasting as that of the Pixies? The astonishing run of albums from 1987’s Come On Pilgrim to 1990’s Bossanova still stand as one of the cornerstones of modern-day indie rock. Yet the records released over the past … Read more
All of Kate Bush’s sense of wonder, and how she tempers it with not just melancholy but outright sorrow, is threaded through her devastatingly moving new animated short film, Little Shrew. Bush hasn’t performed live in a decade, or released new music since 2011 – and there’s an initial twinge of disappointment on discovering that … Read more