Download not available
Written in Scars is the fourth album from British contemporary singer/songwriter Jack Savoretti and follows his 2012 release, Before the Storm. Writing with the likes of Sam Dixon (Adele, Sia) and Matt Benbrook (Paolo Nutini, Jake Bugg), the album sees Savoretti deliver another collection of perfectly crafted rock and pop numbers. The singles "Home" and "Back to Me" are included.© Rich Wilson /TiVo

Written in Scars is the fourth album from British contemporary singer/songwriter Jack Savoretti and follows his 2012 release, Before the Storm. Writing with the likes of Sam Dixon (Adele, Sia) and Matt Benbrook (Paolo Nutini, Jake Bugg), the album sees Savoretti deliver another collection of perfectly crafted rock and pop numbers. The singles "Home" and "Back to Me" are included.© Rich Wilson /TiVo

Few albums can say that they have defined a generation, but (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? is undoubtedly among that elite crowd. Recorded over the course of just 15 days in 1995, the album catapulted Oasis from crossover indie act to worldwide pop phenomenon, flooding the charts with retro-rock riffs and unforgettable hooks. To say that its impact was titanic would be an understatement. It became the fastest-selling album in the UK since Michael Jackson’s Bad. It has sold over 22 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling albums of all time. And it was the knockout blow in the battle of Britpop, being twice as successful as their rival Blur’s contemporaneous album The Great Escape.Following up from the incredibly popular Definitely Maybe was no mean feat, but Oasis pulled it off without a hitch. The idealistic hope-against-the-odds message from their beginnings was replaced with realism and reflection. In an interview with Rolling Stone, Noel Gallagher commented that while their first album “was all about dreaming of being a pop star in a band, the second album is about actually being a pop star in a band”. They had reached where they wanted to be, and were wondering what lay beyond fame and fortune. The Mancunians had clearly enjoyed enough sex, drugs and rock’n’roll to yield four sides of vinyl, though they never limited themselves purely to counter-culture clichés. Noel Gallagher’s songwriting took on a notably more introspective tone, nestled in amongst jauntier tracks like She’s Electric and Roll With It. His philosophising shone through perhaps most obviously on Cast No Shadow, a song which was dedicated to The Verve’s frontman Richard Ashcroft and details the struggle that songwriters (and more universally, all of us) face when they desperately try to say the right thing and it keeps coming out wrong. Elsewhere, we find the attitude and aloofness that Oasis do so well. The cocaine anthem Morning Glory rides along a continuous wave of stadium-filling guitars as Liam Gallagher sings “All your dreams are made / When you’re chained to the mirror and the razor blade”. And then of course, there are Oasis’ biggest hits: Don’t Look Back In Anger, which urges the listener to live regret-free; Champagne Supernova, which despite its famously nonsensical lyrics (Slowly walking down the hall / Faster than a cannonball we’re looking at you) resonates with people the world over; and the often-imitated-never-replicated Wonderwall, where you’d be hard-pressed to find any Brit who doesn’t know all the words. Being more than just wedding dancefloor fillers and karaoke classics, the three tracks brilliantly capture the band’s skill for drawing complexity from simplicity. Ultimately, this album marked the beginning of the long-drawn-out end for Oasis and the albums that followed never quite lived up to the glorious rock and carefree euphoria found here. But then that’s another story… © Abi Church/Qobuz

Instant-classic debut from the English rock band that introduced the world to the Gallagher brothers.© TiVo

After a long break from making Tame Impala music, during which time Kevin Parker produced other people's albums and played in side projects, 2015's Currents shows that much has changed with the project. Like before, Parker recorded the album on his own, only this time without Dave Fridmann's guiding hand and by mostly forsaking electric guitars in favor of a wealth of synthesizers, and with a much more relaxed, intimate approach. In addition to the soft rock of the '70s feel that permeates the sound, Parker adds elements of R&B and hip-hop to the mix, gets lyrically introspective in spots, and generally sounds like he's either on the verge of a long nap or just waking up from one. These aren't bad things when done right, and Parker's prowess as a producer and musician makes most of Currents palatable, if not extremely exciting. However, by focusing on all these new elements, and by sleepwalking through at least half of the songs, this new way of doing things does a lot to frustrate the expectations of anyone looking to this album as another mind-blowing expression of guitar-heavy psych-pop. It's hard to deny artists the chance for change or growth, and Parker seems dedicated to both here. Where you can fault them is if they don't change or grow in an interesting or unique way. Great chunks of Currents sound like plenty of other bands and artists in 2015, especially since practically everyone with access to recording equipment did their own takes on midtempo, chilled-out R&B. Does Parker do it as well as others like Unknown Mortal Orchestra or Caribou? Sure, he does. Is it enough to make this album worth checking out? Yes, but it's not enough to make it an improvement over his previous work. At Tame Impala's best, they blend huge guitar sounds, melodic basslines, and vintage synths into sweeping psychedelic rock with energy and drive that feel hugely cinematic while still feeling real. There are only a couple times here when Parker comes close to that sweet spot. For example, the both "Let It Happen" and "Reality in Motion" have a good blend of guitars and synths and a sense of purpose that's often missing elsewhere. There are far more times where he strays too far from his strengths and gets bogged down in meandering, overly smoothed-out sounds and meandering songs that deliver no real payoff or sound half-baked at best, like the embarrassingly weak "Cause I'm a Man." It's too bad that Parker stashed his guitars away instead of keeping them around to add to the mix. It's definitely not a case of addition by subtraction; it's quite the opposite. While Currents would have made a decent Kevin Parker solo album, people coming to the album and expecting to hear the Tame Impala they are used to will most likely end up quite disappointed.© Tim Sendra /TiVo

Arriving with the force of a hurricane, Oasis' third album, Be Here Now, is a bright, bold, colorful tour de force that simply steamrolls over any criticism. The key to Oasis' sound is its inevitability -- they are unwavering in their confidence, which means that even the hardest rockers are slow, steady, and heavy, not fast. And that self-possessed confidence, that belief in their greatness, makes Be Here Now intensely enjoyable, even though it offers no real songwriting breakthroughs. Noel Gallagher remains a remarkably talented synthesist, bringing together disparate strands -- "D'You Know What I Mean" has an N.W.A drum loop, a Zeppelin-esque wall of guitars, electronica gurgles, and lyrical allusions to the Beatles and Dylan -- to create impossibly catchy songs that sound fresh, no matter how many older songs he references. He may be working familiar territory throughout Be Here Now, but it doesn't matter because the craftsmanship is good. "The Girl in the Dirty Shirt" is irresistible pop, and epics like "Magic Pie" and "All Around the World" simply soar, while the rockers "My Big Mouth," "It's Getting Better (Man!!)," and "Be Here Now" attack with a bone-crunching force. Noel is smart enough to balance his classicist tendencies with spacious, open production, filling the album with found sounds, layers of guitars, keyboards, and strings, giving the record its humongous, immediate feel. The sprawling sound and huge melodic hooks would be enough to make Be Here Now a winner, but Liam Gallagher's vocals give the album emotional resonance. Singing better than ever, Liam injects venom into the rockers, but he also delivers the nakedly emotional lyrics of "Don't Go Away" with affecting vulnerability. That combination of violence and sensitivity gives Oasis an emotional core and makes Be Here Now a triumphant album.© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo

After touring all over Europe with his album re:member (perhaps his best - or at least boldest - release of 2018), Ólafur Arnalds found himself alone in his studio in Reykjavik during lockdown and used the opportunity to record his most intimate record yet. “Like everyone else, it forced me to take stock of what I was doing. By the time the pandemic hit, I'd already written half the album, so the rest flowed freely. The result is my most personal album to date. It moves away from big concepts and big ideas. It’s just me” explained the Icelandic composer. He offers up moments of intense weightlessness, levitation even, on tracks like the super-chilled opener Loom and Zero. With dreamlike synths, relaxing violins and compassion-filled pianos, Ólafur Arnalds sends out therapeutic vibrations on pieces where you can almost feel his consciousness expanding. Some local guests appear on this record, including the Icelandic singer JFDR on Back to the Sky which drips with Roya Arab-like sensuality. The album ends with a philosophical touch; Undone samples from a spoken word passage by the singer Lhasa de Sela, who died in 2010, bringing the concept of death to the forefront of the record. An album that doubles as a much-needed healing remedy. © Smaël Bouaici/Qobuz

Lake Geneva is not Lake Pontchartrain, and Montreux is certainly not New Orleans. But regularly, during the famous Montreux jazz festival, the two cities fall into step in a swaying dance. Especially when Dr. John is on stage, who has made it up there at least seven times, in 1986, 1993, 1995, 2004, 2007, 2011 and 2012. Why has Dr. John played so many times in Montreux? In part because he was a huge figure with constant high quality performances, as good in his last decade (he died in 2019) as in his previous ones. But also because the public never tired of him. Dr. John always emanated good vibes, with music like a course of vitamin therapy.This compilation of his Montreux concerts begins with four tracks recorded in 1986. Dr. John is alone at the piano, and in great shape. Caribbean-style boogie-woogie escapes from under his nimble wanders, cool and elegant, typical of New Orleans (and partly invented by Professor Longhair, to whom Dr. John pays tribute). On the other pieces played in the group, which includes a brass and rhythm section, he showcases radiant funk and indulgent jazz, the secrets to which he has always held close to his chest. All of Dr. John’s and New Orleans classics are there, from Let the Good Times Roll, Big Chief and Right Place, Wrong Time. Everyone who has seen Dr. John on stage, in Montreux or elsewhere, will find that this compilation offers the same energy of his concerts. What’s more, it won’t fail to bring a smile to your face. © Stéphane Deschamps/Qobuz

Although for the last few years, saxophonist and clarinetist Chris Potter has often traveled off the beaten path in terms of orchestration (from the very electric, groovy stylings of 2019’s Circuits, to the experimentations in chamber music on Imaginary Cities in 2015), there’s no denying that it’s in the traditional format of an acoustic quartet with piano that the musician best demonstrates his improvisational talents. Discovered in the mid-90’s alongside legendary drummer Paul Motian, going on to partner with some of the greatest creators in contemporary jazz music (from Dave Holland to Pat Metheny and Steve Swallow), Potter, present on a phenomenal number of albums as a sideman and with over twenty records to date under his own name, comes out on top as one of the greatest saxophone players of his generation. Leading an exceptional ensemble of all-stars, Chris Potter reunites with pianist Brad Mehldau, previously featured on Moving In (1996), and collaborates seamlessly with drummer Brian Blade and bassist John Patitucci, both former partners in Wayne Shorter's quartet. Potter delivers the quintessence of his lyrical style with admirably controlled energy, resulting in an extraordinary, organic, and cohesive rhythm.With a repertoire of eight original compositions offering a wide array of textures and atmospheres which make space for a great deal of individual expression without ever neglecting the group’s collective message, the ensemble develops a kind of modern jazz that is both melodic and of great harmonic sophistication. The music combines constant emotional engagement with an admirable sense of restraint. Nothing is ostentatious or spectacular about this music, solidly anchored in tradition, of an extraordinary intelligence and sensibility, bringing to life in the most moving way a musical philosophy that is top-notch. © Stéphane Ollivier/Qobuz

For American audiences, the phenomenal worldwide success of Oasis was a little puzzling. That's because they only had part of the picture -- unless they were hardcore fans, they didn't hear nearly three albums of material released on B-sides and non-LP singles. Critics and fans alike claimed that the best of these B-sides were as strong as the best moments on the albums, and they were right. None of the albums had a song that rocked as hard as "Fade Away" (cleverly built on a stolen melody from Wham!'s "Freedom"), "Headshrinker," or "Acquiesce." There was nothing as charming as the lite psychedelic pastiche "Underneath the Sky" or the Bacharach tribute "Going Nowhere"; there was nothing as affecting as Noel Gallagher's acoustic plea "Talk Tonight" or the minor-key, McCartney-esque "Rockin' Chair," nothing as epic as "The Masterplan." Most bands wouldn't throw songs of this caliber away on B-sides, but Noel Gallagher followed the example of his heroes the Jam and the Smiths, who released singles where the B-sides rivaled the A-sides. This meant many American fans missed these songs, so to remedy this situation, Oasis released the B-sides compilation The Masterplan. Oasis unfortunately chose to opt for a single disc of highlights instead of a complete double-disc set, which means a wealth of great songs -- "Take Me Away," "Whatever," "D'Yer Wanna Be a Spaceman?," "Round Are Way," "It's Better People," "Step Out," a raging cover of "Cum on Feel the Noize" -- are missing. But The Masterplan winds up quite enjoyable anyway. Apart from the sludgy instrumental "The Swamp Song," there isn't a weak track here, and the brilliant moments are essential not only for Oasis fans, but any casual follower of Britpop or post-grunge rock & roll.© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo

There’s a ‘before and after’ Out Of Time in the life of R.E.M. This ‘before’ for Michael Stipe’s band is mainly found on university campuses where the group gained a cult following in the ‘80s… How then did R.E.M. manage to sell 12 million copies of Out Of Time to the world? The answer is that this record was both sublime and austere. An uncompromising album, like the chamber rock such as Nirvana and the Pixies that you’d blast out without caring about pissing off the neighbours in that year of 1992… Always virtuosic, Peter Buck goes from the mandolin to the acoustic guitar with great ease, John Paul Johns from Led Zeppelin sublimely arranges refined chords and Michael Stipe shines with his melancholic and tortured prose with the candor of a man with self-assured belief. Cinemascope ballads prevail, peaking with Everybody Hurts. It must be said, Automatic For The People is not the most easy-flowing album by R.E.M. but it is one of the most beautiful. Released in 2017, this 25th anniversary edition also offers, alongside the remastered album, a live recording from the 40 Watt Club in Athens on the 19th November 1992 with some cover versions like Funtime by Iggy Pop and Love Is All Around by The Troggs. © MD/Qobuz

What if it’s the end? Or almost the end? Of course, this is subject to change, but Al Jourgensen, founder-leader-guitarist-singer (among other things) of the legendary industrial metal group, seems decided, after his 65 trips around the sun, to close the book on Ministry soon after HOPIUMFORTHEMASSES (he’s stated that he’d also like to come out with a final record alongside his former collaborator Paul Barker, as well as re-record the group’s debut album, which he’s always hated). This goes to show that announcing one’s swan song doesn’t exclude the possibility of slapping together a second-to-last LP – far from it. Proof lies in HOPIUMFORTHEMASSES - an explosive album. It’s Ministry in their purest form, and although this comes at no surprise, their fans will be delighted by material that is, as expected, politically active and full of electricity, which will also attract a wider audience with tracks that are more accessible, without succumbing to mainstream predictability. As clever as ever, Jourgensen takes a shot at anything that moves, from unhinged misogynists (“B.D.E.”), to those in positions of power, as well as those who are destroying the planet (“New Religion,” “Just Stop Oil”…). This does run the risk of falling into certain clichés, yet it’s all just so good.Since collaborating with friends is both great fun, and also brings variety to one’s music, Jourgensen has a blast alongside Pepper Keenan (Corrosion of Conformity), Jello Biafra, and Eugene Hutz (Gogol Bordello), who add a little something crazy and unexpected to “Cult of Suffering.” Lastly, along with making political statements, HOPIUMFORTHEMASSES also has a playful, mischievous side that makes it impossibly enticing, in the same way that its predecessor Moral Hygiene was. Ministry is far from dead, long live Ministry! © Chief Brody/Qobuz

Coming off their work on Dntel's beautiful This Is the Dream of Evan and Chan, Jimmy Tamborello and Death Cab for Cutie's Ben Gibbard team up again for their full-length debut as Postal Service, Give Up. Instead of covering that EP's territory again, with this album the duo crafts a poppier, new wave-inflected sound that recalls Tamborello's work with Figurine more than Dntel's lovely subtlety. However, Ben Gibbard's famously bittersweet vocals and sharp, sensitive lyrics imbue Give Up with more emotional heft than you might expect from a synth pop album, especially one by a side project from musicians as busy as Tamborello and Gibbard are. The album exploits the contrast between the cool, clean synths and Gibbard's all-too-human voice to poignant and playful effect, particularly on Give Up's first two tracks. "The District Sleeps Alone" bears Gibbard's trademark songwriting, augmented by glitchy electronics and sliced-and-diced strings, while "Such Great Heights"' pretty pop could easily appear on a Death Cab for Cutie album, minus a synth or two. Despite some nods to more contemporary electronic pop, Give Up's sound is based in classic new wave and synth pop, at times resembling an indie version of New Order or the Pet Shop Boys. Songs like "Nothing Better," a duet that plays like an update on Human League's "Don't You Want Me?," and the video-game brightness of "Brand New Colony" sound overtly like the '80s brought into the present, but the tinny, preset synth and drum sounds on the entire album recall that decade. Sometimes, as on "Recycled Air" and "We Will Become Silhouettes," the retro sounds become distracting, but for the most part they add to the album's playful charm. The spooky ballad "This Place Is a Prison" is perhaps the most modern-sounding track and the closest in sound and spirit to Gibbard and Tamborello's Dntel work. The crunchy, distorted beats and sparkling synths recall both This Is the Dream of Evan and Chan and Björk's recent work; indeed, this song, along with the "All Is Full of Love" cover Death Cab included on their Stability EP, could be seen as an ongoing tribute to her. Overall, Give Up is a fun diversion for Tamborello, Gibbard, and their fans. It doesn't scale the heights of either of their main projects, but it's far more consistent and enjoyable than might be expected.© Heather Phares /TiVo