CD: Jah Wobble - Dream World

Punk-dub-experimental bass behemoth and inveterate experimenter in introspective form

He's known for his myriad collaborations – Public Image Ltd, Primal Scream, The Orb, The Edge, Can, all the way through to recent work with singers PJ Higgins and Hollie Cook – but Jah Wobble really deserves attention in his own right. A cosmic Cockney of immense erudition, he has created some extraordinary fusions of global sounds, ambient, electronica, post-punk and more.

CD: Tanukichan - Sundays

★★★ CD: TANUKICHAN - SUNDAYS Decent opening shot of phased out dream-pop from California

Decent opening shot of phased out dream-pop from California

Shoegaze was only a moment really, a scene that flared briefly as the Eighties drew to a close. The music press – the “inkies” - used the term to describe bands, usually flop-fringed with lazy posture, whose heads would hang as they played gigs, ostensibly because they were looking at effects pedals and wotnot, but really because they and their music were shy. Following the example of My Bloody Valentine, they’d found a way to hide their pop songs amid distortion, deep down in it.

Gary Numan, Assembly Hall, Worthing review - hot and hammering

★★★ GARY NUMAN, ASSEMBLY HALL, WORTHING Eighties' survivor hits hard and loud

One of the Eighties' perennial survivors hits the south coast hard and loud

Arriving back onstage for an encore a broadly smiling Gary Numan bathes in roared football chants of “Numan! Numan!”. He tells us it’s just over 40 years since he released his first single, “That’s Too Bad”, but that he and his tight four-piece band are going to make a “bad attempt” at playing it. He’s wrong. It’s one of the best-delivered songs of the night, sounding Seventies punky to the delight of the crowd, many of whom clearly recall the era. It’s not a song he usually plays and not typical of his set, but it has a freshness.

theartsdesk on Vinyl 41: Kali Uchis, Orange Goblin, Kirsty MacColl, Walton, Miss Red and more

THEARTSDESK ON VINYL 41 Kali Uchis, Orange Goblin, Kirsty MacColl, Walton, Miss Red and more

The latest epic monthly record review round-up

Summer’s here and the time is right for dancing in the street. To vinyl. Only theartsdesk on Vinyl doesn’t just cover music for dancing, it covers every style of music imaginable (with a good showing for pop this month). Whatever your taste, from the heaviest rock to the lightest ambient music, theartsdesk on Vinyl will review it along the way. Enough intro, though. More juice.

CD: Dirty Projectors – Lamp Lit Prose

Crisp and inventive production shine through a musical odyssey

Lamp Lit Prose is the ninth Dirty Projectors album since 2003, an incredibly prolific output for any artist. All the more impressive when you consider it’s the project of producer/songwriter David Longstreth, who also finds time to collaborate with artists such as Rihanna, Kanye, Paul McCartney and Solange. Such a notable CV befits an act as innovative as Dirty Projectors, and their latest release further demonstrates the talent on show.

CD: Laurel Halo - Raw Silk Uncut Wood

★★★★ CD: LAUREL HALO - RAW SILK UNCUT WOOD Small but perfectly formed ambient art

A small but perfectly formed example of the state of the ambient art

So the ambient revival continues apace, getting deeper and wider with each passing year. From the interstices between the classical concert hall, abstract art installations, the backroom of more insalubrious little raves and festivals, the small hours on oddball online radio stations, and the spaces into which people get lost as they defocus and absorb themselves into their headphone soundtracks on commutes seems to seep more and more sound that is textural above all.

CD: Gorillaz - The Now Now

★★★★ GORILLAZ - THE NOW NOW Damon Albarn moves front and centre in a surprisingly upbeat record

Damon Albarn moves front and centre in a surprisingly upbeat record

It’s hard to know who to write about when reviewing a new Gorillaz release. According to the official line, the band have shorn their usual guests to focus on the core creative team: vocalist 2D, drummer Russell, guitarist Noodle, and new bassist Ace, borrowed from The Powerpuff Girls.

CD: Soulwax - Essential

Belgian beat maestros return with a different approach

It took Soulwax 12 years to release 2017’s From Deewee, a triumphant one take clash of live drums and electronic wizardry. It’s taken less than 12 months for their follow-up; at their current rate, we can expect another release sometime next weekend. As described in an opening voice-over, this is an “essential mix” equivalent to a mixtape, originally created for a BBC Radio 1 session.