Album: Sam Fender - Seventeen Going Under

★★SAM FENDER - SEVENTEEN GOING UNDER Geordie singer-songwriter unleashes fury

The Geordie stadium singer-songwriter unleashes fury while maturing his sound

Grand, sweeping romanticism with strong Celtic leanings is the order of the day lately, in a way it hasn’t been since the 1980s heyday of U2, Waterboys, Bruce Springsteen, Dexys and Simple Minds. The likes of Lewis Capaldi, Dermot Kennedy, Declan McKenna, Ed Sheeran in “Castle on the Hill” mode and Fontaines D.C. when they show their softer side are all taking yearning songs of big dreams colliding with small realities all the way to the bank.

K-Music 2021: striking the right note for musical fusion

K-MUSIC 2021 Stars of this year's festival of Koren music discuss East-West fusions and shared roots

Stars of this year's festival of Korean music discuss East-West fusions and shared roots

It’s been eight years since the first K-Music landed in London, courtesy the Korean Cultural Centre UK, along with world, folk and jazz concert producers Serious.

Album: Ministry - Moral Hygiene

★★★ MINISTRY - MORAL HYGIENE Uncle Al raises a battle flag against the US political right-wing

Uncle Al raises a battle flag against the US political right-wing

“How concerned are you?” asks a looped sample on “Alert Level”, the opening track on Ministry’s new album, and it is immediately clear that fans of the current economic and political status quo may not be the target market for this disc. That said, the optimal volume for playing Moral Hygiene would probably scare off most mainstream audiences too – as it really should be heard very loudly with the bass suitably jacked up for maximum enjoyment.

Balimaya Project, Colectiva, Milton Court review - Africa and Latin Jazz re-invented

★★★★★ BALIMAYA PROJECT, COLECTIVA, MILTON COURT Africa & Latin Jazz re-invented

Double bill at the Barbican scores two hits

40 or so years on from the first wave of London gigs by musicians from West Africa – many of them at the Africa Centre in Covent Garden – London’s connection with the music of Senegal, Mali and the Gambia has taken a new and exciting turn.

Imperial Wax, Dead Wax, Birmingham review - ex-Fall guys whip up a storm

Sam Curran and the ex-Fall gang leave ears screaming in a stormy autumn night

As Sam Curran leant into his microphone for the first time this evening, he announced “If you want any ear plugs, there’s some free on our merch desk”. Most of us were way too cool for that though and stayed where we were. It was a decision that some will have later regretted as we spent the rest of the evening with screaming ear drums.

Reissue CDs Weekly: Van der Graaf Generator - The Charisma Years 1970-1978

VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR - THE CHARISMA YEARS 1970-1978 A band like no other

Statement-piece box set honouring a band like no other

“There should be some kind of spirit there which is outside whoever is in the band. The spirit of the band, wanting still to play songs, real songs, wanting to play complicated music to a certain extent. Fairly dense arrangements, also difficult pieces of music, not to be difficult but just because that’s a challenge. To do all that and then also play with a degree of anarchy, chaos, and fire and spirit. That’s the spirit of Van der Graaf.”

Album: BADBADNOTGOOD - Talk Memory

★★★★ BADBADNOTGOOD - TALK MEMORY Jazz/hip-hop mavericks' psychedelic voyage has a Hollywood ending

Jazz/hip-hop mavericks' psychedelic voyage has a Hollywood ending

Jazz’s most popular expressions today stand on or just over its borders: Thundercat’s rubbery bass virtuosity and dreamy laptop soul, Robert Glasper’s improv R&B, Squarepusher’s spontaneous electronica, Snarky Puppy’s jam-band anthems, GoGo Penguin’s rave piano trio, or The Bad Plus’s rock covers.

Album: Vangelis - Juno to Jupiter

★★★ VANGELIS - JUNO TO JUPITER Septuagenarian electronic don maintains course to the stars

The septuagenarian electronic don maintains his course to the stars

Along with Tangerine Dream and Jean-Michel Jarre, Vangelis is a key figure in the development of - to be loosely colloquial about it – trance and chill-out electronica. His 1970s work was proggy trip music, laced with classical aspirations that later came into their own. Artists from Sven Väth to Air to Enigma owe him a debt, as do those involved in the current boom in soothing electro-classical sounds.