November is supposedly a time for compilations and unambitious reissues. The evidence ahead of you suggests otherwise. We’ll be back a little earlier in December to provide some top tips for last minute gifts; if you’re more organised, feel free to use what follows instead. 

Freshly Pressed:

2008’s ‘4:13 Dream’ looked like it might have been a full stop to The Cure’s studio career for some time and yet their ongoing majesty as a live act and Robert Smith’s all round brilliance has kept them at the front of people’s minds. But dare we have high expectations for a new album, forty-five years after their debut? A spiritual cousin of 1989’s ‘Disintegration’, it’s so obviously them from the second the needle escapes the run in groove and commences several minutes of instrumental build up for ‘Alone’. It is a glorious listen, with a hugely affecting sweetness tucked up in the hefty arrangements. Just listen to the piano of ‘A Fragile Thing’, the synth sighs of that opener and the accordion of ‘Warsong’, instrumental textures that communicate at a level way beyond words. Smith is in very, very fine voice throughout, covering the growing sense of mortality for someone in their mid-Sixties, the death of his own brother and how to live in these chronically noisy times. 

One of its greatest strengths is its relative brevity. It wouldn’t be The Cure without the songs being lengthy – only three clock in at under five minutes, and closer ‘Endsong’ creeps just past the ten minute marker – so keeping it to eight tracks is a masterstroke. It is potent, visceral, frequently majestic and utterly absorbing. There are a variety of vinyl editions out in the world, all pressed to bioplastic as well as a 2LP half-speed mastered cut from Miles Showell. Add to that the fact that even the single LP is available with two different cuts – one by Showell and another by Bernie Grundman – and that multiple pressing plants have been involved across this release and it gets very complicated. The bioplastic is pretty quiet overall, but not silent. The standard black has the Miles Showell cut – which sounds pretty good, keeping some space in the wilful density of the mix and ensuring the bottom end isn’t too oppressive – and is pressed at Pallas. 

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If South Asian spiritual jazz is your thing, then prepare to feel spoilt as we’re getting a second album in eight months from Ganavya. ‘Daughter Of A Temple’ is released via Nils Frahm’s Leiter label and features a remarkable list of collaborators who are spread keenly over two sides of near-silent black wax via intakt in Berlin. Recorded over a single week in 2022 at Moore’s Opera House in Houston, Texas, Ganavya assembled a music village where the artists fasted, prayed, lived, ate and – crucially – played together for an intense period. Helmed around covers of Alice and John Coltrane’s music, this is an immersive and quietly beautiful listen. Side two opener ‘Journey In Satchidananda / Ghana Nila’ might just be the highlight, but the whole thing is rather special. Andreas Kauffelt’s vinyl cut of Zino Mikorey’s rich, open master is a thing to behold. 

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Responding to overwhelming public demand, Cherry Red have assembled a 2LP compilation of The Futureheads’ singles from 2003-2019, ‘Decent Days And Nights’. The title track, ‘First Day’, ‘Meantime’ and ‘Hounds Of Love’ still radiate the angular atmosphere of indie rock from the first half of the Noughties. Things commence with ‘The Beginning Of The Twist’ from their third album ‘This Is Not The World’ and the not entirely chronological structure is probably wise in order to drip-feed the latter era material without too obvious a decline in quality. ‘Jekyll’ and ‘Listen, Little Man’, from 2019’s ‘Powers’, are quite lumpen slabs of stodgy nostalgia. There are no mastering credits on the sleevenotes, which are housed on one side of two printed inners that sit inside a wider single sleeve. It’s a solid but confined soundstage, clearly presenting digital mastering in the rectangle between the speakers and the red, GZ-pressed discs are fairly quiet throughout. 

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Acid Jazz continue their exploration of the Albarika Store label with a catalogue spanning compilation entitled ‘The Albarika Story’. Across two discs, an array of Afrobeat delights are presented with impressively vivid sonics and an effusive sleevenote by Florent Mazzoleni that fills out the context. Mazzoleni compiled the set along with David Hill from the superb Soul Revivers, who also delivers several unique edits. IPA Boogie’s ‘Get The Music Now’ is an insistent, rhythmic delight while the recently-reissued TP Orchestre Poly-Rythmo are still utterly magnificent company. There’s not a weak moment on the album and Nick Robbins at Sound has delivered a rich mastering that manages some decent width and lively top end while affording the bass its necessary heft. An essential primer. 

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Marking a return to Domino, Cass McCombs has released some new-old music as ‘Seed Cake On Leap Year’. Recorded at Jason Quever’s apartment between 1999 and 2000, these tracks have never previously seen the light of day. The naivety of youth doesn’t impinge upon the songs too much, indeed these ten tunes are all pretty accomplished and feel like a rather natural part of McCombs’ largely superb catalogue. ‘Anchor Child’ is an especially excellent vibrant moment, while ‘Wasted Again’ is imbued with a weary ache that is supported by a sparse but intense arrangement. The mastering from Mike Bozzi is great, giving McCombs’ vocals plenty of space to breathe, and it receives a near-silent Optimal pressing. There’s splendid typography on the artwork too. 

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The fine team behind the Jazz Dispensary series have assembled ‘The Golden Hour’ compilation for Black Friday RSD and had it pressed on ‘golden wave swirl vinyl’. That’s a coke bottle green with some streaks of orange through it, in case you’re wondering. Across eight tracks, the listener is transported in a fashion designed to evoke the sense of, “floating on a cool, lone wave while soaking in the last sunbeams of the day,” apparently. I can’t quite relate, but I will say that a mix of Hampton Hawes, Sonny Rollins, Vince Guaraldi and Chico Hamilton more than delivers. ‘Soul Talk-1970’ from Johnny ‘Hammond’ Smith is absolute perfection, though. Crank it loud and let it improve your day, no matter your starting point: truly sensational stuff. A near-silent GZ pressing, even with the fancy swirl effect, serves the immersive and nuanced cut very well indeed. 

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Another new Craft compilation for RSD Black Friday pays tribute to the youthful writing of Curtis Mayfield. ‘The Soul And Songs Of Young Curtis Mayfield: The Spirit Of Chicago’ is a 2LP set mastered from the original analogue tapes capturing the legendary soul star’s initial writing, recording and production work. As a result, we’re treated to tracks from The Impressions, Wade Flemons, Jerry Butler and Gene Chandler. There are some fine tunes, but it has more of the sense of a historical document rather than an essential listen. The sonics are rich and resonant but, and setups can vary for this, your correspondent had some inner groove distortion on several sides of these fairly quiet GZ-pressed discs. An informative sleevenote adds some welcome context and it’s always a pleasure to be reminded of Mayfield’s genius, but it’s perhaps one to keep an eye out for in the evitable sales in a few months from now. 

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It’s been a while since the last decent Primal Scream album, hasn’t it? For ‘Come Ahead’, it’s gospel choirs, strung out soul and David Holmes at the control desk. 

Your correspondent can see what it’s aiming for but doesn’t often believe it. It’s neatly arranged and all the right buttons have been pushed, but there’s a sense of waiting for it to take off. It was pleasant enough on first listen, felt uneven on the second and by the third Just Played was willing it to have a bit more oomph. Bobby Gillespie is in about as fine a voice as he can be and ‘Melancholy Man’ is a good example of how things yearn to ache but just end up sounding a bit tired and underpowered. ‘Ready To Go Home’ is a compelling starter but it’s good rather than great and the title is enough to ensure that ‘Love Insurrection’ has no chance. It sounds exactly how you imagine a Primal Scream song with that name would. Matt Colton has provided a decent mastering for the record as well as delivering an open cut. There’s plenty of space in the top end and a satisfying level of nuance for the soulful rhythm section. Pressed at BMG’s German plant, the discs are pretty quiet throughout. It’s not a bad record – at times, it’s quite enjoyable – it just feels somewhat inessential. 

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Australian singer-songwriter Paul Kelly marks half a century in business with ‘Fever Longing Still’. Released via Cooking Vinyl on an orange-marble disc, this is his twenty-ninth studio outing and he’s in fine form, luxuriating across several genres and landing somewhere between pop, rock, blues and country. ‘Double Business Bound’ is very turn-of-millennium Dylan in its arrangement and delivery, while ‘Let’s Work It Out In Bed’ is a song title that should never have got past quality control. ‘Love Has Made A Fool Of Me’ is especially musically charming, even if the lyrics buckle slightly under scrutiny. The colouring of the record looks rather fetching when held up to the light and Takt have delivered a fairly quiet pressing for a solid mastering that is only slightly boxed in at the top end. 

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All Kinds Of Blue:

Regular readers will be aware of your correspondent’s fondness for Bobby Hutcherson, so any month with one of his titles in the Blue Note reissues stack is a cause for excitement. However, November’s first Tone Poet being ‘Dialogue’ is a particular joy. The 1965 recording features Richard Davis on bass, Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, Andrew Hill at the piano, Joe Chambers on drums and Sam Rivers across four different instruments. That, dear reader, is how to assemble a band and their collective intuition is writ large across the five tracks contained within. ‘Catta’ and the title track just edge it, but the whole thing is magnificent and Kevin Gray has delivered a very crankable, vastly open soundstage which RTI have pressed to near-silent wax. Cliff Jordan’s self-titled 1957 gets the other slot, with similarly exacting standards for its manufacture. While it’s not quite as essential, Lee Morgan and Art Taylor go all out and the session photography delivers a wonderful insight into the musicians having lunch. 

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The Classics weren’t messing around this month either. First up, it’s Dexter Gordon’s tremendous ‘Gettin’’ Around’ with its distinctive bicycle-heavy artwork. The aforementioned Bobby Hutcherson lends his vibes to proceedings and Gordon’s tenor sax is often a twisting, unfurling charm. The intimate, languid atmospherics of ‘Who Can I Turn To’ perfectly accentuate the depth of this all-analogue soundstage, one again cut by Kevin Gray. It receives a silent Optimal pressing, as does its fellow Classic, ‘Wahoo!’ by Duke Pearson. This 1965 release from the sublime pianist includes Donald Byrd on trumpet and the tenor sax of Joe Henderson. As well as being an impressive producer for the label, Pearson also delivered plenty of very fine albums as a bandleader. Opener ‘Amanda’ has Byrd in full flight and ‘ESP (Extraordinary Perception)’ lives up to billing. It’s another open soundstage and there’s an extra sense of rowdy jangle to it all that bursts from the sides of the speakers. Both titles capture this series at its very best. 

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Going Round Again: 

One of the more dependable names in the vinyl reissue market, Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers’ ‘Long After Dark’ has been given the 2LP treatment for a deluxe edition. The Pallas-pressed set has been cut by Chris Bellman and features the original album on the first disc and twelve “rediscovered” tracks on the second, including seven that have never been previously released. Singles ‘You Got Lucky’ and ‘Change Of Heart’ will be logical entry points for most but the songwriting is sharp across the whole lot and the production crisp enough to resist most of the tropes of the early Eighties. The extra tracks are likely to appeal solely to the faithful but there are some treasures to be found, most notably ‘Never Be You’ and ‘Keeping Me Alive’. The mastering is dynamic, wide and open at the top end. Both LPs had silent playback and were provided in poly-lined inners as well as separate printed inners. Top work all round. 

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One other RSD Black Friday title for you and this one is a straight reissue of the 1958 Max Roach album ‘Deeds, Not Words’. Cut from the original analogue tapes by Kevin Gray, this mono recording sounds about as good as it’s going to right now and that is decent rather than spectacular. The performances are pretty incendiary, with the remarkable drummer joined by Booker Little on trumpet, Ray Draper’s tuba, the tenor sax of George Coleman and Art Davis on bass; side two opener ‘Jodie’s Cha-Cha’ proves an especially invigorating example of Roach at work. The nature of mono means a very different soundstage but even so there isn’t quite the clarity and separation here that some of the more magical Tone Poets manage with similar methodologies. The pressing isn’t quite audiophile as it’s a reasonably quiet GZ job, but the tip-on sleeve is a joy to behold. 

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The twentieth anniversary of Razorlight’s debut album ‘Up All Night’ has been marked by a clear vinyl reissue. It appears to be the same cut used for the 2019 edition, which failed to replicate the bonus 7” inserted into originals but opted instead to append standalone single ‘Somewhere Else’ to the conclusion of side two. It’s a not unwelcome time capsule of a particular era, as partially evinced by the aforementioned compilation of The Futureheads’ music. ‘Golden Touch’ and ‘Stumble And Fall’ still stand up, as does the corking bonus track. Mastering is a little quiet to fit it all on to one disc, but there’s a degree of dynamic range there, certainly more than on the original CD. It’s a fairly quiet Optimal pressing and the cover art looks pleasingly crisp for this exercise in fuzzy nostalgia. 

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Be sure to pick up Cherry Red’s magnificent expanded reissue of Tracey Thorn’s solo debut, ‘A Distant Shore’. The 1982 album was recorded in a garden shed for just £138 and a combination of the spacious but striking artwork and the quality of these early songs has ensured that well cared for copies are regularly snapped up on the second hand market. For this deluxe endeavour, Thorn has selected five demos from her personal archive and the whole lot has been mastered at Abbey Road by Miles Showell. Those bonus bits are endearing but of varying quality but the main album sounds truly excellent here. The guitar is resonant and present, floating out of the speakers and the vocals have a three-dimensional tone. The cover of ‘Femme Fatale’ remains majestic and just listen to ‘Simply Couldn’t Care’. Necessarily, it’s a near-silent Optimal pressing and there’s a glorious accompanying sleevenote from Thorn, whose writing is always a pleasure to read. 

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The 2 Tone catalogue continues to receive loving attention from Chrysalis Records, who this month reissued The Special AKA’s sole album, ‘In The Studio’, for its fortieth anniversary. Reshuffled from their previous incarnation as The Specials, it was Rhoda Dakar’s presence that provided the most noticeable difference. Her superb vocals are all over the record and there are some absolute corkers to relive here, ‘What I Like Most About You Is Your Girlfriend’, ‘Nelson Mandela’ and ‘Racist Friend’ chief amongst them. ‘War Crimes’ is just as visceral and the whole thing sounds superb thanks to several factors. As well as a half-speed master at Abbey Road courtesy of Miles Showell, the album is cut as a 2x45rpm set and pressed at The Vinyl Factory. In short, this is about as good as you could hope for and the soundstage is rich, full-bodied and far-reaching. The artwork has been lovingly restored and a glossy replica insert completes the package. 

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Your correspondent still finds it a little surprising that, in 2024, quite so much vinyl manufacturing time is given over to the work of Shed Seven. However, the people have spoken and two number one albums in a year is no mean feat. Sidling up alongside those new releases is a thirtieth anniversary reissue of their debut ‘Change Giver’ via the Proper/Universal collaboration. As ever, artwork is carefully replicated, including the cut of the inner sleeve and the centre labels. It captures the band as they were still working out their sound and prior to the smoother vintage melodicism of ‘A Maximum High’. Singles ‘Speakeasy’ and ‘Dolphin’ will conjure up images of the old adverts for singles that would run along the bottom of the inky pages of the NME and the Maker at that time, evoking the era of 99p 7”s and indie bands starting to break into the world of Top Of The Pops. The rest of the record is fairly unremarkable, even if their promise was evident. The mastering is fairly confined to the distance between the speakers, but there’s a little percussive width at points. Rick Witter’s foghorn vocals are somewhat restrained in the mid-range, but it’s a pretty quiet GZ pressing of an album many will be glad to pop in the racks. 

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Some turn of the Seventies folk also benefits from the Proper/Universal programme, with two of the earliest Sandy Denny-less Fairport Convention albums getting dusted off. 1970’s ‘Full House’ and ‘Angel Delight’ from the following year are an interesting pair, the former still featuring Richard Thompson and a startling version of ‘Sir Patrick Spens’ while the latter was their only UK top ten album. Both have lovingly recreated artwork, that of ‘Angel Delight’ proving more impressive given the glossy images mounted on the front and reverse of a textured gatefold in the original fashion. The correct Island centre labels are present too and there has clearly been some love and care taken; both are fairly quiet GZ pressings housed in poly-lined sleeves. As ever with these reissues, the audio is good rather than great. ‘Full House’ has a very wide soundstage with especially lively percussive qualities, but little sense of scale above or below the centre of the presentation. The companion release feels a little too heavy at the bottom end, giving a slightly smeary mid-range too. It’s a pleasant enough listen, but some way from those corking Island originals. 

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The final Proper/Universal title for November is an expanded edition of We Are Scientists’ second album ‘’Brain Thrust Mastery’. An ambitious evolution of the sound from their distinctive debut, the record is awash with enormous choruses and nagging hooks. ‘Impatience’ and ‘After Hours’ have lost none of their insistent, melodic charm and the album holds up rather well considering the many excesses and missteps of Noughties indie. Their refusal to take themselves too seriously is evident from the hype sticker on in, referring to “the original masterpiece” and bonus bits “not good enough to put on the 2008 edition.” Side four features a quartet of acoustic tracks recorded at the Union Chapel where their stage chat just about walks the line between endearing and in-jokey and the rest of the second disc features the relevant b-sides. Mastering is pretty nuanced with plenty of width and some space in the top end. All in all, in it’s a neatly executed deluxe reissue for those keen to revisit. 

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The splendidly simple but invitingly elegant sleeve design of Dusty Springfield’s ‘The BBC Sessions’ CD release from 2007 lured Just Played in seventeen years ago. The excellent performances contained within have finally been afforded a vinyl outing seventeen years later, with a mastering and cut by Geoff Pesche at Abbey Road. A near-silent pair of discs from Pallas ensure that this gatefold package feels suitably deluxe. The sources are a little variable in terms of fidelity and the nature of broadcasting from the time means that several tracks include the presenter’s introduction. Quibbles aside, these versions of ‘La Bamba’, ‘Wishin’ And Hopin’’, ‘Uptight (Everything’s Alright)’ and ‘You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me’ are jolts of pure pleasure, while the slightly stripped back version of ‘Son Of A Preacher Man’ allows the listener to absorb a truly magnificent voice. And that artwork looks even better at 12”x12” size. 

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If you’ve often found yourself wondering why Universal haven’t reissued four of Elton John’s early albums on splatter vinyl in PVC sleeves with only partial, wraparound artwork then wonder no more. 1970’s self-titled offering, plus ‘Tumbleweed Connection’, ‘Madman Across The Water’ and ‘Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only The Piano Player’ have all had the novelty treatment, despite none of them exactly being strangers to the racks in recent years. The colours are, respectively, purple, teal, cyan and red, each pressed by the good folk at Optimal. The discs are pretty quiet considering the format and use Abbey Road cuts of the Bob Ludwig remasters. Several use parts from previous reissues, while others have fresh metalwork, but those are consistent in terms of soundstage. They’re a pleasant enough novelty, presumably designed for the gift market. 

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The Jazz Dispensary series continues with a piece of Uruguayan fusion from 1976, ‘Goldenwings’ by Opa. If a mix of flute, synth, congas, keyboard and guitar produced by Airto Moreira doesn’t appeal, then Just Played can only assume you’ve yet to hear such a combination in action. And, frankly, if you’re going to hear it there are few better ways than via an all-analogue Kevin Gray cut pressed at RTI. This one can handle a bit of volume and then some. The precision of the mid-range and natural sparkle of the highs is deliciously inviting, while the palpable definition of the bass sound is one of the best adverts for analogue recordings around right now. The opening title track and side one closer ‘African Bird’ provide a solid representation of the range on show here and the ‘Pieces’ suite on the flip is a real pleasure. A pin-drop silent disc in an archival sleeve is housed in a beautiful tip-on replica for a less obvious treat. 

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All bar one of The Corrs’ studio albums are getting the coloured vinyl reissue treatment this month, covering the run from 1997’s eventually chart-conquering ‘Talk On Corners’ through to 2017’s rather less population-bothering ‘Jupiter Calling’. While only the true hardcore may be in for the whole lot, revisiting the first of these records is an oddly endearing burst of nostalgia. If you ever had a phase of obsessing over daytime radio in the Nineties, then it’s hard not to feel some warmth towards their cover of ‘Dreams’, the sprightly ‘So Young’ and genuinely lovely ‘What Can I Do’. The mastering is pretty rich and nuanced, delivered by Barry Grint and pressed to gold vinyl. The Optimal pressing is near silent and the artwork neatly accomplished, perfectly encapsulating the quality control across the full set for those with deep pockets. 

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Those who know the work of Jason Molina tend to be head over heels about it. Best known as the frontman for Songs: Ohia and then Magnolia Electric Co., he had an achingly intense voice that cut through like few others truly can. ‘Protection Spells’ was originally a tour exclusive CD from the year 2000, limited to 500 copies; it was repressed in 2007 in the same numbers, but has only now made its vinyl debut. It’s a collection of home recordings produced across the duration of several Songs: Ohia tours and it is not an especially varied soundscape, but there is still plenty of evidence of his knack for a tune. Opener ‘Trouble Will Find You’ marauds scuzzily, initially offset by some glittering vibraphone, while ‘Darkness That Strong’ seems to almost flail about at times, its loose, broad drumbeats skittering wildly. ‘The Moon Undoes It all’ suffers from a distant vocal sound and ‘The World At The End Of The World’ has a similarly box-room aesthetic. The vinyl has been cut by Chris Muth and it’s been done well. The nature of some of the recordings means that there’s only so much you can do, but the soundstage is open and dynamic in as much as it can be. As ever with Molina’s so frequently quiet music, it all comes down to the quality of the pressing and this US disc is fairly quiet after some noise in the run in. 

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The Contemporary Records Acoustic Sounds series continues apace, alighting upon the 1960 live release ‘Ben Webster – At The Renaissance’. It is a recording that truly captures the space in the room and allows the performers their own specific coordinates across the soundstage. Bernie Grundman has mastered straight from the analogue tapes and what an ensemble he has relayed to the grooves. Alongside the tenor sax of Webster we get Frank Butler on drums, Jimmy Rowles at the piano, Red Mitchell killing it on the bass and the guitar work of the one and only Jim Hall. The ease of their interplay is evident from the off and ‘Caravan’ is an especially glorious demonstration of their combined clout. QRP have delivered a perfectly silent pressing and the artwork has been replicated meticulously for the tip-on sleeve. November has been a remarkably good month for the jazz heads. 

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Back in 1994, The Charlatans released their third album, ‘Up To Our Hips’, into an indie landscape that was fully morphing into its Britpop identity. With plenty going on behind the scenes – organ player Rob Collins had been accused of acting as the getaway driver in an armed robbery. While the charges, which would have accrued lengthy sentences, were eventually dropped in court, the band feared Rob would endure a lengthier prison stay than he received while constructing this record. While there are some beloved tracks here, it has, at times, felt a bit like a stepping stone to what would follow. ‘I Never Want An Easy Life If Me And He Were Ever To Get There’ and ‘Can’t Get Out Of Bed’ are a fine one-two in the middle of side one, serving to highlight their capacity as a tremendous singles band in the Nineties. Add in ‘Jesus Hairdo’, which opens side two, and there is a very particular sound to the band’s work at this point, wearing an intensity that reflected real life around the sessions. 

‘Another Rider Up In Flames’ is an emphatic mid-paced chug that highlights the many and varied talents within the group perfectly. On this petrol blue bioplastic 2LP set, ‘Patrol’ suffered with some non-fill ripping that other listeners have also reported hearing, although it wasn’t too frequent on my copy, but the discs are otherwise pretty quiet. This anniversary edition adds a bonus record featuring b-sides, alternate mixes and a couple of Evening Session performances. It’s a decent trove for those wishing to explore the wider context. Frank Arkwright has cut this set – pressed at Optimal – and the soundstage is solid but unspectacular. When the instrumental passages kick in on ‘I Never Want An Easy Life…’ things don’t get louder, if anything they turn in on themselves slightly, as the greater sense of width created during the sections with mainly organ, voice and percussion affords more space. This is typical of the whole record and, while it doesn’t sound bad, it lacks some openness in the top end and the bottom end is chunky enough to make the mids a little heavy too. In short, don’t purchase in the hope of an audio upgrade from an original. 

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At The Front Of The Racks

Earlier in the year, this column featured a gorgeous Numero box set covering the career of Margo Guryan. As the accompanying booklet noted, her gorgeous chamber pop was borne out of a sudden shift in direction, having ignored the notion of writing music in that genre, prompted by The Beach Boys’ ‘God Only Knows’. Its shimmering textures and sweeping harmonies subsequently became very much her thing too, having previously been part of an illustrious jazz course some years prior to the release of her sole studio album, 1968’s ‘Take A Picture’. The good folk at Sub Pop have decided that it’s time to celebrate this wonderful talent again, green-lighting a project that covers the whole record via a raft of musical fans. Entitled ‘Like Someone I Know’, it’s been overseen by her stepson Jonathan Rosner and his artist friend Izzy Fradin, also known as DJ Astral Weeks. 

TOPS get the honour of opening proceedings with the classic ‘Sunday Morning’ and they are up to the task, adding some modern twists to a fairly faithful reading. The magical, buoyant piano of ‘What Can I Give You’ by Kate Bollinger commences side two; the fuzzy synth majesty of Clairo is the perfect foil for ‘Love Songs’ and you’ll struggle to let it pass without a quick repeat. And what about Bedouine and Sylvie’s take on ‘Can You Tell’? An autumnal hug that sounds like it must have been recorded fifty years ago, the Syrian-American vocals of Bedouine take it somewhere truly superb. They’re all great songs, of course, with Empress Of making a very positive first impression on me with ‘Someone I Know’ and then there’s Margo Price wrapping it all up with bonus track ‘California Shake’. Jessica Thompson’s mastering is excellent and the near-silent red vinyl disc has been cut at Black Belt by Levi Seitz and pressed at RTI. It’s a delight, along with the gorgeous gatefold artwork. 

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All titles reviewed above were cleaned before playback using the ultrasonic record cleaning machine, Degritter. A full review of its capabilities can be found in a previous column and you can find local dealers at www.degritter.com

Words: Gareth James (For more vinyl reviews and turntable shots, follow @JustPlayed on Twitter)

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