Play UK From Issue 272, 2016

A transitional album on which the band moved from Syd Barrett's relatively concise and vivid songs to spacy, ethereal material with lengthy instrumental passages. Barrett's influence is still felt (he actually did manage to contribute one track, the jovial "Jugband Blues"), and much of the material retains a gentle, fairy-tale ambience. "Remember a Day" and "See Saw" are highlights; on "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun," "Let There Be More Light," and the lengthy instrumental title track, the band begin to map out the dark and repetitive pulses that would characterize their next few records.

Two years in the making, Close To The Noise Floor is a 4CD, 60-track set exploring the origins of electronica in the UK. Featuring tracks from key figures on the cassette label underground alongside early releases by future stars of the movement, this is part primitive rave, part synthesiser porn and part history lesson.

UK band Red Bazar was formed back in 2007 by Paul Comerie, Andy Wilson and Mick Wilson. The outfit released two studio albums and one EP as an instrumental trio, but by 2013 the more frequent use of keyboards in their material led to the addition of keyboardist Gary Marsh towards the end of that year, and then collaborative work with composer and vocalist Peter Jones (Tiger Moth Tales) eventually led to him becoming a part of the band as well. "Tales from the Bookcase" is the first album by Red Bazar as a five-man strong unit, and was released by the UK label White Knight Records in the spring of 2016. This album provides a top-notch blend of neo and art prog, this garnered with some remarkable heavy AOR edge here and there. Furthermore "Tales From The Bookcase" marks a successfull step away from a pure instrumental approach.

James Arthur is the 2012 X factor winner, with his debut single ‘Impossible’ becoming the biggest X factor winner’s song of all time. The single kept the #1 chart spot for 3 weeks, won platinum in the UK and was nominated for a Brit Award. His self-titled first album, featuring the No.2 single “You’re Nobody Until Somebody Loves You” and collaborations with Naughty Boy and Emeli Sande, was certified Gold in the UK after worldwide sales of over 400,000. However, months after his debut single and album was finally usurped from the top spot, the struggles of the limelight became too much for the singer and in his own words, he “cracked”. Fast forward 2 years, James is a very different animal in 2016 and managed to process his experiences on his new album BACK FROM THE EDGE, which will be released 28th October. BACK FROM THE EDGE’s first single SAY YOU WON’T LET GO, released September 9, is the sound board for what has been a turbulent career, still very much in its infancy. Apart from the deeply emotional ballad, the album presents many songs with a personal experience.