he Man And Masters of The Universe 2014

A sometimes sensational compilation of Australian artists covering the Beatles. Beatlemania was most intense downunder and for the band's mid-sixties tour 350000 people greeted them at the Adelaide airport; (a third of the city's entire population). This collection starts with the biggest band to score a place, with a relatively small song - the Bee Gees doing a squeaky clean take on From Me To You. Gold chains and hairy chests are nowhere to be seen yet. Then the Seekers ease us into the album with a torch-song version of Yesterday which shows off Judith Durham's great voice. Followed by a role-call of groovy Oz talent including Masters Apprentices giving a bluesy, garage version of I Feel Fine and the Hoodoo Gurus doing a more recent run through of A Hard Day's Night. Their rendition stays true with a note-perfect guitar solo!

It would seem that cubic forces are compelling Pierrick Pédron to meet the highest challenges. Like keeping alive a trio at the heart of which, in 2012, he accomplished what you might readily call a performance. In the space — only two or three days — of a few crazy hours, those musician-friends undertook the ascent of a magic mountain: the repertoire of Thelonious Monk. And so Kubic’s Monk saw the day, a shockwave of a record whose concision and urgency became allies of a modern music — slipped into a jewel of a setting — whose raw manufacture amplified its uncompromising strength. A single, perfect stroke!

"You're Dead!" is a shamanic pilgrimage into the psychedelic unknown of the infinite afterlife. A sonic, visual and metaphysical fusion of technological innovation and technical virtuosity that amounts to a transcendent, mind-expanding plasm that could only exist between our world and another. The enduring universe of Lotus supporting cast has expanded and evolved to feature in order of appearance, Herbie Hancock, Kendrick Lamar, Captain Murphy, Snoop Dogg, Angel Deradoorian, Thundercat, Niki Randa, alongside mindblowing original artwork by Japanese comic book artist Shintaro Kago.

"Everyday Robots", the first fully-realised Damon Albarn solo album, features twelve songs that invite the listener into Albarn's world for a genuine "one-to-one". They are the most soul-searching and autobiographical since his musical journey began. This album is quite clearly about his experiences, from early childhood right through. Ghosts of Albarn's boyhood in Leytonstone and Colchester walk hand-in-hand with reflections on life and love, on nature versus technology. The album was recorded in Albarn's 13 Studio in London and produced by Richard Russell, head of XL Recordings.

"Everyday Robots", the first fully-realised Damon Albarn solo album, features twelve songs that invite the listener into Albarn's world for a genuine "one-to-one". They are the most soul-searching and autobiographical since his musical journey began. This album is quite clearly about his experiences, from early childhood right through. Ghosts of Albarn's boyhood in Leytonstone and Colchester walk hand-in-hand with reflections on life and love, on nature versus technology. The album was recorded in Albarn's 13 Studio in London and produced by Richard Russell, head of XL Recordings.

Epstein, a notable player on the New York scene in the '90s, has kept a lower profile since moving to Nevada, where he now serves as director of the jazz studies program at University of Nevada, Reno. His playing, thankfully, hasn't suffered one bit from the change of scenery. Polarities finds him in strong form, working with and against three of his longtime musical friends; this album may mark the first time that Epstein, trumpeter Ralph Alessi, bassist Sam Minaie, and drummer Mark Ferber were recorded as a single unit, but the saxophonist's ties with each man run deep.

"Everyday Robots", the first fully-realised Damon Albarn solo album, features twelve songs that invite the listener into Albarn's world for a genuine "one-to-one". They are the most soul-searching and autobiographical since his musical journey began. This album is quite clearly about his experiences, from early childhood right through. Ghosts of Albarn's boyhood in Leytonstone and Colchester walk hand-in-hand with reflections on life and love, on nature versus technology. The album was recorded in Albarn's 13 Studio in London and produced by Richard Russell, head of XL Recordings.

Ensemble Marsyas performs music of the Baroque and Classical eras on period instruments at festivals all across Europe. On this recording of Johann Fasch's finest chamber music demonstrates why the man and his music were so appreciated in his own lifetime.

Desperate times call for dazzling records. Released on Ruf in September 2016, Devon Allman’s Ride Or Die acknowledges that life on Planet Earth is no picnic. On the flipside, this third solo album from one of America’s best modern writers reminds us there’s always hope. “The world is getting crazier by the minute,” says Allman. “These songs are about pain, addiction, storms, lust, death, and feeling sometimes that you’re utterly lost. But conversely, it’s about finding your place in the universe, rebirth, strength, redemption, vindication…”