Review: Medúlla (Polydor 9867591) – Björk (Stereo/Multichannel SA-CD) Audio Systems: Stereo – Sony ES, Art Audio, Reference 3A, Cardas Multichannel – Denon, Marantz, Bryston, Paradigm Reference (HT system) Music/Performance (4/5) Sonics (4.5/5) Normally I review music/performance and sonics in separate sections, but this doesn't really seem possible with...

In 1966 Brian Wilson almost single handedly created Pet Sounds , an ambitious and groundbreaking piece of work a long way from the Beach Boys successful surf songs. His reward was a response from his bandmate and general bete noir Mike Love that he shouldn't “f*** with the formula”. The...

It's easy sometimes to dismiss music without really examining it, some years back fellow Lugs reviewer Gordon Russell gave me a tape of Elliot Smith's XO album, his first major label release. I played it twice if I'm lucky and dismissed it offhand, a bit tuneless as I remember. My...

In 2004, the hothouse flowers released 'Into your heart'. It followed 6 years after the Born album which was itself a comeback album. Born was also a try out of a rockier more mainstream sound. While Born was an enjoyable listen it lacked the intensity and passion which the Flowers...

Over the last few years I've picked up a few records by Hugh Masekela. The south african trumpeteer has been releasing them for way longer than I've been born and I guess I still have quite a few to collect. A couple of years ago I bought his record...

Seven years ago Nick Cave released Boatman’s Call the record that many saw as the peak of his career so far, a mature masterpiece that eclipsed his previous releases with The Bad Seeds and the youthful chaos of his days in The Birthday Party.Composed and delivered mostly on piano with...

Having heard international lute superstar Nigel North live in concert twice, I was eager to get a hold of this recording, his latest on Linn, and the first on SA-CD. As North explains in his notes, both the music – there are about 2000 pieces for solo lute from the...

Somehow a mixture of Godspeed, Explosions in the sky, the Penguin Cafe Orchestra and Jim O'Rourke its the new sound of Folktonica. With some Aphex twin flourishes thrown in for good measure. Probably closest ineed to Jim O' Rourke and Fourtet, State River Widening's Cottonhead is a gorgeous, detailed and...

It's a well known story but for those who weren't paying attention I'll briefly summarise the tale for you. In 1984 three young Glaswegians who called themselves The Blue Nile released an l.p. on Scottish hi fi company Linn's record label that chiefly existed to promote the quality of their...

The second album from the London four piece appears against a background of chaos, scandal and an uncertain future. To condense the story joint main man Pete Doherty is struggling with personal problems of the rock and roll kind and the other singer/guitarist Carl Barat is keeping him out of...