I was saddened this week to learn of the cancellation of the Red Rooster Festival which was due to take place at the end of May. I was a little late to the party on this one, only finally attending what is, for me, quite a local event in 2023 and 2024. But it did seem like it had hit upon a healthy niche of vintage R&B, Americana and more Roots leaning acts and furthermore, the attendances looked pretty healthy. Admittedly Red Rooster was one of the smaller festivals on the circuit, but I assumed their bottom line in terms of ticket sales was calculated and attainable. I think maybe they suffered because a percentage of the attendees booked late but, from the evidence I saw, they did generally book when the time came around. I have a friend who came along on one of the days but only made the decision to go that morning. But if you are the organizer and it is your money on the line if those tickets do not sell come opening day, then it has to be accepted that this is not a risk most us would, or could afford to, take. Therefore, I have no grounds to criticize the decision to cancel due to ticket sales and lack of funding. It is just a shame, that is all.
I do wonder if I was part of the problem and therefore, potentially, represent a wider, largely invisible demographic? You will notice I attended in 2023 and 2024 but not last year so what was the reason for that? Well, I am sorry to admit to non-sports fans that last year I held off committing to Red Rooster because my football team, Arsenal, looked like they might get to the Champions League Final, which just happened to be scheduled for the Saturday night of the festival. As it turned out, Arsenal did not make the final last year but by the time I knew that it was a bit too late to re-shuffle things to incorporate attending a festival instead. Well, this year, as some of you might know, Arsenal are once again in with a chance of making it to the most prestigious final in European football competition and once again too, the final is scheduled for what would have been the closing Saturday night of Red Rooster. So, as it was last year, I had held back from a festival on the basis that it might have meant my missing a sporting occasion for my team. The last and only time in their history they got to that stage was in 2006 and they lost so, it is potentially a night I just might share in an experience no Arsenal fan has witnessed in their whole 150-year history.
Do you see the problem? And am I not completely off the mark to suggest it might have just been a small but significant factor in some numbers hesitating in committing to this festival? It is, after all, in the Southeast of England and football is, I believe, the number one national mass entertainment interest and on top of that, Arsenal are a North London club and have a huge fanbase in this part of England. I believe this all stacks up quite credibly, even though I can easily believe that many of the hardcore Red Rooster attendees would turn their noses up at the idea of even watching football, let alone prioritizing it over a music event. Regardless, having put this all out there I would like to take this opportunity to apologize if any actions of mine contributed, however indirectly, to this festival being cancelled. You cannot plan events based on the sporting calendar; I know that. If you did nothing would ever get booked because there are major sporting events happening every weekend, even every day at some times of the year.
Still, I come back to what this occasion represents; the Champions League Final is the biggest fixture in the football club season and if your team has even the slightest chance of taking part then, as a fan, you will not want to miss it. Arsenal genuinely do have a good chance of getting to the final this year, even more so than they did last season to be honest. On Wednesday they played the tougher leg of a two-leg semi-final, away from home in Spain, and came away with a deserved draw. Now they need to win at home in the second leg on Tuesday evening in London. If this happens you might notice some tangibly happier writing on Fruit Tree Records in the days that follow. If we are eliminated however, denied a place in the final for the second year in a row, then I guess all you football loathing cowboys mourning the loss of Red Rooster can say I got hit by the karma I deserved.
Champions League Semi Final 2025; The kind of scenes I am hoping are not repeated on Tuesday 5th May this year…
When it comes to harmony rich, densely textured, beautifully orchestrated pop music of a bright, warm, and luminous complexity, then the Beach Boys are arguably at the top of that ‘sunshine pop’ tree. It is a musical character that has never fully bloomed beyond its founders even though many have either tried to fully adopt it (Sagittarius, The Association, The Left Banke) or at least absorb it into their work as an influence (ELO, Teenage Fanclub, The High Llamas). What happens on even fewer occasions is the re-discovering of a Sunshine Pop classic that neither got its deserved amount of recognition in its time nor a gathering momentum of positive re-appraisal in the intervening years. We have that very thing here though, an album displaying a bold ambition and a taste for grand designs, sounding indisputably like it was built by a group of sonic architects who had the musical talents to pull such a bold scheme off effectively. So, prepare yourself to be amazed by Modesty Blaise and their expanded, three-disc, 25th anniversary edition of 2001 lost golden nugget, ‘Melancholia.’ Now, before we get into the back story though, there is a huge amount of music to be heard here so, should this band be a new name and you are unsure whether to continue, let me briefly describe how this album begins.
The intro is just over a minute of a piece called ‘Chorale,’ which is exactly how it describes, a gentle vocal assemblage of wordless, intoning voices of a solemn persuasion which step back to allow elegant strings admission before rising drums tentatively usher in an explosion of magnificently edifying pop splendour on ‘Carol Mountain.’ Extending to six minutes, this is orchestral, sophisticated, and melodic perfection in song. Deceptively simple and cohesive, it just packs so much into one tune; sumptuous verses and a significant chorus lift, glorious string arrangements, vocal breaks with potent harmonic variations, intervals built for cinematic effect, clearly defined central variations plus flawless opening and closing passages. It is quite simply a modern pop classic in the most relevant, to that term, sense and I go further by stating, if it were delivered from the hand of Brian Wilson, it would ride high as one of his best works. And this is only the beginning because ‘Melancholia’ is a musical opus boasting song suites, motif reprisals and unifying grand concept but what do we know of its creators?
Modesty Blaise – Photo by Gregory Jones
Modesty Blaise rose out of Bristol’s fertile indie‑pop scene having formed in 1993 by singer‑guitarist Jonny Collins and bassist David W. Brown, playing their first gig at The Mauretania in Bristol. A debut single, ‘Christina Terrace,’ came out in 1994 as a limited‑edition 7-inch produced by Edwyn Collins, guaranteeing collectable status by selling out just as local radio and television appearances gave a handy push. Further exposure, like inclusion in several end‑of‑year lists, cemented their name as a hot Bristol proposition. They grew a reputation for lavish, harmony‑rich arrangements influenced by sixties pop classicists and, in terms of access to a deserved mainstream pop audience, supporting Robbie Williams at London’s O2 Arena must have felt like an encouraging step. A Rough Trade compilation appearance, an ITV documentary centring on Jonny Collins and an ambitious BBC Radio session involving seventeen musicians kept the momentum moving. In 2001 with ‘Melancholia,’ they created the kind of work usually decorated with words like ‘masterpiece,’ which must have added to the frustration at its lack of availability in recent years. “For quite a while, people have been asking us why our biggest album wasn’t available to stream” recalled Jonny Collins. “We decided that, if we were going to do it, we’d do it properly. The remastering process was really interesting. The point was to reveal extra detail within the songs.”
Acknowledging their music was of a far more layered grain, Jonny added that “it’s been a longstanding thing within Modesty Blaise that, not only do we throw the kitchen sink in, we break in next door, rip out their sink, and throw that in too. But modern mastering has brought more clarity; we’re really happy with it.” They have certainly taken advantage of the space offered by three discs, especially on the ‘[de] Construction’ set that pulls out isolated instruments and vocal parts from the mixing desk, a process that few records truly warrant but there is so much buried audio treasure here the deep dive is, for once, a justified and rewarding indulgence. The third disc presents different single mixes and versions which again, given the progressions on an album essentially built around the pop song format, is another invaluable addition. There are bound to be times when the zippier versions heard here are all that is required.
Considering the self-confessed inclination to develop indefinitely in the studio, it is still noticeable how totally devoid of filler this album is. Even the tracks where three songs are built into one do not feel over long, despite looking like a marathon on paper. One of these is the suite ‘Old Woman – My Life Before You Came – Swivel Chair’ which shows the same capacity for realizing a vision as McCartney on ‘Abbey Road’s’ side two. There are delightful prog touches too, nothing cumbersome, more like the flighty current of Caravan as washes of keys and mellotron sound enhance the conclusion. ‘Even In My Darkest Hour’ also has a triumphant coda, where any one of the swirling keyboards, the ghostly theremin noise or the homely horn refrain would have been enough to make it a beguiling ending, but they throw all three in anyway. Our epic journey approaches its close on the thirteen-plus minute ‘The Love Suite,’ a bold creation that once again has a bit of everything but, crucially, it is everything you want. Brass, massive choruses, guitars freaking out, a united vision and an ecstatic shout to the top, it all serves to leave us totally overwhelmed by our stimulated senses, delighted, delirious and hungry for more in equal measure. Music this fully loaded with ideas doesn’t stay under the radar indefinitely, and with ‘Melancholia,’ Modesty Blaise look ready to claim the attention they have long deserved.
Volume 3 of our shelf rifling dive into the deep Fruit Tree Records collection begins with a blast of baroque, sunshine pop from 2001 by Modesty Blaise, heard here in a single version available on the new re-issue album ‘Melancholia,’ which is extended into a 3-disc deluxe 25th anniversary release. We then go deep into a mix that spans seven decades and includes hot revivals in Rock, Americana, Jazz, Indie and much more. The full track listing with purchase information is below:
Tracks – Fruit Tree Records – The Fruit Cellar Vol. 3
This week’s half dozen new music recommendations seems to have settled around a theme of historically much-loved artists stepping back into the spotlight. I think it was sometime around 1991 when I first read Michael Stipe in an interview talking about how he was planning a solo album. Now, fifteen years on from R.E.M.s split he is still building up to releasing that solo debut. This might suggest to some he is not too worried about it or, equally, may point to his compiling a work of such high quality that there is no intention of putting it out until it is perfect. Luckily, the evidence available on this new TV performance speaks to a slow paced creation being more likely thanks to the latter. There is still no release date available other than Michael’s prediction it would come out before the end of 2026 and sharing that he is now in the “final stages” of the recording and writing process.
Graham Coxon – Billy Says
When not tied up with Blur reunions Graham has spent a large part of his music life focusing on The Waeve with partner Rose in recent years. This forthcoming solo release does not indicate a shift back to working under his own name, it is actually from a previously unissued record recorded in 2011 and set for full release on 19 June, 2026; part of a comprehensive reissue of Coxon’s complete solo catalogue, spanning 9 studio albums and 3 original soundtracks, across the next 12 months. ‘Castle Park’ was recorded in 2011 as part of the ‘A+E’ (2012) sessions. Originally intended as a follow up to ‘A+E,’ the release was postponed due to Blur activity in 2012, before Coxon moved on to other projects. The album is a collection of 10 songs that lean into Graham’s classic mod sound, with lead single ‘Billy Says’ – a longtime feature of Coxon’s live set – already familiar to fans and now finally available for the first time. Get yourself on the pre-order list here: https://amzn.to/4eLro1H
Tift Merritt – Someone To Watch The Band With Me
Here is another falling firmly into the long overdue category. Back in the early years of the 21st century Tift was one of the most exhilarating, engaging and deliriously infectious performers on the Americana circuit. Then she put out world weary records like ‘Travelling Alone’ proving she was not limited to the rhythm and the sawdust but was also capable of writing in the country style with real emotional clout and authenticity. Put simply, she has long been one of the most dependably brilliant artists to come out of America in modern times and so with ‘Someone To Watch The Band With Me’ showing no loss of cutting edge, taken from the album ‘Sugar’ due out June 26th via One Riot Records, it already sounds like one of the releases of the summer is on the horizon. Pre-order here: https://amzn.to/4d8WNd6
Ringo Starr – Long Long Road
That Beatles magic still holds me under a spell in 2026, I make no apologies for that. Ringo Starr’s new album, from which this is the title track, is already out and it feeds into his long declared love of country music. I think the thing that I enjoy best is simply that this comes out because Ringo still has the hunger to make a great album. There is enough care and attention on display, an incredible array of modern Americana talent contributing and the whole affair is coated with that unmistakable Ringo, peace and love, personality that remains impossible to get cynical about. And for Beatles trainspotters this video, and indeed the album cover, has a real improbable gem of a detail. That purple ruffled shirt Ringo wears is the very same shirt that he is pictured wearing in the inner photos of ‘The White Album’ in 1968. This is a garment older than me that means. Altogether now, Ringo Starr is making Ringo sounding music and there are fresh Paul McCartney sounds just around the corner too. The dream may have been over yesterday, but with fading sunshine like this still pushing through the cracks in the concrete, perhaps there is something to be said for still treasuring a fantastic thing while we can. The album is available here: https://amzn.to/3R42ccT
Beth Orton – The Ground Above
This is the lead title track from a new album that is due to arrive in July. It should come as no surprise to anyone following Beth’s career over the past thirty years that she continues pushing boundaries with her sound and craft. From the beginning she was so much more than an acoustic troubadour, Beth was an alchemist fusing the rougher textures of organic sounds with forward reaching loops, electronics with an ear for the DJ wizardry of dance music. Beth has never been overly earnest or a muso and she instinctively avoids a comfort zone like the plague. And so it is right here, where we find her making music that is immediately of another plane. Not quite Scott Walker in the latter part of his career but this is a step towards it, the form is free and the singing a ghostly echo, the textures shift and it is hard to tell if we are moving towards a diffident dance motion or free jazz. But Beth always had soul too and in among the unsettling audio movements the human touch of her vulnerable voice cuts through. Should be an interesting album so get yourself a pre-order here: https://amzn.to/421arc7
Beck – Ride Lonesome
And so we wind things up this week with one more legend still proving they have the quality in their work to stay relevant. This is a taste of the mellow, introspective Beck that arguably has overshadowed his hip-hop tendencies this century, at least in terms of reception. Still, it is very exciting to hear that he can still do this so well and the man himself has described to DIY Magazine that it as the “first indication of a different yet familiar direction” for his music in the year ahead. The standalone new single is available via this link: https://amzn.to/4tBuOIU
Ever since Elvis Costello, carving out a Jools Holland‑style TV‑presenter niche in the early 21st century, declared the 1980s “the decade that taste forgot,” it has almost been treated as fact. And while there are solid musical reasons not to revere the eighties the way we do the three decades before it, what is often overlooked is that it was the last time an underground scene truly meant something: alive with creativity, resistance, and a genuine DIY spirit invisible to the yuppies feeding their soulless numbers game. Punk had opened the doors to independence in the late seventies, and its ripples travelled far beyond the UK. In America they had the college‑radio circuit, with R.E.M. and their jangling brethren pushing back against the MTV onslaught. Simultaneously, by the mid‑eighties in England, “Indie” was becoming more than freedom from corporate control; it was becoming a sound. The Smiths may have defined it first: British guitar pop that used the instrument as a symbol of detached cool rather than phallic posturing. But as the movement gathered momentum, it increasingly felt like Scotland was where the real action was. North of the border, a musical fightback was brewing against expensive videos overshadowing songs, against synths draining the heart from the art form and in favour of rescuing beloved retro sounds from the scrap heap. And as this expansive three‑disc, 67-track set on Cherry Red Records, covering the final fifteen years of the century proves, there was far more to this movement than mere geography or Byrds‑influenced twelve‑string twee guitar pop.
We launch straight in with Jesus And Mary Chain from their 1985 debut LP with ‘You Trip Me Up.’ That is the sound of two worlds colliding right there. The C86 cassette from the following year may have captured the spirit of the scene, as well as some of its sixties influences but it did not impress on us the innovations some of these acts were instigating. The collision of aggressive feedback and classic girl-group pop melodies had not been heard before and for a time, the Mary Chain were as notorious as an act like Bob Vylan has become today. Nevertheless, this was more about music than attention seeking (even though the headlines the Reid brothers generated gave the pop landscape a welcome shot) and with the energy, attitude and pop-punk exuberance of The Shop Assistants up next, maybe this shows more the expected vibe for this collection; but nothing is quite so predictable on an engagingly curated set. The Soup Dragons sound feyer here than the indie-dance pioneers they are more widely remembered as and the same goes for Primal Scream. They are represented by ‘Gentle Tuesday,’ its golden chiming guitar solo showing just how expressive they were before beats and trippy remixes briefly took over. Still, the best finds come from names that have drifted from the conversation over time. The Motorcycle Boy are a good example of this, their ‘Big Rock Candy Mountain’ has alluring rockabilly style guitar phrases that deserved to push them (indie) chart bound.
The Jasmine Minks
The Big Gun take this thread further still; in fact, they had a member called Andrew O’Hagan whose semi-autobiographical memoirs about his time in the band were adapted into a BBC TV series. His group found strength in potent chorus repetition on ‘Heard About Love’ as do The Thieves on ‘Talk Your Head Off,’ although these hooks display more introspection. The fruity organ is pretty tasty too. Revolving Paint Dream celebrate the thrill of jingle-jangle riffage and happy surprises abound, like with The Jasmine Minks whose ‘Cut Me Deep’ is a strong contender for hit status in that parallel universe where all is right and just in the hit parade. Baby Lemonade have similar vim, their Syd Barrett referencing name being the only detail pointing to a psychedelic aesthetic. The Vaselines, who were later covered by Nirvana, offload exciting, trashy rock ‘n’ roll filth on ‘Teenage Superstar’ which is also the clearest pointer yet to the Velvet Underground’s quiet influence on large parts of this scene. And well-done Dawson for making a song called ‘Noel Edmunds’ that, even if the neatly bearded presenter were still radio broadcasting in 1989, he would not have been able to play his mainstream audience no matter how his ego may desperately have wanted to.
This is where the assumed story takes a lesser told turning, as bands like Fenn, Spirea X and The Fizzbombs push the harder, grey and industrial tones into the red reminding us that minor key guitar abuse is the sound of the eighties every bit as much as tinny synths and gated-reverb drums. Returning back to brighter guitars for disc two we launch with one of the C86 aligned, Sarah Records mainstay bands, The Orchids. Their ‘Something For The Longing’ is a distant cousin of R.E.M.s ‘King Of Birds’ (no bad thing) whilst The Wendy’s ‘Enjoy The Things You Fear’ recalls the nonchalance of indie-scene adjacent Lloyd Cole. Despite these reference points, the Pearlfishers ‘Sacred’ is arguably the purest period pop sound to be found here. The gospel-tinged lift in the chorus still hits with the same force it did thirty-five years ago. BMX Bandits ‘Serious Drugs’ resonates with the times too, as long at the times are 1992. This was the kind of festival hit that belonged to the indie culture and felt like an anthem. The sleevenotes actually informed us that it could have been a lot more successful had its release not coincided with ‘drugs awareness week.’ Still, the little George Harrison guitar punctuations are a charming nod and wink to a time when indelicate drug references in pop songs were almost obligatory.
BMX Bandits
The BMX Bandits Joe McAlinden did go on to get slightly more recognition (thanks to Rod Stewart covering one of his songs) and acclaim with his band Superstar who were signed to Creation Records. The track included here, ‘Don’t Wanna Die,’ does point to a far grander psychedelic pop and lush soft rock ambition lurking in the margins of the early nineties. Still, Dick Johnson stumbling in like the Cramps for ‘Disposable Darling’ also shows that the opposite also held true as some favoured unpolished, primitive energy. The compilation now hits a sequence revisiting the angular jerkiness of Whirling Pig Dervish then the chirp laced choppy guitar of Lung Leg. The Stanleys frantic craving precedes post-punk angst from Glue before Spare Snare’s trashcan scuzz. All these serve to highlight the enduring impression that these largely uncelebrated bands have left on so many familiarly arch guitar outfits of the present day. Moving on, Pink Kross barge in sounding like spiky haired psychobilly’s intent on elbowing anyone looking too bookish out of the way before Lugworm warn “better watch your back” in ‘Sweaty Says.’ I kept thinking they were referring to a certain disgraced and deceased BBC DJ but cannot find anything substantiating this, so it must just be my ears deceiving me.
This set is packed with highlights and more than a few buried jewels. The Poison Sisters ‘Chicane’ rocks a fat one with a crash-landing chorus and it is evident that, despite undeniable vintage influences, most of the recording here are the work of forward thinkers, not revivalists. That said, Luci Baines Band’s ‘Find A Lil Love’ is pure seventies good time rock but no less deserving of a 2026 resurrection. Arab Strap usher in, as we reach disc three, a late nineties golden age in which Aidan Moffat’s poetic kitchen sink reflections add a lyrical depth to the scene. The Delgados became darlings of the country thanks to their influential Chemikal Underground label, and their own John Peel endorsed boy / girl wistfulness; here though it is a more abrasive velvet fabric that is honoured on ‘Monica Webster.’ Today Belle And Sebastian’s ‘Lazy Line Painter Jane’ sounds like a solid gold indie pop classic with that yearning “last bus out of town” chorus but their commitment to the wider cause was full and detailed. For example, here was a band that properly honoured a trope, that by the nineties was often talked up but not as strictly observed as you might believe, of not putting single and EP tracks on albums. That was the case with this 1997 EP track, and I can still recall the delight as Belle And Sebastian fans organised their voting enough to shock the industry at the Brit Awards denying Steps a gong: a rare example of good music winning the day.
Belle And Sebastian
There are many more reacquaintances to indulge in too. Huckleberry are astonishing here, their lively dream‑pop melodies spinning effortlessly; then the booklet reminds me this was an early vehicle for James Yorkston, and suddenly everything clicks into place. The song ‘Three-Speed Wilfred’ was an unreleased 1999 recording so if there is not already enough inducement to check out this collection, you can add previously unheard tracks to the reasons too. Lovely to hear from King Creosote also, whose Fence Collective was an important turn of the century breeding ground. It also moved in parallel geographic strands to the ever-spectacular Beta Band, represented here by ‘Inner Meet Me’ from 1998. We close with a 1999 cut from Mogwai, one of an all too small number of bands featured who spectacularly broke out beyond the regions from which they arose. But to place too much importance on that misses the point, this celebration has never been about mass appeal. It has been a glorious carousel ride through an age defined by artistic momentum, single-minded character, and a belief in everything music can still do; a reminder that the tools of the trade remain basic, attainable, and utterly relevant. There is plenty here ripe for revival but set aside the big talk: ‘Something For The Longing’ is made for the finer feelings and asks for no wider stage. It stands as essential testimony to how the Scottish DIY movement struck gold with remarkable regularity.
This self-titled debut album may well be the most out-and-out pop record I have written about on these pages this year but, as is so often the case with pop I love both new and old, it arrives from the hand of an artist with a broader range of musical reference in her armoury. Even the front cover points to a deconstructionist approach, with Hannah’s face printed, ripped up and re-assembled in a way that reflects the methodology of the music. And yet, still we have ended up with an album not just front but absolutely fully loaded with electro leaning, propulsive bangers. It is just that the option to listen deep is equally as valid as putting this on whilst doing the washing up. Take ‘Another Twilight,’ if you do not hear that pulsating disco intro and immediately think of Lipps Inc (other than you are probably a lot younger than me) be sure to go and check out ‘Funky Town’ next, but laced with the melancholia of a chorus that sings “it’s all over baby and I don’t mind, in decline, I take my time” this is actually the better track. ‘Replica’ is similarly poptastic, it reminds a little of Future Islands at their punchiest but for all the connections one might be inclined to draw, this music is watermarked with Hannah’s individualistic brush strokes. There is the ache of the personal too, with Lew referring to this track specifically in stating “when you have true love in your life it’s easier to name false love and this song is largely about recognizing a fraudulent love, heartbreaking as it is.”
Hannah Lew’s creative path has long threaded through some of the most distinctive corners of the American independent music world, first as a member of Grass Widow and later with Cold Beat, before arriving at a moment that feels wholly her own. Her new self‑titled album for Night School Records marks the first time she has stepped forward under her own name, embracing a vivid strain of pop that walks the line between depth and feel-good release. Written and shaped between her home in Richmond, California and sessions at The Best House in Oakland with Maryam Qudus, the record draws energy from a circle of West Coast collaborators who help bring its bright contours into focus. ‘Damaged Melody’ is a notable example of this, the way an initial conveyor belt of wide-open industrial electronics suddenly explodes with showers of falling space dust and urgent rhythm is sheer sonic splendour. The album opens with ‘Time Wasted’ and it is here where subtle echoes of her previous musical adventures can be heard. There is definitely an element of the post punk to the bass line that drives this pot boiler along but nevertheless, it is the expanding synth scape that dominates all the way.
Though echoes of her earlier projects remain, the album moves with a clarity of intention that signals a fresh chapter, foregrounding a vocal approach that highlights the emotional tension woven through her melodies. In fact, that unsettled stress is twisted into focus on ‘Move In Silence’ which mentions a war outside, just out of view. Hannah takes the metaphor further when talking about the track, saying that this is “a wartime album” which sadly, is literally true today. No wonder the follow up song, ‘Distance Of The Moon,’ seems to give rise to thoughts of escape into the stars. It heralds the arrival of the albums darkest detour, right at the close, where the rough textures of minor key guitars suddenly push to the forefront. She resists the opportunity to push distortion even further on closer ‘The Clock’ which has the structure of a Jesus And Mary Chain epic minus the feedback. This was indisputably the right choice, for although the songs balance buoyancy with unease, capturing a sense of wonder even as they reflect the fractured moment in which they were made, a pop aesthetic prevails throughout. With mastering by Sarah Register sharpening every detail, this collection presents Lew as an artist confidently carving out new territory while acknowledging the lineage that brought her here. More than that though, it is an album overflowing with potential for continued space explorations of a thrilling nature waiting for us in the future. What a great beginning.
Volume five of our 2026 new music releases series ‘Fresh Juice’ opens with the welcome return of Tom Waits alongside Massive Attack before embarking on a journey incorporating new sounds in Psych Pop, Garage Rock, Electro Pop, Folk, Soul, Americana and Singer-Songwriter before ending on one of the greatest Blue Note Jazz tracks released this year that would surely have stood tall in their rich catalogue in any year. Which could also be said for everything on here as we continue our mission to prove that there are still plenty of visceral audio thrills to be found going forward.
Tracks – Fruit Tree Records – Fresh Juice 2026 Vol. 5
It can sometimes feel that an artist stating they were aiming for a warm analogue sound has lost its impact with chronic overuse. There is actually an important ideal at the roots of an ambition like that, but such is the ubiquity of the claim it has almost become shorthand for non-electronic music. But if the meaning is lost to some then please allow me to point you in the direction of this new sophomore release by East London singer-songwriter Ella Clayton. Yes, she has declared the natural live sound of musicians playing together in a room, vibing off each other and responding to feelings in the moment as her intent, but you know from the very first listen that she also understood what this meant in practice. There is a looseness to the grooves, not an everybody must get stoned lethargy but a connectedness, like the music is untethered and free to flow exactly how the main narrator wishes to steer it. There are stops, moments where the emoting is given space to be felt just as there are fevered flourishes of exhilaration and vigour. I mean the recipe is almost so basic that there is a danger in over intellectualisation; the simple rule for realising that warm analogue sound is just play your music, feel it, live it, breathe it and if you are good at what you do, the magic will appear. By ensuring all the rhythm tracks were laid down live, Ella Clayton guaranteed she had the best natural canvas to unlock precisely what her music needed to do.
Essentially what I am describing is a soulfulness and within her singer-songwriter template, Ella surely has moved into a soul-folk lane that is not always so easy to access. And if real soul is to be attained in music it helps if the artist is pouring something of themselves into the grooves, which it seems Ella actually is as the singer herself confides with this assessment. “This record is a journey through longing and self-interrogation, the search for something or someone outside of myself to tell me who I am and what I want. I hope that people recognise themselves in these snapshots from my life and take comfort in the shared experience.” Opener ‘Please Me’ wastes no time in making a case for Ella as soul diva, the tumbling dice of the vocal raining down at the end of each verse tells us we are in the realms of tracks possessing a heart wrenching, late sixties southern soul distinction. The lyric is holding out for something real as it also does on ‘Mouth Said Money,’ about a manager whose promises never transposed to real life, demonstrating too that Ella has range that can meet with grungier flavours. She even stretches her voice to its boundaries, happy for some imperfections to shine. Let it be noted here though that there is no lack of light, hope and even amusement amidst the frustrations expressed. The title track especially, whilst set up as a meditation on longing and the search for companionship, still manages to tell the story of a first date that went comically wrong.
“I trace the lines of the Dolomites and you curse the day I was born” Ella sings on ‘Dolomites,’ a track that begins as an icy waltz before erupting into an explosion of frustration at the denial of a space to be alone, brilliantly executed it is too. ‘Ripples In Bedsheets’ is the folkiest sound we have heard thus far, and the weight of the lyric welcomes a dynamic string arrangement, again all for the good of the song but I come back again to that Clayton voice as the centrepiece of all that is profound in these numbers. She is fearless in her letting go, even on a more becalmed number such as this, when Ella goes route one and lets her voice convey the feeling, she really soars. ‘I Miss Strangers’ can be added to the overflowing well of 2020’s songs inspired by lockdown and the absence of fresh human interaction, but it earns its place at the table with a nice boxed in guitar hook and a lyric born out of genuine distress. ‘Rain All Day’ mournfully misses someone lost with a more forgiving thought, gorgeously demonstrating too the power in a well written middle eight. Expanding her range further still, there is a soothing country lilt to ‘October Trip’ before ‘Seagull Song’ arrives with the easy lift of a sea breeze until ‘Tell Me Something’ brings a little sombre violin to the table. It transpires that this tranquil three song suite is tactfully sequenced as a set up for the return of Ella’s lolling, soulful folk free form truth seeking on spectacular extended finale ‘As You Are.’ Before playing out to the most satisfying of closing instrumental breaks, we hear Ella celebrating the warmth of love, platonic as much as romantic, felt with the most intensity in moments of mundane everyday life. It is a fine place to end because firstly, you are hungry for more but secondly, it cleverly wraps the essence of deferential respect for the unexpected tangents in life as mirrored by the unplanned diversions heard in this music. So, I come back to where we started, by admiring how Ella Clayton is effortlessly attaining an honest integrity to her work that many declare an ambition for but far fewer actually realise. The sound on ‘Could It Be You?’ is music creation that is wholly uninhibited to be what it feels, that is free to be true.
ESYA is the name of a new project from Savages bassist Ayşe Hassan launching with this debut album, ‘Chasing Desire,’ a work that revs with the energy of the new whilst building on the experience of the past. After three exploratory EPs and the dissolution of Savages, Hassan uses this record to rebuild her musical identity from the ground up, merging her silken‑force bass work with synths, electronics, and programmed beats that map the contours of a turbulent personal period. The album also captures a return to Hassan’s DIY roots despite years spent touring the world, as she learns an entirely new setup in pursuit of a sound that projects honest vulnerability and a potency for self‑invention. It is so much more than an audio vehicle too for surrounding the release, Hassan is staging a series of ‘Chasing Desire’exhibitions across the UK, inviting listeners into the machinery of the album; from private listening stations to hands‑on synth experimentation, even offering space for visitors to record their own “Desire Transmission,” a growing archive of confessions that will feed into a future ESYA release.
The album begins with ‘Fallen,’ the deep throb of a heavy synth bedrock evoking an imposing, urban landscape where the pulse of human life is fighting against the darkness where “the sun has disappeared.” Ayşe sings with a pain that will pierce you and this is an opening more than hinting at the trauma we might encounter on the journey ahead. But there is a flip side to this, because for all the intensity of the electronic sound there is still something quite warm here. This is electronica rising from other planets, swirling in a melange of molten lava and bursting with colour; in other words, there is beauty emanating from this chilling terrain pointing to brief flashes of clarity amidst the uncertainty. ‘Take My All’ has a touch of chaos that somehow manages to hold together, which might have been exactly the effect Hassan was seeking. She remembers it like this. “Because I was still learning, I decided to embrace the imperfections. I love music where there is that awkwardness and tension and something that’s not right but that I can resonate with.” And she was determined to hit her post-Savages phase with fearlessness, retaining the bass from her past life but otherwise diving into previously untested waters, even singing was a step in a new direction. One thing Brian Eno used to do to shake a band up in the studio was get them all to swap instruments, I sense a similar approach has resulted in some refreshingly bold sounds and textures on ‘Chasing Desire.’
The blank canvass approach and its freedom to explore ideas really inject these tracks with added depth and variety. Something like ‘Wandering’ wrong foots, beginning in broken down ballad territory, before the icy grind of industrial sound pushes the pace into a metronomic space, even though Hassan holds down the personal, whisper in the ear aspect of emoting, leading to an unexpected mix of the frosty and personable. The singing voice Ayşe has uncorked for ESYA is a less than conventional instrument too. She literally plays it like an audio tool on certain tunes, mixing the vocal in a way that marries it to the instrumentation rather than leading it. But then on the title track, with its repeated “I don’t want to be a lover” refrain, she really pushes the character in her delivery to the forefront, properly owning the space as a lead vocalist and allowing every atom of vulnerability and fallibility to bleed through. ‘Heaven’ is easily one of the most accessible tunes to be found here and a major stand-out track for sure. The collision of a cut that is daring you not to dance to it and a lyric about the anxiety of retreating from a difficult situation make for an abrasive yet exhilarating combination. It is like Donna Summer’s ‘I Feel Love’ was produced by Scott Walker (yes that good). A similar effect is heard on ‘Lullaby’ which is anything but berceuse, more like a ghost in the machine. These contrasts co-exist to perfection all the way across ‘Chasing Desires,’ one never threatening to overwhelm the other, a satisfying fusion of tension and release. This is a work overflowing with wonder at the endless possibilities in experimental music and considering the raw material Ayşe Hassan is collecting to move the ESYA endeavour forward, this promises to be a vehicle we would be wise to keep an eye on.
New music from Tom Waits seemed to have totally dried up after his wonderful 2011 album ‘Bad As Me’ so anything fresh from the man was always going to grab some attention. Massive Attack too have been quiet since 2020 but here they are, both working together, on a song with subject matter that could not be any less a cause for celebration. Instead, these musical heavy weights are reacting in audio to the devastating emphasis our modern world has placed on waging war and disregarding the precious nature of human existence. At least they are picking up the baton visionaries like Bob Dylan previously carried in reacting to the horrors of the present time in song but typically for these artists, there is no sugar coating the terror of the situation. Luckily, Tom has not limited his resurrection to this one track, a twelve inch single of the release will follow that also has a new and exclusive Waits b-side entitled ‘The Fly.’ The man himself says this. “One day many years ago, I accepted an invitation from Massive Attack to collaborate. Their long release delay never worried me. Today, as in all of mankind’s yesterdays, guarantees this type of song will never go out of style. Man’s folly of fiascos is a feast for the flies. Hence, the b-side of Massive Attack’s upcoming 12 inch features my appreciation for the winged nuisance.” You can get yourself a copy of the record via this link: https://amzn.to/4sKPA7N
Johanna Samuels – White Limousine
Johanna Samuels has kicked off her next chapter with ‘White Limousine,’ a crisp, beautifully measured single marking her arrival on the Odd Man Out label. It is the first taste of a new album currently being readied for release, though specifics are still to come. If this track is any indication, Samuels is gearing up to deliver a record that will be getting a lot of the right kind of attention. For now, get going in this ‘White Limousine’ and enjoy an excursion that takes in suspence and an aching longing all wrapped up in warm hazy sounds that find room for sun-drenched guitar solos, yearning vocals and a Mercury Rev ‘Deserters Songs’ style eeriness. The video is pretty spectacular too, especially that fading in and out radio signal effect. Keep an eye out for the album, I am sure to be on it here at Fruit Tree Records upon arrival but for now you can download the single via this link: https://amzn.to/4tYcgCD
Parlor Greens – Eat Your Greens
This is a scorching live in the studio version of the lead track from the Parlor Green’s new sophomore album ‘Emeralds.’ The nuts and bolts of the band are Tim Carman holding down the beat on drums, Jimmy James who, in a heartbeat, can take us to funky town then back to soul city via his electric guitar and Adam Scone, who can spray paint the room in the most vibrant of moddish colours on that fruity organ and keys. The album is a soul-jazz joyride from start to finish and will be covered in greater depth on these pages very soon but for now, get some of the good stuff down with ‘Eat Your Greens’ and if this one tune is enough to convince, and why wouldn’t it be after all, you can get straight onto the new album via the link right here: https://amzn.to/4cuYXT2
Gorillaz featuring Sparks – The Happy Dictator
For over twenty five years now Gorillaz has proven to be the perfect situation for Damon Albarn to paint his musical visions and realize his bountiful supply of ideas and inspirations. Clearly he needed something fluid and widescreen enough to explore, without boundaries, his open eared approach to music with freedom and rather satisfying mainstream success. His feel for a commercial hook is beyond doubt at this point and the thing I enjoy the most is how he almost smuggles quite mature art-rock into the mainstream through the back door. Of course, Sparks were a band who did the very same thing, blessed as they were with a gift for timeless melody, eye catching presentation and a flare for absurdist, head scratching delivery in the way the Mael brothers performed. And here they are with an outstanding track from new album ‘The Mountain,’ working together and proving that this town actually is big enough for the both of them. You can get the latest release this way: https://amzn.to/41IIYvO
Fruit Bats – The Landfill
Fruit Bats make a welcome return on June 12th with ‘The Landfill’ album, the title track of which is presented here. It is a vibrant full‑band project released via Merge Records. The record finds Eric D. Johnson in a prolific streak following 2025’s intimate ‘Baby Man,’ expanding his palette with renewed energy. ‘The Landfill’ anchors the album’s central metaphor: surveying the future from atop the accumulated layers of personal and cultural history. The accompanying video, directed by longtime collaborator Adam Willis, playfully riffs on cult‑band mythology and the strange double life of an artist both celebrated and obscure. You can pre-order yourself a copy via this link: https://amzn.to/3OtaHO0
SPELLLING featuring Jean Dawson – Ammunition
And finally for this week, some rousing new music from an artist who has long been highly rated on these pages. SPELLLING continues to expand the world of her last album ‘Portrait Of My Heart’ with a new version of ‘Ammunition,’ this time reimagined as a duet with Jean Dawson. The track follows recent remixes featuring Weyes Blood and Turnstile’s Brendan Yates, extending the original album’s collaborative afterlife. Cabral recasts the song’s romantic R&B core into a darker, synth‑lit fairytale, leaning into the outsider sensibilities that define her latest work. It arrives as the release on which it originally appeared continues to draw widespread acclaim, praised for its raw self‑reflection and its bold, genre‑bending emotional clarity. Head to Bandcamp for more on the latest single and the original album is still available for purchase via this link: https://amzn.to/487Kc7l
Fruit Tree Records 