Vinyl Chapters • 13th May 2022

Florence + The Machine: Dance Fever - Review

Florence reaches new heights of self-awareness on mythological allegory, Dance Fever.

After two years of cancelled tours and nothing but kitchen discos, it’s no wonder Florence and the Machine decided to call their latest record Dance Fever. The queen of Bohemia is back with a powerhouse of surging anthems ready for the group’s stadium shows later this year. This latest record feels very familiar, dipped in relics of otherworldly symbolism; but it’s perhaps the most intimate work yet.

Take lea

Vinyl Chapters • 23rd February 2022

Damon Albarn: Live at the Barbican - Review

Damon Albarn reminds us that powerful performances are still all about the music – not the bells and whistles.

In the past year, I’ve seen Damon Albarn play four times and no two shows are alike. There’s no denying he’s a born performer and has a presence that captivates the room; be it bouncing around the stage with the likes of De La Soul and EARTHGANG in trackies, or crooning over the lilting tones of a theorbo and a lute.

And once again, last night’s performance at the Barbican was somethi

Vinyl Chapters • 16th February 2022

alt-J: The Dream - Album Review

Their most personal record to date, The Dream pens the pains, fears and complexities of modern-day life.

Since they exploded onto the scene in 2012, alt-J have been known for their wonky, experimental sounds and lyrics that centre around dark, obscure post-modern pop-culture; the song Taro off their debut album is a nod to Spanish Civil War photographer, Gerda Taro, and details her partner, Robert Capa’s tragic death; and Fitzpleasure retells the story of ‘Tralala’, Hubert Selby Jr.’s short sto

Vinyl Chapters • 27th December 2021

The Best Albums of 2021 - Writer's Choices

Vinyl Chapters looks to its writers to choose two of their favourite album releases over 2021.

What a year 2021 has been, eh? It’s been a topsy and turvy time with covid craziness, the entry of metaverses and NFTs into the mainstream, and of course…Squid Game. This is just a small part of what 2021 has offered us as a society, but in a music respect, it’s also offered up some of the most diverse, creative, and wonderful albums to dive into. Below, our fantastic VC team each handpick two of thei

Vinyl Chapters • 12th November 2021

Damon Albarn: The Nearer the Fountain, More Pure the Stream Flows - Review

Damon Albarn provides a striking, abstract piece that mirrors the magnificence of the natural world and the mood of day.

The Nearer the Fountain, More Pure the Stream Flows isn’t perhaps what Damon Albarn first thought it would be three years ago. Initially commissioned by a French arts festival, Albarn was inspired to create a purely orchestral piece that captures the life and natural moment of Iceland. But when COVID put the brakes on his passion project, he took some time to reflect and deve

Vinyl Chapters • 8th November 2021

Arlo Parks Live at O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire – Review

Arlo Parks holds 2,000 people transfixed with her simplicity, sincerity, and soulfulness.

Since the release of her debut album, Collapsed in Sunbeams, in January, Arlo Parks has shot off like a rocket. She was nominated for ‘Album of the Year’ and ‘Best British Female Solo Artist’ and took home the ‘Best New Artist’ at this year’s BRIT Awards, as well as the coveted Hyundai Mercury Prize, and has been performing non-stop.

When it was announced that she would be touring the UK & EU, tickets sol

Vinyl Chapters • 30th October 2021

Biffy Clyro: The Myth of The Happily Ever After - Review

For an album consisting of cast-offs and throwaways, Biffy Clyro’s latest work is full of poignance, relevance and comes together as a cohesive body of work.

For many artists, the circumstances of the last two years gave rise to some incredible music. Biffy Clyro are no exception. A year on from A Celebration of Endings, they return with a much more thoughtful, reflective collection of songs – originally cast-offs – in the form of a sister album that conveys the rollercoaster of lockdown emotio

Vinyl Chapters • 18th October 2021

Coldplay Live at O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire - Review

Everything you would expect from the musical behemoths, as well as incredible guest appearances. (Shepherd’s Bush Empire – 12th October 2021)

Despite whatever feelings you may have about Coldplay, there is no denying their stratospheric success and ability to put on some incredible performances. Announced less than two weeks before they were set to take to the stage to launch their new album, Music of the Spheres, Tuesday night’s show at Shepherd’s Bush Empire was no exception; tickets sold out

Vinyl Chapters • 18th October 2021

Coldplay: Music of the Spheres - Review

Coldplay’s ninth album is a powerhouse of surging melodies that take you on an intergalactic journey whilst exploring the highs and lows of human emotion.

If you hadn’t heard by now that Coldplay were releasing a new album, you must have been living under a rock for the last six months. In contrast to the classified ads in local newspapers and single typed-up note posted online announcing 2019 double album Everyday Life, the boys really took everything up a notch for this record. It’s been plas

Vinyl Chapters • 22nd September 2021

Jelly Crystal: Freak Show - Review

Jelly Crystal’s latest record, Freak Show, feels like falling down the rabbit hole to Wonderland.

Stockholm-based artist Filip Johnson, better known as the left-field, wide-eyed wonder Jelly Crystal, describes his latest record, Freak Show, as ‘slow and tedious’ – ‘it might sound boring but it’s just like me.’ And to some extent, I can concur. Each song is a leisurely listening experience, nothing rushed or forceful. But I wouldn’t necessarily call it ‘tedious’. The record moves by in a blur, e