Fauré’s Requiem (‘funeral lullaby’) written for enjoyment, as the composer put it, has a unique place in history. Its soft, simple and modest poetry conveys moments of gentle contemplation and moving expressiveness which are entrusted to both the choir and the two soloists.

Ulfilas’ Alphabet’ is a great reinvention after the band’s 2017 debut ‘Youth Is Only Ever Fun In Retrospect’. This is a clear gateway into a sphere of daring artistry that Sundara Karma previously only flirted with. Lead single ‘Illusions’ is ridiculously confident in the way that its bouncing hooks support Scheller’s juddering croon, while the hypnotic ‘Higher States’ is a bonafide stomper that dances around a sonic palette of disco and electronic pulses.

Shay Khan is a British/South Asian artist & musician creating her own distinctive flavour of Cosmic Folk, sung in English, Urdu, Punjabi and Hindi. Inspired by her Eastern nomadic roots and a lineage of esteemed poets harking back generations, Shay’s devotion to storytelling was ignited from a very tender age with influences embracing luminaries… Anushka Sharma, Elizabeth Fraser, Rachid Taha, Tom Waits, Patti Smith, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, David Bowie, Velvet Underground and Bob Dylan to name but a few.

After just over three years since their last studio album, Marianas Trench is finally back with some new music. Leading up to the release of their fifth full-length album, Phantoms, they released the lead single “I Knew You When”, as well as “Only The Lonely Survive” and “Echoes of You”, as well as many teases and hints across their social media. The album, released on March 1st, was only a few days before they hit the roads for a Canadian and American tour but is so well put together fans shouldn’t have a problem memorizing it start to finish before their shows.

Franz Liszt was 67 when he composed his Via Crucis, yet it did not receive its first performance until 1929, 43 years after the composer’s death. This work of his mature years is in 15 sections, retracing the Stations of the Cross that mark the stages of Christ’s Passion, from being condemned to death to being laid in the tomb. Combining Gregorian chant, the Lutheran liturgy and the Latin, German and Aramaic languages, the Via Crucis shows real formal originality. A devout believer, Liszt gives us here his most important sacred work. He composed several versions: for mixed choir, soloists and organ (with the organ part optionally transcribed for piano), for piano solo, organ solo, and two pianos.

Has Demon Hunter reached legend status yet? If not, you can't deny that they're certainly worthy of considering such a title. What started as a side project of some guys from Training For Utopia and Poor Old Lu (as well as a Tooth & Nail employee) is now reaching double digits with studio albums, and has become one of Solid State Records' most successful and loved bands of all time. For albums nine and ten, they're going big, with two albums totaling twenty tracks.

Demon Hunter has quite a history under their belt with almost 20 years and 10 albums (including this one and War). They appeal to listeners who don't want constant rough vocals integrated in metal, even though Demon Hunter does have its moments where screaming / growly vocals are prevalent in some songs and even more so in releases prior to Extremist. This time, Demon Hunter surprised many fans by introducing the concept of releasing 2 albums (War and Peace) on the same day and date, with 20 total new songs (22 if you purchase the Special Edition versions). In this review, Peace will be the main emphasis.

In recording this first recital for harmonia mundi, Stéphanie d'Oustrac and Pascal Jourdan wished to measure themselves against three cornerstones of Romantic music, three composers who each in their own way made a decisive contribution to the evolution of the lied (Liszt), or even to the birth of the French mélodie, in the case of Berlioz’s Les Nuits d’été. Much more widely known intheir sumptuous orchestration, these songs take on a completely different dimension when accompanied by the sobriety of a piano. This artistic approach found its ultimate resonance in the five Wesendonck-Lieder, which Wagner originally intended as a simple duo for voice and piano, though they were eventually to form one of the most famous cycles in the history of the lied.

Sliver and Gold is Backyard Babies‘ second album release since they ended their 5 year hiatus and released Four by Four in 2015. This was a strong come back for them and proved that the break had given them a new lease of life and they were solid and still very tight. They are now celebrating 30 years together as a band – no mean feat – and still very full of life!! Their 8th studio album bursts into action with Good Morning Midnight, the second single to be released, a punchy, sleazy, toe tapping riff that immediately has you moving! And they don’t let go, keeping momentum track after track. As always that tried and trusted Backyard Babies formula is very much present , it is unmistakably them, which is very much a compliment. Long time fans can still enjoy that classic feel which they have shaken up and brought forward to make it relevant to new audiences too.

Stuck in the Sound is back in the bins with a new album. But should we listen to Billy Believe? Reply with aficia. Stuck in the Sound is the alliance of José Réis Fontao, Emmanuel Barichasse, Arno Bordas, François Ernie and Romain Della Valle. A French band that has been sailing on the wave of independent rock since the early 2000s. After some EP's, the band released their first album in 2004, followed by four more albums, from Nevermind the Living Dead in 2006 to Survivor in 2016. And the success really begins with the second effort and the title "Toy Boy". This track will be present on the Guitar Hero World Tour, in the credits of 'Teens of the night' and in the soundtrack of the movie 'The luck of my life' …

On his adventurous album, 'In the Key of the Universe', the master organist Joey DeFrancesco turns his musical attentions to his spiritual side, tapping into a strain of metaphysical jazz that's fuelled sonic searchers for more than half a century. Joining him on this path to musical enlightenment is the legendary saxophonist Pharoah Sanders.

As well as being a programme planner on Radio Nova, where he does his best to give airtime to others’ music, Max Guiget is also out on his own under the pseudonym Blundetto, up to his eyeballs in records, instruments and machines. Having graduated in the space of two albums from promising tinkerer to recognised artist, Blundetto hasn’t changed a thing about his way of working.

The remastered edition will feature liner notes from famed author Haruki Murakami. For the album’s reissue, Murakami writes: “Personal and intimate music – somebody (an anonymous somebody) sitting alone in front of the school piano early in the morning, weaving a melody, exploring harmonies. Music that gradually fills a space with high ceilings that contains the wafting presence of rain.”

Sunflower is the 16th studio album by American rock band the Beach Boys, released in August 1970, and their first on Reprise Records. Despite being met with largely positive reviews, the album suffered unexpectedly poor sales. In 2003, Sunflower was voted 380 in Rolling Stone's "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time". In 1997, it was voted 66 in The Guardian's "100 Best Albums Ever". The track "All I Wanna Do" has been retrospectively cited as one of the earliest manifestations of chillwave, a microgenre that developed in the 2000s.

Surf's Up is the 17th studio album by American rock band the Beach Boys, released in 1971. It was met with a warm critical reception and reached No. 29 on the US record charts, becoming their best-performing album in their home country since 1967. In the UK, the album peaked at No. 15, continuing a string of chart successes that had not abated since 1965. Both the album's title and cover artwork are an ironic, self-aware nod to the band's original surf music style.