Future Islands are an emotionally charged synth pop group, known for their dexterous melodic touch, stately momentum and impassioned delivery. Over the past twenty years they have travelled a rare arc, from promising newcomers to best-kept secret, from cult favourites to heroes of the genre. As they reach this remarkable milestone, they resist the obvious move.
Instead of a ‘best-of’ compilation victory lap, Future Islands present From a Hole in the Floor to a Fountain of Youth – an immediate and accessible collection – half of which has never appeared on streaming services – comprising alternate hits, rarities, and fan favourites that showcase the band’s palette and bring further colour to their uniquely universal appeal.
You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please Log In.
In 1981 a teenage Martin Kennedy watched Steve Kilbey and The Church play at a strange hippie festival in Australia. They were outliers at this festival and he fell in love with their look and sound. He recorded their set on a walkman, and the songs helped spark the beginning of his music career.
Life is rarely linear, and the record reflects that push and pull between highs and lows. While in Goa in 2023, Jon McClure – the fabled Reverend – experienced what he describes as an “unexpected moment of contentment”- one of the album’s brief emotional peaks, a fleeting sense of stability that soon gives way to grief and upheaval.
Critically acclaimed singer-songwriter and instrumentalist, Patrick Grossi, widely known as 
A simplified take on Austin band 
“I know that the world will come apart / I hope that the pain is gonna stop,” sings 
It’s swift, at just 24 minutes across nine songs, but The Afterparty is Lykke Li at her very, very best, which makes her recent claim at an LA listening party that it could be her last, devastating. It might only be May, but it’s already a serious contender for album of the year. For those of you who had a Brat Summer, The Afterparty comes next.
‘Blue’, one of the singles from Deb Never’s debut album, tells a story of unexpected meetings and chance-encounter love. “It’s the way you creep into my life,” she sings in its hook. “Like your favourite out of the blue.” It’s an apt description of Deb’s own aesthetic: songs that arrive unannounced and unfurl gradually and patiently.
Over the last 50 years Scotland has often been the centre of some of the most exciting things to happen to guitar music. Author Grant McPhee has put together this comprehensive 3 CD set which documents 1985 to 1999 when Scottish independent music was thriving. It’s released by the ever reliable Cherry Red and covers a range of scenes and styles. Following on from the beginning of the decade with the mighty Postcard Records label led the way with iconic Scottish guitar bands like Orange Juice, Josef K and Aztec Camera. The baton was passed on to many of the groups featured here.
They just might not call it by its original name, but trip hop is back. And if you need any further proof that it is coming back in a big way, than you don’t have to go any further than Black Salt, the new (second) album by 
One thing you can almost instantly spot with singer songwriters is if they have classical music background. The key thing there is how they use that background in a pop/rock musical setting – are they able to make a balance between the two, or are they overstating one or the other?
The Loft’s return to the recording studio to make their long-awaited full-length debut album – 2025’s 
After the Numero Group released a comprehensive look at the American Analog Set’s 1990’s recordings on the 
Two years ago, 
Look for Your Mind! is the 6th album from brothers Brian and Michael D’Addario, aka