Best Of 2012...

Public Image Limited: This Is PiL (PiL official)

Contrary, awkward, confrontational and just downright bloody minded John Lydon may be (and sadly light to the tune of 1 x Wobble and 1 x Levene), but this is the best Public Image Ltd. outing since Album, ex-Damned/Mekons guitarist Lu Edmonds proving to be a more than worthy sidekick. more


Orbital: Wonky (ACP Recordings)

As reformations go this easily ranks amongst the best as the brothers Hartnoll flatly refuse to bang out a clutch of ‘will-this-do-and-can-we have-the money’ rave lite tunes and instead create something akin to their finest moment. This and The Orb (see below) prove there is plenty of life left in the class of '90. more


Anathema: Weather Systems (K Scope)

There may be more widescreen post/progressive rock outfits outfits around these days than shite reality shows on the goggle box but nobody has loaded huge great swathes of strings into the mix thus far quite as breathtakingly as Anathema. Without question their finest hour to date. more


The Apples: Fly On It (Audio Montage)

You may know nothing about The Apples but we reckon this post-funk band from Tel-Aviv are bloody astonishing and just as likley to rip through a Rage Against The Machine cover as to blast out JB style horn action or merge some dub, electronica and samples into convoluted Frank Zappa style jazz monsterisms. more


Bob Mould: Silver Age (Edsel)

Having fronted two of the finest alternative rock outfits, well ever frankly, Bob Mould then spent several years in the wilderness toying, not altogether unsuccessfully, with dance music (even spending time as a scriptwriter for the crazy World of Championship Wrestling) before rediscovering his post-punk muse. more