So it's been a while but the releases from Barcelona's BCore have trickled in over the last month or so & it seems only fair to pass out an assessment of their merits.

In no particular order then we'll kick off with Cuello's Modo Eterno, and what a kick it is. Racing out of the traps like a souped up version of The Cardiacs opener 'Te Vas De Lado Siempre' pulls you along in its wake and sets the scene for a punishing but euphorically punked-up journey through the album's entirety. Things calm down a bit round about songs for & five but by the time 'San Balon' thunders around, with it's anthemic '77 feel, repeated chorus and the bludgeoning drumming of its final minute any respite gained has been well and truly erased.

This album proves without a doubt the Cuello is still a key plank in the musical life of the prolific Jose Guerreros (Jupiter Lion, La Orquestra del Caballo Ganador, Betunizer & Rastrejo being his other ongoing concerns) and the quartet have delivered one of the best punk albums, of any sort, of the year. It doesn't let up until the very final note of 'Tu Fuego De Luces' and there's nothing reasonable to do other than start it off again.

Joan Colomo's La Filia I La Fobia, his fourth solo effort (like Jose Guerreros he too is not one to have only one creative outlet, being the driving force behind La Célula Durmiente, amongst others), is a wide-ranging pop affair. It has therefore it's fair share of jagged, energetic songs but there are lusher moments such as third track 'Dona Negra' and the later 'Maquina Del Temps'. Like a cross between a talented Miles Kane and Sebastien Tellier Colomo delivers a dozen short blasts of varying stridency that all give off the atmosphere of summer.

Whilst his voice gets rather too child-like on 'Tu Pies' the delicate guitar work redeems the track at the end and it's such a minor dip in form that it's soon forgotten within the warmth of the latter half of the album. One for that party you were planning on your balcony.

No More Lies have been playing hardcore at home and abroad since as far back as 1997 yet this is only their fourth album and the first since 41º46.5'N 3º1.9'E from 2005. Both lyrically and musically accessible for this reviewer seeing as they sing in English, theirs is a tight and at times furious assault on the ears, showing their passion for playing and getting their message across is as fresh as at the beginning. Describing them as Spain's Husker Du is entirely apt. None of the ten songs on this release passes the three minute mark and yet they cram more changes of pace, solos and melodic elements into each track than you'd think possible. 

Jaime L. Panteleon's La Ley Del Si once more takes things back to a calmer musical neighbourhood. Sparse and, at times, mildly psychedelic instrumentation backs Panteleon's emotive vocals. Vocally the work at times borders on pretty mainstream but there is enough maturity and diversity in the musical accompaniment to keep things repeatedly interesting - at times vaguely like John Fahey ('Sin Luz') or Nick Drake with accompaniment on 'Infinitamente Sonámbulo' and a number of other nuances and nods towards throughout the ten tracks. 

Finally there's the Todo Por El Bien Comun single from Nueva Vulcano. Another band with quite a few albums behind them this release is their first since the Los Peces De Colores album. Citing Wire and Guided By Voices as influences the two songs here definitely offer shades of those acts amidst weightier music than either have been known to produce but fans of both bands would do well to give 'El Bien Comun' and 'Mogolion' a listen.

All of the above releases can be heard at and purchased from the BCore bandcamp page.

The Hot Five – My favourite new tracks of the week, usually rounded off with a classic, obscure or alternate track from my music collection. Tracks usually concentrate on guitar-based music, but really focus on anything and everything that I come across.

Track of the week: Hozier – ‘Sedated’

Fast-rising Dublin singer songwriter Hozier’s latest track is one that is well worth a listen. The songs arrangement allows for the focus to be on Hozier’s vocal, and vocal harmonies in the chorus help to show off this strong vocal performance. ‘Sedated’ was debuted on Zane Lowe’s Radio One show a few weeks back, and Hozier is set to embark on a UK tour next month, and will also feature at Reading and Leeds Festival, Latitude Festival, and Glastonbury Festival among others.

Alexis Taylor – ‘Elvis Has Left The Building’

Await Barbarians is the new solo record by Hot Chip front man Alexis Taylor, due for release this coming Monday. More somber than his band material, ‘Elvis Has Left The Building’ is a piano-led piece of electronica with a strong, repetitive melody. The single subtly builds throughout while maintaining the track’s stripped-back feel. Alexis Taylor has been touring the UK in support of Await Barbarians, and will play in London, Leeds and Manchester this month before festival appearances at End Of The Road and Festival Number 6.

M+A – ‘When’

Here’s a track from Italian electro-pop duo M+A. The guys have gained some high profile coverage of late, being named winners of Glastonbury Festival’s Emerging Talent competition. Subsequently, they will take to the stage three times at Worthy Farm, most notably on the West Holts Stage on Saturday 28 June. M+A successfully combine European dance-pop and laid back electronic vibes with a soulful twist. The band will also play the Y-Not and Brownstock festivals in the UK this summer.

Lana Del Rey – ‘Ultraviolence’

There’s no doubt about it, following debut album Born To Die is going to be difficult task for Lana Del Rey. New track ‘Ultraviolence’ continues the trend set by other tracks previewed in the build up to the release of Del Rey’s second album, Ultraviolence (‘West Coast’, ‘Brooklyn Baby’). This new material is strong, picking up where her debut album left off. ‘Ultraviolence’ encompasses Del Rey’s signature sound, with its intense and atmospheric nature that has become synonymous with her haunting vocal performances. Fresh off the back of a sold out tour in the US, she is coming to Europe for a number of festival dates including Rock En Seine, Vida, Bravella and Glastonbury.

Hidden track of the week: Led Zeppelin – ‘Whole Lotta Love' (Rough Mix With Vocal)

I can’t leave it seven weeks and not mention the release of the remastered boxsets of Led Zeppelin I, II and III. Remastered by Jimmy Page, and featuring an array of bonus material on cd and vinyl formats, these remastered packages are quite the collector’s piece for any Led Zeppelin fans.

You can follow Tom on twitter @tom_fake

The Weekly Froth! A weekly take on six tracks, most of which have recently popped up somewhere in the blogosphere. Bit of a mixed bag with a slight leaning towards house, disco, and remixes, but generally just anything that for some reason tickled the writer’s fancy.

Track of the week: ‘Give U Up’ by Alkalino

It’s all about the disco with this Alkalino edit, and it starts with those wonderful horns right at the start, very lush. They aid the vocals perfectly, singing that they Just can’t give u up. Bit later on Alkalino adds the percussion for some extra rhythm. Those disco strings come in during the saxophone solo, and in the mean time you’re still dancing to the main beat. After the solo the vocals come in with the verse for the first time, and those vocals are those lovely, deep male vocals. It’s one of those sexy slow burners this one is, with the guitar, the percussion, and the saxophone really laying down the vibe for this one. Not to mention those vocals, from the solo verses to the la-la-la lines that he throws in there as well. And did I already mention that saxophone? If you like to grind it out slowly on the dancefloor to some vintage disco, this really is it.

‘Do It Again’ by Royksopp & Robyn (Moullinex remix)

Robyn and Royksopp are pretty well-known names I reckon, though for me the draw here is Moullinex. These guys released a lovely album two years ago, and they just know how to make something fun and poppy, with a nice disco tinge to boot. Here again, the multi-layered synths and the drums make for a nice canvas to get you in dancing mode. Robyn’s vocals you could pick out of a line-up, and I just love that sound that is on top of the rhythm (and the top sound when the vocals aren’t there, that mimick the hmmm-hmmm vocal sound Robyn puts in at points). That’s just ace. At one point they strip the drums to, obviously, bring them back again during Robyn’s vocals, as she sings that it “hurts so good”. And good it is. It has got all these nice sounds, Moullinex put in some nice variety in the structure, and then you’ve got pop queen Robyn fronting this thing. A fun loving piece of music this.

‘The Same’ by Riton feat. Irfane

Big start with the percussion here, after which he puts in some deep, 80s synths in there for the new wave vibe. The male vocals sound lovely and desperate as this track veers from dirty club to pop and back. Especially in the chorus it really moves to the more pop end of the spectrum, though the darker sounds do give the other parts of the track a slightly dirty edge. At the two minute mark you get a break, with the vocals and a humming synth, after which a slow drum pattern emerges. The synths, in the mean time, are send up skywards, which is the cue for the more dancey sound to come back again for one last push. The percussion is a nice touch, and what I just find enjoyable about this track is how it mixes these two feels into a three minute track with plenty of 80s, darkish pop vibes to enjoy.

‘To The Bone’ Rayko’s Mystic Tiger Soul edit

You get some nice African vibes here from the start, so you know there’s some rhythm there. And that is before the actual beat comes in after about eighteen seconds. Rayko, this guy sure knows how to make an enjoyable edit, and this is no different. It’s just got all the disco goodness, from the beat to the percussion to, after a good minute or so, the deep bass that comes in to contrast the higher sounds a bit. In the mean time someone is hitting the woodwork with vigour, and after 2:14 you get all the deliciousness of the original song, including some big vocals that he isn’t hiding away anywhere. About four minutes in you get another change up with the drums and two different synths. After that another stretch of vocals, and throughout the song he just puts in a host of different sounds to keep it fresh and exciting. It’s just another class edit, with enough catchiness and vibe to get one out on the dancefloor. Maybe the final stretch goes on a tad too long, though the beat and the percussion is still going, so who’s complaining, really?

‘I Don’t Want You’ by Voyageur

Voyageur really lays down the feel for this one, ominous and dark, which kind of fits his mood from the looks of it. He sings that he might not want you, but he also doesn’t want anyone else to want you. A state of mind we’ve probably all been in, and none of us are really proud of that probably. The vocals are kind of that raspy thing that is in vogue, reminded me a bit of John Newman in that sense. The track, musically, has a nice build up, starting first pretty subdued and dark, but the bombast increases, which also goes for the vocals. At first it is more like an inner mind thing, though the demons start screaming a bit further on into the track. The drums really provide the oomph, and I like those distorted vocals they put in the background after about the three minute mark. To me that kind fits with the feel and the mood of this track.

‘Doves’ by Future Islands (Mike Simonetti remix)

Future Islands’ stock has really risen with their most recent album, the fantastic Singles. I read somewhere that they always use a 4-on-the-floor rhythm, which is a pretty well known term in disco land as that is kind of the basic pattern they use in that realm. So no wonder Italo-disco master Mike Simonetti is taking a stab at this one, and he turns the song ‘Doves’ into a slow burning affair with plenty of wavering, moody synths to enhance the feel. But there’s also a nice beat in there, and some woody percussion to propel this one forward and go get people shuffling on the dancefloor. The percussion forms a nice complement to the higher synth sounds, and obviously the lovely deep and emotional vocals would add to basically anything that you throw out there. Around the four minute mark you get the cymbals in, providing some higher rhythm sounds, and Simonetti sure doens’t ration on the vocals. As we are used to from Simonetti, this song is a really smooth ride, with the synthesizers and the downstated beat really flowing throughout the whole song. This seven minute track gains some extra steam near the end, putting the synths a bit louder and creating a bit more of a wall for Samuel Herring to bounce off of. This remix takes the rock completely out of the original, and turns it into a different ride entirely. Which, surely, is what you’ve got to do when doing a remix.

Scientists have determined that the Earth’s surface will not be able to support human life much longer, due to pollution and overpopulation. In 1957, Dr Carl Garstein proposed three alternative solutions. The first was a drastic reduction of the human population on Earth. The second, the construction of vast underground shelters. Alternative three?

This column is dedicated in full to Peter Kemp, who sadly passed away on the 20th of May. We were all grateful to receive his honesty and insight of criticism, his beautiful passion for music and his boundless energy which several times revitalised me after one too many tedious and terrible records. Whenever a creative dies, I redouble my gladness that they don’t take their work with them. I’m sure there’s plentiful coffee and cigarettes where you are now Peter. Send word.

A compilation album, of 75 stonking modern rock tracks much loved by Peter has been put together to help causes close to his heart. It’s a fiver, and you’re making the world better, and you’re getting a ten-cent tour of the last few years of rock and roll. Dig in.

Well rubble me like a fifth century stone Buddha; when I started this column I figured there’d be no more than three album's worth of great alternative music coming out every month, and though I’ve consistently broken that rule, this month the album releases have been on steroids. There are oodles of great tracks to stream and enjoy from pretty much every corner of the musical kingdom. Seventies style pre-hip hop throwback? We got ‘em. Bizarre Russian string quartet? Check. The usual grab bag of hardcore, death, black and thrash metal from around the world? Bonged out riffs? If you like sounds, spring 2014 has been a great time; old friends, new friends, and new friends to the world. So affix some sturdy headgear and prepare to have your mind blown.

If you want some stoned-out riffs heavier than the Stonehenge triptychs then I’ve got a couple of great bands for you. Pleasant Valley drop Spiritus for free through their Bandcamp. While it might not revolutionise your life, drop it into a barbeque playlist or a roadtrip soundtrack this summer and you’ll have friends saying “who is this, it’s goood”. Speedy stoner grooves of the sort Kyuss might have made on a Sunday morning. I don’t always listen to Fu Manchu but when I do, my neighbours do as well. The electric gnat buzz guitar is back for the grooviest, if not the heaviest band, in the world. Surfing summer drums and cool desert winters bounce around in their first album in five years; Gigantoid is streaming on soundcloud right the eff now, and you should be drinking it in; also featuring the best album artwork for years. Short sharp shocks to be had with covers now, Heliotropes use their well-honed ghostly poppy doom to resurrect dreams of Nine Inch Nails with ‘March Of The Pigs’, (why are they not the most popular band in NYC?) while a night in a haunted beach hut caused Brown Out to dangerously metamorphose into Brown Sabbath, with the aid of Black Angels front man Alex Maas in sterling form to deliver a soon-to-be-legendary coffin-dusty molasses-smooth version of ‘Hand Of Doom’. Fans of The Heavy Company and Man’s Gin that we’ve previously featured will be overjoyed that more Psilocybin country music is out, from Sturgill Simpson, Metamodern Sounds In Country Music is spectacularly good, and you’ll realise how acidic and trippy that electric country guitar sound really is. Anyone with the stones to open a track with the line “woke up today, decided to kill my ego/it never done me no good no how” deserves serious attention. Double doom from Poland, from their own Pentagram, the unimaginatively titled but hyperskilled Dopelord with Black Arts, Riff Worship & Weed Cult. Album art reminiscent of Baroness and grooves reminiscent of Electric Wizard, especially in barnstorming ‘Preacher Electrick’. Albums of this sort are only as good as their riffs, so Dopelord get a big thumbs up. Sunnata, and their debut Climbing The Colossus are a different beast, violent and aggressive and present, much more reminiscent of Suma or A Very Old Ghost Behind The Farm. Speaking of Spanish peddlers of stoner-cum-sludge-cum-doom-cum-thrash-black metal, they’ve got a new record out! Called La Came Crude and consisting of two impenetrable tracks fifteen and thirty minutes long respectively. It’s free to listen on their Bandcamp, see what you can make of it. I only just noticed that the wintery vibes, paper sets, K-J-Pop cutesiness and crushing riffage of Canada’s singular and bizarre Yamantaka//Sonic Titan’s second album, UZU is available on Bandcamp, enjoy. One quarter of eight-piece scuzz ‘rocktopus’ Hey Colossus becomes two thirds of new grimy pub-rock outfit Henry Blacker, their debut, Hungry Dogs Will Eat Dirty Puddings is great greasy fun, for fans of Admiral Sir Cloudesley Shovell and other such testosterone-boosting guitar-driven nonsense. Bongripper are back with a new track from their upcoming album - ‘Endless’ is now on soundcloud from the upcoming album Miserable and it’s sounding Sleepy sweet with trademark black tar riffs. Oh and you’ve all heard the new Swans yeah? Good.

I’ve never recommended much classical because I’m a twentysomething media prick and classical music is all so much white noise, but you’d be doing yourself a disservice if you didn’t at least give the time of day to String Quartet by Vyacheslav Guyvoronsky. The heights and drops reached across the elongated songs are really quite wonderful. Perhaps light the fireplace and dig into that T.S. Elliot you bought to impress a girl that one time. Suitably classed-up, you’d do well to dip into the psychedelic Hawkwindyness of NOPE’s Walker, forty-sum minutes of blissful slow-paced drifting psych, because The Cosmic Dead haven’t brought out an album this month. Apollo Brown’s Thirty Eight streams out of a thousand cramped and sweltering Detroit tenements, ringing down the fire escapes and across the bonnets of the dealers’ cars. It rings in the wet washing, in the dark of the night and the new light of the morning. It’s calm and collected and feels like a kind of revolution. Immerse yourself in it like a warm bath or a people’s protest. For years Agalloch were the go-to band whenever anyone insisted heavy metal was ‘just nosie’; 2011’s Marrow Of The Spirit was something of a watershed moment, and I’ve even done academic presentations about the record, its perfectly balanced use of light and dark were a revelation, and now their new record The Serpent And The Sphere is out and it’s… not as good as Marrow, but what is? It feels less immediately weighty and the production makes everything feel more syrupy and less significant. Looking for some glacial funereal doom to take away that pesky cheerful feeling and feel like you’re a planet sinking into lava? Try Crashing Diseases And Incurable Airplanes by the very protesty-sounding USA Out Of Vietnam; electric, visceral, vital, important, and crushing; a must! Lastly dip into the world of William Ryan Fitch’s Leave Me Like You Found Me, serpentine laid-back psyche-prog-dronisms recall John McLaughlin’s pre-Mahavishnu Orchestra post-Black Sabbath Devotion LP (which if you haven’t heard you should definitely catch up with).

If you need workout music, you could do worse than Thisclose, who have just dropped One Foot In The Grave; uniquely unhinged British hardcore, if you’re at all a fan, you should check them out. If that’s yer bag, totally free is Teef’s Demo, slightly less manic, but only slightly. Indications are good that the pummelling death metal coming out of Cannabis Corpse is continuing on their new album, with the release of ‘Zero Weed Tolerance’. Some Glasgow-based weirdness from Thin Privilege, who continue the tradition of nutbar bands from Scotland’s second city with their assured and controlled debut full of noisy and bizarre rock and roll. The side benefit of Doom being back together is that they’re releasing onto bandcamp all their side-cuts from the good ole’ days; one of which is the Doomed Again record, which is their 38 Counts Of Battery, a bunch of side-stuff and unreleased stuff and compilation tracks for completionists and Doom fans, which you should all be. Their proper return, Corrupt Fucking System is also still there. That Agalloch record a bit too civilised and pretentious for modern black metal fans? Seek out Cultfinder, who have no pretentions at all, just riffs. You could also finish your month raw and sweaty with Trap Them’s 45rpm-played at 33 single ‘Salted Crypts’; they’ve been a force in extreme metal as long as I’ve been writing about it and are still one of the most imaginative and exciting acts around, this new single is different and satisfying. Severed fingers crossed for the album.

Explosively good month though it’s been, what did I miss? There must be something? Why not tell me in comments or on twitter like you always bloody do. Most of the releases mentioned above can be checked out beneath these words.

Act now and you too could regret following me on twitter @stevendinnie