My 100th review for Joyzine in 2025!

"unresolved chords and beats that sometimes keep the ship from crashing on the rocks and at other times are the rocks" + "the power & clarity of Dälek’s voice" Paul F Cook reviews rapper/producer Dälek's collaboration with drummer Charles Hayward on 'HAYWARDxDÄLEK'. @paulfcook.bsky.social

"two tracks that demonstrate beautiful restraint and a compelling poetic tunefulness" Paul F Cook reviews the "quiet tension" of iiis new double-A single 'Chairs'/'Arms'. @iiisbandoxford.bsky.social @paulfcook.bsky.social

"It scores 100% on the Carey-o-meter, gets a solid 11 out of 10 for ‘sing-a-long-ability" Paul F Cook reviews the "jingle and tinkle, major to minor" of Gasolina's new double-A release '‘This Time of Year’ & ‘Expensive’. A Christmas cracker on PNKSLM. @pnkslm.bsky.social @paulfcook.bsky.social

"an evening that was uplifting, life affirming and joyous" Paul F Cook reviews the "driving groove" of Blind Yeo with support from the "mellifluous and mental" Pictish Trail, live at The Jam Jar in Bristol. @paulfcook.bsky.social @pictishtrail.bsky.social

"this album folds folk and dub into a perfectly crafted whole" Paul F Cook reviews the "folk dipped in reggae colours" of Elijah Minnelli's outstanding new album 'Clams As A Main Meal' @paulfcook.bsky.social

"a wonderful beginning to a new chapter in Lindsey Troy’s musical life" Paul F Cook reviews the "powerful and tender" ballad '‘I’ve Seen The Willow Trees’ the new solo single from Lindsey Troy. @paulfcook.bsky.social

"This is a Tiki bar run by Tom Waits in the basement of One-Eyed Jacks from Twin Peaks" Paul F Cook reviews the "Hawaiian fever dream" of Le Grand Couturier's eponymous album, released on the wonderfully eclectic UJNSQ label. @paulfcook.bsky.social

"as effortlessly cool as any Brazilian album from the golden age" Paul F Cook reviews the lush sounds and laid back beauty of Sessa's new album 'Pequena Vertigem De Amor'. @paulfcook.bsky.social

"a woozy, tape-warped, scuffed up universe that had me hooked from the opening track" Paul F Cook reviews the "gritty beauty" of 'Brutamonte', the new release from Das Kope. @paulfcook.bsky.social @daskope.bsky.social

"Like the best watercolourists or oil painters, he captures a sense of landscape beautifully" Paul F Cook reviews the "somnambulistic poetry" of The Flower Press' new album 'Slowdance'. @paulfcook.bsky.social

"a sonic forcefield against the outside world" Paul F Cook reviews the "understated power of soundscapes" on ff8282's new album 'a thin membrane between her hands'. Released by 4000 Records. @4000.bsky.social @paulfcook.bsky.social

"a three-and-a-half-minute slice of perfect pop" Paul F Cook reviews the "magic-hour warmth" of Adam Ross's new single ‘Drink The First Light’, out on Fika Recordings. @songsbyadamross.bsky.social @fikarecordings.com @paulfcook.bsky.social

"You can hide but you can’t run" Paul F Cook reviews the 1938 French classic film 'Le Quai des Brumes' ('Port of Shadows') now available as a 4K restoration. @paulfcook.bsky.social

"as satisfying as a murmuration at dusk in summer" Paul F Cook reviews the mellifluous vocals and soaring strings of Annie Gardiner's new single 'Hero's Hem', taken from the forthcoming album 'Sleeping Dogs'. Released on her own Crystal Fuzz label @paulfcook.bsky.social

"Orchestra Gold harness the energy of their sound to focus everything into a hugely uplifting and joyous whole" Paul F Cook reviews the "rhythmic bounce of African traditional music & riff-heavy punch of psychedelic rock" on Orchestra Gold's new album 'Dakan'. @paulfcook.bsky.social

"garage rock with the anger of 80’s post-punk" Paul F Cook reviews the "splashy growl" of Clutter's new single 'Superstar'. Out on the always amazing PNKSLM label. @paulfcook.bsky.social @pnkslm.bsky.social

We've just let loose a new ep! thehappysomethings.bandcamp.com/album/el-elu... 4 brand new songs for anyone who would like them... 😃😍😎 #newmusic

"a perfect accompaniment to the time of year as it provides the same warmth and golden glow as an open fire" Paul F Cook reviews the "rotational and hypnotic" delight of Julie Odell's new EP 'Disappearing Act'. @paulfcook.bsky.social

"another tiny, but perfect, vignette from With Sun, a study on life and how to make it a little more palatable" Paul F Cook reviews the "unforced strength" of With Sun's new single 'Shoebox'. @paulfcook.bsky.social

"a confessional ballad that channels the unease of late-night solitude" So says Pictish Trail of his new single 'Torch Song'. Paul F Cook reviews and also sets out Oct/Nov tour dates. @pictishtrail.bsky.social @paulfcook.bsky.social

"stone molecules and earth vibrated by subterranean sound systems" Paul F Cook reviews Llyn Y Cwn's "monolithic, tectonic" dub re-working of his album 'Megaliths'. Out on the Cold Spring label. @coldspringrecords.bsky.social @paulfcook.bsky.social

"fizzes and crackles with so many ideas that collide and explode into such exciting music" Paul F Cook reviews "the wonderful collage of a relationship" captured on Pip Blom and Willem Smit's self-titled album under the name Long Fling. @pipblom.bsky.social @paulfcook.bsky.social

"luxuriate in the incredible mise en scène of this stylish romantic thriller with a phenomenal score" Paul F Cook reviews the "Chain smoking coolness & effortless charm" of the 4K restoration of Jean-Jacques Beineix's classic 1981 film 'DIVA'. Released by @studiocanal.co.uk @paulfcook.bsky.social

"exceptional music that is as enthralling live as it is on record" Paul F Cook and Ani Collier review the "mellifluent beauty" of a "dwfn a hudol" night with Welsh triple harpist Cerys Hafana and double bass player Ursula Harrison at St. Georges in Bristol. @paulfcook.bsky.social

"beguiling, emotive, poignant" Paul F Cook reviews the 'gentle perfection' of EERA's new album 'I'll stop when I'm done'. @paulfcook.bsky.social

"guides you to a place of exceptional beauty and intrigue" Paul F Cook reviews 'Angel' the "sublime" and "beguiling" new album from Cerys Hafana. @paulfcook.bsky.social

"Zen-calm and more than capable of soothing the savage beast (or hangover)" Paul F Cook reviews the "simultaneously modern and ancient" beauty of King Vatra's new album 'Bells From The Deep'. @paulfcook.bsky.social

"magnificent worlds that crumble, warp, become distorted and abraded" Paul F Cook reviews the "brutal but beautiful" 'Absurd Matter 2' from producer, DJ and sound artist Antonino Pedone aka Shapednoise. @paulfcook.bsky.social

"looks every bit as pristine as the white suit itself" Paul F Cook reviews Ealing Comedy 'The Man in the White Suit' (1951). Alec Guinness is inventor Sidney Stratton whose miracle fabric threatens the livelihood of mill owners & workers alike. Out thru @studiocanal.co.uk. @paulfcook.bsky.social

"a rumble-tumble, free flowing, bar fight in a sweet shop" Paul F Cook reviews the "exhilarating and lo-fi" self-titled EP from No Peeling. Out on Feel It Records. @paulfcook.bsky.social

"more catchy choruses in one song than most bands put on an entire album" Paul F Cook reviews the "uber-catchy tunes and compelling beats" of Disgusting Sisters new single 'TGIF'. @paulfcook.bsky.social

"hypnotic and exhilarating on record and evoke the danger of a dive bar" Paul F Cook reviews the "subterranean pull" of Fat Concubine's new EP 'EMPIRE' plus Joyzine readers get an exclusive listen to 'Feeding off the dogs' ahead of the EP release on 12th September. @paulfcook.bsky.social

"V8 power, N2O and multiple chrome exhausts that spit fire, filthy blues, and psychedelia" Paul F Cook reviews the "utterly tectonic" new album from Ghostwoman, 'Welcome to the Civilised World'. Out on Full Time Hobby Records. @paulfcook.bsky.social @fulltimehobby.bsky.social

"new wave grit wrapped up in pop colours" with a "bittersweet heart" Paul F Cook reviews the "emotional depth" and "massive tunes" of The Beths' new album 'Straight Line Is A Lie'. @thebeths.bsky.social @antirecords.bsky.social @paulfcook.bsky.social

"These are tracks that might evoke space, the sea or idyllic countryside" Paul F Cook reviews the "thoughtful and entrancing" ambient music of multi-talented producer and musician Filip Leyman on his new album 'Soft Light'. @paulfcook.bsky.social

"arms-wide-electro-acoustic rock feel with some top-of-the-cliff, huge vista tunes" Paul F Cook reviews the "big chords and soaring melodies" of Heddlu's new album 'Tramor'. @paulfcook.bsky.social #heddlu #tramor

"I don’t doubt that that every one of the acts who played will have earned more fans" Paul F Cook was at Bristol's Beacon for BBC Introducing's fabulously eclectic mix of folk, pop, R&B, jazz, blues and roots from Firewoodisland, Chloe Foy, Immi Dash, Boci, & Lady Nade. @paulfcook.bsky.social

"spikiness mixed in with the tuneful" Writer Paul F Cook reviews FLUMP's new EP 'Sometimes But Not For Long' and also invited the band to tell Joyzine readers more about themselves. @paulfcook.bsky.social

MY LIFE IN 10 SONGS: ILLE and EVAN FROM GHOSTWOMAN Paul F Cook is a huge fan of Ghostwoman and asked them for the 10 songs that have inspired them. Ille & Evan obliged with an eclectic & thrilling set of 10 songs each. 'Welcome to the Civilised World' is out 5 September. @paulfcook.bsky.social

"a tightly-fuzzed glam-beat, drag race that sounds like someone has filtered Marc Bolan through a gravel pit" Paul F Cook reviews the "lowdown-dirty-blues" of Black Mekon's new EP 'Underwhelmed'. @paulfcook.bsky.social

"perfectly mixes soundtrack with wistful, middle-eastern colours, afro-beat, and trip-hop" Paul F Cook reviews the "superlative production and performance" of 'Dreams of Aspamia' the new EP release from Kutiman. @paulfcook.bsky.social

"demonstrates what ambient music does best: create mood, foster calm, and evoke a landscape of the mind" Paul F Cook reviews the "Zen contemplation" of Excellent Birds' new ambient album 'Digital Leaves'. @paulfcook.bsky.social

"full of muted awe, a powerful delicacy and a great sense of history" Paul F Cook reviews the "aching beauty" of Laura Cannell's album 'LYRELYRELYRE' an "organic-electronic/ancient-modern" fusion with a 1400 year old lyre as its inspiration. @lauracannellmusic.bsky.social @paulfcook.bsky.social

"The laid-back delivery belies the strength of the words" Paul F Cook reviews ‘Profoundly Sick Society’, the new single from masked rapper B of Briz. @bofbriz.bsky.social @paulfcook.bsky.social

"an intoxicating musical autobiography" Paul F Cook reviews the "intimacy and self-reflection" of Gwenno's new album 'Utopia', released through Heavenly Recordings. @gwennosaunders.bsky.social @heavenlyrecordings.bsky.social @paulfcook.bsky.social

"deep dub vibes with subterranean bass that vibrates you at a cellular level" Paul F Cook reviews the "fluid world of colour and warmth" on 'Meltdown' the new EP from producer and DJ Carré. @paulfcook.bsky.social

"It has a meditative quality that allows your mind to drift within its enclosed world." Paul F Cook reviews the classical/ambient "whispers and murmurs" of Skander Jaïbi‘s new album 'Who has the right to closure?' @paulfcook.bsky.social

"an apathy-busting anthem that is a call to arms, as long as those arms are waving in the air" Paul F Cook reviews the driving beats and fidget-spinning arpeggios" of AK/DK's new single 'Nobody Shouts' with "ironic-not-ironic" vocals from poet and performer Thick Richard. @paulfcook.bsky.social