musicOMH

Orchestra Baobab – Made In Senegal Oo one of the world music albums of the year and their first in a decade, organic evolution has carried their ethos forward

The Marriage of Figaro review – Mozart’s masterpiece gets a bland revival at Glyndebourne Strong performances, particularly from Henna Mun as Susanna, can't disguise the lack of dramatic tension in Mariame Clément's pleasant but uninspired production.

Bernie Taupin – The Sea Has No Mercy Elton John's lyricist has a fine, weathered baritone of his own, freely wearing its lines of age and experience with distinction, knowledge and humour

Strawberry Guy – Give Me A Dream Alexander Stephens’ exquisite second album sees his mastery of melancholic, symphonic pop reach stunning new heights

Angèle – Instinct In French and English, and aided by Soulwax, SebastiAn, Caroline Polachek and Justice, the Belgian star is melding a pop sound all of her own

Martin Guerre review – Schönberg and Boublil’s revised musical hits its stride 30 years on at The Old Vic Andrusier’s powerful Bertrande anchored a taut semi-staging that found Martin Guerre’s sweet spot

Caroline Rose – Gentling The Horse At The Walt Whitman Mall Their best album since 2018's Loner has the same air of unrestrained chaos running through it. It is the antithesis to AI generated music

Darren Hayman – I’m Your Team The prolific creator's latest uses the Yamaha DX7 synthesiser to create 50 minutes of startlingly lovely music to soothe troubled souls

Knats – A Great Day In Newcastle The Jazz quintet deliver a fantastic paean to their home city and showcase freewheeling vitality as a musical ensemble

Ella Thompson – Triumph And Sadness Australian vocalist returns with smoky, late-night ballads and vintage pop-soul that is both deeply intimate and expansive in scope

Tristan und Isolde review – The London Opera Company scales great heights at Smith Square Hall Neal Cooper’s noble Tristan and Cara Mchardy’s impassioned Isolde crowned an evening of rare flow and conviction

Richard Thompson – Hippies, Thugs And Heroes The Brit folk legend's latest fits comfortably into his catalogue, all fiery Stratocaster riffs, doomy ballads and stories of vagabonds and ne'er-do-wells

LSO/Pappano review – Fujikura’s Amber Alchemy and a Mahler Second to remember at Barbican Hall Bengtsson’s soaring soprano and the LSO Chorus were magnificent – but the Barbican’s limitations hampered Pappano’s Mahler Second

Angel’s Bone review – ENO takes a bold gamble with Du Yun’s disturbing opera Kip Williams' video-heavy staging and a committed cast, led by an outstanding Matthew McKinney, make a strong impression in this challenging contemporary work

Eugene Onegin review – splendid singing can’t rescue this work from Opera North’s Soviet gym Wingate’s Tatyana and Walker’s conducting were outstanding – but Nolan’s misguided concept left Tchaikovsky’s masterpiece stranded

Rachel Chinouriri – I Think I Spoke Too Soon The follow-up to 2024's A Devastating Turn Of Events swaps the jangly guitars and indie hooks for a more polished pop production

Arborist – Looking For Love Mark McCambridge’s fourth album addresses human desires with authenticity and sensitivity, creating an expertly woven musical fabric with deft lyrical turns of phrase

Two Shell – Infinite Now The elusive duo's second album provides a set of AI-augmented no frills bangers that combine charm with a gritty, urban underbelly

Eels – Cookie Happened The latest thoughtfully erudite missive from Mark Everett and co comes with a title inspired by a quote from, of all entities, Cookie Monster

Arab Strap @ Heaven, London review – “bruising confrontation, humour and poignancy” Aidan Moffat and Malcolm Middleton showcase tracks from new album Half-Told Tales, confronting modern life’s pitfalls and challenges head on

Florrie – Magic For A While Her second record brings the Xenomania production powerhouse's signature songcraft to bear on breezy, hook-laden tunes

The Avalanches – No Bad Memories The outfit's fourth album explores nostalgia, childhood imagery, and the hypnotic power of modern advertising. As a commentary on consumerism, it's a fascinating achievement

Tinie Tempah – The Night’s Not Dead On his least daring album, the Plumstead rap pioneer delivers watered-down anthems that feel too formulaic for the club

Fontaines DC – Dopamine Chamber Fifth album finds Dublin quintet sounding grandiose and exhilarating, evolving while refusing to compromise any of their identity

Atlantic Requiem review – David Önaç’s shattering premiere at LSO St Luke’s Bridges’ mezzo and Renee’s soprano were magnificent in David Önaç’s moving Atlantic Requiem premiere

The Tallest Man On Earth – Just Beyond Endless Mountain Kristian Matsson returns to his roots in rural Sweden. The result is a subtle and rich evolution of his sound that rewards immersive listening

Into the Woods review – Fein’s magnificent West End transfer casts its spell at the Noël Coward Theatre Fleetwood’s Witch and Pitt-Pulford’s Baker’s Wife make Sondheim’s dark fairytale utterly unmissable

‘The Earth Resounds’ review – a century of polyphonic glory from Flanders The Sixteen take to the stage in an atmosphere of pre-Reformation opulent piety at St James’s, Spanish Place

Pet Shop Boys – A man from the future review: “An immersive, multi-faceted audio experience” Only Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe could have made this concept album exploring the life of codebreaking genius Alan Turing, which updates their 2014 prom with spoken words and revised music

HAAi – DIGITiSE Billed as a bigger, ravey sibling to 2025's HUMANiSE, the Australia-born producer this time sends riffs ricocheting off the walls

Sheryl Crow – Pick You Up Latest offering from American singer-songwriter may have lovely sentiments but sees her coast on autopilot, too gentle and middle of the road to make much impact

Teenage Fanclub – Do Not Dare To Dream Scottish quintet settle comfortably into their late middle-age with sunny harmonies, chiming guitars and a general warm demeanour on thirteenth album

Jamie T – Ghosts (100 Days Of Morning) Jamie Treays' reflective sixth album is the sound of a man looking back on his past, but not being trapped by it

Reissues Roundup: Elastica, Alison Moyet, Amy Winehouse The Beatles, Elvis Costello and gay porn soundtrack maestro JD Slater also feature in this month's roundup of reswizzles and compilations

Fat Dog – Cancel Me (I’m Tired) Second album from South London six-piece mixes distorted electro-punk, industrial disco and nihilist anthems to cause a sense of disorientation

Neil Young & The Chrome Hearts – Second Song The legendary Canadian looks back over his life in unashamedly nostalgic, romantic fashion with supremely poignant results

Johnny Marr – The Age Of Everything Former Smiths guitarist's fifth solo album may not contain any surprises but sees him refine his songwriting chops and deliver a solid record in the process

LPO/Gardner review – a profoundly moving War Requiem opens the new season at the RFH Edward Gardner brings tremendous discipline and emotional power to Britten's War Requiem, crowned by an outstanding performance from Paul Appleby

Julia Jacklin - The Gem

Tinashe – Popstar American R&B artist expands her palette and subverts expectation on liberatingly chaotic and fun eighth album

M83 – I Wrote You A Letter Electronic producer Anthony Gonzalez returns, once again building skyscrapers of sound from what seems like precious little resources

Gilla Band – Pugnello Dublin quartet's fourth album arrives with complete, unrestrained mayhem, music that grabs you by the throat and refuses to let go

Mary Gauthier – Reckoning American alt-country singer-songwriter consolidates her position on tenth album with songs of gravitas that address arduous and unstable times

The Klittens – Have A Heart Debut album from Amsterdam all female five-piece delivers fuzzy, off-kilter post-punk that promises even greater things to come in the future

Soft Cell – Danceteria Final album from legendary synth duo is a lovely swansong to the late Dave Ball, the sound of a glorious journey coming full-circle

Mittwoch aus Licht review – musical brilliance meets cosmic excess in Berlin Maxime Pascal and Le Balcon complete their Licht odyssey in spectacular fashion, but Stockhausen’s final act tests even their powers of persuasion

Lear review – Kosky’s Lear soars at Tempelhof Airport Barrie Kosky and Komische Oper Berlin pull off a remarkable theatrical achievement, even if Aribert Reimann’s abrasive score keeps us at emotional arm’s length.