Grant Smithies

The debut album from Chicago trio Horsegirl is released today, and it's a rough and ready noise-pop ripper. We'll hear two tracks from it, plus a great new single from Wellington band Let's Planet and… Audio

Produced by Velvet Underground's John Cale and subsequently disowned by lead singer Jonathan Richman, Grant says the Modern Lovers' 1976 debut album remains one of the all-time greats. We'll hear two… Audio

We'll hear two tracks today from a new classic funk compilation on French label, Wagram, followed by a new song from New Brighton shoe-gazer Blair Parkes and a dusty sound-system classic from Jamaican… Audio

Released to coincide with an exhibition at London's Tate Modern, Life Between Islands focuses on the myriad musical styles to emerge out of the distinctly Caribbean world of sound systems. We'll hear… Audio

Love them or loathe them, the English band UB40 are deeply entwined into Aotearoa's musical DNA. Yadana Saw explores how a reggae-pop band from the British West Midlands burrowed into the South… Video, Audio

In these troubled times, music often serves as spiritual medicine, and Grant says the recently reissued double LP Shaolin Soul 4 offers heavy doses of the good stuff. We'll hear two tracks from that… Audio

The late '60s was a golden period for Latin soul records in New York City, and Grant says some of the best feature on the recently repressed Soul of Spanish Harlem double LP. We'll hear two key tracks… Audio

Grant reckons the self-titled fourth album by Los Angeles trio La Luz is a gorgeous haunting marvel. We'll hear two tracks from that today, alongside some blistering Afro-funk from Nigeria's The… Audio

Two double albums of Jamaican rocksteady have just been released via Trojan Records in the UK, just in time for summer. We'll hear a track from each of those today, alongside gems from Dunedin band… Audio

On his debut full-length Still Slipping Vol 1, Grant says UK producer Peter O'Grady (Joy Orbison) puts his idiosyncratic stamp on a variety of club styles, folding in the voices of his family members… Audio

Comprising two couples, the Fergussons and the Welchmans, Brisbane's The Double Happiness call their sound "Surfgaze"- a mix of reverb-soaked surf-rock guitar twang and the gauzy textures of the indie… Audio

Grant brings tracks from London-based New Zealander, Hemi Hemingway and winter warmers from British soul/ reggae singer Liam Bailey and Gabonese soukous star Mackjoss. Audio

A 50th Anniversary Edition of The Pretty Things' celebrated "Parachute" album was released late last year, and Grant says it's a cracker. We'll hear a song from that today, alongside the band's… Audio

After a difficult few years of illness and lockdowns, Melbourne quartet Hiatus Kaiyote return with what Grant says is their best album yet. Well hear two tracks from that today, alongside a spanking… Audio

Built around four sisters, pioneering NYC punk-funk band ESG were a marvel, playing live in punk dive bars while their records got a thrashing in early dance clubs. We hear two tracks from their… Audio

Fluid post-punk guitars, hefty basslines, deadpan spoken vocals with a surrealist edge: South London’s Dry Cleaning is the best band Grant Smithies has heard in ages. We’ll hear two tracks from… Audio

Iconic Irish shoegaze band My Bloody Valentine are reissuing their entire catalogue on vinyl over the coming months, starting with their three studio albums. We'll hear a couple of key tracks from… Audio

British record label Mr Bongo has been releasing musical gems for over 30 years, and we'll hear a couple today - some killer funk from Al "Man" Muntzie and an obscure Brazilian cut from Waldir Calmon… Audio

A self-confessed "Beatles-obsessed weirdo from Philadelphia", Todd Rundgren's greatest work was a 1972 double LP called Something/ Anything. Shameless fan-boy Grant Smithies plays a couple of key… Audio