4 Seasons

50CD retrospective for naval-gazing folk-rocker

First off, thanks for all your kind and indulgent comments about my 154 best albums of 2014 blog; I'm genuinely grateful and touched by the feedback.

OK, I’ve managed to remember 143 albums that came out this year and that I liked. As in previous years, I didn’t see much point in hacking my list down to a Top 100, or Top 50, or whatever. While it’d be a stretch to claim every one is an imperishable classic, I do feel broadly confident recommending them all.

The Velvet Underground's classic debut album, The Velvet Underground & Nico, is set to be re-released as a six disc package on October 1. The 1967 album will be re-released in order to celebrate its 45th anniversary. The six discs will include the original stereo and mono versions of the album, as well as Nico's Chelsea Girl album and two live discs taken from a show at the Valleydale Ballroom in Columbus, Ohio.

Wise and witty dispatches from former Heartbreaker and seasoned sessioneer

A magical posthumous team-up

The fascinating story of Jim O’Rourke and David Grubbs’s short-lived but influential avant-garde duo told in a career-spanning boxset

The group have also shared the album's first single, "You Will Never Know"

Your indispensable guide to the month's best new music

Best yet from unsung psych-folk stalwart