Mongrel

Concieved by Reverend and the Makers totem Jon McClure, Mongrel also comprises UK rapper Low-key, Arctic Monkeys drumming engine room Matt Helders, Babyshambles guitarist Drew McConnell, original Monkeys bassist Andy Nicholson and Joe Moskow, also of Reverend and the Makers.

This concentration of vital British artists have deployed a creative imperative that is both political and artistic: their core musical pulse beats as much to the percussive nightmares of a homeless teenager in Rafah, as it does to the baffled, disempowered anxieties of a tabloid reader in Rotherham.

The Mongrel vibe snarls, stands fast and raises the alarm. But it also soothes and excites. The uniqueness of contributions from some of the most finely tuned musicians in Britain - and one of the most talented rappers of a generation - render Mongrel an urgent, vivid and in these times, essential collective.

• $19^.95

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