rescuing musical virtue in distress.
Zetroc makes music which simultaneously wanders a number of musical paths, hops all sorts of genric fences, and tests sonic demarcations but which always sounds like it is part of the same collection of works. Telegenik, his latest release, is both exploratory and consistent. The core sound is one of synthy experimentation over pulsing basslines,... Continue Reading →
If the last couple of singles from Eddy Mann have highlighted his deft and delicate side, his ability to lay back and spin some fantastic sentiments, I Remember, shows a slightly different aspect. Not that it doesn't ooze with his clever songwriting and attention to detail, it is just that this time out, the initial... Continue Reading →
A busy old week here at Dancing Towers and here are just a few of the musical highlights and sublime sounds that we have been lucky enough to work with. As always, check it out, explore some of the artists back catalogues and if you have some spare pennies perhaps buy something from their virtual... Continue Reading →
There is quite a gap between the band’s two musical chapters, what are some of the differences both within the band and perhaps the music industry as you find it today? Paul Malone: We don’t find much difference between the band back then and now because we are the same people and we’ve been friends... Continue Reading →
Firstly, I love the story of how Painted Sun Records got its name. It says a lot about creativity being about a state of mind rather than having lots of equipment and technology at your disposal. How do you find that songs come to you? Forest Sun: Songs come when they will and on their own schedule.... Continue Reading →
I always find it odd that most punk music I hear just seems to be a harkening back to the music of a previous generation whereas the post-punk sound somehow seems to have moved with the times and surfed over the fad and fashion and still sounds relevant today. Maybe it is the genre's traditions... Continue Reading →
Can we start with a bit of background, where has the musical journey taken you so far and what music and artists have inspired you along the way? Nero Kane: Since the beginning of my solo project as Nero Kane I’ve been through many satisfying things. Starting from the collaboration with Joe Cardamone (ex- The Icarus Line) for the recording... Continue Reading →
If Charlotte Grayson's wonderfully reflective and drifting cover of The Pretenders' 2000 Miles was the perfect song to round last year off, Coffee is the perfect high and perky note with which to start the new one. A return to her trademark, upbeat acoustic pop, its infectious groove and positive vibe belies the message that... Continue Reading →
With the likes of The Guardian newspaper and the legendary John Peel raving over Cathal Coughlan's music over the years, the latter going as far as saying that he could listen to him "sing the phone book," there are many reasons to take notice of a new single from the man. Throw in the fact... Continue Reading →
Those that follow jazz will be aware of New York double bassist Mark Wade, they may have an album or two from his acclaimed trio in their collection, but for those who aren’t familiar with his work, Mark Wade is a double bassist who sits alongside the modern great players such as Christian McBride, Avishai... Continue Reading →
My Distraction is one of those songs which seems timeless. Not so much in its sonic traits, on that score, it is very much the sound of the here-and-now, but in its subject and sentiment. It is the sort of thing that people have been trying to articulate through song since, well, since song began.... Continue Reading →
You might think that metal, in all its forms, has pretty much gone as far as it can. Some artists have taken it to its melodic and symphonic extremes, others to technical and aggressive heights. Some paints other-worldly pictures, others just want to lay down the heaviest groove. Pain is a band which seem to... Continue Reading →
I’m not saying that he makes a conscious effort to do so but Simon McCorry’s music does raise the question of where the border lies between music and what lies beyond. Of course, there is no real answer to that and Nature in Nature is as musical and relevant…perhaps even more so, than the pop... Continue Reading →
I imagine that every review of this album will feature the name Ed Sheeran, the Norfolk busker-cum-global superstar has named Concannon as an influence and, if you wanted to sum up this review in a few words, it would be these; If you like Ed Sheeran, you will like this!As with everything in music, this... Continue Reading →
As soon as the broad and buoyant sonic brushstrokes of A Million Miles Away start pumping out of the stereo, it reminds me that some sounds are quintessentially of a specific place. In this case, America. Much as other countries have long emulated their style, this sounds like the sort of glorious racket that you... Continue Reading →
Taken from the soon to drop EP Delilah, Often is a smooth blend of sultry, up to the minute R&B grooves, ambient pop vibes and sensual electronica. It runs on a platform of floating synths and skittering beats, a blend which brings just enough pace and structure to the drifting sonics but which never gets... Continue Reading →
There has been an undoubted rise in people's consumption of ambient and understated music in the last year or so. Lockdown has meant that rather than getting their musical kicks from more energetic forms, played live before your very eyes and ears, people have been more inclined to consume deft and delicate music in the... Continue Reading →
I love books. I love music. How can I not love Charlie Nieland? Okay, there is more to it than that, obviously but that isn't a bad argument to open with. Ahead of a full album, Tightrope arrives as part of a run of neat singles, sent out to tease the listener and test the... Continue Reading →
Right from the start, there is a wonderful longing to be heard in the music that Myles Cochran makes. You hear a nostalgic yearning for the big skies of American, the place he first called home, but also for the more intimate landscapes of his adopted UK place of residence. But the traditional sounds of... Continue Reading →
If metal, rock and all its sonic progeny and sub-genre offspring tend to have a bit of a reputation for being a bit too po-faced, earnest and humourless then Storm Seeker are exactly the band to change that perception. Although built on a solid wall of rock riffage, it is what other sounds they invite... Continue Reading →
Hostage is the perfect blend of past traditions and forward thinking. Alek Virago’s voice feels like an echo of earlier times, smooth, sultry, soulful, but it is how she uses those talents which creates this wonderful contrast of then and now. The song runs on a blend of spacious pop vibes, r&b groove and trap-infused... Continue Reading →
If previous albums in this series have deftly displayed Chris White's prowess as a song-writer, collaborator and musician, this fifth volume focuses on his abilities as a producer. With songs drawn from a nearly forty year span, it features songs where he has sat in the producers chair, many of which he also co-wrote, played... Continue Reading →
You might not know the name but you’ve heard the voice. Even if you don’t realise it. As a Weather Girl, she helped give us “It’s Raining Men,” working with C&C Music Factory she was responsible for “Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)” and with Black Box’s album Dreamland, she added four number ones and three top... Continue Reading →
Having been forewarned and therefore fore-armed by Cody Lee’s groovesome New Normal, which kicks off this album, I was fascinated to see where he went with the sound that song hinted at. And the answer is mainly down a different, slightly alt-countryfied, understated rock, singer-songwriter path. The New Normal seems to stand apart slightly for... Continue Reading →
Taken from the ep You’re Going to Hell, perhaps a reference to the various close scrapes and less than reputable situations that vocalist Brian Kild has found himself in over the years, Dinah Might, is a neat blend of 50’s rock and roll rhythms and outsider swagger. But it is a fifties sound which has... Continue Reading →
Really getting back into the swing of things now after the Christmas lull. Loads of cool new music for you to check out as a taste of what has been played, promoted and written about in the office of late. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5cSbtLMdlRQBkvWFc3DTqh?si=r_nE_57rQhmrUxnRSWMJbA
Often, the term “Americana” is used to describe an amalgam of sounds which when fashioned together result in songs which echo with the quintessential vibe of the United States. Forest Sun takes this a stage further and his latest album, his tenth to date, is a series of songs, each inspired by and infused with... Continue Reading →
It’s the same old story. You form a band, play some gigs, rub shoulder with the likes of Tom Robinson and The Monochrome Set, have tea and cakes with Slade and party with Paula Yates at the 1987 Brits. You split up, move on with your lives. And then 30 years on a record label... Continue Reading →
Whilst many artists seem to be too focused on creating the next sound and being first to surf the incoming zeitgeist, and others happier to just repackage the sounds of the past, the really smart artists understand that the place to be is somewhere between the two approaches. Artists such as John Lathrop who makes... Continue Reading →
It is easy to hear a sonic link to the past when the dulcet and delicious tones of Ruth Blake’s latest single begin emanating out of the speakers. It brings to mind the likes of Joni Mitchel, Suzanne Vega and Natalie Merchant, Laura Marling and Carrie Tree. But it is also a song whose relevance... Continue Reading →