Premiers
Album Premiere: Plantano Macho – Leathers (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
I love the fact that Leathers have fallen into a (seemingly at least) fairly simple (though not simplistic) sound and managed to get so much mileage...
Rock/Punk/Metal
Inches From Sin – Sometimes (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
Sometimes a song can make an impression on its own; in fact, the main job of any song released as a single is to...
Post Punk/Goth
Bourbon – Los Tres Mortales (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
If you ever wondered what the incidental music would sound like as you watched The Man With No Name ride through a blasted post-apocalyptic scrubland into...
Shoegaze/Dreampop
Summer in Galt – Sky Is Alright (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
As the opener and lead single from Sky Is Alright’s first album in five years, FINITE, ‘Summer In Galt’ is a great reminder of what we...
Indie
Rain Steam Speed – Nils Lassen (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
Three words that say so much. Anyone who has even the slightest appreciation of Western art will read that title and immediately picture J. M....
Pop/Power Pop
Livin’ – Son of Jacob (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
I know the term ‘Beatle-esque’ gets bandied about a lot- too much, really and is usually wrongly applied to music that falls well below...
Folk/Country
Part-Time Preacher – Lisa Michelle Anderson (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
With her latest album, Spend A Little Time, just around the corner, Lisa Michelle Anderson’s new single lands with perfect timing to remind us of what makes...
Singer-Songwriter/Acoustica
Evergreen – Steve Stinson (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
His latest single, ‘Evergreen,’ moves Steve Stinson one step closer to his debut album, which drops next month, and, as all pre-album singles should, makes you...
R&B/Soul
Conversations With My Heart – E.J. (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
They say you should write about what you know, and that relatability and authenticity matter as much as the actual sonic moves of the...
Reggae/Ska/Dub
A Fistful of Covers – The Hempolics (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
A band releasing an EP of recordings covering their favorite songs is nothing new. A band doing that while also offering a dub reworking...
Dance/EDM
Almost – Frank Joshua (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
If you have the impression of Frank Joshua as a maker of dreamscape, ambient-infused indie music, often with more than a hint of wistfulness and perhaps...
Hip-hop/Rap
Vienna – Son of Dior (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
All genres follow the same sort of evolutionary flow. Core artists define a sound; others copy it, and over time, those who follow move...
Jazz/Blues
Planet Android – Shapes (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
It’s not that Shapes don’t fit easily into one genre; it’s more that they fit too easily into many. But not through some lack of focus...
Classical/Instrumental
Mortal Eyes – SCooby Trillion (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
You can't say that SCooby Trillion isn't eclectic. If my first encounter saw him delve into the ancient and diverse sounds of Africa and...
Avant Garde
The Shadows of Alienation – Spectrum of Disorder (reviewed by Dave...
Beyond the questions and themes raised by the spoken words and lyrical fragments on this EP, there is a broader question that faces the...
Interviews
The Method in the Musical Madness: A conversation with Anastasiya Bazhenova...
Less a debut album, rather what Anastasiya Bazhenova prefers to call her “first complete artistic statement”, the release of From Mendelssohn to Madness was the perfect opportunity to sit...
Live
Speak to Me – Kathy Sabol (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
Although the songs on Speak to Me were written over several years, they took on new meaning following Kathy Sabol's life-threatening illness last year....
Swindon
The Shadows of Alienation – Spectrum of Disorder (reviewed by Dave...
Beyond the questions and themes raised by the spoken words and lyrical fragments on this EP, there is a broader question that faces the...
News
Latest single ‘So Keen’ from Indie punk band Poets Corner is...
Following a great bunch of reviews & a host of radio plays for previous single She’s Got You Now, Hull’s authentic indie outfit Poets Corner are back with...
Playlist
That Was The Music Week That Was – 080825
Another busy week at Dancing Towers, plenty of cool grassroots artists put under the pen, lots of great music mused over, and lots of...
Books
How Not To Write About Music – III: Starting the Week...
One of the joys of writing about new music is that it stops you from getting trapped in the past. Of course, bands like...
6 of the best
Old Blighty – Last Night Watchman (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
Even before you get to the music, there is something quintessentially English about the themes that run through Last Night Watchman’s music – everything from...
Liminalland – Pray Silence (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
I love the idea of liminal spaces. Everything from music made on those fringes to the idea of actual places that seem to exist...
Summer in Galt – Sky Is Alright (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
As the opener and lead single from Sky Is Alright’s first album in five years, FINITE, ‘Summer In Galt’ is a great reminder of what we...
From Where We’re From – Royal Blush (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
If you can’t find a sonic reference to your favourite rock and roll style doing its thing and working its way through this new,...
Surrender – August Benjamin (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
You could say that, though the very act of making music, August Benjamin has inherited the family business. Having spent his formative years soaking up the...
Dark Cells – Lost Velvet (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
While modern bands present their music to the listener in the form of a song, there is, or at least there should be, much...
