Premiers
Album Premiere: Powers of Observation – Seven Crows (reviewed by Dave...
Although Chris Murphy, the man behind the Seven Crows moniker, has been dropping singles for many months as a build-up to this album, hearing Powers of Observation in...
Rock/Punk/Metal
Slow Water – Dirty Snowman Society (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
If the idea of “melodic rock” might seem anathema to the more hardcore rock ‘n’ roll fraternity, perhaps suggesting a compromise between the genres’ rawer, spikier,...
Post Punk/Goth
8th and Alvarado – Youth “Champagne” Remix – Darling Black ...
Name-dropping is all the rage. Especially in artists’ press releases. Usually, such sheets are full of information that relates to the fact that a...
Shoegaze/Dreampop
Birthday Cake – Ava Valianti (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
If I were one of those more pedantic writers, I would probably be giving you a potted history of the early eighties post-punk scene...
Indie
EP Premiere: The Risk of Happiness – The Long Honeymoon (reviewed...
Just as I finished waxing lyrical about how impressive The Long Honeymoon’s songwriting chops were on the delicious The World is Waiting (okay, I was a bit...
Pop/Power Pop
Dreamcast – Heddy Edwards (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
If previously I have encountered Heddy Edwards in a more dreamy and pop-infused soundscape, “Dreamcast” finds her exploring new ground. I’m not saying that you can’t...
Folk/Country
Earth – Monique Grimme (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
There has always been something elemental at the heart of Monique Grimme's music, something that feels connected to the natural world, timeless and intangible; her...
Singer-Songwriter/Acoustica
By My Side – Ryan Edward Kotler (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
If the previous single “Insomnia” was a hushed, early-hours meditation on sleepless nights and troubled thoughts, “By My Side” shifts the focus somewhat, where...
R&B/Soul
Got To Go – Molly Gone Mad (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
Well, that’s a funky feel-good shot in the arm, if ever there was one. “Got To Go” sounds like one of those big hits...
Reggae/Ska/Dub
Album Premiere: Lost Files – JaDon Blaxx (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
If Dancehall arrived in the seventies as reggae's leaner, faster, more street-charged younger sibling, then Lost Files is a clear snapshot of where that...
Dance/EDM
Hope In Hell – Hot Hail! (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
It's funny how serendipity works. The day after I referenced The Blitz Kids - that short-lived, massively influential, fashion-driven post-punk London club scene -...
Hip-hop/Rap
Mind How You Go – PanthaDogg (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
Hip-hop has come a long way from its birthplace in the South Bronx all those years ago. And while all genres move with the...
Jazz/Blues
Floating Sheep – Floating Sheep (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
Floating Sheep might easily be labeled as a “nu-jazz” outfit, but the emphasis is definitely on the word “nu.” Of course, jazz vibes and such...
Classical/Instrumental
Ephemeral (The Weight of Now) – Caleb Knowles (reviewed by Dave...
If album titles are often arbitrarily chosen, perhaps merely for effect or just taken from the name of a track, Ephemeral (The Weight of...
Avant Garde
True Human Trough – Bell Barrow (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
Comfort zones? Who needs them? Well, not Bell Barrow that’s for sure. Anyone already familiar with any music that Jeremy Moore has made under this or any other...
Interviews
Stranger Than Fiction: A short chat with The Flavor That Kills...
With a new album, Thunderbird Lodge, on the way, I sat down and caught up with The Flavor That Kills guitarist, singer, and lyricist Ryan Corcoran, to find...
Live
The Crack – En Heat (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
If, like me, you feel that mainstream music is all a bit safe, merely appealing to fads and fashions, comfort zones and marketing reports,...
Swindon
Back where it all began. A Big Day out with EXTC
Terry Chambers will always remember his twenty-first birthday. After all, who would forget being subjected to their friend’s TV show reel, fifteen minutes (well,...
News
‘Mariachi El Bronx IV’ out February 13 Marks Alter Ego of...
On February 13 LA trailblazers Mariachi El Bronx will release Mariachi El Bronx IV, their long-awaited new album, and first in over a decade. MEB is the alter...
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
Beast Machine Theory – Storm Boy (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
Like all good bands, you can’t always pin Storm Boy down stylistically, but you can always point to their general direction. They are over there, running...
EP Premiere: The Risk of Happiness – The Long Honeymoon (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
Just as I finished waxing lyrical about how impressive The Long Honeymoon’s songwriting chops were on the delicious The World is Waiting (okay, I was a bit...
Hope In Hell – Hot Hail! (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
It's funny how serendipity works. The day after I referenced The Blitz Kids - that short-lived, massively influential, fashion-driven post-punk London club scene -...
Album Premiere: The Chariot – Sawtooth Witch (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
The blending of folk music with electronic elements is, quite logically, called “folktronica”, but clever as that tag is, it isn’t quite right for what Sawtooth...
By My Side – Ryan Edward Kotler (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
If the previous single “Insomnia” was a hushed, early-hours meditation on sleepless nights and troubled thoughts, “By My Side” shifts the focus somewhat, where...
Slow Water – Dirty Snowman Society (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
If the idea of “melodic rock” might seem anathema to the more hardcore rock ‘n’ roll fraternity, perhaps suggesting a compromise between the genres’ rawer, spikier,...
