rescuing musical virtue in distress.
Blending some nostalgic, almost West Coast, retro singer-songwriter vibes with ultra-modern indie-pop poise, Damon Mitchell seems to have worked out just where the magic point between familiarity and freshness lies, where comfort zones give way to a more adventurous spirit, where the what was, meets the what next! And that is a powerful place from... Continue Reading →
Losing You was a great calling card ahead of this full album release, a taste of the smart blend of big band buoyancy and modern indie smarts that Shaun Johnson creates his songs out of. Anyone who can see through the Bublé fakery or who perhaps wonders what might be the result of a new... Continue Reading →
With an ep title, and indeed an artists name, which conjures such immediate and iconic imagery, you could be forgiven for thinking that the music found on this latest 5-track offering falls easily into a country or Americana corner. There are certainly elements of that to be found within the music but that is only... Continue Reading →
Braindead offered us a wonderful view into the eclectic and adventurous world of Pierre Lecarpentier with tracks that wandered all over the darker end of the sonic spectrum. Mr Fantasy, his latest release, seems almost to do as much work within the context of just one song. More focussed but no less experimental, Mr Fantasy,... Continue Reading →
Music is made for many reasons. Often, it is made to entertain, as a means of escape, to be throwaway, frivolous and fun. But it can also inform, celebrate, spread a message and serve a higher purpose. It is to the latter purposes that To All Who Serve dedicates itself, standing as a tribute to... Continue Reading →
Mixing the hip-hop traditions of deft and dexterous lyrical salvos and groove-laden rhythms with the more forward-facing sounds of the contemporary West Coast scene, Crunch comes on like a sonic force of nature. Not to say that the music is wild and unstoppable, it's smarter than that but it is both addictive and infectious in... Continue Reading →
Hesitate grooves. It grooves a lot. And then some. It grooves more than a groovy thing getting its groove on in Grooveland during the annual Grooveday celebrations. But, I guess that if you are going to turn your hand to low-slung rock and roll, and Hesitate is unquestionable that, then groove is the thing that... Continue Reading →
Rattling honky-tonk meets raucous rock'n'roll in a blend that immediately reminds you of 70's Elton John? It's fair to say that you have my attention. And why wouldn't you? 70's Elton was great, and so is this. It is full of rock energy but unlike the usual, tried and tested, overplayed rock = guitars formula... Continue Reading →
Radio Drive are all about the perfect blend of grunt, groove and grace. Yes, I am a big fan of alliteration, but those words are chosen for more than their rhythm and rhyme, it is a phrase that is perfect to describe the sonic forces that main man Kevin Guillickson conjures and controls on this... Continue Reading →
The term folk-rock, a label which seems to often be levelled at Moors & McCumber, might accurately describe the clever blend of delicacy and drive which lies at the heart of their sound, but it is only the very tip of the sonic iceberg. As their latest album, Survival, neatly demonstrates, there is so much... Continue Reading →
His music may be country music at its core but there is something very different about the way Brian Iannucci approaches the genre. Maybe it is the deft and delicate piano playing that informs the heart of a song like You Stole My Heart Away. Maybe it is the more mainstream pop vibes and balladic... Continue Reading →
Pop is always reinventing itself, that's what it does, that's what it has to do to stay relevant. Revolution might be fine for grabbing headlines but it is the evolution that is the real driving force behind the music. And the sound of ET Boys new release is the sound of evolution at work. Following... Continue Reading →
If this album came accompanied by one of Pete Frame's iconic Rock Family Trees, you would be looking at lines that wound their way through bands such as The Lilac Time and TV Eye, The Black Bombers and Duran Duran and musicians such as Dave Kusworth, Twist and Nikki Sudden. And at the heart of... Continue Reading →
Not all music has to be looking to the future, creating new genres, forging ahead into sonic pastures new, it can be just as much fun to look back sometimes, visit past glories, get a bit misty-eyed and nostalgic. And that is exactly what The X Heart do with their debut track, 2003. And of... Continue Reading →
Sitting somewhere between alt-rock adventurousness and classic rock traditions, Widow Lamb is a silky, slinky, sonic beast. It is proof that rock music can be more than just a bombastic blast of energy and volume, although when it decides to make its moves it certainly has no shortage of that. But around these musical highs... Continue Reading →
I do like a title that explains what you should expect, we’ve got genre and a hint that this may be a tribute to a certain gender and time. Simple. But don’t be fooled because Holy Madam Mississippi there are some absolute treasures to be found here! It would be easy to sit down with... Continue Reading →
Having grown up in North Yorkshire, but also spending time in Arizona, would bring two contrasting worlds to the young Elaine Palmer. On one side is the green, rainy, hilly world of England and on the other is the arid, warm, sandy landscape of Phoenix, so it’s with no real surprise that her latest release,... Continue Reading →
The new album by UK guitarist Chris Flegg can be summed up in three very simple words, Solo Acoustic Guitar. If those words are enough to make you skip to the next item on your agenda, well cheerio, it was nice having you visit. Good luck with the rest of your day. But if that... Continue Reading →
With a fifteen-year back catalogue, it’s no surprise that the musicians involved make up a kind of Americana orchestra rather than a stable four- or five-piece band. The term ‘union’ has never been better used. But there needs to be a constant and at the centre of the storm is Chuck Melchin, singer, guitarist, producer,... Continue Reading →
Moonlight Rhythm Society manages to pull off a great trick. Well, probably more than one but I'm talking about one that is immediately obvious and wonderfully prominent, one that is all about hitting sonic sweet spots. Without pandering to fads or fashion, without compromising what they do to fit in, without surfing the latest cultural... Continue Reading →
I often refer to a thing called the post-genre world in my writing, the idea that we have left the tribalism and neat demarcations of the past behind us and artists are today more ready to draw their inspirations from across the musical spectrum, to hop, merge and meld genres, to ignore them altogether or... Continue Reading →
Wearing as many metaphorical hats as he does literal, Jeremy Dion is both busy and millinophilically (that's a word, right?) stylish. And his music is fairly dapper too, a jaunty blend of upbeat acoustica and, warm and welcoming, folky vibes. What makes it stand out is that although on the surface the music seems fairly... Continue Reading →
I'm a big believer in the idea that if you are going to embrace a creative skill, then you should be creative with it. By that I mean, blaze trails, inspire, lead from the front, go boldly... be original. For my money, not that I spend money in this area, tribute projects and cover bands... Continue Reading →
Although Bryan Banks has a long pedigree of drumming for highly regarded bands, particularly Pennsylvania rockers Owen's Grunge, sitting in on vacant local drum stools and even playing the percussion for more acoustic-based acts, there comes a time when you feel like striking out by yourself and working on your own, original music. And that... Continue Reading →
The fact that Brittaney has trained in classical, gospel and jazz seems to come through clearly in her music. The clear diction of the former, the avant-garde leanings of the latter and the emotional heights that comes from spiritual music, all weave and wander through the vocals of this latest release. But rather than look... Continue Reading →
With a new album just released with Come Taste The Misery, it felt like the perfect time to catch up with the ever-busy Christos Kariotis and find out more about the band, his many other projects and what the future holds for him. Q: Let’s start with a bit of background. Can you tell me... Continue Reading →
With his latest single, Lefteris Sampson weaves together hot dance floor beats and funky grooves into an infectious clubland track that both slightly nods to the past but, for the most part, has its eyes fixed firmly on the future. And the result, a classic electro-pop track for the here-and-now. You Gotta Love Her is... Continue Reading →
With the sun streaming through the window as I put pen to paper, Falling seems like the perfect music to have drifting through the room as I work. The perfect Balearic banger…as I believe the kids say…a real slice of sunshine made into music, warm welcoming and wonderful. Musical it ebbs and flows between sky-searing... Continue Reading →
If you are one of those people who think rap music doesn't move with the times then this is the track for you. To be honest, it is so far out in front of the rap pack that we probably need a new name for what is going on here. Future-hop, trip-electro, cosmic dance…it doesn't... Continue Reading →
If the job of a single released ahead of an album is to build interest and intrigue for the full-length sonic delights to follow, then Entwined should expect a heft Christmas bonus from its employers. Opening with the ethereal drift of the enigmatically and existentially titled Nothing is But What is Not, we revisit the... Continue Reading →