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
Beginning to Break – Dusty Edinger (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
If I say that Dusty Edinger trades in sounds that are both familiar and fresh, new music woven from styles with a proven track...
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
Dogstar1 – I Give My Friends Flowers (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
Jacob Klein, the man behind the glorious moniker I Give My Friends Flowers, might have honed his musical skills through formal training and a career in...
Pop/Power Pop
What a Little Moonlight Can Do – Tom Minor (reviewed by...
Tom Minor’s songs might often seem like they come from a similar place to Chas ‘n’ Dave’s cheeky-chappery, but that would be to miss the...
Folk/Country
The Light Behind – Ruby Greenberg (self-released)
The idea of the acoustic guitar wielding singer-songwriter might seem like a simple musical form, but that is really the point. With little to...
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
Always Be Mine – Ed Sykes and Friends (reviewed by Dave...
A lifetime of listening thanks to the day job (there is a pun in the band name if you look deep enough) means that...
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
Members of Sunshine Blind and The Wake join forces for gun-slinging...
Sometimes the most interesting musical collaborations are the ones that sound less like a carefully assembled project and more like a group of friends...
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
Members of Sunshine Blind and The Wake join forces for gun-slinging goth-rock collaboration
Sometimes the most interesting musical collaborations are the ones that sound less like a carefully assembled project and more like a group of friends...
African Breezy – SCooby Trillion (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
African Breezy, the new EP from SCooby Trillion, is a reminder that all music moves with the times. That even the most ancient and...
What a Little Moonlight Can Do – Tom Minor (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
Tom Minor’s songs might often seem like they come from a similar place to Chas ‘n’ Dave’s cheeky-chappery, but that would be to miss the...
Annunciation – Mary Strand (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
I still marvel at Mary Strand’s ability to make music that reminds me of every great pop-rock band in my record collection; play her body...
Memory Serves – Cave Shine (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
As the sonic threads of ‘Nightblooming’ gather and grow, brood and bind, you can’t help but await that shimmering sonic explosion, that glorious sonic...
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...
