rescuing musical virtue in distress.
Sitting in the lush sonic space between the ethereality of dream pop and the more intense sonic swathes of psychedelia, Seasurfer makes a sound that walks a fine line between space and intensity, light and claustrophobia. They also dance between the musical world's of post-punk past and dark electronic futurism, dream-state vocals and solid beat... Continue Reading →
Any music made by Julian Shah-Tayler is always worth studying closely, not least the lyrics. As mercurial and marvellous as the music is, lyrically he always manages to drill down into some unquestionable truth. Earthquakes gets to one of the most fundamental concepts of human existence. Love. And not just passing, changeable, throw-away, transient love.... Continue Reading →
We've always known that anything a man can do, a woman can do at least as well. Put two women in the same band and the possibilities are endless. If you need proof then just give the latest single from Tarah Who? a spin. This duo of guitarist, singer and front-woman Tarah Carpenter and drummer... Continue Reading →
This debut release from Purple Tone Flower is full of soothing music and fun licks, soulful grooves and moments of pop perfection. It is the product of Chilean musician and producer Mauricio Flores Sánchez, who has been making music since he was in his teens. Only now did it feel like the perfect time to... Continue Reading →
Devotional Christian music tends to range from the ornate and conservative sound of the high church to the more exuberant and joyous sonics of gospel music. The great thing about the music that One House Worship makes, is that it seems to take in both of these extremes and everything in between. Battle, which opens... Continue Reading →
Pushing the boundaries of hip-hop and alternative pop together until they mix and merge in the same sonic space, Minnesota-based musician, Acid, has created a perfect example of the post-genre urban sound. Splash runs on a bubbling, buoyant groove and skittering percussion, and plays with futuristic electronica to create the engaging soundscape that sits between... Continue Reading →
For many, the term classical music evokes the past, a musical style of a time gone by. Operatical is a music group that proves that such a sound and style is very much alive in the modern world and Pasión tells you everything you need to know about the bridge that they build between past... Continue Reading →
Sitting somewhere between a seductive country sound and a gentle folk vibe, Grandpa's Truck is a heartfelt and nostalgic look at the past. A reminder of past times that were as simple as they were memorable, a love story, of sorts, but this love is one of escapism, adventure, of wide-open spaces and the faithful... Continue Reading →
Here we are again, another busy week and a stack of cool music to share with you all. Please check out the artists featured, share and, if you can afford it, perhaps buy some of their lovely music. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1MFXJgXTxWYK7ZrrTgedf7?si=xaHAKWuGRnGeLssJUd2siQ
The latest album from Garrison Hawk is nothing less than the sound of an artist returning to their roots. Although he has wandered far and wide musically, explored pop, rock and more dance orientated sounds and even working with Tricky on his iconic Blowback album, there is a confidence and groove found here which can... Continue Reading →
Anyone who can take such a rock and roll stalwart as Guns'n' Roses Sweet Child of Mine and turn it into a funky, disco, dancefloor classic has got to be a band worth spending some time getting to know. But Echo Strike doesn't have anything to prove to me, last year's Not Inside Your Mind... Continue Reading →
I sat down with Sky Palmer of rising PR company Pressful.com to find out how the project was born, what path lead him to setting up the company and where he would like to be heading going forward. Let's start with the basics, who are you, when and where were you born? Sky Palmer: My... Continue Reading →
What if indie music could be as infectious and attractive as its big sister, pop music? What if it could be as groovesome as the most addictive dancefloor offerings? What if it made clever sonic choices and had something to say? What if it oozed underground cool as easily as it vibed with all the... Continue Reading →
It is usual to glance through the list of bands influences and inspirations and see the same worn out and over-cooked role-call of artists, a list that usually has more to do with what a band would like to sound like than the music that they make. It is wonderfully refreshing, therefore, to come across... Continue Reading →
Although the world occasionally moves forward through leaps of faith and lateral thinking, generally it advances through more gradual and accomodating steps. And this is certainly true of music. Forget all of those jarring fusions of conflicting genres, which those looking to create the next fad and fashion try to sell us as the first... Continue Reading →
Folk music has taken great strides forward in recent years, and the contemporary blending of folk with ambient, electronic and indie music has opened up the genre to whole new and younger audiences. But as much as moving forward and evolving in any genre is important, so too is remembering where you came from. Lewis... Continue Reading →
Arsenic Tea Party makes a wonderfully big and joyous racket for a two-piece. But such are the advantages of being a musical artist in the modern age with access to all the studio tricks and techniques that it offers. And if the music is a joyous riot of beats and bombast, the lyrical content comes... Continue Reading →
Life is at its most fulfilling when it is challenging. It needs to be full of the unexpected and the new. Of wonder and possibility. It needs to take us to new places and allow us to see the world in different ways. And the same is true of music, music that matters at least.... Continue Reading →
It seems that hardly a month goes past without something new from Tombstones in Their Eyes landing on my desk. This is fine by me as they have never let me down and I always look forward to hearing any new musical machinations that they send out into the world. Being prolific is great but,... Continue Reading →
Some songs get themselves noticed through big musical moves and unmissable sonic punches. Others through more deft and delicate song crafting. Second Guess seems to employ both of these, often mutually exclusive, approaches and does so masterfully. The structure of the song is fairly robust, woven out of rock riffs and indie urges, mainstream accessibility,... Continue Reading →
In spring last year, when most artists' careers were slowing down due to the isolation and enforced hiatus (hiatui? hiatuses? hiatery?) brought on by the pandemic, Dolph Chaney found himself riding high with the release of Rebuilding Permit. Although he has been steadily ploughing a poised, power-pop furrow for many years, it was this album... Continue Reading →
Music can be many different things to many people. It can bring joy or sadness, can be fun and throw-away or deep and meaningful, it can be analytical, it can be hopeful and so on through a vast spectrum of attitudes and emotions. But to those who make the music, it can also be therapeutic,... Continue Reading →
Never rely on genres. They always let you down. I should imagine that ten different journalists writing about Arhkota's strange and beguiling new single would label it with ten completely different generic soundbites. And even then, none of those would accurately capture the broken, classical grace, the oriental vibe, the blending of ambience with abrasion,... Continue Reading →
Not only does modern gospel group True Visionaires revel in a timeless, soulful sound, but their latest single, Money (Revisited), also has something very important to say. Don't let money change who you are. It's as simple as that and although it is a warning as old as money itself, it seems to be a... Continue Reading →
There was a time when band members had to be at least proximate to each other to even function properly and band histories were once a role call of exodus and acquisitions and ever-shifting line ups. But technology, as always, came to the rescue and even with band members spread as far apart as California,... Continue Reading →
Another week scored by a wonderful and eclectic soundtrack to put under the pen. Hopefully, you will find something new to fall in love with or familiar to celebrate. As always, please support these artists in any way you can, listen, explore, buy, whatever you can manage. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2PGDPAvBnVLsBjJAbL5biF?si=vKHLSKvWTQ-iq1dfcY-0cg
Above & Beyond's Thing Called Love rightly found a large audience amongst the pop pickers and denizens of the dance scene a decade ago, but just because a song already has such a firm following that doesn't mean that it isn't ripe for reinvention. And that is exactly what Lian Gold does with her latest... Continue Reading →
Retro Band does pretty much what the name might imply. They revisit, re-imagine and re-work songs from the past so that they get another day in the sun. Although they have covered many eras of the 20th century, this volume gathers together songs from the '30s to the '60s and gives them a new lease... Continue Reading →
As soon as the first few tracks of this soulful and sassy album had floated out of the speakers and into my senses, I knew that there was something familiar about the sound. To find out that the vocalist is none other than The Magic Numbers' Angela Gannon and that various members of Danny and... Continue Reading →
Ahead of a full-album next month, tantalisingly titled Monster Mind Consuming, Barren King offers a wonderful taste of the musical and mystical world that Manntra calls home. Blending sea-shanty sonics with searing metal licks, industrial grind with folk grandeur, traditional sounds with otherworldly, gothic vibes, Barren King is a fantastic flight of fancy. It is... Continue Reading →