Premiers
Single Premiere: Amanda On The Bed – Seven Crows (reviewed by...
I have struggled to express what i love so much about instrumentel music many times as I put pen to paper on its behalf,...
Rock/Punk/Metal
Compromise – Reduction in Force (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
It’s sad to think that Reduction in Force might be right, that compromise might be life’s only constant. Sad but true, after all, they aren’t the...
Post Punk/Goth
Play Along – Cable Street Riots (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
I will start with a confession. I will start by admitting that it is the band/artist’s name that first caught my eye. History buffs...
Shoegaze/Dreampop
Snake Charmer – Moon Construction Kit (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
The wonderfully named Moon Construction Kit feels like a return to the past’s psychedelic and dreampop sounds and simultaneously a search for their next chapters. And...
Indie
Pùca ft. Amy Ellen – Seán Julian (reviewed by...
Sitting somewhere between the spaciousness of a dreamtime folk sound and the more robust electric guitar threads of the indie-rock spectrum, “Pùca” is an...
Pop/Power Pop
Venom – Laced Tears – Antoin Gibson (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
Having created a signature sound, one of stark minimalism and spacious atmosphere, "Venon-Laced Tears" sees Antoin Gibson taking that delicate and delicious sound and...
Folk/Country
Big Boots and Wide Brimmed Hats – Ker (reviewed by Dave...
Rather than labelling his latest single a country song, Ker stresses that this is a song of the country. Subtle difference. (And at least he didn’t call it Americana, which seems the go-to...
Singer-Songwriter/Acoustica
Tremble – The Quiet North (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
The ability to move so effortlessly between understatement and anthemics is just one of the traits that make "Tremble," the new single from The...
R&B/Soul
How Dare You Ignore Their Cries? – Darrell Kelley (reviewed by...
Thankfully, we are seeing more and more artists using their creative space to appeal to the better angels of the world—music made in response...
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
Furtiva – FREZYA feat. LPSV (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
It is perhaps quite telling that the single's cover shows the image of a strawberry-shaped, golden hand grenade because "Furtiva" does sound like someone...
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
It’s About Time – Ndidi O (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
Finding such a highly regarded, not to mention award-nominated, blues musician in Ireland can only be a reminder that most Western roots traditions can...
Classical/Instrumental
Single Premiere: Amanda On The Bed – Seven Crows (reviewed by...
I have struggled to express what i love so much about instrumentel music many times as I put pen to paper on its behalf,...
Avant Garde
Avoidance Moon – Zabus (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
As I head into the opening titular track of the new and sixth Zabus album, Avoidance Moon, I get the strange sensation that I am listening to...
Interviews
New York City Boy: Talking to M. Spano about delivering Something...
With a new single, “Something Different,” just dropped, I sat down with M. Spano to find out about his roots, his style, and his...
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
Rooks – M3G (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
The word ethereal is used a lot in music. Too much, really. Not least by overly-verbose scribblers like me. But sometimes no other word will do....
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
Pùca ft. Amy Ellen – Seán Julian (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
Sitting somewhere between the spaciousness of a dreamtime folk sound and the more robust electric guitar threads of the indie-rock spectrum, “Pùca” is an...
Hourglass – The SKBs (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
As the first glimpse, a teaser, a taster, and a tester of the water for the band's second album, The Next Stop, "Hourglass" does...
I Love You Even More Now That You’re a Little Fucked Up – Ian...
You have to love a song with an unconventional and offbeat title. But if Ian Vargo’s latest single has a fairly unwieldy moniker, the song...
Compromise – Reduction in Force (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
It’s sad to think that Reduction in Force might be right, that compromise might be life’s only constant. Sad but true, after all, they aren’t the...
The Way We Were – Rob Lalain (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
Some will tell you that you can hear an echo of the Beatles running through most modern music, and that is certainly the case...
The Unclouding of Otilla Vanilla – HeyBobby! (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
There is something wonderfully self-referencing, perhaps meta, even, about this debut album from theatrical rock duo HeyBobby! A band setting out to make their...
