rescuing musical virtue in distress.
Although Marriott bases his sound on some classic and timeless urban styles, Reset proves that he is also an artist very much working in the here-and-now. The beats are drawn from skittering trap sonics, tracks such as Friend Zone cocoon themselves in R&B vibes and Cityscape owes as much to a soul groove as it... Continue Reading →
Cave, Waits, Cash, Campbell. These are all name that come to mind when you listen to the depth of the vocals on this record. I would definitely put Danny Kiranos (ATD) into this particular hall of fame. Where is this person from? Could be The Med, Eastern Europe or the USA. There is great diversity... Continue Reading →
If The Violet Nines wander a sonic world bordered by infectious alt-pop melodies, funky rhythms, bluesy licks and sultry soul grooves, it is to the latter sound that they lean on this latest release. It also oozes with a slightly retro sound, echoing some of the soul revivals of the '80s and '90s that found... Continue Reading →
It was great to hear Sophie Dorsten's collaboration with 3Mind Blight recently, the resulting Reflections seeming to be a musical creation that was so much more than the sum of its very different artists. But it is still great to have her back making the deft and delicate music that is slowly becoming her signature... Continue Reading →
As the cascades of picked guitars give way to more solid beats, as sonics are joined by the vocal top line, you realise that Out There is the perfect example of how music keeps moving forward. Sure, there is no shortage of bluesy grooves and rock'n'roll moves, but there is something intrinsically modern about the... Continue Reading →
There is a fine line between making music that is "loose" and music that simply doesn't have it together. The latter marks someone out as being sloppy or perhaps inexperienced. The former marks out someone who understands the inherent swing of a song and knows that if you make a groove too rigid, it can... Continue Reading →
It's fairly easy to write a song that has a lot going on. Pop and rock music is littered with over-egged, more is more slices of it. Writing a song that is built out of the bare minimum, out of only what really matters, however, is a different art altogether. Those who are successful at... Continue Reading →
Opening with a real anthem middle-finger salute to the last year and the difficulties and isolation that it ushered in, 2020 simply unleashes all of the pent up frustrations that we have all been feeling and does so to a runaway, pop-punk beat and a groovesome gallop. The perfect calling card for a new band... Continue Reading →
I've never really known what the term Americana really means. But if it means music which captures the essence of the country from which it takes its name, if it is music which could only have originated in a land of adventure and opportunity, of big skies and endless roads, then The Blind Pilots must... Continue Reading →
At a time when the world seems a divided and entrenched place, where people seem more certain of what they are against than anything that they stand for, Chris Donohoe's latest collection of songs breezes through like a breath of fresh air. Even those with the best intentions seem to be using heightened rhetoric and... Continue Reading →
Hip-Hop is known more for short, sharp and shockingly effective sonic hits rather than anything designed on a more ornate and grand scale, which is what makes this new album from New York's Calamity Jones such an interesting concept. A hip-hop concept album may be a rare commodity but why not? Boundaries are there to... Continue Reading →
Cupidkarma is an album that could only exist today. Not just for the fact that it sounds so utterly modern and refreshing but also because at 70 tracks long, a physical version of such an album would probably not get past the planning and costing stage. Thankfully times have changed and technology allows artists to... Continue Reading →
It is safe to say that Arda & The Stolen Moon make pop music. It is also safe to say that it is the sort of pop music which is all too rare these days. In fact, it is pop music that is so busy just being itself and having fun that it probably doesn't... Continue Reading →
This is a no nonsense anti-establishment band that put their uncomplicated stripped back folk/punk heritage badge front and centre. They deliver their brand of political tirades, kick-back ballads and ECO homilies with an up-tempo, danceable verve and vigour. Where does this recording sit? Well, I would most like to see this band after caning the... Continue Reading →
I have to admit that I m always a bit suspicious when I see a new generic label pop up. Generally, such fusions don't sit together particularly comfortably and feel more like a gimmick than a new musical adventure, something forced together rather than an organic creative process. But not this. Listening to this second... Continue Reading →
Hip-hop may have been forged from musical pioneers reappropriating technology and sampling classic songs to create a new sound and style back in the late '70s, but it has come a long way since those days. So far, in fact, that it is one of the most recognisable sounds, not to mention one of the... Continue Reading →
We have had lots of music born of the lockdown experience over the last year. Naturally. But now, as the rough shape of what the new normal might look like is beginning to make itself known, our thoughts, also, quite naturally, turn to how we might transition from the isolation of the last year and... Continue Reading →
I've seen him about. I've watched play in others bands. I've heard music that he has scored for other people's projects. I've even exchanged a few brief words with him here and there, post-gig and on the hoof. But I don't think you start understanding a musician until you have heard music that they have... Continue Reading →
The opening song of any album generally does one of two things. It either sets the tone for what is to follow, a sonic calling card and mission statement all wrapped into one. Or it goes completely the other way and offers something so odd and beguiling that you keep listening anyway. Here, with the... Continue Reading →
It's been a year of disappointments, nowhere more so than in the music and arts community with gigs, tours and festivals all falling by the wayside like a house of cards. And when the fickle hand of fate upsets your plans there are only really two responses. You can either feel sorry for yourself, moan... Continue Reading →
I've been a bit hit and miss with a weekly playlist of late, so this one will represent about 3 weeks worth of music. Hence the strange take on the title. Still, the sun's out, it's a bank holiday, so here's the perfect soundtrack to play whilst having a few beers in the garden. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1j6Uwg23FYzljszmSFxlNO?si=44003eea81aa4ce0
Can you give a brief history of Venus Fly Trap. I had been in a band called Attrition who were based in London at the time, I had done an album and toured Holland/UK with them. Decided to move back to my native Northampton famous for Bauhaus, Alan Moore and the film Kinky Boots, hooked... Continue Reading →
Bristol-based Avant indiepop outfit Modesty Blaise present 'And The Lights Went Out All Over Town', the closing track on ‘The Modesty Blaise’ LP, the band's first album since emerging from a 20-year hiatus. This track presents a vision of a dystopian present, rather than future, and an indictment of how the military/industrial complex has led us all to the point of ecological... Continue Reading →
Toronto-based First Nations singer-songwriter Madisyn Whajne presents 'Save My Heart' from her debut record 'Save Our Hearts', along with video produced by Bobby Bulat. Both invigorating and bittersweet, Whajne demonstrates resilience and survival in the face of pain and heartbreak. This long-player was recorded live to tape with Montreal super-producer Howard Bilerman (Arcade Fire, Wolf Parade, The Barr Brothers) and Shae Brossard (Bahamas, The Dears)at Montreal’s famed Hotel2Tango... Continue Reading →
Funky! Yes, with an exclamation mark. That's the word for this latest track from Monotronic. But funky in the most contemporary of ways, being a fusion of analogue grooves and digital sonic moves. And it is a fusion that not only works but works brilliantly. The bass is busy in the background, grounding the song... Continue Reading →
Where to begin? Manntra has so much going on in its music that it is really hard to sum up what they do concisely. But I will try. Imagine if Rammstein decided to change direction and become a folk band? Or if System of a Down had formed a musical collective with Gogol Bordello? Or... Continue Reading →
Ba-Jesus was a cracker of an album and, as a way of getting us ready for another full album release, Liverpool's Ernest Moon has ushered forth a typically fun single to whet our tastebuds. And even hearing the title you can make an informed guess about what that single might all be about. Or at... Continue Reading →
The first thing that hits you as I Am Your Queen struts and swaggers its way towards you is just how out of keeping the track is with any current musical fad or fashion. And I say that as a good thing. A very good thing. But then again, I guess if it had landed... Continue Reading →
Whilst it is impossible to place The BRKN in any one category regarding genre, style or sound, there is one word that springs instantly to mind. Competence. It's something that they have in no small amount. Their songwriting is fresh and forward-thinking, wilfully hopping genres as easily as a super-hero leaps small buildings. The musicianship... Continue Reading →
The only thing that you can predict when faced with a new track from Blind Uncle Harry is that what will follow is impossible to predict. Which is something, I guess. We've had songs that sound like Dylan going punk, we've had chiming acoustic pop, we've even had old-time country hoe-downs. Second-guessing what will come... Continue Reading →