Dave Franklin
Musician, scribbler, historian, gnostic, seeker of enlightenment, asker of the wrong questions, delver into the lost archives, fugitive from the law of averages, blogger, quantum spanner, left footed traveller, music journalist, zenarchist, freelance writer, reviewer and gemini. People have woken up to worse.
Old Fades To New – When Mountains Speak (reviewed by Dave...
You would think that having already explored, examined, sought to understand and written about the title track of this latest album from When Mountains...
Poem in Three (Make Me Your Love Song) – Patrick &...
If the title might seem less than obvious, the first part at least, as soon as this lilting, 3/4 country waltz begins, you will...
FOMO – Dan Krochmal (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
Ahead of the much-anticipated album Home and Holding, FOMO is a real shot in the arm for mainstream music. It is proof that the...
The Best of Tobin Mueller, Volume 4: Vocals – Tobin Mueller...
Until now, my experience of Tobin Mueller is as an artist who communicates his thoughts and ideas through instrumental music. This can often be...
Grass is Greener – Mike Kennedy (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
I remember hearing Mercy a few months back and loving its slow-burning charm, the bounce of the lyrics, and how it quickly transitioned from...
Half Past Never – Kevin Bowe and the Okemah Prophets (reviewed...
They say you can tell a lot about a person by the company they keep. The fact that Kevin Bowe has spent a career...
F*cked Up and Beautiful – Gramercy Arms (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
I can’t think of another artist to ping on my radar in recent months that has so readily quenched my thirst for deftly wrought,...
Hannah Rose Platt and Ed Harcourt release “The Mermaid & The...
A devilish duet hauled from the deep blue sea and inspired by the darkest of impulses that haunt humanity, Hannah and Ed come together...
Break My Heart Again – New Rules Duo (reviewed by Dave...
Covering songs is tricky. You can either stay true to the original or aim to do something totally radical with it. Do the former,...
Swimming Through The Aisles (Teeming Mix) – Roman Angelos (reviewed by...
Much of the popular music we hear today comes from the same place. Guitar bands make noises based on old blues progressions, and pop...
Beautiful Earth – Jennifer Harper (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
It sometimes pays to turn to other creative disciplines as a reference point when trying to convey musical concepts. This is one of those...
KAI – Nonstop to Cairo (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
If, like me, your first taste of Nonstop To Cairo was the loose and funky “Million Dollar Space,” then the opening salvo of their...
Coal Cats – Mahamaya Experience (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
One of the many great things about Mahamaya Experience is that it is about much more than just making music. Sure, music is undoubtedly...
Accelerate – Matt Thompson (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
Accelerate is an excellent weather gauge of what is happening in music today. Tastes come and go, fashion changes, the zeitgeist having writ, moves...
From Fini Tribe to Nico: a candid chat with Scottish music...
Edinburgh and Chicago represent two points in your life, a long way apart in both miles and years. Can you tell me about the...
Here’s To You – Sarah Morris (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
It’s been a while since Sarah Morris’ music passed under my pen, but good things come to those who wait, as they say, and...
Bright Gold Cross – Suburban Spell (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
Apart from being a cracking piece of contemporary synthwave, “Bright Gold Cross,” the new single from Suburban Spell, reminds us of just how closely...
A Cloud of Ravens drop new album, Lost Hymns, as they...
NYC-based postpunk duo A Cloud of Ravens have released their 'Lost Hymns' album, just days after kicking off their European tour with Swedish label-mates Then Comes...
Vestige & Vigil, the new album from The Bellwether Syndicate out...
Alternative post-punk outfit The Bellwether Syndicate present their greatly anticipated 'Vestige & Vigil' album, released on April 28 via Sett Records in North America and...
Para Lia release new single, Sunchild, ahead of third album
Melodic indie / alternative rock duo Para Lia has announced they have signed to Berlin-based About Us Records for the release of their new album 'In...
LoFi Puss(less) – Guru & Cat (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
Making music for its own sake has its own rewards. Art, for art's sake, right? And then there is the making of music to...
Aviatrix – The 3 Clubmen (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
Collaboration is always a good thing. It is all very well for an individual artist to master one sound or style, but, having done...
Canvas – Natalie MacMaster and Donnell Leahy (reviewed by T. Bebedor)
I’ll admit that I am in no way a follower of the comings and goings of violin music. I know what a violin is,...
Sliver of Light – Tim Easton (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
I’m sure the term “the new Bob Dylan” has been a phrase thrown all too liberally around music industry boardrooms since the day after...
Indie rockers Gramercy Arms release third single, F*cked Up and Beautiful,...
NYC indie rock outfit Gramercy Arms presents 'F*cked Up and Beautiful' (including the clean companion version: 'Messed Up and Beautiful'), the third single from their...
Nothingside – Pennies by the Pound (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
As the opener, “Liminal Ennui”, kicks off this new album from Pennies By The Pound, perhaps, for the first time, I can hear the...
Rixile Elixir – John Kline (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
Music can be many things. On the one hand, at its most basic, it is mere entertainment. Nothing wrong with that; we all like...
The Best of Tobin Mueller, Volume 5: Chill – Tobin Mueller...
I was going to say that this album shows us another side to Tobin Mueller, but then the previous three albums of his that...
Wonder – Jody and the Jerms (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
“Started Something” is an excellent slice of pop; we can all agree on that. (If not, stop reading now. I mean it!) It is...
How To Love – Withered Hand (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
Any album that sounds like a “Best of…” rather than a regular, full-length release is obviously the product of an artist you need to...
