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.
Sex Appeal – Pembroke Tenneson (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
I’m not sure what I expected from a chap with a name reminiscent of a Regency-era poet and who looks like he should be...
It’s Just A Kiss-Off – The Del-Viles (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
Given that Minneapolis gave us Husker Du, The Replacements, and Babes in Toyland, among many other greats, it isn’t surprising to find bands doing raucous, alternative, punk-infused, scuzzy rock ‘n’ roll...
The Ascension – AGAM (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
Music sessions in private houses have become a popular feature of modern, grassroots music. But of course, it is nothing new; before the monetization...
If I’d Known – Dulldrums (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
Labels don’t get you too far when it comes to music. That said, Dulldrums self-administered tag of “dream-folk” is actually perfect for this, their debut single....
Never Had – Charlie Sly (reviewed by Dave Franklin
Blending a college-rock-on-ketamine groove with shimmering dream-pop haze, ‘Never Had’ is that rare thing: instantly addictive, yet understated and uncomplicated. No sonic tricks, no...
Body Without Organs – AD Ozium (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
If you like the idea of the three-minute pop song, of music that doesn’t require much engagement, a tune which can jig and jog...
Villains – Father Chocolate (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
It’s always great when a piece of music’s feel matches the song’s themes, as if the artist is creating a complete and complementary sonic...
Hell has frozen over – Sarina (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
If you want to hear how rock moves with the times, at least one strand of it, then giving the new one from Sarina a spin...
Be – Apple Eyes (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
Travel broadens the mind, they say. So true. I’d even go so far as to say that the music made by people who have...
Artificial World – Deborah (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
Sometimes the most thought-provoking questions arrive in the most innocent of guises. 'Artificial World', the latest offering from published poet, social advocate, and HR...
Rocket to The Moon – Patrick Doval (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
Metaphor is a marvelous tool for the songwriter, and so, as Patrick Doval tells tales of looking for love in the stars, of finding the one...
Tokyo Rose – Fierce Friend (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
As Fierce Friend heads toward the release of Blood Red Hills & The Uncanny Valley, the new album from this Brighton-based DIY multi-instrumentalist, this third single does nothing to...
Scenes From a Well-Worn Path (Side Two) – Music By Jeremy...
If debut albums are supposed to be the sound of an artist finding their feet, finding their sound, finding their way into the musical...
Just Might Be Enough – Young Martyrs (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
Let’s be fair, no one really agrees on what Americana means. For some, it is about a certain sound; for others, a specific place; and some...
Sing Me A Song – Firefly Search Party (reviewed by Dave...
Although ‘Sing Me A Song’ has all the hallmarks of music made within timeless folk traditions, it also shimmers with folk-pop modernity, perhaps a...
Whatcha Gunna Do?! – Courtney Hadwin (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
If the art of making music that moves the ever-evolving wheel forward is to take inspiration from the past, wrap it in sonic trappings...
Man of the Universe – Zachary Mason (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
Although he has made music that touches on all manner of themes and thoughts, his previous releases make it clear that Zachary Mason is fascinated by...
Reflections and reality: Modest Needs on healing the inner child and...
Modest Needs is the musical moniker of Thomas Modig, a singer-songwriter from Uppsala, Sweden, and with his reflective new single, ‘Ett bättre jag’ (‘A Better Me’), now out,...
Underwater – Awake & Dreaming (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
We have all found ourselves awake in the early hours, worrying about the things that seem to drag us into a perceived abyss and...
Tribute – Alias Wayne (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
'Tribute' is exactly the sort of song the title suggests, and as its dulcet, delicate, and delicious tones kick off, we realize that we...
Paint The Sky, Pt. 1 – JoJo Green (reviewed by Dave...
If you kick off your record with some of the best funk bass work since Larry Graham dropped the mad and marvelous ‘POW’ on an unsuspecting...
There Are Spiders In My Dreams – Poems For Dead People/Intertitle...
If you are looking for something different, if you are tired of all the style-over-substance pop wannabes and cooler-than-thou (they wish) indie kids…and I know I...
A Star is Born: A chat with Sean MacLeod about the...
With a new album, the wonderfully titled That’s When The Earth Becomes a Star just dropped, it felt like the perfect time to sit down with Sean...
Cuasrán – Proyecto Escapulario (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
Reviewing a song sung in a language I am not fluent in might seem difficult, but I think it actually makes you consider more...
Stay – EverWill (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
Ahead of next year’s six-track EP, EverWill gives us a glimpse of what’s to come, and it is pretty engaging stuff, especially if you like music...
Haunted Hotel – Shansylvania (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
Following a tragic loss, vocalist Shannon Provost took refuge in a dark, otherworldly realm of her own making, one she had been building since childhood but...
June – Scott Allen and the List (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
Some music seems to defy any real classification. A sound that slips effortlessly between pop and rock, absorbing what it needs from both; it...
All Right Then – Kenny Foster (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
Kenny Foster's songs have always carried a gentleness within them. Even when he has headed out into a more rock-and-roll realm, as he did...
Things to Make Do With – Fran Ashcroft (reviewed by Dave...
Perhaps in keeping with an album of largely understated, totally authentic, honest, personal-sounding and deeply meaningful songs, Fran Ashcroft has made a point of avoiding all...
Mine Alone – intimate dream (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
Blending a nostalgic echo into your music only works if you understand why such sounds were so emotive in the first place. Mine Alone,...
