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.
Waste Paper Bins / Business Picked Up – BeaVoys (reviewed by...
We live in a time when more and more musicians are turning their attention to making music that has something to say about the...
Take It Away – Shaky (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
If there is one thing that defines this second single garnered from Shaky’s second album, it is that he brilliantly hits that sweet spot equidistant...
Government Grade – Solid Gold (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
Sometimes a song is more than a song. It can be a dialogue, the promotion of an idea, a point of contact for the...
Various Superstitions – the black watch (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
Twenty-six albums! There are a few bands or artists who rack up anything close to that tally, and most of those, I would suspect,...
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...
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 Divide – Slow Burn Drifters (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
I wouldn’t go as far as to suggest that “The Divide” has a gothic sound, not in that broader, journalistic and genre sense, but...
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...
forget about me – Nathaniel Earl (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
Atmosphere is, perhaps as much as the musical elements themselves, a key ingredient to “forget about me,” this fourth single from Nathaniel Earl’s debut EP, What...
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...
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...
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...
Keep Shining – Lemon (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
Lemon is the sound of a story playing out, the next chapter in a beloved sonic tale, the latest episode in a groovesome narrative that...
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,...
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...
Puzzle Piece – Alwyn Morrison (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
“Puzzle Piece” finds Alwyn Morrison heading out for pastures new, and while the song is clearly built on rock ‘n’ roll traditions, it can be branded...
Figure It Out – Inches From Sin (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
I probably say this every time an Inches From Sin record comes under my pen, but there is something about their music that feels...
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...
I Love You Even More Now That You’re a Little Fucked...
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...
Honey Gold – Monique Grimme ft. Sapphire Star Studios (reviewed by...
After establishing herself as someone who can spin more sophisticated rock sounds and folk imagery into songs that are at once atmospheric and elemental, this...
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...
Sumac Red – Quality Living (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
There is a lot to unpack in Quality Living’s latest single, so without resorting to my usual, slightly tangential preamble, I’m going straight in. (About...
From Nowhere Revisited – Satellite Inn (reviewed by David Marx)
The trouble with a lot of so-called Americana is that it invariably rests on its own languid induced laurels.
Indeed, whilst pertaining to be something...
Flirtin – Reggie Braxton (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
Reggie Braxton has a way of tapping right into the sonic heart of those classic soul records from the seventies without ever sounding anything...
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...
The World Inside – The Iddy-Biddies (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
I wouldn’t say that The Iddy-Biddies is a band stuck in the past. I would say that they are a band that has learned from it....
After the Storm in Your Mind – Duane Hoover (reviewed by...
It’s not that Duane Hoover lives in the past; it is just that he knows there are great sonic building blocks to be found there, inspirations...
Vibe Killer – Messy Eater (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
If you are a fan of pop that manages to mix humour and sophistication, that blends sass and the sort of melodic succinctness that...
Unstoppable – Lois Powell & Night Wolf (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
As someone who writes about music all day, I look forward to songs like this to brighten up the process. As you might well...
Play Along – Cable Street Riot (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...
