rescuing musical virtue in distress.
Not so long ago the haunting sound of I Want More by Silverback Colony found its way to me, a dark and drifting, innovative and imploring musical slice, unexpected and brilliant. Gabriel Douglas, the captain of that particular sonic ship, returns, again aided and abetted by Kai Brewster, for a full album under his own... Continue Reading →
Guitars and harmonicas have to be the most natural of sonic travelling companions, so much so that a whole series of genres, from blues to country to rock and roll, have used it as a springboard to make sweet music and so grab the attention of the music masses. And as Rory D’Lasnow fires off... Continue Reading →
It’s been a while since any new music from George Wilding popped up on the radar. That might be due to my tardy ways, or possibly his, let’s just say that its been that sort of a year and leave it at that. You Do You gets to the heart of what George is really... Continue Reading →
You could say that the job of a storyteller, a real storyteller, whether they are an author, musician, poet, artist, whatever, is to soak up life, act as a sponge, a repository for narratives and tales, events and anecdotes, to travel the world really getting to the heart of the human experience. How can your... Continue Reading →
What’s this? A dulcet and delicate slice of considered acoustic pop from Mr McD? Tish. Tish. Tish. Tish. Boom! Ahh..there it is and were off down a more punky-acoustic-frantic-folky-rant-a-thon…and why not? He does it so well. But even when he is letting off steam in such a raw and raucous fashion, the music is never... Continue Reading →
We know that JD Days has the ability to wander all over the sonic spectrum, taking in all manner of influences and hopping between numerous musical genres, from folky acoustica to indie groovers to rap-infused dance-pop. But I feel that in his heart he is an old-school acoustic balladeer, a hopeless romantic who loves nothing... Continue Reading →
Bacitracin is one of those raggedy records which sits in that odd and wonderful world of the modern troubadour. Purchla is a story-teller, someone who deals with messages and missions, passion and poignancy, who understands the power of emotion and heart-string tugging balladry. Too many people, especially, in the modern age of TV wannabes, style... Continue Reading →
This latest slice of sonic seduction from Jim Chorley lands as a timely reminder of the very nature of the human condition. People need people. Simple. We need them to lean on and to laugh with, they energise us and revive us, they help us forget our problems and, if needs be, share some of... Continue Reading →
There has always been a social and political undercurrent to My Politic’s songs. Stories as songs, narratives about family and traditions, the working man, tales of the home, the hearth, of hope and reflection and the American spirit all wound into gentle mythologies and relatable histories. But something has changed for My Politic since 2017’s... Continue Reading →
Arriving with perfect timing, this latest musical missive from Laslow Simplex, might seem like a simple song but its straightforward and fairly unsophisticated sonic lines, and I mean that in the nicest possible of ways, underplay the poignancy and potency of the message that it carries. Many people have made music of late ranting against... Continue Reading →
In response to the awful events in Beirut you have released a song called “Beirut Fire”. Why did you feel the need to respond to those events and do you think that artists should make more of the platform they have to highlight world events and social issues? Tatiana: I respond to events in general... Continue Reading →
When you look at the singer-songwriter, perhaps the purest form of modern music, it is easy to think that nothing has really changed over the 50 or so years since its late 60’s/early 70’s boom. But that is a fairly short-sighted way to view things. Okay, the genre, if indeed it can actually be seen... Continue Reading →
Some might say that it is a bit early to start thinking about Christmas, but perhaps with the way that this year has gone it is only natural to want to have something to look forward to. And anyway, Christmas With You is about more than just Christmas, it is about nothing less than love.... Continue Reading →
The very thing that makes singer-songwriters often all sound the same is actually the thing that sets them apart. In recent years the middle ground between the mainstream and the more cultish underground scenes has been awash with skinny-jeanned, gap-year troubadours, usually in wide-brimmed hats, trying to impart their wisdom on the listener and seduce... Continue Reading →
With a name such as The Castlebuilder it perhaps comes as no surprise that the message here is one of unity. Drawing on the experiences of a life lived in three countries and also the world that passes by his current Twin Cities window, this debut single is both a wonderfully simple and powerfully poignant... Continue Reading →
Music is at its best when it becomes one with its subject matter, when it evokes the very essence of the thing it I trying to describe. To do so the sonic platform being built should reflect and embrace the lyrics it supports or in the case of purely instrumental music, such as this, it... Continue Reading →
Any musician worth their salt will tell you that what they do has no final destination, that albums and gigs are just way-markers, that the whole thing is a continual journey, a long learning curve with no finish line, not one that actually means anything at least. And right from the off Brazil sounds like... Continue Reading →
In a world where roots music seems to be going through a watering down process to try and make it seem “cool” to the “kids,” where words like alt-, anti- and post- get attached to generic labels which have done the job just fine for years, Sam Lewis is like a breath of fresh air.... Continue Reading →
We like Nelson King here at Dancing About Architecture, of course we do, just look at the amount of times we have written about his music. But of course the real test of a musician's worth comes not so much in the studio but in the live arena. Of course there is an art to... Continue Reading →
It’s always great watching acts grow to fulfil their full potential. It’s one thing to have good songs, and Ben Sydes has never had a shortage in that department, but it is tough to deliver the song that is in your head when you are racing around the country in a solo, plug in and... Continue Reading →
Folk is a big word. Okay, not physically big but the connotations of such a label are certainly broad having to take in traditional, Arran sweater sporting, finger in the ear folkies through indie re-inventions to the dream-like folk-pop of the modern age. And whilst Jim Chorley’s latest release certainly echoes with a 60’s sensibility... Continue Reading →
There probably was a time when there wasn’t such a thing as a singer-songwriter but it was a long time ago. And over all of those years since then, from medieval troubadours to 60’s Greenwich Village agitators to the modern pop guitar slinger, little has changed in the format. And why is that? Well, because... Continue Reading →
Books and covers eh? Looking at the band name it would be easy to think that you are about to encounter something a bit synthy, a bit dancey, a bit electronic and experimental. After all I did. But as Fortified emanates from the speakers you realise that it isn’t that at all. In fact it... Continue Reading →
It feels almost like getting the full set. I’ve recently had music in from both Tamsin Quin and Phil Cooper and as this little pop-folk triptych seem to swirl around in various matched and mixed combinations popping up on each others records or playing in each others bands, it seem entirely right that I have... Continue Reading →
Even though it is demonstrably not true, I have been tarred with a reputation for hating covers of songs and those who make them. But I will say that if you are going to attempt a song already in the popular canon, especially one as well known as this, then you need to be either... Continue Reading →
One of the things about being a largely labour of love site is that I can pick and choose what music I cover without worrying about following fad and fashion or pandering to big names and breaking acts to keep the wage bill covered. It also means that unlike many sites who get bogged down... Continue Reading →
Genres will only get you so far. The most interesting and revolutionary art attacks are made by people who have either torn up the rule book or perhaps never knew that there was a rule book to be followed in the first place. I feel that the wonderfully named Lounge Act Jam was never given... Continue Reading →
Usually, in the context of music reviews at least, when I stumble across someone who warrants the label “multi-disciplined” it is often nothing more than an artist who perhaps plays in a covers band, writes their own songs and maybe does the occasional bit of acting on the side. Damion Sharpe however is more than... Continue Reading →
“I need a cigarette, those fuckers talked over my whole set,” I love this album already and that’s after just the first two lines. There is something in that wonderfully honest couplet that really resonates with the world I work in, that reminds us that away from the big events of the big bucks, throw... Continue Reading →
This tender little musical morsel has graced these pages before, in fact its was the first review of the year and it was easy to fall for its numerous musical charms, then as now. The delicate lilting grace, the line it walks between gentle honesty and a more tongue in cheek look at relationships and... Continue Reading →