rescuing musical virtue in distress.
When writing about the previous album, Things I Don’t See, I sort of suggested that Kevin Daniel's sound got to the heart of what Americana is, for this UK based music consumer, at least. Just like most genres, however, it is almost impossible to get two people to even agree on what the term means.... Continue Reading →
Matthew Austin Hunt has been great at displaying his more subtle side, Bye London Bye being a case in point, and even the eponymously titled album which followed having balancing his more punchy sonic bursts with more considered ballads and tasteful understatement. Free, his latest single, sees him throw caution to the wind, a real... Continue Reading →
If I scan across the blurb for an album and see such luminaries as Sparklehorse and Mercury Rev listed as reference points, how can I not dive right in? Surely anyone who lists such mercurial and marvellous bands as sonic touchstones is going to produce something similarly interesting? There's only one way to find out.... Continue Reading →
Although Meghan Pulles has used the term emo-positive in the past to describe her music, with this latest single she wanders into territory which might be better termed cosmic country cool. But if it is country then it is wrapped up in a whole host of interesting indie traits and purposeful pop poise. The cosmic... Continue Reading →
Although you might associate Billy Roberts and The Rough Riders more with foot-on-the-monitor, fist-in-the-air, low slung rock and roll sound, we shouldn't forget that this sonic posse is just as deft at wielding poised and poignant music too. And that is the vibe to be found on this latest sonic slice. It's clearly a song... Continue Reading →
We are, by nature, curious creatures. In fact, our very evolution is down to the fact that we always want to know more. What's under that log? What's over that hill? What happens if I rub these two sticks together? Curiosity is in our DNA, wanderlust is part of who we are. So when a... Continue Reading →
As soon as the first few tracks of this soulful and sassy album had floated out of the speakers and into my senses, I knew that there was something familiar about the sound. To find out that the vocalist is none other than The Magic Numbers' Angela Gannon and that various members of Danny and... Continue Reading →
Writing this from the other side of the ocean, it is easy for the placenames of American towns to sound magical, otherworldly and iconic. Even the titular Mobridge, South Dakota resonates with the sort of cool lacking in my own part of the world, in places such as Newport Pagnell, Didcot or Swindon. But as... Continue Reading →
Playing what the band themselves call “Great Lakes country music,” Juniper is a wonderful collection of sounds garnered from country, bluegrass and folk all rearranged into their own alt-country style. It ranges from lilting and gentle acoustic balladry such as Hard Time, a song framed with the deftest and delicate arrangements and inclusions, to the... Continue Reading →
We know that Billy Roberts is great at kick arse, country rock and roll. That when you hear his music, you imagine a swaggering and groovesome band in full flight, foot firmly wedged on the monitor (I presume) firing of killer musical salvos. It's great then that Don't Understand shows another side to Billy and... Continue Reading →
Can we start with a bit of background, where has the musical journey taken you so far and what music and artists have inspired you along the way? Nero Kane: Since the beginning of my solo project as Nero Kane I’ve been through many satisfying things. Starting from the collaboration with Joe Cardamone (ex- The Icarus Line) for the recording... Continue Reading →
Having been forewarned and therefore fore-armed by Cody Lee’s groovesome New Normal, which kicks off this album, I was fascinated to see where he went with the sound that song hinted at. And the answer is mainly down a different, slightly alt-countryfied, understated rock, singer-songwriter path. The New Normal seems to stand apart slightly for... Continue Reading →
Once A Cowboy is a song which sits perfectly between the traditions of country music and more rock-orientated energies, not that the two genres have ever been that far apart. It’s slow groove and reserved pace hides the real kick that the music has, able to spiral up into crashing crescendoes when it wants to... Continue Reading →
Right from the first few bars, there is a real sense of familiarity with this record. I don't know if it's the Cave/Morrison like vocal style or the live natural sound achieved in the production. Whatever it is, I like it a lot. The band are both technical and solid yet they have the emotional... Continue Reading →
If Beemo isn’t the perfect bridge between the established traditions of Celtic folk and country rock, and the sound of contemporary indie music, then it will certainly do until a better bridge comes along. Nova, a succulent sonic taster from the album Bustin’ Out, is a buoyant and boisterous sing-along, upbeat and euphoric in the... Continue Reading →
Silverback Colony, (great name by the way) has been a revolving door for the great and the good of the musical world since its inception nearly a decade ago, with one permanent member in the form of the beard-stroking Gabriel Douglas at the helm of the musical ship. Here, aided and abetted by multi-instrumentalist Kai... Continue Reading →
Even up until about a year ago I was bemoaning the fact that, despite the way the world was turning, music still seemed to lack any political bite or social messaging, had forgotten what a great platform it had in favour of serving itself, was about the “me” rather that the “us.” Where was the... Continue Reading →
Nothing Is Like It Used To Be is a song with a very simple message. Whatever you're going through, whatever you are dealing with, wherever you are headed and for what reason, it’s a totally new experience. Others might have done something similar but it is by throwing you, the individual, into the mix which... Continue Reading →
I tend to listen to new music in my car on my commute to work, I can settle down without interruption and simply take in the music that is on offer, I lean towards the music that unfolds and has a story because it works so well with my daily journey. Upon reading that Justin... Continue Reading →
Twerk &Twang covers a lot of ground musically speaking and that generally suggests one of two scenarios. Often new artists will find themselves unfocused, unsure of their own musical identity and so dabble in all manner of sounds and styles. But Klaus Patzak, the man behind Broken Radio is anything but new to the game... Continue Reading →
Although opening salvo Vein of Blue might lull the listener into a sense that Cowboydelic is going to be a fairly straight down the line country collection, by the time the second track, Muck, arrives you realize that this is going to be a much more interesting prospect. It is also at this point that... Continue Reading →
The art of painting makes for a great allusion when it comes to describing music. Some pieces are built of riots of colour, paint liberally applied and full of texture others are fashioned from delicate washes used in harmony with the emptiness of the blank canvas to merely outline the subject. In such an analogy,... Continue Reading →
The new album, Things I Don’t See, encompasses a wide range of very American sounds and styles, which in turn suggests an interesting musical back story, can you tell us a little about your musical journey which gets you here? Kevin Daniel: I have been a musician my entire life, and like most musicians, I... Continue Reading →
Billy Roberts and his cohorts have always made music which wanders around within some pretty iconic parameters - country and rock ’n’ roll for sure, the occasional punky kick, plenty of singer-songwriter vibes and some slinky blues infusions. All fairly standard stuff but also broad enough sonic territories that there is still plenty of room... Continue Reading →
Used to Be is one of those songs which feels like an old friend. As soon as its classic tones come tumbling out of the speakers, its familiar country undercurrents, its late 60’s soaked, west coast, singer-songwriter vibes, its reflective and sentimental lyrics, you are immediately put at ease. But there is also that slight,... Continue Reading →
Daniel Tortoledo’s debut, solo album takes inspiration from a range of music all of which seems to fall into what you would call “classic.” Such music, encompassing everything from Neil Young to George Harrison, Bob Dylan to Devendra Banhart, not so much avoids generic labels but rather rise above such unnecessary limitations. And so does... Continue Reading →
If Bye London Bye , which helped pave the way for this release, showed Matthew Austin Hunt’s more subtle and reflective side, on this, his debut album, he gets to really let rip. American Made which acts as the opening sonic salvo is a proud statement of identity but one which rings with an honesty which... Continue Reading →
If rock and roll is all about the swagger and the spectacle and country music based around more deft and emotive song crafting, then it is in bands such as 32 Below that the two genres manage to marry up perfectly. A rock yin to a rootsy yang. As Such a Waste nearly demonstrates, the... Continue Reading →
If there is a more powerful metaphor for protection against adversity in the great American story than the image of wagons being circled up to keep out wild beasts and perhaps even wilder men, then I don’t know what it is. And whilst Love Me In The Dark’s latest release is high in detail about... Continue Reading →
Whilst I have always used a few very obvious handles to try to convey Joe Mayk’s sound -Americana, alt-rock, alt-country, indie - you know the usual shorthand of the lazy journo’, A Century Entirely seems to defy even those broad literary brush strokes. I guess all of those sounds and styles are in there somewhere... Continue Reading →