rescuing musical virtue in distress.
Who would have thought that such a deep and searching lyrical message would come in such a buoyant and funky sonic wrapping. But that’s the fun of music I guess. And if at one extreme of the music spectrum you have grim-faced, over-earnest rockers delivering the most banal and meaningless messages, here, at the opposite... Continue Reading →
Considering the melancholic and almost baroque nature of previous single Gone By Noon, Acid Rain is the perfect follow up track. In may ways it is the perfect contrast to the mood of that previous outing, opting for a more confident and vibrant beat, a more energetic and obvious groove. Although these are enough touches... Continue Reading →
So many musicians working in the broad electronic music field seem to be inspired by the sounds of the past, by those early post-punk pioneers, New Romantics, Blitz Kids and 80’s synth-pop warriors. That in itself is odd because those genre-benders were always looking to the future, were forward-thinking and futuristic in their outlook. Which... Continue Reading →
Having been prepared for Christopher Dallman’s evolution from more traditional singer-songwriter into a creator of chilled, electronic-pop thanks to his exquisite single So High, I now find myself in the fortunate position of having a full album of such deft creations before me. Digital Blue, which will be unleashed on the public in about a... Continue Reading →
Genres are at their best when they are being wilfully ignored. Better still when they are not even being acknowledged in the first place. I think it is this healthy ambivalence to the idea of musical rules and regulations that makes At Night such an interesting musical prospect. I guess it is pop, sort of,... Continue Reading →
I guess the reason that so many people, especially in the pop and dance worlds, are referencing 80’s sounds, even if they don’t always realise it, is because that was a more pioneering time. Today, making music can be as simple as downloading samples, using technology to bend even the most lack lustre vocals into... Continue Reading →
As he proved so eloquently before on Shadow Visions, Earl Donald’s music has a wonderful softness to it without ever resorting to being too fragile or overly delicate. He makes a sort of ambient, electro pop but he does so by first building a strong, though often spacious, backbeat. And it is this solidity which... Continue Reading →
If pop music is all about addictive melodies and dance music is based on infectious beats then Right Direction is where the two worlds collide. The result is something which would feel as at home in the underground nightclubs as it would getting regular play on mainstream radio playlists. And that is a cool trick... Continue Reading →
If you are going to do pop you might as well tick all the boxes, pop done half heartedly is a waste of everyones time. Those boxes include things like, infectiousness, addictive grooves, danceable beats, euphoric lyrics and a sense of adventurousness, abandonment and escapism. Kamryn Marie makes music which visits all of these stations... Continue Reading →
As the world becomes a smaller place it is only logical that sounds and styles merge, cultures and musical traditions weave together and even languages become interchangeable. Not that Acapulco, Mexico and California, USA, the two places that La Sinclair has called home, are that far apart but her ability to deliver her songs in... Continue Reading →
Like all artists worth bending your ear at in the pop market, it is Jimmy Laine’s desire to warp the format that keeps him ahead of the game. Bones, his latest in a run of recent stand alone singles, takes elements of pop, the bounce of the beat, the accessibility, and mixes it with a... Continue Reading →
Even before you get to the music itself there is something wonderfully endearing about going on here. With a song title which just says that fad and fashion isn’t their game, take us or leave us, and a band name which is both confident of their skills yet slightly wacky in the way that they... Continue Reading →
British electronic act Cabinet of Millionaires has announced the new 'Stop The Coup' EP, a politically-charged set of three tracks, which was released on December 6. The video features stunning artwork from Oliver Lancaster Smith. Political change in the UK often prompts Yorkshire electronic act Cabinet of Millionaires to pull out a champion protest banger! With... Continue Reading →
I still haven’t quite got my head around where X House Music fits into the scheme of things. A platform for new music? A remix service? A broad-minded music gene splicer? Perhaps even a sonic version of the Algonquin Table? I don’t know. Not that it really matters. Anyone who is helping new music muscle... Continue Reading →
As usual I have come late to the party as Don’t Leave Me Behind seems to be the fourth release from a clutch of singles starting with his debut, Moving On back in August. But better late than never, yes? Well, yes indeed as this final offering is everything that is great about stumbling wide-eyed... Continue Reading →
The remarkable thing about Ummagma is their ability to wander diverse musical pathways, soaking up influences and juggling so many disparate and different sounds yet bring it all together in music that sounds cohesive, natural and …well, Ummagma-esque. There is nothing wrong with bands having a singular vision, to want to fit neatly into a... Continue Reading →
We’ve all been there. You randomly notice someone who seems to tick all the right boxes on the mental list for a perfect partner that you carry around in your head and the next thing you are smitten. And at that point you can do one of two things. Either you can act on your... Continue Reading →
One of the great things about Grasslands' broad sonic scope is that the music seems to genre-hop brilliantly, ignoring the rules and regulations, fads and fashions of any particular style and yet tipping a hat, in this case a wolf-themed one, naturally, to many. It’s a trick he is able to pull off live, though... Continue Reading →
If a “week is a long time in politics” then 33 years is a geological eon in music. But Modus is an album 33 years in the making and which highlights just how much the world has changed…and also how much it hasn’t. The songs that make up the album were written between ’86 and... Continue Reading →
People who get clever about their music marketing realise that in this multi-media age just writing a great song isn’t enough. The more astute amongst their ranks offer a more comprehensive package, something above and beyond the sonic offerings, something that hooks people in and keeps them on the creative journey with you. Ian Hendrix... Continue Reading →
There is something of an eighties revival around at the moment. Film and TV is referencing the era, some of the clothes are back in fashion and new music is drawing inspiration from the sonic innovations of that post-punk period. And I’m not saying that What Is Love? is looking back to past glories but... Continue Reading →
Macaco certainly covers a lot of musical ground over the course of the 13 racks that make up this album. So much so that it is impossible to put him into any one genre, rather what we see is an artist at work who is able to draw around him any and all musical styles,... Continue Reading →
The term “Supergroup” might seem slightly out of step with modern times but I can think of no better description for Michael Ciravolo’s Beauty in Chaos. Even if you ignore his own entry into the annals of rock history both as guitarist for Human Drama as well as Michael Aston’s longstanding Gene Loves Jezebel wingman,... Continue Reading →
There is pop that sounds like it was built hurriedly in a factory on the last shift of the week, nothing more than a hurried, box ticking exercise, functional but where you can see the joins. Then there is the sort of pop that Jasmine Ash makes…effortless, slightly intangible, elegant and musically eloquent. Hire Wire... Continue Reading →
Different types of music require different approaches when it comes to describing them on paper. Writing, even something as rigid as a music review, can be as varied, unpredictable and changeable as the music that it is aiming to reflect. And whilst I am normally one for a holistic approach, of trying to convey an... Continue Reading →
I guarantee that if you asked 5, 10…100 different people to listen to Y33BA they would all come to a different conclusion as to where this mercurial band fit in the musical canon or which generic pigeon-hole they are best posted into. But that, I guess, is the art of it, finding a way of... Continue Reading →
The last time I encountered Daniel Angelus he was splicing dreamstate pop with hazy synthwave and understated dance grooves and lamenting the loss and longings of two far-flung lovers separated by the vast emptiness of space. And fans of Reflection, the song in question, will find much to their taste on this 4-track outing, the... Continue Reading →
Eccentric, theatrical and immediately likeable, this 20-track album from two of Belgium’s most celebrated musicians encompasses years of genre-hopping and underlines the duo’s ability to find creative sparks in almost any setting. At times pop, European electro, Brit-Pop, punk, garage rock and radio-friendly tunes just to show they can do it all. Kloot Per W... Continue Reading →
I’m not really sure how Earl Donald does it but Shadow Visions is both a love letter and a goodbye note to a city. It shimmers with the night time allure of the modern urban world, the soulful brass sounds adding a touch of sophistication to the busy beats and electronic washes. But somehow there... Continue Reading →
It says something about this young artist that last time I wrote about her I name checked Lisa Hannigan and this time out I find hints of Hope Sandoval’s sultry blends of innocence and worldliness hiding amongst her more contemporary sounds. In fact take the dance beat out and you would find yourself with a... Continue Reading →