rescuing musical virtue in distress.
A Song in Latin . . . - Short-Haired Domestic (reviewed by Dave Franklin) There are a few names which when spotted in blurb or bio, print or press, you are immediately compelled to explore the reason for their mention. We all have our own iconic beacons of creativity to admire, and on my own... Continue Reading →
Although it is quite a cool album title, in my opinion the only thing old school about Slang is his work rate. We find ourselves in an age when album releases, especially from bigger name artists seem to be getting further and further apart. Slang’s work ethic is more akin to that of a few decades... Continue Reading →
In a world where bands are trying to build the future by creating whole new genres to inhabit, mixing sonic potions like mad scientists in midnight laboratories, who think that the past is the past, what’s done is done and that anyone looking backwards instead of forward is some sort of dinosaur, there is one... Continue Reading →
London-based The Heliocentrics have long stirred a bewitching brew of funk, jazz, psych and library influences. Labelled by Pitchfork as “a live-band culmination of every obsessive hip-hop-era producer's drive to fall deeper into a rabbit hole of the previously unheard”, the band’s far-reaching influence meant a natural knock-on in being cited by hip-hop royalty: namely,... Continue Reading →
If you asked me to sum up the wonderfully titled Everything At All Times and All Things At Once in one word then I would have to say …funky. But then why would you? Okay, funky it is, but forget the type of funky that gets injected last minute into pop formats by besuited executives... Continue Reading →
Although vocally the song comes on like a slice of old school rap, as soon as all the musical elements kick in your realise that this is something else altogether. The bass is both funky as hell and overdriven to the point where it seems to be heading into the realms of a metalcore band, the... Continue Reading →
Well, that’s interesting. I love songs which are hard to pin down…either chronologically or generically and THNDR’s Think Twice is certainly one of those tricky beasts....are by far the most intriguing. A mix of gentle-funk, island vibes, pop-reggae infectiousness and underground dance grooves, it is a song that is as addictive as it is strange.... Continue Reading →
If a more life-affirming, celebration of the self has passed this way in recent years, I must have missed it. Not only is B Freed's latest release a real reminder that we need to love ourselves, do what makes us happy, live the life we chose, aspire to be the best version of us that... Continue Reading →
Funny how when we hear the term “world music” we automatically think of some niche music probably aligned with a specific tradition or culture, Mongolian throat singing, flamenco guitars, Japanese drum troupes and the like. But surely world music should just be something with universal appeal, that falls less into a generic furrow and more... Continue Reading →