rescuing musical virtue in distress.
With the increase in activities in the Del Amitri camp and guitarist Iain Harvie dedicating himself to that excellent band full time, Tim May found himself looking around for a new sonic sparring partner to help him write a fresh batch of songs. This came in the form of Calum MacColl, a man who as... Continue Reading →
I have to confess that I have no idea where one metal genre ends and the next heavy rock pigeon-hole begins. The heavier end of the musical spectrum has always loved its demarcation and divisions, its post-this and that-cores, some people could get very upset about such things, funnily enough though, those people were always... Continue Reading →
The term "new wave" was much-maligned in some quarters, looked down on by both the punk whirlwind that preceded it and the post-punk elitists who followed. But it was the perfect label for music which was the vehicle for a certain type of edgy and effervescent, buoyant and bright alt-pop, a pop which didn't take... Continue Reading →
Britain's The Gorstey Lea Street Choir have shared the new video for 'Up With The Larks' from their 8-track album '...from Prince's Park to Farsley - Volume I' via Britain's 500 Broadcast Recording Co. This track features Paul Cooper (The Great Divide) on piano and legendary producer George Shilling (Blur, Primal Scream, Cathal Coughlan, Teenage Fanclub) on cello. Earlier, the band previewed the psych-gaze single 'Bluebird, Hollywood...... Continue Reading →
Well, this is a refreshing change…and then some. I get so used to reviewing music that is driven by amplifier settings and effects pedals, studio gimmicks and inhuman technologies, where the lyrics and vocals seem almost an afterthought, that it is easy to forget just how pure, poignant and powerful the voice can be. And... Continue Reading →
If the job of a single released ahead of an album is to build interest and intrigue for the full-length sonic delights to follow, then Entwined should expect a heft Christmas bonus from its employers. Opening with the ethereal drift of the enigmatically and existentially titled Nothing is But What is Not, we revisit the... Continue Reading →
Whilst this debut album from YYY might be genre-hopping, musical gene-splicing, sonic scatter gun of sounds and ideas, the more you play it the more you are drawn not so much to the obvious and slightly mad eclecticism and increasingly to its more subtle and supple elements. Less to the building blocks and more to... Continue Reading →
Music legend and XTC co-frontman Colin Moulding is back with new music, this time as a solo artist, presenting his new single 'The Hardest Battle', released as a CD single in 4-panel digisleeve via Burning Shed. Containing two songs - 'The Hardest Battle', 'Say It (original version)', and an exploratory demo of the title track, The Hardest Battle represents XTC founding member Colin Moulding's first-ever fully... Continue Reading →
Leadboots seem to have mastered the art of taking base musical elements - the ruggedness of blues, the swagger of rock and roll, the deftness of folk - and turning them into solid sonic gold. And Call Of The Void is all the proof that you need. Unlike many bands of today, those that favour... Continue Reading →
The message behind this musically lush new track from Love Letters From Space is not a new one but it does seem to have taken on added poignancy in recent years. The idea of the connectivity of (anti)social media as being some sort of technological saviour was long been known to be a myth, ironically,... Continue Reading →
If Anna Elizabeth Laube is a name unfamiliar to you, firstly, shame on you, and secondly, discerning music fans will be pleased to know that she has just released the perfect album for those wishing to explore her songs. Annamania is a retrospective collection, the hand-picked highlights of her previous four albums chosen by the... Continue Reading →
Another week scored by a wonderful and eclectic soundtrack to put under the pen. Hopefully, you will find something new to fall in love with or familiar to celebrate. As always, please support these artists in any way you can, listen, explore, buy, whatever you can manage. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2PGDPAvBnVLsBjJAbL5biF?si=vKHLSKvWTQ-iq1dfcY-0cg
I had the joy of reviewing an EP from LA-based singer songwriter Rivita a few years ago, I found her music sat between dance floor and reflective in electronic music, so its great to hear what she has been doing since then. Lonely With Someone plays out like a James Bond theme, atmospheric and haunting,... Continue Reading →
Mixing folk delicacy with country moves and Americana vibes, not to mention poetic lyricism and gorgeously intertwined harmonies, the debut album from Canadian West Coasters, Peach & Quiet is a class act. There is a gentleness to the music, space is just as integral and instrumental as the strings and beats, and it is around... Continue Reading →
Taken from the soon to drop EP Delilah, Often is a smooth blend of sultry, up to the minute R&B grooves, ambient pop vibes and sensual electronica. It runs on a platform of floating synths and skittering beats, a blend which brings just enough pace and structure to the drifting sonics but which never gets... Continue Reading →
Not heard anything from Folk Devils for around thirty years, so this was a welcome surprise. Big bendy guitars crash in with a wall of dirty but tuneful sound behind. No space for filler in here, just big powerful chords, rhythms and melody. It has a confidence that comes with age and experience. Although the... Continue Reading →
Power-pop. It’s an interesting term. It’s a much misunderstood term. To some it might imply that navigating its mysteries require you to merely crank up the guitars in a pop tune. Or swap sonic weight for more infectious melody in a rock number. Well, yes, it is sort of about that but it is about... Continue Reading →
Metal, especially the more technical end of that particular spectrum, and classical music have always made slightly odd but perfectly compatible travelling companions. But require high levels of skill, dedication and dexterity, both revel in florid and intricate soundscapes, byzantine sonic structures and whatever the opposite of the “less is more” approach is. Both also... Continue Reading →
The on-going pandemic has led to many different reactions from people trapped and traumatised by such unprecedented times. Anger fear, compassion, a renewed sense of unity, even laughter as a survival mechanism and everything in between. And music artists are no different but they do have a more public platform through which to express themselves.... Continue Reading →
There are many myths and fallacies to be found witinin music. The biggest has to be that it is a younger persons game. Perhaps from a marketing point of view for fly-by-night indie bands or transient pop-tarts, but when it comes to what really matters, the music itself, how can it not improve as the... Continue Reading →
What separates metal from plain, old, work-a-day rock music is often less to do with the technicalities of what is being played and more to do with the scope of the vision the band employs. Whereas rock has always revelled in industrial strength riffs, thunderous back beat, soaring vocals and coiled and claustrophobic textures, metal... Continue Reading →
Another week of working with cool sounds made by even cooler people. Here are some of the finest moments. Check them out, buy some merch, keep the grassroots scene alive. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2NwXo6wIGgk9CAqdfVVJwi?si=5HJJz5_QSaeqxUw_wr61sg
Short, sweet and to the point. But that has always been the charm of rap music. It knows what it wants to say and it gets straight on with it, and you can’t accuse Sen Lombardi of outstaying his welcome. Repetitive to the point of hypnotic, minimal to a point that it seems to eventually... Continue Reading →
A lot of modern rap and hip-hop, and the music which has sprung from these forms, seems to be powered by a glitchy, skittering trap percussion. An engine room bookended by depth-charge bass beats and skittering, chiming chirps. Last Night manages to put a new spin on such a rhythmic approach, with the percussive beats... Continue Reading →
There are two assumptions that could be drawn when you listen to any album which seems to wander between a whole range of genres and heads off to explore various musical tangents. Either the artist is unfocused, inconsistent, perhaps even unsure of themselves or they feel unbound by generic convention and they chose the style and... Continue Reading →
Although he has so far built his reputation on a sound very much in the acoustic, singer-songwriter genre, Christopher Dallman is also nothing if not open to exploration. So High, a calling card for his album Digital Blue, marks a deft change of direction. Here he blends relaxed electronica beats, cinematic soundscapes and the merest... Continue Reading →
As the opening salvo of Yesterdays, the song which first turned me on to the delights of this band, rolls confidently out of my speakers, oddly enough the first thing I think about is how small the world is, how cyclical music can be and how great ideas are not governed by time and place.... Continue Reading →
There has always been a sweet spot to be found between rock weight, indie cool and pop infectiousness, and the search for it has become a legendary quest for a sort of sonic Holy Grail. It is only in such sacred places that the effect of these three influences mixes with perfection, a heady blend... Continue Reading →
I have always loved Cyborg Asylum’s future nostalgic blurring of time lines. Future because their music always seems to be the soundtrack to some dystopia cataclysm yet to happen, the rallying cry for the under dogs in some yet to come Big Brother, oppressive police state. Nostalgic because whilst pursuing those futuristic visions, they also... Continue Reading →
As always, amongst the many great qualities to be found in Emily Breeze’s music, that smart combination of wit and wisdom is tantamount. Even the song’s evolution from a tongue-in-cheek lecture about how to play the game, not make waves and get on in the music industry into a middle-finger tirade, railing against such conformity... Continue Reading →
