rescuing musical virtue in distress.
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 →
What’s in a name? Well, in the case of the curiously named Gemtarra, plenty. A combination of two Italian words Gemilli’ which means twins and ‘Chitarra’ which means guitar, it is a name which sums the band up perfectly. We are used to seeing brothers in the same bands - from The Kinks to Oasis... Continue Reading →
Fathom, the single, was an unexpected pleasure, so much so that it made me keen to hear what else this musically astute duo had up their sleeves. With the arrival of a four-track e.p. of the same name the question is answered and alongside the title track we are offered up three more slices of... 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 →
Wandering well-trodden paths and staying within comfort zones is all very well but surely life is about seeing what is around the next corner, about trying new experiences and feeling new sensations. And that is as true for those making music as those listening to it. But sometimes that feeling of being too far from... Continue Reading →
I don’t want to get all “old man sporting a 30-year old band t-shirt” but there was a time when we would have called songs which sounded like Feel It merely pop music and have done with it. Okay maybe New Pop or Alt-Pop but pop none the less. I mean it ticks all the... 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 →
Stay Lunar has to be one of the more interesting young bands straddling the indie-pop divide at the moment and I’m not saying that just because they probably know where I live and no, I don’t owe them money. It’s true. Indie seems to have become a tad formulaic of late, the realm of airbrushed... Continue Reading →
Collisions between the classical and contemporary music world have always gone on and to varying degrees of success. I guess where one is the realm of discipline and exactitude the other is more often the home of feeling and improvisational jamming. Getting the two to work together probably relies on being able to switch mindsets... 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 →
They say that just because you lose the vote, doesn’t mean that you have to stop making the argument. So even though the country that Paul Cavanagh and Dave Jackson call home has recently swung politically to the right, and done so in no uncertain terms, that doesn’t stop them commenting on the situation. But... Continue Reading →
There is a beguiling combination of sounds that makes up the musical DNA of Descender, a compelling blend of cool classical infused vocals and sultry pop grooves. And it is such, seemingly opposites, attracting that have always made Post Louis a fascinating band. Here, the clarity of Stephanie Darin’s voice and the way it is... Continue Reading →
Given the musical theatre surroundings which formed Maxime’s formative years, it is hardly surprising that the drama and style of some of that world has crept into his music. But this formal approach is tempered by the fluidity of pop, folk and indie sounds and the result is an album which benefits from the best... Continue Reading →
I was, for a long time, concerned about the state of music. Not sonically speaking but that in these darkening and divided times it had lost its true voice. After all rock ’n’ roll, punk, hip-hop, grunge and most other important musical scenes grew out of disenchantment and frustration and if the state of the... Continue Reading →
Somewhere between the infectious but empty sounds of modern chart pop and the lyrically interesting but over-earnest musings of the modern indie troubadour is a small cross-over point. It is in this section of the musical Venn diagram where the commercial nature of the former mingles with the cultish vibe of the later that you... Continue Reading →
The Big Takeover have just posted my latest interview with Paul Furio of Watch Clark. To find out about what's going on in, on and around his latest album Couch and what the future holds for him have a read here. http://bigtakeover.com/interviews/AquickconversationwithWatchClark
Ahhh, Fassine, it’s been a while. Far too long. But all that will be put right soon with the announcement of Forge, a new album for March next year. In the mean time Limbs has been sent out into the world to test the water. So what has changed? Well, they seem to be a... Continue Reading →
Another interview for New York's Big Takeover magazine, this time with the most post-genre of post-genre acts, Luis Mojica. A great chap to talk to and some fantastic insights into his music making. Find out all about him here... http://bigtakeover.com/recordings/AquickconversationwithLuisMojica
When we hear the phrase “there are three people in this relationship,” our first thought isn’t that they are talking about the pet, but that is exactly the angle that MARBL take with their latest single. Not so much seen from the point of view of the pet dog but certainly a reminder that pets... Continue Reading →
It was about half way through opening salvo Grinding My Teeth that two thoughts popped into my head. The first was that every now and then I catch a sonic whiff of REM. The second was that there was a certain amount of Midnight Oil going on too. Easy references this early on in a... Continue Reading →
I get a lot of music pass under my virtual pen which, even at first glance, you pretty much know what you are going to writing about, without even listening to it. The cover art, the titles, just the whole vibe of the peripheral accoutrements is a real give away and off you go down... Continue Reading →
Over the last couple of reviews of her releases, I have always struggled to tie down just where K Michelle DuBois’ music fits into the grand scheme of things. Not that it matters but it does make the reviewers job easier and also gives the reader something to hang their expectations on, I guess. And... Continue Reading →
There is something ironic about songs like Sophisticated, at least from a journalistic point off view. Because of the understatement and space that such a song is crafted from, it is actually easier, not to mention more interesting, to write about. Those black clad alt-rockers, indie kids with their complicated hair, punks looking to smash... Continue Reading →
Welcome to the world of dark brooding sounds, misted pine forests, underground lairs and ships setting to sea with dangerous cargo. A world inhabited by Minotaur’s, Krampus, Russian witches, Extraterrestrials and half bike/half man creatures. No it’s not the latest film from Hollywood, nor is it a fantastical book from Neil Gaiman or JK Rowling,... Continue Reading →
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, there is something very 60’s, hazy and if pushed to throw in a geographical reference, I’d have to say West Coast, about The Pierce Projects core sound. Time Is Absurd was full of such psychedelic pop prettiness and Cry Me a River has it too. But... Continue Reading →
A few months ago I reviewed an album by STANLÆY called The Human Project, it was more of an art piece in that it took in performance art, videography and the ‘album’ was merely the soundtrack to this piece. It was strange, unnerving and unlike anything I had heard before, so with eager ears I was... Continue Reading →
One of Scotland's most celebrated bands, Goodbye Mr MacKenzie are reissuing their seminal album 'Good Deeds and Dirty Rags' on vinyl and CD November 1. This long-play has been remastered for both formats. The CD version will include 3 additional tracks from those early years, not previously included on the original edition. The band are also... Continue Reading →
There are lots of things which are great about the music being made in the current climate. But beyond all of the technological innovations, the accessibility and distribution streams, the fact that music is now ubiquitous, in my opinion the best thing that has happened in recent years is that we have run out of... Continue Reading →
Oxford’s sibling duo Catgod have been making a name for themselves in and around Oxford for the last few years, combining harmonies and their skewed take on life with a musical background that is moody, atmospheric and brilliant. It takes a strong collection of songs to hold my attention and among the tracks there are... Continue Reading →
It’s been called many things, new pop, college rock, pop-rock, alt-rock, underground pop but the one I keep coming back to is new wave. Not that it is new anymore but the term does serve its purpose well. If punk was the attitude driven boot which kicked down the barricades and post-punk was the arty... Continue Reading →
