rescuing musical virtue in distress.
In a world where roots music seems to be going through a watering down process to try and make it seem “cool” to the “kids,” where words like alt-, anti- and post- get attached to generic labels which have done the job just fine for years, Sam Lewis is like a breath of fresh air.... Continue Reading →
This recording starts with a beautifully spacious sonic landscape that took me back to the time when Kate Bush experimented with the latest in Fairlight synthesizer technologies. Towards the end of the first track, big crescendos build from nothing to a dazzling ball of musical complexity. 'Bluebird' is driven along by a lo-fi 8 bit... Continue Reading →
There is an art of building a song, to creating understated atmosphere and tingling anticipation before unleashing into the musical Sturm und Drang that is the pay-off. And if part of that art is to keep the listener hanging on for as long as possible until they have abandoned all hope that there is even... Continue Reading →
Music tends to fall into one of a few categories; there are the musicians who deserve the title, they know their instrument inside out, know music theory inside out and can create and structure a piece like an architect. Everything in its correct place, the building blocks are the chords, melody and rhythm, yet they’re... Continue Reading →
Both folk and classical, perhaps more than any other styles of music have always been the best at capturing something of the natural world. The former seems in touch with its primal nature, its lore and history, the latter able to use sweeping compositions and grand sonics to describe the natural, and sometimes supernatural, drama... Continue Reading →
These early mornings of late winter seem to be getting to all of us, the constant grey, dull mornings make us cry out for the start of spring, I yearn for an early blue sky and the promise of a warm day, but the grey mornings do give me a chance to listen to some... Continue Reading →
I often find the influences which artists, or more likely their management, list as touchstones and reference points to be more usually a statement of what the artist sounds like in their own mind rather than how they actually do. I’m even more sceptical when I see an artist who I am particularly fond of.... Continue Reading →
Anyone who writes a song in homage to a Werner Herzog film is okay in my book. It shows not only obvious good taste but a desire to write about something other than the same old shallow topics which seem to clog up the charts these days, someone who thinks outside the box, someone looking... Continue Reading →
I’m always harking on about how important the opening track to an album is, I like the song to not only act as an introduction to the songs to follow but to also grab the listener and make them want to carry on listening. Track one on Dubliner Steo Wall’s debut album is a ruse,... Continue Reading →
From the outside, Every Soul A Story can be summed up rather quickly (and rather unfairly) by saying it sounds a little like The Proclaimers and if you like the music of the Scottish duo, you’ll like this. It’s true, there are similarities in theme, vibe and delivery but that doesn’t tell the whole story.... Continue Reading →
‘Hope In High Water’ has a backstory that would suit a Hollywood movie, bored of their day jobs the duo decided to move to the country, live in a caravan and live the life they wanted to live. A life of music, connection to the great outdoors and pursuing a life with a little more... Continue Reading →
There is something both primal and angelic about the a cappella introduction to Old Soul, which takes us gently by the hand and leads us into this exquisite album. If music is about emotive communication then Steve McCormick and Heather Donavon, the people behind Love Me In The Dark, are some of the most effective... Continue Reading →
I love when bands take a genre and push it a little to see where things lead, it’s a strange, yet refreshing, brew that makes up the duo’s second album, ‘The Dark Ages’. Pitched as something called ‘dark folk’ the music sits somewhere between David Lynch and the Brothers Grimm, it’s time to say cheerio... 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 →
As 2019 ends and we move into a new year it was with much excitement that I grabbed a cd from my haul of things to review but without knowing it I had a small pile of albums from last year that had somehow fallen by the by so the first album of the year... Continue Reading →
Right from the off, you can hear that you are in the hands of an artist who knows what they are doing. The delicate yet dexterous guitar picking, the slow and gentle additions of additional musical lines, highlighting slide guitar cascades, drifting harmonies and hand claps, the considered vocals…its all there. But it is also... Continue Reading →
It’s easy to forget the true meaning of Christmas; of course, the clue is in the word but for every smiling man in a red suit that comes along, one less religious reminder is forced off of the shelf, perhaps Santa attracts more people than a baby in a stable surrounded by donkeys, cows and,... Continue Reading →
If you have ever heard a room full of people yelling “I hope your husband dies” in some harmoniously sloppy, drunken unison, then you will have stumbled into an Amigo The Devil show. Danny Kiranos, better known as his musical alter ego, has spent the last few years challenging the expectations of traditional folk, country music purists and rock/extreme metal fans... Continue Reading →
Folk is a big word. Okay, not physically big but the connotations of such a label are certainly broad having to take in traditional, Arran sweater sporting, finger in the ear folkies through indie re-inventions to the dream-like folk-pop of the modern age. And whilst Jim Chorley’s latest release certainly echoes with a 60’s sensibility... Continue Reading →
It’s amazing how quickly a phrase becomes a meme, a meme a cliche, a cliche and accepted addition to the language. And anything that moves that quickly is obviously the perfect title for a song and the perfect subject matter to explore. It’s even better when the person behind the music is also the target... Continue Reading →
There is something immediately likeable in Betsy Phillips’ new EP, the calm and unrushed songs contain subtle twinkly moments that can appear sombre but goes a long way to reinforce the notion that often the best voice in the room doesn’t need to be the loudest. It’s all very understated, it never goes beyond third... Continue Reading →
Anyone can write a song! You want proof, just turn the radio on. It isn’t even that hard to get it recorded, modern studio technology being what it is. No, the art of ending up with something that really stands out is having a song which was worth writing in the first place. Something meaningful.... Continue Reading →
If you ever you hear Canada’s band, West My Friend‘s music described as ‘folk’ feel free to storm away in disgust at such a mention because although folk lies at the heart of the trio’s sound, there is so much more. It’s a little like saying Pablo Picasso was a painter, or Muhammed Ali was... Continue Reading →
Franc Cinelli has always been blessed with the art of musical understatement. For the most part the main thrust of Night Songs is the dexterous guitar work and warm tones of the man himself and very little else because little else is needed to make these songs fly. And that is a great skill to... Continue Reading →
Last time out I used references such as 10,000 Maniacs and Cowboy Junkies as easy labels for Heathcote Hill’s lilting, country infused charms. This time around I would also add Fleetwood Mac to that list, there is something of the Rumours era vibe seeping into the music which is never a bad thing. And if... Continue Reading →
There’s a lot to be said for music that is able to grab you without the need for big production tricks and loud music, there are no wailing guitar solo’s or screaming vocals here, instead the songs rely on solid song writing to get the point across. The Mining Co. comes down to the musicianship... Continue Reading →
Twin Lakes makes music which is a bit like holding a gem up to the light. Turn it one way and it seems to contain certain colours and patterns, turn it another way and a different image appears. And so it is with this trio and their sonic footprint. Depending on how you approach In... Continue Reading →
In a world where music seems to be ever more reliant on the tricks and gimmickry afforded by technology - effects pedals, samples, the dreaded auto-tune and other sonic manipulations - it is great to stumble across bands like River Drivers. Not that they make music with any sort of Luddite deliberations, it’s just that... Continue Reading →
Music is sometimes about escapism but othe times it is the perfect focal point to raise awareness. With successive creatives joining the ranks wanting to be heard and share their concerns for their community, their country, their planet, art in general and music in particular, has something to say again. Okay, we had punk and... Continue Reading →
