Music
Album review: RHODES – Wishes
A few years ago whilst looking through the Glastonbury line-up, trying to decide which acts to see and which I’d have to miss, I stumbled across a little known singer-songwriter called Ed Sheeran. He was playing numerous times over the weekend on various tiny stages. I remembered the name because his song ‘The A Team’ …
Meet: Kami Thompson from The Rails
Folk rockers The Rails are husband wife team James Walbourne and Kami Thompson who are back on the road promoting their critically acclaimed debut album Fair Warning. If Kami’s surname seems familiar it’s because she is the daughter of folk rock pioneers Richard and Linda Thompson who produced six classic albums before splitting up. Hopefully …
Album Review: Toe – Hear You
Ever get fed up of your music collection? Tire of all the usual indie guitars and house beats? Well maybe you need something completely different. Something unlike anything else you have been listening to. Keep reading. ‘Hear You’ is the new album from Japanese math-rockers Toe, released on Topshelf Records. It is predominantly an instrumental …
Not Forgotten: Ben Folds Five – Whatever and Ever Amen
Popular opinion would have us believe that most acts find their second albums much more problematic than their debuts. In some ways this is understandable as the material on debuts is generally years in the making, having been honed and perfected in the years of hard gigging and demo recordings that inevitably happen before band …
Track: KPT – Descent
Taken from KPT alive by machines, the upcoming full length release from Minneapolis producer KPT, new single Decent opens with this almost industrial sounding drum crashes. As it begins to unravel, so the electronic hue that provided its backing comes to the fore, along with these almost static baselines and increasingly elaborate drum patterns. Over …
News: McAlmont And Butler announce reissue of ‘The Sound of..’ and Tour dates
These anniversary editions of classic albums come round every now and then, making those of us who bought them back in the day feel really old. We’ve celebrated the releases of ‘Screamadelica’ and ‘Nevermind’. Now it’s the turn of ‘The Sound Of McAlmont and Butler’ by former Suede guitarist Bernard Butler, and vocalist David McAlmont. …
Album Review: Lana Del Rey – Honeymoon
Who didn’t love Lana Del Rey’s breakthrough hit ‘Video Games’? It was unique, sexy and classy. It was unlike anything we had heard, and rightly gave Ms. Del Rey her place on the map, and giving her her first top ten single. Since then, reactions to this sultry singer have been somewhat mixed. Her follow …
News: A big big love… Gigantic indie all-dayer 2016 headliners announced
As this years festival season draws to an end, news is already starting to break for what to loom forward to in 2016. Quite easily establishing itself as the season opener, Manchester’s Gigantic Indie All Dayer is back for round three of what promises to be yet another glorious nostalgic romp through the annals of …
Live Review: Cud – Sheffield, The Plug – 18.10.2015
Mike Dunphy and and William Potter have departed the stage, leaving drummer Gogs Byrn to back vocalist Carl Puttnam at the end of a blistering version of “No Smoking”. Cud have just performed their 1992 masterpiece, Asquarius, in full from beginning to end with an energy that would put a quartet of teenagers to shame. …
Track: Benjamin Verdoes – Night Walker
You might have come across Seattle beatmaker Benjamin Verdoes through his eccentric and unpredictable songwriting in Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band. Since those days, he’s honed his skills as a producer and beatmaker, as witnessed by his previous solo effort, The Evil Eye. Out today via Brick Lane Records is a new EP, The One …