Music
From an old record box: Ian Brown – F.E.A.R.
Verdict: just-about-listenable hokum. Let’s be honest – the lyrics are complete hogwash. I’m sure at the outset Ian Brown thought it was a great idea to flesh out the acronym in every line, but he was wrong; not even the early ones justify this cod-philosophical balderdash. Quite why I bought this (catalogue number Polydor 587 284-7), and …
Say Psych: Album Review, Create and Consume by The Love Dimension
The thing that strikes me about the opening to this album is how it manages to sound both hot and cold and the same time. There is an icey tingle infused by the warmth of the Californian sun as the West Coast melody kicks in. Thereafter, this opening track (the beginning of ‘Side X’), ‘And …
Track: Cedie Janson – “Light Curve”
There’s something mesmerising about this new release from Brisbane’s Cedie Janson – layers upon layers of complex percussive beats with a bubbling bass and a distant voice massage your ears. It is pure electronica – maybe not my usual listening preference – but very nicely done and impressively atmospheric:This track is off Janson’s debut EP cassette due …
See: ¡Forward, Russia! release Live at the Brudenell Film
What do you get when you cross a (increasingly) legendary venue in Leeds with a band (also from Leeds) that have been much loved and much missed. Well, step forward one of the genuine ‘alternative’ bands from the last few years, four piece ¡Forward Russia! and celebrations for the centenary of the Brudenell Social Club. …
From an old record box: R.E.M. – Nightswimming
‘Nightswimming’ is unassailable. This beautiful song is a rarity in R.E.M.’s back catalogue in terms of arrangement and features a relatively straightforward set of lyrics, at least for Michael Stipe. Whether or not you skinny dipped as a teenager, and whether or not you did so poetically isn’t really the point. Anyone who ever experienced …
LIVE: The Defiled, Avatar and Killus, The Key Club Leeds
It’s time for another show that was moved from the now deceased venue of the Cockpit to the Key Club and tonight is a celebration of all things European as Leeds is treated to a night of bands hailing from the UK and Sweden with support in the form of a Spanish band.Support band Killus …
See: A Place To Bury Strangers release video for ‘Straight’ + Album and tour news.
You should never judge a book by its cover. Yep; can agree with that. But when it comes to music, should you judge a band by their name? I’m not sure on this one, but one thing I am sure of, is that I’ve always thought ‘A Place To Bury Strangers’ was a great name for …
From an old record box: a-ha – Stay On These Roads
It’s a tough call, trying to work out which of Timothy Dalton and Daniel Craig is my favourite Bond. Craig has definitely got the better movies and the benefit of being the vehicle for post-Bourne rejuvenation of the franchise. But that can’t be enough. Dalton only got two movies, and he tends to get dismissed …
News: The Handsome Family – UK & Ireland Tour 2015
What a year this has been for Rennie and Brett Sparks. Before Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson starred in one of the most exciting and talked-about TV series of recent memory (all-time ? of course not, that’s still Buffy), The Handsome Family were strong, personal favourites for plenty of people; but now they’re household names. …
Album Review : Language of Shapes :: Mother Mountain
Language of Shapes inhabit a musical world all their own. Not that they don’t allow certain musical influences to seep into that world and show themselves now and then, but for the most part LoS score their wonderful little universe all their own. Their self-titled debut from 2012 showed a band brimming and bursting with …