Music

Psych Insight: Album Review – A Psych Tribute to the Doors (Cleopatra Records)
When people ask me what sort of music I am into these days I am never quite sure how to respond because whatever I say be it just ‘psychedelic’, or something like new, neo, or contemporary psych does not really help. The most common response is something along the lines of “oh that druggy music them”, …

A Buyers Guide to The Bonzo Dog (Doo Dah) Band
Way back in the mid 90s there was a radio documentary about The Bonzo Dog Band. Co-bandleader Vivian Stanshall had passed away in recent years in tragic circumstances, so it was a nice tip of the hat to an act that contemporary audiences had dismissed as a mere novelty act responsible for nothing more than …
Introducing: Bang Bang Romeo
When was the last time you were surprised to hear a genuinely good rock band? One that you couldn’t help but be compellingly drawn towards and impressed by. A band that grabbed your attention regardless of whether you were willing to offer it or not. It’s been years since I encountered a band like that, …
Live: I Set the Sea on Fire. The Leadmill 08/03/2014
It’s Saturday and I’m at The Leadmill, a venue I’ve not been to for at least five years. I’m here to see I Set the Sea on Fire, a hotly tipped five piece from right here in Sheffield. They’ve been making waves recently with a couple of singles, the best of which, “Monsters”, is a …

See: Horse Thief release video for ‘Devil’
The Devil has all the best tunes, so William Booth, the founder of the Salvation Army reckoned. So, he stole some of the best ones and had more appropriate words composed to go alongside them. At least, that’s what Google informed me, so hey, go speak to them if it isn’t true. Coming out of …

Album Review: Real Estate – Atlas
You know I like apathy, discontent, and an overall general malaise in my art fix like the next guy. And a bit of snarky condescension always makes a song go down a bit rougher, yet satisfyingly cold as well. I mean really, wouldn’t you rather have disconnected sarcasm permeating the tunes you pump into your …

A Buyers Guide to Eels
Eels are a band that too many people viewed as post-grunge alt-rock oddities as they rose to prominence in the late 90s. This wasn’t help by such stunts as appearing on Top of the Pops playing toy instruments to promote early hit single “Susan’s House” and having such oddly unsettling artwork on their debut album. …
Not Forgotten – The Rutles
After years of only being available as a hideously overpriced import, when The Rutles finally received an official CD release in the UK, it was at least a decade too late, but hey, we have it now and the pre-fab four have never sounded better. So why was it at least a decade too late? …
Not Forgotten – Mercury Rev – All Is Dream
After the totally unexpected comeback that was the brilliant Deserter’s Songs, Mercury Rev had to put out an album that was a suitable follow up to one of the key albums of the late 90s. Their track record of coming up with the goods when the chips was so far untested and there was the …