album review
Mammoth Penguins and Friends – John Doe
This is a bit unexpected. Mammoth Penguins’ first album, while with its own style, picked up not a million miles away from where Emma Kupa’s first band, Standard Fare, left off – quality indieish guitar pop soundtracking vignettes from day-to day life. So when the needle drops on some background noise, stately strings, mandolin and …
Album Review: Reverend and the Makers – The Death Of A King
Sheffield’s very own Reverend and the Makers have just returned with their sixth release, and follow up to 2015’s critically acclaimed album – Mirrors – with possibly their most impressive – and expansive – outing so far. ‘The Death Of A King’ was released on 22nd September via Cooking Vinyl and it certainly grabs the …
Album Review: Flyte – The Loved Ones
‘The Loved Ones’ is the long anticipated debut from London four-piece Flyte. It’s been some time in the making – about 3 years in fact. Flyte separately admit that as early as age ten, a career in music was their only ambition. Drummer Jon Supran and bassist Nick Hill met guitarist and lead vocalist Will …
Album Review: Richard Thompson – Acoustic Classics II
Richard Thompson has been performing his particular brand of folk rock for the best part of five decades now, and his career has seen him regularly release critically acclaimed albums. Initially a founder member of Fairport Convention, he recorded a string of much celebrated albums with his then wife Linda throughout the 70s, and he …
Album Review: Siobhan Wilson – There Are No Saints
Siobhan Wilson provides the heavenly soundtrack to heartbreak and healing with her second album ‘There Are No Saints’. After returning to Scotland from Paris five years ago, Siobhan Wilson moved from Elgin to Glasgow and used her background in classical music and French jazz to stunning effect. Her second album ‘There Are No Saints’ (out …
Not Forgotten: The Bees – Octopus
There’s something heartening when you discover a band that’s obviously not part of a media-hyped ‘scene’. Released during a period where tie-rock, Brit-pop revivalists and Coldplay-clones still held sway here in the UK, at least as far as rock music goes, Octopus confirmed that The Bees particular brand of shaggy retro-revivalism just didn’t seem to …
Album Review: Marnie – Strange Words And Weird Wars
With new album ‘Strange Words And Weird Wars’ Marnie proves that she still rules when it comes to powerful pop. ‘Strange Words And Weird Wars’ (released on 2 June) is the eagerly awaited follow-up to Helen Marnie’s 2013 solo album ‘Crystal World’ and cements her status as one of the queens of electro-pop – a …
Album Review: Randy Newman – The Randy Newman Songbook Vol. 3
You know, sometimes it really is just down to the songs. On hearing Kate Bush lavish sounding Before the Dawn for the first time recently, I have to admit, I was impressed, especially given how much improved many of the songs were with Bush’s mature and more lived-in vocal. Something I did ponder on however …
Album Review: Amber Run – For A Moment, I Was Lost
Amber Run release their highly anticipated sophomore album For A Moment, I Was Lost on 10th February 2017 via Easy Life Records/Red Essential. The album is accompanied with a 13 date UK tour, allowing the band to share their new songs with their fans as soon as the LP is released. The album opens with …
Album Review: Sailor & I – The Invention of Loneliness
It’s been a few years since Sailor & I unleashed his amazing debut track ‘Tough Love’, a song so unlike anything else around at the time, or now. It was bold, moody, and original. He’s had a few tracks out since then, but the debut album has been a long time coming; too long coming. …