blues
Classic Album: Bob Dylan – Highway 61 Revisited
Imagine the shock of hearing Highway 61 Revisited the first time in the mid 60s. You’re a Bob Dylan fan, you like his politicised songwriting as it fit in neatly with your ideals and opinions. Sure his material has become slightly less political over recent albums, but he’s still a great songwriter. You can even …
See: Billy Bragg and Joe Henry release video ahead of Shine A Light
A preview of the Shine A Light project, looking at the history and songs of the American railway, Billy Bragg and Joe Henry have released a video of the recording of “The L&N Don’t Stop Here Anymore”. It’s part of a fascinating trip on the US railroad, in particular the route from Chicago to LA. …
Track: Modern Mal – Wild Heart
Out of Michigan, Modern Mal are a collective of musicians, including Rachel Brooke and Savannah Buist from The Accidentals. Wild Heart is their new and debut video, and features an intriguing blend of lilting country vocals over Tiki style exotica and a blues beat. The video features vintage clips of circus performers, burlesque beauty queens, and hula …
Meet: The Harpoonist & The Axe Murderer
Vancouver duo The Harpoonist & The Axe Murderer are fresh from a handful of European dates, in support of their recent record Don’t Make ‘Em Like They Used To. Although the name suggests something of the extremes (I had dutch happy hardcore, or Swedish death metal in mind) they actually make this rather intoxicating mix …
Track: NEEDTOBREATHE – No Excuses
So we know that Charleston, SC quartet NEEDTOBREATHE have a new album out on July 15th through Atlantic Records. We also know it’s called H A R D L O V E, (yeah, that gap thing going on again) and we know the band can turn their hands to, well, virtually anything following the previous …
Album Review: Luxury Hobo – Big Boy Bloater
The throaty roar of Big Boy Bloater signals his returns with a new album – Luxury Hobo. Specifically, you are straight into the driving Hammond organ rhythm of “Devils, Not Angels”, which sounds like Billy Preston covering Led Zeppelin’s Rock and Roll. “This ain’t the girl that you been looking for” he growls, while the …
News: Big Boy Bloater and the Limits on tour
Straight out of the deep south (Farnham) is the Big Boy Bloater tour, Britain’s foremost exponent of voodoo swamp blues will be touring his new album Luxury Hobo in May, with his band, the Limits. Expect hammond organs, horror movie references, and good times. The closest thing to Louisiana blues on this side of the Atlantic, …
EP: Hugh Kelly – Give Me All Your Love
Busking in the streets of Edinburgh since his teens, Hugh Kelly dropped out of university to concentrate on his music, culminating in the release of his debut single, ‘Give Me All You Love’ in early February. This was followed by a video two weeks later and at the end of February he will release his …
Say Psych: Album Review, Lanes Oil, Dream Is Pry by Rollfast
Rollfast is a band that I’ve been following for a while (here for previous reviews); a five-piece from Bali, Indonesia it purveys a great line in blues drenched psych rock that, in the limited number of releases I’ve heard, has never disappointed. Now, after almost 5 years together, the band has put out an album with …
Track: Armchair Committee – All Mine (Portishead Cover)
Bristol three piece Armchair Committee have taken a look back into the musical history of their city for a prequel to their forthcoming single Rawgabbit, which drops December 11th. They’ve dragged Portishead’s All Mine through their skewed blues and punk energy, and made something thats loud, muscular and actually rather good. Recorded at the legendary …