Folk
Album Review: United Bible Studies – ‘So As To Preserve The Mystery’
In an effort to maintain a balanced sense of perspective, it is necessary to flambé ones objective juices, to periodically take a trip outside of what is often mistakenly referred to as your, “comfort zone”. United Bible Studies‘ latest release, ‘So As To Preserve The Mystery’, could be construed as one such foray. I have …
Track: The Hanging Stars – The House on the Hill
Featuring members of The See See and Dan Michelson and the Coastguards, London quintet The Hanging Stars are a collective as much as a band, and have brought their own brand of rootsy, swampy psychedelia to bear on their debut album, tentatively titled Over a Silvery Lake. From it comes a new song, ‘The House …
Album Review: Beirut – No No No
At its best ‘No No No’ is cheerful, breezy, spirit-lifting. But that same lightness is also what holds it back from being anything more than a solid, ultimately not-very-remarkable listen. There’s plenty here that is nice, and pleasant, and I can imagine looking out of a bay window onto autumnal parkland enjoying this record as …
Not Forgotten: The Waterboys – This Is the Sea
Following a number of false starts, A Pagan Place had finally established The Waterboys as not only an act of great promise, and had come tantalisingly close to establishing them as one of the key acts of the decade and masters of the sort of epic and emotional Celtic rock that was poised to fill …
News: Universal to reissue All About Eve’s first two albums
I think I just felt, deep in the very bottom of my heart, a little jump. It’s been buried there for a good amount of years, but just the mention of All About Eve made it jump. At first, at least for me and All About Eve, it was Julianne Regan, the beautiful, alluring singer …
Track: Bec Sandridge changes direction and releases In The Fog, In The Flame
Bec Sandridge has changed direction and, based on the pace of new single In The Fog, In The Flame, she’s running off there at full pelt. This Sydney-based (originally from Glasgow) singer/songwriter had her feet firmly in the folk camp not so long ago. Now she’s danced over to “spaghetti disco pop” (her words) with …
Album Review: Gilmore & Roberts – Conflict Tourism
They say that folk music is the new rock and roll. Many would argue it’s also the original rock and roll. If this is the case, there shouldn’t be much doubt that award-winning duo Gilmore & Roberts are one of the young folk bands that have been leading the revival of a genre that has, …
Not Forgotten: Jethro Tull – Too Old to Rock ‘n’ Roll : Too Young to Die
Frequently disregarded by their fans as an attempt by bandleader and benign dictator Ian Anderson to simplify the Jethro Tull sound, Too Old to Rock ’n’ Roll: Too Young to Die is in some senses one of their most interesting works. Wedged between the band’s grandiose work of the early 70s, and their late 70s …
Soundtrack of our lives: Hattie Briggs
All 12,300 tickets for the 51st Cambridge Folk Festival were snapped up again this year with fans flocking to enjoy the likes of Joan Baez, Wilko Johnson, Passenger, Joan Armatrading and festival favourites the Proclaimers amongst others. Alongside these dyed-in-the-wool legends of the melody and the song was a young lady called Hattie Briggs who …
Album Review: Small Feet – From Far Enough Away Everything Sounds Like the Ocean
From Far Enough Away Everything Sounds Like the Ocean is the debut album from Stockholm trio Small Feet, aka Simon Stalhamre (vocals/guitar) alongside Jacob Snavely (bass) and drummer Christopher Cantillo. Essentially a vehicle for Stalhamre’s songwriting, it’s been a long time coming as the bands focal figure battled demons, learning English from the TV after …