indie albums
Album Review: White Fence – For The Recently Found Innocent
I’ll start off by saying I’m not the diehard fan of this garage rock revival that so many others are. I recognize the greatness guys like Ty Segall, John Dwyer, and White Fence’s Tim Presley possess. Their musical output is quite staggering, and to the newbie it can be rather intimidating. Much like someone walking …
Not Forgotten – Half Man Half Biscuit – Cammell Laird Social Club
From mid 80s post-punk beginnings which welded basic musicianship to barbed lyrics about life in Thatcher’s Britain, to a more competent and dynamic sound backing witty and wise wordsmithery throughout the 90s, Half Man Half Biscuit have continued to become slightly more sophisticated as time has gone on, without losing whatever it was that made …
Album Review: A Sunny Day In Glasgow – Sea When Absent
I can’t remember the first time I heard A Sunny Day In Glasgow, but I do remember how I felt. I felt as if I’d found this wonderful musical gift. Part dream pop, part shoegaze, and yet still totally modern. They were taking the building blocks of those late-80s noise genres and turning into something …
Album Review – Guided by Voices – Cool Planet
Guided by Voices are one of those acts where I genuinely cannot remember where or when I first heard their name, but I’ve known it for a while now. I guess he first time they registered on my radar as anything more than just a name, was about nine years ago when a Canadian friend …
EP: Batsch – Collar EP
14th July will see the latest release from Coventry art/synth pop quartet Batsch. The band – Mason Le Long, Joe Carvell, Matt Rheeston and Andy Whitehead do a mean line in groove, laying down some beautifully melodic and memorable ones in their recorded work to date, taking the lead from the likes of Chic and …
Album Review : Alex Calder – Strange Dreams
The title of Alex Calder’s newest album couldn’t be more accurate. Listening to Strange Dreams is indeed like having a strange dream. The music wobbles and shimmers. It hops along like a hurt animal doped up on narcotics. It’s hallucinogenic demeanor oozes out of the speakers as if some symbiotic creature wanting to meld into your DNA …
New Music: Felt Tip EP “Simple Things”
We’ve already been impressed by the angular sounds of Felt Tip on their single “Milk and Honey” released in January of this year. Their debut EP “Simple Things” is being released through Fierce Panda on 9 June. Containing four tracks, the EP opens with a wistful “Simple Things”, a clattering song with a funky cowbell beat …
Album Review: City States -Geography
Its been a long time coming for Joel Ebner, aka City States. After nearly six years of false starts, mutations and detours, and at the (relatively) ripe old age of 34, he’s finally completed his debut album, Geography. He’s had some pushes on the way, notably keyboardist / producer Steve Lund and drummer Mike Burmeister, …
Album Review: Wye Oak – Shriek
So what do I know about Wye Oak? Well, I know Jenn Wasner has one of those voices you want to hear sing just about anything. It’s a dark and breathy kind of voice. It’s the kind of voice you want to crawl into and take a nap in. There’s an all-knowing maturity in her …
Album Review: Paws – Youth Culture Forever
Not out till June 2nd, Paws’ second album, Youth Culture Forever, sees the result of the Scottish trio decamping to Adam Pierce’s (Mice Parade / Swirlies) studio in the woods just outside New York to try to build on both the sound and the buzz of their debut album, Cokefloat! And to an extent, they …