indie albums
Album review: The Antlers – ‘Green To Gold’: a safe haven in a frugal year
A highly anticipated comeback for Peter Silberman’s band, with an album full of soothing melodies
Album review: The Peacers – ‘Blexxed Rec’: San Fran garage outfit’s third has some nuggets within
Whatcha got? A great little garage rock record, is what. One foot in a California garage, fiddling with the fuzz pedals; another gazing across the ocean to Swingin’ London town, taking in folkiness, powerpop, mod and freakbeat touches. A great record for a dusk motorway, this; yeah, a great little record.
Album Review: Black Honey – ‘Written & Directed’: a masterclass in vintage nostalgia
Written & Directed is an absolute masterclass in vintage nostalgia without it being cheesy. Black Honey are leading the way for bands to experiment beyond their typecast genre and just find a niche sound and execute it to the nth degree
ALBUM REVIEW: Another Michael – New Music and Big Pop
A cheerful and endearing debut Lp by the emo-ish Philly band
Album Review: Carpool Tunnel – Bloom; a bubbling slice of Californian indie
Carpool Tunnel are musically fluorescing with the release of their debut album Bloom. After only releasing singles since 2017, Carpool Tunnel are kicking their discography off to an encouraging start with this 60’s inspired, simplistic sounding album that will transport you from a dreary day to the Californian coast. Bloom offers an escape from the current climate and creates an excitement for the go-ahead of festivals. The 11-track album is an effortless listen from start to finish. Each track is a heartwarming combination of tender …
ALBUM REVIEW: Julien Baker – Little Oblivions
Memphis-born Julien Baker returns with her haunting, ballad-filled 3rd studio album, that you would have to be oblivious to not be enamoured with. In her first solo album since Turn out the lights in 2017, Julien Baker is showing that she is back and better than ever before with a slowcore, self-produced album that is …
Album Review: Bradford release ‘Bright Hours’: a magnificent follow-up to ‘Shouting Quietly’, 31 years on
SOME things change and some stay the same. Whereas before, with debut album Shouting Quietly, there was a car journey home from nearby Loughborough, Left-Legged Pineapple bag strewn on the floor, I pored over the lyrics typed onto the inside sleeve, studied who played what, did what, wrote what and where; anticipation building, found the …
EP Review: Crossfire Eagles – ‘Major Arcana’: New seven-track release from Sheffield indie rockers
There’s a moment in BBC 4’s ‘Smashing Hits! The 80s Pop Map of Britain and Ireland’ when some old boy talks about how you could walk down any street in Sheffield and hear the Human League rehearsing at one corner, ABC at another and Def Leppard at a third. That tradition of South Yorkshire rock …
ALBUM REVIEW: The Weather Station – Ignorance
Building up on the career of an accomplished artist, Ignorance is no doubt one of the first “headline” albums of 2021. Full of lush and classy orchestrations, the album exudes music craftsmanship throughout its canonical ten tracks, evoking smoky, nocturnal, slightly alcoholic, Closing Time soulscapes. Following 4 years after the last installment in Tamara Lindelof’s …
EP: Tender Tones – Youth Retirement Club
Out now on Bandcamp, via Shore Dive Records is the debut ep – Youth Retirement Club, by French Dreampop/Shoegaze/Electronica duo, Tender Tones. This ep starts with, ‘In Dreamed Lives’; a pulsing Electronica-driven tune with hypnotic synth guided phasing and luscious multi-voice vocal delivery, setting a sense of mood and onward direction. The beat is pulsating …