indie albums
EP: Pluto Is A Planet – Dying Every Second
Out now on Bandcamp, via Shore Dive Records is the debut ep, ‘Dying Every Second’ from Australian Dreampop/Shoegaze/Synth band, Pluto Is A Planet. The EP opener ‘Binary’ is a track which wavers in a hazy ambience, before being catapulted into noisy guitar Shoegaze yet underpinned by a Dancy, Baggy Beat. This tune, with its rhythms, …
ALBUM REVIEW: Pet Grotesque brings the late summer nights with ‘Female Synth Player’
PET GROTESQUE is the solo project of Calum Armstrong, who can also be found in the excellent Tiña (who released their debut album, Positive Mental Health, last week). Channeling King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard in terms of work ethic, Calum Armstrong has just released another album within the space of just a week under …
Album review: Ane Brun – ‘After The Great Storm’
HUMILITY, honesty and heart are three key elements of Norwegian singer/songwriter Ane Brun’s music. With a voice that puts you within emotional touching distance plus an eye for visuals that demand attention, each release since her debut in 2003 has marked a restless need to refine, reflect and tell truths. Yet since 2017’s exquisite collection …
EP: New Ghost – Future Is Dead
Out now on Bandcamp via Shore Dive Records is the ‘Future Is Dead’ ep by Alternative Rock/Shoegaze/ DreamPop/ Post-Rock collective, New Ghost, who are based in Sheffield, England. The ep starts with the US Alternative Rock style track ‘Your Reds’, full of crunch and fuzz. Then, the vocals- a soulful female voice with a contemporary feel, …
Album Review: Lazy Legs – ‘Moth Mother’ (vinyl reissue)
OUT NOW on Tartarus Records is the album Moth Mother by shoegaze/slowcore band Lazy Legs, who are based in Portland, Oregon. Although first released last year, it’s just had a vinyl reissue, and is the bands second album, and the follow up to 2016’s Visiondeath. Moth Mother begins with a fiery buzz saw guitar which …
ALBUM REVIEW: Magik Markers – ‘2020’: New England noiseniks’ filthy return
New England noiseniks’ full-length return after a six-year absence is filthy, trippy and even, at points, damn pretty. Righteous and cathartic, be glad they’re back
ALBUM REVIEW: Working Men’s Club – Working Men’s Club: eclectic and rallying
WORKING MEN’S CLUB’S self-titled debut can be counted as one of the better UK releases of 2020, youthful zeal and hard-hitting beats redeeming the occasionally gimmicky lyrical and musical content. The album draws on an eclectic range of influences, from dance-rock and acid house to funk and techno, the constant mixing and rearranging of which …
Album Review: The Bachelor Pad – All Hash & Cock (compilation)
Many folk of a certain age will recall the NME’s 1989 charity compilation video “Carry On Disarming”. One of the standout tracks was The Bachelor Pad’s “Country Pancake” – a riotous assault which fondly recalled the energy of early C86-era Soup Dragons singles with a large slice of lysergic cake thrown into the mix and just …
Album Review – Emmy the Great: April /月音
Emmy the Great (Emma-Lee Moss) released her fourth album on October 9th. ‘April /月音’ (the Chinese script, which translates as ‘Moon Sound’ on Google Translate but is given as ‘Mid-Autumn’ on the first track signifies her origins in Hong Kong). It was a bit of a rushed job, the fastest she’s ever recorded, ironically as …
Album Review: SAD13 – Haunted Painting
To contrast Sadie Dupuis’ work as SAD13 with her work with Speedy Ortiz feels unfair, yet inevitable as they are essentially two different distillations of her own personality. The former is more Dupuis as Dupuis, for sure ,but even the band work was sprung out of her own ideas and therefore could be reasonably approached …