pop
Album Review: A Great Big World – ‘Is Anybody Out There’
Of all the albums coming out this first quarter, this has been the one I’ve been looking forward to most. When you listen to a lot of albums that try to be deep & meaningful this and concept that it’s always nice to return to an album that has just simple and honest good music. …
Denim Snakes – 21
“21” is a good time. The sentiment is somewhere we’ve all been – those glorious, fleeting months or years when everything is possible or at least worth a punt and almost every weekend, if not night, throws up serial delights and adventures. The man from Barry’s got it right “18 and I’m an overlord !”. …
Live Review: Megan Nicole – Manchester Academy 21.01.2014
Embarking on her European tour, Megan Nicole played her first full headlining show in the UK last night at Manchester academy. Providing a show length of 75 full minutes (which is more than a lot of gigs I’ve seen recently) Megan proved that she was the great musician and performer that her legions of UK …
Live Review: Hannah Trigwell – The Cockpit, Leeds 18.01.2014
Coming to the end of her first UK Headlining tour, Hannah Trigwell’s penultimate show took place in her hometown of Leeds to great welcome and excitement. The atmosphere for a show on home territory was exactly as you’d expect it to be: a crowd that was filled with friends and fans, both encouraging her on …
Track: Paloma Faith brings the soul on Can’t Rely On You, plus album news
It’s funny who you run into. I, in my younger days (not that much younger, I’ll admit to that) used to have these shoes that allowed my to slide, slightly Fred Astaire like, down the aisles of the Tesco (and other supermarkets in other places, but bear with me on this) nearest to my work. …
Video of the day: Wild Ones – From Nothing
A shot in the arm to protect you against those early-winter blues. Filmed in the nearly-empty city of Shaniko, progressively deserted after the railroad moved on, this single is taken from the Portland, Oregon band’s debut album “Keep It Safe”. Singer Danielle Sullivan walks with a sway down 5th Street, past This Ole House, turning …
Heyward Howkins – Be Frank, Furness
Soulful pop from sinuous-voiced Philly singer-songwriter. Keep an ear on those guitars – there’s magic hidden in those little decorations. Back in July we met Philly singer-songwriter Heyward Howkins. He was offering a first look at two of the tracks from his new LP “Be Frank, Furness”. He released the full-length earlier this month (you …
Lapland – Metal Lungs
There’s something reassuring and comfortable about the way “Metal Lungs” starts – straight into its rhythm without intro as though it’s a story you were already part-way through, the next track on an album you had already started listening to. That sense is echoed by the insistent strains of repetitive guitars and warm, soft snare …
New Single: Josef Salvat – Every Night/Till I Found You
London-based Aussie singer Josef Salvat releases his new single, more timeless (mainly synth) pop-soul in the form of double-A-side “Every Night” and “Till I Found You”. Out on December 9th on Fingers & Thumbs. We’ve met Josef before, back in April when we reviewed his previous single “Hustler” (you can read about it here). There …
NOT FORGOTTEN – BILLY JOEL – COLD SPRING HARBOR
What the hell is this? A Billy Joel album in this ongoing A to Z of underappreciated albums? When I first started this series of reviews, I never imagined that of all of the acts that come under the letter J in my collection, it would be Billy Joel’s solo debut that would leap out …