ALBUM REVIEW – HALF WAIF: SEE YOU AT THE MAYPOLE
The backdrop to ‘See You At The Maypole’ is heartbreaking. Nandi Rose, who performs as Half Waif, was expecting her first child but in December 2021 a scan revealed no heartbeat. The treatment for a missed miscarriage is most effective with two drugs, mifepristone and misoprostol. However, Rose was only prescribed the latter so her body did not recover as it should and for the next four months she was literally carrying death inside her. While an additional procedure finally... Read More
LIVE REVIEW: JORDAN RAKEI – ALBERT HALL 26/09/24
The elegant, frayed decay of the Albert Hall gives it its charm, its chunky charisma. It is arguably our finest live venue, the balcony like a hug, the room something of an architectural cuddle. And if it’s not homely enough, tonight there are rugs on the stage, and lamps dotted about as well, so that it feels as though Jordan Rakei has invited us into his living room, with the conversation of the crowd a kind of aural smudge in the background domesticity. Even the security... Read More
ALBUM REVIEW – GEORDIE GREEP: THE NEW SOUND
When I first saw Black Midi nearly two years ago at New Century Hall in Manchester, my mind was blown, I was enthralled by what I was seeing on stage, my eyes as wide as humanly possible, stood in complete awe as others around me screamed every word back to the band. From that moment, I had to know everything I could about them and dove headfirst into the band’s highly rated debut, Schlagenheim. This feeling of pure encapsulation into a new sound invading my ears is exactly... Read More
ALBUM ROUNDUP WEEK ENDING 27 SEPTEMBER 2024
Rounding up a bumper week of releases that is equally high on quantity and quality. Sharada Shashidhar Soft Echoes Described by Gilles Peterson as ‘The Jazz Kate Bush’, ‘Soft Echoes’ justifies the fanciful description. A step forward, eschewing her previous work’s hip-hop tilt for expansive compositions that blend jazz and Indian classical influences into a swirling, spiritual whole. Naima Bock Below... Read More
ALBUM REVIEW – ALAN SPARHAWK: WHITE ROSES, MY GOD
I haven’t anticipated the release of an album as strongly as I have in the case of Alan Sparhawk’s debut solo record, ‘White Roses, My God’. Like countless other fans of the work he produced while a member of the esteemed duo Low (alongside Mimi Parker), I was taken aback upon listening to ‘Can U Hear,’ the first of the record’s two promotional singles. One needed only to have heard the opening 20 seconds to realise that Sparhawk would... Read More
ALBUM REVIEW – EZRA COLLECTIVE: DANCE, NO ONE’S WATCHING
“Dance is life and you can’t be angry when you’re dancing so keep dancing”, states the voiceover on ‘Our Element’, a brief linking track on Ezra Collective’s new album, ‘Dance, No One’s Watching’. While “anger is an energy” as John Lydon once described it, the horrendous fact that he has ended up as a Trump supporter and this summer’s English racist rioters were defined by rage make it clear that dancing is preferable to anger. The joy of dancing has... Read More
ALBUM REVIEW – GEMMA HAYES: BLIND FAITH
The sixth album from singer-songwriter Gemma Hayes falls into the “grower” category. It is not an album that clamours for attention but through a combination of cunningly low-key instrumentation and storytelling weaves its spell. Having relocated from London to Baltimore, West Cork and taken up residence in the holiday home of her husband’s family, Hayes found herself drawn into late night songwriting sessions on piano in its music room and ‘Blind Faith’ has that sense... Read More
ALBUM REVIEW – WE ARE WINTER’S BLUE AND RADIANT CHILDREN: NO MORE APOCALYPSE FATHER
If you tell me that Efrim Menuck – founding member of one of my personal favourite bands Godspeed You! Black Emperor – has a new project, I’m already on board. We Are Winter’s Blue and Radiant Children have more prestige than just that alone, though. Joining Menuck are Mat Ball, guitarist in drone doom outfit BIG|BRAVE, plus Jonathan Downs and Patch One of post-rock band Ada. It’s a pretty formidable lineup, one that has come together to deliver the six austere... Read More
ALBUM ROUNDUP WEEK ENDING 20 SEPTEMBER 2024
Another hearty week of new releases. Here is Silent Radio’s summary. Katy J Pearson Those Goodbyes Songs which range from achy-hearted, string-laden confessionals to sleek, chic soundtracks for the small hours The Waeve City Lights The second album from Graham Coxon and Rose Elinor Dougall is a collection of 10 songs that illustrate the evolution of their collaborative musicianship and sees the band’s sound solidified... Read More
ALBUM REVIEW – THE COURETTES: THE SOUL OF… THE FABULOUS COURETTES
From The Ronettes through the likes of The Marvelettes to The Pipettes, the suffix ‘ettes’ in a band’s name is a reliable indicator of certain qualities. It is a guarantee of a female fronted act, either 1960s originals or heavily inspired by girl action from that era, and punchy pop songs with big choruses and hearts on the dancefloor. From its monochrome cover to its contents, ‘The Soul of… The Fabulous Courettes’ adheres to this template, albeit with a few twists... Read More