EP REVIEW – JAWS: IF IT WASN’T FOR MY FRIENDS, THINGS COULD BE DIFFERENT
Jaws are making their comeback with their first extended release since 2019. If It Wasn’t For My Friends, Things Could Be Different, is an introspective look at friendships, gratitude and the breakdown of relationships. The leading single off the EP, Are My Friends Alright? is perhaps the most prominent. Taking on a more Do-It-Yourself approach than in their previous releases, it is an evolution of the indie dream-pop, dazey vibe that they are known for. A sort of fuzziness... Read More
ALBUM ROUNDUP WEEK ENDING 15 SEPTEMBER 2023
Plenty of new releases to feast upon in Silent Radio’s weekly guide. Explosions in the Sky End Perhaps the grandest Explosions in the Sky album to date – melding the quiet restraint and crushing weight of their early recordings with the aural exploration and ornate experimentation of their later works (while incorporating their increasingly deep film and television scoring catalogue). Robert Rotifer Holding Hands... Read More
LIVE REVIEW: DEXYS – BRIDGEWATER HALL – 8/9/23
As a child in the 1980s, Dexys Midnight Runners were everywhere, you couldn’t go to a party or event without ‘Come On Eileen’ being played at least once. Dexys seemed to dominate the pop world for while, in a whirl of cleverly crafted theatrical pop which blended northern soul with folk influenced violins. Fast forward forty years and Dexys are back on the road again having released three albums since reconvening in 2012. Frontman Kevin Rowland may be the only original... Read More
EP REVIEW – BLAIR DAVIE: IT’LL BE LOVELY
Four magical songs form the Scottish singer Blair Davie’s wholehearted EP ‘It’ll Be Lovely.’ Beginning with little ethereal noises ‘Found My Person’ starts mystical and light. Gentle drums and Davie’s relaxing vocals fabricate a song that expresses themes of being accepted for who you are but mainly the extreme feeling of falling so in love with someone that you want to “Jump right in”. The tracks sincere vocals make it obvious Davie wrote this song with someone... Read More
ALBUM REVIEW: SPRAIN: THE LAMB AS EFFIGY OR THREE HUNDRED AND FIFTY XOXOXOs FOR A SPARK UNION WITH MY DARLING DIVINE
The Lamb As Effigy or Three Hundred And Fifty XOXOXOs For A Spark Union With My Darling Divine marks a new phase in the mutation of LA quartet Sprain. Since their first self-titled release in 2018, the band have shifted dramatically from gentle, subdued slowcore in the vein of genre titans Codeine or Bedhead to a much more rabid sound. 2020’s As Lost Through Collision already saw the band having reared a noisier, more disfigured head, accompanying the low-key sway they proved... Read More
ALBUM REVIEW – RANDOM HAND: RANDOM HAND
I love a super-over-produced, American punk record – this is simply what ska-punk should sound like, in my book (apologies to King Prawn and Judge Dredd). Ten tracks, just over half an hour, short but sweet and high-intensity start-to-finish. That ringing p-bass, the brick-wall compressed horns, the clicky, palm-muted percussive guitar chords clicking through the verses, the red-hot wall-of-noise on the chorus, rousing Hammond organ lines and full-volume shouted backing vocals…... Read More
ALBUM REVIEW – OLIVIA RODRIGO:GUTS
Leaving her name stuck inside everyone’s mind, Olivia Rodrigo continues to storm her way through the music industry. A child-star from Disney suddenly turned to an international music sensation after the release of her 2021 album, ‘SOUR’, which took over each and every break-up playlist, and handed over the much-loved tracks ‘drivers license’ and ‘deja vu’. With nearly 60 million monthly listeners on Spotify, it’s obvious that the wait for Rodrigo’s second album,... Read More
ALBUM REVIEW – COURTNEY BARNETT: END OF THE DAY
Throw away all existing expectations of what Courtney Barnett sounds like. She’s showing us something new. An artist known for her profound lyricism and traditional songwriting prowess, Barnett has flipped the script for her latest album, End of The Day. A fully instrumental album comprising 17 seamless flowing tracks, which explore sound as a texture while playing with different tones. As a soundtrack for the documentary Anonymous Club, a candid portrayal of Barnett’s ascent... Read More
ALBUM ROUNDUP WEEK ENDING 8 SEPTEMBER 2023
Lots of lovely releases clamouring for our attention this week. Allow Silent Radio to present our weekly guide. Jonathan Wilson Eat the Worm In addition to guitar and vocal performing with Roger Waters’ live band, Wilson has worked as a producer with the likes of Father John Misty and Angel Olsen. ‘Eat the Worm’ offers him the opportunity to indulge some off-the-wall ideas emerging from his production sessions, the best of which... Read More
ALBUM REVIEW: SONIC YOUTH – LIVE IN BROOKLYN
From watching them in muddy festival fields in 90s, seeing them across the UK with a network of like minded zine writers and fans on the Dirty tour in 92, to seeing their last UK tour in 2010, it’s fair to say that Sonic Youth have been the musical accompaniment for a vast part of my life. Not many bands have truly changed the musical landscape in the way these four NY based musicians did. ‘Live In Brooklyn’ captures the band at a unique moment in time, they... Read More
