ALBUM REVIEW – LAURA J MARTIN: PREPARED

It is never easy to predict what is coming next from Laura J Martin. Her previous solo album, 2016’s ‘On the Never Never’ was recorded in Nashville with members of Lambchop, Silver Jews and Jesus Lizard. Most recently, in 2020 she collaborated with Lavania Blackwall, formerly of Trembling Bells, on the exquisite freak folk project, […]
Germany is renowned for having some of the best-known power metal bands. From Helloween to Powerwolf, there are some really well-established bands, to bands like Freedom Call who do not receive as much credit as they should. The band has over 10 studio albums and Silver Romance includes some of their most creative and original […]

ALBUM REVIEW – FREEDOM CALL: SILVER ROMANCE

ALBUM REVIEW – ABIGAIL LAPELL: ANNIVERSARY

There are certain records that you need to mentally prepare yourself for before you can listen to them, artists like Adele and Billie Eilish, for example, are masters at pouring hearty emotion into their work; Abigail Lapell possesses that same talent in almost identical quantities. The Canadian musician is scheduled to release her newest collection […]
A week high in quantity and quality includes these new releases. Group Listening            Walks  Woodwind and piano duo including Stephen Black (Sweet Baboo and Cate Le Bon’s band) draw from the field recordings of Ernest Hood; the abstraction of Harold Budd; the saxophone of Sam Gendel; the “heightened naturalism” of a Martin Parr photograph; the […]

ALBUM ROUNDUP WEEK ENDING 10 MAY 2024

ALBUM REVIEW – ARAB STRAP: I’M TOTALLY FINE WITH IT DON’T GIVE A FUCK ANYMORE

BBC Scotland recently repeated the 2014 documentary, ‘Where You’re Meant To Be’, in which Aidan Moffat set about reinterpreting traditional Scottish folk songs. Seeing him take ancient songs and put them in a contemporary framework offered an opportunity to reconsider his writing as part of Arab Strap and his guile in chronicling modern life. From […]
‘Manchester tonight’s been the best night of our fucking lives. We should do it again sometime,’ declares Boyle as the crowd applauds in approval. The voluminous venue that is Victoria Warehouse, with a capacity of 3,500, was swiftly stamped as ‘sold out’. Being the biggest venue they have performed to date, the band has been […]

LIVE REVIEW – THE K’S – VICTORIA WAREHOUSE 26/04/24

ALBUM REVIEW – UNLEASH THE ARCHERS: PHANTOMA

Most power metal bands will stay within that genre, rely on huge, catchy choruses and musicianship that will make them stand out. Musically, a lot of power metal is very similar. Not Unleash The Archers. Canada’s best metal band have proven with Phantoma that power metal can branch out to other genres, such as prog, […]
Plenty of top tunes this week to keep your toes tapping and your brains thumping. Jessica Pratt    Here     Some of her most adventurous music yet. Throughout these nine songs, timpani, glockenspiel, baritone saxophone, and flute are layered alongside robust vocal arrangements that create a triumphant mood, even when the lyrics hint at devastation. Pete Philly […]

ALBUM ROUNDUP WEEK ENDING 3 MAY 2024

ALBUM REVIEW – FRANK TURNER: UNDEFEATED

Never before has an album title felt more fitting. Frank Turner’s ninth album, 2023’s FTHC, was a record about reconciliation – battling through the chaos to recover what’s been lost amid trying times. An intensely cathartic and frequently unflattering listen, Frank Turner’s blunt observations about the pandemic along with his ravishingly personal songwriting made the […]
Sludge metal legends Melvins’ new album Tarantula Heart sees them experiment once again with some of their most ambitious and melodic material yet. I mean any album with a 19-minute opening track is spelling that out pretty clearly for you, isn’t it? Tarantula Heart is Melvins doing what they want and sticking their head as […]

ALBUM REVIEW: MELVINS: TARANTULA HEART