ALBUM ROUNDUP WEEK ENDING 23 OCTOBER 2026

Clara Mann       Wishbone          On her second album, she leans deliberately into the songwriting tradition, reaching for the rough-edged, performance-driven spirit of artists like Fiona Apple and Tom Waits while keeping faith with an older lineage of plainspoken English balladry. Kelley Stoltz     Writing The Thread       Artist who has followed his own path—moving easily between psychedelic pop, […]
For those living in their own world of eyeliner, leopard print, boredom and despair, Manic Street Preacher’s ‘The Holy Bible’ is an absolute life source. In 2014, the band marked 20 years since the album’s release and embarked on a sold-out tour, finishing at London’s Roundhouse. Despite lead singer James Dean Bradfield’s bout of flu […]

ALBUM REVIEW – MANIC STREET PREACHERS: THE HOLY BIBLE LIVE

ALBUM REVIEW – ORCHESTRA BAOBAB: MADE IN SENEGAL

My introduction to Orchestra Baobab came with their 2002 album, ‘Specialist in all Styles’. While the more pedantically inclined might be prepared to argue that the band is unlikely to be interested in mastering death metal or drum and bass, and although the title was actually borrowed from a sign outside a barber’s shop, it […]
‘Everything in Readiness’ genuinely sounds unlike anything else. Describing Shovel Dance Collective as an ensemble specialising in traditional music might have some truth but does them a disservice as it limits their considerable scope. While they do delve into the archives for ancient folk song, the methods they use to interpret those songs are contemporary, […]

ALBUM REVIEW – SHOVEL DANCE COLLECTIVE: EVERYTHING IN READINESS

ALBUM REVIEW – TEENAGE FANCLUB: DO NOT DARE TO DREAM

“I want life without a doubt.” In 2023, Scottish-born band Teenage Fanclub unveiled their 13th studio album, “Nothing Lasts Forever”. It is a solid album, but the thing that stuck out to me about the record was, of all things, the title. Nothing lasts forever. A seemingly definite fact. Life is definite in only one […]
@           Autosmile         The band expands the scope of their vision, weaving prog, hyper, and a myriad of experimental influences into indelible harmonies, honouring a long line of freaked-out troubadours including Fairport Convention, Neutral Milk Hotel and Animal Collective. Arborist              Looking For Love           His inventive Americana places us firmly in his hometown of Belfast, allowing it […]

ALBUM ROUNDUP WEEK ENDING 16 OCTOBER 2026

ALBUM REVIEW – THE WOW! SCENARIO: STAND IN THE STAR – A VERSE AND A CHORUS

Comedy records or music by comedians are rarely a laughing matter. The singles charts of my childhood are littered with atrocities like Benny Hill’s Ernie (The Fast Milkman in the West). Even when a more respected funnyman such as Vic Reeves joined forces with an established group, The Wonder Stuff, the resulting cover of Dizzy […]
When a voice can hit the highest of notes, it is transformative. Rather than being earthbound and inhibited, there is a sudden sense of release, a soaring sensation akin to being able to fly away from troubles. Ella Thompson is blessed with the sort of vocal range where she can effortlessly hit those upper notes […]

ALBUM REVIEW – ELLA THOMPSON: TRIUMPH AND SADNESS

ALBUM REVIEW – GENESIS: FROM GENESIS TO REVELATION

Genesis. The first thing that would come to most people’s minds when you say that is crazy onstage costumes, songs that span light years, and most importantly, 5 men that were in their 20s when they started but somehow manage to look 40 at the same time. Well, in 1969 when their debut album released, […]
A big reason why music is the drug of choice for so many is the way it can simultaneously mix contradictory emotions. It makes for an intoxicating overload. Flora Hibberd’s new album, ‘Mammoth’, lives up to its name in sounding huge and offering a classic example of how elements that might usually be associated with […]

ALBUM REVIEW – FLORA HIBBERD: MAMMOTH