ALBUM ROUNDUP WEEK ENDING 26 APRIL 2024

After a brief spell of convalescence, the new releases guide is back to guide you through the week’s releases. Iron & Wine      Light Verse       On their seventh album Beam’s lyrics once again draw on a series of fictional and personal insights, filled with desperate characters and wide-eyed optimists, offering promise and a dose of heartache, […]
This is the first album review I have written under the combined influence of COVID and a shedload of medication. It feels an appropriate coincidence as Parsnip’s ‘Behold’ sounds woozy and psychedelic, not always of or tied down by the real world. I hasten to add that impression had already been formed on a first […]

ALBUM REVIEW – PARSNIP: BEHOLD

ALBUM REVIEW – THE FALL: LIVE AT THE WITCH TRIALS

2024 has a special date on the calendar, March 16th. It marks the 45th anniversary of one of post-punk’s seminal albums, The Fall’s uneasy and atmospheric debut ‘Live at The Witch Trials’.  In celebration of this monumental milestone, Cherry Red Records is releasing a fully remastered version of the band’s crucial debut on April 19th […]
There is something especially engaging about trios. I first became obsessed with the idea in the 1980s due to Big Flame. Slimmed down line-ups bring an element of clarity and demand that everyone’s contribution must be essential. Amongst post-punk acts of this size, the most notable have a frenetic quality, from The Minutemen through Big […]

ALBUM REVIEW – OBJECTIONS: OPTIMISTIC SIZING

ALBUM REVIEW – EMEL: MRA

Although it may be the 21st century, the patriarchy continues to be fundamentally dependent on the tireless oppression of women, queer people, ethnic minorities and those from low socio-economic backgrounds. Whilst a significant portion of the music industry is complicit in burying their heads in the sand when it comes to issues regarding war, gender […]
Dayseeker have already pushed their name into the alternative music scene, with fans now hailing the Southern-Californian four-piece from all over. Having over 10 years experience in the music industry, since their first album release in 2013 (‘What It Means To Be Defeated’), Dayseeker have proved themselves to be more than worthy of all the […]

ALBUM REVIEW: DAYSEEKER – REPLICA

ALBUM REVIEW: AERIAL SALAD – R.O.I.

Aerial Salad were one of a good bunch of Manchester bands I was introduced to through Manchester Punk Festival 2022. Opening the Union stage on the festival’s first day, the band were my first introduction to the pool of local bands as a recent transplant to the area. At the time, the band were just […]
In metal, there are so many different subgenres, to the point where some bands fail to fall into just one subgenre. This is the case with Faroese veterans Tyr. Tyr combines progressive metal, with power metal and symphonic metal, and include a vast amount of Viking and folk influences as well. That is what folk […]

ALBUM REVIEW – TYR: BATTLE BALLADS

NINA SIMONE: BLACKBIRD – THE COLPIX RECORDINGS 1959-1963

There has always been something effortlessly cool about Nina Simone – that deep soulful voice, coupled with those lush piano tones and band arrangements, whether performing her own tunes or interpreting other people’s songs, there was no one remotely close to her when it came to captivating song deliveries. This treasure trove of delights pulls […]
Tales of dodgy characters, chancers, loves lost and won all set to raucous rock n roll energy, yes it’s the return of The Libertines! It may have been nine years since the last Libertines album, yet all hasn’t been quiet on the good ship Albion. Numerous documentaries and solo projects have kept the foursome busy, […]

ALBUM REVIEW: THE LIBERTINES – ALL QUIET ON THE EASTERN ESPLANADE