ALBUM REVIEW – DAKOTA JONES: HEARTBREAKERS SPACE CLUB

The second album from New York City funk-soul band Dakota Jones sees them setting off into space. Cosmic journeys can be an excuse for lengthy, indulgent soloing, tracks stretching on for a duration that feels as long as a journey into space but fortunately ‘Heartbreakers Space Club’ does not fall into this trap. All ten […]
For lovers of gently woozy psychedelia, the news that its prime exponents Kikagaku Moya’s 2022 album ‘Kumoyo Island’ would be their final release was a terrible blow. Ambling to the rescue come an unlikely set of superheroes in Maya Ongaku, a trio hailing from the seaside region of Enoshima, an island 50km south-west of Tokyo. […]
Maya Ongaku - Approach to Anima

ALBUM REVIEW: MAYA ONGAKU – APPROACH TO ANIMA

Dragon Welding - Fictionary

ALBUM RELEASES ROUNDUP WEEK ENDING 26 MAY 2023

May ends in a flurry of album releases in an array of styles with plenty worth checking out. Dragon Welding – Fictionary The alias of Andrew “Andy” Golding, a multi-instrumentalist, programmer, videographer and all-round creative explorer, who started his musical path in the mid-80s as guitarist for C86 survivors The Wolfhounds. Andy has created a […]
The House Of All may be formed of musicians who were all members of The Fall, yet their debut has enough of its own identity to keep both die hard Fall fans and newbies entertained. Unsurprisingly there are similarities between the general soundscape of The House Of All’s tunes, and The Fall, after all the […]
House Of All

ALBUM REVIEW: HOUSE OF ALL – HOUSE OF ALL

Ngo Ma by IzangoMa

ALBUM REVIEW: IZANGO MA – NGO MA

The bottom and top of this review is that this is a fantastic record but it’s not going to be for everyone. If music, to you, should be a three-and-a-half minute pleasure cruise, look away now; if you sometimes enjoy a discombobulating nine minute white-water rapids rush into the unfamiliar, Ngo Ma by IzangoMa is […]
After listening to music for decades, every possible combination of notes and sounds ought to have been exhausted. It is increasingly difficult to hear anything that sounds ear-grabbingly fresh and distinctive but ‘Barley’, the single that heralded the release of ‘Everyone’s Crushed’ by Water From Your Eyes, achieves that feat. Its rhythmic sound collage using […]

ALBUM REVIEW – WATER FROM YOUR EYES: EVERYONE’S CRUSHED

ALBUM RELEASES ROUNDUP WEEK ENDING 19 MAY 2023

As ever, there are plenty of tempting albums to dig your teeth into this week. With fewer big-name releases, it could be a good week for discovering a new favourite. Delivery – Forever Giving Handshakes Nifty debut collection of snappy tunes from energetic garage rock, post-punk Australian group. Bar Italia – Tracey Denim London post-punk […]
We’ve all seen Camp Rock, right? Even if not, you must know who the Jonas Brothers are. As creators of the 2007 single ‘S.O.S’ and stars of the Disney Channel series Jonas, the group of three have definitely left an imprint on those who grew up in the early 2000s, and with their new record, […]

ALBUM REVIEW: JONAS BROTHERS – THE ALBUM

ALBUM REVIEW: BLACK SPIDERS – CAN’T DIE, WON’T DIE

Black Spiders’ attempt to combine hard rock, shoegaze, and grunge in their debut album ‘Can’t Die Won’t Die’ ’succeeds, thanks to the psychedelic overlay. Banger after banger is played all the way through just like a blend of Concrete Blonde, ZZ top and Danzig.  A small taste of this album in the initial push gives […]
There is a contrariness to Bar Italia. Choosing a name that is difficult to google, more likely to lead to mid-price high street eateries than music, has a wilfulness to it. Calling their debut album ‘Tracey Denim’ shows a similar awkward streak in selecting a common name (unfairly synonymous with being naff) and denim, one […]

ALBUM REVIEW – BAR ITALIA: TRACEY DENIM