ALBUM REVIEW – SUFJAN STEVENS: JAVELIN

An early successful album can cast shade over an entire career. Sufjan Stevens’s 2005 release, ‘Illinois’, was one of the first great albums of the 21st Century. Following on from 2003’s ‘Greetings From Michigan The Great Lake State’, it was the second full length release of what he claimed would be a set of song […]
Silent Radio’s guide to another exceptional week of releases, several of which are covered in greater depth elsewhere on this website. Mutual Benefit                 Growing at the Edges     A lovely, expansive record that revels in jazz and country riffs together with chamber folk arrangements. A Savage              Several Songs About Fire              Second solo album from Parquet […]

ALBUM ROUNDUP WEEK ENDING 6 OCTOBER 2023

ALBUM REVIEW – PETER BREWIS: BLOWDRY COLOSSUS

It is easy to imagine the Brewis brothers issuing a mutual challenge for 2023. Who can make a record that sounds least like Field Music. David was first out of the blocks with the early 70s singer-songwriter flavoured, acoustic and string quartet backed, ‘The Soft Struggles’. Now, coming out of left-field, Peter has emerged with […]
Having a stressful day? Let Modern Nature help you with that. ‘No Fixed Point In Space’ is an album which pours out a soothing concoction of ethereal, otherworldly tunes from the musical innovator Jack Cooper. Whereas Cooper’s previous bands, Ultimate Painting and Mazes were taking their cues from more indie rock treasure troves, his song […]

ALBUM REVIEW: MODERN NATURE – NO FIXED POINT IN SPACE

ALBUM REVIEW – THE DAVID TATTERSALL GROUP: THE DAVID TATTERSALL GROUP

The debut album from The David Tattersall Group ought to have a nocturnal title. Of the eleven original compositions which start with ‘Bright Moon’. three songtitles reference the night (‘Night Owls’, ‘Drive All Night’ and ‘Since the Night’) and another the evening (‘Fresh Evening Rain’). It is a record that marks a departure from the […]
Silent Radio’s guide to another busy week of releases. Jorja Smith         Falling or Flying On her second album, Jorja Smith delivers on her potential. ‘Falling or Flying’ acts in equal parts as a showcase for her soulful, sultry voice, her ability to condense any number of disparate styles and genres into music which broaches any […]

ALBUM ROUNDUP WEEK ENDING 29 SEPTEMBER 2023

ALBUM REVIEW – MARY LATTIMORE: GOODBYE, HOTEL ARKADA

In the summer of 2019, my outwardly fit and healthy father died suddenly. Among many other aspects of this overwhelming event, it affected my relationship with music over the following months. Being busy caring for my mother, emotional resilience became a priority so when I turned to music it was mainly for upbeat and joyful […]
A band who played their first ever gig in a snooker hall behind Warrington Rugby Club before supporting Nirvana on tour two days later, a band who have been sampled by The Prodigy for their biggest hit ‘Firestarter’, a band who used a sewing machine on a tune and dropped cymbals out of a window […]

ALBUM REVIEW: THE BREEDERS – LAST SPLASH 30TH ANNIVERSARY ORIGINAL ANALOG EDITION

ALBUM ROUNDUP WEEK ENDING 22 SEPTEMBER 2023

Silent Radio’s guide to another bumper week of releases. Teenage Fanclub              Nothing Lasts Forever A rich and melodic album that uses light as both a metaphor for hope and as an ultimate destination further down the road. Their sound has been rounded out by the addition of Euros Childs on keyboards and Stephen Black (Sweet […]
I don’t want to oversell this duo, but Dan + Shay rarely get the credit they deserve for transforming the country music landscape in the way they have. Their music has always been saccharine and a little stale, but in terms of popularising the softer, neo-traditional country that you find towards the top of the […]

ALBUM REVIEW: DAN + SHAY: BIGGER HOUSES