ALBUM ROUNDUP WEEK ENDING 16 AUGUST 2024

A satisfying plateful of new releases as summarised below. Fulu Miziki       Mokano EP     Afro-futurist band whose name roughly translates as “music from the garbage”. Their equipment ranges from guembris built out of computer casing, to jerry-can drum-kits, keyboard inventions from wood, springs and aluminium pipes, and old flip-flops used as pads by plastic tube-wielding percussion […]
Love is undoubtedly the number one subject for pop songs. Of these, the dominant themes are the euphoric rush of early love or the bitter remonstrances of break-up songs. Norwegian composer, Susanna’s, latest album ‘Meditations on Love’ takes a slightly different approach with a focus on the challenges of maintaining a relationship. With a trilogy […]

ALBUM REVIEW – SUSANNA: MEDITATIONS ON LOVE

ALBUM REVIEW – WUNDERHORSE: MIDAS

On their sophomore record, Wunderhorse deliver proof that every tune they hum turns to gold. Jacob Slater’s sweat-soaked intensity lurches from Cobain to Young just as a moth would flit between two guiding lights. Its gilded grunge sounds fresh from the stage, still honey-eyed and snarling. The album’s lead single and eventual namesake ‘Midas’ comes […]
It is undeniable that The Soundcarriers carry distinct 1960s elements to their sound. To adapt the title of Jon Savage’s excellent book about the period, they reflect the time the decade exploded. ‘Through Other Reflections’ is a cosmopolitan collection brimming with sublime chamber pop melodies twinned with multiple esoteric influences such as Tropicalia, Middle Eastern […]

ALBUM REVIEW – THE SOUNDCARRIERS: THROUGH OTHER REFLECTIONS

ALBUM ROUNDUP WEEK ENDING 9 AUGUST 2024

Although fewer in quantity, Silent Radio guides you through some impressive blasts of sounds released this week. OSEES               Sorc 80              They introduce brass to create a sound they describe as “Sort of a Dexy’s Midnight Runners meets Von LMO meets The Flesh Eaters meets the Screamers kinda punk junk.” F*cked Up       Another Day  It’s their […]
Melodic death metal is one of the most popular metal subgenres. The combination of melody and harshness is adored by metalheads all over. Sweden has a melodic death metal legacy. The country has produced some of the best bands to play this subgenre. In Flames, Arch Enemy, and Dark Tranquillity as well. Endtime Signals is […]

ALBUM REVIEW – DARK TRANQUILLITY: ENDTIME SIGNALS

GIG GUIDE: AUGUST 2024

We have trawled through the forthcoming gigs in and around Manchester so you don’t have to. We believe that if we are going to recommend a gig to you, then it should be exactly that, a recommendation. There’s always plenty of great gigs going on in Manchester, too many to cover them all, but here’s […]
The term ‘Indie’ has been used to describe many different types of music from ‘Indie dance’ to ‘Indie rock’, collectively being more of a spirit or thought, rather than an actual set in stone genre unless, you are one of the pretentious pricks who bang on about indie being about record labels whilst licking Dinosaur […]

ALBUM REVIEW – MARLIN’S DREAMING: HIRL

ALBUM REVIEW – POM POKO: CHAMPION

For those of us in northern England, the word ‘champion’ might have a different meaning than to other people. “Aye, it’s champion” symbolises a grudging respect, a down-to-earth admission that something is pretty good, rather than the triumphalism of Queen’s or a sporting crowd’s boast of “We Are The Champions”. For Norwegian band, Pom Poko, […]
There is a bit of a lull this week but there are still some excellent releases to check out. WHY?                 The Well I Fell Into    Yoni Wolf, founder of Anticon and member of cLOUDDEAD, with underground, idiosyncratic hip-hop with indie-rock, skewed electronics and experimental-pop. Chrystalbell & David Lynch               Cellophane Memories           The Texas-born singer’s voice […]

ALBUM ROUNDUP WEEK ENDING 2 AUGUST 2024