ALBUM REVIEW – MOLCHAT DOMA: BELAYA POLOSA

Belarus’ biggest post-punk trio, Molchat Doma, are back striking again with their new early ‘80’s Joy Division/ The Cure inspired Atmospheric fourth album, Beyala Polosa, or ‘White Stripe’. This is the band’s first studio album since the release of 2020’s fantastically moody and gloomy Monument. The trio’s best project coming into this album, in my […]
On his Bandcamp page, ‘Down to the Marshes’ is self-proclaimed as being David Lance Callahan’s third and best album, as well as being touted as a masterpiece. These are heady claims, especially as his first two solo albums, ‘English Primitive I & II’ were startling works that drew deserved hyperbole from the more discerning music […]

ALBUM REVIEW – DAVID LANCE CALLAHAN: DOWN TO THE MARSHES

LIVE REVIEW: THE LEMON TWIGS – ACADEMY 2 12/09/24

The Brian Wilson vocals announce the Twigs are about to twig their way onto the stage, and take the Academy 2 on a strange hour and a half of time-travelling, genre-bending, jangly retro Americana. Plus some Merseybeat. It’s 60s… at times it’s 70s… it’s a little discombobulating, which would be a problem were it not […]
Silent Radio presents this week’s unruly bundle of releases for your delectation. Juniore               Trois, Deux, Un            Flag-bearers for neo-sixties French-indie cool whose third album channels French classics through the hyperactive lens of B-52s New Wave and 60s American garage-rock. Jade Hairpins                Get Me The Good Stuff          Second album from Fucked Up’s Jonah Falco and Mike […]

ALBUM ROUNDUP WEEK ENDING 13 SEPTEMBER 2024

ALBUM REVIEW – JOAN AS POLICE WOMAN: LEMONS, LIMES AND ORCHIDS

Sometimes, a voice can bubble away in the background, a pleasant enough accompaniment on the radio, gradually infiltrating the senses until eventually the realisation dawns that it is something special. Such a description could be applied to my appreciation of Joan Wasser who is about to release her tenth studio album under the moniker of […]
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 […]

GIG GUIDE – SEPTEMBER 2024

ALBUM REVIEW – MIDWIFE: NO DEPRESSION IN HEAVEN

No Depression in Heaven, Madeline Johnston’s newest release under the Midwife moniker, is a steady trickle of dreamlike slowcore from the other side of an infinite expanse. The Denver, Colorado-based purveyor of self-described ‘Heaven Metal’ (described as emotional music about devastation) returns after last year’s excellent Orbweaving – a collaboration with Vyva Melinkolya – with […]
When Stephen Harrison and Aric Importa left Fever333, it was very unclear if or when both of these top-notch musicians would return. It took a short while, but when House Of Protection was announced, the news took the alternative scene by storm. The hype was nearly overwhelming, and their debut EP proves to match this […]

EP REVIEW – HOUSE OF PROTECTION: GALORE

ALBUM ROUNDUP WEEK ENDING 6 SEPTEMBER 2024

As Autumn begins, so commences the bombardment of great new releases. This week’s selection is as follows: Claude Fontaine        La Mer                A vibrant blend of 60s French yé-yé pop, Studio One reggae, and Brazilian tropicalia sung in English, French and Portuguese. The unexpected combination of styles makes this album stand out. Hinds                  Viva Hinds       […]
Throughout recording ‘Cheerleaders’, Kugelschreiber (which translates from German as ballpoint pen) had a Post-it note in sight that read “What would Prince do?” However, this album sounds nothing like the diminutive, purple-clad wonder. The other influences cited for the record are ABBA, Field Music, Broadcast and Pixies. Unsurprisingly, there is little in common with such […]

ALBUM REVIEW – KUGELSCHREIBER: CHEERLEADERS