ALBUM REVIEW: THE PIGEON DETECTIVES – TV SHOW

With pre-released singles, ‘Lovers Come and Lovers Go’, ‘Falling To Pieces’, and ‘Summer Girl’ already drilled into the brain of every indie-lover, The Pigeon Detectives are raising the tension in the scene with the wait for their sixth studio album, ‘TV Show’. The band’s celebratory rerelease of ‘Emergency’  for its 15th anniversary from earlier this […]
July begins with a hefty batch of releases. It is an especially busy week for bands with Pigeon in their name, although no sign of a Lieutenant Pigeon reissue. Anohni and the Johnsons My Back Was A Bridge To Cross For You Inspired by Marvin Gaye’s ‘What’s Going On’ tackling global and environmental concerns, the […]

ALBUM ROUNDUP WEEK ENDING 7 JULY 2023

ALBUM REVIEW – PJ HARVEY: I INSIDE THE OLD YEAR DYING

When PJ Harvey released her debut single, ‘Dress’, in 1991, it was immediately apparent that she had star quality. Matching a startling self-possessed voice to attention-grabbing lyrics, her songwriting managed to blend a recognisable indie rock style with more experimental elements. Over the subsequent 32 years, she has developed an ideal career, one where she […]
Manchester International Festival has made a welcome return to the city, running from 29th June to 16th July, across various venues with music, theatre, art, and many free events taking place at Festival Square, the hub of the MIF. This year Festival Square is located in Aviva Studios, a new purpose built home for the festival […]

PREVIEW: MANCHESTER INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL RETURNS

ALBUM REVIEW: GRIAN CHATTEN – CHAOS FOR THE FLY

The emotional rollercoaster ‘Chaos For The Fly’ is lead singer of huge rock band Fontaines DC, Grian Chatten’s first solo album. Chatten decided to create an album of raw, earnest songs that he wrote alone with his guitar. Certainly, this album incorporates poetic lyricism and powerful guitar to shape a masterpiece.  A moment of airy […]
June ends with a lovely collection of releases which are gathered here in our weekly guide. Sweeping Promises – Good Living is Coming for You Boston post-punk band that dirties up earworm melodies with a lo-fi charm. Influences discernible on the album take in Young Marble Giants, Kleenex/LiLiPUT, B-52s and Blondie. Mong Tong – Tao […]

ALBUM ROUNDUP WEEK ENDING 30 JUNE 2023

ALBUM REVIEW – SWEEPING PROMISES: GOOD LIVING IS COMING FOR YOU

With their second album, Kansas based duo Sweeping Promises have got post-punk and riot grrrl influenced tunes that maximise urgency while retaining space and minimalism off to a fine tee. The ten songs that comprise ‘Good Living Is Coming For You’ pack plenty of inspiration into their tightly packed two and three minute durations. While […]
To coincide with their appearance at the Meltdown Festival and without any advance fanfare, Sigur Rós have unexpectedly released their first studio album since 2013, ‘ÁTTA’. Multi-instrumentalist Kjartan Sveinsson has returned to the fold, joining frontman Jonsi and bassist Georg Holm. With three people in the room, they found themselves “just wanting to have minimal drums […]

NEWS: SIGUR ROS ANNOUNCE FIRST NEW ALBUM IN TEN YEARS

EP REVIEW – JOHN MONROE AND FIELD MUSIC: SONGS FROM THE SHELF

The average home contains so much detritus on its shelves: dust, empty sweet wrappers, out of date tinned food, unread copies of ‘Moby Dick’ and ‘Ulysses’. Daylight Saving Records clearly has a higher quality of material languishing in its vaults waiting to be rediscovered. The five songs on this EP date back to recording sessions […]
While big names are clamouring for attention at Glastonbury, this week sees a range of interesting, smaller-scale releases. Cory Hanson – Western Cum A high-stepping, hard-dancing, first love/heartbreak, tonight’s-the-night, future nostalgia kind of good time with a heavier sound than previous releases. Skating Polly – Chaos Country Line Songs journey from art-punk to noise-rock to […]

ALBUM RELEASES ROUNDUP WEEK ENDING 23 JUNE 2023