ALBUM REVIEW – KVAEN: THE FORMLESS FIRES

Black metal is possibly the toughest subgenre of metal to get into. With the corpse paint, blood and sheer intensity occasionally comes haunting, melancholic and gorgeous melodies which leave you addicted and hungry for more. In their five years as an active band, Kvaen, have managed to create a blend of ferocious blast beats to […]
For years, I have been aware of The Decemberists as exactly the type of band I would expect to like, hyper-literate lyrics with thoughtful song construction and an ability to combine classic pop and folk-rock. Yet whenever I heard their music, I struggled to connect with the songs. Now, after over 20 years and onto […]

ALBUM REVIEW – THE DECEMBERISTS: AS IT EVER WAS, SO IT WILL BE AGAIN

ALBUM REVIEW – JOHN GRANT: THE ART OF THE LIE

With his debut solo release in 2010, ‘Queen of Denmark’, John Grant established himself as one of the supreme balladeers, blessed with a velvet voice like the most enveloping and reassuring hug. This style highlighted his unique talent as a lyricist, an ability to sugar troubling personal experience with humour. However, as listeners to his […]
Another enticing array of new releases in our roundup this week. Kelley Stolz      La Fleur              There are the requisite 60’s meets 80’s pop rock confections that Stoltz favours with a new focus on out front vocals and perhaps a bit shinier production. Pandemic era blues, politics and fatherhood are lyrical touchstones throughout. Angelica Garcia             Gemelo              […]

ALBUM ROUNDUP WEEK ENDING 7 JUNE 2024

ALBUM REVIEW – THOU: UMBILICAL

Baton Rouge, Louisiana’s Thou have long cemented themselves as sludge metal royalty, however oxymoronic that phrase is. Differentiating themselves from their fellow bayou-dwellers from down the road in New Orleans i.e. Eyehategod and Crowbar, the band have long since proven their credibility in producing dirty, festering metal. On Umbilical, Thou prove that their bite hasn’t […]
On Spot Land, Salford’s GNOD put down their tools of destructive, heavy music to unfurl softer, psychedelic offerings that sound alien to their recent output. Opener ‘Peace at Home’ accompanies gentle guitar plucking with siren-like wails and spectral choir-like vocals. Ghostly and reverberating, the vocals linger over the track like a veil in wind. The […]

ALBUM REVIEW – GNOD: SPOT LAND

ALBUM REVIEW – AGRICULTURE: LIVING IS EASY/THE CIRCLE CHANT

Agriculture’s new EP Living is Easy sees the band carry through on the current of momentum established by last year’s self-titled LP, which saw them establish joyous, ecstatic black metal as their signature. This stood them alone as a streak of colour in what can be a sea of monochromatic doom. Living is Easy sees […]
 Here is our roundup of this week’s new releases. Poppycock       Magic Mothers               Founding member of both The Fall and Blue Orchids. The album has the emotional fierceness set against pop arrangements from acts like Look Blue Go Purple and Dead Famous People, or the spare pop jazziness found in songs by Marine Girls, Tracey Thorn’s […]

ALBUM ROUNDUP WEEK ENDING 31 MAY 2024

ALBUM REVIEW – MARTHA ROSE: CLOSE TO CLOSE

There are albums that instantly grab the listener and ‘Close to Close’ is one of those. It is in part due to Martha Rose’s voice which is front and centre of the mix, given no hiding place and exuding vulnerability. The music is also beguiling. Working with producer E.T. to utilise sampled voices, water, flutes, […]
Ora Cogan’s latest album, ‘Formless’, is difficult to categorize. There are elements of gothic country, hazy folk, psych rock and traditional balladry to it. The roots of ‘Formless’ were developed during pandemic isolation on long walks with her dog and is full of ruminations on awkward love, pain, internal struggles and the effort of trying […]

ALBUM REVIEW – ORA COGAN: FORMLESS