ALBUM REVIEW – WILL STRATTON: POINTS OF ORIGIN

The notes that accompany Will Stratton’s eighth album, ‘Points of Origin’, state that it is a work of fiction and that any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. It is the type of statement that would normally form the caveat at the start of a film and offers […]
On her previous album, 2022’s ‘Polish The Machine’ the Brighton-based musician Helen Ganya had begun with the words “I had a fear of the ordinary.” That was apparent in a style that contained echoes of Kate Bush, The Cocteau Twins and Bjork. However, her new album, ‘Share Your Care’, marks a progression into extraordinary realms. […]

ALBUM REVIEW – HELEN GANYA: SHARE YOUR CARE

ALBUM REVIEW – C DUNCAN: IT’S ONLY A LOVE SONG

From its earliest days, pop music’s number one topic has been love. Now in an era where politics and social interactions seem ever more divisive and views are screamed with greater vehemence into echo chambers, the need to take solace in love songs is understandable. The fifth album from Chris Duncan, ‘It’s Only A Love […]
Five years after reports of Covid emerged from China, the pandemic is still having an impact upon a significant number of albums being released now. The twelfth long player from White Denim, appropriately enough called ‘12’, containing twelve tracks and being released in the twelfth month, has been shaped by different working conditions. As has […]

ALBUM REVIEW – WHITE DENIM: 12

ALBUM REVIEW – THE INNOCENCE MISSION: MIDWINTER SWIMMERS

There is a great sense of detail in The Innocence Mission’s latest album, ‘Midwinter Swimmers’. It is apparent in lyrics that have a poetic precision and colourfully capture place. The music is imbued with a fragility reminiscent of Vashti Bunyan and mingles lo-fi charm with subtle shifts to create a cinematic palette. It is a […]
With his 2022 album, ‘Chloë and The Next 20th Century’, it appeared that Father John Misty was trying to dial down the ambiguous signals that had permeated his earlier releases. Its mixture of golden era Hollywood and cruise ship opulence signified an artist happy to embrace the mainstream, an arena for which his outstanding melodicism […]

ALBUM REVIEW – FATHER JOHN MISTY: MAHASHMASHANA

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, […]
Two albums into their career, it is already apparent that Personal Trainer thrive upon throwing frequent curveballs into the equation. Their debut, 2022’s ‘Big Love Blanket’, contained a multitude of joyous, brief songs that were ideal for their greatest champion, 6Music’s Marc Riley, to slot into any small gap preceding the news headlines. Following this […]

ALBUM REVIEW – PERSONAL TRAINER: STILL WILLING

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 […]
2024 is beginning with the Bella Union label furthering its claim to alternative national treasure status. Having gifted to the world Silent Radio’s Album of 2023, BC Camplight’s ‘The Last Rotation of Earth’, the latest addition to its roster, Conchúr (pronounced Conor) White, fits within the gorgeous traditional songwriting part of their portfolio of delights […]

ALBUM REVIEW – CONCHUR WHITE: SWIRLING VIOLETS