New Music Reviews
Music Reissues Weekly: Linda Smith - I So Liked Spring, Nothing Else MattersSunday, 21 April 2024
Three years ago, the release of Till Another Time 1988-1996 generated a thumbs up. A compilation of recordings by the Baltimore and/or New York-based Linda Smith it was, according to this column, “stunning” and “significant.” Until this point, knowledge of Smith had “largely been the province of the do-it-yourself world of music.” Read more... |
The Songs of Joni Mitchell, Roundhouse review - fans (old and new) toast to an icon of our ageSaturday, 20 April 2024
For most people’s 40th birthday celebrations, they might get a few friends together, rustle up a cake, and toast to another turn around the sun. But when musician Lail Arad realised the stars had aligned with her beloved Joni Mitchell's own 80th birthday, she knew she had to mark the milestone moment with something special. Read more... |
theartsdesk on Vinyl: Record Store Day Special 2024Friday, 19 April 2024
Record Store Day is tomorrow! At theartsdesk on Vinyl we’ve been sent a selection of exclusive RSD goodies. Check out the reviews, then check out your local record shop! See you amongst it. THEARTSDESK ON VINYL’S CHOICE CUT OF RECORD STORE DAY APRIL 2024 The Near Jazz Experience featuring Mike Garson Character Actor EP (Sartorial) Read more... |
Album: Paraorchestra with Brett Anderson and Charles Hazlewood - Death SongbookWednesday, 17 April 2024
Death Songbook is, says Charles Hazlewood, founder, artistic director and conductor of Paraorchestra, an album of “music which is about death, or the death of love, about loss, about anxiety.” Suede’s Brett Anderson, on board for this endeavour, notes “I've always found dark material more inspiring than upbeat songs. Upbeat songs always make me depressed somehow. I've always liked those songs that deal with the murkier sides of life.” Read more... |
theartsdesk on Vinyl 83: Deep Purple, Annie Anxiety, Ghetts, WHAM!, Kaiser Chiefs, Butthole Surfers and moreTuesday, 16 April 2024
VINYL OF THE MONTH London Afrobeat Collective Esengo (Canopy) Read more... |
Music Reissues Weekly: Congo Funk! - Sound Madness from the Shores of the Mighty Congo RiverSunday, 14 April 2024
Brazzaville is on the north side of the Congo River. It is the capital of the Republic of the Congo. Kinshasa is on the south side of the Congo. It is capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, formerly known as Zaïre. The cities face each other, about 1.5km apart, divided by the river and being in different nations. Read more... |
theartsdesk at Tallinn Music Week - art-pop, accordions and a perfect techno hideawayThursday, 11 April 2024
Tallinn is a very civilised city. It’s enough to provoke intense jealousy on arrival from the land of potholes, two year waiting lists and seven pound pints to find that not only do they have pretty much all the infrastructure of their Nordic neighbours, but you can get a beer for €5 to boot. Read more... |
Music Reissues Weekly: Patterns on the Window - The British Progressive Pop Sounds of 1974Sunday, 07 April 2024
Half-way through this three-CD set, the energy level suddenly shifts upwards. It’s just one track of the 67 collected, but in this context this basic, blunt recording stands on its own. Issued in October 1974, Dr. Feelgood’s debut single “Roxette” was an early sign that British music could change, needed to change. Read more... |
Slash featuring Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators, OVO Hydro, Glasgow review - guitar heroics against a low-key backdropFriday, 05 April 2024
The theme tune to John Carpenter’s horror classic The Thing rang out as Slash and his crew of collaborators took to the stage. Unlike that film’s famous climax though, there was no ambiguity here, for these were experienced stalwarts of rock music putting on a traditional, no frills show with a minimum of fuss. Read more... |
The Hives, Brighton Dome review - Swedish power-pop dynamo are as entertaining as everThursday, 04 April 2024
The joy of The Hives on record is encapsulated by their 2012 micro-song “Come On”. Despite being one-minute long and consisting solely of the title phrase, it fizzes with righteous, effervescent buzzsaw euphoria. They open their encore with it, showcasing with ease that, whatever the pleasures of their studio output, live in concert is where The Hives truly explode. Read more... |
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