New Music Reviews
Reissue CDs Weekly: Cocteau TwinsSunday, 18 March 2018![]()
This column last encountered Cocteau Twins in 2015 when the compilation The Pink Opaque and the Tiny Dynamine/Echoes in a Shallow Bay album, which collected two EPs, were reissued on vinyl only. Read more...
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Brit Floyd, Symphony Hall, Birmingham review - the old ones are the bestMonday, 12 March 2018![]()
It’s now 24 years since Pink Floyd pretty much stopped being a going concern and 33 since the departure of artistic powerhouse Roger Waters. So, apart from a brief band reunion at 2005’s Live8 concert, Floyd-heads have had little to keep them happy apart from periodic album reissues for the best part of a generation. Read more... |
Reissue CDs Weekly: Robert KirbySunday, 11 March 2018![]()
The similarity is intentional. The cover design of When the Day is Done – The Orchestrations of Robert Kirby nods explicitly to that of Nick Drake’s debut album Five Leaves Left. That wasn’t just the first record by the singer-songwriter, it was also first time most people heard Kirby’s string arrangements. He and Drake had been friends at Cambridge University. Read more... |
Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox, Roundhouse - hits and missesThursday, 08 March 2018![]()
There are good musical reasons why it might never have occurred to you to wonder how Lady Gaga would sound if adapted by Duke Ellington; Radiohead by Sidney Bechet; or Bruce Springsteen by Frank Sinatra. Read more... |
Reissue CDs Weekly: Zoot Money's Big Roll BandSunday, 04 March 2018![]()
“That colourful character Zoot Money has recently been writing at length in support of psychedelic music. Now, what’s the score Zoot, has it got a contribution to make to the scene?” It’s 14 January 1967 and BBC presenter Brian Matthew is putting his guest on the spot. Read more... |
theartsdesk on Vinyl 37: Cocteau Twins, Stranger Things OST, Watain, Ryuichi Sakamoto and moreTuesday, 27 February 2018![]()
Without further ado, let’s cut straight to it. Below theartsdesk on Vinyl offers over 30 records reviewed, running the gamut from Adult Orientated Rock to steel-hard techno via the sweetest, liveliest pop. Dive in! VINYL OF THE MONTH 1 Zoë Mc Pherson String Figures (SVS) Read more... |
Reissue CDs Weekly: The Voyager Golden RecordSunday, 25 February 2018![]()
What is music? When pondering archive releases, compilations and reissues the question doesn’t come up. Knowledge of context and history means there’s never a need to muse on this fundamental issue. A package, say, dedicated to Northern Soul says what it is and the prime considerations are how well it has been executed and defining its place in the relevant narrative. Read more... |
Reissue CDs Weekly: The ChoirSunday, 18 February 2018![]()
During the British Invasion years, a Cleveland, Ohio band called The Choir ploughed a Brit-focussed furrow from late 1964. Initially and tellingly, they were named The Mods. Their prime mover, Dann Klawon, was a subscriber the switched-on UK monthly Rave, had missed a Mods show to hitch-hike to a Rolling Stones concert and was the first Clevelander to own a copy of “Purple Haze”. Read more... |
Kendrick Lamar, Manchester Arena review - Kung-Fu Kenny sets the stage alightSunday, 11 February 2018![]()
Kendrick Lamar has never been afraid to experiment. Read more... |
Reissue CDs Weekly: Jon Savage's 1965Sunday, 11 February 2018![]()
For Britain, 1965 began with The Beatles’ “I Feel Fine” at the top of the single’s chart. In December, the year bowed out with their double A-side “Day Tripper” / “We can Work it Out” in the same position. But 1965 was not just about The Beatles. Read more... |
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