New Music Reviews
The Sinking of the Titanic, Gavin Bryars Ensemble, Philip Jeck, Barbican HallTuesday, 17 April 2012
I don't have many feelings about the Titanic (any more than I do about any tragedies of the distant past). I know few of the facts, I can remember nothing of the film and I have been left almost completely untouched by the centenary. Yet I am enormously grateful to have caught a Barbican performance of The Sinking of the Titanic, Gavin Bryars' beautiful musical meditation on the event. Read more... |
Just in From Scandinavia: Nordic Music Round-Up 4Monday, 16 April 2012
Two things are certain with music coming from the north: there will be some wonderful surprises and some of it will sound like nothing else on earth. It’s even more enticing when the two merge. Making the peculiar accessible is a uniquely Scandinavian knack. There are more than a few examples of that – the creation of new micro-genres – in this round-up of current and new releases, but some straightforward albums are equally striking. Read more... |
Lauryn Hill, IndigO2Sunday, 15 April 2012
Lauryn Hill is back, and not just literally. Making her first UK appearance in five years, she silenced the doubters with a fully commanding and controlling show. A spellbound crowd watched as she wiped out the memory of years of disappointing concerts, reinvigorating her unmatchable prowess in a 100-minute set taking in songs from The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, a selection of Fugees classics and some stunning Stevie Wonder and Bob Marley covers. Read more... |
Sweet Home Alabama: the Southern Rock Saga, BBC FourSaturday, 14 April 2012
“Suddenly, all America wants to be a redneck”. That might be slightly overstating the impact of southern rock on American culture. Californian ex-actor Ronald Reagan becoming president in the footsteps of Georgia’s Jimmy Carter suggests it’s an unsound declaration, despite the prime-time scheduling of The Dukes of Hazzard during Carter’s tenure. Sweet Home Alabama made the case for the rock music of the south, but failed to convince that it inspired a cultural shift. Read more... |
Simone Felice, Electric Circus, EdinburghThursday, 12 April 2012
Nothing tests an artist’s mettle more severely than having to negotiate a full-blown case of tech-horror. Half way through the third number last night, a particularly sweet version of “Summer Morning Rain“, an ear-scorching sonic car crash brought everything skidding to a decidedly ugly halt. Simone Felice leapt from his chair like a scalded cat and muttered something about lawyers. For a moment I thought he was actually going to scarper. And it had all started so well. Read more... |
Soap & Skin, ScalaThursday, 12 April 2012
Any shade you want, as long as it’s dark. Songs like “Extinguish Me”, "Deathmental”, “Mr Gaunt Pt 1000” meant last night wasn’t going to be defined by uplifting toe tappers. On album, Soap & Skin’s music is desolate, emotive and turbulent. The songs are tremendously affecting, with a touching intimacy. But live, too few heights were scaled. Read more... |
Sufjan Stevens, Bryce Dessner & Nico Muhly, BarbicanTuesday, 10 April 2012
Sufjan Stevens is a singer-songwriter of startling scope, one minute releasing a record dedicated to the state of Illinois, the next a five-disc Christmas box set or an album for the animals of the Chinese Zodiac. Read more... |
Cher Lloyd, IndigO2Monday, 09 April 2012
Cher Lloyd first appeared aged 16 on The X Factor with a storming cover of an unofficial bootleg version of “Turn My Swag On” - a song that peaked at just number 48 on the UK singles charts. Knowing so much about music at such a young age set her apart from the entire competition, and it’s no surprise that her debut album Sticks + Stones is the most feverish and bold set that anyone from the show has yet produced. Read more... |
Kylie Minogue, Hammersmith ApolloWednesday, 04 April 2012
Last year, Kylie Minogue's Aphrodite World Tour took in 77 shows across five continents and grossed over $50m. It was a typically lavish production featuring a bespoke mechanical stage, costumes designed by Dolce & Gabbana and high-impact jets requiring 25,000 litres of recycled water; gig-goers in the designated "Splash Zone" were even given towels and ponchos with their tickets. Read more... |
Low, Royal Festival HallWednesday, 04 April 2012
Low don’t really look as though they’re given to ostentatious display. With their black shirts, polished footwear and sensible haircuts, they could be waiting staff in a formal restaurant. One with a lot of dark wood and banquettes. The Hendrix-like squall that preceded last night’s set opener “Nothing But Heart” quickly subsided. These flashes are enough to show how intensely Low’s hidden fires burn. Read more... |
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