rock
Album: X – AlphabetlandThursday, 07 May 2020
It’s 35 years since the original and best loved line up of X last released any new material: the less than special Ain’t Love Grand. Somewhat unexpectedly then, a new album, Alphabetland has appeared out of the ether and it’s certainly up there with... Read more... |
New Music Lockdown 5: Foals, Claptone, Luke La Volpe, Minecraft's music festival and moreWednesday, 06 May 2020
Way into lockdown now and, as the music world adjusts, so what artists are attempting becomes, in some cases, more sophisticated. In others, many impressively make the most of whatever tech they have to hand. Either way it’s always fascinating to... Read more... |
Album: Mark Lanegan - Straight Songs of SorrowMonday, 04 May 2020
There are few albums as relentlessly dark as Mark Lanegan's latest: the raw and intense exploration of a tortured soul. This stuff is a few circles of hell deeper than anything Leonard Cohen ever did, and when the Canadian poet of melancholy "wanted... Read more... |
The Shadows at Sixty, BBC Four review - pop's age of innocenceSaturday, 02 May 2020
Back in the day, the weekend started with Ready Steady Go. Now Friday evenings are once more essential viewing, and not just because we’re all locked down. While the endless ToTP reruns are often no more than bad-taste wallpaper, the music... Read more... |
Album: BlackLab - AbyssSaturday, 02 May 2020
Abyss is the second disc by Osaka’s self-proclaimed “dark witch doom” duo BlackLab, but their first album proper, and it certainly delivers the monster sounds that were only hinted at by the compilation of impossible to find, early releases, Under... Read more... |
New Music Lockdown 4: Neil Young, Roger & Brian Eno and a trip to NashvilleWednesday, 29 April 2020
Midway through another week of lockdown, here's a cross section of small good things to keep the eyes and ears entertained. There's some lively stuff here for the old grey matter to chew on. Take a look. Dive in!Neil Young Fireside SessionsNeil... Read more... |
New Music Lockdown 3: FKA Twigs, Janelle Monáe, The Breeders, Korn and moreWednesday, 22 April 2020
As we unwillingly become used to lockdown, most of us are regularly looking for juicy tidbits to pass the time online, so here's another selection that should be well worth a look. Dive in.Sea Change Goes OnlineSea Change Festival, run from Totnes... Read more... |
Album: Lucinda Williams - Good Souls Better AngelsWednesday, 22 April 2020
Few singers can channel bitterness, anger and pain as well as Lucinda Williams: she moves with ease from a fierce snarl to a sensual drawl, and from a naked show of vulnerability to a rocker’s raunch. As with Tom Waits, with whom she has sometimes... Read more... |
Clive Davis: The Soundtrack of Our Lives, Netflix review - a friendly provocateurMonday, 13 April 2020
Interviewed in isolation last week by Hollywood Reporter, music mogul Clive Davis revealed that he’s using his time “either by listening to the newest singles that make the charts or by watching hit music videos. First to be aware of them and then... Read more... |
ZZ Top: That Little Ol' Band From Texas, Netflix review - riffs, drugs and rodeosThursday, 09 April 2020
ZZ Top always seemed like a Texan version of Status Quo. It turns out, from watching this entertaining but hardly revelatory documentary, that is kind of what they are. Directed by Canadian Sam Dunn, best known for his 2005 documentary, Metal: A... Read more... |
Album: The Strokes - The New AbnormalWednesday, 08 April 2020
Their debut’s title was a disillusioned shrug, and for most of the 19 years since Is This It, The Strokes have continued with seeming reluctance, releasing new albums fitfully. But here they are, still riding the afterglow of Manhattan’s decadent... Read more... |
Elton John’s iHeart Living Room Concert for America, YouTube review - the real star was a Mayo Clinic doctor named ElvisTuesday, 31 March 2020
Available in Britain now on YouTube for only a couple of days, Elton John’s iHeart Living Room Concert for America was put together in less than a week and was broadcast in the US on Sunday evening. In normal circumstances, the slot would have been... Read more... |
