New music
CD: Edwyn Collins - BadbeaSaturday, 23 March 2019
Edwyn Collins is in a good mood. Perhaps it’s his 2014 move back to his native Scotland where he now lives and records on the wild north-eastern coast. Perhaps it was finding a sheaf of inspiring old lyrics as he packed up to make the move. Or... Read more... |
CD: Sleeper - The Modern AgeThursday, 21 March 2019
While Oasis have so far resisted the temptation of the big pay-off that a Gallagher family reunion would ensure, plenty of other Britpoppers have been considerably less coy about getting back together since the heady days of the 1990s. We’ve already... Read more... |
CD: Shy FX - Raggamuffin SoundTapeWednesday, 20 March 2019
Everything about this mixtape oozes confidence. It crams 12 tracks plus interludes – all produced by Andre “Shy FX” Williams – into barely more than half an hour. It happily leaves “Roll the Dice”, the single which conquered club and radio... Read more... |
CD: Lucy Rose - No Words LeftMonday, 18 March 2019
Every so often, an album reminds you that, done properly, the art form is more than just a collection of songs. Barely 35 minutes in length, Lucy Rose’s fourth release No Words Left is a beautifully sequenced work in a time when track listings have... Read more... |
Reissue CDs Weekly: Where The Girls Are Volume TenSunday, 17 March 2019
The US music trade weekly Cashbox chose a picture of the then-hot Diana Ross & the Supremes and Temptations joint enterprise for the cover of its 14 December 1968 issue. On page 28, under the header “Best Bets”, a review of the “It’s the Loving... Read more... |
Yxng Bane, Brixton Academy review - all the fam on stageSaturday, 16 March 2019
There’s a wolf howl and Yxng Bane (pronounced Young Bane) jumps off a block on stage and his furry hooded coat flies open and the arena erupts in screams. The pit is filled almost exclusively with seventeen year old girls, excellently contoured and... Read more... |
CD: The Brian Jonestown Massacre - The Brian Jonestown MassacreSaturday, 16 March 2019
If you're familiar with The Brian Jonestown Massacre, chances are it's from the 2004 Sundance-winning rockumentary, Dig!. The film took a wry look at the Californian band's intense rivalry with The Dandy Warhols. More, though, it was an extended... Read more... |
Loreena McKennitt, Royal Albert Hall review - making Celtic connectionsFriday, 15 March 2019
Having long been immersed in folk and world music and acoustically-oriented singer-songwriters, it’s a surprise to be given a CD of music by someone who’s never crossed your radar, especially when the artist concerned turns out to have sold some 14... Read more... |
CD: Stephen Malkmus - Groove DeniedFriday, 15 March 2019
Groove Denied’s keeper is “Ocean of Revenge”, a drifting Syd Barrett-tinged contemplation with a structural circularity and edge setting it apart from the rest of what’s credited as the first solo album from Stephen Malkmus since 2001’s eponymous... Read more... |
CD: UB40 - For the ManyThursday, 14 March 2019
Birmingham’s reggae veterans UB40 are a band who have often worn their politics on their sleeves, and the title of their new album is taken from Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour Party mantra. The parallels between the two have already been noted, of course.... Read more... |
CD: Cinematic Orchestra - To BelieveWednesday, 13 March 2019
A mere 12 years since their previous disc Ma Fleur came out, the Cinematic Orchestra have finally got around to releasing their fourth studio album. So naturally, there are expectations to meet and To Believe responds by demonstrating a re-energised... Read more... |
CD: Foals - Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost Part 1Monday, 11 March 2019
Foals have delivered a consistently top-notch series of albums (this is their fifth since Antidotes in 2008): guitar-led, high-energy, musically literate without being effete or pompous. Power pop elevated beyond the run-of-the-mill by a great deal... Read more... |
