New music
CD: The Fall - Re-MitMonday, 06 May 2013
There isn’t really a consensus on what the single best Fall album is. However, I did come across a thread on a fansite asking devotees to nominate their favourite album title. Not album – album title.This prompts a number of observations. Firstly,... Read more... |
Who was Dorothy Squires?Monday, 06 May 2013
Very few young people know her name today, but Dorothy Squires was the singing sensation of the Fifties and Sixties, and even 30 years ago this talented but difficult star was a regular feature of the headlines thanks to offstage dramas and scandals... Read more... |
Major Lazer, RoundhouseSunday, 05 May 2013
It was a carnival-like atmosphere and a packed house for the transatlantic trendsetters Major Lazer in Camden. Recent show reports suggested a more maximal and bombastic vibe from Diplo and his current sidekicks Jillionaire and Walshy Fire, but... Read more... |
Clandestino: In Search of Manu ChaoSunday, 05 May 2013
Manu Chao isn’t exactly a household name in the UK. In much of Latin America and Europe, however, he’s an iconic figure who is probably the closest thing to Bob Marley there is, a symbol of hope for the dispossessed. He’s a somewhat elusive figure,... Read more... |
Reissue CDs Weekly: Eurovision 2013, Françoise Hardy, James Last, Nico GomezSunday, 05 May 2013
Various Artists: We Are One - Eurovision Song Contest Malmö 2013From the British perspective, one thing stands out at this year’s Eurovision Song Contest. And it’s not our entry, the turgid power balladry of Bonnie Tyler’s sure-to-stumble “Believe... Read more... |
CD: Rod Stewart - TimeSunday, 05 May 2013
Rod Stewart has not exactly been inactive since he last wrote a decent tune towards the tail-end of the Seventies, but all that squiring and siring has left him little time to gaze navelwards in song. Since he started having fun with blondes, his... Read more... |
theartsdesk at the New Orleans JazzFestSaturday, 04 May 2013
Jazzfest has managed to succeed as a mainstream rock festival. The first weekend’s headliners on the main Acura Stage included John Mayer, Billy Joel and Dave Matthews, while this weekend promises Fleetwood Mac, Maroon 5 and The Black Keys. If the... Read more... |
CD: Benga - Chapter IISaturday, 04 May 2013
Benga is at a crossroads. Like many who arose from the dubstep scene, the 26-year-old is finding the term an albatross that’s hard to throw off. Sure, he was one of the Croydon originators of a sound that now dominates Transatlantic pop, a sound... Read more... |
CD: Caro Emerald - The Shocking Miss EmeraldThursday, 02 May 2013
Caro Emerald is the biggest act to arrive on the music scene in Holland for a very long time. Her debut album, 2010’s Deleted Scenes from the Cutting Room Floor, stayed at the top of the Dutch album charts for an astonishing run of over seven months... Read more... |
Beyoncé, O2Wednesday, 01 May 2013
Oh my goodness but that Mrs Carter knows how to entertain. Sparkles, glitter, flames, fireworks and costumes galore: The Mrs Carter Show had the lot and so much more. A tight eight-piece band, 10 dancers, three backing singers and extraordinary... Read more... |
CD: Alison Moyet - the minutesWednesday, 01 May 2013
Alison Moyet is not just one of the great voices in pop, she's one of the most likeable figures. A brilliantly no-nonsense character, she consistently skewers music industry pomposity, laughs in the face of the expectations the world has of female... Read more... |
Just in From Scandinavia: Nordic Music Round-Up 7Tuesday, 30 April 2013
Continuing its voyage through Scandinavia’s music, theartsdesk opens the latest chapter in Norway with Still Life With Eggplant, the 16th album from Trondheim’s prolific, long-lived, occasionally challenging and always vital Motorpsycho.Their last... Read more... |
