New music
Rime of the Ancient Mariner, Queen Elizabeth HallSaturday, 07 September 2013
It’s hard to imagine much upstaging Martyn Jacques, the indomitable falsetto frontman of the Tiger Lillies. The gaping mouth of an enormous mythical fish that seems to have swum straight from the canvases of Hieronymus Bosch, projected right across... Read more... |
CD: Arctic Monkeys - AMSaturday, 07 September 2013
There’s something about the Arctic Monkeys that calls to mind the Rolling Stones. Not now, obviously - it might feel like it’s been forever since four messy hairdos and northern accents burst out of Sheffield, though in truth it’s only been about a... Read more... |
Josienne Clarke & Ben Walker, Green Note, CamdenFriday, 06 September 2013
The Green Note had put up a Sold Out sign on Monday night when Josienne Clarke and Ben Walker stepped in to play a sometimes mesmerising set on the little stage by the door. It’s a great venue that a lot of big artists have stepped inside to test... Read more... |
Agnes Obel, St Pancras Old ChurchThursday, 05 September 2013
In the half light of a small medieval church tucked behind London's St Pancras Station, a figure in white plays melancholy songs at a grand piano to the accompaniment of a cellist and violinist. This chamber ensemble had an audience of 84. The... Read more... |
Electro Anthro Visceral Intensity, The Amersham ArmsThursday, 05 September 2013
It's always nice when musical events of an overtly academic bent are taken away from the academy: when high-falutin' or exploratory music is made to stand on its own. All right, this show demonstrating new technical innovations by musicians... Read more... |
CD: Lanterns on the Lake – Until the Colours RunThursday, 05 September 2013
Newcastle’s Lanterns on the Lake have quietly gone about the business of perfecting their mood music. Each time they surface, their music gains another level of intensity and assumes a greater focus. This progress suggests their second album, Until... Read more... |
Björk, Alexandra PalaceWednesday, 04 September 2013
While Lady Gaga’s conceptual antics left the crowd cold in Camden last Sunday, Björk’s Ally Pally spectacular last night showcased the musical artistry that sets her so far above other female pop pretenders. While Gaga’s affected oddities have... Read more... |
CD: Janelle Monáe - The Electric LadyWednesday, 04 September 2013
Janelle Monáe’s much-awaited second album doesn’t disappoint. She navigates the ever-renewing waters of African-American pop invention, drawing on R & B, funk, gospel, rock and dinner jazz, with a sense of fun and a great deal of talent. She is... Read more... |
CD: Gregory Porter - Liquid SpiritMonday, 02 September 2013
Gregory Porter's Blue Note debut provides one of the biggest sugar rushes of auditory pleasure you'll hear this year. Grounded in jazz but heavily seasoned with the blues, gospel and soul, it's a superbly paced album, ranging from the poetic... Read more... |
CD: Babyshambles - Sequel to the PrequelSunday, 01 September 2013
There are few duller subjects in popular music than the relationship between Pete Doherty and drugs. I’d like therefore to be able to tell you that I have avoided all such references in this review. The truth is, however, I can’t: from the first... Read more... |
Reissue CDs Weekly: The Beach BoysSunday, 01 September 2013
The Beach Boys: Made in CaliforniaMade in California is a fantastic thing. Six CDs slot into the inside of the back cover of an LP-sized, full colour hardback book with a padded cover. As an artefact, it’s a triumph. As a career-spanning... Read more... |
Youssou N'Dour: Voice of Africa, BBC FourSaturday, 31 August 2013
You either get Youssou N’Dour, or you don’t. For millions on his home turf, the Senegalese singer is a major cultural figure: the street urchin-turned-superstar who almost became president. For large numbers of Western fellow travellers he’s the... Read more... |
