New music
tUnE-yArDs, ScalaThursday, 09 June 2011
Sometimes you hear something new and your perspective on music shifts seismically, making everything you were listening to previously sound safe and predictable by comparison. Inevitably, as one gets older and more musically knowledgeable, such... Read more... |
CD: Adventures in Dubstep and Beyond Volume 2Thursday, 09 June 2011
Dubstep has now permeated pop. Drum and bass was the last British underground bass music to rub up against the mainstream but back in the mid-Nineties the major labels didn't know what to do with it. Apart from launching Goldie's career and... Read more... |
CD: Paul Simon - So Beautiful or So WhatTuesday, 07 June 2011
"How terribly strange to be 70", sang Simon and Garfunkel in "Old Friends", back in 1968. Paul Simon will be 70 in October, so this isn't a bad time for him to be taking a panoramic look at life, love, loss and the universe in this latest set of... Read more... |
David Gray, Royal Festival HallTuesday, 07 June 2011
How much did I like this show? Well, here’s a clue: at the end, the only really bad thing I could think of was that the bass guitar could have been a bit louder. I’ve seen David Gray on stage quite a few times now, and this was easily the most... Read more... |
New MusicMonday, 06 June 2011Quota p mth: 16 reviews\, 4 features (roughly 4 revus\, 1 feat ure per week) - Peter hub. CDs are additional - Thos hub Read more... |
Martin Rushent, 1948–2011Monday, 06 June 2011
Although record producer Martin Rushent was firmly identified with the punk and post-punk eras, the biggest records he had worked on before then were those of Shirley Bassey. His production of The Human League’s epoch-defining Dare changed that.... Read more... |
Q&A Special: Electronic Musicians BonjaySunday, 05 June 2011
A potent combination of growling electronics, sub-bass frequencies and expressive vocals seems to have moved back to the centre of the UK's pop landscape in recent months, whether via the likes of James Blake, Magnetic Man or even the unlikely... Read more... |
CD: Huntsville – For Flowers, Cars and Merry WarsSunday, 05 June 2011
Music from Norway can have moods and textures that aren’t found elsewhere. Templates are thrown away and boundaries between genres are non-existent, bringing a thrilling unpredictability. Huntsville, a three-piece with roots in improv music, jazz... Read more... |
Donovan, London Contemporary Orchestra, Royal Albert HallSaturday, 04 June 2011
A question passed through my mind before last night’s Donovan show. Special guests were billed for this celebration of his classic psychedelic album Sunshine Superman. Perhaps they'd include Jeff Beck or Jimmy Page, both of whom played on Donovan's... Read more... |
CD: Battles - Gloss DropFriday, 03 June 2011
They started as a band of hyper-accomplished musicians aiming to play fiddly electronica in a guitar-band format and thereby creating a rather witty new kind of progressive rock. Now, minus key member Tyondai Braxton but plus a few leftfield star... Read more... |
Showtime! - UK dancehall on the rise againFriday, 03 June 2011
This month sees an audacious attempt to showcase British dancehall music, when the Cargo venue in Shoreditch hosts the multi-artist revue Showtime!. The Heatwave collective have brought together vocalists from various UK underground scenes, linked... Read more... |
CD: JuJu - In TranceThursday, 02 June 2011
Over the past five years, Justin Adams and Juldeh Camara have made two albums and an EP together, but it’s only now that they’ve got round to doing what most bands can’t wait to do, which is give themselves a groovy band name. Even though I’m a poo-... Read more... |
