Category: uncategorised
Single Review: James Yuill – Over the Hills
James Yuill’s latest single; Over the Hills is a track that stays true to the ‘folktronic’ vibe that he is increasingly becoming recognised for. His use of electronics provides a cushion for his gentle vocals and lyrics such as, “Here is the house where you grew up laughing”, create a quirky nostalgia you can get lost in.
Album Review: Zoey Van Goey – The Cage Was Unlocked All Along
Who is Zoey Van Goey? According to the band, who are still trying to locate her, she’s a Pennsylvanian Amish girl who got involved in the 1980s Manhattan street art movement, later moving to Berlin, and then disappearing after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Now, with inspired backstories such as this, you’d think they’d have little imagination and creativity left for an album. This is definitely not the case.
Live Review: Mumford and Sons at Manchester Academy 2 09/05/09
Mumford and Sons opener ‘Sigh No More’ shoots the audience’s natter to pieces and the four part melodies swell and subside before the stunned eyes and ears of Manchester. It is easy to feel jealous of someone who’s never heard Mumford and Sons’ unique music before. Something this special has to be seen live to be believed, the sheer force of Mumford and Sons’ set shows they’re in a league of their own, something people are starting to notice.
Live Review: Alessi’s Ark at The Holy Trinity 02/05/09
After a big mix up the night before in Manchester, I find myself seated in the pews of Leeds’ Holy Trinity Church awaiting my first ever Alessi’s Ark show. The reverence of the space compresses the audience’s speech to a mousey whisper and as she prepares onstage Alessi looks equally nervous.
EP Review: All The Fires – The Maps
Hailing from Cornwall and encompassing four songwriters/multi-instrumentalists, All The Fires at first appear to sit comfortably alongside the recent barrage of softly spoken folk troubadours that have found favour with the music press of late. From Bon Iver to Laura Marling, folk is certainly the ‘sound of the moment’. However, within every scene there are those who simply ape those who got there first: for every Pulp there is a Dodgy; for every Nirvana a Bush. Which brings me on to All The Fires debut EP, The Map…
Single Review: Mi Mye – The Last
Frontman Jamie Lockhart started Mi Mye with his friends in Skerray in the North of Scotland and they moved down to Wakefield. Their single The Last is a tale about leaving someone and the subsequent feelings of loss.
Album Review: Broken Records – Until the Earth Begins to Part
Until the Earth Begins to Part is the debut album from Edinburgh indie bunch Broken Records, not that you would be able to tell from listening to it. Featuring an assortment of country instruments gives the album an air of professionalism, not to mention a beautiful folky feel.
Live Review: Woodpigeon @ Dazed and Confused, London
Woodpigeon’s evening for Phrased and Confused at the Cross Kings, Kings Cross (try saying that really fast 10 times), was not your ordinary gig. For starters, there weren’t any other bands on. Only performance poets. But they weren’t just performance poets, they were performance poets who make friends with musicians and share the stage with them sometimes.
Album Review: Otis Gibbs – Grandpa Walked a Picket Line
Otis Gibbs is described on his website as a “writer of songs, teller of tales, populist agitator, social dissident, planter of over 7,000 trees, photographer, musician, iconoclast”. And that ain’t the half of it. This dude has an FBI file, and he’s not best pleased with the way of things these days.