Radio-friendly college rock can be a tricky business. It is a broad church, and at its best, Weezer, R.E.M. and Guided by Voices show that an easy way with a chorus and universal lyrics can neatly tap into a range…
Category: Reviews
Album: Treefight for Sunlight – Treefight for Sunlight
Having been a keen follower of the Scandinavian music scene for a few years now, I sincerely hoped that Treefight For Sunlight’s self titled debut could hold it’s own against some of the recent output from the region. Thankfully this…
Album: Hannah Peel – The Broken Wave
Since making its first appearance on her Tra Mhor EP, The Almond Tree, which opens Hannah Peel’s excellent debut album The Broken Wave, has acquired some beefy percussion, a swaggering bass line and some Grandaddy-esque beepy synthesiser arpeggios. It’s quite…
Album: The Gentle Good – Tethered for the Storm
Cardiff’s Gareth Bonello draws on a variety of influences and two languages on this follow-up to his 2008 debut album While You Slept I Went Out Walking. An equally redolent title this time around points to tranquility, just what is…
Singles: Admiral Fallow, Toy Horses & Dry The River
Admiral Fallow – These Barren Years Somehow managing to please both nu-folkies and drive-time rock lovers, Admiral Fallow’s new single sings of life in Scottish schools with all the brashness, insecurities and melancholy that come with such a package. “Line…
Album: Joan as a Policewoman – The Deep Field
The Deep Field is the fourth album from Joan as Police Woman (Joan Wasser); a lady with lots of musical friends, who has sang with the likes of Rufus Wainwright but deserves more than to be always mentioned for who…
Album: Peter Stampfel and Jeffrey Lewis – Come On Board
Frankly, by now we should be used to Jeffrey Lewis’ musical left turns. After albums of Crass covers, multimedia sing-songs about the rise of communism and just about the most disparate set of song subjects across a career (falling asleep…
Album: Roddy Woomble: The Impossible Song & Other Songs
During the six years since his debut, Roddy Woomble’s tours and collaborations seem to have helped him grow as a solo artist. The musicianship and production are as fantastic here as on My Secret Is Silence, yet there has been…
Album: Laura Meyer – Been Here Before
Laura Meyer’s Been Here Before is an evenly-paced album of the contemporary blues ilk. It has many enjoyable moments, but fails to gather critical mass to ensure that it becomes a staple of this author’s rotation for the coming months.…
Album: PJ Harvey – Let England Shake
‘Let England Shake’, commands the title track of this, Polly Harvey’s latest studio album. And after just one listen, I can confirm that this small corner of the West Country is very shaky indeed. The excitement isn’t just a hangover…