The Mountain Parade got in touch to ask if they could play The Allotment, and I’m very glad they did. They’re an I-don’t-know-how-many piece from Oxford with an ever revolving (and expanding?) membership. There’s certainly a trend for a load…
Category: Reviews
Album: The Tailors – Come Dig Me Up
Wannabe paleontologists The Tailors’ second album, Come Dig Me Up, is brilliantly varied, blending folk and country sounds seamlessly and addressing themes that range from extinction to teenage angst.
[Hundred Bands] 3 – The Very Most
The Very Most are a five-piece led by Jeremy Jensen, brother of Paranthetical Girls’s Rachael, from Idaho in the US. They have released two albums so far – Making the Case for Me in 2004 and Congratulations Forever in 2008…
[Hundred Bands] 2: AVI Buffalo
AVI Buffalo is Avigdor Zahner-Isenberg. An 18 year old singer songwriter from Long Beach California who describes himself on his myspace as an alternative/southern rock. Their music has the same sunshiney tinny sheen as the polyphonic spree. It sounds like California sunshine,…
[Hundred Bands] 1: Jonna Lee
Album: This is Jonna Lee (spotify) Spotify recommends Swede Jonna Lee for fans of Laura Maring… I’m a pretty big one, so I thought I’d check her out. On first listen Jonna has a nice voice, and some melodic songs,…
Album: The O’s – We Are The O’s
There is something undeniably magical about the banjo. The way it gleams
when the light catches it, that slightly metallic, twangy sound it produces.
If you’re a fan of the instrument, then you’ll likely enjoy this
under-stated album, which never really goes anywhere special, but maybe
that’s the point.
Single: Slow Club – Trophy Room
Slow Club are amazing. Twin boy/girl vocals with sweet natured tones, their quirky British folk has made them one of the most exciting bands to emerge in recent years. Trophy Room, a standout song from debut Yeah So and the newest single is a beautiful example of why Slow Club deserve all the ravings they’re receiving.
EP: The Spinto Band – Slim & Slender
The new EP by The Spinto Band, Slim & Slender, is like a pack of wine gums, full of variety and flavour, and offering that one track that is more special than others, like the black gum people look eagerly for. In this case, ‘Jackhammer’ stands out over the others. It is the teaser of the pack, the happy-go-lucky tune that sends you swaying from side to side, with guitars on pinching mode and harmonies of vocals sliding downwards like cascades. It is a supreme melody, short and sweet, which makes you turn it on again like you would pop another wine gum into your mouth.
Live: Laura Marling @ St Pancras Old Church, 23rd Nov
Laura Marling walked on stage unnoticed at St Pancras Old Church on Monday night. There was a hush of silence as the crowd spotted an unfamiliar figure reaching out for the guitar and walking towards centre stage. Something wasn’t quite right.
“I have some explaining to do,” she said, leaning into the mic and waving her hand over her head. “About the colour of my hair,” she added and we all let out an awkward laugh. Laura Marling and her distinguished white/blonde hair were gone and instead a sophisticated brunette stood in her place.
Live: Andrew Davie of Cherbourg at Hoxton Bar and Grill
Davie’s headline slot at Hoxton Bar and Grill on Monday was a transition between Cherbourg and his new solo career. The six Cherbourg tracks he performed were in their original arrangements, which perhaps suggests that he doesn’t plan to take them any further.