ALBUMs
- Album Reviews
A gentle big sound on ‘Man on Fire’, a festival sing-a-long if there ever was one, opens the album. Nice pace changes, harmonies and rhythms brings the Polyphonic Spree immediately to mind.
A nice large sun above the sea on the cover of the record gives an indication of the wacky and colourful sound inside. By track two the feet are tapping and the hands are clapping!
The banjo (yes, we love the banjo) makes an appearance on ‘I Don’t Wanna Pray’. Joint vocals appear on most of the album from Alex Ebert and Jade Castrinos and are delightful. The song ‘Mayla’ delivers a gospel feel to the record, which is not at all out of place.
Solo vocals from Christian Letts on ‘Child’ is a lovely song with just an acoustic guitar. ‘One Love To Another’ has a hip swaying
Then we are at the end of the record with the fragile and gentle ‘All Wash out’. A great summer experience!
Pete
8/11
1. Man On Fire
2. That's What's Up
3. I Don't Wanna Pray
4. Mayla
5. Dear Believer
6. Child
7. One Love to Another
8. Fiya Wata
9. All Wash Out
- Album Reviews
In 2010 Owen Ashworth announced that he was retiring the "Casiotone for the Painfully Alone" name. Advance Base is Owen’s new moniker and The Shut-In’s Prayer is the latest fruit to fall from his tree.
This is a record that will appeal to anyone familiar with the former’s work, plus anyone who enjoys the music of eels, Mark Eitzel, Mark Kozelek and Sparklehorse for starters.
My usual complaint when such a fine record is spinning in the CD player is that it’s too short. The Shut-In’s Prayer comes in around the 35 minute mark so either get it on vinyl or imagine it’s an LP you are listening to.
The album sounds totally solo, with Ashworth's vocals like a slightly wired whisper. Owen, now in his mid thirties, comes from
Accompanying himself on his
You can expect ‘Christmas in
Lyrics are down to earth; ‘New Gospel’ “you've been stashing all your empties in the neighbor's bins like the landlord doesn't know you’re drinking”
A fine real life record, perhaps a double album next time?
9/11
Pete
Summer Music
New Gospel
More Trouble
David Allen
Christams In
Riot Grrls
Goldfish in a Robin’s nest
My Sister’s Birthday
The Sister You Never had
Please let us know your views of this record, via our Message Boards
- Album Reviews
Just the eight songs on this record from the now established artist Marissa Nadler but eight gems they are.
Marissa hails from
We are much in the
‘Sister’ is record containing a rich warmth of sound which emanates from Marissa’s voice. It is her voice that gives her a unique perspective away from the other touchstone singers above.
The lyrics are beautifully intense and take relationships at their heart. “You said you'd need a wrecking ball to break the cement 'round the heart” from The Wrecking Ball Company and the opening lines of the album.
“But your closer to me than my own skin” from Apostle. “Many a life I’ve tried and many a tear I've cried your heart is a twisted vine” from Your Heart Is A Twisted Vine.
This is really a record to sit down and listen to. You could even shut your eyes, get totally immersed and swept away.
Pete
9/11
Please let us know your views of this record, via our Message Boards
Website
- Album Reviews
People are always looking for something new musically, and whist the sound here has hints of the San Franciscan district they took their name from, the music sounds like a collision of Sonic Youth and Fleetwood Mac. The approach and delivery is so bright and refreshing that it has the sun shining in your heart from the opening song.
The song titles leave something to be desired but rest assured, a song called ‘
The band themselves, bright young things that they are, hail from Glasgow, which feels like the UK version of New York’s Brooklyn at the moment, with a host of great bands emerging from the city.
This album is ‘Sitar Rock’: very rarely pausing for breath it’s a toe tapping delight, even in the latter stretches of the record with Moondogs, Hole in the Ground and Buffalo Trace.
The band have progressed greatly from the debut album and early live shows. Learning their craft and not afraid to experiment. Greater things will come from this outfit in the future, I am sure!
9/11
Pete
Sophomore
Everything Is Possible
2nd Hand Rose
Ta Wit Ta Woo
Freelove
Dum Dee Dum
She's So Groovy '86
Moondogs
Hole in the Ground
Love, Haight & Ashbury
Band Website and tour dates
Please let us know your views of this record, via our Message Boards
- Album Reviews
Please let us know your views of this record, via our Message Boards
- Album Reviews
The Great Lake Swimmers sound upbeat and expansive on ‘New Wild Everywhere’ yes, the gorgeous ethereal trademark slower paced songs are there together with, joyous open the windows wide, songs like the title track 'New Wild Everywhere' and ‘Changes With The Wind’
‘Think That You Might Be Wrong’ opens the record with a deep rich sound and beautiful strings. There are a lot of moments with a full string section that really swell the sound.
This wider sound could also be attributed to the introduction of Miranda Mulholland to the band. A Canadian fiddle player and singer, she also has some lovely harmonies on this album..
This is the
Recorded in the studio on home soil except, ‘The Great Exhale” which although recorded in Toronto, was actually recorded in an abandoned subway station with quite spectacular results.
The whole album radiates musical class and there is very little if anything (as usual with this band) negative to say about this record, let’s just hope it propels Tony Dekker, Erik Arnesen, Greg Millson, and Miranda Mulholland into the spotlight this time around.
10/11
Pete
Band website
Think That You Might Be Wrong
New Wild Everywhere
The Great Exhale
The Knife
Changes With The Wind
Cornflower Blue
Easy Come Easy Go
Fields Of Progeny
Ballad Of A Fisherman's Wife
Quiet Your Mind
Parkdale Blues
On The Water
Les Champs De Progéniture
Please let us know your views of this record, via our Message Boards
- Album Reviews
The last Trembling Bells album I listened to,’ The Constant Pageant’ I ended up confused as to what the band were trying to get across to the listener. Folk, Rock, Prog? .. I think I decided it was a mixture of all of these in the end.
On ‘The Marble Downs’ which is a welcome collaboration with Bonnie Prince Billy. all that confusion evaporates. This is dark psychedelic folk with only lyrics you would expect from the great man out front and beautiful, crystal clear vocals from Lavinia Blackwall of The Trembling Bells to match. This certainly is an accomplished record.
It’s a ‘grower’ for sure, but two or three listens and it’s under your skin and in your consciousness. Songs like the opener, Made a Date (With An Open Vein), the break-up ‘I Can Tell You're Leaving’ and who could resist Love Is A Velvet Noose. All the songs and the album as a whole are really intriguing.
The connection between the two participants is Trembling Bells' drummer and principal songwriter Alex Neilson and goes back to 2005, when Alex was playing drums on Alasdair Roberts 'No Earthly Man, with
Try it, it’s special
9/11
Pete
Please let us know your views of this record, via our Message Boards
I Made a Date (With An Open Vein)
I Can Tell You're Leaving
Ferrari In A Demolition Derby
Ain't Nothing Wrong With A Little Longing
Excursions Into Assonance
Every Time I Close My Eyes (We're Back There)
Love Is A Velvet Noose
My Husband's Got No Courage In Him
Riding
Lord Bless All
- Album Reviews
‘Camacana’ perhaps or, to put it another way,
A mix as well on the vocals with Rachel and Ian mainly sharing the duties either individually or harmonising which, works really well whoever, is taking the lead.
The band in the past have described themselves as a “Success free Supergroup”, as they have all been/are in other groups, most notably Dan who is an active member of Fuzzy Lights who are a great UK psychedelic experience if, they should pass your way.
The band has ‘first time out of the box’ produced, a fun rhythmic record even with some darker lyrics. This should be a regular in the car this summer.
9/11
Pete
Hang Ups Goodbye
Josefina
Country Claimed Me
Harder And Harder
Tiny Hands
Dog Watches
2003
Next Xmas
Bouncers
Perfect Scale Replica
Sweets
A Solution To Everything is released on 30th April but is available now as a digital download with pre orders here
Please let us know your views of this record, via our Message Boards
- Album Reviews
This is not really rock n’ roll and I do struggle with whistling in songs and Andrew Bird, does like a good whistle or two. Neither of the foregoing though are a problem on this lovely record that is a tremendous and creative step up from the excellent ‘Noble beast’ album.
Baroque, classical, Chicgaoian, Americana is somewhere close to the sound on ‘break it Yourself’. A voice not a million miles away from Paul Simon, the songs here are stories welded to exemplary musicianship.
You could go to Wilco, Joanna Newsome for contemporary touchstones but always remember this is a very original singer/songwriter/musician and the perhaps the whistling does mark him apart.
Enjoy!
10/11
Pete
- Desperation Breeds
- Polynation
- Danse Carribe
- Give It Away
- Eyeoneye
- Lazy Projector
- Near Death Expereicne Expereince
- Things Behind The Barn
- Lusitania
- Oprheo Looks Back
- Sifters
- Fatal Shore
- Hole In The Ocean Floor
- Belles
Please let us know your views of this record, via our Message Boards
- Album Reviews
Gerald Love of Teenage Fanclub comes forth with a new side project. Lightships and a lovely record it is with hushed vocals and nice harmonies throughout.
Sonic guitars, on ‘Muddy Rivers’, gentleness on a tremendous song called ‘Sweetness in her Spark’ and on ‘Siver & Gold’ the album gets even more fragile with a superb guitar crescendo.
Let’s hope this record get some decent promotion (and some live shows?) to get it into the public consciousness, it’s a real gem.
Pete
10/11
- Album Reviews
This is a fine second record from Maps & Atlases, following on from ‘Perch Patchwork’ in 2010. Hometown
Touchstone comparisons for this band include fellow Chicagoans, Wilco, some Vampire Weekend ‘maths’ guitar, Fleet Foxes harmonies and Tape n’ Tapes indie bounce but, all these are passing glances really as the band have their own niche, with this mix of sound and the distinctive vocals of David Davison.
They come across as a hard working group of fine musicians continually looking for the next rhythm. ‘Beware & Be Grateful’ has ten songs and is a real ‘grower’ of an album. After the second and third listens, I found myself reaching for the record with a big smile on my face. It’s varied in styles and sound and rhythmically packed all the way. A great leap forward, this band could get really quite big, quite soon!
Maps & Atlases are Erin Elders (guitar), Shiraz Dada (bass), Chris Hainey (drums), and Dave Davison (guitar/vocals)
Peter
10/11
Songs:
Old & Gray
Fever
Winter
Remote & Dark Years
Silver Self
Vampires
Be Three Years Old
Bugs
Old Ash
Important
Pete
10/11
Beware & Be Grateful is released on 17 April 2012 via fatcat records
April UK Tour
16 – Cooler,
17 – The Garage,
18 – Night And Day,
19 – Nice ‘n Sleazy, Glasgow
20 – Brudenell Social Club,
Please let us know your views of this record, via our Message Boards
- Album Reviews
A very pleasant record for a sunny spring day. Difficult second album? Not much sign of that here, with the song writing and musicianship making a steady climb up from the debut Reservoir.
Perhaps though, the excitement is slightly tempered, as the album does not drift too far style-wise away that debut but the new record has a fresh touch and a real 'life' about it that should keep the band active for the next twelve months or so. Much like Los Campesinos, Fanfarlo are one of those up and coming bands that you can see being on the indie circuit for a while to come.
There’s not one stand out sing-along on this album, of earlier songs like ‘The Walls are Coming Down’ (yet, more listening may prove me wrong) It is however, an easy record to pick up and play again and again.
Pete
8/11
1. Replicate
2. Deconstruction
3. Lens Life
4. Shiny Things
5.
6. Everything Turns
7. Tightrope
8. Feathers
9. Bones
10. Dig
11. A Flood
12. Everything Resolves
Please let us know your views of this record, via our Message Boards