I have to admit that this is the first David Gray album that I have really listened to for many a year. ‘White Ladder’ took the world by storm beck in the late Nineties to the point where we just started to suffer from ‘White ladder’ burn out. There have been a host of albums since but, ‘Gold in a Brass Age’ is David’s first album in four years and that break seems to have been beneficial, as the new album is strong lyrically and has a warm melodic feel to keep away that late winter chill.
February 1st seems the most appropriate time of the year to release a new Mandolin Orange studio album, with its melancholic overtones, and cold wintry introspection.
Released on Wear Your Band T-shirt To Work Day, I happened to be rummaging through my T-shirts and came across the “Pleased To Meet You...... Ed Harcourt” shirt from 12 years ago.
Ed’s career over the last 15 years has most definitely not been linear. Beyond his seven album releases and various EP’s he’s busied himself the last 5 years with film scores, collaborations with Sophie Ellis-Bextor and Marianne Faithfull, not to mention being the soundtrack to Burberry’s 2014 Christmas.
'Laws of Motion' is Karine Polwart's seventh album recorded on this occasion with long-term collaborators brother Steven and Inge Thompson. The multi-award wining Karine covers a variety of themes on this new release including the fear of nuclear war, child refugees, migration and the current President of the United States.
On their fifth studio album folk duo Katriona Gilmore (vocal, fiddle, mandolin) and Jamie Roberts (vocal, guitars) have composed tracks based upon events historical, contemporary and some deeply personal.
Throughout a lengthy and creative career of collaborations and as an original member of The New Pornographers 'Hell-On' is Neko Case's 6th solo album following 2013's 'The Worse Things Get, The Harder I Fight, The Harder I Fight, The More I Love You'. 'Hell-On' was recorded and mixed in a variety of locations and was co-produced by Neko and Bjorn Yttling of those Swedish 'Young Folks' Peter Bjorn and John.
Nashville, Tn singer/songwriter Parker Millsap releases his third full band album 'Other Arrangements' on the Thirty Tigers label. Maybe not so well known on these shores, Millsap has an appearance on the late night TV show CONAN under his belt, along with featuring on the PBS series Austin City Limits. He can also claim Sir Elton John as a fan as he was asked to perform with him at the Roundhouse in London during the Apple Music Festival.
'Horizons 'is the Danish/Swedish collective known as Black Light White Light’s 3rd album, created as they admit, slowly, deep underground in a studio in Copenhagen. The genesis of the album started back in 2015, since when they were looking for another angle into their music which they achieved with new drummer Viktor Hober, and the liberal use of pulsing keyboards.
With what could just be the best album of her long running career so far, Nashville based, Gretchen Peters releases ‘Dancing with the Beast’ via Proper Records on 18th May, 2018.
Calling your band the Amazing is either foolhardy, leaving yourself open to ridicule or perhaps shows a justified self belief in your own talents. Thankfully, these elegant Swedish psych-rockers more than live up to their name.
I remember a discussion on a Springsteen fan forum alleging that Bruce is more popular in Norway than anywhere else in the world – as evidenced by concert ticket sales and the number of households that own a copy of 'The Seeger Sessions'. The point was made that the smalltown America that Bruce sings about has many similarities with isolated towns in Norway – far away from anywhere. Very pretty, for sure, but also a place that adventurous souls may long to escape from.
Based in Sheffield, The Silver Darlings are a collection of musicians playing the songs of writer and guitarist Andy Whitehouse. With the release of ‘Something of the Sound’ the band have released a warming album for what could possibly be a chilly Easter.