Album Reviews
Album review: Cory Hanson – ‘Pale Horse Rider’: a psych-country triumph from Wand frontman
You might expect Pale Horse Rider to be a really good record; it’s actually a great one. It’s a record about LA written with all the perception and acuity of native. It takes the country-psych template and when it plays within it, it plays with grace and precision and blur; and when it shifts out beyond, it does with the dynamics of British exploratory rock. All points covered, no filler; perhaps its time to crown Cory the new Wolf King of LA. Buy.
Say Psych: Album Review: Saccades – Flowing Fades
Flowing Fades is the second Saccades album from The KVB’s Nicholas Wood and is out this week via Fuzz Club Records. Where Wood’s work in The KVB (Invada Records) trades in minimalist post-punk/coldwave, the Manchester-based artist’s solo material under the Saccades moniker is an exercise in escapist psychedelic pop. On Flowing Fades we find a …
Jordan Rakei curates latest ‘Late Night Tales’ and it’s an atmospherically soulful release
The latest compilation from the artist-produced mix series, Late Night Tales, has been curated by multi-instrumentalist, vocalist and producer Jordan Rakei. Rakei’s edition marks the first release of Late Night Tales’ 20th year, with Fila Brazillia in 2001 serving up the first of many mixes for music connoisseurs the world over. Subsequent compilations were released …
Album Review: Taylor Swift – Fearless (Taylor’s Version)
A nostalgic and powerful revival of an old classic. As a young, naive Taylor Swift entered the music industry in 2005, she signed a contract with Big Machine which was arguably a bittersweet start for the star in retrospect. The label recorded her first 6 albums as well as promoted her, they helped her achieve her musical dreams. However, they claimed ownership over the masters, changing the course of her journey through …
Album review: Spirit of the Beehive ‘ENTERTAINMENT, DEATH’
New album from Spirit of the Beehive on new label, Saddle Creek, out April 9th this is Entertainment, Death. The shape shifting Philadelphia trio return with a new work for a new label but remaining true to their spirit of noise rock immersion with their work being less music but pop music just not as …
Album Review: Peggy Seeger – First Farewell
First Farewell is folk icon, Peggy Seeger’s, 24th solo album and it is out today via Red Grape Music. We’re told it’s ‘probably’ her final original album but based on the utter joy she still has for playing music and her never-ending supply of thoughts and ideas, it’s hard to believe we won’t see more …
EP Review: Yaya Bey chronicles heartbreak and self-reflection on ‘The Things I Can’t Take With Me’- out today
An impactful, cradle-to-grave reflection of self, Yaya Bey’s new EP The Things I Can’t Take With Me came together unexpectedly. Bey was set to record her next album when she found herself in the midst of a broken relationship, after which the original project changed direction. Its title refers to her journey of self-reflection, where …
Album review: Crimi – ‘Luci E Guai’: potent fusion music from Julien Lesuisse
THE MOST potent fusion music, the stuff that’s born from experience rather than cooked up as an experiment, comes from travellers in search of sounds. Julien Lesuisse is one such explorer. The vocalist and sax player has been a central player in Lyon’s Mazalda, a band that steadily evolved from jazz messengers to sound system-driven …
Album Review: Xiu Xiu’s OH NO! is a return to form, and a celebration of everything that has made them great.
To me, Xiu Xiu has always been a project marked by its ambition; whether it’s finding new ways to express the spirit of musical heavyweights like Nina Simone or Angelo Badalamenti, or forging a new kind of visceral yet fragile sound on albums like A Promise or 2019’s Girl with Basket of Fruit. Jamie Stewart’s …
Album review: Joao Selva – ‘Navegar’: Latin optimism with endless energy
WELL it looks like the summer vibes may need a little boost this year, so here’s a release that’s set to heat things up. Brazilian troubadour Joao Selva, now based in Lyon, definitely aims to shake us around with his samba infused, funk primed second album, Navegar, available on Underdog records from April 2nd. Born …