Album Reviews
Album Review: Bell X1 – ARMS
Intelligent and inventive Irish band Bell X1 return with their new studio album “ARMS”, released in the UK via Belly Up Records. This is the band’s seventh studio album and is a fantastically assured and consistent follow-up to 2013’s acclaimed “Chop Chop”, which became their third #1 album on the Irish Album Charts and their …
Album Review: Turtle – Human
In music, we find self-expression. Innermost feelings are committed to sound, be it carrying the fervency of Soul, the delicacy of Classical, or the honesty of just a person and a guitar. All of these genres are the most well-travelled avenues to convey the intensity of emotion – yet Electronic music is the path hardly …
Album Review : Nine Inch Nails’ ‘Add Violence’ EP
Say what you will about Trent Reznor, but the guy over the last four years has been in constant creative motion. Nine Inch Nails’ 2013 return with Hesitation Marks was met with equal parts cheers and jeers. Cheers for a guy coming out of a 4 year NIN shutdown to a solid return to form. Jeers …
Album Review: The Fall – New Facts Emerge
One thing that always remained the norm was the output of Mark E Smith and The Fall. However this 32nd 10 inch double vinyl album, titled New Facts Emerge, is testing, very testing, the chaotic nature of Smith`s backing bands have been as much an appeal as his writing style since the late 70`s, this …
Album Review : Joel Jerome’s ‘Cosmic Bear Jamboree’
Listening to Joel Jerome’s new album you can’t help but get swept up in the guy’s joy for music making. There’s a feeling of a guy getting completely lost in his own little musical world. Jerome is an L.A.-based producer who’s studio has welcomed some of indie rock’s most up-and-coming artists. He’s worked hand-in-hand with …
Say Psych: Album Review: NONN – NONN
Rating: 7/10 Sweden has recently become a hot bed of psychedelic activity, with Goat being projected to global acclaim and Josefin Öhrn & The Liberation garnering ever increasing publicity. The latest act to join the ranks is NONN, AKA Christian Eldefors who presents his take on brooding post-punk and cold wave. After spending the winter …
Album Review: Richard Thompson – Acoustic Classics II
Richard Thompson has been performing his particular brand of folk rock for the best part of five decades now, and his career has seen him regularly release critically acclaimed albums. Initially a founder member of Fairport Convention, he recorded a string of much celebrated albums with his then wife Linda throughout the 70s, and he …
Album Review: Calvin Harris – Funk Wav Bounces Vol 1
The evolution of Scottish DJ/producer Calvin Harris has been quite an epic one. Rewind to his emergence on to the scene, when he was a geeky looking guy singing about how amazing the eighties were. It’s always been his production skills that have trumped his limited vocal abilities, and he capitalised on this on his …
Album Review: Dan Black – Do Not Revenge
We Dan Black’s fans are a patient bunch. Just a mere eight years after his debut solo album ‘UN’ and the king of wonky pop drops the follow up ‘Do Not Revenge’ this week. So full disclosure, ‘UN’ is one of my all time favourite albums. So many I’m not really the best person to …
Album Review: Siobhan Wilson – There Are No Saints
Siobhan Wilson provides the heavenly soundtrack to heartbreak and healing with her second album ‘There Are No Saints’. After returning to Scotland from Paris five years ago, Siobhan Wilson moved from Elgin to Glasgow and used her background in classical music and French jazz to stunning effect. Her second album ‘There Are No Saints’ (out …