Country
Album Review: Taylor Swift – 1989
I’d intended to go in one direction when I began writing this, that being to just do a straight up review of the record. As it is I’ve ended up going in quite another, taking detours with Billy Bragg, the AMAs, the Spotify row, Bob Harris’ ‘My Nashville’ documentary, and Taylor. ‘1989’ is a high-profile …
Meet: Stone Thieves
Hullo music fans. We are pleased to introduce you to some new country rock heroes from the North London/Herts badlands: Stone Thieves. The beauty of this format is that you don’t have to listen to me witter on about them – they’re going to tell you the whole story themselves while I sit back and …
Not Forgotten: Wilco’s A Ghost Is Born Ten Years Later
I don’t think there’s a more divisive Wilco record than A Ghost Is Born(maybe Wilco(The Album)). It was a record filled with claustrophobic silence, whispered musical intentions, and the sound of numbed pain. It was the record where people asked “What’s going on with Jeff Tweedy’s voice?” Well I asked it, anyways. It felt both pared down …
Streets of Laredo – Hey Rose
Despite obvious problems with their national rugby union side, I have a massive soft spot for Kiwis. I didn’t know this bunch were from NZ (albeit now based in Brooklyn in New York), but I’m also a sucker for country and a bit of folk and their name seemed to fit that bracket. I was …
Boss Caine – The Rhythm and the Rhyme (Part 3 of Backseat Mafia On Tour: York)
Years ago when Gomez first emerged there would always be at least a strain of suspicion running through reviews. For the generous, the fact that this group of adolescents wrote about life experiences they couldn’t have had, in places they might only have seen as wide-eyed tourists, channeled through one particular singer who sounded like …
Burning Condors – Last Train Home b/w Gambling Hearts
“Coz every night I’m out with you I’m always chasing that train home” I guess it doesn’t matter where you live – even though this IS, and feels like, a London thing; we’ve all been there, pissed as farts, sodden with autumn rain, fags all wet, pubs shut, no money for expensive clubs, the hideous …
Album review: The Lonely H – The Lonely H
This is good-time music. It’s got everything that you need: bendy, blues- and rock’n’roll-infused guitars, confident brass, an unobtrusive but muscular rhythm section, a strong and soulful vocalist, and a good understanding of how to write coherent, tuneful, ass-shaking, country rock. This five-piece, who have been together for around a decade, hail from Port Angeles, …
Interview: The Handsome Family
14 May, people, 14 May. You don’t have long to wait to get your ears around the new album from Albuquerque, New Mexico’s The Handsome Family. But in the meantime, you can console yourselves with these words direct from the Family themselves, Rennie and Brett Sparks. If you care to whet your appetites some more, …
Discover: “Are you ready for the country ?”
***WARNING: IMPENDING PIGEONHOLING OF COMPLEX GENRE IN ORDER TO A) USE A FAVOURITE QUOTE B) AVOID HAVING TO ENGAGE IN LENGTHY AND POTENTIALLY ILL-INFORMED/WRONG CONSIDERATIONS OF WHAT THE GENRE ACTUALLY IS AND C) BECAUSE I CAN’T THINK OF ANY OTHER WAY TO GET INTO THIS. WARNING OVER.*** “Just gonna go home, lie down, and listen …