Indie
Album Review: Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds – Ghosteen
Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds’ debut album, ‘The First Born is Dead’, opened with the formidable track ‘Tupelo’, a roaring, thundering peon to the birth of Elvis Presley, born to be King during an apocalyptic storm: mythologizing the King of rock’n’roll, born in chaos, born to rule. And now, decades later, ‘Ghosteen’ apocryphally begins …
Not Forgotten: The Beautiful South – Welcome to the Beautiful South
There are some songs from your childhood that you clearly remember hearing on the radio for the first time. It was summer 1989, and it was a period of change in my life which my ten year old self was feeling pretty optimistic about. My family were about to move house, I was about to …
Not Forgotten: R.E.M. – Monster
The late 80s and early 90s had seen U2 get big. Too big. They seemed to have reached critical mass with the live / studio hybrid Rattle and Hum, but a creative reset on 1991’s Achtung Baby had seen them find a touch more equilibrium and sound considerably less like a band who created a …
Premiere: See new video for ‘Azure’ from Electric Litany
Ahead of the release of London based quartet Electric Litany’s third (and most ambitious to date) album ‘Under A Common Sky’, we are delighted to premiere the video for the album’s lead track ‘Azure’. Sitting somewhere between the emotional textures of Mogwai and Sigur Ros, it’s driven from this sweeping, stately piano lines, as underneath …
Track: Xylaroo returns with new single, Yesterdays
For those who were charmed by their 2016 album Sweetooth, Xylaroo’s recent announcement of a new single created a certain frisson of excitement, as the ever likeable Holly and Coco Chant have not released much in the way of new material for far too long. The hugely enjoyable “Yesterdays” sees Xylaroo move on from the …
Track: Night Flowers – Fortune Teller, plus album news
Last year’s single ‘Cruel Wind’ from London quartet Night Flowers was for me one of the singles of the year in a very competitive field. This year, Night Flowers have released another perfect dream pop delight in the form of ‘Fortune Teller’, title track from their much anticipated album due out on 25 October through …
Not Forgotten: They Might Be Giants – John Henry
With the Two Johns having forged an enduring career releasing a series of albums that appeal to socially awkward types who perhaps spend just a little bit too much time in their own heads, it’s a tiny regret of mine that I didn’t encounter the music of They Might Be Giants during my teenage years, …
Interview: Mark Gardener (Ride)
The legendary Ride are back in Australia and New Zealand after more than a twenty-five year gap as well as a long hiatus in the intervening time. During this time, Andy Bell joined label mates Oasis on bass while other members pursued their own projects. Ride reformed in 2014, playing live across Europe and North …
Album Review: Meatraffle – Bastard Music
Nearly four years after their 2015 debut ‘HiFi Classics’, South London indie gang Meatraffle are finally releasing its follow-up, ‘Bastard Music’. It features the band making various left-wing yet parochial observations about modern life to a twee, whimsical musical backdrop. The album’s first song opens with the sound of the titular cyclops snoring and this …
See: Harker release video for Dead Ends, announce European shows
Brighton based Melodic Punk/Indie rockers Harker are due to start a European tour in Sept with Magnapop with a taster of what is to come at a warm up gig in there home town of Brighton, AUGUST 10 – At the Edge of the Sea, Brighton w/ The Wedding Present.So with that in mind, maybe …