London
Album Review: Levitation Orchestra – ‘Sanctuary’: Another expansive, spiritual jazz epic from the London collective.
UK jazz collective Levitation Orchestra show that the creative possibilities of the large ensemble can endure. Lead by trumpeter Axel Kaner-Lidstrom who first brought this group of young, scene-busting players together in 2018, the collective has been gathering momentum ever since. The Levitation Orchestra’s debut album ‘Inexpressible Infinity’ arrived a year after their formation and …
Album Review: Emma Rawicz –‘Inkyra’: Bold, widescreen, dynamic jazz from the irrepressible saxophonist and her explosive band.
You could say prestigious young saxophonist Emma Rawicz is on a roll right now. Just a few months ago she was turning jazz-heads with her exquisite and sumptuous ‘Big Visit’, a duo album with the phenomenal Gwilym Simcock and now in hot pursuit comes her new set ‘Inkyra’ via the ever-discerning ACT. To be completely …
Album Review: Joe Harvey-Whyte & Paul Cousins – ‘In A Fugue State’: A contemplative dreamscape of pedal steel and tape loop alchemy.
Joe Harvey-Whyte may be a go-to pedal steel player (Liam Gallagher, Billy Bragg, Josephine Foster, Nilüfer Yanya and more) but as a multi-instrumentalist and solo artist he’s been calmly extending the cosmic-country boundaries beyond its imagined cosmos for a while now. Working with Sheffield based guitarist Bobby Lee, he’s helped conjure up two mind-stretching kosmiche-americana …
Album Review: Lophae –‘Imagine More’: Another instalment of lyrical, melodic, shape-shifting jazz from the London quartet.
Now here’s something to hunker down with, ‘Imagine More’, a second instalment from new(ish) London jazz quartet Lophae. That’s a logical title for a follow up to the combo’s acclaimed debut ‘Perfect Strangers’, a set of subtly intense, melodic tunes which had listeners wondering about what might come next in the band’s catalogue. Well this …
Album Review: Reginald Omas Mamode IV – ‘Rivière’ Noire’: Forward-thinking lo-fi funk and hip hop with a bold, direct message.
Dalliance or daring, ‘Rivière’ Noire’ the fourth album from singer, producer and beats aficionado Reginald Omas Mamode IV is, whichever way you look at it, a bit of a leap. This Anglo-Mauritian musician has since 2012 been at the forefront of the UK soul jazz, groove scene, lauded by Giles Peterson, loved by Mojo, The …
Track: Following rave reviews for their recent Glastonbury set, Wolf Alice are lying on ‘The Sofa’ in a delicate reverie, ahead of new album ‘The Clearing’.
Following up on their earlier visceral single ‘Bloom Baby Bloom’ (see my review here), Wolf Alice put on display their versatility with the more restrained but just as anthemic single ‘The Sofa’, which sweeps majestically along on a bed of strings with singer Ellie Rowsell’s vocals soft and yearning as she sings of acceptance: Didn’t …
News: Wolf Alice announce new album ‘The Clearing’ and lead off with explosive single ‘Bloom Baby Bloom’.
Driven by hands claps and a rolling piano, the new single ‘Bloom Baby Bloom’ from north London band Wolf Alice is a driving, vibrant track with singer Ellie Rowsell’s vocals soaring across the surface, falsetto and urgent at times, raw and raucous at other times, with an extraordinary range. It’s a thrilling and dynamic blast …
EP Review: ‘Is It Really Goodnight?’: Celeste Madden’s Introspective and Evocative New Release
Key to London-based singer-songwriter Celeste Madden’s new EP, Is It Really Goodnight?, is its dense atmosphere. It’s not foreboding or oppressive, but rather a sleepless sheen that coats the tracklist in a way the cyanotype cover art would suggest. Madden’s sound swings between minimal, almost ambient guitar ballads and brooding alt-rock cuts that could soundtrack …
News: MF Tomlinson announces new album and unveils the cinematic title track ‘Die To Wake Up From a Dream’ ahead of UK dates.
We’ve always been huge fans of Australian-born UK resident MF Tomlinson and it is exciting to see he will be releasing a new album entitled ‘Die To Wake Up From a Dream’ on 11 July via PRAH Recordings. To give a hint of what treasures lie within the record, the title track has just been …
Live Review: Sharon Van Etten And The Attachment Theory / Nabihah Iqbal – Royal Albert Hall, London 10.03.2025
Sharon Van Etten was always very close to her band, but one day after rehearsal in February 2022, she decided to have a jam session, which changed everything for her and took her on a new creative journey. Having only ever written music by herself in a very intimate and therapeutic way, partly as a …