pop
Not Forgotten: Ray Davies – The Storyteller
The rock star’s autobiography is big business these days, but rarely are they as revelatory, or as informative as they could be and even rarer do they actually make for enlightening reading. There are, of course, honourable exceptions. Indeed, both volumes of Julian Cope’s autobiography are wildly entertaining (whether you are actually a fan of …
Album Review: Lucy Rose -Work it Out
Lucy Rose has moved on since the release of her folk fuelled debut album Like I Used To. While her vocals continue to have a distinctly delicate sound anyone who describes new album, Work It Out, in the same way isn’t giving the 26 year old singer-songwriter the credit she’s due. This is an album …
Album Review: Halsey – ‘Badlands’
It’s a rare thing to find an album that is a complete experience, where it’s emotions, themes and atmosphere jump right out of the audio and leave you with the knowledge that you’ve felt something as opposed to just hearing it. The debut album from Halsey is exactly that. There’s going to be artist comparisons …
Not Forgotten: Fleetwood Mac – Fleetwood Mac
The career path of Fleetwood Mac has been a long, complicated and much storied one. Following their Brit-blues-boom beginnings, they enjoyed a flurry of initial success in the UK before band founder Peter Green departed. They would then have difficulty retaining guitar players until American Bob Welch gave them a sense of stability during which …
Not Forgotten: Harry Nilsson – Aerial Ballet
Released at a time when receiving blanket praise from all four of The Beatles was unarguably A Big Thing, Aerial Ballet is the album that really should have launched Harry Nilsson’s career into the stratosphere. The fact that forty seven years after this album’s release, Nilsson is considered at best, a well respected cult artist …
Track: Squeeze – Happy Days, plus new album details
With the exception of Then Jericho (no, I don’t expect you to remember) the only band of any note that I can remember playing in the close vicinity during my earlier teenage years was Squeeze. Purveyors of pop at its most perfect for some time even at that juncture, the band had found its way …
Track: Låpsley – Hurt Me
With her debut album scheduled for early 2016, Southport-raised, London-based singer and producer Holly ‘Låpsley’ Fletcher has revealed Hurt Me, out now on XL Recordings. Flipside Burn has already seen the light of day and provoked something of a reaction from those in the know, while Annie Mac premiered Hurt Me as her Hottest Record …
Not Forgotten: Sparks – Balls
One of the great things about Sparks down the decades has been their innate ability to innovate and inspire those that follow in their wake. The fact that those that follow in their wake have their own disciples and, somewhat frustratingly, bigger sales, only adds to the lure of Sparks for me. Having made great …
Not Forgotten: Kirsty MacColl – Kite
I find it impossible to dislike any aspect of Kirsty MacColl. She was a trier, tirelessly honing her craft, refusing to sell herself short or compromise her material for anyone, be they record companies, her expectant fans or her father. Sadly for all her obvious talent and verve, she struggled to record a consistently satisfying …
See: Jess Barlow releases new visuals for ‘Someone Else’s War’
Sung with a beautiful honesty, ‘Someone Else’s War’ from Jess Barlow has quickly become one of my favourite songs of the year. On top of a simple and elegant musical construction, Jess’s voice presents the emotions behind the songs meaning and brings it all to life. It’s a song that expresses the inner emotions of a …