John Dwyer of Thee Oh Sees proves there really is no end to his work ethic with Damaged Bug, a 14-track stomp into the heart of funk-psychedelics and krautrock. Follows on from the hectic 2016 that Thee Oh Sees went through where they released not one but two…
James Mercer is back after five years with his signature shyness with The Shins’ fourth studio album Heartworms, an ode to the frontman’s long-standing anxiety and battle with the limelight. Almost five years after The Shins’ last release Port of Morrow, James Mercer and his charming melancholy are…
In a 2015 interview with the American music mag The Fader, grime artist Skepta offered one of the most succinct accounts of the British Isles ever produced by an artist. “England is so black and white. Like a burger with nothing on it. No salad, nothing. That’s why” he…
When it comes to music we almost invariably have our soft spots. It tends to relate to our formative years, whatever the hell that actually means (I feel that I am still going through some form of formative education. Maybe I’m an exception…). But in the case of the…
The second album from the brain child of Jake Webb, Methyl Ethel, is certainly a journey into psych-pop. The Aussie duo’s second album, Everything Is Forgotten, is an expansive example of experimentation at its finest.
“Preservation is about the point I started to love myself again,” muses Nadia Reid when discussing her new album. The new found sobriety and observation that Reid expresses on this, her second album, is something that is no anomaly to singer-songwriters. Through years of whimsical efforts from a…
When Grandaddy were carving out cult status for themselves with The Sophtware Slump in 2000, it somewhat passed me by. That year, my attention was drawn to the albums of PJ Harvey, Radiohead, Ryan Adams and the angular energy of At The Drive In. Whereas that was probably an…
Stormzy’s debut album Gang Signs & Prayer has already become one of the most-discussed albums of 2017. His eclectic mix of traditional grime and open vulnerability is an invaluable eye opener into an ever-changing genre, touching on the trials and tribulations of life in South London, romance, and…
If the opening beefed-up synth line of ‘Certainty’ revealed a change in style, then the delicious, quintessential Temples riff which shortly follows instantly puts any fears to rest. It’s been over three years since their debut and the second record does indeed show evolution, but the psychsters have retained…
The big hole left by the much loved Bellowhead has been amply filled in recently by the 12-piece The Wayward Band, led by folk queen Eliza Carthy. A veritable dream team of players – including Bellowhead's Sam Sweeney and musicians from Mawkin, Blowzabella, Emily Portman Trio, Tyde and others…