Neo-goths with a penchant for soundtracks, particularly those of a noirish hue, Promise and the Monster, like so many Swedish musicians, appropriates British and American musical culture in forging a new sound. "We aimed at combining the elegance of old sixties recordings with something darker and more mechanical," says…
James Yorkston is proving to one of the most consistent and innovative artists practising in the fields of what is loosely defined as folk. An integral member of the semi-legendary Fence Collective of East Fife, whose reach across contemporary music is extraordinary considering their collective (small) size. Yorkston signed…
In the current day and age of being a music fan, few things can scare you, put you on edge and make you feel uncomfortable. Few things can put you on the floor and taunt you, putting you in conflict with everything you morally stand for – community, principles…
Punk was a life saver when it came to injecting a breath of fresh air into an increasingly moribund music scene, a scene remorsely being watered down into AOR and MOR blandness. The mid 70s were generally pretty dire, but punk and in particular it's subsequent offspring – post-punk…
I was up late on the evening of Sunday 10th January 2016, listening to David Bowie's fascinating new album Blackstar. I was familiarising myself with his latest work, preparing to write my review the next day, so to awake to the news of his death the following morning seemed…
Villagers at the Old Market back in April of last year. It was everything that I had hoped for and more – great songs thoughtfully arranged and masterfully performed. It wasn’t just the songs from the excellent 2015 release, “Darling Arithmetic” that impressed – the whole Villagers back…
On the surface, and judging by their previous work, London three-piece seem a simple proposition; guitars, bass, keys and drums, adding a sparsely built framework to the haunting desolate words of Elena Tonra. But as you listen and submerge yourself in the Daughter sound, the intricacies and subtleties…
The seventh studio album from these turn-of-the-millenia survivors begins with their trademark dual acoustic strumming of 96, which recalls in sound, their Time Over Money song from The Optimist album of 2001. That debut album represented the breakthrough for one of the best-loved of the so-called New Acoustic (or…
Curve Of The Earth is Mystery Jets long anticipated fifth album, coming nearly four years after their last offering Radlands saw the surprise departure of original bassist Kai Fish, a few weeks before the album was released. Curve Of The Earth was mostly recorded in a studio space the…
Whether you found out about them when they were called Deers, saw them live playing as Hinds, or just know them as that really really cool girl band from Madrid – this Spanish quartet are sure to have made a strong impression. The garage rock outfit miraculously came out…