Wax Chattels – Wax Chattels (Flying Nun)
Wax Chattels made a name for themselves for their raw and visceral live shows. With their self- titled debut, the band have cemented themselves as one of New Zealand’s most exciting indie acts in recent years.
Courtney Barnett – Tell Me How You Really Feel (Milk! Records)
“I’ve got a lot on my mind/but I don’t know how to say it” sings Courtney Barnett on Sunday Roast. Coming at the end of an album called Tell Me How You Really Feel, it’s an almost humorous contradiction that incidentally points to the shortcomings of Barnett’s lyrical approach on the LP.
Ry Cooder – The Prodigal Son (Fantasy Records)
Has one of the greatest guitarists found God or is he just borrowing a pew and a couple of psalm books? At 71, he may be getting on but going backwards to move forward has always been Ry Cooder‘s creative direction. New album The Prodigal Son might not be his best since the Buena Vista […]
Beach House – 7 (Sub Pop)
Classic Dream Pop is the best music to fall asleep to. With its constant harmonies, slow tempos, drawn out droning, elegant distortion and gorgeously breathy vocals, good Dream Pop is akin to a lullaby sung by someone you loved as a child as you were nestled somewhere warm and safe. It can both ensnare and […]
Review of Hotel California by the Eagles on RadioLIVE
Each Monday night, founder of The 13thFloor, Marty Duda, is a guest on RadioLIVE to share and chat about classic albums from the past. On this occasion, Marty and Mitch Harris check out the 1976 album Hotel California by the Eagles, where the title track continues to be one of the most loved songs on the planet.
Ray LaMontagne – Part Of The Light (RCA)
If you’re looking for Trouble you’ve come to the wrong place, Ray LaMontagne is on a musical odyssey and Part Of The Light is some trip.
Kody Nielson – Birthday Suite (Flying Nun Records)
Kody Nielson is a musical chameleon. Throughout his fifteen-year professional music career, he has moved from angsty punk rock with the Mint Chicks, to alt-pop with Opossom, and electronic with Silicon. His latest offering Birthday Suite is under his own name and continues down this trend of Kody giving fans something different in what is arguably […]
Gaz Coombes – World’s Strongest Man (Hot Fruit/Caroline International)
Supergrass came to an end in 2010, and unlike more and more of their Britpop contemporaries, haven’t yet been tempted by a reunion tour cash cow, or dipping their toes in, to see if they can reform and record without spoiling their legacy. Good.
Jack Ladder and The Dreamlanders – Blue Poles (Barely Dressed Records)
Jack Ladder is back with his fifth studio album Blue Poles. While known for his gallows humour and darker perspective on life, this time I swear I can hear a smile in his voice.
Belly – Dove (Belly Touring LLC)
It’s been 23 years since Tanya Donelly and crew walked away from their highly successful indie pop venture, Belly. Finally, they’ve found the guts to return, bringing with them a sweet but mature version of their younger selves that’s way more than just simply palatable. It’s like they never left.
A Place To Bury Strangers – Pinned (Dead Oceans)
Maybe being labelled “the loudest band in New York” could be a curse in disguise. Under the weight of an expectation like that, you have to make sure there’s still something of substance present in your music when extreme volume is out of the equation. A Place To Bury Strangers have done well to ensure […]
Review of No Secrets by Carly Simon on RadioLIVE by Marty Duda
Each Monday night, founder of The 13th Floor, Marty Duda, is a guest on RadioLIVE to share and chat about classic albums from the past. On this occasion, Marty and Mitch Harris check out the 1972 album No Secrets by Carly Simon, which features the worldwide smash hit ‘You’re So Vain’.
Sandy Mill – A Piece of Me (Independent)
A Piece of Me feels like a celebration and, dare I say it, a little bit of a relief for singer songwriter Sandy Mill. This is the first time she has stepped up to the microphone in her own right and taken the spotlight, and in my opinion it’s about time. You may not immediately recognise […]
Shakey Graves – Can’t Wake Up (Dualtone)
You know you need to take a second look at your musical choices when you finally give in to ‘the Tonight chorus’ – a soaring hand-on-heart chorus beginning with the word “Toniiiiight”. It is one of popular musics’ strongest signifiers of blandness, and it’s exactly what we get on Counting Sheep, the opening track of […]
Mantle – A Sandcastle, A Wave (Independent)
In December 2017, Wellington-based ambient producer Mantle (George Johnston) released his fourth EP A Sandcastle, A Wave and it’s taken me this long to process the quiet brilliance of this latest offering.
Janelle Monáe – Dirty Computer (Bad Boy Records)
Janelle Monáe’s new album Dirty Computer is firmly rooted in Sex and Politics and I love it. For months, I have been wondering how and what would it take to outdo and outperform Monáe’s Electric Lady in 2013. As I watched and listened to each new single, my apprehension grew until I finally heard Dirty Computer in its […]
Leon Bridges – Good Thing (Columbia Records)
Three years ago, Texan soul man Leon Bridges arrived on the scene with a beautiful retro soul album Coming Home which took things back to basics in a glorious fashion. For his second album Good Thing, Bridges has undertaken a massive transformation moving away from Sam Cooke and Otis Redding as primary influences towards a more contemporary […]
Post Malone – Beerbongs & Bentleys (Republic)
2018 sees the genre Trap, one developed in the late 1990s to early 2000s from Southern hip hop in the US, still exerting its hold and remaining loud and dominant.
Album Review of No Secrets by Carly Simon on Monday Night RadioLIVE!
Marty Duda will be talking about Carly Simon‘s No Secrets album on Monday night April 30 2018 on RadioLIVE with Mitch Harris. Tune it to the show at 10pm and rediscover the magic of this phenomenal classic album.
Willie Nelson – Last Man Standing (Legacy)
Willie Nelson releases his 67th!! studio album today. Last Man Standing features 11 new songs co-written by the 84 year old Nelson and producer Buddy Cannon. Alison Kraus and longtime harmonica player Mickey Raphael are along for the ride. The 13th Floor’s Diana Phillips gives it a spin…