The Flaming Lips : Oczy Mlody (Warner Bros)
There’s no denying that this album is a difficult listen. Like all their work, defining exactly which planet they were on when they made this is as much a challenge as a truth. Fact or fiction it’s clear though that The Flaming Lips are not returning to any of their previous celestial destinations any time […]
The XX – I See You (Young Turks)
We all know that 2016 got Black Mirror levels of topsy-turvy, but perhaps one of the (rightly) less analysed stories of the year was the bizarre influence of The XX’s self titled debut released 11 years earlier had on mainstream pop charts in 2016. Their fingerprints are all over last year’s top 40- from Drake […]
Susto – & I’m Fine Today (Missing Piece/Caroline)
There’s nothing better than discovering a new band that seems to be making just the right music at just the right time. For me, that band is Susto. Hailing from Charleston, South Carolina, I first heard them at last year’s Austin City Limits Festival. Now, the release of their second album, & I’m Fine […]
Half Japanese – Hear The Lions Roar (Fire Records)
Just when I thought I knew about every band to find the courage to lay down on the tracks during the 1970s yet another one resurfaces – complete with an overstocked pedigree of albums spanning decades of hard work and ferocious output. Half Japanese were born out of the Fair brother’s lo-fi bedroom recordings of […]
Flo Morrissey & Matthew E. White – Gentlewoman, Ruby Man (Liberator Music/Glassnote Records)
From Frank Ocean to Leonard Cohen, from James Blake to the Velvet Underground, Flo and Matt certainly cover some musical ground in this intriguing and satisfying collection of covers.
You Me At Six – Night People (Infectious)
English quintet You Me At Six are often described as “pop/punk”. But if the sound they make on this, their fifth album, sounds anything loosely resembling punk rock, I’ll eat my Ramones T-shirt.
Nick Cave & Warren Ellis – Mars: National Geographic Original Series Soundtrack (Milan)
For those needing a quick dose of new Nick Cave music in anticipation of the Bad Seeds’ show at Auckland’s Vector Arena later this month, there is hope. Cave and Warren Ellis have teamed up to create the soundtrack for Mars, a TV series currently running on the National Geographic channel.
Brian Eno – Reflection (Warp)
First out of the gate for 2017 is Brian Eno and his latest in a series of ambient music releases that dates back at least 40 years.
Savages – Adore Life (Album Review)
Savages follow up their stunning debut album with another winner. Is it too early to announce the album of the year? The opening track on Savages 2013 Mercury-nominated debut album began with a snippet of dialogue from a John Cassavetes film. This time around, the London-based quartet has set aside their arty proclivities for the […]
Daughter – Not To Disappear (Album Review)
It’s the second full-length album from the London-based trio led by Elena Tonra. Darker and more intense than its predecessor, Not To Disappear is not for the faint of heart. Daughter’s second album finds singer/lyricist Elena Tonra digging deep into her psyche, stringing together couplets that sound as if they were borne either from dreams […]
David Bowie – Blackstar (Album Review)
He’s back! Three years after setting hearts a-flutter with his first new music in a decade, David Bowie returns with his latest opus, titled Blackstar. While 2013’s The Next Day satisfied fans just by merely existing, Blackstar seems intent on making the listener both uncomfortable and fulfilled, forcing him or her to follow the artist […]