CDs/DVDs
CD: Dirty Projectors – Lamp Lit ProseMonday, 09 July 2018
Lamp Lit Prose is the ninth Dirty Projectors album since 2003, an incredibly prolific output for any artist. All the more impressive when you consider it’s the project of producer/songwriter David Longstreth, who also finds time to collaborate with... Read more... |
CD: Emilie Levienaise-Farrouch - ÉpoquesSunday, 08 July 2018
At its most impactful, Époques is an aural analogue to the occasions in Tarkovsky’s Stalker when the explorers of “The Zone” find their perceptions of what might be reality warped, and when there’s a growing realisation that this may be a place with... Read more... |
CD: Laurel Halo - Raw Silk Uncut WoodFriday, 06 July 2018
So the ambient revival continues apace, getting deeper and wider with each passing year. From the interstices between the classical concert hall, abstract art installations, the backroom of more insalubrious little raves and festivals, the small... Read more... |
DVD: The Nile Hilton IncidentFriday, 06 July 2018
The world was captivated by the Arab Spring – thousands of citizens rising up in unity against longstanding dictatorships, filling squares and refusing to bow. But for many of us, it was a world away; the crowds were a single organism, thinking and... Read more... |
CD: Big Narstie - BDL BipolarThursday, 05 July 2018
The Bass Defence League campaigns for mental health. As with everything Big Narstie does, there are serious points in this release wedged next to the broadest comedy, and it’s no coincidence, as we learn from the vivid parody of “BDL Protest” intro... Read more... |
CD: Years & Years - Palo SantoWednesday, 04 July 2018
It’s three years since Years & Years’ debut album Communion, with its monster singles “King” and “Shine”, put them on the map as major pop stars. Their music was smartly (albeit faintly) flavoured with sounds ranging from LA alt-hip hop to Hot... Read more... |
Blu-ray: The Life Aquatic with Steve ZissouTuesday, 03 July 2018
Wes Anderson’s fourth feature followed on from The Royal Tenenbaums, still a near-perfect blend of whimsy, pathos and poetry. The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou is almost as ungainly as its title, the mismatched crew of Bill Murray’s ship acting as... Read more... |
CD: The Alarm - EqualsMonday, 02 July 2018
Not many bands have a reputation for passion quite like The Alarm. Right from the early Eighties, tracks like "68 Guns" attracted fans who wanted music to believe in – something with a message and a conscience. That ethos came from the band's... Read more... |
CD: DevilDriver - Outlaws 'Til the End Vol 1Sunday, 01 July 2018
The heartland of America burns a special candle for two genres in particular: country music and heavy metal. What’s curious, then, is that there’s not been more cross-breeding between the styles. On a cartoon level, this can be attributed to one... Read more... |
CD: Florence + the Machine - High As HopeFriday, 29 June 2018
If Florence + the Machine’s last album, How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful marked a break from the exuberant, anthemic pop of her first two albums, her latest disc takes things even further with a more mature and stripped-down sound that often feels... Read more... |
CD: Roo Panes - Quiet ManThursday, 28 June 2018
There aren’t too many folk singers that make it into the pages of Vogue and Interview magazines, but that’s what comes of being a face of Burberry – attire that’s not necessarily a good folk fit. He’s also been snapped in the Augustus Hare catalogue... Read more... |
CD: Gorillaz - The Now NowWednesday, 27 June 2018
It’s hard to know who to write about when reviewing a new Gorillaz release. According to the official line, the band have shorn their usual guests to focus on the core creative team: vocalist 2D, drummer Russell, guitarist Noodle, and new bassist... Read more... |
