It’s often difficult to write about jazz. Thoughtful and expressive by nature, jazz is both a cultural cornerstone and an academic field of study, and a writer who doesn’t know their terminology or history will soon be exposed. Unsurprisingly, most music writers prefer to stay away from this genre. Luckily,Continue Reading
Slime Lush are a post-punk jam-rock band from Oklahoma, USA, and their brand of rough-and-ready rock is both easily accessible and uniquely engaging. Across the eight tracks of varying length on their debut album, “Custom Slaughter”, one can find enjoyable melodies, sweet guitar hooks, and passages of more abstract andContinue Reading
Photo by Andrea Ch Ultraflex – Mi Vuoi Uplifting trance Ultraflex are an enigmatic trance duo from Germany, and their recent single “Mi Vuoi” is a deep and hypnotic fusion of ambient pop, jazz, and EDM. This track is teeming with skill and talent; from the changing rhythms and aceContinue Reading
Photo by Athena Quade – Spiral art rock A single in two parts, “Spiral” by Bristol four-piece art-rock outfit Quade is a mysterious musical endeavour, combining post-rock, neoclassical, and spoken word. The tense mood builds and is released by mourning strings and shifts in rhythms, but the sinister feeling itContinue Reading
Photo by wal_172619: by Maheen Siddiqui In his book The German Ideology, Karl Marx explains the ideaContinue Reading
Photo by Emma Filer Alex Crispin – Listen & Learn alternative/jazz From Norwich, UK, Alex Crispin absolutely delights on this cut from his forthcoming self-titled album. The groovy intro and pensive vocals develop like a child at play, with saxophone and flute, erratic shifts in time, and an unexpected, spaceyContinue Reading
Daniel Ek, founder, and CEO of Spotify has always put forward that Spotify values growth over profits. This yarn reminds me of the exploits of Gregor MacGregor, a nineteenth-century Scottish con man who made a fortune by getting people to invest in his fictional country of Pioyala. MacGregor duped theContinue Reading
Photo by Armin Wedding Ring by Skinny Dippers indie rock “Wedding Ring” is a peachy slice of innocent indie rock from New York via Skinny Dippers. The single uses the melodic elements and sentimentality of Midwestern emo rock a la American Football and strips them back to a more straightforward folk-rockContinue Reading
This touching release from Polish composer and pianist Hania Rani was recently released in aid of the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine. Somber and compelling notes play over mournful strings and atmospherics. There’s a feeling of powerlessness in the track’s slow and thoughtful approach, as though nothing can be done aboutContinue Reading
Austria’s Filiah finds luscious moments on the sweet and strong ‘For Someone’. Confident vocals, lacking any studio sheen, lead songs of heartache over pretty acoustic instruments; guitar, bass, and strings. Opener ‘Goodbye’ has some mashed harmonies eventually finding each other over a steady bass line. ’27’ is a beguiling campfire number, carefully decorated withContinue Reading