Yelmur – How We Hide (Album Review)
Berlin has long been a hotbed of cultural activity, particularly electronic music. Artists from all over Europe and the world flock to the artistically vibrant capital to stake their claim in the healthy experimental scene. One such artist, Dutch composer and producer, Yelmur (Jelmer de Haan on his birth certificate),Continue Reading
Single Reviews – 10 December 2022 – Hania Rani, West Wickhams, LOMNOUVO, Wieke Garcia, Christof Keller
Photo by Mike van den Berg Hania Rani – Spring neoclassical Polish pianist and composer Hania Rani has been asserting her presence as a leading figure in the neoclassical scene for the past few years. With her delicate playing style and compositions built around powerfully emotive themes, her music isContinue Reading
Sisyphes – Deviant Pop (Album Review)
The word ‘Sisyphean’ means to continue doing something even though it is futile and is derived from the Greek legend of Sisyphus, who had to fruitlessly push a boulder up a hill for eternity. Sisyphes, a musical group from the coastal town of Margate, UK, have no such trouble andContinue Reading
The Night Agent – Stars Above Us (Album Review)
Swedish guitar virtuoso Janne Schaffer has been a fixture of the Swedish music scene since the ’60s. Having worked with luminaries such as ABBA and Bob Marley, he has contributed to various projects, including the Electric Banana Band and, most recently, The Night Agent. The Night Agent are a synth-popContinue Reading
Single Reviews – 6 December 2022 – The Ocelots, Sophie Bernice, Nasti, spaceseer
Photo by Barthelemy de Mazenod The Ocelots – Addlepated indie folk Wexford twins The Ocelots make indie folk music with impressions of cabaret and art pop on their recent single “Addlepated”. This amorous song of longing has a bittersweet chord progression, sincerely delicate vocal harmonies, wandering harmonica lines,Continue Reading
Ralph Kinsella – In The Lives That Surround You (Album Review)
Johann Sebastian Bach once quipped: “It’s easy to play any musical instrument: all you have to do is touch the right key at the right time, and the instrument will play itself.” While this tongue-in-cheek statement is technically true, instruments can be utilised creatively, and even an instrument as ubiquitous as theContinue Reading
EUGENIA POST MERIDIEM – like i need a tension (Album Review)
The name Eugenia comes from the Greek word for ‘nobility’. It is the given name of Eugenia Fera, who fronts the Italian art-rock band Eugenia Post Meridiem. With post meaning ‘after’ and meridiem meaning ‘after noon’, the band name conjures images of its enigmatic frontperson after her thirdContinue Reading
hangtime – BLOODSKY (Album Review)
You can’t separate the art from the artist when you don’t know who the artist is. hangtime is, presumably, a duo. Any information available online about the group is contradictory. Their Spotify bio alludes to hangtime being a solo project, while from their Instagram, one can glean they are anContinue Reading
Oro Swimming Hour – Pterodactyl (Album Review)
Bristol-based musicians Oliver Wilde and Nicholas Stevenson make up the charmingly named indie-folk project Oro Swimming Hour. Following Penrose Winoa (2017) and Lossy (2019), their third album, Pterodactyl, is a cocktail of emo-folk-driven sentiments and personable songwriting that manages to warm the heart as it slays. While lo-fi luminaries Sebadoh and Elliot Smith, as well asContinue Reading
Marína Ósk – One Evening in July (Album Review)
The region known as the ‘Nordic countries’ is known worldwide for its progressive politics, cold weather, and tradition of music performance of the highest standard. Icelandic jazz singer Marína Ósk met her band while studying for a master’s degree at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm, and while theContinue Reading