Edward Rogers is an oddly positioned singer-songwriter of a type only Britain can produce. On Sparkle Lane, his third album, he pens imaginative, well-arranged songs that straddle folk-rock, Kinks-style pop and Bowie-style glam. One minute the listener is channelling Mott the Hoople in the wonderful title track, the next brings rolling modern folk like the [...]
Tunng is a subtle mix of folky music allied to complex arrangements of imaginative, insistent drumming and brilliant keyboards. Their previous album Good Arrows was whimsical and pleasurable; And then We Saw Land is a step forward, adding to the mix passionate, anthemic moments that seize the listener. Both of the band’s singers, Mike Lindsay and Becky [...]
Electronica and I have had a love/hate relationship, tilted more towards the latter, ever since I saw Tangerine Dream in concert in the 70s. I shun the vapidity of club music and therefore rarely buy electronic artists, but every few months I’m drawn to try my luck once more. I was told Radiohead cited Four [...]
Punk was the shout, the sneer (Johnny Rotten!), the rattling beat, the chorus. Punk is still all of those aspects, but I left it behind after a 70s love affair. Rarely does modern punk call to me, and if it does, the key has to be the melodic content. Melodic choruses drew me to the [...]
Most forays by actors into music are not worth listening to, but the first album from She & Him – actress Zooey Deschanel teamed up with beguiling singer-songwriter M. Ward – was spirited and atmospheric. She & Him are back with Volume Two, with eleven original Deschanel songs and two covers. The sophomore release is as [...]
The end of the Shins felt premature, so when its pivotal member, James Mercer was announced to be working with producer/musician Danger Mouse, loud cheers could be heard. And the fruit of that collaboration, the self-titled release of Broken Bells, has been worth waiting for. Mercer writes nifty, slightly askew alt-pop songs with Stipe-ish, involving [...]
Nineties band James achieved stadium status in their British homelands but are not well-known elsewhere. They disbanded in 2001 and their key member, singer/lyricist Tim Booth put out a memorable solo release. They reformed in 2007 with the fine Hey Ma and have now adopted a calculated approach of releasing over 2010 two mini LPs. The [...]
Is it the Scottish climate that produces so many driving, melodic examples of anthemic rock, perhaps as spiritual offset? As examples, consider Snow Patrol (though they have been rendered bland by success) and Idlewild. Now we have Frightened Rabbit, whose third album, The Winter of Mixed Drinks, is another emotional, feet-rousing example of chugging guitars, [...]
June promises a cornucopia of listening: How long have we waited for High Violet by The National? I’d never heard the distinctive sound of The Besnard Lakes until recently, now I’ll try The Besnard Lakes Are the Roaring Night The new Jackie Leven, Gothic Road I once owned an album by frenetic Ted Leo and [...]
Not much nostalgia for the month – most of these are new to me: Fresh from his role in the the Monsters of Folk triumph, M. Ward switches to the duo of She & Him; if Volume Two is as good as their debut, it will be a pleasure to hear James Mercer, the glowing [...]