a music blog
Having reviewed over fifty albums and EPs this year it might seem like a tough decision to choose a list of your favourite songs from such a variety of releases but actually this is a pretty easy one. Somehow the more you listen to music the more certain songs rise to the surface and stay there. Continue reading “Favourite Songs of 2018 So Far”
In 2018 so far I have reviewed fifty albums and E.P.s so I thought I would try to assess the year overall and decide on my what albums have been my favourites. Continue reading “Favourite Albums of 2018 So Far”
In 1965 aged just 20 Linda Ronstadt left behind her Arizona home and headed off to Los Angeles in the hope of becoming a success on the folk music scene. The night she left her father took gave her a gift of a Martin acoustic guitar and told her what his Mexican father had once said to him: “Ahora que tienes guitarra, nunca tendras hambre” (Now you own a guitar you will never go hungry). Those words would prove true. Ronstadt’s long and illustrious career is explored in Simple Dreams, her excellent self-penned memoir which takes us from the deserts of her childhood, to her chart success and beyond. Continue reading “Book Review: Linda Ronstadt’s ‘Simple Dreams’”
I wrote a little about the excellent podcast Vinyl Emergency last year when they released their first ‘Live From…’ E.P. featuring the awesome Lydia Loveless. Each podcast episode includes an interview with an artist or someone in the music industry where they discuss their relationship with vinyl as a format, as well as their careers in general. Some of the previous guests include Lilly Hiatt, Rosanne Cash and an interesting recent episode featured the head of Discogs vinyl community. The latest instalment is a chat with duo Dead Horses, who have also released this short but sweet live E.P. recorded during their Vinyl Emergency interview. Continue reading “Download ‘Dead Horses – Live From The Vinyl Emergency Podcast’ & Raise Money for a Worthy Cause”
Classically trained multi-instrumentalist Kadhja Bonet has a singular vision for her music that is refreshing in a world where music is increasingly written by committee. On her new album Childqueen she has written, arranged and produced the songs, played most of the instruments and even designed the artwork herself. The result is an astounding album of original music which sounds refreshingly out of time. Continue reading “Album Review: Kadhja Bonet – Childqueen”
On the title track to Camera Obscura’s masterpiece My Maudlin Career, Tracyanne Campbell sang ‘this maudlin career must come to an end / I don’t want to be sad again’, a line heavy in irony for a singer whose music had always captured a bittersweet Scottish melancholy. Their next album Desire Lines seemed to take this line to heart with its more upbeat pop feel on songs like Break it To You Gently and Do It Again. However the lighter sound hid a devastating reality: band member Carey Lander was suffering from cancer and tragically died in 2015. Since then the band have been on an indefinite hiatus, dealing with their loss.
Therefore this new collaborative project between Campbell and Danny Coughlan of Crybaby is a chance for a fresh start, a way to sing again without the memory of what has gone before weighing too heavily. Taking the controls for the album is producer Edwyn Collins, a man who understands much about overcoming adversity. Maybe what you need to get back on your feet is just a little help from your friends. Continue reading “Album Review: Tracyanne & Danny – Tracyanne & Danny”
The cover of Erin Rae’s new album is a painting by Nashville artist Harry Underwood, depicting a barroom scene – in it a woman puts a song on the jukebox, a man sits at the bar and the space between them is both small and vast at the same time. The painting, and the songs contained within, capture that sense of alienation and sadness which exist in everyday moments. ‘Putting on Airs’ is an album of breathtaking beauty, an intimate impression of American life. Continue reading “Album Review: Erin Rae – Putting on Airs”
Shannon Shaw and her band The Clams have been producing great garage rockabilly albums since their debut in 2009. Now stepping out on her own for this solo album, Shaw is embracing a more polished sound inspired by a mix of soul, classic girl groups and vintage pop. Produced by label boss Dan Auerbach ‘Shannon in Nashville’ is a dramatic and engaging collection of songs which display a real raw vocal talent. Continue reading “Album Review: Shannon Shaw – Shannon In Nashville”
On the startling front cover of her new album, Neko Case’s head is covered in cigarettes and she starting to catch fire. It is somewhat alarming on first inspection, especially considering her house actually burnt down recently, but maybe using the violent imagery is her way of accepting such an unlucky fate. Hellion is a word for a rowdy or mischievous person and you feel that spirit and don’t give a fuck energy radiating out of her very core. Hell-On was mostly recorded before the fire so don’t except songs to directly reference that incident but Case has always made art out of life’s disasters and these songs continue in that vein. Produced by Neko herself, with Bjorn Yttling, this album offers no simple narrative and makes no concessions to genre or trends. Because of this sense of originality, Hell-On feels like a vital addition to her already impressive discography. Continue reading “Album Review: Neko Case – Hell-On”
Highway Queens 