Tag: Alternative

Album Review: ALA.NI – ACCA

Everyone does their thing a little bit differently, ALA.NI sings on the seductive opening track of her new album ACCA. We last heard from her on the wonderful You and I album (which I reviewed a couple of years ago) and since then she has been experimenting further with the boundaries of her unique sound. This new album has been written and recorded almost entirely a cappella, with the vocal tracks then being layered to sound like instruments. The result is a dizzying mix of innovation that sounds spontaneous and utterly sparkling throughout. Continue reading “Album Review: ALA.NI – ACCA” →

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Album Review: Brittany Howard – Jaime

Brittany Howard has always had ambition to be known as more than just a vintage soul singer, as proven by the second Alabama Shakes album and her alter ego Thunderbitch. Her new solo album, Jaime, is named after her sister who died in childhood and takes musical inspiration from wildly diverse genres and styles. Jaime is a personal odyssey of discovery where in an attempt to deconstruct her past, musically and personally, she has created something thrillingly present. Continue reading “Album Review: Brittany Howard – Jaime” →

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Album Review: Lana Del Rey – Norman Fucking Rockwell!

I hadn’t listened much to Lana Del Rey before I began writing this blog. Sure I knew Summertime Sadness and Video Games but they didn’t encourage me to listen further. There was something about her sad-girl-loves-bad-boys image that made me think she was a construct, a record label fantasy surely created by a man. Her dead eye stare was as cold as the beats of her over produced music.

And, to be honest, I still don’t know if I’m entirely wrong about those initial assumptions. What I do know is that with Norman Fucking Rockwell! Lana Del Rey just released one of the best albums of 2019. Her quiet evolution into one of the most vital voices of this year has been quite stunning to witness. Continue reading “Album Review: Lana Del Rey – Norman Fucking Rockwell!” →

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Album Review: Kadhja Bonet – Childqueen

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” →

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EP Review: Adia Victoria – Baby Blues

Adia Victoria is influenced by the pioneers of the blues genre, many of whom have been criminally ignored due to their race and gender. She feels a connection to those artists, like Victoria Spivey, Robert Johnson and Skip James, which goes deeper than simple admiration. Listening to her new E.P. Baby Blues you start to believe she is the reincarnation of every forgotten blues singer that ever lived. This collection of covers is dedicated to her friend Those Darlins’ Jessi Zazu, who died of cancer just before the recording. Loss and grief underscore the performances, embodying the blues but taking the sound to another distinctively darker place entirely.  Continue reading “EP Review: Adia Victoria – Baby Blues” →

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Album Review: Susanne Sundfør – Music For People in Trouble

Before recording her new album Norwegian singer Susanne Sundfør travelled to distant corners of the world, taking photographs, meeting people and trying to make sense of life. When returning to the studio to record she decided to reject the technology that had been central to her previous album and go back to a more organic sound. The result, Music For People in Trouble, is an album of sublime songwriting and scope, which offers the listener a serene shelter from the storm.  Continue reading “Album Review: Susanne Sundfør – Music For People in Trouble” →

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