a music blog
I’m always looking for great new soul albums and was delighted to find this recent release from Scotland’s Brooke Combe. Recorded mainly live and produced by James Skelly of the Coral, there’s something quite special about ‘Dancing at the Edge of the World.’
Continue reading “Album Review: Brooke Combe – Dancing at the Edge of the World”
The word melancholy originated as a way to describe a state of deep sadness and introspection, where despair lives for no particular reason at all – such a place where poets and artists have long enjoyed living. Singer Michelle Zauner of Japanese Breakfast, found the title of her new album ‘For Melancholy Brunettes (& Sad Women) in a short story by John Cheever, and thought the tongue in cheek humour of the idea was appealing. After all most female indie singers and their fans are stereotyped this way, so why not have a little fun with it?
Continue reading “Album Review: Japanese Breakfast – For Melancholy Brunettes (& Sad Women)”
Five years after her last album Nadia Reid is in a different place now, literally. She moved to the UK from her native New Zealand and became a mother. Enter Now Brightness reflects the changes in her life, bringing a fresh and lighter feel to her music.
Continue reading “Album Review: Nadia Reid – Enter Now Brightness”
After the glorious achievement of producing two epic modern classics in ‘Seventeen’ and ‘Like We Used To’ Sharon Van Etten’s last album was more understated, hazy and, for me, a little bit of a let down overall. After regrouping Sharon decided to try something new for this project – working collaboratively with her band on the songwriting and vision for the first time. The results are still resolutely a Sharon Van Etten album but there’s something more edgy and dramatic to the style and the sound.
Continue reading “Album Review: Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory “
Lilly Hiatt’s last two albums were released during the pandemic and like many other artists at the time, she felt the negative effect of not being able to tour or promote her music in the way she wanted to.
During her last few years off the road she’s got married, adopted a dog, bought a house and installed a home studio where she began songwriting in a different, more immediate way. The results on this new album ‘Forever’ sound like someone shedding old skin, finding her way back to a more natural, looser kind of musical identity.
Continue reading “Album Review: Lilly Hiatt – Forever”
This week Karine Polwart shared a cover version of Madison Cunningham’s ‘Life According to Raechel’ and encouraged her followers to go see the young musician live at this Celtic Connections show.
Before the gig itself began, I spotted no less than three well-known Scottish musicians taking their seats in the stalls.
Later the excellent support act Louis Abbott would ask if there were any musicians in the audience and it seemed like more than half the crowd raised their hand (incidentally Louis confessed he had already bought a ticket for the gig before he was added as support).
So it seems then that Madison Cunningham is your favourite musician’s favourite musician.
Continue reading “Live Review: Madison Cunningham @ Celtic Connections 17/01/25 “
The new year is here and soon the release schedule will begin filling up but I thought I would do a quick round up of what’s already been announced for 2025.
If you know of any new releases by women not mentioned here then please add to the comments and also let me know what you’re most looking forward to hearing!
Continue reading “Music to Look Forward to in 2025 “
As a teenager growing up in the 90s I thought Kim Deal was cool in the best way – talented, fun and like she just didn’t give a fuck about anything. In the early 00s I met her while I was working at a venue she was playing at and she was super nice, even if a little out of it. She spoke of her addiction troubles during that time in a recent Guardian interview, saying ‘I would like to do those years again. I. Did. Not. Like. Them.”
What also resonated with me about that interview was how she spoke about the beauty of failure saying ‘…there’s something about trying to do something and then just getting utterly clobbered by life.’ If you’re not afraid of fucking up then you can do the unpredictable, like releasing your debut solo album at 63. In the end that fearless attitude has made ‘Nobody Loves You More’ a little triumph.
Continue reading “Album Review: Kim Deal – Nobody Loves You More”
After releasing ‘Saint Cloud’ during the pandemic, Katie Crutchfield’s life changed. She found a new audience within the Americana scene, while also maintaining her core fans from her earlier indie rock records. Success in the genre led to the Plains collaboration with Jess Williamson and even working with Wynnona Judd, further underscoring her dedication to explore her Southern roots and influences.
Katie and her brilliant band (who included Spencer Tweedy on drums) came to Glasgow for the first time in many years, fresh from releasing the new album Tiger’s Blood. She performed that album in full, relishing in the opportunity to play these songs to a sold out audience.
Continue reading “Live Review: Waxahatchee & Anna St. Louis @QMU Glasgow 30/07/24”
Highway Queens 