You know those shots in films and on TV, the ones where the camera pulls away sharply to reveal a vast functional world swamping the concentrated area on which you’ve been focused feverishly for the last 90 minutes, as a reminder – should you require one – that any tale told is part of a richer, wider tapestry. Hitching in on that metaphor, this might be a bit mid-budget, the camera won’t stretch much beyond the rooftops, but you get Continue Reading

One minute your lifting CDs from one room to another at your job at Mushroom Records, the next your lifting melodies off Oasis’s ‘Songbird’ – itself a less than complex steal off a ‘Yoko’ period Lennon. And here, complete with poorly executed harmonica (‘executed’ being a reasonably accurate phrase) deliriously happy nasal vocal, clatter-bucket acoustic guitars and shuffling wash-board daftness is a bright, breezy and cheerful lo-fi rainbow of a tune. Italian born songwriter Francesco Cinelli (vocals, guitar, harp) and Continue Reading

Earl Slick is one of those artists you didn’t know you knew. The kind of name you’d recognise in a pub quiz if you hadn’t been drinking, but whose name you might forget well before the end of the night when you’ve had a couple. The reason? Earl Slick has teetered precariously at the fringes of genius for years now, having already played alongside David Bowie (with whom he’s now touring), John Lennon and even the great but sadly unrecognised Continue Reading

If you thought producer Dave Fridmann was just a one trick pony, you’d be wise to consider this kick-ass thrusting beast of a record. Gone are the tender, timber algorithms of his oft-cited production work for The Flaming Lips, Mercury Rev, Longwave and Mogwai and in their place is one blistering big daddy of a wall of sound.  The band may be more famous in their native America for their 2002 tune ‘California’ and for actor/drummer Jason Schwartzman, but pretty Continue Reading

Since the release of his ‘Folk Songs for Train Trees and Honey’ album back in 2000, you might be forgiven for thinking Scott Herren (a.k.a. Prefuse 73, a.k.a. Savath & Savalas) had sailed into a slinky red sunset of his own sumptuous imagination, and retired his meticulous eye for heavenly music in favour of sandals and margaritas. Well truth is, the sandals may still be in use – so too are the margaritas – but if the evidence here is Continue Reading

There’s goofy and there’s goofy and there’s folks who refuse to draw a line between either. Whilst the words ‘oddball’, ‘tangential’ and ‘fruitcake’ sound fun enough when in the hands of true visionaries, in the hands of fools they’re simply an indication of madness. Camper Van Beethoven fell loosely in both camps. Camper Van Beethoven offshoot, Cracker, featuring principle camper, David Lowery, on the otherhand simply fell over and died. And Leftover Salmon? Well what do you think? As the Continue Reading

All hail the ‘king of electronic futurism’. It may be something of an understatement but Si Begg enjoys mixing his styles.  Not content with shredding large chunks of electro-funk and space-rock in his quest for eclectic sovereignity, ‘Buss’ sees his experiments rim the remits of UK Garage. And there’s nothing like a good rimming. With a MC Rap courtesy of Miss MC, some big fat liquid bass and some extraordinarily infectious Bansuri-like riff ‘Buss’ just abouts hits the spot. Like the Directors Continue Reading

Apparently ‘Blue Eyed Soul’ is a catch-all-term to describe white performers playing black music. So consider, if you will, everything from sixties RnB, West Coast Hippy Chic, Miami soul, and northern soul. In fact, think just about everything from Elvis to Justin Timberlake, for that matter. With the release of Elton John’s ‘Are You Ready For Love’ Southern Fried stumbled across something rather remarkable: white artists could produce great soul music when push came to shove. And what’s more, you could Continue Reading

First let’s get something straight. If you’re expecting something in the mould of Space Cowboy, then don’t buy this record. This is not your average lanky, swanky club number, it’s the kind of krauty art-house industrialism you’ve no doubt come to expect from Nova Mute. Insanely and savagely pounding beats as big as lump hammers break open a punk rock vault of sizzling electronica and a dozen or so technologically advanced insect robots are freed into the ear of the Continue Reading

To sleep, perchance to dream. Why do we sleep? What are the biological reasons behind dreams? For Armor For Sleep singer and songwriter, Ben Jorgensen sleep at least offers a respite from the interminable weariness of writing yet another ‘lucid’ anthem. Flying, falling, floating out onto the street, not being able to move, living inside someone else’s VCR, rotting away into nothing, a place where winter is broken, appearing like raindrops – you name it – Ben Jorgensen has wrung Continue Reading