Monthly Archives: May, 2014
SAM DEES-THE SHOW MUST GO ON.
SAM DEES-THE SHOW MUST GO ON. Without doubt, one of music’s best kept secrets is Sam Dees. So much so, that I’d describe Sam Dees as one of the best singers you’ve never heard. Sam’s career began back in the late-sixties. Sadly, commercial success and critical acclaim never came Sam’s way. As a result, Sam …
THE SOUND OF SIAM VOLUME 2.
THE SOUND OF SIAM VOLUME 2. For many people, Soundway Records’ compilation The Sound of Siam was their introduction to Thailand’s music. It was released to critical acclaim in November 2010. Sound of Siam was a trendsetting compilation. After that, interest in Asian music exploded. Record companies jumped on the bandwagon. Compilations of Indonesian, Cambodian, …
LEWIS L’AMOUR.
LEWIS L’AMOUR. Mystery and conjecture surrounded Lewis and his 1983 album L’Amour which was recently rereleased by Light In The Attic Records. Most of the mystery surrounds Lewis. Nobody really knew who he was. Lewis called himself Randall Wulff. However, thirty-one years later, conjecture still surrounded whether that was Lewis true identity. All that’s known …
THE BLACK HIPPIES-THE BLACK HIPPIES.
THE BLACK HIPPIES-THE BLACK HIPPIES. One of Nigerian music’s best kept secrets, are The Black Hippies. They only ever released two albums. Their finest moment was their 1977 debut album The Black Hippies. It was released in 1977, on EMI. Sadly, by then, disco and funk were flavour of the month. The Black Hippies were …
IMARHAN TIMBUKTU-AKAL WARLED.
IMARHAN TIMBUKTU-AKAL WARLED. Over the last ten years, Imarhan Timbuktu have been providing the soundtrack at dance clubs and private parties in Northern Mali. Imarhan Timbuktu have starred at the famous Festival au Desert. Gradually, word began to spread about Imarhan Timbuktu. Recently, Imarhan Timbuktu’s music has been heard further afield. This includes in Europe …
CHVRCHES-THE BONES OF WHAT YOU BELIEVE.
CHVRCHES-THE BONES OF WHAT YOU BELIEVE. One of the most highly anticipated albums of recent years was Chvrches’ The Bones Of What You Believe, which was recently nominated for 2014s Scottish Album Of The Year Award. It’s just the latest chapter in the Chvrches’ story. Chvrches are no ordinary band. Far from it. They’ve come …
THE DEADBEATS-ON TAR BEACH.
THE DEADBEATS-ON TAR BEACH. There aren’t many teenagers who dream of leaving the Florida sunshine to head to London, and form a band. That’s what Suzie May did in 1979. She left her home in the Florida suburbs, and arrived in Camden Town, London. Suzie was halfway towards fulfilling her dream. Her dream was to …
WIM MERTENS-MAXIMIZING THE AUDIENCE.
WIM MERTENS-MAXIMIZING THE AUDIENCE. Anyone interested in avant garde and experimental music will know the name Wim Mertens. He’s a composer, pianist, guitarist, vocalist and producer. Wim is also a musicologist, who studied music theory and piano at the prestigious Ghent Conservatory in Belgian. Music, however, wasn’t what Wim originally studied. No. Originally, Wim studied …
HORSE MEAT DISCO VOLUME IV.
HORSE MEAT DISCO VOLUME IV. It’s been a long time coming, Horse Meat Disco Volume IV. Three years, but hey, who’s counting. At last, though, the wait is nearly over. Horse Meat Disco Volume IV will be released on Strut Records on 16th June. A lot has happened in the last three years. Since the …
BOMBAY MONKEY-DARK FLOW.
BOMBAY MONKEY-DARK FLOW. Mention Dark Flow and the words will mean different things to different people. To astrophysicists it’s a subject of conjecture and controversy. For music lovers, Dark Flow means something very different. Dark Flow is the highly anticipated fourth album from Bombay Monkey. Dark Flow will be released on BBE Music on 19th …
R.M. HUBBERT-BREAKS AND BONE.
R.M. HUBBERT-BREAKS AND BONE. For R.M. Hubbert, 2013 was the best year of his long musical career. A veteran, and some might say, unsung hero, of Glasgow’s music scene, Hubby won the Scottish Album Of The Year Award in June 2013, with his sophomore album, Thirteen Lost and Found. Considering the competition Hubby was up …
THE PASTELS-SLOW SUMMITS.
THE PASTELS-SLOW SUMMITS. There’s something almost contrary about certain Scottish bands, including The Blue Nile, The Bathers and The Pastels. Hugely talented, they’ve released critically acclaimed and commercially successful albums. Yet in a quintessentially Scottish way, as if unsure of fame, fortune and the trappings it brings with it, these bands fail to capitalize on …
STRANGE BREAKS AND MR. THING III.
STRANGE BREAKS AND MR. THING III. One of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed compilation series makes a welcome return on 19th May 2014. That’s Strange Breaks and Mr. Thing III. It’s been a long time coming. Five years in fact. So, after a five year back, Mr. Thing makes a very welcome return …
ROSIE BANS-BE BOLD.
ROSIE BANS-BE BOLD. At this time of the year in Scotland, everyone involved in the music industry’s thoughts turns to the Scottish Album Of The Year Award. It’s Scotland’s premier award. So, it’s with baited breath that artists all over Scotland await the announce of the long-list of twenty albums. The long-list then becomes a shortlist …
MOGWAI-LES REVENANTS.
MOGWAI-LES REVENANTS. Earlier this year, Glasgow’s very own Mogwai released their eighth studio album Rave Tapes. This was their first album in three years, since the release of Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will. However, during that three year period, Mogwai had been busy. They contributed the soundtrack to the French television series Les …
RICK REDBEARD-NO SELFISH HEART.
RICK REDBEARD-NO SELFISH HEART. All too often, when I pore through each week’s new releases, I wonder where music is heading? It seems that nostalgia is now officially the future. A deluge of third-rate reissues seems to be all some record companies are releasing. Then there’s compilations. Like greetings cards, there are compilations for every …
CAMERA OBSCURA-DESIRE LINES.
CAMERA OBSCURA-DESIRE LINES. There aren’t many bands who announce on their website that they’re on maternity leave. Camera Obscura do. They’re another Scottish band who do things their way. So far, that’s worked well. They’ve released five albums since they were formed in Glasgow in 1996. Their most recent album, was Desire Lines, saw Camera …
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