Category Archives: Indie Pop
BIG STAR-POWER POP PIONEERS.
Big Star-Power Pop Pioneers. Sadly, in music, talent doesn’t guarantee commercial success. If it did, Big Star would’ve been one of the biggest bands in musical history. Alas, that wasn’t the case. Lady luck failed to smile on Big Star when they released a trio of albums between 1972 and 1978. Despite this, Big Star are …
WILD HONEY-TORRES BLANCAS.
Wild Honey-Torres Blancas. Label: Lovemonk Records. Just over four years ago, Wild Honey released their much-anticipated sophomore album Big Flash in April 2013. This was the followup to Wild Honey’s 2009 debut album Epic Handshakes and A Bear Hug. While it was released to plaudits and praise, Big Flash marked the coming of age of …
FAZERDAZE-MORNINGSIDE.
Fazerdaze-Morningside. Grönland Records. Despite a population of just 3.8 million, New Zealand has always punched above its weight when it comes to music. That has been the case for the best part of fifty years. Proof of that is the roll call of artists and bands New Zealand has produced over the last five decades. …
THE BLUE NILE-PERFECTION PERSONIFIED.
The Blue Nile-Perfection Personified. Enigmatic, reluctant and contrarian are words that best of describe The Blue Nile. They’re the complete opposite of most bands. The Blue Nile have been described as publicity shy. That’ is an understatement. Ever since Paul Buchanan, Robert Bell and Paul Joseph Moore formed the Blue Nile, they’ve been one of …
TEENAGE FANCLUB-SCOTLAND’S BIG STARS AND KINGS OF JANGLE POP.
Teenage Fanclub-Scotland’s Big Stars and Kings Of Jangle Pop. Not many Scottish bands have enjoyed the longevity and commercial success that Teenage Fanclub have. Scotland’s Kings of jangle pop have been together four decades, have released ten albums and toured the world several times. Still though, Teenage Fanclub still going strong, and must be contenders for the 2017 Scottish Album of The …
FRIGHTENED RABBIT-THE STORY SO FAR.
Frightened Rabbit-The Story So Far. It’s at this time of year, that the Scottish music industry’s thoughts turn to the Scottish Album Of The Year Award. It’s Scotland’s most prestigious music prize. Already many albums have been nominated. This includes Frightened Rabbit’s Picture Of Panic Attack, which is regarded as a contender for the Scottish Album Of The Year Award. Picture Of Panic …
THE BEST COMPILATIONS OF 2016-PART 4.
The Best Compilations Of 2016-Part 4. Pink Floyd-Cre/ation: The Early Years 1967–1972. One box set that divided opinion during 2016, was Pink Floyd’s The Early Years 1965–1972. It featured eleven CDs, DVDs, blu-ray discs, vinyl, and memorabilia. There was everything from unreleased material to live recordings and non-album singles. The Early Years 1965–1972 was marketed …
THE BEST VINYL REISSUES OF 2016-PART 1.
THE BEST VINYL REISSUES OF 2016-PART 1. Black Moon Circle-Sea Of Clouds. April 2016 saw Norwegian space rock pioneers Black Moon Circle make their debut at the prestigious Roadburn Festival. This was prefect timing. That day, Black Moon Circle released their fourth album Sea Of Clouds via Crispin Glover Records. It was a much anticipated …
THE BEST VINYL REISSUES OF 2016-PART 2.
THE BEST VINYL REISSUES OF 2016-PART 3. John Marty-Solid Air. During his long and illustrious career, John Martyn released two classic albums for Island Records, including Solid Air in 1973. It was reissued twice during 2016. In May, Island Records reissued Solid Air as part of their Half-Speed Mastering series. Then Universal-Island Records Ltd supplied …
BEST NEW ALBUMS OF 2016-PART 1.
BEST NEW ALBUMS OF 2016-PART 1. Adam Holmes and The Embers-Better Still. Just two years after releasing his debut Heirs and Graces, Edinburgh based singer-songwriter returned with his much-anticipated sophomore album Better Still. This time around though, his backing band The Embers receive equal billing. They play an important in the sound and success of …
BEST NEW ALBUMS OF 2016-PART 2.
BEST NEW ALBUMS OF 2016-PART 2. Ches Smith-The Bell. Up until the New York Winter Jazzfest in 2014, Ches Smith had always been a sideman. That night, he led his own trio. Two years later, Ches Smith’s move from sideman to bandleader was complete when he released The Bell on ECM. He assumes the …
BEST NEW ALBUMS OF 2016-PART 3.
BEST NEW ALBUMS OF 2016-PART 3. Fire!-She Sleeps, She Sleeps. Back in Fenruary, Fire! released their fifth studio album She Sleeps, She Sleeps on Rune Grammofon. Just like previous albums by Fire! and the Fire! Orchestra the music on She Sleeps, She Sleeps was groundbreaking, influential and innovative. It was also captivating, progressive, genre-melting music. …
BEST NEW ALBUMS OF 2016-PART 4.
BEST NEW ALBUMS OF 2016-PART 4. Jóhann Jóhannsson-Ophee On Orphée, Jóhann Jóhannsson’s turned his attention to the beauty and the process of creation. Orphée features Jóhann Jóhannsson tracing a path from darkness into light. Inspiration for Orphée comes from the opéra bouffe Orphée aux enfers (Orpheus in the Underworld). It was written by Ludovic Halévy, …
BEST NEW ALBUMS OF 2016-PART 6.
BEST NEW ALBUMS OF 2016-PART 6. Qluster-Echtzei. Forty-seven years after he first co-founded Kluster, Hans-Joachim Roedelius keeps the memory of Kluster and Cluster alive with Qluster. They released their sixth album Echtzeit on Bureau B during 2016. Echtzeit marks a stylistic departure from Qluster. It’s much more ambient sounding album. Qluster combine elements of …
BEST NEW ALBUMS OF 2016-PART 7.
BEST NEW ALBUMS OF 2016-PART 7. Sunanna-Triangle. Triangle is Susanna’s eleventh album and first for four years. It was released on Susanna’s own SusannaSonata label, and is no ordinary album. Not by a long chalk. Instead, Triangle is a twenty-two song cerebral epic, where Susanna muses and meditates on mortality and religion. It’s a powerful album, …
BEST SCOTTISH ALBUMS OF 2016-PART 1.
BEST SCOTTISH ALBUMS OF 2016-PART 1. It’s at this time of year I usually say that Scottish music is in rude health. This year, I’m not so sure. There seems to be a dearth of up-and-coming artists and bands making a breakthrough. The only newcomers to this year’s list are Starless, Adam Holmes and The …
BEST SCOTTISH ALBUMS OF 2016-PART 2.
BEST SCOTTISH ALBUMS OF 2016-PART 2. RM Hubbert-Telling The Trees. For Telling The Trees, RM Hubbert joined by a stellar cast of guest artists. This includes Karine Palwart, Kathryn Williams, Martha Ffion and Anneliese Mackintosh. These multitalented songwriters, musicians and vocalists join RM Hubbert in creating another album of collaborations. Hubby’s first album of collaborations, …
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