Category Archives: Rock
FAIRPORT CONVENTION-RISING FOR THE MOON.
FAIRPORT CONVENTION-RISING FOR THE MOON. Rising For The Moon, which was Fairport Convention’s tenth studio album, proved to be a landmark album for a number of reasons. Most importantly, it was the last album to feature the ethereal beauty of Sandy Denny’s vocal. This was Sandy’s swan-song. Another change was that Jon Wood, Fairport Convention’s …
MICHAEL CHAPMAN-WRECKED AGAIN.
MICHAEL CHAPMAN-WRECKED AGAIN. Before releasing his 1969 debut album Rainmaker, on Harvest Records, Michael Chapman taught art and photography. Music was something he did in his spare time. Despite being a part time musician, Michael was a regular on the folk circuit. He traveled from his home county of Yorkshire down to London and Cornwall. …
THE WYNNTOWN MARSHALS-THE LONG HAUL.
THE WYNNTOWN MARSHALS-THE LONG HAUL. Ever since 2007, a little corner of Edinburgh has resembled Nashville, Tennessee. 2007 was The Wynntown Marshals, Scotland’s most practiced purveyors of country rock were formed. Since then, The Wynntown Marshals, have been fusing poppy hooks and a pedal steel to create their own unique brand of swaggering country rock. …
MIKE OLDFIELD-FIVE MILES OUT.
MIKE OLDFIELD-FIVE MILES OUT. There aren’t many artists whose debut album sells 3.75 million copies. Back in 1973, Mike Oldfield’s debut album Tubular Bells did. Reaching number one in the UK and number three in the US Billboard 200, Mike Oldfield not only launched his career, but the new record label he was signed to, Virgin …
R.M. HUBBERT-BREAKS AND BONE.
R.M. HUBBERT-BREAKS AND BONE. For R.M. Hubbert, 2013 has been 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 …
THE TEMPERANCE MOVEMENT-THE TEMPERANCE MOVEMENT.
THE TEMPERANCE MOVEMENT-THE TEMPERANCE MOVEMENT. Many bands are touted as the future of rock ‘n’ roll. Mostly it’s either record company hype or wishful thinking. The Temperance Movement are different. They’re the real thing. They epitomize rock ‘n’ roll. Formed in 2011, they’ve come a long way in two years. They’ve conquered Britain, Europe and …
AFROBEAT AIRWAYS 2-RETURN FLIGHT TO GHANA 1974-1983.
AFROBEAT AIRWAYS 2-RETURN FLIGHT TO GHANA 1974-1983. For anyone who loves African music, Analog Africa’s releases are essential listening. Their compilations are among the best compilations of African music available. The reason for this is simple, Analog Africa dig deeper than other reissue labels. They’ve been doing since 2005, when Samy Ben Rebjed founded Analog …
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, which was …
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 …
WASHINGTON IRVING-PALOMIDES VOLUME 1.
WASHINGTON IRVING-PALOMIDES VOLUME 1. Visitors to Washington Irving’s website are greeted with what could be their musical manifesto, “We Are Electric Folk and Like To Play Loudly.” That’s no idle boast. Far from it. Washington Irving can walk the walk. Unlike many bands, Washington Irving let their music do the talking. Washington Irving don’t do …
BLO-CHAPTER ONE.
BLO-CHAPTER ONE. The first thing that strikes you about BLO’s Chapter One, the latest rerelease from Mr. Bongo Records, is the cover. Naive, psychedelic, lysergic and surreal, it’s a min-masterpiece. It’s up there with some of the best album covers in music history. So good is the album cover, that I’m sure many people will …
DONSO-DEFILA.
DONSO-DEFILA. The story of how Donso’s sophomore album Defila, which was recently released by Comet Records, begins back in 2008. That was when French electro producer and owner of Ed Banger Records, Pierre Antoine Grison met Thomas Guillaume. Pierre was sitting in his Paris flat when he heard his neighbor playing a musical instrument he’d …
GOOD VIBRATIONS: A RECORD SHOP, A LABEL, A SOUNDTRACK.
GOOD VIBRATIONS: A RECORD SHOP, A LABEL, A SOUNDTRACK. Late last year, a British independent film had a huge impact upon its release. That’s the critically acclaimed Good Vibrations, which was directed by Lisa Bassos D’sa and Glenn Leyburn. Good Vibrations tells the story of the life and times of Terri Hooley, a stalwart and …
PLEASURE-FUTURE NOW.
PLEASURE-FUTURE NOW. Portland-based Pleasure spent several years honing their style and sound before Wayne Henderson of The Crusaders “discovered” them. Pleasure were formed in 1972, after a merger of two high school bands, Franchise and The Soul Masters. Franchise were led by guitarist and vocalist Marlon McClain. Their music was a fusion of disco and …
ARP-MORE.
ARP-MORE. Three years after the release of his sophomore album The Soft Wave, ARP returns with More, which will be released on 16th September 2013 on Smalltown Supersound. During the last three years, much has changed for Alexis Georgopoulis a.k.a. ARP. Having toured The Soft Wave, he decided to take a break from touring. Instead, …
WOODENBOX-END GAME.
WOODENBOX-END GAME. Fueled by the sound of the Sensational Alex Harvey Band and Kayne West, Glasgow-based Woodenbox, set about recording their sophomore album End Game at Chem 19 recording studio in Hamilton. Given Woodenbox’s somewhat eclectic soundtrack, it’s no surprise that End Game is a similarly eclectic album. Best described as genre-sprawling, the Glasgow-based folk …
SOPHISTICATED BOOM BOOM!-THE SHADOW MORTON STORY.
SOPHISTICATED BOOM BOOM!-THE SHADOW MORTON STORY. Enigmatic. That’s a word that’s often used to describe Long Island songwriter and producer George Shadow Morton. In reality, that’s selling Shadow Morton short. It also overshadows the reality that Shadow Morton was an innovative and influential songwriter and producer, who enjoyed a long and successful career. His career …
THE SEEDS-FUTURE.
THE SEEDS-FUTURE. For any band with what might be described as a “generous” recording budget, the temptation to experiment and push musical boundaries must be tantalizing. Especially back in 1967, at the dawn of the psychedelic era. For The Seeds, resisting this temptation was impossible. The Seeds can’t be criticized for this. After all, during …
PSYCHEMAGIK PRESENTS MAGIK SUNRISE.
PSYCHEMAGIK PRESENTS MAGIK SUNRISE. By far, one of the best compilations of 2012 was Leng Records’ Psychemagik Presents Magic Circles. Released in October 2012, it’s best described as a compelling and captivating collection of music. Not only that, but it brought new meaning to the word eclectic. Fusing cosmic disco, Balearica, psychedelic funk, ambient, soul, …
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