I thank my dear friend Hubert for pointing me to this disc. Matt Berry is a new name for me, but this album, which combines psychedelic folk, Americana and elements of soundtrack music, is a pleasantly heavy listen. This compares well with similar music which came out during the 1970s. Continue Reading
United Kingdom
Breichiau Hir – Y Dwylo Uwchben
Though I’m a little disappointed that the band only offer one track to hear on their Bandcamp site, it’s not everyday you get to hear Welsh post-rock sung in actual Welsh. Breichiau Hir mix a basic rock sound with emo, post-rock and post-metal touches to it. Solid.
six by seven – The Closer You Get (Reissue)
Nottingham, England’s six by seven are heirs to the post-punk mantle whose sound compares well with The Stooges with a more amped up feel on some tracks, but on others, the sound has a swaying, gentle quality reminiscent of Joy Division’s more tender moments. This will be seen as a Continue Reading
Hawkestrel – Hawkestrel Presents Pre-Med – Old Habits Die Hard
This was a very pleasant surprise to run into. Former Hawkwind alumni gathered to make this record, and the sounds is as sharp as it was in the 1970s. Space rock is alive and well.
The Meteors – 40 Days a Rotting
The Meteors are, and will always be, the apex of the psychobilly scene, but it doesn’t mean that their sound cannot continue to grow and mutate. In their latest album the first track sets the tone perfectly. The psychobilly twang is still there, but there is a drop of surf Continue Reading
Yazz Ahmed – A Paradise In The Hold
It has been a long time since I had a chance to dig into the work of Bahraini/British trumpeter Yazz Ahmed’s works. She has a new album due on January 1, 2025, and judging by the one track available, it will be blending of deep fusion with Middle Eastern musical Continue Reading
Dean & Britta & Sonic Boom – A Peace of Us
Dean Wareham is someone who could be called Shoegaze royalty. He has been partnering with Britta Phillips for some time now making some fine records, but this is a different, even more interesting beast. The Spacemen 3 centerpiece Sonic Boom collaborates with Dean & Britta for an album which combines Continue Reading
Throbbing Gristle – Thirty-Second Annual Report
Don’t let anyone ever tell you differently. Ministry, Front 242, Frontline Assembly, as much as I love all of those bands, are NOT Industrial music in its purest form, nor are any of the ghastly ‘industrial metal’ bands. Only Throbbing Gristle and associated bands, such as SPK, early Cabaret Voltaire Continue Reading
Tears For Fears – Songs For A Nervous Planet
One of the greatest of the new wave bands, Tears For Fears return with an album bearing four new tracks and many live versions of their hits.
Al Wootton – Lifted From The Earth
From the Bandcamp site: “Guess-again shapeshifter Al Wootton continues a fertile streak of releases for ZamZam, Livity and his own Trule label, as well as an acclaimed collab with Susumu Mukai and Valentina Magaletti as Holy Tongue, on a killer new album for Berceuse Heroique’s tape series, a screwed navigation Continue Reading