Xiu Xiu – Always

Album no.9 for Jamie Stewart and its creature Xiu Xiu, a project where continuity and avant-garde are synonyms. Whether this continuity lies in Jamie’s mournful pitch or in the gloomy lyrics is not known, but these songs deserve more … Read More

Phantogram – Nightlife EP

From the opening bars of their third EP you are struck by a booming and almost relentless drum beat that returns throughout. The opening track, ’16 Years’ utilises this alongside airy vocals that recall Arcade Fire. The strong backing … Read More

Van Halen – A different kind of Truth

I have been waiting fifteen years for this and, when I first heard the first single Tattoo I was a bit disappointed, but this song has really grown on me and it is a great start to the album … Read More

Maia – Living in the Alligator

Maia are a four-piece folk band from Huddersfield, but they are certainly not your average folk band. Well, that’s because they aren’t. I called them folk but they are in actuality disco sci-fi folk pop. Quite a combination, right? … Read More

Alex Highton – Woodditton Wives Club

Woodditton Wives Club started out its life how all good folk albums do, on a low budget. Highton originally recorded the album using one microphone in his garage, and despite the re-recording being more refined, it still retains an … Read More

Modern Society – Horizons

If you are one of those wistful fans of 1990’s brit-pop, hoping and wishing that more bands could revive this genre then “Horizons” the new single by Modern Society is right up your street.

This track is an upbeat track … Read More

Auction for the Promise Club – One

For a debut EP “One” by Auction for the Promise Club is astonishingly polished. Considering that this is a three piece band (made up of siblings Zoe White Chambers on vocals and guitar, Toby White Chambers on drums and … Read More

InMe – The Pride

At the risk of sounding as pretentious as I really am, InMe are something of a musical anachronism. They were basically one of the forerunners of the early 2000’s post hardcore movement, achieving some degree of success with debut … Read More

We Are Augustines – Chapel Song

Brooklyn based indie rock group We Are Augustines proudly present the next step in the grand lineage of singles with vastly superior B-Sides to A-Sides in their sophomore single Chapel Song. Not to imply that the titular A-Side is … Read More

Safari – Doubt / Are We Ready

Safari are a “synth-beat” five-piece from Hertfordshire. Their latest offering is a lesser-spotted AA side single featuring the tracks ‘Doubt’ and ‘Are We Ready’.

In a time when many bands adopt the attitude of the obligatory use of synthesizers … Read More