The death of Michael Jackson had an unexpected effect on me. It made me do something I didn’t think I’d ever do again. I purchased Q magazine. Not because I was very sad about his death, I don’t subscribe to… Continue reading
Since their Glastonbury headline slot two years their status as a powerhouse of indie rock has been cemented across Europe and the UK. Sadly though they have chosen to ignore the cliché that with great power comes great responsibility and behave like big babies instead. Continue reading
This week saw the Mercury Music Prize Nominations being announced. And there were very few surprises in the list. The Horrors may have surprised some people, but their currency has been rising in recent months and they probably deserve the… Continue reading
The 2009 U2 tour is well underway, and the centrepiece of the tour is the massive stage set they have created. The biggest stage set ever! This big construction is problematic for me in three ways. Firstly it cost tens… Continue reading
I have many favourite songwriters, James Mercer, Sufjan Stevens, Paddy McAloon, but none of them have the longevity and body of work that Pollard has. Continue reading
Owen Pallett, the Canadian composer, multi-instrumentalist and all round clever so-and-so, may just have produced one of the best albums of 2010. Ok, so we are only a few days into the new year and so far there is not… Continue reading
While some heartbroken artists find solace through penning the odd break up song here and there, Eels frontman Mark Everett has decided to rake through the whole emotional mess of his recent divorce with an entire album, End Times. The… Continue reading
It would be so convenient to start a review of Vampire Weekend’s second album Contra with something about the band’s metamorphosis into the bastard love child of Graceland-era Paul Simon and Lily Allen now being complete. There’s something so squeeky… Continue reading
I used to think Beach House were just another one of those dreamy, meloncholic bands. Soft vocals over key boards and simple guitar. Good but nothing special. That was until I heard their third album, Teen Dream, which elevates them… Continue reading
With 2006’s album The Trials of Van Occupanther, Texan band Midlake perfectly recreated that sunny, kaftan wearing feeling of the early 1970s. All Fleetwood Mac and Eagles, songs such as ‘Roscoe’ and ‘Bandits’ could easily have come from the era.… Continue reading