1 2 3 4 5 reviewed for The Dwarf King Khan is one of those eccentric characters that rock n roll needs right now. A common factor in these times of dour indie pop and angsty, emo metal is for the most part a lack of charismatic personalities; larger than life front-men and women that can bring a bit of fun, drama and fantasy to … Continue reading REVIEW: KING KHAN & THE SHRINES – The Supreme Genius Of…
1 2 3 4 5 reviewed for The Dwarf Roland K Smith, previously the singer of hard rock band Walrus, has branched out as a solo act of sorts with backing band The Sinners. Taking from the more American strands of rock n roll, alt country and power pop, his calling card comes in the form of the EP Straight To Hell. Each song takes … Continue reading REVIEW: ROLAND K SMITH & THE SINNERS – Straight To Hell
1 2 3 4 5 out now via Inertia I saw this young guy playing on ABC’s Sunday Arts and he impressed with his countrified ballads, troubadour looks and mature voice. His sound falls somewhere between Ryan Adams, Elvis Perkins and many of the other Americana artists that are melding country, folk and rock with great honest songwriting. Mclaren manages to produce an effortless sound … Continue reading REVIEW: JACKSON MCLAREN – Jackson Mclaren
1 2 3 4 5 Reviewed for Fasterlouder If Wilco ever wanted to use an album as a CV to show off all of their skills then this is the one. Wilco (the album) sees the band taking stock of their career and attempting to summarise it in 42 succinct minutes. The title alone is a giveaway that the album is a pause to reflect … Continue reading REVIEW: WILCO – Wilco (the album)
1 2 3 4 5 Reviewed for FasterLouder. Matador Singles ‘08 was a great introduction to Jay Reatard’s schizophrenic pop punk songs. With that album he compiled his string of limited edition 7”s, a great marketing move by Reatard and his new label and a sign of the increasing desire of music fans to acquire physical items of music from their favourite artists. Following on … Continue reading REVIEW: JAY REATARD – Watch Me Fall
1 2 3 4 5 Reviewed for FasterLouder Tortoise have been seeking to reshape the boundaries of modern music for nearly 20 years now and on this, their 6th full-length release, they push the margins even further, with mixed results. Looking back at the career of Tortoise there are 2 landmark albums. Millions Now Living Will Never Die, one of the classic records in the … Continue reading REVIEW: TORTOISE – Beacons Of Ancestorship
Written by Chris Familton, reviewed for The Dwarf. Finally the new Fat Freddy’s Drop album sees the light of day. The band has been touring on the back of Based On A True Story for four years now and though their live shows are mesmerising the promise of new recorded material has been keenly anticipated by fans of their dubbed out soultronica. Something of a … Continue reading REVIEW: FAT FREDDY’S DROP – Dr Boondigga & The Big BW
1 2 3 4 5 Out now via Pod / Inertia There is a helluva lot of nervous energy and ADD going on with this album from Randolph Chabot’s Deastro. Essentially electronic pop, it incorporates elements of indie that take it away from chart pop and into some different fantasy headspace. It is a giddy rush through sparkling synths and cascading drum patterns that impresses … Continue reading REVIEW: DEASTRO – Moondagger
1 2 3 4 5 Out now on Rogue/Inertia The sweet vocals of Alela Diane sooth and serenade on this, her second album To Be Still. There have been comparisons with Karen Dalton which are way off mark. Dalton has a much more unique voice, a gorgeous strained blues flecked folk wail. Diane on the other hand settles into her smooth, sweet tone and it … Continue reading REVIEW: ALELA DIANE – To Be Still
1 2 3 4 5 Out now on Ninja Tune/Inertia There seems to be a return to skewed and interesting pop music of late. Influenced by Americana, Indie and Psych stylings they all seem to embrace experimentation, electronic sounds and non-lineal song structures. Leading the pack is of course Grizzly Bear, but in the second tier Ape School have released a strong self-titled album of … Continue reading REVIEW: APE SCHOOL – Ape School
1 2 3 4 5 Reviewed for FasterLouder. The ever sartorial Jarvis Cocker returns with his second solo record and straight from the outset it is clear this is a change in direction. He switches gears and frames his arch lyrical tales with more dirty rock than quirky pop and in doing so he comes up trumps on the Steve Albini engineered album. Albini is … Continue reading REVIEW: JARVIS COCKER – Further Complications
1 2 3 4 5 Reviewed for FasterLouder. Crystal Stilts are part of the current wave of bands from America that are continuing the Velvet Underground lineage of droney lo-fi garage rock. Along with Vivian Girls and Black Lips they are carving out their own part of a scene that looks back more than it looks forward. On their debut album they take a couple … Continue reading REVIEW: CRYSTAL STILTS – Alight Of Night
Doubtful Sounds 