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Showing posts from November, 2023

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Posts

Plasticine: Do Bad Boys Go To Heaven

on November 24, 2023

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Music Observer: October '23 highlights

on November 03, 2023

Carpark Edie Bens Hannah Grae Holly Humberstone IDLES Lizzie Esau Lossline She's in parties Sigrid The Boxer Rebellion

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New release horizon scanner:

3/5 - Ber: Room for you (EP)
3/5 - DEVINE: Get up, kid
3/5 - Jenny Colquitt: Staring at the moon (Album)
10/5 - Josienne Clarke: Parenthesis, I (Album)
10/5 - Georgina Gale: Did you run? (EP)
17/5 - Tess Anderson: Before I come unhinged (Album)
17/5 - Billie Eilish: Hit me hard and soft
4/6 - Sea Girls: Midnight Butterflies (Album)
27/6 - The Felice Brothers: Valley of abandoned songs
12/7 - Jake Xerxes Fussell: When I’m called (Album)

Labels

2021
2022
2023
2024
222
A Cause In Distress
about me
acoustic
Africa
Album

Alela Diane
Alex Jayne
Alice Robbins
alt-country
alt-folk
alt-pop
alt-punk
alt-rock
alternative
Amber Saqladi
ambient
Amelia Coburn
American
Americana
Andrea von Kampen
angst
Arcade State
Australia
Avalyn
Baby Queen
BACKSPACE
Barn on the Farm
Ben Mark Smith
Ber
Beren Olivia
best of
Beth Orton
Big Thief
Birmingham
BLAB
Black Foxxes
Bleach Lab
Bleachers
Blue Violet
blues
Bob Vylan
Bolton
BOTF
Brighton
Caity Baser
Cambridge Folk Festival
Canada
Candar
Carenza Carole
Carpark
Cassels
Cassia
Cerys Matthews
Charity Stow
Charles
Charlotte Carpenter
Chloe Foy
Chloe Lorentzen
Chris Greig
Chvrches
cinematic
Cloves
Coach Party
Comforts
Comic Sans
Conscious Route
country
Coventry
cover
Crawlers
Cruel Sister
Das Kapitans
Death Of The High Street
Deep South
Devon
Dictator
Diving Station
DIY
Dogs! Teeth!
dreampop
Drew Thomas
Dry Cleaning
Dublin
duo
Durand Jones
Dutch Mustard
Dylan
Edie Bens
Editors
Eevah
electronic
electropop
Eleri
Eleri Angharad
Ella Clayton
Emily Carr
Emma Mae
emo
EP
Essex
exclusive
experimental
Farm Band
festival
First Aid Kit
Five O Fives
Fizz
Flowerovlove
folk
Folk by the Oak
Foo Fighters
Frances Gein
Francis of Delirium
Freya Beer
Freyja Elsy
Friday highlights
fusion
garage rock
Gefahrgeist
Gen and the Degenerates
George O'Hanlon
Georgi Clarke
Gina Leonard
Girl Scout
Glasgow
Glastonbury
gloomcore
gothic
Grace Calver
Graywave
Greysha
Grrrl Groannn
grunge
Guns n Roses
Hachiku
Halsey
Hannah Grae
Headless Heroes
Headshrinkers
Hidden Orchestra
Hilang Child
Holly Humberstone
Holy Coves
Hurray for the Riff Raff
Hyyts
IDLES
indie
Indie Midlands
instrumental
interview
Ireland
Isle of Wight
IWD
Jack Rasmussen
Jacob Collier
Jamaica
Jemima Coulter
Jemma Johnson
Jen Dixon
Jenny Colquitt
JJ Lovegrove
Joan Shelley
Jodie Nicholson
Jools
Joseph Porter-Bolger
Josienne Clarke
Judy Blank
Katherine Priddy
Kathleen Edwards
King Creosote
Kingfishr
Kitty Macfarlane
Kitty Perrin
Lanterns on the Lake
Lastlings
Leeds
Leicester
Lemondaze
Leo
Lewis Capaldi
Lincolnshire
Lissy Taylor
Little Comets
live music
Liverpool
Lizzie Esau
London
Lossline
Loupe
Lucy Gaffney
Lucy Spraggan
Luxembourg
Lynks
Ma.Moyo
Mabes
Macedonia
Mae Krell
Mali Faraz
Mama Liz's
Manchester
Mark Stevens
MarthaGunn
Matilda Mann
Matt Maltese
Maya Lakhani
Medium Build
Megan Wyn
MEMES
Met Lounge
Metric
Millie Blooms
Mind Aid
Minerva Daisy
Moonlight Parade
music
Nadia Sheikh
Netherlands
Newcastle
NewDad
Nia Wyn
Nice Guy
Nick Cave
Nitin Sawhney
noir
Norah Jones
Northern Ireland
Norwich
Nottingham
Nova Twins
Oliver Beardmore
Olivia Dean
Olivia Rodrigo
Omeara
online
Oxford
Ozric Tentacles
Peggy Sue
Peterborough
photos
Pillow Queens
Plasticine
Pluto Shervington
poetry
pop
pop punk
post-punk
preview
psychedelic
punk
Queen Cult
Quiet Houses
Quiet The Art
Rai Kah Mercury
rap
RAYE
Record Store Day
reggae
Region
Rescue Rooms
retrospective
rock
roots
ROSIE
Ross Stewart
Rough Trade
RSD
Sam Fender
Sam Lambeth
Sam Shields
Sara Jackson-Holman
Sarah Johnsone
Sarpa Salpa
Scotland
secret gig
Serotones
She's in parties
shoegaze
Sigrid
Silvi
singer-songwriter
Soda Blonde
Soot Sprite
Sophie Janna
soul
space rock
spoken word
SPRINTS
Spyres
Stamford
Supersaurus
Swedish
Swim School
synth
Taylor Swift
Teeside
Ten Hands High
The Big Moon
The Boxer Rebellion
The Candle Thieves
The Covasettes
The Crayon Set
The Empty Page
The Felice Brothers
The Florentinas
The Great Leslie
The Hackles
The Howl and the Hum
The Innocence Mission
The Lumineers
The Merchants
The Murder Capital
The Musician
The Mysterines
The National
The Royston Club
The Shed Project
The Slow Readers Club
The Staves
The Tenters
The Wind and the Wave
Thom Yorke
Thrillhouse
Thyla
Tim Buckley
Tiny Desk
Tizane
Todd Snider
Tom Jones
Tove Lo
Transviolet
Twist Heilx
Twisterella
Tyler Gelrud
Union Chapel
video
Virgins
Vona Vella
Wales
Warren Ellis
Wet Leg
Wilco
William Doyle
William The Conqueror
Wolf Alice
Wrest
Wyldest
YNES
YONAKA
YOVA
Yumi and the Weather

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Plasticine + Comforts + Candar: Signature Brew, London [Live]

Live music has the power to turn a mundane day into an unforgettable, joyful one; to transform your emotions; and to bring a group of strangers together. Making the decision to take a bit of time out, perhaps putting up with some inconvenience to go down to a smaller live venue, could have a bigger effect than you think. On you, as well as the musicians who are taking risks, often travelling a long way at their own expense, and making themselves vulnerable on that stage. On Wednesday I went for the first time to Signature Brew in Haggerston East London, a small capacity venue built under a brick railway arch. I was aiming to see Plasticine , an Edinburgh/Glasgow grunge-revival band who I came across last year. I also had the chance to hang out with them before the set and spend some time putting the world to rights over a few beers (except drummer Ross, who generally doesn’t drink before shows). We discussed Scotland’s off-licensing laws (I had no idea they were so strict) and an unfo

Mae Krell: Discovery [Interview]

Mae Krell exudes a special kind of artistry: her music displays a fragile beauty, but with definite depth. There's seriousness, but a certain lightness, too. As she skirts the boundaries of alternative and folk music, you sense instantly that there's a lot more to her than first meets the ear. I spoke to Mae via Zoom recently, catching up with her at home in New York as she generously spared a few minutes from her "horribly busy" schedule. Like many independent musicians, Mae does other work to help pay the bills, meaning music often has to fit around other commitments. "If making music didn't cost money, I could probably swing it, between random gigs and whatever, but because you need to have money to make records, that's where there's the real necessity for a decent paying job. Otherwise you can't fund making the projects as often as you want to, or at least at the quality you want to," she explained. Mae was relaxed, friendly, and instant

Francis of Delirium: Lighthouse [Album]

I've been mildly (to say the least) obsessed with Francis of Delirium 's songs since I first heard them sometime in 2023, but I’ve never quite got to the point of converting thoughts to text. 'Blue Tuesday', 'Real Love' and 'First Touch' are all fabulous songs, and mean a lot to me. 'Give It Back To Me' was just about edging ahead as my favourite. And then, wonderfully, in March, FoD went and released a whole album, with all those songs on it and seven more, too. Writer and vocalist Jana Bahrich is from Canada but based in Luxembourg and signed in the UK (there's a fabulous recent interview with her on The Line of Best Fit ); something of that worldly-wise, cross-border aesthetic shines through very clearly in all the songs on this record. 'Lighthouse' is the title and it's a great album: rich and evocative; deeply nostalgic; and dwelling on love, in its various phases, with very relatable honesty. From an instrumentation point of

Taylor Swift: The Tortured Poets Department: the Anthology [Album]

This blog focuses on music from smaller, independent artists – but sometimes there are big releases which deserve attention, too. Taylor Swift is an artist who's hard to ignore, and I don't want to ignore her because I've really enjoyed lots of her music in the past. So when 'The Tortured Poets Department' finally dropped last Friday, I found myself writing a track-by-track reaction post. As you'll see, this means a partial departure from my usual Music Observer golden rule: I only write about music I love. (There are countless other reviews of the album; ones I think are particularly worth reading are those on Pitchfork , CLASH and The Guardian .) Part 1 1. Fortnight feat. Post Malone - Great synth vibes, although a bit like 'Last Christmas' (is that necessarily bad though?). I like this chilled way of starting a massive double album like this. With so much ahead, it feels like TS is pacing herself. There's no real chorus or build - an interesting

Holly Humberstone + Medium Build: O2 Academy, Leicester [Live]

I make no secret of the fact that I'm a Holly Humberstone fan. I've written about her on this blog and elsewhere several times (I’m still buzzing from getting the chance to interview her for LeftLion recently ) and I've enjoyed following her progress and witnessing her growing confidence over the past couple of years. I'm not sure whether it's the local connection, her honesty, her relatability or her determination that appeals most – I think it's a combination of all of those, and of course the rich, reflective songs she writes. After having the opportunity in 2023 to see her headlining Barn on the Farm festival and then presenting her album in a stripped-back show in Nottingham , I was really looking forward to seeing her perform a full-length headline show. I caught her in Leicester, which, along with Lincoln, was one of her 'homecoming' dates on the Paint My Bedroom Black tour. Medium Build was Holly's support artist on every date of the tour