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Music Observer: January ‘24 highlights

on February 06, 2024

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Music Observer: July '23 highlights

on July 30, 2023

Andrea von Kampen Cruel Sister Ella Clayton Friday highlights Lizzie Esau Rai Kah Mercury Vona Vella YONAKA

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New release horizon scanner:

11/1/25 - Rosie Gault: Dim lights
29/1/25 - Dictator: Middle of the road (EP)
7/2/25 - Arliston: Disappointment machine (Album)
28/2/25 - Hachiku: The joys of being pure at heart (Album(

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Amber Saqladi: Becoming a modern-day Siren [Interview]

Amber Saqladi began her journey as a song-writer scribbling poetry at age seven, before graduating to writing songs with a felt-tipped pen on sheets of A3 paper. But it took some time for this pastime to evolve into a way of life. "It's always been something I've done but it was never anything I really took seriously growing up. I was a very academic kid, so that's what I expected to do," Amber explains. By 15, though, she had started writing music more seriously, and gigging. "Since then, it's become undeniable that that's the thing I enjoy the most - being able to be creative, and be academic at the same time," she says. Amber quickly established herself as a familiar name on the music scene in her home town of Leicester, where she also recorded her first three singles at HQ Studios . "The music scene in Leicester is absolutely lovely - it's very community based. I can always count on the other musicians there to support me, and I...

William The Conqueror + Chloe Foy: The Big Difference, Leicester [Live]

I was particularly looking forward to this gig at The Big Difference in Leicester (formerly The Cookie) on Monday night - it was an event which was meant to have happened in March, towards the end of William The Conqueror's UK tour. Unfortunately, that date and some subsequent ones had to be postponed due to - yes you guessed it - Covid. But the new date soon rolled round, and I arrived early to make sure I heard Chloe Foy . She's someone I've listened to at various points over the years, revelling in the beautiful, meditative, country-inflected folk melodies she writes. Her debut single was released in 2013, and since then she's been developing her style and repertoire. To me, it feels like she's pretty much perfected it. Her set was short but definitely sweet, featuring a carefully curated selection of songs . She was accompanied by Harry Fausing Smith, delicately and unobtrusively picking out subtle notes and harmonics on his electric guitar. Everything felt tho...

Dry Cleaning: Rescue Rooms, Nottingham [Live]

To be honest, I wasn't quite sure what to expect from a Dry Cleaning live performance - Would that deadpan delivery from Florence Shaw, and the toned down post-punk/alt vibes translate? Would the songs be engaging enough to carry the audience along through a full set? Simply put - yes. It all worked really well. The music sounded much heavier when played live and the musicianship of the band members was really clear to see and hear. One thing that stood out to me in particular was the drumming from Nick Buxton: this came across as several times more exciting, and much more organic - it was a more prominent part of the band's songs as compared with the studio versions, and (as an ex drummer myself) I welcomed that. The guitar work from Tom Dowse was fantastic, too. You could see and feel the energy and effort that he put in, and there were some great moments when he was the sole focus during extended solos. Meanwhile Lewis Maynard provided growling, chunky bass sounds, underpi...

Headless Heroes: True Love Will Find You in the End

I'm always on the lookout for any music featuring the sublime voice of Alela Diane . And recently, I discovered The Silence of Love. This is an album of covers by Headless Heroes, a group featuring Alela as vocalist and some very talented studio instrumentalists. The group was formed in 2008, and the album was released in 2017. You probably already know that 'True Love ...' is a Daniel Johnston original, first heard on a low-quality, self-release cassette (' Retired Boxer ') produced in 1984. It's a very poignant thing to listen to - and it feels much longer than its official 1 minute 50 seconds, although musically the version he re-recorded in 1990 (for the album, also called '1990') is probably a bit more satisfying. It's a masterful bit of songwriting - so simple, yet so moving; slightly mysterious, but coherent and flowing; comforting and yet with that slightly hollow and heart-achey feel. The song has been covered many, many times (including by...

The Music Observer 10: Looking back at 2022 [Singles]

Scroll down for my top 10 singles of 2022! But first: a special award for Epic Banger Of The Year , to Metric's 'Doomscroller' , a 10-minute track which truly deserves the often overused label of "awesome". I previously wrote: " It takes a certain kind of brilliance to create an epic, progressive but listenable track which twists and turns, rises and falls, surprises and engages from start to end ... It's a piece of music which feels like a voyage, through space rather than across seas. It's a song showcasing some high-level skills, both in the song-writing and in the interpretation and performance. It's well-judged, too, without any sense of time-wasting or unnecessary padding. This song needs 10 minutes." As well as opening the band's latest album 'Formentera' - one of my "honourable mentions" in this year's album run-down - 'Doomscroller' was released as a single in May. [Listen here ] THE MUSIC OBSE...