in 2015 Nadine Khouri played at a festival local to me called The End. I wrote: “Khouri’s compositions are beautifully crafted, sophisticated and precise, overlaid with her soft, smokey vocals.” Those vocals and her ability to create haunting compositions can be heard on new single “Song of A Caged Bird”, out now. Nadine’s steady and…
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Who better to highlight the mess humankind are making of our earthly home than those interplanetary ravers known as HENGE. The multi-genre band (let’s call it a mix of psychedelic-prog-rock-electronica) has a new single out called Get A Wriggle On, and it’s an absolute joy. It comes with a strong eco message, beautifully portrayed in…
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This is an enigmatic work from the Cornish synth master, from HOLD. STAR. RETURN, his up and coming album. White Tea from a Vending Machine is the second single; it opens with a woozy gentleness that envelops you and sinks you into a comforting space with its simple retro-synth sound and layered soft vocals. White…
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Liverpool-based avant-garde artist Sara Wolff caught our attention in 2021 on the release of her debut single Bad Thoughts Compilation, reviewed here. Sara has been busy since then, producing other artists, session musician, embarking upon a solo tour of unconventional spaces whilst armed with her trusty 4‑track cassette machine and the morphing visuals of multidisciplinary…
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Devon three-piece band Pale Blue Eyes are on a roll. Having toured last year, partly as support for Public Service Broadcasting and for The Besnard Lakes, they are out on the road again in 2023 with some sold-out dates already. Hot on the heels of their stellar debut album Souvenirs comes new single More. It’s…
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I first heard Pale Blue Eyes earlier this year when they released a single called Dr Pong – an addictive, chunky, upbeat number somewhat reminiscent of Django Django, that instantly had me excitedly rootling around to check out the rest of their material. Oh – and the song’s about playing table tennis all night in…
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There‘s a groovy new single out by Papercuts – aka multi-instrumentalist and producer Jason Quever. Disillusionment with the political climate of the time (Trump) and a nonsensical conversation with a conspiracy theorist provided the triggers for the track, entitled I Want My Jacket Back. Despite its despairing themes, any melancholy is restricted to the vocals. Quever’s…
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New material from Montreal psychedelic band Elephant Stone always gives my heart a lift. I was captivated when I first saw this band at The Lexington at a psych night back in 2011, and a few nights later at the much-missed Bull & Gate in Kentish Town. Rishi Dhir‘s sitar playing is mesmerising and adds…
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There’s a fabulous wild energy about the new Pictish Trail single Natural Successor, bringing its joyous abandonment from the rugged landscapes of the remote isle of Eigg to festival crowds this late summer and beyond. Get out there, reconnect with your soul and dance. The stomping five minutes-long track announces itself with a steady drumbeat before…
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Now this is just the sort of sultry number to make you long for the proper return of live music, an evening in an intimate venue, doing your stuff on the dance floor with social distancing nothing but a distant memory. The artists in question are Dakota Jones, a funk blues and soul outfit making…
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