Jimmy LaValle, previously known for his work with a “Dream-rock” band Tristeza, “noise-punk”‘ The Locust and The Black Heart Procession, has been releasing instrumentals since 1999 as The Album Leaf. In A Safe Place is a departure from both instrumentals and the USA. The Dreamy qualities of In A Safe Place are enhanced by the […]

A Man Called Adam make Ibiza chill out sounds that, if they didn’t augment the songs with gentle lapping synths, gospel style vocals and subtly enhanced beats, would simply be folk music with a Spanish slant; although they have been called everything from Balearic to downtempo to acid jazz. The combination works though and the […]

Wrapped Up In Books, taken from their latest album (Dear Catastrophe Waitress), is a great track. It has classic Belle & Sebastian vocals and also contains the new fuller sound that came with the latest album. It is fresh, bright and impossible to dislike.
The real surprise is in the other A-side, Your Cover’s Blown. This […]

Animal Collective have been causing a stir with their organic and left field electronica (or East Coast Out-Folk as it is known). They have been likened to Godspeed You Black Emperor!, Devandra Bernhardt, Joy Division and the Rolling Stones. They are, to say the least, hard to pin down.
Their latest album ‘Sung Tongs’ builds itself […]

The Alarm - dropping a temporary moniker of The Poppyfields that they adopted for the release of the first single from this album, 45 RPM - have returned on good form. The album begins, in a style reminiscent of The Cult, on true rocking form with Coming Home. The grand, anthemic sound continues with Close, […]

Friends Of Mine is the follow up to the frail and nervous eponymous solo debut by one of the big names in New York’s antifolk scene. This is actually Adam’s first studio album, as Adam Green was actually recorded by a youthful Mr Green before the first Moldy Peaches album. That 18 year old has […]

Managing to quietly sell fifty thousand copies of their last album Melody Of Certain Damaged Lemons and build up a highly dedicated fan base in the process with little help from the music press is quite an achievement. Blonde Redhead’s mix, courtesy of their Italian and Japanese roots gently simmered in the musical melting pot […]

Air have returned with an album of delicately constructed, rich and cinematic songs. In fact two of them, Mike Mills and Alone In Kyoto, were written for film soundtracks - Alone In Kyoto is in the Sofia Coppola film Lost In Translation while Mike Mills appears to be waiting for a film to be in.
Godin […]

The Bard of Barking is celebrating his 20 years of making music with three packed CDs - a full fifty tracks - encompassing his entire career to date. The first disc consists of older works, starting with what is probably his most well known song A New England and taking in classic Bragg tracks like […]

As ever, Belle And Sebastian are oozing twee charm and creating intelligent off kilter songs. What makes Dear Catastrophe Waitress such a fantastic album is the sun blessed feel to the whole shebang. These songs are dazzlingly bright and bursting at the seams with pop joy. All of this has happened without sacrificing any of […]