James Dey – the night-time
Folk
63%
Top Tracks: Hannah Grace – Mustang
One of our Spotlight artists Hannah Grace is on a fast track to the top with her latest single. This wonderful Welsh singer/songwriter gives an electrifying performance with the furious blues anthem ‘Mustang’ which carries a message of being yourself and breaking free of the expectations that weigh you down. ‘Mustang’ is the title track of her latest EP which has been released ahead of her first ever headline UK tour. The music video features Irish actor Ferdia Walsh-Peelo who starred in the standout music movie of the year ‘Sing Street’, and needless to say these two rising talents are a perfect match. Hannah’s stunning and addictive vocals make this one of the best tracks of the year and it marks the next step of her meteoric rise.
Temple Of The Dog reunite for first ever tour
Grunge supergroup Temple Of The Dog, composed of members of Soundgarden and Pearl Jam, have announced that they will tour for the very first time to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the release of their one-off eponymous album. The project originally came about to honour the memory of Andrew Wood of Mother Love Bone who was a close friend and collaborator who died of a heroin overdose in 1990. As well as a five stop tour of the US the band will also be releasing a reissue of their album.
Must Own Albums: Alternative Rock part 2
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – The Boatman’s Call
This marked a major change for Australia’s darkest and most influential music icon. Moving away from the fanciful character driven post-punk of his origins, Cave instead adopted a more minimalist approach with more intimate and personal lyrics. The sombre piano balladry of tracks such as ‘Into My Arms’ and ‘People Ain’t No Good’ resulted in the album received universal critical acclaim.
Manic Street Preachers – The Holy Bible
This was the band’s final album before the mysterious disappearance of lyricist and guitarist Richey Edwards. As he was dealing with severe depression and various complications at the time the subject matter is suitably dark, including serial killers, consumerism, fascism and the Holocaust. It remains one of the boldest albums ever made and is a lasting legacy to Richey’s memory.
The Verve – Urban Hymns
To this day Urban Hymns remains one of the UK’s best selling albums, thanks in part to it’s hit singles ‘Bittersweet Symphony’ and ‘The Drugs Don’t Work’. Boasting some impressively complex sonic textures in dabbles with everything from orchestral balladry, feedback fuelled rock and vivid psychedelica. It stands as one of the best British albums of the nineties and regularly appears in lists of the best albums of all time.
P J Harvey – Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea
With an impressively eclectic back catalogue, multi-instrumental singer/songwriter P J Harvey remains one of the premier figures of the genre. Stories is often considered the high point of her career and earned her the 2001 Mercury Prize. She also won the prize in 2011 for Let England Shake making her the only artist to have won the prestigious Mercury Prize twice!
Album Review: Emily Jane White – They Moved in Shadow All Together
Emily Jane White – They Moved in Shadow All TogetherStageit: A new music revolution?
The music industry is well known for being averse to change, but despite this in the course of a few decades the way we listen to music has constantly evolved. From the heyday of vinyl, through tapes, CDs and downloads, all the way up to the advent of streaming which provides a vast vault of music at the push of a button. However in all that time the way we experience music in a live setting has changed very little. But now one pioneering company called Stageit has set in motion an idea that potentially could change the music industry using the wide reaching power of the internet. Continue reading
Polaris Prize shortlist announced
The Polaris Music Prize, Canada’s equivalent of the Mercury Prize, has announced it’s shortlist of the best albums of the year from Canadian artists. The winner of the award and the $50000 prize will be decided by a panel of 196 music journalists and announced during the award gala on 19th September. The shortlist is as follows:
- Black Mountain’s IV
- Basia Bulat’s Good Advice
- Grimes’ Art Angels
- Carly Rae Jepsen’s E•MO•TION
- Kaytranada’s 99.9%
- Jessy Lanza’s Oh No
- PUP’s The Dream Is Over
- Andy Shauf’s The Party
- U.S. Girls’ Half Free
- White Lung’s Paradise
Top Tracks: SAHARA – Scratch
Ahead of the release of their eponymous debut EP on 29th July, Dundee based band SAHARA have delivered a top class hit single to lure in prospective new fans. Boasting some Johnny Marr-esque guitar work, it ranks amongst the best and most upbeat indie releases of the year and is sure to appeal to fans of Peace, Vampire Weekend and Two Door Cinema Club. Beneath it’s exterior awash with pop mentality beats a jangly yet intricate instrumental heart with some bright vocals to boot. Already one of Scotland most exciting new bands their influence and fanbase are all set to expand and I can see a long career ahead of them.
Spotlight!: Hannah Grace
Hailing from Bridgend in South Wales, Hannah Grace boasts one of the most beautiful and versatile voices around. Rightly championed by fellow singer/songwriter Gabrielle Aplin, and having supported Hozier on his European tour, Hannah is quickly making a name for herself as one of the best new singers in the business. With the mellow flowing melodies of tracks such as ‘Chasing Butterflies’ to the gutsy blues of ‘Mustang’ she consistently delivers a resplendent vocal performance, channelling everyone from Carole King to Janis Joplin. Having been a regular on the festival circuit for a few years now she has gathered a fiercely loyal fanbase that is rapidly expanding. Just a short while listening to the honeyed heartfelt beauty of her vocals will leave you thinking that here is one immensely talented artist that seems destined for success.
Hannah’s latest EP Mustang is out 15th July and is a must for fans of Gabrielle Aplin, Rhodes and Birdy.
Biffy Clyro – Ellipsis
Belwood Music 