This latest track from Manchester quintet Mercury Machine has a deeply cinematic feel. To be specific, it reminds me of Blade Runner… not the film itself perhaps, more the world it depicted. A world of colourful neon, of bright and inviting distractions; all just a glamour that hid the dark underworld lurking just beneath the surface. The aptly named ‘Aurora’ lights up the sky with vibrant swirls of 80s synths, but beneath the enticing retro aesthetic beats a dark heart born of post punk, giving the track a more mature and thought-provoking appeal. ‘Aurora’ is like the musical equivalent of putting on a brave face, and pretending everything is perfect, when in reality it feels like it’s all crashing down. The track interweaves the light and shade brilliantly so that no matter what you’re looking for, shimmering synths or poignant post punk, it never fails to deliver.
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Top Tracks: Chris Stills – Calling The Underground
Home isn’t a place, it’s a state of mind. It’s a sense of belonging and understanding that we’re all searching for in our own way, and if the journey to find it is long and difficult, then it just makes you appreciate it even more when you finally experience it. This new song from Chris Stills, son of CSNY’s Stephen Stills, captures that feeling of finding home, being with like-minded people, and being a part of something greater than yourself. Taken from the upcoming deluxe edition of his latest album Don’t Be Afraid, out 7th September, this animated Americana track builds the tension throughout to then release it in one of the finest guitar solos you’re likely to hear this year. Belonging and understanding may still be a little further on up the road, but this track still welcomes you in and ends up feeling like home, if only for a few minutes.
Top Tracks: Karine Polwart – Ophelia
Many artists channel their own personal experiences and feelings into their work, and in turn we who listen use that art to frame and understand our own emotions and the situations that we find ourselves in. It’s a beautiful thing, but sometimes we can get too caught up in ourselves, spend so much time looking inwards, that we forget that there’s a whole world out there. That’s what makes this new single from award winning Scottish singer/songwriter Karine Polwart so refreshing. ‘Ophelia’, taken from her upcoming album Laws Of Motion out 19th October, reflects on the hurricane of the same name; the awe of beholding it and the thought of the scars it left behind. Thinking on the impact it caused, the lives it altered, lets you empathise with the plights of another. Thinking of its indescribable size and power helps remind you how insignificant we all are. All together, ‘Ophelia’ is a lesson in how we’re all tiny pieces in big, complex world, and the differences that divide us matter little in the larger scheme of things.
Album Review: Dan Owen – Stay Awake With Me
Dan Owen – Stay Awake With MeAlbum Review: The Pineapple Thief – Dissolution
The Pineapple Thief – DissolutionAlbum Review: There’s A Light – A Long Lost Silence
There’s A Light – A Long Lost SilenceTop Tracks: Steve Perry – No Erasin’
As a kid, Journey was the first band I ever loved. I had all their albums and while I may not listen to them as much anymore, their music such a big part in my life. So, while I can certainly sympathise, it’s always been profoundly disheartening that the golden voice of former frontman Steve Perry has been silent for so long. Having not released any new music since Journey’s 1996 album Trial By Fire, and having rarely made public appearances in my lifetime, Steve has at long last returned to the spotlight. Bearing in mind his age and his over 20 year hiatus from making music, ‘No Erasin’, the lead single from his comeback album Traces out 5th October, is nothing short of remarkable.
Live Review: Joe Russell-Brown, Cafe INDIEpendent Scunthorpe, 10th Aug 2018
This site is all about supporting new music, but contrary to what my inbox tells me, great music doesn’t just come from London and LA. Wherever there are creatively minded people with a message to share there is great music to be found, and if we all did more to support our local scenes maybe so many of them wouldn’t need to move to those big cities to stand a chance of following their passion. Breakthrough is a scheme that understands that all great bands and artists have to start somewhere. This new artist development program, working with Yorkshire and the Humber’s finest up-and-coming talents, decided to put on a series of three showcase gigs, in the hopes of sharing that message and getting people involved with their local scene. I dropped by Cafe Indie to bask in what this first batch of the area’s best and brightest rising stars had to offer. Continue reading
Interview: Big Kettle Drum
With their latest EP I Thought You’d Be Bigger, Florida based duo Big Kettle Drum dabble in the kind of music that you don’t listen to, so much as feel every note from somewhere deep within. Brant Christopher Menswar and JT Keel have explored their soulful side with this latest release, but while still maintaining their hard-wearing signature sound steeped in old-school blues and Americana that won them their fiercely loyal fanbase. I fired a few quick questions their way to find out more about this latest release. Continue reading
Top Tracks: The Pineapple Thief – Try As I Might
Taken from The Pineapple Thief’s forthcoming album Dissolution, ‘Try As I Might’ is an exciting taster of what’s to come. Exploring darker territory than 2016’s Your Wilderness, this new single offers a glimpse into the album’s concept surrounding our hyper-connected modern world, the lack of privacy and anonymity it brings, and the consequences that follow. The Black Mirror-esque video sees frontman Bruce Soord caught in a dystopian world of in-eye cameras, struggling to deal with the implications of this brave new world. Gavin Harrison once again brings his transcendent drum work to the fray for this new record, but it’s the expressive bass tones that really shine on this track, particularly in the latter half. I’ve often looked on The Pineapple Thief as prog’s dark horse, but if the rest of the new album lives up to the standard I’ve heard thus far then they may be the clear frontrunner for the best progressive record of 2018.
Belwood Music 