Beach House over its last two records cemented its reputation as an innovative and quirky, elegant and dreamlike indie pop duo. The act’s records seemed to get increasingly better up to the point of those two great albums. However, that,…
On the early tracks of Beirut’s 4th full album ‘No No No,’ Zach Condon, head honcho of the world music outfit, seems somehow weary. Yes, it has long been his approach, a compelling laid back yet motivated drive, but some…
On her debut EP, Watch the Water, Oh Sister shows off her song writing prowess in a richer, more electro-filled sound than I’d previously heard at her intimate live performances. The new vibe fits her style impeccably, and her voice…
One of my favourite Yo La Tengo tracks is ‘Gentle Hour’, a hushed, drony love song from 2009’s Dark Was The Night compilation. I realised this week that it’s not theirs, but was originally recorded by New Zealand’s Snapper. That’s…
Anyone familiar with Feathers and Fishhooks was most likely keenly anticipating some new tunes from the man, the myth, the legend – Rayland Baxter. I had the pleasure of seeing Mr. Baxter live at a folk festival, where he told…
When artists come together from varying ends of the industry for a collaboration, the end result prototypically comes across as well-intended, but not-so-well executed. Thinking back to ill-fated collaborations strung across the past decade or so, like Jay Z and…
Arriving a little less than 12 months after their debut record in 2014, Ultimate Painting, made up of James Hoare from indie band Veronica Falls and Jack Cooper from Mazes, have unleashed another set of Velvet Underground-aping tracks into the…
I listen to Lovers Know with some anticipation. The Mynabirds’ last album, Generals, was one of my favourites in recent years, from the punch of the title track to the hopeful ‘Body of Work’. It is fiercely original while also being tuneful, melodic, danceable; so I’m surprised to read, in the PR material…
Another year, another Mac DeMarco record. Arriving just 12 months after 2014’s Salad Days, Another One sees DeMarco exploring love and romance, setting his lyrics to a wonderfully chilled out musical backdrop. If DeMarco was to be compared to another…
With Etch and Etch Deep, Haiku Salut have returned with a second album of bright and quirky instrumental pop which expands on their previous work with confidence and execution. There may not be any vocals within ear shot, but it…