There’s a lot to be said for pure originality – without it our lives would be severely lacking in, well, pretty much everything. In music though, pure originality is a fair less admirable quality. The truly original bands tend to…
Category: Reviews
Live: Sparrow & the Workshop @ Wimbledon Watershed
Each musician in Sparrow & the Workshop brings their own musical ingredient. Frontwoman and acoustic guitarist Jill O’Sullivan’s country vocals are cuttingly pure — but more haunting banshee than soothing angel. Gregor Donaldson is a phenomenal drummer, his dexterity is sometimes astonishing. As well as that he’s that most elusive of things, a singing percussionist, whose warm Scottish baritone adds harmonic depth to Jill’s vocals. Guitarist and bassist Nick Packer scuzzes things up nicely with a layer of distortion and noise.
Album: Tunng – …And Then We Saw Land
There’s nothing strikingly different about …And Then We Saw Land, Tunng’s fourth record. All of the main ingredients for a modern British folk album are present – the harmonies, cheerful melodies and casual banjo are all present and correct. Though…
Classic album recommendation: Elliott Smith — Either/Or
Every decade is peppered by a select number of albums in which all their composite elements are in perfect harmony. In these the texture of the music is perfectly married to the tone of the lyrics and the timbre of…
Album: Joanna Newsom — Have One on Me
Listening to Have One on Me for the umpteenth time, I still find myself irrationally and spontaneously bursting into tears at the gentle phrasing and subtle moments. There is no biological reason why my hormones should be so out of…
Single: Wild Beasts – We Still Got The Taste Dancin’ On Our Tongues
Kendal quartet Wild Beasts’ third single from their much-lauded second album, Two Dancers, ‘We Still Got The Taste…’ is a giddy tale of youthful debauchery and lustful adventures, characteristically told by frontman Hayden Thorpe’s unique countertenor vocals and accompanied by…
Review: Lightspeed Champion — Life Is Sweet! Nice To Meet You
It’s been three years since Dev Hynes joined the Saddle-Creek alumni in Omaha, Nebraska, to record his debut LP, Falling Off The Lavender Bridge. For his latest release, Life Is Sweet! Nice To Meet You, he chose to go further east…
Single: She and Him – In the Sun
‘In the Sun’ opens with the chirpiest of piano lines, openly declaring its credentials as a summertime pop tune. However, the upbeat, bass-led riff that accompanies Zooey Deschanel’s matter-of-fact delivery undercuts any sadness that might be inspired by the picture…
Review: Rachael Dadd – Moth in the Motor
Moth in the Motor, a 10″ vinyl collection of Rachael’s piano songs, is limited to 300 pressings, each with a unique, handmade sleeve. Brokensound invited artists to submit their own sleeve designs, which go on display tonight (26th February) at…
Single: First Aid Kit — I Met Up With The King
Liane Escorza says: “The first time I ever saw First Aid Kit play was at the Slottsfjell festival in Norway last year. I didn’t know about their sound back then but I was lured into the promise of a fresh and captivating act. And so it was. The soft harmonies of these two Swedish sisters melts the toughest heart, perfectly balanced with dark and mature lyrics. They are the long-lost counterparts of Fleet Foxes but stripped totally bare.”