A scoundrel of the mundane, Mr. Alec Bowman describes himself in the sleeve notes to this album. He goes on to dedicate it to his grandparents and to those who are struggling to stay alive, amongst others. The album itself,…
“The world’s falling apart – it’s like the apocalypse” spits the accompanying press release to Lucinda Williams’ latest record Good Souls, Better Angels. It sounds like something that could’ve been written about these strange times we’re living through, but it…
“I’ve had my indicator on since leaving Crewe/That explains the gestures in my rear-view,” Brian Christinzio sighs over the doo-wop pop of ‘Born To Cruise’. It’s one of many superbly pithy couplets on his fifth BC Camplight album, Shortly After Takeoff,…
Jesse Tabish hasn’t given up on computers, yet the leader of Other Lives found himself at a crossroads with For Their Love. “Working with computers you can layer parts forever. I’d forgotten how to pick up a guitar and sing…
Ron Sexsmith is a name that needs no introduction to anyone reading these pages. The songwriters’ songwriter proves that that’s an accolade much deserved on Hermitage, his 17th studio album. We are greeted by birds chirping and playful and plaintive piano on…
The redwood forests of northern California are home to Alec Lytle. While there is a picturesque quality to the surroundings, just like everywhere else people have their problems. Those joys and sorrows that make up life are on display on…
Rarely is a ‘difficult second album’ quite this difficult. Forced to regroup after the whirlwind around her debut release back in 2012 – which saw her play on Jools Holland and secure a top five single – was cut short…
In these strange, unprecedented times, we reach for what we can rely on. So what better gift this Easter weekend than the early release of Laura Marling’s seventh studio record. Where several other artists have postponed release dates, wary of…
There is not much doubt that we live in strange times and M. Ward’s Migration Stories is the perfect chance to travel the globe, examining what was, what is and what might be. If there’s a sense of dislocation to…
On the cover of her new album Katie Crutchfield is sitting on the roof of an old Ford truck, the bed filled with red roses and an Alabama license plate that reads STCLOUD. The shifts that have occurred on Waxahatchee’s…