Review Corner

Month: January 2017

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    Bruno Mars: 24K Magic

    We obviously know of Mars but never realised how good he was (100m records sold can’t be wrong). This new album is so good it stops you dead. Some of the reviews we read referred to new jack swing as a reference, but Mars is no more or less than Michael Jackson; a couple of…

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    The Membranes: Inner Space/Outer Space

    We were going to say we’d never heard The Membranes but looking on Wikipedia we have — they are a post-punk band formed in Blackpool in 1977, and their first release was the Flexible Membrane flexi-disc in 1980, which we bought and still have somewhere. The band included John Robb, who we always think of…

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    Randall Thompson: Requiem

    We should have played this sooner: it’s superb and would be a great recording for early Christmas morning (or late Christmas Eve). The sleeve notes say that more than 30 years after Thompson’s death, several of his choral works are performed “with regularity”, and Alleluia (1941) at one point had more copies in print than…

  • Andrew Riverstone: Sunny Monday

      Riverstone played in Alsager recently and his promoter sent us a review of his album, which is easy listening (in a good way) blues. Riverstone’s music pays homage to classic artists from the 60s and 70s and, having worked as a session man, he’s a fluid and expressive guitarist. Live, Ed Sheeran-style, he layers…

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    Two Door Cinema Club: Gameshow

    We bought Two Door Cinema Club’s debut album and saw them live supporting someone or other when they first started; they were a decent indie band. Next thing we know our pet teenager is a big fan and Two Door are selling out tour dates. So we were pleased to get this new one, and…