Review Corner

Month: October 2017

  • A-ha: Acoustic Hits

    It’s 30 years since A-ha were massive and, satisfyingly, Morten Harket is older than even the oldest member of the Review Corner. Take On Me is the big hit and presumably the song everyone wants, and it’s first on this collection of acoustic covers. It doesn’t really work without the driving synth, either, perhaps why…

  • Catholic Action: In Memory Of

    Catholic Action were first heard on a sampler EP the other week and we were very impressed: about as good as indie gets. After playing the album, we find they’re a band of two halves — the good stuff, and the less impressive, routine indie-by-numbers. Landfill indie is back. Which band they are will only…

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    Richard Craig: Vale, New Music for Flute

      We moan about clichéd rock that’s produced to shift units more than for any musical values, but pull a face when something is difficult, and look down on music produced for people who don’t like music. But when something challenging comes along that pushes the boundaries it’s all: “What is this? Put that Jason…

  • Stefan Orins Trio: The Middle Way

    The Stefan Orins Trio has gigged extensively, which means a tight band and each player understanding the others. If we said this was a modern jazz album written by a pianist, you might have an expectation of what it would sound like, short on melody, lots of piano, a little technical. It is these things…

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    Veridian: 40826D

    For a debut EP, this is impressive, and Veridian do a good impression of an American emo pop/punk band with half a dozen albums under their belt. That’s the problem with the sound of course: Veridian sound like any number of bands (You Me at Six, Mallory Knox, Fall Out Boy, Simple Plan) you’ve heard,…

  • Andrew Wright: The Operatic Pianist II

    We always like this kind of CD — transcriptions of more complex works for either travelling performers or good amateurs to play. It’s comforting to know that even the great composers had to earn a crust and deliver work that could be played by amateurs, a bit like finding the drummer with a named band…

  • Edgelarks: Edgelarks

    Is it just us, but are Edgelarks (Phillip Henry and Hannah Martin) cashing in on Game Of Thrones with the sleeve: “winter is coming, best get some decent music in”, says the cover. Well, maybe. Edgelarks are somewhere between Lau and Dan Walsh, slick in sound but not too removed from an intimate live feel.…

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    Amadou and Mariam: La Confusion

    There’s world music and there’s world music. There’s the rootsy world of earnest music fans, which is played by traditional artists who are probably seen as traditional in their own lands. Then there’s the world music that the owners of internet radios can listen to: music that’s played for (say) Africans to listen to as…

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    The Barr Brothers: Queens Of The Breakers

    The Review Corner are huge fans of The Barr Brothers (brothers Brad and Andrew, and harpist Sarah Page) and after their last album saw them at a small venue, Page’s massive harp squeezed onto a tiny stage. They’re a class act; slick songs expertly put together but with an appealing DIY / live feel, and…

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    Scott Matthews: Home Pt2

    A bit like the Mounties we always get a CD reviewed, even if the sounds of the launch party and the promotional tour are long forgotten. We’ve got all Scott Matthews’ CDs — one we even bought — and always found him a little frustrating. Clearly a talented songwriter, he always seemed to hide his…