Jam bands in other genres of music are quite common (Grateful Dead, Phish, lots of jazz) but these are based around some kind of pre-agreed structure or extension to a song, or are improvised around the same tune every gig. Hemmersam and Malekzadeh had never met prior to the recording of this album, and the […]
No mystery to popularity of musical whodunit Curtains
Curtains is written by the same team that brought the world Chicago and Cabaret — which explains the classy feel of this musical whodunit. A real breath of fresh air if you are looking for a musical with a difference, Curtains brings together the unlikely combination of musical theatre, comedy and murder mystery. Filled with […]
Neil Young and Crazy Horse: Colorado
Colorado is not one of Young’s great albums but it’s a grower and could go down as one of his later-career highlights. There’s a film with it; Young’s films are best avoided but someone who did watch said he comments in it to his band: “It doesn’t have to be good, just feel good.” That’s […]
Spider’s Egg: SWR NewJazz
Sometimes we think jazz is the only music you need, ranging as it does from the electronic ambient to full-on prog: it’s as daft calling it all jazz as it is calling “world” anything that’s not western pop. Normally the different sounds are on different albums by different people: on this mind-blowing CD, out now […]
Raised Fist: Anthems
This is heavy rock/metal/punk but not as you might reasonably predict it to be. It’s quirky; heavy rock in a party hat. It’s generally not intrinsically comic, they just have a different view of rock to the rest of us, and it’s impossible not to warm to their enthusiasm. The music is beefy and solid […]
This Machine Kills Fascists: Joyland // Beans on Toast: The Inevitable Train Wreck
“This Machine Kills Fascists” was a sticker that Woody Guthrie had on his guitar at some point in his career; he meant songs can fight bad ideas. The band This Machine Kills Fascists take this one step further: opening song Kill The Fascists suggests taking more direct action, though with its upbeat tone (lots of […]
