Author: jerobear
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Trudy and the Romance: Junkyard Jazz EP
It’s always good to see a band marching to the beat of its own drum, and Trudy and the Romance are such a band, managing to cross Libertines and Metronomy, and coming up with something new. We say the Libs because TatR have something of that band’s ramshackle charm, combined with a flavouring of the…
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Jim White: Waffles, Triangles and Jesus
White’s story is an interesting one (not that he might agree): influenced in his childhood by gospel music, he has reportedly been a comedian, a fashion model, a boxer, a preacher, a professional surfer and a New York cab driver. He attended film school at New York University but then entered a “deep hole of…
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The Americans: I’ll Be Yours
This is an odd album; classic rootsy American rock played by excellent musicians that doesn’t quite add up to the sum of its parts. The Americans are from Los Angeles and worked with Jack White and T Bone Burnett on the documentary American Epic, the soundtrack for which we reviewed. They’ve also played backing for…
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The East Pointers: What We Leave Behind
We knew where this Canadian folk group were from without looking it up. We visited Prince Edward Island a few years ago to see the owner of the independent paper on the island (Halifax, Nova Scotia is only a five-hour flight from the UK). The omnipresence of Anne of Green Gables aside, it could be…
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Gill Landry: Love Rides A Dark Horse
This smacks of quality before you even press play. Love Rides A Dark Horse is a great title, and Landry was formerly in country/roots band Old Crow Medicine Show so he’s got the experience behind him, making this a confident collection. It’s nothing new but the music is well paced, and he has a deep…
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Michael Alec: Rose Il Ritorno
This rather wonderful CD is an impressionist description of landscape using only violin and viola; perhaps not the most promising of descriptions but it is engrossing and draws in the listener. The sleeve notes are fun to read and help with the listening. Michael Alec Rose is (apparently) a leading light in the contemporary music…
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The Eagles: Hotel California
This is going to make some people feel old: it is 40 years since this album came out, celebrated with this two-CD package (the bonus CD is a live album). It’s clearly a classic, particularly for the title track, but it’s not quite as close to perfection as Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours, which is well-nigh flawless.…
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Son of Dave: Music for Cop Shows
We’ve heard of Son of Dave — he’s being going for 20 years — but heard nothing by him until now. Or at least no solo work; he was in Crash Test Dummies for a spell. Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm. He plays beat-box and harmonica-driven blues, and the sound and DIY ethos are reminiscent of…
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Rationale: Rationale
We were anticipative of contemporary hip hop but Rationale — real name Tinashe Fazakerley — is somewhat old school Rnb. Having been flummoxed by the lack of hippity hop, the album still left us slightly discombobulated (he started it, Rationale Fazakerley indeed): Fazakerley has a good voice, a soulful baritone that connects with the listener’s…
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Rob Keeley: Twists and Turns
Skittish is the word for this CD from Keeley. This is partly because of the pairing of instruments such as clarinet and harpsichord (which create a sound different to what one normally hears) but also because of the music itself, which skitters about like a giddy rabbit in a summer’s field. The sound is somewhere…
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