This month we’ve got garage punk and psych sounds from the ’60s,
some electro funk and classic country, a blend of rockabilly, noise and vintage French folk and some soothing neo-classical piano to end on a quiet note.

Soft, soothing and serene, this is the opening movement of Dustin O’Halloran’s new solo album ‘1 0 0 1’ which he describes as “intentional listening.”

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I’m often drawn to a band by their name, their song and album titles and their artwork. So it was no surprise I loved Death In Vegas when they released their debut album Dead Elvis.

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I first heard his name when Gerry Rafferty released Baker Street. Everyone knew who played that sax solo. Almost as many knew that the same guy played the two sax solos on Bowie’s Young Americans.

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Linval Thompson is a seminal figure in the creation, spread and influence of dancehall reggae. He’s also a sweet singer and a prominent producer with a string of roots albums and dub versions.

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Do You Believe In The Westworld is an epic with its thunderous tribal drums, the mighty clang of that guitar riff, the slightly sinister sax and the dubwise echo that matches the cinematic sweep of Kirk Brandon’s mini-Western in words, carried by his stentorian vocals.

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Mattiel come from the Deep South and have roots in vintage soul and blues – but love to play cover versions of English bands.

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I discovered this rockabilly classic 20 years late when it was re-released on the dependably punk-adjacent Chiswick label in 1978. And it has quite the story behind it.

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Family Band: The Dog Box EP – New Kiwi Noise Band Will Make Your Ears Bleed

Family Band might sound like a folk group singing around a forest campfire but New Zealand’s noise trio make enough of a full metal racket to make your ears bleed. (more…)

Twenty years ago I went to see a gig by Moby despite some reservations about what I expected to be a night of coffee-table ambient electro.

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