Category: 1/2/3/4

In this episode, featuring the latest cracking album from Nick Waterhouse. The Fooler is a song-cycle of sorts, the arc of the album telling a tale of a city and its denizens. In Nick’s music you will hear echoes of things you might think you know, the ghost of rhythm and blues, garage rock, radio soul and wee-small-hours balladry – but reconfigured, made new. Exciting!

Based in Sao Paulo and formed in 2017, Tagua Tagua is headed by songwriter and producer Felipe Puperi. Recorded in the rural outskirts of Sao Paulo there is a sense of yearning that permeates throughout the set list of ten unapologetic love songs that fly between lush psychedelic pop to warm, beat-laden neo-soul with Brazilian flavor. Magic! Plus eight other wonky/dreamy pop tracks for you to enjoy.

For The Nude Party, nearly a decade has flown by in the blink of an eye. In that time, the New York-based 7 piece has released a pair of well-received albums, an EP, and played countless shows. Theirlatest, Rides On, seems them in the producer seat with great results. Great listening!

I share some memories honouring Mark Stewart, lead singer with The Pop Group who recently passed away. A show with sharp angles and sprechgesang…

Featuring one of my favourite releases of the year so far, the debut album of dreamy, gentle songs written by the duo of Robert Thomas (Sunburned Hand of the Man) & poet/singer Beverly Ketch (Bunwinkies; Weeping Bong Band), assisted by a masterly crew of collaborators including P.G. Six, Wednesday Knudsen, Jeremy Pisani, Jen Gelineau, Willie Lane, Gary War & more. Incredibly beautiful and essential listening.

Ryan Baine is influenced by a LOT of different music. That’s a good thing! He says for this record, he was heavily into singer/songwriter stuff from the early 70s but at the same time into soul/dance/funk music: Bobby Womack, Sly Stone, and Gil Scott Heron. LA country from the 60s/70s was HUGE. Byrds, Poco, Neil Young, Crosby, Parsons, all the standards on that front. Add a  dash of the baggy Manchester scene as well. Why not? Choral beach folk, 90s dancefloor soul, and smooth 70s style and production. It’s a great listen from start to finish.

In our annual look at the best ambient works of 2022, we reveal our favourite releases of the year. This is the final part, Part 5!

Sunny War is more than just an artist; she is a force of nature that is tough to pin down. What exactly is her style? Blues or punk? Yes, she may be a Robert Johnson with a shot of Bad Brains, but even this description falls short. Her latest, Anarchist Gospel features fourteen songs of resilience and perseverance, of hardship and triumph. Highly recommended.

Gemma Ray takes an unexpected detour from her acclaimed psych-soul and torch-song oeuvre with a hard-edged experiment in cinematic electronica. Epic despite its underlying simplicity and groove, Gemma Ray & The Death Bell Gang blends the funereal and the nasty with tenderness and yearning, with a dash of automaton-pop and a Dada- esque playfulness for good measure. Highly Recommended.