Mark Beaumont-Thomas and I met Martyn Byrne aka The Big Boss through an online music group in lockdown and I'm pleased to say he has become a good friend through that. Having now followed the progress of 3 Big Boss albums and his collaboration project iWitness every...
This time Mark-Beaumont-Thomas looks at a greatly expanded reissue of a key album of the 90s Looking back, what a groundbreaking album this was. ‘The Green Album’, to distinguish it from the also self-titled ‘Brown Album’ that followed, is from the start of that wave...
Mark Beaumont-Thomas is back with a review of another great Bluegrass/Folk/ uncategoraisable album What a great record this is, full of carefully crafted tunes, beautiful playing and judicious guest contributions, including from Taj Mahal (on Fédon) and Allison...
Leon Frear is a Chicago-based singer songwriter who has made a striking debut album, recorded in isolation in his own home studio, taking years to complete. Using the painstaking process of laying down tracks by playing all the instruments, this care and attention can...
Onceweresixty – Loco Sunset Boulevard / Ghetto Blast Noise Machine Otherworldly Things – Heavy Dream Cycle When is an album a (confusingly titled) ‘double EP’? Not quite sure, but that is the description given to the Italian trio Onceweresixty’s new release. It was...
It's been great having Mark Beaumont-Thomas onboard this year. His impeccable musical taste and keen ear for an unusual album have sent me off to some new music I would not other wise have heard, including his first choice... Beirut – Hadsel With its November release,...
It was with a sense of slight trepidation that i introduced Mark Beaumont Thomas to a couple of my albums of the year. I'm pleased to say he liked them both... Allison Russell – The Returner Right now, this is the perfect ‘play something to get me in the mood for...
This is the debut release by Colorado-based duo Ryan Policky and Andy Uhrmacher, under the splendid moniker Alien Gothic, which has ambitions of creating its own sub-genre. As Policky says, "It’s something we knew would destroy the seedy, cobweb filled dance clubs of...
It's hard to convey the impact that Frankie Goes To Hollywood had in 1984. Relax, the Two Tribes video, and most of all this album. In an era of short sharp singles the 13+ minutes of the title song took us to places not visited since about1975. For another...
Scotland has always punched above its weight in terms of producing great music, and to that rich legacy can be added Rachel Sermanni. Sermanni has been releasing albums for over a decade and this could be her most fully realised yet. The wonderfully sympathetic...
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