Album

Peter Buck's R.E.M. release panic

Music Gossip

14 Nov 2011

Peter Buck used to "panic" every time R.E.M. released an album. The guitarist - whose group announced in September they were to disband after 31 years - admits he has always been "driven and ambitious" and is constantly striving to make "great" new…

Pixie Lott's accidental collaboration with Wonder

Music Gossip

10 Nov 2011

Pixie Lott admits her collaboration with her hero Stevie Wonder happened by complete accident. The 20-year-old pop star worked with the Motown legend on 'Stevie on the Radio', which features on her upcoming album 'Young Foolish Happy', and he only…

Jason Derulo's song for Cher

Music Gossip

9 Nov 2011

Jason Derulo has written a song for Cher. The 'It Girl' hitmaker - who has toured with Lady Gaga and penned tunes for stars including P. Diddy, Danity Kane, Donnie Klang, Sean Kingston, Cassie and Lil Wayne - revealed his excitement at collaborating…

Liam Gallagher: Noel's LP would be better with me

Music Gossip

9 Nov 2011

Liam Gallagher thinks his brother Noel's solo album would sound better with him on it. The Beady Eye frontman likes his sibling and former Oasis bandmate's debut LP, 'Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds', but knows the tracks would sound better with…

Beady Eye will make 'life-changing' album

Music Gossip

5 Nov 2011

Beady Eye's second album will "life-changing". The group are getting ready to start recording the follow-up to 'Different Gear, Still Speeding', and singer Liam Gallagher promises it will be a landmark LP in his career. Referring to the group's…

Florence Welch's easy record

Music Gossip

31 Oct 2011

Florence Welch found writing her second album easy after her "baptism of fire" with her first one. The Florence + the Machine singer felt under huge pressure when penning her debut record 'Lungs' but was able to relax more with 'Ceremonials'.

Chris Martin's album worry

Music Gossip

26 Oct 2011

Chris Martin feels "suicidal" when Coldplay release a new album. The 'Every Teardrop is a Waterfall' hitmaker - whose group brought out their fifth LP, 'Mylo Xyloto', this week - panics that fans may not like their new material as much as his earlier…

Short wait for Linkin Park album

Music Gossip

25 Oct 2011

Mike Shinoda says fans won't have to wait too long for the next Linkin Park album. The musician revealed the 'Shadow of the Day' group are constantly writing new material for their follow up to 'A Thousand Suns' and as he has recently been busy…

Slash recording second solo album

Music Gossip

5 Oct 2011

Slash will start recording his second solo album this weekend. The legendary ex-Guns N' Roses guitarist has 17 songs ready to take to the studio and already has blisters on his fingers from all the practice he's been putting in. In a series of…

Ryan Adams made competitive by Marling

Music Gossip

24 Sep 2011

Ryan Adams scrapped "80 per cent" of his new material when he heard Laura Marling's album. The 36-year-old singer-songwriter was inspired to make his new work better than ever after his producer Ethan Johns sent him a copy of the British folk star's…

Kelly Rowland had no musical limits

Music Gossip

22 Sep 2011

Kelly Rowland refused to impose limits on herself when making her new album. The former 'Destiny's Child' star was happy to experiment with different genres and sounds on new LP 'Here I Am' and feels pleased she had the support of her new record…

Demi Lovato promises fans will enjoy 'Unbroken'

Music Gossip

20 Sep 2011

Demi Lovato has promised her new album isn't "too grown-up" for her fans to enjoy. The 'Skyscraper' singer's record 'Unbroken' - her first following a stint in rehab for "emotional and physical issues" - does reflect a more mature sound bit Demi…

Rihanna starts sixth album

Music Gossip

15 Sep 2011

Rihanna has started work on her sixth album. The 'Cheers (Drink to That)' singer confirmed to fans this morning (15.09.11) she is already working on her next record, less than a year after releasing 'Loud' in November 2010. Retweeting one of her…

Snow Patrol have finished next album

Music Gossip

6 Sep 2011

Snow Patrol have already written their seventh studio album before releasing their sixth effort. Singer Gary Lightbody and his bandmates are getting ready to bring out their latest LP 'Fallen Empires' - the follow-up to 2009's 'Up to Now' - in…

Madonna to release new album in 2012

Music Gossip

5 Sep 2011

Madonna will release her new album in spring 2012. The singer has confirmed she has started work on the LP - a follow-up to 2008's 'Hard Candy' - with producer William Orbit and she is expected be busy in her New York studio until the end of the…

Will Young's honest album

Music Gossip

6 Aug 2011

Will Young doesn't think his new album is "dishonest". The 'Jealousy' hitmaker has changed to a more dance-centric sound on new album 'Echoes', but although he has previously been known for his pop ballads he does not feel like he has altered course…

Will Young will always have unhappy songs

Music Gossip

25 Jul 2011

Will Young doesn't think he will ever write an "entirely happy" record. The 'Changes' singer penned some of the tracks on his new album 'Echoes' following an encounter with a former lover and believes his songs will always have some element of…

Joe Jonas' mature album

Music Gossip

23 Jul 2011

Joe Jonas believes his solo album is more "mature" than the music he makes with his brothers. The Jonas Brothers star - who will release his debut solo LP 'Fast Life' on September 5 - says penning the material for the record alone has made it more…

Brett Anderson says Suede need to make an album

Music Gossip

18 Jul 2011

Suede frontman Brett Anderson says the band could split up again if they can't make a new album worth releasing. The 'Animal Nitrate' singer reformed the group in 2010, seven years after disbanding it, and although he has loved playing numerous live…

Justin Bieber promises new sound

Music Gossip

29 Jun 2011

Justin Bieber wants a new sound. The 'Baby' singer is working on his second album - a follow-up to 2010's 'My World 2.0' - and is keen not to stick to one genre of music because he believes he has a voice that suits many styles. He told MTV: "I…

Matthew Morrison made eclectic album

Music Gossip

8 May 2011

Matthew Morrison has promised his new album will be "eclectic". The 32-year-old singer-and-actor - best known for playing teacher Will Schuester in 'Glee' - is preparing for the release of his self-titled debut LP and says the tracks reflect his…

AC/DC hope to release new album soon

Music Gossip

7 May 2011

AC/DC are hoping to release a new album "within the next couple of years". Angus Young - lead guitarist in the band - revealed the plans at the group's 'AC/DC Live At River Plate' DVD premiere at the Hammersmith Apollo in London last night (06.05.11…

Madonna records song with Lourdes

Music Gossip

6 May 2011

Madonna has collaborated with her daughter on a track. The 52-year-old superstar has teamed up with Lourdes, 14, on the song 'It's So Cool' and it is set to either feature on her next album or on the soundtrack LP to her directorial debut movie…

Coldplay excited about festival season

Music Gossip

4 May 2011

Coldplay are on "great form" as they ready themselves for festival season. The group have spent recent months in the studio working on their new album, but are now preparing for a string of outdoor shows in Europe this summer - including the…

Metallica overwhelmed by new album material

Music Gossip

4 May 2011

Metallica have "two and a half years" of material to sift through before they make their next album. Lars Ulrich - the heavy metal band's drummer - explained songwriter and vocalist James Hetfield has created more than 700 new guitar riffs for the…

Matthew Morrison 'honoured' by Sting duet

Music Gossip

4 May 2011

Matthew Morrison is "honoured" to be duetting with Sting on his new album. The 'Glee' star is set to release his self-titled debut LP next week - which features collaborations with stars including Sir Elton John, Gwyneth Paltrow and 'American Idol…

Jennifer Hudson's life-changing album

Music Gossip

14 Apr 2011

Jennifer Hudson feels she has lived "four different lives". The singer-and-actress - whose mother Darnell Donnerson was murdered in October 2008 along with her brother Jason Hudson and seven-year-old nephew Julian - shot to fame after competing on…

Jennifer Lopez praises RedOne

Music Gossip

13 Apr 2011

Jennifer Lopez says she owes her comeback success to Lady Gaga's producer. The actress-and-singer worked with RedOne on several tracks for her album 'Love?' and insists the pop mogul - real name Nadir Khayat - has brought the best out of her…

Lady Gaga's LP won't be 'deluxe'

Music Gossip

13 Apr 2011

Lady Gaga will not release a "deluxe" version of new album 'Born This Way'. Despite releasing a bonus edition of her second album 'The Fame Monster', the pop star now claims to hate the word and has insisted she won't have it on any of her future…

Gwyneth Paltrow in talks for record deal

Music Gossip

7 Mar 2011

Gwyneth Paltrow is reportedly in talks to sign a record deal. The actress unveiled her voice in the movie 'Country Strong' and has impressed in recent months with a series of live performances leading to her to start negotiations with Atlantic…

Noel Gallagher going slow with solo LP

Music Gossip

10 Feb 2011

Noel Gallagher hasn't started work on his debut solo album yet. The former Oasis guitarist - who famously quit the rock group in August 2009 following a bust-up with his brother Liam Gallagher - claims he hasn't recorded any tracks for the…

Sum 41's lead singer promises 'darker' album

Music Gossip

8 Feb 2011

Sum 41's new album 'Screaming Bloody Murder' is "darker" than the band's previous work. Frontman Deryk Whibley was going through a divorce from singer Avril Lavigne while writing the new record 'Screaming Bloody Murder' and he admitted it has had an…

White Lies shocked by number one

Music Gossip

16 Jan 2011

White Lies never expected their first album to go to number one in the UK. The London-based trio were overjoyed when their debut LP 'To Lose My Life.' topped the charts two years ago because the music scene at the time was so different to the songs…

Ellie Goulding's recording resolution

Music Gossip

30 Dec 2010

Ellie Goulding wants to go "somewhere remote" in the New Year to start work on her new album. The 'Starry Eyed' singer is looking forward to writing some new songs for her second LP in 2011, but insists she needs to take some time out of her hectic…

Arcade Fire grateful for album-loving fans

Music Gossip

18 Dec 2010

Arcade Fire are grateful to have not had "one pop radio hit". The 'Suburban War' group enjoy the fact their fans relate to their music as a whole rather than attending their concerts just to hear one particular song. Frontman Win Butler said: "We…

Girls - Album

3 Sep 2009

Love is in the air and the 60s are in the chords as Girls come over all romantic in their debut album. Looking as if they’ve raided the dressing up boxes of MGMT for outfits, and the genres of rockabilly, 60s girl groups and surf pop for sounds, Chet…

Singles & Downloads

Records

16 Jul 2007

SINGLES & DOWNLOADS (Image: The Heavy) I declare it the Summer of Dross! Kicking off the half-arsed festival-promoting releases is Mika ’s ‘Big Girl’ (Casablanca, 1 STAR), which flaps along like Scissor Sisters devoid of the camp charm and…

Dean Owens

Album

16 Jul 2007

ROCK DEAN OWENS Whisky Hearts (Vermillion Road Records) Dean Owens is a genuine one-off. His exploration of songwriting has taken him through the heart of Americana, where he has found many opportunities to show his skills as a songwriter…

Also Released

Records

16 Jul 2007

ALSO RELEASED Sam Baker - Pretty World (An Independent Release) Baker’s dense lyrics reflect life and near loss, and the artist is clearly determined to make sure every single moment counts. Vocals are country-nasal and a little limited, yet the…

Miracle Fortress

Album

16 Jul 2007

EUPHORIC INDIE MIRACLE FORTRESS Five Roses (Rough Trade) Miracle Fortress is really just one man, the sickeningly talented 23-year-old Graham Van Pelt. Actually, ‘miracle fortress’ is a good way of describing what debut album Five Roses…

The Thrills

Album

16 Jul 2007

RETRO POP THE THRILLS Teenager (Virgin) It must be lovely being The Thrills. They seem to exist in an alternate universe to the rest of us, a hazy, sun-dappled version of the past that never happened, as though in perpetual audition for…

Bobby Hutcherson

Album

16 Jul 2007

JAZZ BOBBY HUTCHERSON For Sentimental Reasons (Kind of Blue) Vibes maestro Bobby Hutcherson was one of the key innovators in the post-bop experiments of the mid-60s for the Blue Note label, but he focuses on a more conventionally…

Megson

Records

16 Jul 2007

FOLK MEGSON Smoke of Home (EDJ Records) Megson are the duo of Stu Hanna and Debbie Palmer. They hail originally from Teesside, and have been picking up a fair bit of favourable notice on the acoustic folk/roots circuit over the past couple…

Miroslav Vitous

Album

16 Jul 2007

JAZZ MIROSLAV VITOUS Universal Syncopations II (ECM Records) Miroslav Vitous’ Universal Syncopations marked his return to the ECM label, and was widely praised on its release in 2003. The bassist has chosen to extend and develop the…

Lethal Bizzle

Album

16 Jul 2007

GRIME LETHAL BIZZLE Back to Bizznizz (V2) The ailing Grime scene too often forgets that it was spawned from dance music, not hip hop, with many MCs eschewing potential club hits in favour of brainless trigger talk. Lethal Bizzle, on the…

Chungking

Album

16 Jul 2007

Electronica CHUNGKING Stay up Forever (Ecstatic Peace, Kill Rock Stars, -5RC, Three Lobed) Sean and Jessie have produced a slick, chic, dirty and danceable reason to stay up all night. It makes you think of Goldfrapp but with that…

Ryan Adams

Album

16 Jul 2007

AMERICANA RYAN ADAMS Easy Tiger (Lost Highway) After three albums in 2005 (two were doubles) and a batch of nonsense online ‘releases’, Americana’s poster boy has put his energies into one album. And it’s easily his most consistent work to…

Martin Simpson

Album

16 Jul 2007

FOLK MARTIN SIMPSON Prodigal Son (Topic) Simpson may be an enthusiast - he includes notes on his guitar tunings - but he is no purist. His enquiring ears have kept him at the interesting edge of the folk scene since he was a genuine…

Wooden Wand

Album

16 Jul 2007

INDIE/FOLK WOODEN WAND James and the Quiet (Institute) Toning down from the eccentricities of his previous work, James Jackson Toth endeavoured to follow his muse and create something altogether different. Yet a style comparable to…

Randan Discotheque

Album

16 Jul 2007

SINGER-SONGWRITER RANDAN DISCOTHEQUE I Am the Singer, You Are the Song (Fife Kills) Snaking from Johnny Cash train stomp rhythms to delicate love stung paeans to departed muses, Randan Discotheque throws up an occasionally disconcerting…

The White Stripes

Album

18 Jun 2007

ROCK The White stripes are keen proof that there is a god. Or at least a benevolent force in the universe that occasionally, just occasionally allows a little bit of magic into this cruel, cruel world. Who else would have permitted this pair of…

Tony Scott

Album

18 Jun 2007

JAZZ When clarinettist Tony Scott spent some time in Edinburgh one summer in the late 80s, his role as an important contributor to the emergence of both bebop and an early proto-version of free jazz in New York had all but been forgotten. His…

Paul Towndrow Sextet

Album

18 Jun 2007

JAZZ Alto saxophonist Paul Towndrow and his new Sextet recorded this album in adverse circumstances, but there is nothing here that would give away the fact that it was made under unusual time constraints. Towndrow’s brand of inventive contemporary…

Editors

Album

18 Jun 2007

ROCK Editors have grown up since debut, The Back Room. There’s new confidence to Smith’s vocals, and anthemic ‘Weight of the World’ has a gravity that ‘Open Your Arms’ never quite attains. The sound has the urgency of shouts in the dark, and Smith’s…

Records - The Just Joans

18 Jun 2007

INDIE POP Problem page pop from a bunch of self-confessed puny losers from Motherwell? It shouldn’t work - hearing them sniff and sigh through bleak, downbeat stories about getting chucked in Strathclyde Park, or feeling they’ve missed their prime…

Simian Mobile Disco

Album

18 Jun 2007

ELECTRO Have you forgotten how exciting electronic music can be? Well you’re about to be reminded as two albums released this year are set to totally revitalise the genre. One comes in the form of † by Justice, the other is this impressive offering…

Paul Haig

Album

18 Jun 2007

ELECTRONIC Music has previously always struggled to keep pace with Paul Haig. His 80s angular Edinburgh post-punk outfit Josef K were way ahead of their time, influencing numerous contemporary bands (most notably Franz Ferdinand). His last few solo…

Ulrich Schnauss

Album

18 Jun 2007

ELECTRONICA When a creative force is raised in a boring little armpit such as Kiel, it’s perhaps inevitable that the only reaction is to try and make something gorgeous from the tedium. With his third album, both the banal and the beautiful are…

Strike The Colours

Album

18 Jun 2007

INDIE FOLK As a collaborator with everyone from Arab Strap to Idlewild and Malcolm Middleton, Jenny Reeve’s myriad musical talents have graced many a record to fine effect over the last few years. Now at last stepping into the limelight herself with…

Siobhan Donaghy

Album

18 Jun 2007

AIRY POP Some may remember Donaghy as the one who quit the Sugababes, burnt her bridges, then suffered a flop album. Fear not, she’s back with So You Say, which has taken radio friendly pop and added a pinch of sophistication. Her vocals are…

Paul Hartnoll

Album

18 Jun 2007

ELECTRONICA For those wondering what Paul Hartnoll has been up to since Orbital split in 2004, he has been hard at it in his Brighton studio, figuring out how to produce something far removed from his past output: ‘It just took time to discover what…

Julie Fowlis

Album

7 May 2007

FOLK Ever since she won the prestigious New Horizon award for 2006 at the BBC Folk Awards, Julie Fowlis has been landed with the unenviable expectation that she might succeed in taking Gaelic singing to a wider audience than it currently reaches…

Kenny Werner

Album

7 May 2007

JAZZ Pianist Kenny Werner forsakes the comfort and familiarity of his customary trio setting for a more ambitious conceptual approach to his music on this recording, his first for Blue Note. A row of lawn chairs upturned by the wind near his home…

Young Gods

Album

7 May 2007

ELECTRONIC ROCK The hassle with being pioneers - which this Swiss trio are, having invented the kind of theatrical but mechanical electro rock parents and families that are just taken for granted nowadays - is that you rarely get the credit you…

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club

Album

7 May 2007

ROCK You know what you’re getting when it comes to BRMC. Straight ahead, no frills rock’n’roll delivered with a degree of calculated nonchalance. Loops, samples or a ten-minute long jazz jam are not concepts these guys are familiar with. But…

God-Fearing Atheists

Album

7 May 2007

COUNTRY ROCK With two ex-punks, one indie-boy and a drummer who plays in jazz bands at a tennis club, it was an obvious career move to form an alt.country band together. Not only that, but a really quite good one - the Glaswegian God-Fearing Atheists…

Butcher Boy

Album

7 May 2007

INDIE You won’t read about them in hype-hungry magazines or find them bombarding Myspace profiles with friend requests, and as a result Butcher Boy may well be one of the most exciting discoveries you’ll make this year. This debut album from the…

Von Sudenfed

7 May 2007

INDIE ELECTRONICA This first-time collaboration between The Fall’s mouthy frontman, Mark E Smith and German electronic maestros, Mouse on Mars sounds like the imaginary soundtrack to an after-party for the 1990s. Andi Toma and Jan St Werner do a good…

Wilco

Album

7 May 2007

ROCK With their last two albums Wilco rewrote the book on what rock bands could do, so where next? The answer is they’ve reined in the experimentalism a tad and are indulging in exquisitely crafted, plaintive country-soul which manages to be…

The Twilight Sad

Album

7 May 2007

INDIE Rarely can a band have managed to sum themselves up so well just within their own name. Glasgow’s Twilight Sad are, let’s not beat about the bush, a band who make sad music - yet it’s that particular Scottish sadness which finds itself couched…

Kraak and Smaak

Album

7 May 2007

HOUSE Apparently a reference to an old Dutch proverb rather than Pete Doherty’s breakfast, Kraak and Smaak serve up a double remix CD of jazzy house vibes and percussive, break-beat rhythms. Groove-led basslines are reminiscent of the US West Coast…

Nasty P

Album

7 May 2007

HIP HOP REVISITED Love or loathe them, it looks like the blend trend that combusted spontaneously in both indie and hip hop scenes two or three years ago is set to burn on unabated. Here, Edinburgh’s own Nasty P casts in his own tuppence worth. The…

Arctic Monkeys

ROCK

26 Apr 2007

The weight of expectation hasn’t affected the Arctic Monkeys one iota. They’ve hardly broken their stride and have tossed off a second album of casual brilliance. It almost feels unfair how off the cuff Favourite Worst Nightmare feels; the lyrics are as…

Mark O'Keeffe

Records

26 Apr 2007

CONTEMPORARY JAZZ The Edinburgh-based label is doing its fair share to support contemporary Scottish composition. The Edinburgh Quartet’s fine recent disc of new Scottish string quartets, The Cold Dancer, is followed by this solo outing from the BBC…

Björk

Records

26 Apr 2007

ERM... BJORK? Heralding an album as ‘the most commercial thing Björk has ever done’ is really a bit like declaring the new David Lynch movie ‘his most coherent narrative ever’. For the last decade she has been making the most unashamedly artful and…

Leg, The

Records

26 Apr 2007

ROCK Those who have been hanging about the venues of Edinburgh for a few years now might know this lot as ‘the band formerly known as Desc and Khaya’. Every vague shift in musical direction from long-time collaborators Dan Mutch, Pete Harvey and Alun…

Injuns

Records

26 Apr 2007

POP Skye boys Leighton Jones (keyboard and vocals) and Hector MacInnes (drums) and the four other Injuns lads know their stuff and aren’t afraid to prove it. This debut is a densely influenced, multi-genre-encapsulating smorgasbord swerving from the…

1990s

Records

26 Apr 2007

INDIE After years of ferreting away with his former band, John McKeown’s brilliantly quirky songwriting is finally getting the recognition it deserves. Of course Cookies is an altogether different offering from anything The Yummy Fur ever released…

Elliott Smith

Records

26 Apr 2007

FOLK/ROCK Music from beyond the grave is always kind of spooky, especially when it is from an artist whose demise life was cut short like Smith’s. This is even more so given the bare nature of his songs, often little more than a couple of guitar…

Records - Spank Rock

Various

9 Apr 2007

MIX A big, fat, 29-track mix album by Spank Rock, last year’s boys most likely to. Featuring tracks by Miss Kittin, Hot Chip, Daft Punk and this year’s girls most likely to, CSS. It screams hip electro party album brilliance from the tracklisting…

Records - Lauren MacColl

Lauren MacColl

9 Apr 2007

FOLK Fiddler Lauren MacColl first came to wider notice when she won the BBC2 Young Folk Award in 2004. She is highly accomplished technically, but also has a genuine feel for the expressive nuances of the music, a quality entirely evident in this…

Records - The Black Dog

The Black Dog

27 Mar 2007

ELECTRONICA This double-pack of some of The Black Dog’s most seminal work will have veteran techno-heads the world over salivating with anticipation, or in some cases, cursing. Vinyl pressings of most of these recordings have been changing hands…

Records - Trans AM

Trans AM

27 Mar 2007

ELECTRO ROCK There’s a feeling that you’re missing out on the joke with bands like Trans Am. What with the faux boy band press shots and the musical appropriation of everything from Rush to Harold Faltemeyer, it all seems a bit too clever-clever for…

Records - Modest Mouse

Modest Mouse

27 Mar 2007

ROCK There are certain bands that make sense only on record, and there are certain bands that only make sense live. Modest Mouse are a truly odd beast in that they have never completely fit either live or on record. They have, however, on occasion…

Records - Alison Burns

Alison Burns

27 Mar 2007

JAZZ Scottish singer Alison Burns concentrates on a programme of familiar standards for her debut album, including pleasing versions of ‘You’d Be So Nice To Come Home To’, ‘But Not For Me’, ‘Shadow of Your Smile’ and ‘The Way You Look Tonight’, as…

Records - Maxïmo Park

Maxïmo Park

27 Mar 2007

INDIE It may be a cliché, but second albums are tricky. Deviate too far from the sound that took you to the big time and ‘you’ve lost your touch’. Conversely, plough on down the same furrow and ‘you’ve run out of ideas’. And it’s in the latter camp…

Records - Wolfstone

Wolfstone

27 Mar 2007

FOLK Fiddler Duncan Chisholm sees Wolfstone as a Highland rock band who happen to play fiddles and pipes, and the musical mix here bears out that emphasis. This new set on their own Once Bitten label (if you see that name as reflecting earlier harsh…

Records - The Bees

The Bees

27 Mar 2007

COUNTRY ROCK Is there any band that says summer more than The Bees? I don’t know what they put in the water on the Isle of Wight, but this is one of the most breezy records you’re likely to hear. It should be given out at the gates of every summer…

Records - Shitdisco

Shitdisco

27 Mar 2007

DISCO PUNK Art School inebriates Shitdisco have been the life, soul and soundtrack of parties everywhere from Glasgow to Bangok in the last year. How well their turbo-charged disco punk would transfer to record was always in question, though, and…

Records - Curios

Curios

27 Mar 2007

JAZZ Pianist and keyboard player Tom Cawley is joined by Sam Burgess on bass and Joshua Blackmore on drums in an exemplary exhibition of contemporary piano trio that sounds a lot fresher and more imaginative than EST on their recent Glasgow outing.

Records - Half Cousin

Half Cousin

27 Mar 2007

ACOUSTIC POP For all its wild weather and curious inhabitants, you probably couldn’t help but make resplendently weird music if you grew up strumming a guitar on Orkney. Half Cousin’s 2004 album The Function Room provided some proof of that; main man…

Records - Bright Eyes

Bright Eyes

27 Mar 2007

FOLK ROCK Is there anything Conor Oberst can’t do? Side-projects and record label exec duties aside, this is the talented troubadour’s seventh studio album, under the guise of Bright Eyes, released at the tender age of 27. It’s an utterly lovely…

Records - Coco Rosie

Coco Rosie

27 Mar 2007

TWEE Lord, deliver us from hen-toed girls wearing glittering plastic jewelry and wielding Bontempi’s. Have they gone yet? No - Coco Rosie return with another archly twee album entitled The Adventures of Ghosthorse and Stillborn, a record that…

Records - The Plimptons

The Plimptons

27 Mar 2007

INDIE Lanarkshire, so much to answer for - so it’s only right that one-time Mogwai and Teenage Fanclub man Brendan O’Hare is on hand to polish the, shall we say, raw materials presented to him by the Motherwell quartet, who keep the ‘shambling…

Records - Thee Moths

Thee Moths

27 Mar 2007

GLITCHY FOLK There’s a joyous impatience in the music Thee Moths make. Whether it’s on clipped, sweet acoustic jingles or powdery, brittle electronic cut ups or general strung out oddness is infectious. The songs swim into one another and the overall…

Records - Uncle Fritz

Uncle Fritz

27 Mar 2007

HAUNTED ACOUSTIC There’s a terminally bleak air to Dundee painter and musician Fraser Stewart’s quiet-time aside from Alamos and Perineum metal outlets. With a penchant for tuneless whistling and testing, syntax-free deep vocals, Fritz undermines the…

Records - Pilotcan

Pilotcan

27 Mar 2007

ROCK Four years in the making and EIGHT years since their last album, the Edinburgh veterans have eventually got their act together long enough to complete this, their third long-player. And, thankfully, it’s well worth the wait. An irresistible…

Records - Also Released

Also Released

13 Mar 2007

Brett Anderson Brett Anderson (Drowned in Sound) Debut solo venture from the former Suede daddy has glints of his former glories but is, well, like Suede without the fun, glam bits, so fairly hard work for the most part.

Records - The Aliens

The Aliens

13 Mar 2007

ROCK POP After two songs of the Aliens’ debut long player (an outdated description, but at 72 minutes, a justified one), you might be praying for invasion by some little green ones to take you away from it all. The hackneyed and tuneless 60s funk…

Records - Take a Worm For a Walk Week

Take a Worm For a Walk Week

13 Mar 2007

SCARY NASTINESS Far from sitting on the fence TAWFAWW choose to unceremoniously hack down the fence, stamp it into little pieces, collect it up and feed it to a pack of hungry dogs. Well, that’s what it sounds like. To be honest this sounds like…