Camilla Pia

Lightspeed Champion - Falling off the Lavender Bridge

4 Jan 2008

INDIE (Domino) From fashionable art-noise icon to comic book scribe, friend of the girl Geldof and purveyor of soulful country music, Dev Hynes has gone through quite a transformation over the past year. With so many projects on the go, the ex-Test…

British Sea Power - Do You Like Rock Music?

4 Jan 2008

INDIE (Rough Trade) British Sea Power have never been known for their traditional approach to music-making – plastic birds, fake foliage and a ten foot bear have come into the equation at various points – so it comes as no surprise that third effort…

Various - Hassle Volume 1

4 Jan 2008

PUNK (Hassle Records) As if to make amends for his previous incarnation as the bassist of no hopers, A, Daniel P Carter is doing a lot of good in the rock world these days. His most recent success comes from compiling this collection of punk and…

Cat Power - Jukebox

4 Jan 2008

INDIE (Matador) No one does melancholy like Chan Marshall, and on the second of her legendary covers records she takes sadness to staggering new levels. Backed by the Dirty Delta Blues band, the Georgia-born singer/songwriter treats us to some…

The [Future] King Of Scotland - I’m Not Angry, It’s Just You Broke My Heart

4 Jan 2008

INDIE I’m Not Angry, It’s Just You Broke My Heart (Lo-Fi or What?) This Fife-based, one man band claims to lead a lo-fi life, and from the sounds of his charmingly ramshackle debut offering he’s not lying. I’m Not Angry, It’s Just You Broke My…

Gay For Johnny Depp - The Politics of Cruelty

4 Jan 2008

ROCK (Captains of Industry) There’s more to Gay for Johnny Depp (you would though, wouldn’t you?) than just a magnificent moniker. The Brooklyn-based foursome are also incredibly adept at music-making, as proven by this ferocious debut which…

The Graeme Mearns Band - Some Kind of Bliss

4 Jan 2008

ROCK (Partners in Crime) There’s nothing more irritating than listening to a Scot sing with an American accent. Someone should really have mentioned this to Graeme Mearns, and while they were at it, advised him to drag his band’s music out of the 90s.

Khaya - Is/Are/Was – The Best Of Khaya

4 Jan 2008

INDIE Is/Are/Was – The Best Of Khaya (SL Records) Vastly underappreciated during their brief stint on the indie scene in the late 90s, this collection of sessions and singles allows Khaya’s gloriously scratchy pop to shine. Highlights include…

Than - Heart Music Soul Music

4 Jan 2008

SOUL (THAN) Despite this record’s dreadful title, Nathaniel Slade aka THAN certainly has a way with pretty ditties. The Bristol-born singer-songwriter and Britpop survivor now resides in Edinburgh and recorded this debut effort with roots-fusion…

Rihanna

13 Dec 2007

Girls Aloud know it, Leona Lewis knows it, and even Franz Ferdinand know it – great pop is hard to beat. America’s most recent answer to our successful crop has to be Rihanna, whose infectious ‘Umbrella’ dominated the UK charts and playlists for months…

Hot 100 - 2007's hottest talent

13 Dec 2007

Scottish culture has shone in 2007, and so have Scottish stars. Throughout the year we have been working tirelessly to spot the hottest talent out there. We also invited you to nominate the people, places and events you think have made the greatest…

Crash My Model Car - Ghosts and Heights

13 Dec 2007

INDIE (My Dad Recordings) After two critically acclaimed, sold out EPs and a fast growing legion of devotees, it would be fair to say that Crash My Model Car are under a considerable amount of pressure for their debut long player to deliver the…

Girls Aloud - Tangled Up

29 Nov 2007

POP Tangled Up (Universal) First things first – there is no such thing as a guilty pleasure. There is just good music and bad music, whether it be camp pop, pompous rock, electro-crunk, punk funk or the bizarre style now simply known as Rhydian.

Foxface - This is What Makes Us

29 Nov 2007

INDIE This is What Makes Us (Gargleblast Records) This Glasgow outfit’s three members have been kicking around the Scottish indie scene for years, two of them most famously as members of Peeps into Fairyland, but their decision to join forces as…

Nine Black Alps

15 Nov 2007

ALT.ROCK Love/Hate (Island) When this Manchester foursome released their debut album two years ago, they sounded a great deal like Nirvana. Now they’re back it’s disappointing to hear just how little they have actually progressed. On the plus side…

BMX Bandits

15 Nov 2007

INDIE Bee Stings (Poppydisc) Fifteen albums on, these indie legends show no sign of resting on their laurels, and Bee Stings is proof that all this frolicking in pastures new has paid off. From catchy opener ‘Take Me to Heaven’ to the captivating…

Ali Smith - review

Myth adaptation

1 Nov 2007

Ali Smith has a distinctive way with words, and while her writing may not be to everyone’s taste, it certainly makes for an absorbing read. Girl Meets Boy, the Inverness-born writer’s fourth novel, following her 2004 Whitbread award-winning work The…

Terra Diablo - album review

(Nocturnal)

1 Nov 2007

Suddenly losing a member to the biggest band in the country would dent the confidence of even the most self-assured act.

Iron & Wine

18 Oct 2007

ALT.COUNTRY Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh, Mon 29 Oct It would be difficult to find a location more at odds with the music of Sam Beam than the London hotel lobby I meet him in. Swanky, super modern and decked out in stark white clinical decor and…

Exposure - Enter Shikari

18 Oct 2007

Tomorrow’s music today. This issue: Enter Shikari This pioneering St Albans rave-metal outfit’s recent achievements really speak for themselves, but just in case you hadn’t noticed their incredible ascent to award-winning, genre-bending poster boys…

Roisin Murphy

18 Oct 2007

ELECTRO Overpowered (EMI) A love or hatred of Roisin Murphy’s former band aside, there’s no arguing with the fact that this ex-Moloko vocalist currently makes some of the most sophisticated electro pop around. Boasting catchy melodies, demonic…

PJ Harvey - album review

Indie

4 Oct 2007

Over the years we have come to expect the unexpected from this Yeovil-born indie legend. However, no one could have prepared us for the radical departure of White Chalk; eleven stark, stripped down ballads inspired by Bach, Handel, Beethoven, Arvo Part…

Jack Peñate - album review

Indie

4 Oct 2007

Despite lazy comparisons to fellow Londoners Lily Allen, Kate Nash and Jamie T, Jack Peñate sounds like nothing like his peers. This Blackheath-born boy has got soul – you can hear it in his heartfelt delivery – and when combined with incredibly…

Jack Peñate

20 Sep 2007

With a toe-tapping, top-ten hit under his belt, two incendiary sold-out UK tours and a highly anticipated debut album on the way, Jack Peñate really shouldn’t have a care in the world. However, when we catch up with the London-born lad in a Covent…

Exposure - Foals

20 Sep 2007

Tomorrow’s music today. This issue: Foals Mixing a love of techno, Timbaland and loud guitars really is no rarity these days but what sets Foals apart from the rest is the Brighton-based quintet’s musical prowess, math rock tendencies and fierce…