#310: Plank - Hivemind

With their debut LP Animalism, Manchester’s Plank! introduced both themselves, and their love of krautrock-inspired, instrumental prog-rock to the world. It wasn’t something to everyone’s tastes, but it was ultimately something which garnered them fans and allowed the band to develop confidently, even after the departure of  their previous drummer. Now, having dropped the exclamation mark from their name, Plank have released their second album Hivemind, a record that might have downsized significantly in subject matter from 2012′sAnimalism, but one that has absolutely grown in ambition.

This review was originally written for TheRealMusic. Click here to read in full.

#303: Lower - Seek Warmer Climes

Post-punk – a literally named genre if ever there was one – pretty much epitomised alternative music in the 1980s, whilst mirroring the disaffection felt by the working class British public under Thatcherism. As such, it was a logical progression for those who saw through the punk’s gimmicky exterior and often laughable political ideologies, whilst bringing the music they spent their teens listening to in to a more contemporary (at the time) setting, channelling their angst and tired indifference in to a genre of music that’s ultimately far more introverted and much more claustrophobic than it’s safety-pinned predecessor.

This review was originally written for TheRealMusic.net. Click here to read in full.

#297: Alice Boman - EP II (EP review)

2014 has been a busy year already, at least as far as Swedish songstress Alice Boman is concerned. Festival appearances and an EP release have seen her profile rise somewhat dramatically over the last few months and one can’t help but think it’s likely to rise even more. Her 2013 debut EP, Skisser’(‘Sketches’), was a collection of tracks home-recorded for the benefit of Boman herself, however when Adrian Recordings first heard the record “time stopped” and the Swedish label knew they were on to something. Fast forward almost exactly a year, and Alice has just released her follow-up, EP II, six tracks of fragile, Scandinavian folk-pop that shimmers with the icy allure of the surroundings in which it was conceived. 

This review was originally written for The Real Music. Click here to read in full.

#293: TEEN - The Way and the Colour

When Brooklyn’s TEEN released their debut full-length in 2012, it was met with mixed reviews. Many praised its psychedelic, lo-fi nature, whilst others noted that its lack of direction and overly long songs detracted from its overall quality. Fast forward two years, and TEEN are back with their second album The Way and Colour, and instead of building on the foundations laid by their debut, the band have opted to shatter any preconceptions you may have had prior to the record’s release, instead filling its 45 minute run time with ten tracks of both contemporary indie and contemporary R&B, the rich layers of instrumentation and synth and vocal melodies having far more in common with the likes of Haim than any of the names TEEN’s debut conjured as influences.

This review was originally written for The Real Music. Click here to read in full.

#277: Sabina - Toujours

For Italian-born, French-raised, multi-lingual artiste Sabina Sciubba, creative freedom is everything. Once vocalist of New York’s Brazilian Girls, Sciubba has now struck solo, relishing in the creative autonomy this has afforded her and as such released a debut record full of rich and varied melody, picture-painting lyricism and an almost tangible level of emotional candour. From opening track “Cinema” to the closing moments of final track “Going Home” eleven tracks later, Toujours takes listeners through a series of varying moods an aesthetics with Sciubba’s dark wit a permanent motif that transcends language barriers.

This review was originally written for The Real Music. Click here to read in full.

#267: Lyla Foy - Mirrors the Sky

First garnering the attention of the music press back in 2012 under the moniker WALL, London-based singer/songwriter Lyla Foy seems likely to find herself the subject of similar critical acclaim with her forthcoming debut Mirrors the Sky. Having dropped the pseudonym and now performing under her own name, Foy has built on the solid foundations she laid as WALL, crafting a debut album of fantastically minimal pop that effortlessly glides from track to shimmering track; the lyricism wrought with emotion, the delivery sugary sweet.

This track was original written for The Real Music. Click here to read in full.