Album Reviews
FISH – WELTSCHMERZ
The planets have fully aligned for this one: Narrative, vocal, music, arrangement and visuals work together in perfect harmony for an album that is both powerful and vulnerable, complex and yet stripped back. The party may soon be over, but with ‘Weltschmerz’ Fish bows out with his finest studio album in 30 years.
SCARLET REBELS – ‘LIVE AT SONIC ONE’
SEPTEMBER ALBUM OF THE MONTH It’s a year since Scarlet Rebels unleashed ‘Show Your Colours’ – an album we called as ‘Album of the Month’ in August 2019 – and, with hindsight, it’s proven to be one of the defining rock albums of recent years. Why? – because the music …
Thundermother – ‘Heat Wave’
August Album of the Month There are times when rock n roll needs to stand up to testify – and there are times when rock needs to offer escapism. After the dark months we have all been through, the new Thundermother album offers the latter, a rich welcoming oasis where …
JACK J HUTCHINSON – WHO FEEDS THE LOCKDOWN
JULY ALBUM OF THE MONTH We have been living through unprecedented times: for many a period of hardship, of risks and fears, yet it is also often during dark times that the enduring spirit of rock n roll can shine brightly. In the way that recorded music has helped so …
BAD TOUCH – KISS THE SKY
JUNE ALBUM OF THE MONTH At the moment, it’s getting harder and harder to pick just one ‘Album of the Month’ to review. In the last few months there has been a run of fine album releases from new and rising bands. As a collective, the material spans every spectrum …
BALEFUL CREED – THE LOWDOWN
MAY ALBUM OF THE MONTH Six years of showcasing a new generation of bands and its high time Northern Ireland got an accolade from Great Music Stories! My work with Wildfire has showcased Scottish bands and Wales has given us two of our last three Bands of the Year. This …
THIRTEEN STARS – FINEST RAMSHACKLE JAM
APRIL ALBUM OF THE MONTH Tired of Waiting. It’s a fine song alright – it also reminds us that it’s been a long wait for the follow up to Thirteen Stars last album ‘White Raven.’ But the good news is that it’s emphatically been worth the wait. Finest Ramshackle Jam …
LYNNE JACKAMAN: ONE SHOT
March Album Of The Month “Being at Muscle Shoals, the distance gives you perspective. It’s given my songs new form, new life, coming here has given the demos the oxygen they deserve. We go in tomorrow and we start recording. I’m ready. We’ve done all we can do in terms …
THOSE DAMN CROWS – POINT OF NO RETURN
FEBRUARY ALBUM OF THE MONTH ‘Point Of No Return’ is a moment in time in the rebirth of modern British rock. Europe’s most consistently emphatic live rock band issues an album that bottles the confidence and excitement of a band that has become the talking-point in clubs and venues across …
TAROT RATS MAJOR ARCANA – PART 1
JANUARY ALBUM OF THE MONTH For some years, the resurgent grassroots rock scene has been firmly associated with the Midlands and North, but the sparkling debut album from Tarot Rats reminds us that, quite emphatically, the South East Rocks. There’s a strong rising scene south of London and Tarot Rats …
MARILLION – WITH FRIENDS FROM THE ORCHESTRA
DECEMBER ALBUM OF THE MONTH It seems to be becoming a bit of ‘a thing’ for rock bands to make a foray into the orchestral space and, for me, it often doesn’t work. But the new album from Marillion is a masterclass on how to do it right – in …
Stonewire – ‘Life as we Know it’
NOVEMBER ALBUM OF THE MONTH StoneWire return with an album of absolute truth. An album that has something to say about the now – from a band that has perfectly captured the essence of its signature sound and personality. For a band that hasn’t had the ‘in-crowd’ luck of others …