Single Review: “Living The Dream” – Ski Lift

Is this a song told from the perspective of a turtle?  Possibly, given the first line of the song!  “I can feel my head sliding back inside my shell…” and the picture of one of the front cover.  Or, it could be a contemplative song of what the writer could be doing instead of their …

Album Review: “Moonshot” – 1201_Alarm. Words – Sammy Stein

120_Alarm comprises Steve Thompson (Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Nigel Kennedy, Robert Smith, Lisa Stansfield) on Electronics, Laser Harp and Keyboard, Tamar Osborn (Akram Khan, Collocutor, Kelis, Van Morrison, Billy Ocean) on saxophone and flute, Emma Bassett (Adele, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Tim Minchin) on trombone, Alistair ‘Titch’ Walker (Divine Comedy, Doolally Tap) on trumpet, Ollie Weston (Amy Winehouse, …

Single Review: “Music Is The Drug” – Roleplay

A nice slice of EDM here, but it’s more than just that. There are some lush strings on this, and I love the house piano riff on this. This track puts you in a good mood soon as it starts, and it’s the harmonies in the chorus that whisk you off.  What’s the song about?  …

Blog interview: Modeste

Congratulations on the release of “Queen” how does it feel?    Thank you, yeah, honestly it feels good to be able to show another aspect of my writing. “Queen” has a much more romantic feel than my previous releases. What’s the story behind the song?    The story is actually based on a fictional scenario. …

Single Review: “Borderlines” – Cara Hammond

This track starts off with a beautiful piano part, heavy on the left hand to compensate for the bass part, then Cara’s voice comes in – she brings a real soulful touch to this and it becomes more evident with the drums that come in. The drums are well crafted, giving a little stutter when …

Album Review: “Northern Flame” – Emma Johnson’s Gravy Boat. Words: Sammy Stein.

Northern Flame by Emma Johnson's Gravy Boat Emma Johnson’s Gravy Boat comprises Emma Johnson on tenor saxophone, Fergus Vickers on electric guitar, Richard Jones on piano, Angus Milne on double bass, and Steve Hanley on drums. This collective is fast achieving recognition as one of the most innovative and diverse collectives around. I discovered Johnson …

Single Review: “You Built A Wall” – The Way After

This is the new single from The Way After a band from London/Coventry, and it’s quite a tune! It starts off with a count off on the sticks, which gives way to a very pleasant indie rock number. But what caught my ear is the use of the string quartet on it, really lush strings. …

Single Review: “Hold The Weight” – Rosie Frater-Taylor

This is a stunning piece of soul and blues….  It starts off with an acoustic guitar in the intro but then it’s joined by Rosie’s electric guitar….  BOY can she play! WOW!!! I’ve been a fan from way back but this is taking it to another level. The chord changes are straight out of a …

Album Review: “A Sense Of Unease” – Kiffie

Kiffie has released his new album. These are my words on it. The End Kiffie opens this up with a track that fades up with a synth pad that kind of modulates, lots of chorused synthesis in this. In this slice of the pie there’s also a very low arpeggio that you don’t notice on …