Mission Of Burma – Unsound

Mission Of Burma - Unsound

By Hayley Scott

From the early days of The Moving Parts and 1979′s ‘Peking Spring’, Mission of Burma have always been either a little ahead or behind the curve. They exploded onto the American punk scene at a time when if you weren’t hardcore, you weren’t punk rock. While everyone was holding fast to the old 3 chord punk ethos, Burma opted for music theory and time signature changes (to this day Peter Prescott’s drumming is something to be marvelled at), and even altering their sound with magnetic tape loops with Martin Scope’s assistance. Although somewhat progressive and un-like anything the band have previously done, Unsound still remains unmistakably Mission of Burma by keeping to their trademark ability to transform even the most untamed noise into complex structures. … Continue Reading

Lounge on the Farm 2012: A Festival Review, Day I

By Alex Ward

July 6, 2012

Welcome to the first day of Lounge on The Farm. A day of both hard rain and amazing sunshine greeted the punters at Merton Farm, just outside Canterbury. At the main stage, You Say They Play winners Big Topp from Portsmouth started things off. They are a band who could be mistaken for Puddle of Mudd playing just like The Specials. Heading across the farm we went down to check out a band I have reported on before, The Vex, who played the Meadow Stage. This is their first festival appearance since they rose out of the ashes of the band Krakatoa, performing songs such as ‘Revolutionaries,’ ‘ A Fool’s Desire,’ ‘Law of Cause and Effect,’ ‘Invictus,’ ‘Stick to your Guns,’ ‘Eat your Words’ and ‘Invisible War.’ … Continue Reading

The Tallest Man on Earth, London, Hackney Empire

The Tallest Man on Earth

By Sam Cleeve

July 3, 2012

Neither of us have ever ventured out to the Hackney Empire for a show before. Nor do we know what to expect – what’s wrong with all the more central venues?, we ask ourselves. Obviously it doesn’t really matter: this show, The Tallest Man on Earth’s first in the capital since the release of his third LP There’s No Leaving Now, has long been sold out. But from our pre-show vantage point (the Wetherspoons across the road, no less), things are looking good. Within the context of the venue’s history, it wasn’t so long ago that the old theatre underwent a pretty extensive £15 million overhaul, after all, and the urban chic of the visible and slowly emptying café has a sort of arts-centre sophistication about it. … Continue Reading

The Very Best – MTMTMK

The Very Best - MTMTMK

By David Atkinson

In 2008 the production team of Etienne Tron and Johan Karlberg, also known as Radioclit, requisitioned the Malawian owner of their local junk shop in London to sing on their latest mixtape project. Fast Forward to the end of 2009 and that very same mixtape, Esau Mwamwaya and Radioclit are The Very Best, had incredibly been downloaded nearly 1 million times. 2009 also saw the release of their critically acclaimed debut album Warm Heart of Africa which found itself on many prestigious ‘Albums of the Year’ lists. On July 16th this year The Very Best will release their highly anticipated sophomore album MTMTMK. … Continue Reading

M. Ward, London, KOKO

M Ward

By Sam Cleeve

July 2, 2012

M. Ward stands largely solitarily on the folk landscape. With his raspy, world-weary voice ready to go up against the most evocative of storytellers, his utterly unique fingerpicking technique allowing his five digits to work seemingly independently, and the thread of old-time americana running through his music, he’s something of a paragon of his genre. Releases like 2001′s End of Amnesia are almost flawless rainy-day records, solemnly lilting from one self-comforting lullaby to another.  … Continue Reading

Now Playing: Divine Fits – ‘Would That Not Be Nice’

Divine Fits - Would That Not Be Nice

Now Playing – every week, a roundtable of our writers will give their views on one of the recently-released new tracks. It’s as simple as that! If you want to tell us what you think of the song, feel free to leave a comment below.

Track: ‘Would That Not Be Nice’ by Divine Fits … Continue Reading

Beachwood Sparks – The Tarnished Gold

Beachwood Sparks - The Tarnished Gold

By Alex Ward

The summer is obviously on its way. But for Los Angeles based Beachwood Sparks, it has already arrived. Being the first album the group has released on Sub Pop records for 11 years, you cannot stop from feeling excited. Sub Pop was of course the record label that released Nirvana’s first recordings, so this should mean great music guaranteed. … Continue Reading

Ty Segall – Slaughterhouse

Ty Segall - Slaughterhouse

By Kenny McMurtrie

Ty Segall is one of those artists for whom the word prolific is an understatement. Over the last seven years he’s turned up in around half a dozen bands, released numerous singles and albums with those as well as solo, and has three albums for release in 2012, of which Slaughterhouse is the second. Leaning more towards spacerock than the typically garage sound of previous works, this is the sound of a guy way too young to get old anytime soon and as such simply an infectious rock record. … Continue Reading

Hop Farm 2012, Day 3: A Festival Review

By Jimmy Blake

July 1, 2012

The morning after whatever side of the fence you sat on the night before. The final day may have been in the wake of some of the weekend’s most revered acts but this worked in its favor as the pressure was lifted from artists across the site. This led to a busy line-up that had the potential to be a logistical nightmare (some resorting to neon highlighters!), and offered smaller acts adequate exposure with mixed results. … Continue Reading

Kyle Bobby Dunn – Bring Me The Head Of Kyle Bobby Dunn

Kyle Bobby Dunn - Bring Me The Head Of Kyle Bobby Dunn

By Greg Salter

Kyle Bobby Dunn has produced an impressive back catalogue of instrumental, loosely ‘ambient’ music over the last few years – Fragments And Compositions Of was his first official release in 2008, following a series of CD-Rs, while 2010’s A Young Person’s Guide To Kyle Bobby Dunn brought together a range of pieces from a recording career that stretched back to his early teens. Last year’s Ways Of Meaning was a meditative, moving step forward – with the tracks recorded over a shorter space of time in one place, the whole LP felt unified and encompassing as you listened. … Continue Reading