Marteleur – ‘My Anvil Is My Tuning Fork’ [Review]

Belgium certainly seems to have its fair share of atmospherically-minded musicians, and Marteleur is no exception. There’s a very clear Tool influence on My Anvil Is My Tuning Fork, which initially marked Marteleur out in my mind as potentially being ahead of the competition. This album is very interesting, but to be perfectly honest it sounds more like a soundtrack than something intended to be consumed in a solely audio-only format. As a chillout album it works very well, but the instrumental pieces on display here often feel directionless, with a lot of repeating vamps that remind me of an old songwriting tutor berating me for overusing my DAW’s copy-and-paste function. Read more…

Posted on 08 January 2014

Jamie Lenman – ‘Muscle Memory’ [Review]

As regular readers will know, Jamie Lenman is a big deal where I’m from. My Facebook feed literally blew up with the release of the double-A-side Fizzy Blood/Pretty Please, news of his secret set at The Boileroom in Guildford, and the dates for his Heavy / Mellow Band’s recently completed tour. On top of all that, of course, there is this album. Not just a standard-length LP, but a 70-minute double album that takes in so many styles that I felt compelled to delay this review and let it all sink in and mature for a while. Now, however, it’s ready to go. Read more…

Posted on 07 January 2014

Dani Rosenoer – ‘Whoa Whoa Yeah’ [Review]

Opinion

Given his day job as live keyboardist and backing vocalist for alt-metal titans Three Days Grace, it’s safe to say that Dani Rosenoer is a busy guy. It’s equally safe to say that he can hold his own as a world-class musical talent; and Whoa Whoa Yeah, despite its (ironically?) clichéd title, simply serves to cement this assumption as a stone cold fact. Read more…

Posted on 18 December 2013

Hazlitt – ‘Battlecat’ [Review]

Opinion

One of London’s best-kept secrets, Hazlitt is an artist with a very unorthodox history. Following a decade-long stint as part of experi-punk outfit Tiger Force came Requiem For Little Bird – a complete 180-degree creative turn encompassing classical influences, lyrics in Latin, and a violin in place of her formerly treasured guitar. Since that gutsy debut Hazlitt has attracted a wide variety of followers, including eclectically inclined Strapping Young Lad frontman Devin Townsend,  shared a stage with said legend, and thrown herself into a range of collaborative projects.

Battlecat – Hazlitt’s second solo album – has its own unconventional tale to tell. For the past year Battlecat has only been available to the people who paid for it to be made – an arrangement facilitated by crowdfunding platform Pledge Music, and necessitated by the destruction of Hazlitt’s home and studio in the 2011 London riots – but as of now it is up on Bandcamp to be enjoyed by the rest of the music-loving world. I’ve lived with this album for twelve months, and it still sounds as fresh and invigorating as it did on that hotly-anticipated first listen. Read more…

Posted on 09 December 2013

Celestial Wolves: ‘Wood For Wood’ [Review]

Opinion

Instrumental rock can be a mixed bag – and this album by Belgian post-rockers Celestial Wolves is a case in point. Track-by-track commentary below: Read more…

Posted on 26 October 2013

Industroika: ‘North’ [Review]

For those of you whose musical tastes lean firmly to the left of centre, Brussels has birthed a brilliantly cinematic psych group by the name of Industroika, who have in turn given the world their new five track album, North. Track by track breakdown below: Read more…

Posted on 03 August 2013