Opinion
I think I need to move to Southampton. Those of you who have been following the Musical Melting Pot social media feeds have most likely noted my love of math-pop quartet Signals; now, having discovered ‘indie banger pop’ band Mr Tom, my loyalty to Guildford is becoming somewhat tested. Read more…
Opinion
With Things We Found In The Sea, their first release since second album Europa back in 2010, The Swears have taken a very interesting creative turn. Their old organic and earthy pop stylings have been entirely abandoned. Where once there were acoustic guitars and happy-go-lucky summer vibes, we now find a pair of gently unsettling alt-pop meditations. Read more…
Fiction
Beneath the blanket, the grass was soft and inviting. As they lay together, the city spread out beneath them, a silence enveloped the world. No rumble of distant traffic, no sirens, no dogs howling at the rising moon. Summer was fading, and with it many long months of excited planning and fantasising. The time they had been waiting for was finally here, and they could scarcely believe it. Read more…
As a guy in his twenties, it’s pretty safe to say that I’m not in pop / r’n’b vocalist Chess’s target market. But nonetheless, I’m still a sucker for a good slice of skilled songcraft – and Babygirl is definitely an impressive demonstration of this Maltese singer’s songwriting skills. Read more…
Today, it’s a beautiful Sunday – complete with that perfect combination of boiling sun and cool breeze that practically demand you spend the daylight hours lounging in the garden with some ice-cold water and fresh fruit to hand. And, just to add a cherry to this big cake of happiness, Free Peace have seen fit to grace us with a live version of their track ‘Honey’, available to view below. If the singer looks and sounds familiar, that might be because she also sings for Lunatrix, whose Mr Sunshine EP was reviewed on here a while back. Read more…
After battering my brain with progressive music for my last two reviews, this album by The Swears comes as a welcome relief. Sometimes simplicity is just what you need. Read more…
Here in the UK, spring is taking its sweet time in joining us. However, just as the first rays of sunlight tentatively poke through the clouds we already have cause to dance around like it’s scorching hot outside thanks to Guildfordian gypsy swing sextet Lunatrix and their debut EP, appropriately entitled Mr Sunshine. A set of five finely crafted, bouncy, and engaging songs chock full of tasteful guitars, driving drums, and flamboyant trumpet licks, the Mr Sunshine EP is the perfect soundtrack to your summer, even if it hasn’t technically started yet. And by the time you’re sweltering in the park or chilling out on a moonlit beach, you’ll be well-practiced in singing along to the faultless vocals of Abi Evans and Kristy Poulton as they discus life, love, and…well…grabbing men’s arses, apparently. Read more…
In the music business, as in life, an overwhelming amount of lip service is paid to the notions of individuality, inventiveness, and innovation. But, of course, talk is not action. Record labels, and a great many people out there in the real world, don’t really want to stand out from the crowd; rather, they want to be second to market, and let someone else take that first step into the unknown. That first step takes some serious balls – not least because of the potentially paralysing fear that inevitably confronts explorers of all kinds. Read more…
