The debut album from Ms Amy Birks, 2020’s All That I Was And All That I Am was an absolutely delightful piece of work, and her long anticipated sophomore album In Our Souls doesn’t disappoint either, a kind of ‘baroque chamber pop’, and is further evidence of how well Amy Birks is establishing a rep..
TIM BOWNESS – BUTTERFLY MIND (InsideOut)
Arriving only a few months after Warm Winter - his 2011 album with Giancarlo Erra - re-released as Memories Of Machines, is the latest studio album by Tim Bowness, Butterfly Mind, and it has a case for claiming to be one of the more unexpected releases of his career. Unexpected in the sense that, on..
ASIA – Live At The Budokan, Tokyo, 1983 (BMG)
Whatever else might be happening in the world at present, now is currently a good time if you’re a fan of Asia, because following on from last autumn’s 5-CD boxset of Asia gigs from 1982-2008 comes a sumptuously packaged boxset release of the band's 6 December 1983 gig at the Budokan, comprising 2 CDs, featuring..
NANNA BARSLEV – Lysbaerer (By Norse Music)
Dark Nordic folk artist Nanna Barslev has been a feature of the scene for quite some while, previously fronting acts such as folk black metal band Huldre and folk band Asynje, but has now decided the time is right to come up with her debut album as a solo act. Her career to date as..
FLOWER KINGS – By Royal Decree (InsideOut Music)
After the release of Desolation Rose in 2013, there was no activity from The Flower Kings for a number of years, and with both Roine Stolt and Jonas Reingold active with other bands, the assumption was we’d heard the last from the band. But, to the surprise of many, they returned in 2019 with Waiting..
GARTH HUDSON – A Canadian Celebration Of The Band: 10th Anniversary Edition (Curve Music)
Thirty five years after The Last Waltz, very likely one of the most iconic concerts ever filmed, came a rather unique remembrance of the music of The Band. First released in 2011, and now being reissued by Curve Music, on this album Garth Hudson, an original member of The Band, brings together a collection of..
SPIRIT – THE TWELVE DREAMS OF DR SARDONICUS: DELUXE EDITION (Cherry Red / Esoteric
The Twelve Dreams Of Doctor Sardonicus is quite likely one of THE most iconic albums to be released during 1970 and, such has been its impact, cited by many bands as being very influential, it’s been reissued several times and has been continually available. This album is easily Spirit’s meisterwerk and few of their contemporaries..
MARK KELLY – Marillion, Misadventures And Marathons (Kingmaker Publishing) (Book Review)
Mark Kelly, keyboard man with Marillion since almost the very beginning, has certainly lived a life less ordinary, and can justly claim to have a story to tell, including why he found himself standing on the ledge of a hotel window in Luxembourg and questioning his life’s choices; he’s been to the top of the..
PETER DUNTON (T2): No More White Horses – A Personal Tribute
On Thursday January 20th, the news of Peter Dunton passing away from a brain tumour was announced by his partner Jackie. For the uninitiated, Peter Dunton was the drummer and songwriter of heavy psych-rock band T2, which he formed following a short time with Gun (best known for Race With The Devil). T2's only official..
STRAWBS – The Broken Hearted Bride (Esoteric / Cherry Red)
Originally released in 2008, The Broken Hearted Bride saw a reunion of the Strawbs line-up which had recorded albums like Hero & Heroine and Ghosts, both of which did well in the US, and reawakened interest in the band. It’s been unavailable in recent years but has now been remastered, reissued and includes previously unreleased..