James Yorkston

Roaring The Gospel

James Yorkston, with or without his Athletes, is a largely hidden national treasure. Over three studio albums he has proved himself a master songwriter, all charm, beautiful melodies, bittersweet lyrics and brilliant, understated instrumentation. Roaring The Gospel is a collection of orphans – b-sides, demos and rejected album tracks recorded over the last five or so years but it sounds like a primer for his work rather than filler. more… “James Yorkston”

Dizzee Rascal

Maths & English

British hip hop, always that most marginal of genres, has been throwing up a decent number of excellent album-length recordings in recent years: from Roots Manuva, Skitz, Skinnyman and Shystie through to The Streets, Lady Sovereign, Wiley and Dizzee Rascal, some of whom have emerged from splinter scenes such as UK Garage and Grime to critically acclaimed, mainstream success. more… “Dizzee Rascal”

The Nextmen

This Was Supposed To Be The Future

I’m unsure as to whether or not the title is supposed to be ironic as, over 14 tracks, The Nextmen offer, for the most part, a history of black dance music styles. more… “The Nextmen”

The Horrors

She Is The New Thing

I love the way the Horrors divide audiences. Live, they are a pretty intense short, sharp shock to the senses, some of the best fun in town since those early Jesus and Marychain mid 80s gigs. more… “The Horrors”

The Trudy

3 Minutes 4 U / Lost Summer Of Love

‘3 Minutes 4 U’ is a delirious romp, all sweet, strident female vocals and buoyant guitar driven punk-pop hooks. Not the most original song ever but deliciously catchy, goodtime indie-pop. more… “The Trudy”

The Films

Belt Loops

When Art Brut’s Eddie Argos declared “my little brother’s just discovered rock ‘n’ roll” everyone knew how he felt. more… “The Films”

Electric Soft Parade

No Need To Be Downhearted

Much has been said in recent times about the death of the album, killed by our ever decreasing attention span and modern methods of acquiring and listening to music (downloading, ripping to mp3 player, re-programming the running order on a CD player et al). more… “Electric Soft Parade”