Sometimes you put a record on and you instantly know you’re going to love it. It’s almost impossible to rationalise why and there’s really no need to, it’s just a gut feel that says “yes”. I can’t think of a great album that doesn’t grab you from the outset and whilst the opening song from Thieves doesn’t leap out at you looking for attention it immediately creates a vibe that … [Read more...]
Open The Door – Guy Garvey
Late last year Elbow front man Guy Garvey took a sabbatical from his lifelong musical cohorts to explore some new territory with a solo album. And while Courting the Squall did at times veer into familiar Elbowesque eloquence with Garvey’s whimsical “I’m just a working class lad out of sync with the world at large” poetic lyricism it did manage to avoid the grandeur of Elbow’s … [Read more...]
Float – Switchfoot
Switchfoot have been around since the late 90’s, sold truckloads of records, won Grammys, shared the stage with Taylor Swift and even wrote a song for the Narnia Chronicles soundtrack - yet it’s possible you’re still not that familiar with their music. Partially that could be because they started out as an indie rock band and their first 3 albums on the small Re:think label … [Read more...]
Santana IV – Santana
When Carlos Santana announced in the Blues Brother’s parlance that “he was putting the band back together” for his latest project long time Santana fans were beside themselves with anticipation. This was the band that came to prominence following their Woodstock performance and gave us the 1st three Santana albums (Santana, Abraxas, Santana III). The burning question was: after … [Read more...]
Lost In The Tropics – Ocean Alley
Every now and then a new band comes along with a sound like they’ve just discovered how to bottle summer in a jar. You know what I’m talking about, you put the record on and suddenly you feel like you should be cruising up the coast with your mates looking for the next wave. It’s no surprise then that a band like Ocean Alley hails from Sydney’s northern beaches, the interesting … [Read more...]