Posts Tagged by folk
Feature: Jack White – Blunderbuss
| May 4, 2012 | Posted by Michael Smith under entertainment, features, reviews |
This piece was jointly authored by Michael Smith and Jeremy Dobson. Michael Smith So let’s imagine for a minute that you’re Jack White: singer, guitar player, pianist, songwriter, producer. Hell, you’ve even starred in a few films (at least according to a quick look at Wikipedia, and if it says so there then it must be true). You’ve sold millions of songs and albums worldwide in several different bands; you’re an all-round musical talent, rock star, icon. You might have thought that you’d be quite pleased with yourself, generally content with everything life has brought you. Unfortunately though, money, talent and fame can’t buy you love, which probably helps to explain Blunderbuss. You see, while White’s personal life is infamously difficult… more
Bombay Bicycle Club live at the Barbican, York
| April 27, 2012 | Posted by Jeremy Dobson under entertainment, reviews |
The eclectic live performance of this north London quartet (live: a sextet) ranges from the folky acoustics excavated from their sophomore album Flaws - notably in the lovable banjo-led jig Ivy and Gold - to the synth-led encore Shuffle. Such diverse styles are alloyed with Jack Steadman’s knack of making these sounds catchy for their indie devotees, many of whom came out for the York Barbican performance.It seems as though the acoustic guitars have largely been replaced by electric guitars since the release of their impressive latest album, A Different Kind of Fix. No bad move: these twenty-somethings are too young to be rooted to their bar stools for acoustic sets. The most striking aspect of Bombay’s performance was the jagged, uncompromised movement and dancing displayed by the… more
Album review: All The Little Lights by Passenger
| March 29, 2012 | Posted by Elliot Davies under entertainment, reviews |
All The Little Lights is the fifth album by British singer-songwriter Mike Rosenberg under his stage name Passenger. Given that Passenger is one of my favourite artists I waited for this album eagerly and with high hopes, and I was not disappointed. The album follows the trend set by Passenger in his fourth album, Flight of the Crow, which comprises a variety of collaborations with Australian artists and invokes many images of the cheerful vibrancy of the country. All The Little Lights continues this upbeat tone without including quite so many other artists, instead drawing from the style of Passenger’s first album, Wicked Man’s Rest, when Rosenberg was joined by a four-piece band, to incorporate more backing instruments and provide a more… more
Album review: The King is Dead by The Decemberists
| February 3, 2012 | Posted by James Harle under culture, reviews |
The King is Dead is the sixth album from Oregon indie-folk band The Decemberists and their third with Capitol Records. I’ve always been a big fan of the band, ever since I discovered them circa 2006, so I decided to take a look at their latest album, released last January, to see if after five years they could still keep up with my wildest expectations. A year on from its release, The King is Dead is still going strong as one of my favourite albums. It’s one of those albums that is just too perfectly constructed to be ignored; it’s all very well to have a high percentage of good songs – which this album, and The Decemberists in general, certainly have… more
