 Late to the Party: On Finally Discovering the Youngblood Brass BandBy
James Brownsell
I like to pride myself on my ability to discover bands before they break. I derive great pleasure by then sharing these discoveries with friends. But with the Youngblood Jazz Band I appear to have arrived over a decade late to the party.  Walking a Mile With Another Man’s iPodBy
James Brownsell
I like borrowing other people’s personal stereos. You get a most intimate insight into the musical emotions that someone else has chosen to immerse themselves in – and through this, you can garner a more complete understanding of that person.  He’s a Real Nowhere ManBy
James Brownsell
Does the fact that more people will attend Paul McCartney’s debut Tel Aviv performance tomorrow night than voted in the Kadima party leadership election (to decide the next Prime Minister of Israel) reveal more about Israel or Sir Paul?  Capital Punishment: Songs for a Dying EconomyBy
James Brownsell
The global economy is in shambles – Fannie and Freddie have been nationalized, Lehman Brothers has collapsed and Merrill Lynch is being taken over. But before you go stock up on tinned goods, here are a few tunes to mark the passing of capitalism.  Grooverider: Back on the Outside!By
James Brownsell
Raymond Bingham, better known as DJ Grooverider (and sometimes as Codename John), has been released from prison in Dubai. A legend of the UK electronica scene, Grooverider pioneered jungle in the early 90s and is often referred to as the ‘Godfather’ of Drum & Bass.  Ice Cool: Me and Armini by Emilíana TorriniBy
James Brownsell
Iceland seems to have a particular musical tradition that embraces oddness and a preference for a clarity of tone, which pleases me. But what pleased me most was the discovery of Emilíana Torrini, who whose latest album, Me and Armini, is out this week.  Carnival! London Dances to the Calypso BeatBy
James Brownsell
Bright colours. Soft fabrics. Funny dancing. No, we’re not on the set of the latest Bollywood movie, we’ve joined 600,000 fellow partygoers at London’s Notting Hill Carnival – the largest street party in Europe, and second only in the world to Rio.  Noah and the Whale: What Pop Music Was Invented ForBy
James Brownsell
I’m not such a fan of pop music, to be honest. Although every artist must, undoubtedly, take commercial considerations into account at some point or another, the world of pop has taken profit-driven ‘music’ to new depths. The whole pop industry is founded on exploitation; guilty of forcing a marketing profile to manipulate [...] |
Recent EntriesDateTitle11 | 20New Release Round-up: Forge Your Own Slits 11 | 19The Beyoncé of Pancakes and Other Bodacious Breakfast Bonanzas 11 | 18Blown Away by a "Landslide" 11 | 16Don Henley: Building the Perfect Beast 11 | 13The Pleasure of Pain Teens 11 | 13Overlooked Albums from the 1970s 11 | 11Norah Jones: The Fall 11 | 11The Simon Cowell of Urinals and Other Preposterous Potty Problems 11 | 10Self-Destruction (The Fun Kind) 11 | 10OOIOO: Armonico Hewa 
Buffers, Bridges & Bubbles
Love is Strange
The Birds, the Bees & Me
|
