Album Review : Masaki Batoh

So, to cut a long story short, Masaki Batoh's solo record Brain Pulse Music is music made from brain waves, via a specially commissioned piece of equipment called the BPM. Fuck yeah!

It's a requiem for those affected by 2011's tsunami and earthquake in Japan, and the Ghost frontman adds traditional Japanese instrumentation to the BPM to make a truly unique record, which I've reviewed over at The Line of Best Fit.

So to read more about the construction of the record and how it actually sounds, click along here.

Album Review : Earth

Ah, Earth. I'm always happy when Dylan Carlson's band release a new record. It makes the year complete already. From the skull-crushing drone of Earth 2 to the gospel of The Bees Made Honey in the Lion's Skull, they just don't make bad records. And now they've only gone and dropped a new one on us.

Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light II, is the second album in twelve months and furthers Earth's desert-noir sound by adding some English folk into the mix (subtly, mind you, it's not Fairport Convention) and it's bloody marvellous. So I wrote about it for The Line of Best Fit.

The band might have lost some of their more metal following over the years, but to read about why I think they're more interesting than ever, make the jump!

Album Review : Amanda Mair

Round these parts there's always going to be a bit of love for music from Sweden, and despite my love for the obscure and difficult I've always got time for a cracking pop tune. So, when Sweden and pop combine I'm a pig in....etc and so on.

Today, I bring you the precocious talent of the 17-year-old Amanda Mair who releases her self-titled debut album on the wonderful Labrador label. Signed at the age of 15, she's getting songs written for her by the label boss and the singer in The Mary Onettes, and she's got a belter of a voice. And as it's Swedish, my review is over at The Line of Best Fit.

Popjustice is all over this, but should you need another opinion on what really is a fine record, click along here!

Album Review : Neal Morgan

It's not often I advocate that music not be made, but listening to Neal Morgan's new album In the Yard for the first couple of times made me question ever listening to music again. The first draft of this review contained an unrepeatable character assassination of the clearly talented Mr Morgan (he drums for both Bill Callahan and Joanna Newsom) but luckily for him (and me), that will never see the light of day.

The final draft does appear at The Line of Best Fit, where I do uncover small nuggets of hope and loveliness, and to read more just click here!

Sorry Neal, it's not for me....