• CFCF – Music For Objects EP

    August 15, 2013 - By 

    There is often a stigma attached to the term ‘concept album’ that can generally be found rooted in the lank-haired, progressive rock of the 1970’s and 80’s, and as such, it can be difficult to dissolve any predispositions of the description without looking both further back than this era of musical history, as well as further forward. Davis and Coltrane produced some outstanding examples of conceptually driven jazz back in the 1940’s and 50’s; Philip Glass has explored minimalist and modern classical music beyond the boundaries of the ordinary for half a century or more and in the past 20…

  • David Bowie: The Night Before

    August 15, 2013 - By 

    So, David Bowie came back this year with his finest album in about two decades. There is a pretty solid consensus as to when Bowie went awful, but the jury is still out on exactly when he recovered. Some would say it was the overbearing misery and darkness that rekindled Bowie’s fire on Heathen, others think it was Outside and Earthling‘s manic dance energy that threw Bowie back into shape and a lot of people believe that it wasn’t until The Next Day that he managed to overcome the slump. Your writer fall into the Heathen camp but, looking at his…

  • Spiritualized @ National Concert Hall, Dublin

    August 15, 2013 - By 

    There was no small sense of anticipation in the run-up to this one. Not only did Spiritualized announce that they were playing their Ladies & Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space album in its entirety, they were doing so in Dublin’s National Concert Hall with an orchestra, and it would be the only such performance of 2013. So, tickets were duly snapped up for what was a pretty low-key announcement, all things considered. As the more NCH-savvy members of the audience file in for the eight o’clock sharp start time, there is a palpable air of excitement in the ornate…

  • Way Out West Festival 2013

    August 15, 2013 - By 

    Our Malmö, Sweden-based photographer Ian Pearce (above) hit up this year’s Way Out West Festival, undoubtedly the Scandanavian country’s best annual showcase of musical and culture. Having took place in Göteborg from 8-10 August, this year’s line-up was something else altogether. Headlined by Neil Young and Crazy Horse, the bill featured everyone from The Knife and Godspeed You! Black Emperor to Haim and Public Enemy. Take time to sift through Mr Pearce’s extraordinary trove of visual awesome below!

  • Watch: Kim Deal – Are You Mine?

    August 15, 2013 - By 

    Having recently left the Pixies and been busy touring Last Splash as part of its 20th anniversary with the Breeders, Kim Deal has found some time to record some new solo material. Paired with ‘Wish I Was’ – available via her website on 7″ vinyl – ‘Are You Mine?’ has been released with a accompanying video. Undergoing a fit of creativity of sorts, Deal also recently unveiled the tracks ‘Walking With a Killer’ and ‘Hot Shot’. Watch the video to ‘Are You Mine?’ – directed by Kurt Ralske – via Vimeo below.