Journey of a Wild Heart: Introducing Kashena Sampson
She may have been mentioned by Rolling Stone magazine in the same breath as Stevie Nicks, and already had her music compared to Linda Ronstadt, Bobbie Gentry and Jim Croce, but Kashena Sampson is capable of standing on her own two feet. Her debut album, ‘Wild Heart’, showcases a singer-songwriter whose artistic authenticity and integrity is increasingly rare in Nashville these days.
Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Thursday, 31 May 2018
'It's Like It Was When Korn Started': Jonathan Davis Strikes Out On His Own With 'Black Labyrinth'
Photo: J Weiner Photography “Boom na da noom na na nema, da boom na da noom na namena.” Twenty years ago, Jonathan Davis’s vocal breakdown in Freak on a Leash made perfect sense. Nu metal had almost reached its commercial peak and Korn were shitting out hits, blowing up cars in their music videos and always staying ahead of their imitators – so brashly that their 1998 album was named ‘Follow The Leader’.
Written by: Alec Chillingworth | Date: Friday, 25 May 2018
Did You Hear The '59 Sound? The Gaslight Anthem and a Grand Rock Tradition
Illustration: Thomas Norton “Is Brian around?” Bruce Springsteen has just pulled a cardboard sign from the Hyde Park crowd and flashed it around E-Street. A moment later Brian Fallon walks out from the wings, having opened the show with his band, the Gaslight Anthem. He embraces Springsteen before Max Weinberg’s kick drum counts in No Surrender.
Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Thursday, 24 May 2018
Forget The Barriers: Goat Girl And The Power of Subverting Expectations
Photo: Holly Whitaker Expectations are constantly being placed on Goat Girl, and they just keep quietly subverting them. The band were hyped by London’s music press before they had released their debut single, while a narrative grew around them as a political garage-rock band that was part of a growing scene in south London. They then signed to Rough Trade, and 18 months later their self-titled debut album was released. Here they finally have an opportunity to let the music speak for itself.
Written by: Jennifer Geddes | Date: Tuesday, 22 May 2018
It's Loud And Wild, But I Swear It Feels Soft: Beach Slang's James Alex Talks Quiet Slang
When we think of Beach Slang, we think of screaming our lungs out with our best friends, t-shirts soaked with sweat and beer, as a man in a crushed velvet jacket leads a dive bar chorus. We certainly do not envision being brought to the brink of tears by the gentle melodies of the same songs after they have been recast with a hauntingly beautiful orchestral backdrop. But that’s the alchemy at the heart of James Alex’s Quiet Slang experiment.
Written by: Laura Johnson | Date: Thursday, 17 May 2018
How To Be a Real Adult: Common Holly on 'Playing House' and Finding Your Place
Photo: Sean Mundy “We’re all pretending to be adults on a fairly constant basis.” Brigitte Naggar tells it like it is. Her thoughtful, considered debut album as Common Holly, ‘Playing House’, was released in October last year, and although it jogs down the well-trodden break up path, she covers the difficult ground through sparse guitar textures, unexpected math-rock production and truly relatable twentysomething lyricism.
Written by: Helen Payne | Date: Tuesday, 15 May 2018
Rock The House 'Til Its Closing: Nils Lofgren Discusses 50 Years On Stage
Photo: Cristina Arrigoni Rock ‘n’ roll would be nothing without a little mythmaking, and Nils Lofgren’s career lends itself to it.
Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Tuesday, 08 May 2018
Music Is Meant To Inspire: How Brothers Osborne Created The Sprawling 'Port Saint Joe'
The notion of genre as insular and self-contained is eroding. In a way that reflects our increasingly interconnected global community, exposure to a wider variety of influences means that fewer artists will stick devoutly to one style. Stuffy traditionalists will complain, but on their sophomore record ‘Port Saint Joe’ the Brothers Osborne show exactly why such an eclectic approach can reboot venerable musical forms in a fresh and exciting way.
Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Friday, 04 May 2018
Music Was Always There: Jake Ewald Talks Starting Again With Slaughter Beach, Dog
Photo: Jess Flynn Back in February of last year, Jake Ewald had to find a new job. After several years spent writing records and touring with Modern Baseball, the band went on indefinite hiatus. The statement they released referred to the fact that they had been “championing the importance of mental health” and that the band had become a source of anxiety that they could no longer ignore.
Written by: Jennifer Geddes | Date: Friday, 04 May 2018
A Different Perspective: TesseracT On 'Sonder' and The Quest To Keep Moving Forward
They started life as the bedroom project and Myspace page of guitarist Acle Kahney, but now Tesseract are credited with pioneering the madly expansive djent genre, have a intercontinental following, and can be safely regarded as one of the UK’s biggest names and exports in prog metal.
Written by: Guy Hirst | Date: Friday, 27 April 2018
Weed, Riffs And Prog: Boss Keloid Head Into The Unknown
In a little under a decade together, Boss Keloid have earned a good deal of support from the metal community. Having risen up from the scene in the north-west of England, the Wigan five piece have performed at Bloodstock and been hotly tipped by Metal Hammer, Kerrang, and Terrorizer. Much of this acclaim is owed to their killer sophomore album, ‘Herb Your Enthusiasm’, which, understandably, turned the heads of stoner-doom enthusiasts across the weedesphere back in 2016.
Written by: Guy Hirst | Date: Thursday, 26 April 2018
The More You Make, The Better You Get: The Prolific Jay Watson of GUM on 'The Underdog'
Jay Watson is the epitome of chill. His voice crackles through the phone from 10,000 miles away, where he’s in the pub. “The kitchen closes at 9, so I’m just getting some food,” he says. The Tame Impala-via-Pond multi-instrumentalist has just touched down in Melbourne, where he’s due to to play a sold out show at the intimate Yah Yah's club. There’s also the small matter of his new solo record, ‘The Underdog’.
Written by: Helen Payne | Date: Monday, 23 April 2018
Faith In The Future: Trivium Oversee The Passing Of Metal's Torch
Something brutal this way comes. Venom Prison, Power Trip and Code Orange are leading a new wave of young, forward-thinking bands that are tearing up the blueprints when it comes to creating heavy music. If you have any affinity for loud noises at all and haven’t heard them yet, you really haven’t been paying attention.
Written by: Jon Stickler | Date: Friday, 20 April 2018
'Hate Is A Really Rich Well To Draw From': Lice Talk 'It All Worked Out Great'
“Support us? We’re gonna be supporting you, mate. You come to this city you’re gonna learn the meaning of support.” That’s what Joe Talbot told Alastair Shuttleworth when they first met in Bristol three years ago. Shuttleworth, an English student moonlighting as a music writer, had interviewed the Idles frontman earlier in the evening and now, with a few beers in his belly at an afterparty, was asking whether his band, Lice, could open one of their shows.
Written by: Laura Johnson | Date: Friday, 06 April 2018
'We Just Get Our Heads Down and Create': Halo Tora Discuss 'Man of Stone: Chapter One'
A decade ago, there were few places more exciting than the Scottish rock scene. Biffy Clyro had demonstrated that bands north of the border playing heavy off-kilter music could break out and get radio play. The likes of Sucioperro, Twin Atlantic, the Xcerts and Flood of Red duly followed suit, creating a network of like-minded artists who would invariably play each other's shows.
Written by: Jonathan Rimmer | Date: Thursday, 05 April 2018
Mid 30s Angst: Mastersystem's Scott Hutchison on Using The Past To Undersand The Present
Sega started phasing out the Master System in the late ‘80s. That’s just how it goes with consoles. It’s always about what’s new and next. But you can still find them, knocking about under a film of dust in an attic or perched next to an ancient Nintendo on a completist’s shelf.
Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Thursday, 05 April 2018
An Extra Thrill and a Twist: Introducing Marine
Marine’s music pushes the listener into a dreamy state of consciousness with a blend of anarchically melodic instrumental arrangements and a female chorus of trill, tuneful vocals.
Written by: Milly McMahon | Date: Tuesday, 03 April 2018
Bruce Springsteen: How The Boss Found A New Home On Broadway
td#right {display:none !important;} Bruce Springsteen’s Broadway run is about to take its final curtain, and will go down as one of the largest undertakings in a career partly defined by large undertakings. What began as a curio has become an important chapter in one of modern rock’s most engaging stories. Huw Baines was in New York at the start of the residency and found a show that made sense as the Boss’s next step.
Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Thursday, 22 March 2018
Reflective, Maybe: George FitzGerald Talks Changing Perspectives And 'All That Must Be'
Photo: Rhodri Brooks George FitzGerald’s music blends melancholia and euphoria, building textured, enigmatic atmospheres. When twinned with haunting vocals, it feels poetic. His skills as a producer stretch far beyond the DJ booth, where he’s also at home, and his almost orchestral aesthetic opens the door to ambient, reflective passages and moments of unadulterated ecstasy.
Written by: Milly McMahon | Date: Thursday, 22 March 2018
Thanks For Listening, Thanks For Understanding: The Hold Steady Come Alive In London
Illustration: Thomas Norton There are easier jobs than singing along with Craig Finn, particularly when he’s in this sort of mood. His arms are spread wide, proselytising like the old days. He shimmies and shakes. His guitar, never his closest friend, swings at his waist like an invitation to a party he’s only half into. His words pour out and are yelled back by everyone who can keep pace; anyone who hasn’t already screamed their voice to shreds. It’s good to see him back in a bar band, baby.
Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Wednesday, 14 March 2018
Nobody Loses All The Time: Nervus' Em Foster Talks 'Everything Dies'
Photo: Derek Bremner E.E. Cummings’ poem Nobody Loses All The Time tells the tale of Uncle Sol, who despite being “born a failure” still manages to rack up several attempts at success before drowning himself in a water tank. In death, though, he brings about new life. It’s a posthumous, ironic win for a chronic loser: “Somebody pressed a button (and down went my Uncle Sol and started a worm farm).”
Written by: Laura Johnson | Date: Wednesday, 07 March 2018
'It's Fun To Still Be Surprised': The Changing Face Of Three Man Cannon
Photo: Russell Edling A bands’ band are a well respected part of the furniture in their scene. They have released several records of consistent quality, if not a consistent sound, and those records could be considered influential, even if that’s a relative term. They are probably opening for your favourite band in town tonight because they’re your favourite band’s favourite band. Three Man Cannon are a bands’ band.
Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Tuesday, 06 March 2018
'We Appreciate What We've Got': Embrace Go Back To What They Know
Some folks are set in their ways. Maybe they fear change, or maybe they just know their own minds. Indie-rockers Embrace have always attracted a portion of fans who don’t like the group’s more experimental efforts.
Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Monday, 05 March 2018
A Kind of Magic: Introducing The Wandering Hearts
If you don’t believe in destiny, take a quick look at the Wandering Hearts’ story. You soon will. This fast-rising British quartet boasts the kind of origin tale that was surely inked in the stars by a mystical, music-loving force. Beyond that superficial calling card, though, lies a band who, thanks to a sublime brand of alt-folk Americana, have just created one of the most accomplished debut albums of recent times.
Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Wednesday, 28 February 2018
Words First: Lucy Dacus Gets Her Point Across On The Sweeping 'Historian'
Photo: Dustin Condren Words first. That’s how Lucy Dacus sees it.
Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Monday, 26 February 2018
"I Can't Speak For Others, But I'm Real." Ocean Wisdom Talks 'Wizville'
There's no doubt the wider UK urban music scene is currently enjoying exposure on a level never seen before (Stormzy just won a couple of Brits and called out the Prime Minister on live TV, winning the support of another political leader in the space of 24 hours). But, while much of the mainstream attention has been afforded to the burgeoning grime scene, UK hip hop is enjoying a mini-renaissance of its own.
Written by: Jonathan Rimmer | Date: Friday, 23 February 2018
Don't Repeat Yourself: Introducing Seeb
Norwegian production trio Seeb create precision engineered, massively popular electronic anthems charged with soaring emotions. If you haven't heard of them yet, you will soon.
Written by: Milly McMahon | Date: Thursday, 22 February 2018
All Chips On This Bet: Van William Goes It Alone On 'Countries'
Photo: Silvia Grav Van William’s bandmates are downstairs making breakfast when he rolls out of bed on a Wednesday morning. “We all eat together and then start jamming and just work on the arrangements for a bit,” he explains.
Written by: Milly McMahon | Date: Tuesday, 20 February 2018
Hop On Board With Us: Screaming Females Get Ambitious on 'All At Once'
Photo: Farrah Skeiky Find Screaming Females at the merch desk, say hello. If you’re going to buy a record, they think you should get the new one. It’s the one they’re most excited about. If you like it you can go back and fill in the gaps later on. “We’re an active band. We’re a live band,” Marissa Paternoster says. “We want the audience to be excited about what we’re doing right now. Hop on board with us. Travel with us."
Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Monday, 19 February 2018
Dreams Realised: Hell is For Heroes on 15 Years of 'The Neon Handshake'
There are some albums that you simply can't imagine being released at any other time, or under any other circumstances. In 2003, the rock world was in a strange place: emo wasn't a commercial prospect yet, nu metal was on the way out, and the Strokes hadn't been around long enough to spawn their clones. So, when energetic London quintet Hell is for Heroes emerged, they didn't just plug a gap – they captured imaginations.
Written by: Jonathan Rimmer | Date: Tuesday, 13 February 2018
GoGo Penguin: The Humble Men Behind 'A Humdrum Star'
Photo: Fabrice Bourgelle On a cold, dark evening in February, 2016, GoGo Penguin were preparing to play a sold out Village Underground in Hoxton, east London. It was, at the time, probably their biggest headline gig to date. Most bands - particularly instrumental, experimental three-piece jazz bands - would feel some creeping nerves at the size of the task ahead.
Written by: Tom Seymour | Date: Monday, 12 February 2018
Looking Back, Moving Forward: Brian Fallon Talks Sophomore Solo LP 'Sleepwalkers'
When we last spoke to Brian Fallon it was November 2016, eight months on from the release of his debut solo album, 'Painkillers’. He was riding the wave of newfound creative freedom that comes with going it alone, already writing songs for its follow up and making promises for the future. Unlike many of us heading into a new year, he kept most of them.
Written by: Laura Johnson | Date: Thursday, 08 February 2018
Surprise Surprise: Lemuria Talk Dismissing Expectations and 'Recreational Hate'
A good surprise requires planning, because it doesn’t take long to see through one that’s been hastily assembled. That must have been playing on Lemuria’s mind as they put the finishing touches to ‘Recreational Hate’.
Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Friday, 02 February 2018
Elder Statesman: Jamie Lenman on 'Devolver' And Sending People Home Happy
When Jamie Lenman decided to break up the much-loved rock trio Reuben in 2008, it was more than just the end of an era. He suffered what he later described as complete musical “burnout” and decided to pursue a career as a full time illustrator.
Written by: Jonathan Rimmer | Date: Friday, 02 February 2018
The Thrill of Imperfection: Dan Patlansky On Keeping It Raw
Photo: Tobias Coetsee If you’re fed up with over-produced music and sick of average singers having their voices enhanced by studio technology, then Dan Patlansky feels your pain. Which is why ‘Perfection Kills’, the guitar slinger’s aptly-titled new album, deliberately aims a blues-rock blunderbuss at any notion of flawlessness. It’s delivered with an unvarnished live sound that’ll make you feel like you’re in the front row having the fortitude of your eardrums tested.
Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Thursday, 01 February 2018
Rock 'n' Soul Preacher Man: Arise For Anderson East
Straight out of Alabama (via Nashville) and armed with a voice that sounds like Ray Lamontagne if he was possessed by the spirit of Otis Redding, Anderson East is on the cusp of the big time thanks to a heart-wrenching mix of smoking soul, super-charged R&B and gospel on his new record, ‘Encore’.
Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Wednesday, 31 January 2018
Everything Evolves: The Barr Brothers On Fusing Past And Present With 'Queens of the Breakers'
Photo: Pedro Ruiz “Music is a very humbling experience. Humility is the key to a greater sense of humanity, leading to better compatibility, sympathy, compassion and communication with people. When you strengthen your musical voice, the ability to listen to other musicians and feel compassion grows. That is just a theory. But I absolutely subscribe to it.”
Written by: Milly McMahon | Date: Thursday, 25 January 2018
Shooting For The Stars: The Xcerts' Murray Macleod On New LP 'Hold On To Your Heart'
The Xcerts have been labelled underdogs so often it’s almost become a running joke. In the context of the UK alt-rock scene, this makes sense: the Scottish trio have made three albums of angst-ridden power pop in a decade when it’s hardly been in vogue.
Written by: Jonathan Rimmer | Date: Wednesday, 17 January 2018
"Being Perfect Is Not Important": Shopping Talk New LP 'The Official Body' And Defying Expectations
Photo: CJ Monk The office. The bank. The government. “There is no ‘official body’, in any sense of the term, it’s just society has made it so that there is,” Shopping’s Billy Easter says. “And it’s not even like there’s this one person, we’ve ended up in this place where we somehow believe that there’s the correct way to do things, the correct way to look, or you have to go through the official channels and stuff. And it’s all just not real.”
Written by: Laura Johnson | Date: Thursday, 11 January 2018
Stereoboard's Albums To Look Forward To In 2018
New year, new music. Them’s the rules. In 2018 we can expect a boatload of exciting stuff from faces old and new - head below to get the basics on just a few of the records we’re excited to get our hands on in the next 12 months.
Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Monday, 08 January 2018
Stereoboard's Gigs to Look Forward To In 2018
Feeling a bit blue from the post-Christmas slump? Here at Stereoboard, we’re missing those mince pies, putting out recycling bins full of used wrapping paper, finishing the last of the chocolate and looking at the now-depressing Christmas tree with despair. Fear not - we’ve a list of the most exciting events in live music to start thinking positively about the new year. Get out your diaries, kids...
Written by: Helen Payne | Date: Friday, 05 January 2018
The List: Stereoboard's Best Albums of 2017
td#right {display:none !important;} That's another 12 months (almost) filed away. If we're being kind, it was a mixed bag. But one thing 2017 had on its side was the music. We had a couple of future all time classics dropped into our laps and a consistent stream of exciting, thought-provoking and, importantly, fun records to keep us occupied.
Written by: Stereoboard | Date: Tuesday, 12 December 2017
Trashing The Past: Why The Darkness Are Still Smiling
For those who only listen to music that’s deemed trendy by self-appointed tastemakers, the Darkness will always be a joke. Their comically anachronistic rock ‘n’ roll shone brightly on their unit-shifting, award-winning debut ‘Permission To Land’ before the novelty factor evaporated.
Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Wednesday, 06 December 2017
Lou Reed: Many Happy Returns To 'Transformer'
Now 45 years old, Lou Reed’s ‘Transformer’ still manages to hide some of its secrets. At the time of its release in November 1972, its discussions of drug use and transgender issues were taboo and flew right over the heads of many listeners. At this remove it retains the capacity to surprise and challenge us.
Written by: Graeme Marsh | Date: Tuesday, 28 November 2017
"We Were Both Behind and Ahead of Our Time": Amusement Parks on Fire Return
When a teenage Michael Feerick completed the first Amusement Parks on Fire record back in 2004, he achieved something quietly remarkable. It was an ambitious and ethereal rock project that renovated ‘90s shoegaze for the 21st century.
Written by: Jonathan Rimmer | Date: Wednesday, 15 November 2017
With Ire: The Great Discord Go Down The Rabbit Hole For Album Two
When someone says ‘pop music’, you now fear the worst. You think of the Black Eyed Peas. You think of Justin Bieber before he started getting tattoos and being pwopa nawty. You think of ghostwriters, lip-syncing and Simon Cowell. You don’t think of the Great Discord.
Written by: Alec Chillingworth | Date: Wednesday, 01 November 2017
Sex Pistols: Many Happy Returns To 'Never Mind The Bollocks'
Amazing as it may seem, Sex Pistols’ notorious album ‘Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols’ just turned 40 years old. And yet, the whirlwind of bad press, controversy and monstrous songs that accompanied it came and went in the blink of an eye.
Written by: Graeme Marsh | Date: Tuesday, 31 October 2017
Path Best Travelled: SoCal Country Troubadour Sam Outlaw's Unique Journey
You wouldn’t expect a country artist named Outlaw to follow a conventional trajectory, would you? He’s a former business high-flyer who didn’t become a professional musician until he’d turned 30. He's a singer-songwriter who, in spite of being inspired by the greats, didn’t fall in love with country until his early 20s. And he resides in Los Angeles, not Nashville. This is the story of Sam Outlaw, a neo-traditional troubadour whose melancholy SoCal sound belies his rebellious moniker.
Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Monday, 30 October 2017
Snowed In: And So I Watch You From Afar Discuss Their Immersive New Record
We catch up with And So I Watch You From Afar (or ASIWYFA) at a particularly fitting time. The instrumental heavyweights’ fifth album, ‘The Endless Shimmering’, is easily their most tempestuous release, packed with anthemic guitar hooks and unpredictable detours.
Written by: Jonathan Rimmer | Date: Wednesday, 25 October 2017
I Will Have Hope: Julien Baker On 'Turn Out The Lights'
It’s not always the case that a cover version tells us something about the artist performing it. Sometimes they barely register as an empty gesture. But Julien Baker’s take on Badlands - recorded live at the Newport Folk Festival last summer - is a perfect exception.
Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Tuesday, 24 October 2017
