Month: January 2011

Crud has already exhausted the ‘tumultuous, rain-soaked orchestral pop’ plaudits, so we’ll make this as brief and on target as possible: Manchester’s multi-manned and multi-dimensional Spokes do for the overcast British North West what Arcade Fire did for Quebec and what the Polyphonic Spree and David Koresh did for Texas (no obvious parallels drawn). Not even Brisbane or Queensland have been threatened on this scale, tracks like ‘345’ and ‘Peace Racket’ building from quiet, desultory showers to thrashing, stormy climaxes Continue Reading

Agit-lounge. An impossible proposition one might think, but not for Washington DC based DJs Rob Garrza and Eric Hilton whose slinky, smoky and curvaceous blend of dub, acid-jazz and variously Middle Eastern and Asian music collides in a challenging political hotpot. Whilst the band have enjoyed no shortage of support in their sixteen years together (from Wayne Coyne to David Byrne) the pair have drawn just as much attention from their opposition to the crazy antics of George W Bush Continue Reading

Since moving to the Highlands five years ago, I’ve been quietly seduced not only by the region’s generous supply of single-malt whiskies and its proficiency in coping with more than three-inches of snow, I’ve also grown more than a little fond of its music. Sure, the likes of Capercaille and Moray Youth Brass won’t win any prizes for transgressing any traditional boundaries or risk a custodial sentence for exposing themselves on stage or engaging in any similarly lewd acts (with Continue Reading