SINGLE: Primary 1 & Riton – Radiate

Radiate separates my split personalities into two warring acrimonious factions. The sci-fi geek in me loves the laser battle breakdown, the android singer and the bouncy retro synth beats. But the snob in me is repulsed by the chavy pop-dance sensibilities that underpin the whole affair…and the Star Trek lover. What wins through though is […]
Rob Thomas has the same vibe as Maroon 5. He’s trying to come across as a respected member of the creative community, but underneath lies the evil, robotic heart of another X Factor contestant. Singing with an overly-emotive yet unconvincing vibrato voice, and trading in all the most ubiquitous romantic clichés, he turns the epic […]

SINGLE: Rob Thomas – Someday

SINGLE: Richard Hawley – Open Up Your Door

There’s something strange about the appeal of Richard Hawley. I mean, if he were born in a different time you’d expect it to be the kind of music your dad or grandfather would play when he wanted you to know how he seduced your mother or grandmother. It’s kind of wrong. But he’s playing it […]
Treacherous band Alberta Cross hails from London but jumped our sinking island to go to New York and get famous. It seems to be working out for them as ‘Taking Control’, first single from debut album Broken Side of Time, is a bit of a treat. It’s bluesy, gushing indie squirting from the vein of […]

SINGLE: Alberta Cross – Taking Control

SINGLE REVIEWS: Marina and the Diamonds – Mowgli’s Road

Let’s get this straight. Marina sounds like the demented offspring of Siouxsie Sioux and Kate Bush, both insane and insanely talented. Mowgli’s Road might be the first track released since her signing to major label Atlantic  Records, but you’ll be happy to know there’s no sense that she’s toned down the many demented aspects of […]
Tanja Maritsa’s gentile, jazzy folk comes from a time that I just can’t quite place. Before the 60s my knowledge gets a little hazy. Not my fault! I’m only 25 and I was brainwashed from an early age to believe that The Beatles were year zero, and nearly everything that came before was rendered redundant […]

SINGLE: Tanja Maritsa – Live For Today

SINGLE: Delphic – Doubt

The de-balled prisoner in The Tower of London (the BBC) has named Delphic in the BBC Sound of 2010 Longlist.  It’s a highly credible choice. By replacing the guitar with the synth (and hopefully the keytar) they have the sound of a band preparing to shoot themselves into the future by rehashing and splicing together […]