Author: Finnian Shardlow

There’s no justifiable excuse thinkable. How did you miss Golden Fable at the Teras Lounge last Saturday? It didn’t cost a penny to get in. It didn’t plunge you into nausea. And, notably, it didn’t make you leave with an overwhelming sense of regret. In fact, it probably would have been the most morally correct decision of your life. I first saw Golden Fable three years ago at Bestival. They had me sold. Despite the grating raucous of the festival environment – where I was cold, muddy and cold – the Welsh duo’s elegance blossomed through the very noise that…

Miles Davis – Kind Of Blue The best Miles Davis record of all time. The best jazz record of all time. One of THE records of all time. If it’s a sinuous onslaught of smooth horns you want, this is the LP for you. Your romantic night in and Miles Davis’ Kind Of Blue aren’t too dissimilar when you think about it. They’re both improvised for a start (be honest with yourself). On a serious note, no jazz album grips me with performance like Kind Of Blue does. Each melody is ingrained with allure, each transition is graceful; every second feels…

15. Hudson Mohawke – Lantern This latest instalment from Glaswegian producer Hudson Mohawke has had unanimously mixed reviews. It’s no surprise. With fourteen tracks and a handful of features, you’re never going to win over everyone… although it did win over me. I’ve heard an assortment of electronic albums this year, and Lanterns, for me, is immeasurably bracing, probably because a sizeable portion of these tracks feature that orchestral synth that was in the DJ’s 2014 single, Chimes, which sports more of a club-banger quality. However, in Lanterns, it’s all different. Hudson seamlessly weaves these almost cavernous harmonies all the…

Claire Boucher, otherwise known as Grimes, has taken her entire body of work, plastered it in glitter, slapped an EDM bass drum on it, and somehow managed to get an album. Art Angels is widely divergent from her previous projects. She seems to have ditched the ethereal electronic charm of Halifaxa and Visions for a slightly more orthodox approach. Few too many of these tracks lead with superficial guitar riffs jaded with droning percussion, namely California, which is almost embarrassingly stereotypical. But, honestly, this is the most ambivalent album review you’ll read, because clusters of this LP are flawless. Venus Fly, which…

Two years since clutching the UK’s attention with chart topping ‘Feel The Love’ and debut album ‘Home’, the London drum and bass ensemble Rudimental return with fresh material in the form of ‘We The Generation.’ Predictably, the album embraces an array of collaborators, some I’m modestly surprised by; such as the staggering appearance of Ed Sheeran which, whilst valuable, seems somewhat unorthodox. And some more befitting, the heavy presence of Lianne La Havas really leaks into a couple of these tracks and offers an uncharacteristic Rudimental experience. My main problem with the album is there’s no concrete progression. Yes, I’m…

American-born but Europe-based artist Maia Vidal has her finger in a lot of pies. Composer, musician, songwriter, and even visual artist; Vidal absorbs a range of influences that come to the fore in her new album ‘You’re The Waves.’ Early into the LP, the evolution of Vidal’s sound becomes instantly evident, the once playful and bouncy instrumentation of her debut ‘God Is My Bike’ has somewhat dissipated, leaving a more intimate and, in parts, forlorn arrangement. Ironically, the opening track ‘Bones’ is possibly the only exception to this; offering an industrial funk-infused beat reminiscent of Bjork’s ‘Earth Intruders.’ There’s a…