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Discovering great new artists is one of the most exciting things about music for me. If you don’t champion the stuff you love, you can’t complain when you only hear the shit you hate on the radio.
There is an endless and thrilling sea of music out there, but it can be bewilderingly vast and not without peril. You have to kiss a lot of frogs before you meet an artist formerly known as Prince. In this monthly column for Louder Than War I will be highlighting some of the most interesting releases I have heard by new and unsigned artists, wading through the audio slush pile so you don’t have to.
Want to know what I loved last year? Or fancy digging through the cobwebs to find out what I was listening to in 2010? Visit this handy archive page for links to my my end of the year roundups, seasonal playlists and other related listicles.
BEST OF 2023 Playlist
ALBUMS OF THE YEAR – 2022
THE NEW SMU - BEST OF 2022
Jason Donovan returns, after nearly three decades, with a Frank that is older, sloppier and somewhat washed-up. It's a brave but deliberate choice, and it fits like a rubber glove.
Read More »In it’s now legendary fusion of history, hip-hop, and heart, this groundbreaking and spectacular show clearly displays why it has already taken Broadway and the West End by storm.
Read More »Any critiques I have are easily overshadowed by the sheer energy and momentum of the second act, it absolutely goes out on a high. If you can call the crucifixion of Christ on a cross made out of microphone stands a high, which I do.
Read More »The Elephant In The Room is an astonishing and complex piece of work. Created by singer, writer and auteur artist Gintsugi, this debut album conjures up a distinctive and emotionally turbulent world that is impossible not to get lost in.
Read on LTW »“Dear listener, HMLTD front person Mister Henry Spychalski is exhibiting extremely volatile behaviour..”
Read on LTW »A riotous non-stop comedy blood bath filled with vomit, zombie children and and exploding corpses..
Read on LTW »We discuss musical direction, aesthetic sensibilities and how they would rate other great Leslies in pop culture.
Read on LTW »A slightly sideways look at the Edinburgh fringe through the art of the flyer. From mysterious button badges to anatomical origami and everything in between.
Read on International Paneling »A long-awaited and well-crafted trip around planet Chromatica.
Read More »From the insistent surge of the opening track, a fast-paced, punky blast of energy, this is an album that knows where it came from and who it wants to be.
Read on LTW »This was never going to be a work of highbrow cinematic genius, but for something that could easily have been genuinely terrible, Studio 666 is actually a pretty great night out.
Read More »Bat Man delivers a perfect one-two punch of punk aggro and pop culture pastiche. Watch the video premier now!
Read on LTW »Episode 1 of the Sky re-boot reviewed.
Read on LTW »Striking just the right balance between a welcoming, family friendly atmosphere and an unapologetically daring lineup it proved to be the perfect way to enjoy some fantastic, and occasionally challenging, artists over a blissfully sunny, late-summer Scottish weekend.
Read on LTW »Miley covering Shampoo for Gucci feels both completely surreal and totally perfect..
Read More »The #FreeBritney movement goes mainstream, read my thought on it here
Read More »Former Babysitters’ frontman Kristian North is back with his second solo release, Passion Play, an eclectic and quirky sophisti-pop delight.
Read on LTW »Transmissions on the midnight radio from Johnny Day, sole employee of The Dept. Of Phantom Limbs, a somewhat shadowy agency responsible for the broadcast of ‘cursed sounds, haunted recordings and anomalous audio’.
Read on LTW »Gintsugi releases her eponymous debut EP, a beautifully crafted set of songs with an unsettling but elegant sound.
Read on LTW »HMLTD announce that they are moving into the crypto sphere. Read my thoughts on this and techno art in general.
Read More »Has there ever been a more perfect trip through the infinity mirrors of pop alter-ego than the love letter to Hannah Montana penned by Miley Cyrus this week?
Read More »Tonight’s presentation will contain twists, turns, low drama, high comedy and at times…music.
Read on LTW »I caught up with frontman Charlie James and drummer Louis Duarte to discuss on-set near-death experiences, upcoming style choices and bringing the sexy back to rock & roll.
Read on LTW »Everything you never needed to know about the Village People but will be glad I told you anyway.
Read More »Taking place in those strange, hazy, pre-internet times when travelling unprepared was a more perilous proposition there is a pleasingly shambolic quality that will be familiar to anyone who ever had a really great idea they didn’t quite think through.
Read on LTW »The enfant terrible of the Australian music scene and father of the screaming cowboy meme is back.
Read on LTW »Continuing on from where Solitude & I left off, Dying on the Vine tackles the inescapable avatars of modern digital life.
Read on LTW »A fierce, feline mix of psychedelic, punk, shoegaze and kraut-rock fitting of its title
Read on LTW »A last minute entry to my top singles of the year.
Read on LTW »An inventive collection of songs with a neat and intriguing concept..
Read on LTW »It should be no surprise that pop’s own Rebel Queen might eventually go rawk but Plastic Hearts is in many ways a surprisingly grown-up affair.
Read More »We discuss the recording of his upcoming album, international film soundtrack projects and the collision of music and art.
Read on LTW »