Posts by William Lewis

The desert blues rebellion music of the Tuareg people of Saharan Africa has garnered its fair share of attention in recent times, and deservedly so. It’s fascinating, if tragic, political conflict in its own right; the Tuareg people seeking independence from the French Colonial states of Mali and Niger, and on that takes on an […]

There’s that scene in Batman Begins, where Liam Neeson tells Bruce Wayne, “If you make yourself more than just a man, if you devote yourself to an ideal, and if they can’t stop you, then you become something else entirely.” “Which is?”, Wayne queries. “Legend, Mr. Wayne.” It’s a thought impossible to repress when thinking […]

‘Cala’ roughly translates to ‘creek’ or ‘inlet’ in Spanish. Despite his Irish roots, it’s not the first time Fionn Regan has shown an affinity for the southern reaches of Europe. Third album 100 Acres of Sycamore was written largely in Majorca, a place Regan described as “laced with magic” and “spliced with walking in the […]

Particle Kid, while for all intents and purposes considered a full band, is largely the solo project of Micah Nelson. If the surname Nelson gets your music royalty sensors tingling – and you’re not put off by the undoubtedly millions of Nelsons in the world – well rest assured they’re functioning as they should. Micah […]

Tycho’s music has always been difficult to classify. Too upbeat to be truly ambient, but nonetheless fulfilling a similar purpose in its undeniable chillness. The characteristic clean guitar motifs have shades of post-rock about them, the samples and beats reminiscent of chillwave electronica, while all awash in a mellow haze of delay and reverb making […]

What is it with indie-rock and the wild animal names? Tame Impala, Fleet Foxes, Mountain Goats, Deerhunter, Grizzly Bear, Panda Bear, Minus the Bear, Bear in Heaven, Message to Bears…a lot of bears, really. Perhaps it’s steeped in the nostalgia the genre in all its breadth often embraces. A longing to return, to reconnect to […]

Psychedelic rock has enjoyed its fair share of resurgences in the last few decades, but few as significant as the steadily growing wave of washed out guitar music that’s dominated the post-2010 indie scene. Perhaps the sense of detachment from reality synonymous with the genre rings particularly true in the current day and age, or […]

Following 2017’s stellar Sleep Well Beast and surrounding world tours, no one would have begrudged the gents of The National a well-earned break. Beyond that, there was something distinctly final about that record that felt like a resolution of some kind. Understated and refined, there was a sense that the haunted and middle-aged weariness always […]

A genre as timeless as folk possesses its icons of every age. From the wandering minstrels of ages past who passed tales on between generations to popular giants of the recording age the likes of Pete Seeger and Bob Dylan, the ability to articulate in a song that which lies within us all seems to […]

In late 2017, Stephen Wilkinson released his ninth Bibio album, Phantom Brickworks. A masterful ambient drone experiment in the vein of Eno and Stars of the Lid, it was a surprising change of direction for Wilkinson – despite the fact no one seemed particularly surprised. He’s consistently proved himself adept at spanning genres, the electronic […]