Posts by William Lewis

[rating=8.00] Sam Beam has been one of the most consistent performing artists in recent memory. From the fledgling days of Iron & Wine, his humble and honest approach to music and lyrics has acted as lasting panacea to the modern music industry. Solid stone among the ever-churning foam of bleeps and boops and who can […]

[rating=8.00] The name Finn carries a certain gravitas when it comes to Antipodean musical lexicon. Indeed, while it’s often difficult to see outside of the Australian and New Zealand music scene when resident in it, it’s fair to say the family’s reach extends globally. Few people need reminding of the worldwide success and acclaim brothers […]

[rating=7.00] There’s nothing immediately striking about AHI (an acronym of Ahkinoah Habah Izarh’s name and pronounced ‘eye’), and that seems to suit him well. Humble is an oft overused word, but it feels right here. From humble beginnings in Ontario, the Canadian singer-songwriter has put in countless hours on the road performing his personal blend […]

[rating=7.00] You get the sense the fellas from The Record Company have more than a fleeting sense of humor. Not in any slapstick induced laugh-out-loud larrikinism; but the ability to find the absurdities in life, flash a wry smile and not take any of it too seriously. Calling yourselves The Record Company carries more than […]

[rating=9.00] When Ben Howard surged onto the global scene with debut album Every Kingdom, there seemed nothing particularly remarkable about him. Oh sure, his sudden fame was remarkable and a Mercury Prize nomination is nothing to be sniffed at, but here was a young man with a very normal name, seemingly riding the tsunami of […]

[rating=8.00] Beach House have one of the most fitting names of any band in the world. Their chilled and washed out brand of dream pop invariably invokes summer’s sense of infinite calm and satisfaction that comes with sun and sea. But the Baltimore duo has always had an air of melancholy that seeps into the […]

[rating=7.00] Now five albums into a career that basically defines the term ‘cult following’, Kyle Thomas’ King Tuff character has become a legend in its own right. Adored by college radio and underground scene purists; his brand of hook-driven garage rock that plants its roots deep in the ‘sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll’ soil of […]

[rating=7.00] For diehards of psychedelic rock, those who have clung to the threads of the genre weaving their wave through the decades, the formation of MIEN is a perfect storm. Alex Maas of The Black Angels, Tom Furse of The Horrors, Rishi Dhir of Elephant Stone and John-Mark Lapham of The Earlies joining forces in […]

[rating=7.00] Preoccupations are the sound of deep longing in more ways than one. Their music and lyrics are the clear exhibition of that as it captures the prowling unrest inherent in the post-punk movement of the late 70s, but therein lies their deeper sense of longing. The band let slip glimpses of a deep wish […]

[rating=6.00] Now veteran purveyors over gloom and doom, Birmingham’s Editors have always been – if nothing else – divisive. Opinion over their Joy Division inspired rock drama has been split down the middle from basically day one. It’s a divide that’s haunted their music throughout their career, the band feeling as though they’re seeking balance […]