Review: Mr Bongo serves up the new collaboration here from Mandaworld (bereft known as Amanda Hicks) and partner Matthew Tavares, who is Matty of the much loved jazz outfit BADBADNOTGOOD. The pair have a magical musical synergy that really shines through here as they interweave and uplift one another. 'Warm You' is a real classic that fits in the canon of timeless ballads. It is a dreamy pop song doused in oodles of reverberating guitars and mellow shoegaze vibes that evokes a world of nostalgic feelings. 'Spoonfeed' is just as warm and lush but a little more subdued.
Review: Canadian singer-songwriter June McDoom makes something rather unclassifiable; poppy-noisy smatterings of sound and melody with influences from jazz, blues and soul, but combined in such a way as to not be as easily categorisable as that combination might normally make out. Her latest self-titled project here collects a slew of personal intimations and ballads reflecting a wealth of young life experiences, relationships and emotions. The extent of its sensitivity can only be sought in between the grit, as there's a deep well of texture embedded in every track, but listen between the lines (and take a peek at its collaborations with artists like Sufjan Stevens, Neko Case, Iron & Wine and Andrew Bird), and you'll soon glean a solid idea for its stated, romantic intent.
Review: ukuoka-based band MuchaMuchaM, known for their breakthrough debut album Qantikala, returns with a collaborative EP featuring Malaysian singer-songwriter Zee Avi. After performing together at The Creators' Co-Write stage in 2023, the two artists have crafted a unique sound that blends their distinct Asian influences. The EP features the modern acoustic track 'Day By Day', a cover of 'Sad and Unfulfilled' and the Asian dance number 'Oyasumi na Sayang', sung in Malay. The EP's cover artwork, inspired by Borneo, was designed by Fukuoka-based illustrator TOYAMEG, further enhancing its cross-cultural appeal.
Review: This Record Store Day 2019 exclusive finds Mumford and Sons at work in the famous Electric Lady Studios in New York. It was there that they decided to serve up four carefully reimagined versions of tracks from their acclaimed Delta album. Each one shows a different, incredibly tender side. 'Woman' is first with its gentle piano keys and closely mic-ed vocals soothing the soul, while 'Guiding Light' has more upbeat but still lo-fi guitar riffs and 'Wild Heart' is another showcase of the beautifully raw and emotive vocals of lead singer Marcus Oliver Johnston Mumford. 'If I Say' is a rousing, heart swelling closer.
Review: Mumford & Sons drop a surprise single release alongside Pharrell Williams, 'Good People', delivering on a long-awaited promise to hop in the studio together after years of knowing each other. Finally falling back on their immediate instincts, 'Good People' hears the band and the solo wunderkind sing of tiredness and revelation, making adept use of a dry, driving, sportsmanlike instrumental palette (think hand claps, stomps, gospel harmonies). Though cryptic in theme, the mood on this one-off is one of triumph and impending miracle works to come.
Review: The nearly mythical Buckingham Nicks from 1973, featuring Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham, has gained significant acclaim despite its original obscurity. With no CD or streaming availability, its tracks are typically found only through rare vinyl copies or dubious online rips. Enter Andrew Bird and Madison Cunningham, whose collaborative project, Cunningham Bird, breathes new life into this largely forgotten album. Produced by Mike Viola, this reinterpretation strips away the original's heavy production, showcasing Bird's exquisite violin and Cunningham's smooth vocals. Their shared harmonies replace the tension that characterised the Buckingham-Nicks dynamic, transforming songs like 'Long Distance Winner' into poignant laments. Notably, 'Lola (My Love)' is reimagined as a heartfelt ballad akin to Dolly Parton's 'Jolene', adding depth to the material. Bird and Cunningham's interpretations not only honour the original but also enhance it, proving the songs' flexibility and enduring appeal. Their unique sound and vibrant acoustic instrumentation, offer a fresh perspective for a new generation, making Cunningham Bird a compelling and accessible homage to a classic.
Review: Violin extraordinaire and singer Andrew Bird teams up with an Americana icon, whose star has risen and is continuing to rise - Madison Cunningham. Bird says of Cunningham that she is one of the most talented musicians he's ever encountered. Together they've covered the 1973 album Buckingham Nicks - Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham's pre-Fleetwood Mac LP and done a brilliant job of it. Buckingham Nicks was a flop commercially when it was released and despite the duo's subsequent success it was never remastered or re-released digitally, so hard to come by. Thankfully, Cunningham and Bird bring this underrated gem into the limelight and do so in style. "The best reason to cover anyone is that little part of you that thinks you might do it better. This album epitomizes excess and confidence and it only made sense to embody that spirit ourselves," says Bird in a press release. And he's quite right - there's no misplaced arrogance here - they've nailed this homage to a classic.
Review: It's often the albums that fall between the cracks that are the greatest. Violin virtuoso and singer Andrew Bird and Americana singer-songwriter Madison Cunningham shine a light on the underrated pre-Fleetwood Mac gem of an album, Buckingham Nicks, by fully covering it. Released five years before Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham went on to have mega success with Rumours, Buckingham Nicks was such a flop commercially that they were dropped by their label Polydor. But it is a cracking album and in covering it in their own style and having a palpably strong musical connection as a duo themselves, Bird and Cunningham have done it absolute justice and changed it. They have shed the 70s pop sheen of the original and made something more timeless to behold. 'Stephanie' is moody, majestic and cosmic and 'Without A Leg To Stand On' is one of the most stirring vocal performances you'll hear in 2024. A highly rewarding listen throughout.
Review: It's 1999 and Haruomi Hosono and pal Makoto Kubota - the latter arguably best known for their part in Les Rallies Denudes - decide to take on a daring project for the era. The Japanese artists opt to put out an album inspired by one of the world's foremost musical cities, New Orleans, which on paper couldn't be much further removed from the soundtrack of their homeland at that time.
Dig deeper, though, and while the Mississippi blues feels resolutely Deep South, an experience at odds with the Far East, Japan's incredibly fertile music scene back then actually shared more in common with Louisiana's aural calling cards than you might think. A hotbed of ideas, an understanding of what funk and soul mean, mastery of jazz's loose structures. Exceptional stuff, finally on re-issue
Review: Percussionist and singer-songwriter Mami Kakudo returns with her latest album, Contact. A graduate of Tokyo University of the Arts' Department of Instrumental Music, Kakudo has gained recognition in Japan and internationally for her expressive use of marimba, percussion, voice and music boxes. Four years after her debut album, Oar (featuring covers of Maki Asakawa's 'My Friday' and Fishmans' 'Ikkareta Baby'), Contact showcases her signature sound again here in all its glory. Recorded with a talented ensemble-including Mugi Furukawa on guitar, Akita Goldman on bass, Wataru Mitsunaga on drums, and Yumiko Iwao on cello-Contact highlights Kakudo's ethereal voice, poetic lyrics and whimsical arrangements.
There’s A Guy Works Down The Chip Shop Swears He’s Elvis (3:09)
Don’t Come The Cowboy With Me, Sonny Jim! (3:47)
Can’t Stop Killing You (4:05)
England 2 Colombia 0 (3:47)
Walking Down Madison (7" mix) (4:35)
Free World (radio edit) (2:36)
Terry (3:50)
You Just Haven’t Earned It Yet, Baby (3:44)
Mother’s Ruin (3:56)
Mambo De La Luna (single edit) (3:29)
Angel (single edit) (3:38)
In These Shoes? (3:41)
My Affair (single edit) (3:35)
Treachery (3:53)
Caroline (2:56)
Days (2:59)
He’s On The Beach (single version) (3:30)
Soho Square (4:20)
Kirsty MacColl & Evan Dando - "Darling, Let's Have Another Baby" (3:24)
All I Ever Wanted (single version) (3:24)
Perfect Day (3:50)
Fairytale Of New York (4:31)
Review: Demon Music present a career-spanning collection of 25 of Kirsty MacColl's most popular recordings on a 2xLP set. Between her June 1979 debut single 'They Don't Know' and her tragic death in 2000, Kirsty released five studio albums and seventeen singles, a succinct but consistently high quality body of work, much of it self-written or in partnership with notable collaborators like Graham Gouldman or Johnny Marr. Whether exploring themes of love and loss, or applying her original and often witty worldview, Kirsty's talent as a songwriter and singer is instantly apparent on this new compilation. She was equally adept at throwing new light on old favourites - look no further than her (some might say better than the original) covers of The Kinks' 'Days', and Billy Bragg's 'A New England', both included here.
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