The Last Ride - Nick Louth

The fun of reading new thrillers from established and new writers, is that they welcome you into their world so to speak.

Having followed writers from up and down this land ranging from St. Andrews, Scotland to Manchester to the abundance of London set novels, this reader has now had the luxury of reading a new novel set in the vast countryside of Cornwall in the a new thriller by Nick Louth

The second in the Jan Talantire novel - this is a new sort of twist on the thriller. Having read female protagonists by female writers and male protagonists by male writers, here is a female protagonist by a male writer.

The story revolves around a joyriding incident that goes horribly wrong culminating in a chase and a crash that leads to a fatality and critical injuries to other youngsters in the car. Talantire comes in on the night shift and starts the investigation that much like the winding road on which the accident occurred, there are many twists you cannot see coming

As with other Canelo Crime strand releases, there is a plethora of obstacles for Talantire to overcome and most are the office politics at play culminating in decisions and repercussions for all. Another great addition is that you become quickly aware of the difficulty and vastness of the Cornwall landscape and how hard it is to police in that region

This was a thrilling read and one that has piqued my interest to this writer, with this reader looking forward to further releases

The Last Ride is out from Canelo now on all formats.

The Coffin in the Wall

 

New novel by MJ Lee set in Cheshire

MJ Lee is a prestigious and prolific writer of crime thrillers. For the last five years he has written eight books featuring the everyman coroner officier DI Ridpath which saw him overcoming crimes in the Greater Manchester district as he navigated cancer diagnoses, loss and a growing teenage daughter.

In an interesting switch, Lee has started a new narrative series, this time set in and around the small city of Chester and following the tales of DI Emma Christie who must investigate a gruesome crime amidst the picturesque surrounding of the Roman city. 

This is a great move by Lee, I always admire those writers who are so married to their characters - a la Lee Child or Patricia Cornwell - yet they are never able to show other strings to their bow. Here, he is writing about a new city, a new lead character and of the opposite sex which comes with its own potential hiccups. 

However, the character of Christie is quite reminiscent of Ridpath - an everywoman quality resonates from her, she is determined to succeed despite the problems of caring for her ailing father/former cop who is beset with dementia. Those scenes featuring his dwindling memory are particularly heart-breaking. 

The case itself did remind me of Ridpath cases yet that is not a criticism, that familiarity was welcoming as the book is so well researched in terms of police procedure, Lee has done the legwork and it pays off convincingly as the narrative moves at such a clip it is richly rewarding.

The scenes within the force where they discuss the case is ripe for duelling dialogues as this hotchpotch of different ages, cultures and backgrounds come to the fore along with the class and hierarchy of the police force. With Christie you have a woman who has to overcome her gender and accusations of nepotism to reach her position on merit.

For fans of Mark Billingham along with those who like something new as well as the continued Marion Todd series set in St. Andrews, this is a crime read ripe for digesting and will garner wide attention when the word of mouth begins.

The Coffin in the Wall is self-published and available on Amazon and other platforms

Half Eaten By Dogs - The Serfs

 

New album by thrilling Ohio trio via Trouble in Mind Records

In a world where pristine pop rules the mainstream - think Harry and Taylor - the trio from Cincinnati, Ohio of Dylan McCartney (vocals, guitar, bass), Dakota Carlyle (electronica, bass) and Andie Luman (vocals, synth), have curated a musical maelstrom of sound and wonder that is both thrilling to listen to and difficult to pigeon hole.

From the album opener, 'Order Imposing Sentence', this is a long player that is distinctive in tone and is happy to wear a multitude of influences on its sleeve from Depeche Mode in the post-Vince Clarke days before the stratospheric late 1980s run they enjoyed to that of Suicide. Its more like surf rock but howling at the moon as they ride the crest of the wave.

'Spectral Analysis' samples Air's 'Sexy Boy' as if it is a transmission from a by-gone era or another dimension and yet there is a thrust and drive to the album that should be applauded. This trio is sticking to its guns and shooting for the moon.

'Electric Like An Eel' has this pounding sound that is unrelenting and yet is infectious and bouncy; it is this constant contradiction and juxtaposition of genres taking place that is seemingly unsettling to a listener but also keeps them on their toes, unsurprisingly this was a single release of the album.

This refreshing album is great to hear and reminded this listener of new sounds discovered such as FACS and Activity - that unnerving distortive sonic soundscapes being created.

It does strike me that this is a band who are on the cusp of bigger and better things to come, and while this album is their third album it smacks of maturity and a keen sense of what direction they want to be going in. 

The simplest way to state this album is that it is electronica just not as you know it infused with punk goodness and thrashing guitars.

Half Eaten by Dogs is out on Friday 27th October via Trouble in Mind Records

My thanks to One Beat PR for the review opportunity.

Melenas - Ahora

 

Spanish quartet Melenas return with third album AHORA from Trouble in Mind Records on 29th September 

The spanish foursome brandish their influences brazenly upon their guitar necks and 88 keys, this long player shows the band are exploring notions of identity and personality in their work.

For fans of Hinds (Spanish counterparts), nevertheless this is a band who are immersed in the inspiration of early 1980s synth and new wave records from Depeche Mode to New Order with a hint of Kraftwerk. The use of synthesizers are paramount and welcome in this album. An indie album that is electronica, an alternative album with mainstream appeal.

Ahora is translated as Now. The album according to the band shows, 'the importance of time, to reflect on how we live our everyday lives, with whom we share our moments and how we want (or don't want) to do it.

The dreamy pop of '1986' is married with somber songs such as 'Flor de la Frontera', and yet this is indicative of that life in which they mention. Since the pandemic, when we had that prolonged period of inner reflection with ourselves, we experience high highs and then have to suffer low lows, those lows may last longer and we seek those highs more and more.

There is a real harmonious and melodic rhythmicality to the works, it reminded this listener of a sole artist such as Sweet Baboo - who uses keyboards to make beautiful melodies with heartbreaking vocals. Take a song such as K2 which has this lovely sound as the band use those harmonies to create a lushness to proceedings following the album opener/introduction of the title track. 

While all the songs are written and sung in Spanish, the universality of the musical sonic landscape is key to the growing appeal of the band who have been released in the United States without the necessity of an English language dubbed version for instance.

Since their beginnings, Melenas have always been an intriguing act and with this third album they again forge an identity as a band who are bold and unique in their production creating a catalogue of music that is embracing with its warmth and intelligent in its construction. Melenas return with that difficult third album, and they are having fun here.

Ahora is released by Trouble in Mind on all platforms from 29th September.

THE HIGH ROAD by Ken Lussey

 

New contemporary novel by Scottish based author Ken Lussey from Arachnid Press

This reader has followed the career path of Ken Lussey since he published his first World War 2 novel back in 2018. A writer who is both prolific and knowledgeable in his depiction of fictitious espionage tales in historical accurate settings. 

This time we see him take a different tact as writers of series are prone to doing such as Brian McGilloway does from time to time. This time the story is about a cop Callum who returns to his Scottish roots following the death of his father to scatter his ashes. The disappearance of a cousin, Alexandra, leads to him staying in central Scotland and the North-West while serving a suspension from the Met Police. 

Lussey has always been fond of Scotland and takes pleasure in the landscapes and transposing the lush vistas to parchment, with a keen eye for mood and atmosphere. Here the road less travelled is key to the narrative of Callum as he must follow hunches and visit towns he has never heard of to find the missing persons.

Callum shows himself to be a deft detective, capable of inducing information from people and overcoming obstacles when necessary such as several guns pointed in his direction. The criminal underworld comes to the surface on occasion, and Callum reeling from his wife leaving him for his boss, finds affection in the arms of female policewomen. 

Yet there is growth and development for the character as the narrative progresses, he grows as the roads get narrower further up the western coast line.

The story is well told and at a pace familiar to readers of Lussey's other works, the concluding shoot-out and fallout is handled delicately and you admire the moxie of a character like Callum, a man who is not necessarily outside of his comfort zone but he is dealing with this almost notion above his station with aplomb and getting his mojo back in more ways than one.

The film ends on a high and it calls to mind the film Local Hero, where a fish out of water finds that this is his best place to live. And in the author's note, there is a promise of a sequel.

THE HIGH ROAD is out now from Arachnid Press, my thanks to them for the review copy

Medusa

Brazilian genre-bending horror MEDUSA out 14th July 

Writer-director Anita Rocha de Silveira second feature film is a mind melt of genres that follows 21 year old Marianna who is a member of a repressive patriarchal Christian sect. By day, she is all sweetness and Christ and yet at night she is a member of a vigilante gang of women who scare the women of the city they deem to be sinners in God's eyes. This film tackles the question of vanity and feminism in an increasingly smaller world due to the ubiquity of social media.

The Brazil we see her is similar to ones we are familiar with in this watered down social media where beauty is only skin deep, vanity is paramount and the need to be rich is at odds with own religious beliefs.

As Marianna, Mari Oliviera evokes a lot of connection and subtext into her role as a women questioning her beliefs and scared of the ramifications her actions within the vigilante group may have.

At times the style outdoes the substance of this film, and yet it remains highly engaging and watchable with its satirical take on the marriage of instagram and Christianity in one character who teaches followers how to take the perfect Christian selfie. In this film everyone is always looking at and gazing, a feast for the Laura Mulvey fans out there.

A film that could easily have been labelled provocative is in fact something a little bit more perscient than that and violence upon women by women - often as form of control - is apparent to this day; this form of control with the perpetrators seeking the victims to be like them is worrying as a whole and an indictment of the power of social media especially upon impressionable young women.

Her collaboration with her cinematographer Joao Atala creates a world that is both hypnotic and foreboding, a visual style and language of De Silveria's own coming together with excellent production design by art director Dina Salem Levy and the ominous soundtrack created by the director and Bernardo Uzeda.

A feast for the senses embodying the works of David Lynch in terms of melting of genres such as drama and horror; Dario Argento's out and out horror but also Brian De Palma's paranoid thrillers and twisty narratives.

Medusa is out from 14th July via Peccadillo Pictures. It shall be on streaming services from August.

Inland (Fridtjof Ryder, UK, 2022)

 

Debut film from highly touted Fridtjof Ryder released 16th June

Set in rural England, Inland explores the troubled reality a young man faces following the strange disappearance of his mother some years previously.

Following a prelude where the boy whose character name is the Man played by Rory Alexander is released from an institution after a period of time, he returns to his home town to settle down with a father figure named Dunleavy played by Oscar winning actor Mark Rylance.

The film is shot with an unforgiving close up of its actors throughout, the audience being made to feel uneasy by what is transpiring, the man is having to cope with a lot following his mother's strange disappearance, and this is a point of view film in that respect with Alexander featuring in every scene.

Mixed with experimental footage to depict his fragile mental psyche of visions and memories splintering his day-to-day life; Ryder has moulded a modern folk tale within this rural landscape for the modern era.

Following on from the January release of Mark Jenkin's Enys Men and even Alex Garland's MEN, the clash of individual and nature and what that collision causes is certainly in vogue currently.

Most folk tales incorporate a quest of sorts, the Man in this instance is searching for answers with a cast of characters eager to look after him for the best. Rylance in particular is channelling his famous role of Rooster from Jez Butterworth's Jerusalem to a degree, and acting as Executive Producer also, he is guiding the man in more ways than one.

The journey the man must navigate is unsettling at times helped by the ambient score utilised by Bartholomew Mason, evoking a disharmony amidst the harmonious surroundings of the woodlands. Coupled with the haunting voiceover of the mother by Kathryn Hunter and you have an eerie creation that is both stylistic and substantial.

An atmospheric and moody tale of life, grief and family, Inland is a film of great promise and character from a first-time director.

Inland is out on Friday 16th June on limited release from Verve Pictures.

Cairo Conspiracy

 

Exciting new paranoid thriller CAIRO CONSPIRACY out today from Picturehouse Entertainment

Set in and around the illustrious Egyptian Islamic institution Al-Azhar University in Cairo, which is the center of Sunni Islam. Small town fisherman's son, Adam, arrives to begin his studying at the school; shortly after his arrival the highest ranking religious leader, the Grand Imam, suddenly dies and Adam becomes a pawn in the power struggle between the religious leaders and political elites as they seek to elect a new high leader.

Boasting an impressive lead performance by Tawfeek Barhom as the erstwhile Adam, and featuring Fares Fares as the state security agent, Ibrahim, who is the key player in this game of chess bearing a resemblance to Mandy Patinkin's Saul from 'Homeland', the intense nature of the political game being played by both sides makes for a gripping conclusion.

Shot in Turkey as the director Tarik Saleh, has been banished from Egypt since the release of 2017's The Nile Hilton Incident (which starred Fares also) - the backdrop provides a luminous base for rich production design from Roger Rosenberg and crisp cinematography by Pierre Aim creating a world that is bright and clear but underneath darkness lurks.

Cairo Conspiracy is out now from Picturehouse Entertainment

Alice Boman - The Space Between

 

New album release by Swedish songstress Alice Boman The Space Between, out via Play It Again Sam on October 21st

Boman burst onto the scene in late 2019 with her debut album Dream On, which was greeted with ecstatic reviews and positive feedback the album was a sumptuous mix of hypnotic dream pop songs.

A lot has happened since that album was released, a global pandemic has led to introspection for many people especially creative artists.

This new work is indicative of those months many people who spent that time in solitude and the fear of loneliness that gripped many leading to a real appreciation of mental wellbeing for all people.

This introversion is not a change of style for Boman more an embracing of that which she is good at; her smooth lyrics envelope around the warm melodies she has created here with producer Patrik Berger (Robyn, Lana del Ray). There is a deliberate tone set within The Space Between with ruminations on intimacy and angst, as Boman states, 'Writing is still a way for me to understand myself. As an overthinker, there's this constant motion in my head, so it helps to sit down and write about it to actually understand what I feel or think. Or just to find stillness'

From the outset with opener, 'Honey' there is an earnestness and wistfulness throughout with haunting melody but there is a richness running throughout none more so than on single 'Feels Like A Dream' which features Perfume Genius a song where the marriage of two vocals is reminiscent of Kate Bush at the height of her powers. Unsurprisingly, this was a collaboration brought about by an instagram DM and recorded over the distance, to put how the world has changed into context.

There is a steeliness to Boman's vocals, displaying a softness but a determined nature to be heard by her lyrics, the words which are deeply personal as she comes to grips with settling into a relationship.

This mixture of fear but tenderness is a constant theme that runs throughout an album that is both comforting and spiritual, a treat for those returning to Boman and those who are finding her for the first time. 

The Space Between is out now from Play it Again Sam on all platforms

The Saphead - Buster Keaton

 

Eureka Entertainment release another classic silent cinema film featuring the legendary Buster Keaton.

The Saphead was made in 1920 and was Keaton's first leading role following his apprenticeship with Fatty Arbuckle.

The story revolves around Keaton as Bertie Van Alstyne, a pampered son of a Wall Street tycoon, who having never known any other way of life bar privilege he has to navigate new social situations, unknowing of the obstacles ahead of him.

While Keaton was not the creative force behind this adaptation of a stage play, nevertheless, the film is important in creating the now universally known screen persona of Keaton as the Stoneface and the stoic nature of his performance. His undaunted aspiration in a changing world who may well laugh at him, yet usually the quiet man who has the last laugh.

Keaton does not have to do much to garner laughs, and you can see in contrast the theatricality of other actors comes to the fore and has aged in nearly a hundred years of passing, whilst Keaton's calm is front and centre.

In contrast to the other major silent comedian of the time, Charlie Chaplin, there is a naturalness that remains to Keaton's work. While Chaplin specifically was playing a character in The Tramp, a parody or caricature that ultimately garnered world acclaim who was thrust into moments that became comical. Keaton on the other side of the coin was a person who made situations funny, whereas Chaplin could have you laughing before he did anything with the twirl of his cane and funny walk. 

Again while Chaplin would do small movements like a dancing potato to illicit maximum potential of laughter, Keaton would use big sets and stunts with his still centre in the middle of frame an ocean of calm as chaos surrounds him with Chaplin a feverish ball of energy in an altogether calmer milieu.

With it being his first lead role, you do see Keaton being more a ensemble member in this instance and his character's behaviour is more akin to that of say Adam Sandler or Rowan Atkinson, a person of lesser intellect but into an elitist world and whose humble mindset shocks the upper classes and puts them in there place. 

The new release from Eureka Video is a Blu-ray release for the first time features essays, a featurette on different adaptations, The Scribe (1966, Dir. John Sebert) - Keaton's last film role; a two hour audio interview between Keaton and Kevin Brownlow from 1964 as well as the collector's booklet.

The Saphead is out on August 22nd from Eureka Video.

My thanks to them for the review opportunity.

The Way It Is Now - Garry Disher

 

New novel by Australian author THE WAY IT IS NOW 

out from Viper Books 4th August  

WHO SHALL INHERIT THE SINS OF THE FATHER?

This thrilling novel is set in Australia and tells the tale of a mother gone missing and how suspended policeman Charlie Deravin tries to solve the case following the discovery of two bodies in a local building site.

Disher weaves a clever tale throughout here, making sure you understand the motivations of his characters whilst taking the time and not rushing unnecessarily. He follows Deravin from counselling following his suspension to the difficult family relationships - his mother and father were going through a divorce at the books beginning in the year 2000 where the book begins. His mother is reported missing and we jump forward to Christmas 2019 and the beginning of the global pandemic which would engulf us all.

The book is prominently set in a small seaside town of Swanage, which for this reader is a lovely notion of kismet as I spent significant formative summer holidays with my family in the English seaside town of Swanage, Dorset. So anytime I read that name, I myself am transported to those wonderful halycon days of beaches, ice cream, cricket and Punch and Judy.

Disher writes effectively and with great nous throughout, short chapters keeps the reader engaged and while it might not be to everyone's taste it kept my attention nonetheless. And you would expect nothing less from a writer of over 50 titles, this is the first time I have encountered Disher and I am sure it will not be the last.

My thanks to Viper Books for the opportunity to review a new title at short notice and the copy sent in the post.

Happy reading one and all

Ken Lussey - The Stockholm Run

 

Superb new thriller by Ken Lussey out now via Arachnid Press

Prolific Ken Lussey has been busy with his series involving MI-11 Captain Bob Sutherland in three books to date, all of which I have had the pleasure of reviewing for this blog.

    Eyes Turned Skywards - NextToTheAisle: Eyes Turned Skywards

    Bloody Orkney - NextToTheAisle: Bloody Orkney - Ken Lussey

Capt. Sutherland returns again with his inspirational partner Monique Dubois and this time as with any burgeoning franchise, the character has outgrown his native land and its now time to see the world. With the war still blazing in mainland Europe, Bob and Monique are asked to do a covert operation posing as a married couple and head for Stockholm, where they must take delivery of a message from the Abwehr (a group fighting against the Nazis within Germany). However, nothing runs smoothly during wartime and Monique ends up being taken away leaving Bob alone in a city with little or nobody to trust. Working in the secret business you have to keep your wits about you.

Lussey as always writes with a real clarity and conciseness, his style is matter of fact but he is helped by a keen eye for period detail painting a wonderful picture of war-torn Stockholm due to his intense research; Lussey loves writing about new places from the architecture, to the fashion of the time. He takes care to share the opulence in the Grand Hotel so it shines forth from the page.

Sutherland remains a character of great integrity and humility; he is overcoming his own shortfalls in both his relationship with Monique and his character as an officer, Monique questions whether Bob has the strength to shoot somebody if need be. 

Written with a pleasing dependability a returning series provides, The Stockholm Run is a must for fans of World War 2 history and lore. A faithful imagining of fictional work set amidst history changing before their eyes.

The Stockholm Run is out on all formats from Arachnid Press now.

My thanks to the author for sharing with me his work and the opportunity to review.

Old Bones Lie

 

Old Bones Lie - the Sixth book in the DI Clare Mackay series -
out July 7th by Canelo Crime

Marion Todd has established herself in the last four years as a writer of great intellect, delicate plotting and wonderful characters based around the central figure of DI Clare Mackay who attempts to navigate the tricky neighbourhood of St. Andrews that has a murder rate to match Midsomer.

In six books to date, Todd has created the Mackay-verse with her band of characters handling criminal cases with swiftness and professionalism as crimes surround them. In this novel, proceedings begin innocently enough with a Saturday night takeaway which turns nasty as armed men come into the home of two prison officers with their wives, they kidnap all four people and the case begins.

What follows is a convoluted case involving a jail break, a jewellery heist gone wrong and the murder of a lady who is attempting blackmail on the owner of the jewellery shop. Keep up please it is a lot to take in.

As a reader of all of Todd's books to date, for whatever reason (perhaps mine) I found the first half of the book to be a bit complicated to follow but once the kidnapped women turn up this prompts the book to ratchet up a few gears quickening the pace to the benefit of the book and the enjoyment of this reader.

The plot is so well handled as always by Todd that you are left in no doubt that you are in the hands of a talented writer who takes great care over the narrative and loves her creations. The ending again shows Mackay at a crossroads of sorts both professionally and personally; yet you know she cannot alter her position too much.

Like her contemporary, MJ Lee from the same publishing house, this reader looks forward to the new St. Andrews suspense tome. As ever, the next one cannot come soon enough.

Old Bones Lie is out 7th July from Canelo Crime

In Plain Sight - Neal Francis

 

Second album from Chicago based singer-songwriter Neal Francis from ATO Records out 5th November

Encompassing a changing of personal momentum and relocating back to his hometown after a break-up, Neal Francis' second album In Plain Sight is an honest collection of new songs about resilience and overcoming adversity soaking up influence of rock and soul into a dreamlike state that is both absorbing and gratifying.

Produced by Grammy winning producer, Dave Fridmann (The Flaming Lips, MGMT), who has experience of working with off the wall production; Francis takes the basis for the second album his debut Changes which was a New Orleans RnB effort that drew comparisons with Allen Touissant. High praise indeed, yet the music of this album is more rockier drawing inspiration from the Chicago jazz and rock scenes and for this listener you cannot ignore the influence of early Elton John when he was in true trubadour honky cat days or that of Leon Russell; that joie de vivre of piano performance.

The opening track of the album 'Alameda Apartments' kicks off as more a statement of intent than anything else; full of untethered melodies, luminous grooves and lyrics that find the protagonist drifting from despair to craziness as it tells the story of moving into a haunted apartment following another break-up.

Lead single 'Can't Stop the Rain' is perhaps the standout track of the album, a real tour de force combining the power of unabashed piano with anthemic guitar riffs, written with a friend David Shaw who came up with the refrain and incorporates a message of hope despite the prospect of rain, "You can't stop the rain/It's always coming down/It's always going to fall/But you're not gonna drown"

The album was recorded by Francis and his band in a defunct church (St. Peter's UCC) setting and on tape, to help grab the power of live music performance and a band in sync; such as the guitar-heavy 'Prometheus' which features Francis on St. Peter's pipe organ in combat with an electric synth. 

The surreal and odd nature of living and performing in a church infuses the album with this religious and spiritual context; you do not have to have faith to get the power of this album as the piano Francis plays is able to connect many a listener but the piano is Francis' tool for redemption and ultimately transformation for a person who has overcome addiction problems and is now happily sober in 2021.

The album is a pleasing and rocking joy to finish this most tumultuous of years, through it all we shall always have rock and roll.

In Plain Sight is out from ATO Records on 5th November 

Neal Francis is on tour in the UK headlining O2 Academy Islington on January 23rd 2022

My thanks to One Beat PR for the review opportunity.

Before You Were Gone

 

Third book in the series out from Canelo on 28th February

FFO: Marion Todd, Fiona Barton

Sheila Bugler returns with the third book in her Dee Doran series, Dee the intrepid reporter based in Eastbourne, who following the conclusion of the second book is now writing the non-fiction account of that escapade yet a family problem is coming to her attention.

Dee Doran is from an extended Irish family, her cousin Emer Doran's life was turned upside down by drowning of her sister Kitty. Yet twenty years later, Emer swears to have seen her on the London Underground - and believes her sister to be alive.

Dee jumps at the chance to help her cousin help locate this mysterious person; yet it is not the happy family reunion she was hoping for. Emer's family, her stepfather Robert O'Brien a prominent politician in the Irish Republic with aspirations of gaining the Presidency, endears to help and yet as always there is more than meets the eye.

As Dee attempts to untangle the elements of lies around her, she has to combat an old beau in the police force an amour she cannot shake, and the departure of her neighbours meaning the young Jake who will be leaving for Canada with her Mum, pastures new await them there while Dee must while away on the Sussex coast with worries of work and menopause.

There are elements of this work this reader enjoyed, the knowing nods to the difficulty of writing that Dee has is Bugler putting herself on the page for example and it is so rare to see a middle-aged woman be present in the centre of a narrative with all her worries there to help define her and not be defined by them.

However, unfortunately the narrative and plot was too convoluted and confusing on occasion and when reading on the kindle found it hard to grasp who was who, and who was telling the truth.

Not as strong an entry in the series as previous releases especially When The Dead Speak, yet Bugler has so much nous at her disposal as well as the ever interesting Dee that another book cannot be too far away.

Before You Were Gone is out from Canelo on 28th February on all formats.

Staunch Honey - David Nance

 

New album from Nebraskan rocker David Nance from Trouble In Mind Records

David Nance turned many heads in 2019 with his last album, Peace and Slightly Pulverized, which was highly acclaimed with his fuzzy and bristling guitar rock.

Nance returns with his fifth studio album Staunch Honey, which he recorded the majority of at his Omaha home with assistance from longtime bandmates Jim Schroeder (guitar) and Kevin Donohue (drums), making this a recorded at home master due to the Covid-19 crisis.

A culmination of two years hard work, Nance recorded and reworked the album three times over, Nance has weaved a manic and sonic clash of mood and emotion from raging guitars to squealing feedback which was so prevlant on 'Pulverized..' to a more mellower form of songwriting fitting for a late night drive or hang at home.

This is never more apparent than on track 2, 'The Dark, My Love and I' a rocker of supreme intensity but goes hand in hand with the gentler 'Save Me Some Tears' and 'Gentle Traitor'.

Fans of Neil Young will love this album full of earthiness, there is a real connection to the land and how important music is to Nance comes through the speakers in all its feedback glory.

Nance continues to impress with his intelligent and provoking guitar rock, a few years back there was a renaissance of guitar led music with Nance and his group leading the charge along with contemporaries such as Rayland Baxter. Some groups still exist such as recent release by The Big Easy can attest to but in this year of isolation and introspection it is good and pleasing to see an artist willing to just let his hair down.

Staunch Honey is out on Friday 13th November from Trouble In Mind Records

The Law of Innocence - Michael Connelly

THE NEW LINCOLN LAWYER NOVEL OUT 10TH NOVEMBER

Highly enjoyable entry into the Mickey Haller universe with guest appearances by half-brother, Harry Bosch.

Ordinarily with Haller stories, he is facing down the law on the side of the victim, chasing for clues and crooked cops as he seeks justice for the person he is defending and sometimes those he defend are not all they seem.

In this new story from the prolific Connelly, Mickey - the famous Lincoln Lawyer so well adapted in the 2011 thriller directed by Brad Furman and written for the screen by John Romano, and famously portrayed by the smooth-talking Matthew McConnaughey - is himself charged with murder after a routine traffic stop finds a body in his trunk, one that Mickey cannot explain but as the victim is a former client of his who owed him money it gets all a bit convoluted. 

The book descends into more a courtroom tussle, and puts Mickey in a difficult situation. He has to prove that he is not innocent just not guilty which is the law within the courtroom, he is worried that his professional career will suffer if he is not properly acquited and wishes an apology from the court and District Attorney if possible. Constantly the law of innocence is asked as Mickey staves off the first degree murder charges against him.

                                  

The swiftness of plot and effortless character arc and narrative is second to none; the inclusion of Bosch is deliberate but not overbearing, as a secondary character from his own universe may overtake proceedings but Bosch serves as an important part of Mickey's defence team to seek the truth.

I spent the whole time with the voices of Matthew McConnaughey and Titus Weliver in my head; this would be a tale ripe for adaptation - and Connelly makes it very much of the here and now with the tale taking place over November 2019 to March 2020 with the threat and worry over a possible pandemic incoming to the populus of Los Angeles, with little touches such as people wearing masks and general unknowingness of an impending doom.

As a fan of Connelly's work and the Amazon Prime original series Bosch this is thoroughly enjoyable fare of the highest order from a writer working at full speed and the top of his game.

The Law of Innocence is published on November 10th from Orion Books

Eerie Gaits - Holopaw

The new album from Eerie Gaits - Holopaw - is out now from Sound As Language

The side project of John Ross of Wild Pink, has been much anticipated, and is the second full length release following the debut of Bridge Music in June 2017.

Eerie Gaits is the instrumental sound board for Ross' compositional output, and fittingly during this weird period of social and cultural history, Holopaw is an album of contemplation and introspection during the period of collective lockdown.

From the opening track 'What's Eating You' Ross sets himself out as making an album with something for everyone, a wide array of influences from American music history abound from alt-country to electronica, country riffs to ambient sounds.

A hallmark album for this would be Bon Iver's debut 'For Emma, Forever Ago' which was released in July 2007; this is the album Justin Vernon would have made had he not felt the need to sing. Ross has created an album of nine-ambient compositions that are full of joy and community as opposed to Iver's paean to loneliness.

From the naturalism of 'Out In The Tall Grass' to the quietness of 'Oia' which shows a range of emotions in less than two minutes; from minimalism to full blown euphoric expressions.

The dexterity and virtuosity of this album is a wonder to behold, it seeks to be heard above the crowd and if given the right platform it will do - an album that is both wondrous and wonderful, it bears repeat listenings and in this day and age - currently of lockdown - you may have the time to do so.

Holopaw is out now on all formats via Sound As Language.
My thanks to them for the review opportunity.

Irma Vep 'Embarrassed Landscape'

The new album from Irma Vep Embarrassed Landscape is out now from Gringo Records

Irma Vep is the alias of Edwin Stevens, a Glasgow based polymath musician, a man who has reached the potential now in his fourth album release.

Vep has garnered quite a reputation in recent years as a singular songwriter with immense confidence using a multitude of influences from across the musical spectrum to still sound like a unique voice.

From the outset, album opener 'King Kong' is as big a song you are likely hear as it is both bold, fresh and exciting.  It sets Stevens out as the sort of performer who has that intangible that you cannot measure - ambition. It is both brave and ballsy to open with a ten-minute track on any album, but it is neither grandiose nor showing off, it is a statement of intent to grab the listener from the beginning.

It continues in the next tracks which are more insular and reflective using violins and piano for atmosphere on 'Disaster' and 'Standards'.

More rockier numbers return with 'The Feeling is Gone' and 'Purring' which gives a balance to the open as a whole.

This album seems like the work Stevens has intended to make for several years, his growth as a person and artist has come to full fruition in the work of Embarrassed Landscape which is both a pleasure and privilege to witness.

Embarrassed Landscape is out now from Gringo Records.

My thanks to One Beat PR for the review opportunity.

FACS Interview

FACS release their third album on 27th March from Trouble in Mind records, I had the pleasure of interviewing Brian Case, guitarist of the band and a Chicago native. Read my review of VOID MOMENTS here

• What is the history of FACS and what is he MO of the group?

FACS formed out of the ashes of Disappears, no real trajectory or mission in mind just wanted to continue making music in relatively the same direction we were headed with Disappears. In that regard, there was no real MO other than letting things play out as they happen and not forcing any ideas into a certain box. That said, we like playing with limitations and having self-imposed constraints.

• How did the three of you come together?

We've all been friends for almost 20 years at this point, mostly through our various bands playing together over the years and community spaces like Empty Bottle and the Rainbo Club. We've all been working musicians that whole time so it was easy to connect and use our shared interests/experiences to make something together.

• How long was the recording process for this album?

Three days to track, I think it was about three days mixing as well but we weren't there for that part.

• Do you go in with an idea of what you want to record or does it come together when you start in the studio?

We try and leave room for both. It's nice to go in and get warmed up with what you know, ideas with some structure or familiarity, but we like to leave as much time to experiment and get uncomfortable or out of our zone. They're equally important in our process.

• What did you listen to when you were growing up?

It was just what I had access to, my parent's record collection, mostly radio. By the time I was a teenager I was almost exclusively listening to whatever Dischord Records was releasing, mixtapes by friends, The Smiths, Sonic Youth.

• What do you listen to nowadays?

It's all over the place, I'm as curious as ever but I'm still as much influenced by my initial sources as I ever was. Today I listened to Wayne Phoenix, Alternative TV, Shabaka and the Ancestors, The Native Cats, Alabaster Deplume, and Fugazi (so far).

• What is your hope for the album now the power of touring has been restricted?

I just want people to listen to it, hopefully in one sitting with no distractions. We don't really have an agenda other than making music and challenging what we think it is we do. Even touring, which we love, is not the priority, it's moving forward and making something unexpected or unknown.

• How do you see the music industry changing due to Covid-19? Are you worried as recording artists?

I'm hoping C-19 changes everything, the whole world. We all need to wake up and look at what we do day to day and figure out how to make things sustainable for the future. In this country there's a lot that needs to be broken down and rebuilt, the music industry included. I hope this forced self isolation is the first step in people looking outside of their own immediate field of vision for a way to move the world forward. We're the virus.

• Chicago Deep Pan or New York slice?

Chicago Deep Dish is trash, disgusting. New York slice is supreme. That said I will never live anywhere else, I firmly believe Chicago is the best city in the world, NYC being a close second.

Go seek out merch and material from FACS bandcamp page here.
Void Moments is out now on all formats

My thanks as always to One Beat PR for the review opportunity.