The latest album by Felix Danilo finds him exploring different musical textures where the main (and often only) instrument is a multi-layered guitar full of reverb. Although the album is mostly instrumental, he is joined by singer Kayla McGee one song, and by his...

One Man Bannister is the name used by Hamilton-based Matthew Banister when he is not performing in one of his bands such as Sneaky Feelings or The Changing Same, and this is his latest album. It is somewhat unusual in that for the 16 songs he took poems written by...

I first came across these guys a few months back when I saw them open for Daniel Armstrong & The Monsoons and I was immediately impressed by their approach which was both effective and infectious, so I was pleased when this single recently came my way. They are a...

It has been quite a while since Greta released her debut single, Outnumbered, but now she is back with the follow-up which is a precursor for an EP which is hopefully not too far in the distant future. What we have here is a solid case of alt-folk/dream pop which is...

I thoroughly enjoyed the last Tablefox album, Battles, while I was also fortunate enough to recently catch them supporting Capital Theatre so was looking forward to their new single. Musically they are based in alt rock, but that covers a multitude of sins, and they...

The first thing which struck me about this single, even before I listened to it, is that the artwork is such a strange shape, but given that many of these are only released digitally these days there is no actual reason they need to be square at all, and I really like...

Seven years ago, I was fortunate to see one of the mightiest pairings ever at a metal gig, namely Carcass supporting Napalm Death, a line-up I never thought I would see in New Zealand. Most of the world see Shane Embury as the godfather of grindcore (and rightfully...

It might look from the cover that Samantha was playing her guitar in a garage, and that is exactly what is happening as that is where this was recorded (apart from the bass and drums which were recorded in Chile). I have lost count of how many artists I have reviewed...

Genre: Psychadelic Blues Produced by Label/Studio: Apollon Records Format: CD / Album, 42min https://www.facebook.com/oledevilandthespiritchasers Rating 80/100 One of the joys, resulting from the mission of reviewing music is getting to know more about the band and...

It seems to have been ages since I last heard from The RVMES, and I can see from looking through my records that it is more than a year since I last saw them play, and also more than a year since I reviewed their excellent album, Lifetime. Now they are back with the...

Earlier this year I was fortunate to be asked to review Tō Ihu, one of the four singles to be made available from this album so far, and I was just blown away by what I was hearing. Allana Goldsmith is a classic jazz songstress with warm and embracing vocals while...

Pianist Erik Dahl is back with his latest album, and yet again his piano is very much the focal point of everything contained within. He has a few musicians assist on some of the songs to provide additional flavour and depth, but often it is just one man and his...

I have been a fan of Sweden’s Evergrey for more than 20 years, and although they have had quite a few line-up changes in their history, singer/guitarist Tom S. Englund has always been there while the return of guitarist Henrik Danhage and drummer Jonas Ekdahl in 2014...

Back in 2018 I was contacted by Stephen Latin-Kasper who had just recorded his debut album as Infinitwav and released it straight onto vinyl, which impressed me immensely. Fast forward to 2021 and he contacted me again, this time to ask if I would cast my ears over...

This is a somewhat unusually presented album in that the first four tracks are then combined with another piece to make a fifth which takes up more than half the album. Jimmy Ryan provides electric guitar and bass, and he is joined on this very relaxed harmonious...

CD Private Self Release on Malicious / Distribution Echozone Stockholm, Sweden. Goth Rock/Dark Rock Facebook Rating 85/100 ‘Les Fleurs Du Mal’ are a Swedish duo comprising brothers Axel & August Grim who base their musical output on ‘Les Fleurs du mal’ the 1857...

Private Press Double Abum Rock Pop Electronica Rating 80/100 https://www.facebook.com/majorparkinson ‘Valesa’ Chapter One is the fifth studio album from Major Parkinson and is a far and out excursion away from their previous enterprises. Of course, the whacky lyrical...

This is the debut single from Christchurch-based rock group Electric Temples, and the thing which impresses me most right from the off is the use of space. When a band starts, it is easy to throw the kitchen sink into a recording instead of understanding that often...