The Lovebird’s Throat.

Clara Engel talks about the meaning behind her music, her feelings of transcendence whilst making it and how she feels labels put on artists are redundant.

“I am queer, but my gender and the genders of the people I’ve dated doesn’t affect my art nearly as much as what I’ve read and listened to, for example. Gender identity and sexuality is a curious way to categorize art if you really think about it.”

[rating=4]
Released September 23, 2013
Generation Club expands on the minimalist style Love Inks established on their debut, E.S.P., but adopts warmer tones than its predecessor.

“The method in which the band have recorded, and its unpolished sound, allows this album to sound as intimate as the relationships they sing of. Generation Club has the texture of an echo, gently reverberating again and again until its message is heard.”

[rating=2]
47:22 min • Universal • September 16, 2013
Loud Like Love witnesses Placebo stuck in their own groove. Yet what principally lets the album down is its lyrics.

“From a man who has written some of the most twisted and heart-wrenching songs about love such as ‘Taste In Men’ or ‘My Sweet Prince’, a song such as ‘Exit Wounds’ sadly feels underdeveloped and disenchanting.”

Spaces.

Andrew Darley talks to Glasser about making her second album Interiors, a record that explores the physical and emotional world.

“I think my first album came out wonderfully but sometimes I think about how simple the process was compared to this one. With Interiors, it was a much more complicated process and every single sound felt like a life or death decision.”

[rating=3]
Released September 24, 2013
The Broken Promise Land EP is a picture of a band in their teething stages with an ability to create well-produced and enjoyable pop songs.

“Although the EP has moments of beauty and strong melodies, the band is short on their own identity and sound. They are essentially having fun making music together similar to that they themselves listen to.”

Different Perspectives.

Andrew Darley talks to Marco Lawrence, the man behind Hall of Mirrors, a new voice in electronic music.

“Artists like Depeche Mode, Austra, M83, and iamamiwhoami have definitely influenced my production. I think they are great examples of electronic musicians who make music that is danceable while also still having a lot of beautiful and ethereal sounds behind it.”

[rating=3]
Sweden / Norway / Finland / Ireland: 140 min • GarageFilm International • August 16, 2013

There are strong performances in this exposé of 1970s high-class prostitution ring in Sweden but in its attempt to capture all the angles it loses some of its impact.

“Call Girl opens with a declaration that it is based on true events. It centres on the political scandal now known as Bordellhärvan, which involved an active sex trafficking group involving underage girls, whose customers were from the highest ranks of Swedish society and government..”

Chasing Wild Horses.

Clare Carter of The Horn The Hunt talks about the band’s unique sound, and how the upcoming third album promises a big creative leap.

“I can’t say too much about it. It has a title but I want to keep it under wraps for the moment. We’ve only just finished it and we’re not 100% sure when it’s going to be released or who’s releasing it. All I can say is that it’s like the description we started this interview with”

[rating=4]
Released August 12, 2013
Lady Gaga is over. And Lady Gaga is reborn writes Andrew Darley.

“It’s no secret that Andy Warhol has been one of Gaga’s key muses and this album sets to be her most thorough reference and interpretation of his work yet.”

[rating=4]
Released August 19, 2013
With Versions, Zola Jesus delivers a deft and magical re-imagining of some of her best songs.

“Irrespective of whether the music was made in her bedroom by herself, or the bigger productions of her more recent work; there has always been inherent grandeur and touch of drama to Zola Jesus.”