stone foundation
The Revival of Survival
Reviewed by Mo Longfellow
Album released 28th March 25
Stone Foundation's latest album, ‘The Revival of Survival’, is an exploration of soul, funk, and modern storytelling that will have you moving your feet within the first few bars.
This is their eleventh studio album, 3 years since they released their last album ‘Outside Looking In’. You can hear in that time they’ve put in tons of work and effort to make a sound that is pleasing in so many ways. The album is a blend of soul, disco, and R&B that's evocative & romantic, it’s modern, super tight and I cannot recommend it enough.
They really pushed the boat out in terms of collaborators on this one, with the likes of Omar, Laville, J.P. Bimeni, Carmy Love and regular, Mick Talbot (The Style Council) all making their mark.
From the opening track, the band kicks off with cool rhythms and rich instrumental arrangements that really complement the soulful vocals of Neil Jones and guests. The lyrics are both poignant and uplifting and the music follows it perfectly. There is a choir throughout and when it kicks in it gives the numbers even more of a lift, saying it adds an extra layer is really an understatement. You feel connected with the whole band, like you’ve known them all your life.
I listened to the album again just now in the car on the way home from work, the sun is finally shining and it’s warm which, especially after a day in the office, is an amazing feeling, but you know, even if the sun hadn’t been beaming I’d have got that same good-time feeling listening to this album.
One of my favourite tracks is ‘Summer Song’ featuring Omar. His rich tones and soulful voice give a real feeling of jazz to the number, the backing vocals giving that bit extra in the midsection of the song, elevating it even further. It’s a real heart felt, emotional number which ends the album perfectly.
Conversely the title track is a proper funky little number, bringing funk and disco together. It starts with a super cool drum groove, the hi hats doing the heavy lifting. Then piano, synths and a bass line that I defy anyone not to tap their foot along to, step it all up a gear with some lovely little guitar licks helping it along. The vocals and lyrics are a pure joy and the song demands only to be played loud and enjoyed. And do play it loud cos when the backing vocals and brass section kick in, I promise you, you’ll be glad you have. This track is definitely gonna be on my played most list for the next few weeks or months….in fact, the whole album will be.
As I mentioned at the top, you can tell they’ve all put some proper effort into the making of this album, the quality of production is second to none.
This is truly an album not to be missed, as soon as I’ve submitted this review I’ll be ordering my copy on record before looking where and when they’re next playing live!
the darkness
Dreams on Toast via Cooking Vinyl
Reviewed by Andi Bridges
Album released 28th March 25
When The Darkness sprang into the public conscious some 20 odd years ago, no one was making music that sounded like them. Good time classic rock (n roll) with a big side order of spandex and you either loved it or hated it. I loved it, it was soooo over the top, so…….throwback! I was hooked from the moment I first heard and saw them, (supporting Def Leppard) and I can trace it back to the moment Justin Hawkins got a roadie to carry him, on his shoulders, into the crowd whilst he peeled off a guitar solo. This was the behaviour of a megastar not a support act. He believed, I believed.
So, what do we get on their eighth disc? Comments frontman Justin Hawkins. “God might not be the power she once was, but say what you like about her, she knows damn well that what the world needs now, is rock sweet rock. And who are we, mere mortals of extraordinary ability, to argue with the divine? Of course, the guitars are big and crunchy, you would expect nothing less. The lyrics are still placed firmly into a cheek, there are however a few surprises sprinkled across the album. Some of the songs are country tinged, and Justin seems to be singing in a lower register, however rest assured the falsetto is still there when required.
The addition of Rufus Taylor a couple of albums back has really tightened up the rhythm section, his muscular drumming coupled with Frankie Poullain’s bass playing lays a solid foundation for Dan Hawkins to riff over and Justin to be, well Justin.
Somethings remain stubbornly in place, their ambition to be Queen is still evident. None more so than on set closer Weekend In Rome. Propelled by a Freddie like piano riff, a spoken word middle section and a crescendo of strings. Justin even does a quick passable impression of Mr Mercury. Lead single, The Longest Kiss again nods towards Queen and 70s rock in general.
Opening two numbers, Rock And Roll Party Cowboy and I Hate Myself bring the bombast. The former a list of recognised rock cliches - Jack Danials, Bandana, Ponytail, Harley Davidson, Spiderweb Tattoos and Sew On Patches all get a mention, which in the hands of any other band would be cheesy somehow works because it is The Darkness. Built around a riff that is going to have aficionados of air guitar widdling away, it’s a great opener. The latter a tune about a breakup, with a great chorus, “I hate myself, I hate myself, for two, I hate myself so you don’t have to”.
Special mention must be given to Hot On My Tail, a ditty to farting whilst trying to get it on romantically with your partner. This is the first time the afore mentioned country flavour appears.
The album serves up a veritable feast of rock delicacies. Anyone who has ever thrown the horns or banged their head will find something within the grooves to enjoy. Me, I’m off to change my email address to rocknrollpartycowboy@partycentral.com.
Dirty Projectors, David Longstreth & Stargaze
Song Of The Earth via Transgressive Records
Reviewed by Neil Milner
Album released 4th April 25
This album is epic, experimental and transformative. It’s classical contemporary baroque pop on speed. It’s undoubtably innovative, but it’s experimentation nods both to the past, and an unknown and slightly intimidating future.
David Longstreth is a singer, songwriter, and producer who started the Dirty Projectors. s t a r g a z e is a European orchestral collective of contemporary musicians. Together they are a logical and harmonious fit. The album also features Phil Elverum (Mount Eerie), Steve Lacy, Patrick Shiroishi, Anastasia Coope, Tim Bernardes, Ayoni, Portraits of Tracy, and the author David Wallace-Wells.
There are 24 tracks, so I can only highlight some of them. Gimme Bread sets the tone. Made up of movements, a spiky staccato scream follows a plaintiff piano opening. Then follows a blissful timeless reverie, the staccato returns before frantically picking up pace, and is then punctuated by contrasting wind instruments akin to a soprano and baritone operatic exchange.
Only musical genius can construct or envisage something as wonderful as this.
Our Green Garden begins and ends as a nostalgic extraordinary paean to the world, but is briefly interjected by bursts of dissonance, mostly from the vocals. And it’s under two minutes long!
There are echoes of David Bowie in Opposable Thumb. More Mania is reminiscent of an unconventional Brian Wilson composition. The xylophone drives Mallet Hocket accompanied by more dissonant vocals.
Dancing on our Eyelids exhibits a beautiful monotone lilt and loop, before percussion and vocal synchronise, tormenting us with tremulous textures. Twin Aspens sound like it is lifted straight from a 1960s film soundtrack, with both welcoming and challenging sounds and vocals.
Uninhabitable Earth, Paragraph One, is a key track providing a word-for-word setting of paragraph one of David Wallace-Wells’ 2019 bestseller The Uninhabitable Earth. Longstreath has collaborated with Bjork, and that experience must have had an influence when listening to songs like this. It creates an atmosphere borrowed but not copied from her world.
The arrangements sometime astound me such as on Kyrie / About My Day. I have my suspicions they are from a future time travelling back to now, just to confuse and disturb anyone who cares. I’m staggered by how some of these tracks have been created and arranged, and I have the same sense of wonder and incredulity that I had when first trying to imagine and understand how bread or glass was invented.
Bank On is the longest song, containing more astonishing arrangements. Paper Birches, Whole Scroll is driven by an understated but wonderous vocal melody. Blue of Dreaming is a tender mournful ballad, gently preparing us for the end. Raised Brow ends the record in a strange monosyllabic and uncompromising way, which is apt.
There have been comparisons with American composers Philip Glass and Steve Reich, and in some tracks, I see that. But any moments of minimalism are soon betrayed by accessible engaging intensity and complexity.
At times, the album reminds me of compositions and sonic richness of This Mortal Coil, but Song of Earth is more out there. It’s truly exceptional and groundbreaking, and so will naturally be ignored by most people, but probably loved and appreciated by future generations of artists who will cite it as an important influence.
Track listing:
1. Summer Light
2. Gimme Bread
3. At Home
4. Circled in Purple
5. Our Green Garden
6. Walk the Edge (with Anastasia Coope)
7. Opposable Thumb
8. More Mania
9. Spiderweb at Water's Edge (with Patrick Shiroishi)
10. Mallet Hocket
11. So Blue the Lake
12. Dancing on our Eyelids
13. Same River Twice
loudspeaker icon
14. Armfuls of Flowers (feat. Steve Lacey)
15. Twin Aspens (feat. Mount Eerie & Patrick Shiroishi)
loudspeaker icon
16. Uninhabitable Earth, Paragraph One Focus track
17. Kyrie / About My Day
18. Shifting Shalestones
19. Appetite (with Tim Bernardes)
20. Bank On (with Portraits Of Tracy)
21. Paper Birches, Whole Scroll
22. Raven Ascends (with Patrick Shiroishi)
23. Blue of Dreaming (with Ayoni)
24. Raised Brow
air drawn dagger
A Guide For Apparitions via Long Branch Records
Reviewed by Anya Weston-Shaw
Album released 4th April 25
Air Drawn Dagger, an electro-emo/angst-pop trio featuring vocalist Maisie Manterfield, guitarist Lewis Budden, and drummer Ross Dore, deliver a debut album that transports listeners to a haunting, otherworldly realm.
A Guide for Apparitions moves seamlessly from the ethereal title track “Hymn of the Hag” to the introspective closer “Bellyaches,” with each song crafting a vivid, chaotic soundscape. Maisie’s vocals serve as both a guide and a comforting presence amidst the turbulence, notably on tracks like "Teeth."
Drawing influence from pop-punk legends, Air Drawn Dagger injects a fresh, imaginative twist into the genre. The album’s progression feels like a spirit guide navigating the twists and turns of its sonic world, with occasional glimpses of Manterfield’s regional accent adding authenticity and depth to the lyrics.
A standout moment on the album is the drum intro to “Coma,” where Ross Dore’s skilful, intricate rhythms set the tone for the track’s emotional intensity, immediately drawing the listener in. The album's energy also seems primed for live performances, especially tracks like “Castle” and “Necromancer,” both of which feature explosive breakdowns that are sure to ignite the crowd.
While there are moments of introspection, such as the slower “Cadavers” with its melancholic piano outro, the momentum quickly shifts back to high energy with “MaidenMotherCrone,” a standout track that encapsulates the album’s dynamic range.
In summary, A Guide for Apparitions is an evocative, genre-defying debut that captures both the chaos and comfort of navigating through an alternative reality.
voice of the beehive
Honey Lingers via London Records
Reviewed by Stuart Condie
Album released 4th April 25
Released all the way back in 1991, Honey Lingers was the second album release by Voice of the Beehive. This was a band and an album that largely passed me by first time round so I’m not approaching this re-release as I would something familiar and established as a favourite. Depending on your preferred format, you’re either getting the original album on vinyl or a jam-packed 2 CD set with a whole heap of alternative versions and mixes as well as new songs and some live takes to boot.
Fronted by Californian lead vocalist sisters Tracey Bryn and Melissa Brooke Belland, the band produced three studio albums between 1988 and 1996, although by the time of the last of these, Sex & Misery, it was just the sisters left, the remaining British band members having returned home to pursue their individual careers (including drumming for Madness). The debut, Let It Bee, charted a little higher than this one in the UK. Sadly, the third didn’t trouble the official UK charts at all.
What you get here are proper punchy pop-rock songs long enough to get their hooks in but never outstaying their welcome. The longest track on the original album clocks in at 3’39”. The uniting concept is sexual politics and the everlasting uncertainties of love, sex and romance. If the actual messy business of sex itself is alluded to (try saying the name of the album quickly) it’s done in the lyrically cleverest ways. It’s all (surprisingly heavy) guitar-driven and generally upbeat, up-tempo stuff with big choruses and sass to spare. The extra tracks feature collaborations – a couple of Don Was mixes and a guest appearance by Jimmy Somerville being perhaps the most successful.
We kick off with Monsters and Angels and an opening line that in some ways sets the scene for everything that follows. “I’m nobody’s wife, and I’m nobody’s baby, I like it that way, but then again… maybe”. Independence but always playing the mating game. Big chords sit over a relentless and urgent rhythmic pattern which is almost explicitly supporting the idea that, “There’s a peacefulness and a rage inside us all”. Adonis Blue treads similar ground musically, this time the constant shuffle coming from the insistent drum pattern. The middle eight hints at darker harmonic territory before a restrained but interesting guitar break takes us back to the more mainstream playout.
I Think I love You is a cover and was one of three singles from the album. The verse sits on top of a descending sequence of chords pushed along on the piano before the power chords gain ascendance again. “I think I love you, so what am I so afraid of?” Another example of lyrical tension or internal contradiction / doubt with big chunks of something that sounds a lot like Abba to me. Look At Me comes over as something more aggressive and challenging and there’s a definite dig at televangelists and others being driven by ego.
Beauty To My Eyes is much more musically mellow than the preceding tracks with big washes of what could almost be slide guitar sitting under the chorus and strings filling the short chorus with additional texture. I have to say that I don’t think the middle eight feels like it was intended for this song; the shift between that and the rest of the song feels too abrupt and tonally awkward.
Just Like You has a great almost live feel and some great lines like, “You are the church of love and suddenly I’m feeling holy”. The normal guitar domination is supplemented with some very tasteful horns and the overall feel is like being at a party where everyone wants to be dancing. Little Gods feels like the weakest track on the original album to me. I’ve played it through a good few times and just don’t get it. It’s of a piece with the rest of the album but just doesn’t have the same impact as the rest.
The songwriting credit for this one is for Marvin Etzioni who tends to be thought of more of an alt-country performer and composer. Maybe it was just a little bit of a stretch to make that fit here.
The start of I’m Shooting Cupid felt to me that it could have come straight from early REM. The notable point here is not just the chiming guitars but also the additional space afforded the vocals throughout. As elsewhere, the vocal harmonies are terrific. Interestingly there’s a hint of something heavier in the guitar figure right at the end which doesn’t get developed.
The opening chords of Say It immediately took me to Should I Stay or Should I Go? but the reference is fleeting before we hit familiar territory. Lines like, “Silence is golden and promises go rusty” are just typical of the whip smart and cynical attitude throughout the whole album. Perfect Place sounds initially as if it’s going to hit a more contemplative tone but again there is a big chorus to reassure. This was a single release too and I definitely knew this one. Was it ever used as a TV theme song perhaps?
That being the end of the album as originally released, I‘m not trawling forensically through the rest of the CD package, but there are some highlights. Only If You Want To is a bit of a stomp over a straight and tight 4 in a bar drum beat while Pocketsize has a distinct rockabilly vibe. The Don Was mix of I Think I Love You has a lot of the tricks we all used to love on 12” single remixes; huge sounding drums, breakdown passages with the vocals right up front and the mock-scratching orchestral stabs that even Yes fell prey to in the 90s.
Although a high energy, Jimmy Somerville-assisted cover of a classic Stones song wasn’t ever on my Christmas list, I will own to quite liking what’s been done to Gimme Shelter. The “Acoustic Version” tracks (at least one of which manifestly isn’t) do make it very clear that it was the vocal style of this band which was distinctive rather than the production and that the song structures are strong. The comparisons with the B52s on the 7” version of Just Like You are too obvious to ignore.
As if to underline my earlier point about the overfall theme of the album, it’s hard to ignore anything labelled an “Orgy Mix”, particularly where the song concerned was originally recorded by the ever so wholesome Partridge Family. I’m not sold on this mix being anymore salacious than anything else here, but full marks for attention grabbing. There are a lot of versions of Perfect Place and I Think I love You across the two discs but there’s no doubt that VB - Goddess Of Love (Vocal Mix) is the most “out there” of all of them. Does this mean that Voice of the Beehive could have been a convincing electronica act? Well, maybe but I did find myself missing the guitars and analogue drums so obviously on display elsewhere.
The half dozen live takes at the end of CD2 do show a rockier side to the band but still with the immaculate harmonies. That makes the decision to end this set with a cover of Sit Down which doesn’t really allow for that aspect of the band to come out all the more puzzling.
As an exercise in nostalgia this is a great, if somewhat repetitive set. I don’t particularly know what prompted this reissue now – 34th anniversary releases not being a common phenomenon – and I don’t know that stretching it out over two packed CDs was strictly necessary but if jangly guitars, fabulous harmonies and big attitude are your things, there’s lots to love in the original album itself.
CD1
01 Monsters And Angels
02 Adonis Blue
03 I Think I Love You
04 Look At Me
05 Beauty To My Eyes
06 Just Like You
07 Little Gods
08 I’m Shooting Cupid
09 Say It
10 Perfect Place
11 Waitress
12 Only If You Want To
13 Pocketsize
14 Something About God
15 Shine Away
16 Dumb Club (Alternative Version) **
17 I Think I Love You (Don Was Guilty Pleasure Mix)
18 Perfect Place (7” Version)
19 Gimme Shelter (with Jimmy Somerville)
20 Say It (Acoustic Version) **
21 I’m Shooting Cupid (Acoustic Version) **
22 Perfect Place (Acoustic Version) **
CD2
01 Monsters And Angels (Alternative Version) **
02 I Think I Love You (Original Version 7” Remix) **
03 Look At Me (Original Remix) **
04 Just Like You (Phil Harding 7” Version) **
05 Little Gods (Spector Christmas Version) **
06 Perfect Place (Piano Version) **
07 Monsters And Angels (12” Version) **
08 I Think I Love You (Orgy Mix)
09 Perfect Place (Pat Collier Version) **
10 I Think I Love You (Don Was 1st Mix) **
11 VB - Goddess Of Love (Vocal Mix) **
12 I’m Shooting Cupid (Live) **
13 Little Gods (Live) **
14 Monsters And Angels (Live) **
15 Only If You Want To (Live) **
16 Adonis Blue (Live) **
17 Sit Down (Live)
** Previously unreleased
the chords UK
But Then Again (The best Of)
Reviewed by Chris Morley
Album released 4th April 25
Music is of course rife with burning debates- & on this evidence another is about to be submitted for consideration.
Namely, should there be a cut- off point for compilations, as for even die- hard Chords fans 44 songs will surely feel like a bit of a stretch!
Perhaps a more natural home would be on any Nuggets- ish exhumation of forgotten gold from the Mod- revival period. Artyfacts From The British Empire in a natty jacket & playing the Marquee, given that the band meets the admittedly loose criteria set out by Lenny Kaye in putting together his definitive study of the garage- band era over in the States...
If any similar exercise covering its slightly sharper- suited equivalent this side of the pond, Now It's Gone & Maybe Tomorrow at least would probably be shoe- ins having helped catch the ear of the likes of Paul Weller & Jimmy Pursey.
Everything else feeling like an exercise in extreme completism stitched around a few cult hits- which in themselves probably helped define an oft-forgotten little brother to the wider kick- start delivered by the likes of the Jam.
As such a shorter, sharper set is surely what's needed to better reflect that quick flash of impact, white- hot but snuffed out far too quickly, the original Chords one of its first casualties once the moment passed.
yann tiersen
Rathlin From a Distance / The Liquid Hour via Mute
Reviewed by Dave Flerin
Album released 4th April 25
The Wall of Sound editor has certainly provided me with a challenge by asking me to review an album by French pianist and composer, Yann Tiersen. Given I know nothing about piano, I’m gagging to hear what’s on this album. Turns out Yann is also a sailor, and his connection with sailing and the sea informs this whole record. And to add further complication, it’s split into two distinct halves. “Rathlin From a Distance” is comprised of eight piano pieces named after locations visited by Tiersen on his seafaring odysseys.
By way of contrast, “The Liquid Hour” is more hypnotic, ambient electronica; inspired by a particular moment when he gazed upon the lights of Belfast, alone at the helm of his sailboat in the middle of the night after nearly two months at sea, reflecting on the city’s troubled history and its connection to broader political struggles. Heavy stuff! Reviewing this one, I also feel like I’m setting sail myself, but with absolutely no clue as to what I’m doing. Around Yann’s world in 80 minutes (I'm here all week). Here goes…
“Ninnog” is our introduction and is the sound of calm waters; melancholic, but hopeful. And I swear I can almost see the sun reflecting on the ripples of the sea, it’s that evocative. The rest of “Rathlin From a Distance” – to me - is the sound of joy, reflection, sorrow, ruminating, and trying to make sense of things. All the pieces are quite distinct from each other, but you can feel a thread running through it all. I must admit, I’m absolutely sold on it. Thankfully, it’s the antithesis of Jools Holland’s ivory tinkling.
This is serious art. There’s substance, layers, and contemplation to be found here; it’s a honky-tonk-free zone. To put in on at a party would be social suicide, unless you wanted everyone to leave; but you could find a place for it in those quiet moments we all have when we’re relaxing and just… thinking.
In the press release Yann says, when it’s just you, your ship, and the sea, “the waves demand honesty,” and you just know he’s giving you something special to hear. His technical piano-playing talent is itself a gift, but when that’s paired with the ability to compose new music reaching these levels of artistry, the result is pretty extraordinary.
Leaving behind the solo piano compositions, we’re now onto “The Liquid Hour” with “Stourm” starting off all Vangelis/Blade Runner-like before mutating into far more oblique French electronica territory. It has a real sophisticated beauty to it. “Arne”, too, is an incredible, pulsating beast of a song; made all the better for Émilie Quinquis’ haunting vocals.
This second part of the album is an intoxicating mix; pummelling, jabbing, and soothing the senses. On the surface, very at odds with the simple piano of the “Rathlin From a Distance” part of the record, but then again, not. Yann’s just using a different language to share his message. Such are the benefits of being bilingual. Overall, “The Liquid Hour” is great, and its highs are very high. The essence of what it is to be human runs right through the whole of this breath-taking album.
I wish I had the time and the money to go see him perform at The Barbican in London on April 19th. If you can buy, beg, borrow or steal to get there I’d fully recommend you do. What a thrill it must be to see any of this record in a live setting. “Rathlin From a Distance | The Liquid Hour” by Yann Tiersen is released on vinyl, CD and digitally on April 4th on Mute.
