For British progressive and art rock, the relatively short period between March 1973 and December 1974 was particularly fruitful. Roxy Music released ‘For Your Pleasure‘ and ‘Stranded’, Genesis released two of their most ambitious works in ‘Selling England By The Pound’ and ‘The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway’, while King Crimson gave us ‘Larks’ Tongues In Aspic’ and Emerson, Lake & Palmer tipped the scales of self-indulgence with their ‘Brain Salad Surgery’. Meanwhile, Yes continued their long voyage into the epic with the help of ‘Relayer’, and Pink Floyd and Mike Oldfield released albums that would eventually become worldwide all-time best-sellers. Given the quality and love for each of these records, it’s hardly surprising that, in comparison, ‘Turn of The Cards’ – the fourth studio release from British symphonic rock combo Renaissance – hardly ever gets talked about.
Monthly Archives: February 2020
JAGGER HOLLY/THE WINDOWSILL – Saving The Genre, And You Know It… (split)
When approaching a release called ‘Saving The Genre, And You Know It…’, it’s likely you’re expecting the performers to carry a certain amount of arrogance. You’re certainly heading in with high expectations. You might even expect that a title like that would be setting itself up for a fall…
NOPE! This split release between Euro punks Jagger Holly and The Windowsill is bloody amazing.
Listen: Digging For Apples share stream of new single before release
A self-proclaimed feel-good indie rock band from Manchester, Digging For Apples will release a new single on 5th March. The new track, ‘Oblivious’, finds the band applying their guitar driven sound to an arrangement with a very retro and almost soulful edge.
The track’s melodic guitar parts bring to mind elements of the ‘Southern Harmony’ era Black Crowes, but once the track hits its stride, there’s no mistaking the band’s origins as the song also draws a few parallels with the late sixties grooves that filled The Charlatans’ self titled album from 1995.
UGLY RUNNER – Romanticizer EP
Hailing from Asheville, North Carolina, three piece rock band Ugly Runner make a gloriously retro noise on their debut EP ‘Romanticizer’. Across its lean and mean nineteen minutes, you’ll hear echoes of the Stooges, Pixies, The Strokes and more as the band presents six tracks of fierce garage rock mixed with the noisier end of late 80s indie.
HOUSE ABOVE THE SUN – Time I Got Goin’ EP
Three years after their ‘Five Hours North’ album, House Above The Sun make a very welcome return with ‘Time I Got Goin”, a five track EP that explores the full range of their beloved Americana sound. If you’re at all familiar with the band, ‘Time I Got Goin” does exactly what you’d expect, but if anything the new songs feel much warmer and more professional than before. One track, in particular, could be their best song to date.