Category: Reviews

CONCERT REVIEW – STEVIE NICKS at Acrisure Arena

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Reviews26 Comments

On December 5th, thanks to the generosity of a neighborhood friend, I was gifted two tickets to see the living legend that is Stevie Nicks at the Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert (the same venue where I saw the Eagles and Tears for Fears/Cold War Kids concerts earlier this year). Though I’ve been a long-time fan of both Nicks and Fleetwood Mac, I sadly have never before seen her nor Fleetwood Mac in concert, so it was a thrill to finally see her perform live. She toured earlier in the year from March through June, then later extended her tour, beginning with a show on October 1st at Madison Square Garden, that will conclude December 15th in San Francisco. She’ll resume her tour in February with a run of eight shows, ending with a rescheduled concert with Billy Joel in Arlington, Texas on March 9th.

On the most recent leg of her tour, Nicks was accompanied by the lovely Nashville-based Country singer-songwriter Ingrid Andress, who opened for her. A successful artist in her own right, Andress has released two albums, Lady Like in 2020 and Good Person in 2022, as well as several singles, two of which – “More Hearts Than Mine” and “Wishful Drinking”, a duet with Sam Hunt – reached the top 10 on the Billboard Country Songs chart. In late 2020, she was nominated for three Grammy Awards, for Best Country Song (“More Hearts Than Mine”), Best Country Album (Lady Like), and Best New Artist.

I couldn’t find a setlist for her 35-minute long performance, for which she was joined by a guitarist, but she sang eight songs, some while playing piano and some while standing, with a guitar as the only musical accompaniment. While I wasn’t familiar with any of her songs, I enjoyed them a lot, as well as her warm and engaging personality. She joked that all her songs are sad, and also mentioned how honored and thrilled she was to be opening for one of her biggest music idols.

I didn’t film her performing any of her songs, but here’s the video for her beautiful “More Hearts Than Mine”:

After a half-hour long break, Stevie Nicks’ band strolled onto the stage while Tom Petty and the Heartbreaker’s song “Runnin’ Down A Dream” blasted through the speakers. Nicks soon joined them to thunderous applause, upon which she launched into “Outside the Rain” from her hugely successful debut solo album Bella Donna, which was released in 1981.

As with any artist who’s been performing for as long as she has – nearly 50 years – I must admit that I had a bit of trepidation given that she’s now 75. But the moment she began to sing, her distinctive voice sounded as vibrant and strong as ever, albeit a bit huskier and deeper. Wearing a billowing dress that was black on top and silvery gray below, her mic stand festooned with her signature ribbons and beads, the still beautiful Nicks served up some of her best-loved hits with a her bewitching grace and stage presence. The graphics, photos and light displays behind the stage were fantastic, and some of the best I’ve seen at any concert.

Without missing a beat, she and her band immediately segued into “Dreams”, my all-time favorite Fleetwood Mac song, followed by her hit “If Anyone Falls” from her 1983 album The Wild Heart. She then welcomed everyone, thanking us for coming to her show, and reminisced about how she came to record “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around” with Tom Petty, who wrote and produced the track, which was the lead single from Bella Donna. She admitted that she’d had a bit of a crush on Petty, and spoke about how cool and down to earth he was.

In between songs, Nicks entertained us with both humorous and heartwarming stories and anecdotes from her long career, including her recollection of events that prompted Stephen Stills to pen the Buffalo Springfield classic “For What It’s Worth”; it wasn’t a political protest, but rather a bunch of young people who got too rowdy on Sunset Strip one night, resulting in the police coming to break things up. She sang the song, which she’d recorded a cover of last year (2022). She briefly left the stage after singing “Wild Heart”, then returned wearing the beautiful blue floor-length cape she wore for the album cover photo of Bella Donna. Before singing the title track, she recalled that her mother chided her for spending $3,000 on it at the time (1981), adding that it was worth every cent.

She later sang “Soldier’s Angel”, which she originally wrote for her 2011 album In Your Dreams, but felt it was relevant to the situation in Ukraine, particularly the suffering of Ukrainian troops by the Russian invasion. She ended her set with an electrifying performance of her iconic hit “Edge of Seventeen”. Her backing band and singers are outstanding, as evidenced in the final part of the song which I captured with my mobile phone:

When the song ended, Nicks and her band left the stage, but we knew they’d be back because she hadn’t yet sung one of her most beloved songs. When they reappeared, she performed “Free Fallin'” in a heartwarming tribute to Tom Petty, followed by her Fleetwood Mac song “Rhiannon”. She ended her show with an emotional performance of “Landslide”, dedicated to her fellow Fleetwood Mac member Christine McVie, who passed away last year. Both “Free Fallin'” and “Landslide” were accompanied by numerous photos of the two late musicians, some of them featuring Nicks. She performed for two full hours, showing that age is just a number. As she and her band exited, McVie’s solo song “Got a Hold on Me” wafted over the departing audience on the Arena’s sound system. It was a perfect ending to a beautiful show.

I managed to capture “Landslide” in its entirety with my phone, and other than for the annoying phones of a few people in front of me partially blocking the view, the video I shot turned out pretty well I think.

Stevie Nicks setlist:

  1. Outside the Rain
  2. Dreams (Fleetwood Mac song)
  3. If Anyone Falls
  4. Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around
  5. Fall From Grace
  6. For What It’s Worth (Buffalo Springfield cover)
  7. Gypsy (Fleetwood Mac song)
  8. Wild Heart
  9. Bella Donna
  10. Stand Back
  11. Soldier’s Angel
  12. Gold Dust Woman (Fleetwood Mac song)
  13. I Sing for the Things
  14. Edge of Seventeen

Encore:

  1. Free Fallin’ (Tom Petty cover)
  2. Rhiannon (Fleetwood Mac song)
  3. Landslide (Fleetwood Mac song)

Composer/Guitarist Terry Gomes Releases Animated Video for “Dark Riders”

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Reviews13 Comments

Terry Gomes is a composer/guitarist from Ottawa, Canada who’s been involved with music his entire life, both as a musician, singer-songwriter and composer of instrumental music, and as a teacher of rock and classical guitar. (He also taught elementary school for 26 years.) He studied classical guitar/composition at the University of Ottawa, where he graduated with honors. Over the years, he’s played in several rock bands and as one half of a flute/classical guitar duo. After writing songs for others, he began recording his own music in 2006, releasing three albums featuring songs in the singer-songwriter/pop/folk-rock genres. He later transitioned toward mostly guitar-based instrumental music, beginning with the release of his album Shh., which featured a more jazz-oriented, easy-listening style. In 2015, he released his Caribbean-influenced EP Blue.Green.Aquamarine, which he followed with The Tropical Dream in 2018, a delightful concept album detailing a tropical vacation written while he recovered from a back injury.

In 2019, Terry released an instrumental single “Rumjaro 360”, in which he combined elements of rumba, jazz and rock, and in 2022, he released two beautiful piano-based singles, “Elegy” and the jazzy “Steen’s Reverie”. Now he returns with “Dark Riders“, a rather unorthodox rock guitar soundtrack he wrote several years ago, accompanied by a quirky animated video. For the recording of the track, Terry played all guitars, bass and organ, and Jeff Asselin played drums and percussion. Mixing was done by Steve Foley at Audio Valley Studios in Ottawa, and mastering by Jason Fee at Conduction Mastering.

“Dark Riders” is a six and a half minute long instrumental track with progressive elements, though Terry’s twangy guitars lend a strong Western vibe to the proceedings. I love his guitar work, and the spooky organ adds some great texture to the track. About the video, Terry says “Encompassing a surreal “dark ride” with Old West imagery, it follows an individual’s unexpected and unusual journey. I think of this project as a cross between David Lynch and Scooby Doo–somewhat creepy and surreal and yet, sort of, fun.” The fun and clever video was made with mostly black and white animation images created by Andres Olmos.

Find more of Terry’s music on Spotify / Apple Music / Amazon Music / YouTube / Website

The Formerly Misinformed & Secret Postal Society – Single Review: “Underneath the Same Stars”

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Reviews8 Comments
Single Artwork by Raj Chand of Weird Triangle

In the creation of music, good things often arise when artists of different backgrounds come together to collaborate on a song or album, as the pooling of their individual songwriting and musical talents and feeding off each other’s creativity can generate some wonderful musical alchemy. Such is the case with the new collaborative single “Underneath the Same Stars”, by Texas indie rock band The Formerly Misinformed and Welsh indie artist Secret Postal Society, the music project of prolific singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Craig Mapstone.

The Formerly Misinformed is a family band comprised of siblings Brandon Green, Erica Jones and Emily Henney, and their father Terry Green. Together, they create a pleasing brand of alternative indie rock, with strong elements of folk and singer-songwriter. Brandon also hosts and produces a music podcast Gimme These Two. They released their debut album All In A Dream in 2020, followed by a number of singles and an EP Let’s Pretend it’s Fine in 2022.

Photo of The Formerly Misinformed by Eric Cabrera

As Secret Postal Society, Craig wrote, recorded and released an astonishing 53 songs in 2021. Though his music style can generally be described as primarily pop-rock infused with indie folk, it’s actually quite eclectic, often drawing upon elements of progressive, experimental, grunge, post-punk and alternative rock. I’ve previously featured him twice on this blog, in which I wrote about his herculean songwriting efforts, which you can read about here and here. Since then, the busy guy has released more music, took over as host of the Welsh Connections Playlist radio show, and along with his friends Mike Kennedy and Kaysha Louvain, created TIWN Media and TIWN PR & Plugging, which also produces and monthly magazine featuring news, reviews and articles about independent artists from Wales and beyond.

Photo of Craig Mapstone by Jon Plimmer of GSD Media

Brandon and Craig collaborated on “Underneath the Same Stars”, co-writing, recording and producing the track remotely from their respective homes in Texas and Wales. Each recorded their parts and ideas, emailing them back and forth as they gradually built up the song from scratch. Additional vocals were sung by The Formerly Misinformed member Erica.

The result is five minutes of musical bliss. The song has a pleasing vibe and a compelling melody, but what’s particularly striking to my ears is the outstanding instrumentation. Brandon and Craig’s dual guitar work is both intricate and stunning, with a colorful array of textures that go from chiming and shimmery, to jangly and grungy. The bass, percussion and piano are all superb too, and I love that deep throbbing bassline in the bridge, accompanied by an enchanting psychedelic guitar riff.

As for the song’s meaning, Craig explained that it’s “a stream of consciousness about time passing and the ups and downs of life, and how – no matter how far apart two people are geographically – we can still be there for one another as we’re all underneath the same stars.” Both Brandon and Craig share vocal duties, and their comforting, low-key vocal styles complement each other quite well. Erica’s gentle backing vocals in the choruses blend nicely with Craig’s as they sing “It’s OK love, I will still be here when everything is falling down. Don’t be scared. Although we’re far apart, we’re still underneath the same stars.”

“Underneath the Same Stars” is a wonderful song, and a fine collaboration between two very talented acts. I hope The Formerly Misinformed and Secret Postal Society will create more music together again!

And here’s the song on Bandcamp:

Connect with The Formerly Misinformed on Instagram

Find their music on Bandcamp / Spotify / Apple Music / Amazon Music / YouTube

 Connect with Secret Postal Society:  Facebook / Instagram 

Find his music on  Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube

LEWCA – Album Review: “Boombap For Boomers”

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Reviews15 Comments

As I wrote last October when I reviewed his brilliant album Friday Night Rockstar (which you can read here), singer-songwriter-musician Lewca is one of the funniest, most creative and irreverent artists I’ve come across, with a deliciously bawdy sense of humour. As he cheekily states in his bio, “Lewca was born in a squat in Brixton, by age nineteen he was living in a squat in Paris, go figure. After studying fine art and dabbling in film, he started making music just before he was too old to die young. His influences range from cheap beer to expensive rum, and also The Clash, The Streets, Sleaford Mods, LCD Soundsystem, Bob Dylan, Eminem, Tom Waits…whoever is making decent music. He currently lives in Normandy, has three kids, a mortgage, and a semi-domesticated hedgehog named ‘Sonic’.”

To reiterate, he’s been making music for years, and after being in a few bands “that fell apart for the usual reasons”, he decided to embark on his own music project as Lewca in 2018. Although he collaborates with lots of different musicians on his projects, his main partner in crime is S.O.A.P. (shorthand for Son of A Pitch), a Parisian composer, producer, drum & bass DJ and beatmaker he met at a gig in 2013. Their partnership grew from a shared love of wonky beats, British soundscapes and a healthy dose of humour, along with an “expectation of absolute world domination and unfathomable wealth, obviously”. Together, they make exciting, zany and eclectic music drawing from a multitude of genres ranging from alternative rock, post-punk and indie pop to hip hop, drum and bass and nu disco.

Now the dynamic duo are back with another uproarious new album Boombap for Boomers, and I’m here for it! Though Lewca is far too young to be a Boomer (the generation I sit squarely in the middle of) and is most likely at the tail end of Generation X, he perfectly articulates the puzzled bewilderment of a middle-aged working stiff and parent coming to terms with the fact he’s not young anymore. As for the word “boombap”, a quick Wikipedia search revealed it to be a subgenre of hip hop that’s “an onomatopoeia representing the sounds used for the bass (kick) drum and snare drum, respectively.” The style was apparently prominent on the East Coast of the U.S. during the golden age of hip hop from the late 1980s to the early 1990s.

Lewca says Boombap for Boomers, the second album to come from the basement sessions with S.O.A.P., “is as laid back as ‘Friday Night Rockstar” was angst ridden“, adding that it’s “about time passing, personal doubts and demons, abuse and dreams that will never come true.” All the lyrics were written by Lewca and the music composed by S.O.A.P., who also mixed the tracks. Mastering was done by Blanka. Besides Lewca and S.O.A.P., additional vocals and/or instrumentals on the album were performed by the artists MC Burnoot (of Scottish band Fire Up The Sun), Mick Swagger, Jamaican dancehall artist Elephant Man, Faya Braz, OrangeG, John Michie, Ian Williamson, Christelle Canot, Cody and Dylan Forsyth, and Luis.

The album kicks off with blaring bagpipes and the voice of Scottish artist MC Burnoot trashing the album right from the get-go on the 32-second long “Fire Up the Intro“: “What the fuck is this? I’ve just finished listening to the new record by Lewca and let me tell ya, it’s pure dogshit. ‘Boombap for Boomers’, what in the fuck is that?” Next up is “Peace of Mind“, a delightful tune about facing yourself after having sold your soul to the Devil to get what you thought you wanted: “Does the Devil now have my number, or have I always been in hell? All I ever wanted, was peace of mind. Bought a brand new soul, with a piece of mine. All those Sunday mornings, behind locked doors. I had all I needed, but I wanted more.” I love the slow, honky tonk piano riff, carnival-like synths and quirky childlike background vocals and sound effects that give the song its zany feel.

Single art by Anoosh from Fivr

Even more delightful is “Roundabout“, where Lewca reminisces about lazy summers spent with friends during his teen years: “Sitting in the middle of a roundabout, smoking weed and wonderin’ what life’s about. Spend a whole summer hanging out, pretending we were free. And I guess we were somehow.” As the song progresses, he sings of how that comaraderie is recaptured when they meet up again as adults with kids of their own, knowing those kids will end up behaving just the same, also viewing him as “a geezer who’s out of touch“. Once again, Lewca and S.O.A.P. employ all sorts of quirky instruments and goofy sound effects to create a lighthearted and playful vibe.

On “I Got it All“, he questions whether material possessions really make us successful, acknowledging with his usual cheeky humour that he’s already satisfied with what he’s got: “Got a beautiful wife that can hardly stand me. We got a nice house, yeah we got a nice family. Car that starts every once in a while. Different colored doors really give it a style./ I don’t need shit, mate. King of the world, mate. I got it all!” Listening to Lewca sing, I can’t help but compare his deep, heavily accented vocals to those of Mick Jagger. Conversely, the jazzy hip hop track “Day Job” sees him lamenting about the difficulties of making it in the music industry: “The game’s fucked up, and with the money I make in music, I’ll be giving it up” Guest vocalist Mick Swagger raps in agreement “I guess we do it for the love / Money’s a disease and I’m tryin’ to catch it / Fingers crossed, but ain’t we quittin’ day jobs yet.”

“Quite Like Me” has Lewca and S.O.A.P. teaming up with Jamaican dancehall (a style of reggae known as ragga or dub) legend Elephant Man, who Lewca said they “managed to get by basically cold calling him drunk.” Apparently written as a vehicle for the dream collaboration, the song celebrates the joys of being a totally unique artist with a style like no one else. With call and response lyrics, Elephant man ponders “Why you do what we do?”, to which Lewca replies “There’s nobody quite like me.”

On the madcap drum and bass gem “All Grown Up“, Lewca decries the soul-killing responsibilities of adulthood and how desperately he wants to avoid it: “We’re all grown up, and it fucking sucks! Oh no, I don’t wanna grow. I refuse to be an adult.” Once again, S.O.A.P. draws from his bag of musical tricks to create a playful sense of mayhem with goofy synths, funhouse sound effects, squeaking toys and the child voices of brothers Cody and Dylan Forsyth. All that being said, there are times when Lewca simply must perform his role as an adult in order to get his kids off to school, despite suffering from a hangover, on the wonderful ska song “Monday Morning“.  

One of my favorite songs on he album is the superb title track “Boombap for Boomers“, a celebration of the music Lewca and S.O.A.P. make: “I really got nothing to say, just rappin’ some shit, hope it sounds okay / We ain’t got a lot of talent, but we do what we can / We ain’t in it for the money, we’re just booming boombap.” With its propulsive drum and bass beat, wobbly industrial synths and intense scratching, the song is an exhilarating blast from start to finish.

And speaking of exhilarating, “Discoboy” nicely delivers with a wonderful pulsating house dance groove, exuberant piano keys and a colorful blend of gnarly and swirling synths. Featuring some terrific beatbox by French beatboxer and looper Faya Braz, the song encourages us to lose ourselves on the dancefloor while ignoring the haters and judgemental pricks, and practice a live and let live attitude by embracing others’ differences. Lewca frantically raps “Be who you want in life, fuck who you wanna fuck, goddamn, and fuck them haters / Forget the grind, the world outside, let’s lose our minds again.” 

Featuring a buoyant retro 80s synthpop vibe, “Internet Recovery” opens with those annoying dial up sounds we all suffered through in the early days of the internet. Lewca cleverly uses a computer reboot as a metaphor for reviving his exhausted and frazzled self “I’m running on fumes, mate. It’s like my system is about to shut down / I need to regroup, get my shit together / Best guess is to erase the whole damn disk, format my mind, I might cease to exist.“

One of the many things I love about Lewca’s songs are the entertaining and humorous stories he weaves. On the autobiographical “Life, innit?“, he tells of his marriage, and how it went to shit: “I met a girl / We had sex, we fell in love, we had more sex / We got married on a beach / We had kids, we left the city / We got a loan, we bought a house / I did it up, but guess what, she threw me out / Love is funny like that, innit mate.” But later in the song, he confesses that his marriage is in fact pretty good: “Full disclosure, I was just kidding. Me and my wife, we’re okay, we’re still winning. I’m so happy we’re still together. But for this song, getting thrown out just worked better.” With a deep drum and bass house groove, lots of glitchy sounds, and guitar played by British singer-songwriter and musician John Michie, it’s a great track.

The closing track “Daydreaming“, a mellow Americana-tinged ska song featuring charming banjo strumming by Pittsburgh artist OrangeG, continues the autobiographical theme with Lewca confessing some of his shortcomings, which aren’t really so serious at the end of the day: “I played a fool / Made believe that I break the rules / My life is one big bluff, but too much is never enough / Daydreaming, wasting my life away / Nothing’s gonna be okay, and that’s okay with me.” It’s a heartwarming end to a fantastic, massively entertaining and thoroughly enjoyable album.

Boombap for Boomers will also be available in a limited edition Halloween Orange 12-inch Vinyl. For purchases within the UK, Lewca advises pre-ordering through the Wax & Beans website shorturl.at/zFKT9, as the postage will be more affordable.

Connect with Lewca on Facebook / X (Twitter) / Instagram / TikTok

Find his music on Bandcamp / Spotify / Apple Music / Soundcloud / YouTube

leaving richmond – EP Review: “Radiant Apparitions”

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Reviews14 Comments
Photo by Roland Wilhelm

leaving richmond is the instrumental electronic music project of exceptionally talented Los Angeles-based composer and producer Jordan Pier. For the past 13 years or so, he’s had success both as a recording artist and as a composer of music for a wide range of TV shows, documentaries, audio books and advertisements. Since 2010, he’s released numerous albums, EPs and singles, including his outstanding most recent album Visions in 2020 (read my review here).

Some of the notable TV programs his music has been featured on include VICE, True Crime (Oxygen), Killer Cases (A&E), Cold Case Files (A&E), Unidentified With Demi Lovato (Peacock), The Toys That Built America (History Channel) and Model America (MSNBC), to name but a few. His works have received widespread acclaim from both music critics and fans alike, with several of his songs garnering airplay on NPR and other radio stations around the world.

Now he’s back with a new EP Radiant Apparitions, featuring six captivating instrumental tracks he describes as “downtempo, chill electronica with dreamy guitars and beats to help you drift off into a relaxed state of mind.” That sounds about right, as he creates lush, magical soundscapes that transport us to exquisite faraway places, and it’s no wonder his compositions are in great demand. All the music was composed, recorded and mixed by Jordan, and mastered by Douglas Reynolds.

The EP opens with the title track “Radiant Apparitions“, an enchanting composition featuring a gorgeous mix of instruments and exotic textures that give the track an East Asian vibe. I love the glittery guitar notes, delicate keyboards, snappy percussion and trill-like synths that sound like a kind of harp or exotic string instrument. Next up is “Tomorrow Sorrow“, a bewitching contemplative composition with dreamy ethereal synths, highlighted by a hauntingly beautiful piano riff and subtle orchestral touches that create a tranquil atmospheric mood.

“My Eyes Your Eyes” has an exuberant retro 80s feel, with soaring melodic keyboards punctuated by somewhat harsher industrial synths, layered over an emphatic percussive beat and accompanied by whisps of a vocal chorus. And though I really like all six tracks, my favorite is “Some Other Sunset“, on the strength of its vibrant Western-flavored twangy guitars, bold percussion and sweeping cinematic synths. Like a lot of leaving richmond’s music, this would make a great soundtrack piece for a film or TV show.

“I Love You” features romantic synths and sparkling guitar notes that seem to meld together in a dreamy sonic dance, and artfully layered over a mesmerizing trip hop groove. The female vocals are from samples leaving richmond found in his sample library and melded into the track. Another favorite is the quietly intense closing track “A Gentle Passage of Time“, with its stunning piano work and lush, cinematic synths drenched in reverb. This track would also be a perfect accompaniment to a film soundtrack.

Radiant Apparitions is a wonderful EP, filled with six outstanding instrumental gems. As I previously noted in my review of his album Visions, leaving richmond’s talent for writing beautiful, compelling melodies is quite impressive, as are his considerable guitar, piano and synth programming skills.

Connect with leaving richmond:  Facebook / X (Twitter) / Instagram

Find his music on Bandcamp / Spotify / Apple Music / Soundcloud / Amazon

HATS OFF GENTLEMEN IT’S ADEQUATE – Album Review: “The Light of Ancient Mistakes”

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Reviews15 Comments

In my eight years as a music blogger, I’ve written about quite a few artists and bands with odd or quirky names, but one of the strangest of them all has to be that of British duo Hats Off Gentlemen It’s Adequate. Based in London and comprised of singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer Malcolm Galloway and multi-instrumentalist and co-producer Mark Gatland, with help by Malcolm’s wife Kathryn Thomas on flute and backing vocals, they create their unique brand of progressive alternative rock, infused with experimental and classical elements, minimalist, metal, folk, funk, and electronica. I’m not exaggerating when I say they’re both multi-instrumentalists, as Malcolm plays lead guitar, keyboards/synths, percussion/drums and programming, while Mark plays bass, guitar, slide guitar, keyboards/synths, Chapman Stick (an electric instrument resembling the fretboard of an electric guitar, devised by Emmett Chapman, which has ten or twelve individually tuned strings) and additional percussion/drums.

Photo of Malcolm and Mark by Kathryn Thomas

Longtime friends who’ve been playing together since they were in school, Malcolm and Mark’s music often explores scientific and philosophical themes, and they’re strong advocates of social and environmental causes. Accordingly, they’ve organized and supported charity events for Save the Children, Cancer Research UK, Marie Curie Cancer Care, Ehlers-Danlos Support UK, Brain Tumour UK and Prog The Forest, which raises money to protect over 40 acres of threatened habitat. From what I can tell, they’ve released quite a lot of music since 2012, including six albums, three EPs and numerous singles. On September 9th, they’re finally dropping their long-awaited seventh album The Light of Ancient Mistakes.

When they reached out to me about the album in July, I was initially overwhelmed by its size, subject matter and scope, and I admit it’s taken me a while to fully absorb this ambitious and fascinating work. Also, I’m a master procrastinator who always waits until the last minute to write my reviews, a bad habit going back to my college years that I’m afraid I’ll never be able to break. And finally, after reading some superb reviews of the album written by others, I’m now left feeling both intimidated and deflated, wondering how I can ever write a coherent review that does justice to this amazing album. I will give it my best effort.

Although not necessarily a concept album, many of the songs on The Light of Ancient Mistakes are inspired by various books, including works by Adrian Tchaikovsky, Iain M. Banks, David Cornwell (who wrote as John le Carré), Philip K. Dick, and Conservative MP Chris Bryant, as well as issues of personal importance and concern for Malcolm, who wrote all the lyrics. The music was co-written by him and Mark. The album contains 15 tracks, seven of which feature lyrics and vocals, while eight are instrumentals. The Bandcamp version of the album also includes four bonus tracks that are radio edits of four of the original 15.

The album opens with “Sold the Peace” a bitter diatribe against the corporate greed and political cowardice that have essentially negated all the hard-fought gains in the battle against authoritarianism in World War II and the Cold War period that followed, ushering in a new generation of despots, expressed in the lyrics “We risked it all to set the world free. Dead or free, the opportunity cost of the unused bombs. So much invested. We stormed the citadel, then bought the lease. We won the war, we sold the peace.” To drive home their point, the guys start with a grungy bass groove, then layer cinematic industrial synths, noirish piano chords and jagged guitar notes to create an unsettling soundtrack for Malcolm’s exasperated-sounding vocals.

Next up is the hauntingly beautiful six-minute 40-second-long Pink Floyd-esque title track “The Light of Ancient Mistakes“, inspired by science fiction author Iain M. Banks’ novel Look To Windward. Malcolm explained the song to David Edwards of The Progressive Aspect blog, “It explores the long-lived consequences of an atrocity. The light from a sun-destroying explosion has travelled for 800 years before reaching an orbital where a commemoration for the tragedy is due to take place. The protagonist of the song is an artificial intelligence trying to show the futility of cycles of hatred to someone planning an act of mass destruction.”

This is followed by the electronic instrumental track “Arvana Kern is Made of Ants“, which along with tracks 6 “The Requisitioner and the Wonder” and 8 “Gothi and Gethli“, refer to a character, two spaceships and a pair of crow-like creatures which insistently deny they are sentient in Adrian Tchaikovsky’s Children of Time series. The frantic skittering beats and swirling keyboards on “Arvana Kern is Made of Ants” cleverly evoke the non-stop flurry of activity one would see in a colony of ants, while the somber atmospheric tones of “The Requisitioner and the Wonder”, punctuated by some beautiful guitar notes, convey images of two spaceships traversing the heavens. Mark’s deliciously funky bass and Malcolm’s jazzy piano work make the jaunty “Gothi and Gethli” one of the most upbeat tracks on the album.

Track 4, “The Anxiety Machine Part 1“, is the first of a three-part triptych of darkly beautiful contemporary classical instrumental interludes that serve as connectors within the album, creating unsettling feelings of loneliness, resentment and desolation, in keeping with the overall feel of the album. This immediately segues into the heartbreaking “Sixteen Hugless Years“, a song inspired by the childhood experiences of David Cornwell, better known as John le Carré, namely the abandonment he felt after his mother left him and his family when he was five years old. The 16 years referenced in the song is the time that passed before his mother initiated a reconciliation. Malcolm’s vocals are filled with pain as he bitterly recalls “You packed your Harrod’s suitcase and left. You didn’t even slam the door. I was left with a hole. I didn’t grow up, I just got older. I was only five years old. Sixteen hugless years. Sixteen long, long years. I’ve grown old and I’m cold and hard but I’m told I’m the life and soul but it feels so hollow after 16 hugless years.” The musical highlights for me are Mark’s deep, throbbing bassline and Malcolm’s haunting guitar.

“The Glamour Boys” was inspired by Labour MP Chris Byrant’s book of the same name about the experiences of a group of mostly homosexual or bisexual Conservative MPs who argued against appeasement towards Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy, despite threats from Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain to expose their secrets. Many went on to risk, and in some cases lose their lives in the Second World War. “They call us the glamour boys. The punishment for speaking out. The leaks and smears and telephone taps. The hints the threat the veiled attacks.“

One of my favorite tracks on the album is “imtiredandeverythinghurts“, a chugging, energetic rocker inspired by Malcolm’s experiences with an invisible disability due to Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (a group of inherited disorders that affect the bodies’ connective tissue, primarily skin, joints and blood vessel walls, resulting in chronic pain), and the challenge of responding honestly to the well-intentioned and seemingly benign question “how are you?” Malcolm elaborated to The Progressive Aspect blog, “I don’t want to be dishonest with people by pretending to be fine when I’m not, but I also don’t want to drag people into a conversation about chronic pain that they may not be comfortable with. On the other hand, for those of us with conditions that vary from day to day (or hour to hour), it may be important to communicate what our current level of functionality is. I am also aware that there is no negative intention behind the question, and the last thing I want to do is to discourage people from communicating.” He plaintively sings “I keep smiling so you might not notice that I’m falling apart. I’m close to an edge. I need help. If this time you’re really asking, I’m tired and everything hurts.“

The centerpiece of the album is “Walking To Aldebaran“, an epic progressive rock masterpiece inspired by the science fiction novella of the same name by Adrian Tchaikovsky. Clocking in at just under nine minutes, the song features an exciting and eclectic mix of styles and textures, including progressive metal, free-form jazz, contemporary classical and musical theater, as it tells the story of space-ship pilot Garry Rendell who, due to a miscommunication between himself and an old, possibly malfunctioning but well-intentioned machine, is transformed into a monster. The colorful, intricate guitar work, jazzy piano, swirling synths and Kathryn’s lovely flute are all utterly exquisite throughout. Malcolm’s dynamic vocals alternately remind me of David Bowie, Al Stewart and a myriad of male vocalists from such Broadway musicals as Les Misérables and Phantom of the Opera as he forlornly laments “I’ve become what the monsters are scared of. I’ve been changed by the mother machine. I am the thing that used to be me.“

“Goodbye Cassini” is a beautiful instrumental tribute to the NASA probe that spent 13 years exploring Saturn and its moons. When its fuel supply was finally exhausted on September 15th, 2017 it plunged into Saturn’s atmosphere, still returning data right up until its end. The musical highlight of this track is Kathryn’s gorgeous flute. The effervescent instrumental “The Man Who Japed” is named after the 1950s Philip K. Dick novel of the same name, in which a previously obedient government official “japes” – i.e. commits a practical joke – by severing the head of a statue of their dictator in a symbolic act of resistance, thereby putting himself at personal risk. Malcolm created all the artwork for the album using AI assisted art creation software, and the one for this track is particularly good:

The final track “Burn the World” is an hauntingly beautiful and unsettling song about the perils of global warming, sung from the perspective of someone in the future looking back with regret on measures humans could have taken, but didn’t. Malcolm’s melancholy plaintive vocals are drenched in sadness and despair as he laments over lost opportunities that could have helped avert climate disaster: “We could have cared just enough to give ourselves a chance. But it’s easier to fail. We never learned to change. All the things we could have done, and we chose to burn the world.” The track has a strong progressive feel, with a meandering melody overlain by a mix of chiming and wailing guitar notes, ethereal synths, gritty bass and measured percussion. Hats Off Gentlemen It’s Adequate released “Burn the World” as a single in support of Prog The Forest, an environmental fundraising festival that donates to the World Land Trust, which acquires threatened rainforests and other valuable habitats to place them in protective trust in collaboration with local communities. They will be donating all proceeds from sale of the single until at least the end of 2024.

I’ve gone on and on, so will close by simply saying that, in my opinion, The Light of Ancient Mistakes is a certifiable masterpiece. The amount of thought, care, and effort Malcolm and Mark have put into creating this ambitious undertaking is truly astonishing, and they should be very proud of what they’ve accomplished. While the depth and complexity of the music and the rather dark, provocative subject matter of the lyrics may not be everyone’s cup of tea, I think it’s brilliant and worth a listen. If you like excellent progressive rock, you will enjoy this album.

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HALFLOVES – Single Review: “Bass Drum”

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Reviews18 Comments

Halfloves is an indie rock band from Iowa City, Iowa, comprised of five engaging and talented guys – Jeff (lead vocals & guitar), Nate (guitar & bass), Trevor (keys), Zach (drums) and Lucas (bass & guitar). Drawing upon their individual love for classical, jazz, hardcore, alternative and indie rock genres, they successfully collaborate in the creation of their own unique sound.

Photos by Britt Fowler

The guys released their eponymous debut album Halfloves in 2016, then followed with several singles which culminated in the release of their exceptional second album Dazer in 2019. Both albums were produced by Brandon Darner, who’s also produced some of Imagine Dragons music, among others. Dazer‘s hauntingly beautiful lead single “A Little Lie” garnered success following a review from acclaimed music critic Anthony Fantano (The Needle Drop), in which he likened the band’s sound and vocals on the track to Radiohead. (As I write this, the song has been streamed over 569,000 times on Spotify alone.) With the help of director Max Moore, Halfloves created a music video for “A Little Lie” featuring actor Joel Murray (Mad Men, Shameless, Dharma and Greg). The video then evolved into an extended companion piece which was released in 2020 as a 13-minute short film titled Backlash, featuring an original soundtrack from Halfloves.

Since 2021, Halfloves has released several more singles, the latest of which is “Bass Drum“, which dropped August 1st. Like all their music, the track was produced by Brandon Darner and engineered by Micah Natera. Mastering was done by Doug Van Sloun at Focus Mastering. The band reached out to me about the song a few days ago, and I like it so much that I had to write about it, not to mention the fact that I find their sense of playfulness captured in these photos so endearing!

About “Bass Drum” the band writes: “This dreamy love song considers the glorified past, uncertain present and a future we long for with someone so special it feels like we’re floating above ourselves. We hope this song connects with anyone who’s ever teetered between crippling self-doubt & trust-falling backwards into the arms of beautiful blinding love.” Accordingly, the lyrics speak of painful remembrance of good times spent together in love, sadness over the fact his former lover has now settled down with another man, and regret over past mistakes and what could have been.

Though the subject matter is decidedly bittersweet, the music is catchy and pleasing, with a kaleidoscope of grungy, jangly and shimmery guitars, accompanied by bright synths, nimble bass and snappy drumbeats, all layered over an infectious, toe-tapping groove. I love the gnarly guitar riff in the bridge that blossoms into a glorious, sun-drenched finale, exuding a sense of hopeful optimism that contrasts with the melancholy lyrics, which are beautifully expressed by Jeff’s emphatic plaintive vocals.

Don’t even start with me, I miss the apartment and all of your clothes
Strewn on the floor – shoes by the door – the tattoo above your elbow
Hole in my heart, I cannot tell you the times that I’ve thought of you since
That summer away, tends to replay in my mind and it goes like this

You bang on my heart like a bass drum
You shoot through the sky like a star on fire
You’re making me feel like I’m floating above myself
Oh just pinch me and wake me up

Look at me now – thinking somehow
That I followed my dreams instead
No consolation – oh desperation
Laying in my twin bed
You settled down – looks like you love him
Looks like he loves you too
House and the kids – oh I still miss
When I thought it might turn out like this

The colorful and charming animated video, created by Ukrainian DJ/producer and artist WOX, nicely captures the song’s melancholy, yet hopeful, vibe.

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AMONGST LIARS – Single Review: “The Shameful”

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Reviews7 Comments

One of my favorite British acts making music these days is Amongst Liars, who play a fiercely aggressive style of melodic hard rock, forged from a powerful trifecta of alternative rock, grunge and punk. Based in the Brighton/Eastbourne area on the South England coast, the band consists of Ian George (lead vocals, guitar), Leo Burdett (guitar, backing vocals), Ross Towner (bass, backing vocals), Adam Oarton (drums), and newcomer James Brumeo (keyboards and piano), who recently joined the stellar lineup.

Photo by Duncan Tyler

I first learned about them in early 2020, and was immediately blown away by their explosive debut single “Over and Over”, which along with their third single “Burn the Vision”, ended up on my Top 100 Songs of 2020 list. Since then, they’ve dropped several more outstanding singles, many of which I’ve reviewed on this blog. In July 2022, they released their eponymous debut album Amongst Liars, an outstanding work featuring 11 tracks, including the two aforementioned singles. Now they’re back with “The Shameful“, a blistering ripper of a song overflowing with the signature searing riffs, pummeling rhythms and savage vocals we’ve come to love and expect from these talented gents. The track was recorded & mixed by David Radahd-Jones at Red City Recordings in Manchester, and mastered by Grant Berry at Fader Mastering.

While they don’t consider themselves a ‘political’ band, Amongst Liars are not afraid to tackle some of the pressing socio-political issues of the day, including war mongering for financial gain, poverty, greed, fake news, deceitful politicians, election fraud, human rights abuses and climate change, and they’ve been outspoken advocates for social justice on several of their songs. On “The Shameful”, they call out politicians and media personalities who bombard the public with bullshit and lies to gaslight and confuse, turning us against one another and causing us to vote against our better interests. Band vocalist Ian George elaborates: “[the song is about the world of bias and misinformation that we are living in today. Government (with certain characters more prominent than others) and media are in increasingly bending perceptions to their own narrative and it is just happening all the bloody time isn’t it! This gaslighting and brainwashing distorts reality for many people and causes anger, hurt, pain, division and distrust.“

To drive home their message, Amongst Liars unleash a furious barrage of raging guitars, chugging bass and smashing drumbeats, laying waste to the airwaves like a rampaging sonic beast. Leo shreds his guitar to the breaking point, while Ross and Adam keep the thunderous rhythms blasting forward with a breathtaking intensity, fully channeling the strong sense of frustration and anger expressed in the biting lyrics. Ian has a commanding vocal style that turns downright fearsome when he needs to get his point across: “As the violence drags me through, I’m at peace with you. Gonna cut me down the easy way. As the shamers stand in line, sing it one last time. Gonna make me a believer. Talk is cheap anyway – get to know your enemy!” As he savagely wails the final words “As the shamers stand in line, sing it one last time. Just let it go!“, I’m left covered with goosebumps.

“The Shameful” is their hardest-hitting and most ferocious single since “Black Days”. I’m happy Amongst Liars continue to create outstanding music, and if you’re a fan of explosive and melodic hard rock, you will enjoy this single.

Like for all their singles, the terrific surreal artwork for “The Shameful” was created by the brilliant artist Pierre Engelbrecht. A young woman is shown lying on her bed, sunlight streaming into the room while she blissfully watches what I’m guessing is her TV. Her brain, which has been disengaged from her skull, hovers above her head in a locked cage that’s connected by a chain to her ankles. Pierre’s works are beautiful, bizarre and sometimes disturbing, but always amazing, and you can see them by checking out his Instagram account.

Amongst Liars will be opening for Canadian hard rock band Theory of a Deadman on their The Dinosaur Tour later this month, beginning Friday, September 22nd at the Electric Ballroom in London.

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The 23s – Single Review: “My Kinda Girl”

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Reviews9 Comments

Sheffield, England-based collaborative music project The 23s have had quite a successful 2023 thus far, dropping seven terrific singles over the past seven months. Comprised of singer-songwriter and electronica musician Rob Cohen, singer-songwriter Rob Gurruchaga, and producer Tom Taylor, the enigmatic trio came together remotely during the Covid lockdowns, and decided to form a collaborative music project they named The 23s, after Taylor’s Channel 23 Studio. With their shared love of acts like David Bowie, Peter Gabriel, Blaqk Audio, Gary Numan, Depeche Mode, The Cure, Echo and the Bunnymen and Thomas Dolby, they clicked right from the start, and began working on song demos using analog synthesizers and synth guitars, which they shared across the internet.

Eventually, they gathered in person at Taylor’s Channel 23 Studio to pick their favorites out of the more than 100 demos they’d recorded, finally culling them down to 23 songs. They put their finishing touches and overdubs on the 23 tracks, and decided to release them one at a time, at the rate of one per month over a 23-month period, on the 23rd of each month. All 23 songs will ultimately be released in a full album at the end of the singles run.

They began their monthly parade of single releases a bit behind schedule on February 10th with “Never Be The Same” (which I reviewed), but from their second single on, they’ve remained faithfully on schedule, diligently releasing each successive single on the 23rd. I really like all their singles thus far, and also the fact that no two sound alike. Their music style varies widely with each new release, with some songs having a strong electronic sound, while others are more rock or pop-oriented. The23s have created a Spotify playlist of their songs, to which each successive new single will be added as they’re released. To hear all their songs that will be included on the forthcoming album, click on this link:

Their latest single, which dropped August 23rd, is “My Kinda Girl“, an incredibly pleasing love song with a wonderful 60s vibe. About the song, the band explains: “Originally recorded on 4 tracks, ‘My Kinda Girl’ was a very rough idea by Rob. This was then pulled apart in the studio, and lush strings with a very art school Carnaby Street London 60s vibe was pulled from the original idea and fleshed out, with the production skills and additional ideas added by band mates Tom & Rob. You can almost taste & smell the 60s floating throughout this track! We’re all very pleased with how it eventually grew into itself and became the final version.“

Everything about the song is perfect – the breezy melody, irresistible toe-tapping beat, dreamy synths, soothing keyboards and beautiful twangy guitars. But the highlight for me are Rob’s sensuous, multi-faceted vocals – which have never sounded better – as he sings his praises to a woman who’s captured his heart and mind: “You’re the kinda girl. Sticks in my world. You’re the kinda girl that sticks in my mind. There’s never been a decision made that was always right. There’s never been a right time. Don’t you know it’s true.”

I love “My Kinda Girl”, and it’s my new favorite out of all seven songs they’ve released thus far. 

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LOVEPROOF – EP Review: “Winter’s Children”

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Reviews10 Comments

Toronto, Canada-based Loveproof is a collaborative music project formed in 2013 by singer-songwriter and guitarist Ciaran Megahey and multi-instrumentalist & producer Brendan McGarvey. The two originally met in high school and formed a short-lived band, but eventually went their own ways. Ciaran is also a member of Canadian indie band The Autumn Stones (whose music I previously featured on this blog in 2016 and 2018).

After reconnecting in 2013, they began writing songs inspired by their shared love of bands like Joy Division, Guided by Voices and My Bloody Valentine, and soon had a collection of dark and fascinating songs on their hands. Describing their sound as “dreamy, dubby doom pop,” the duo named their project Loveproof, in honor of the My Bloody Valentine classic “Loveless.” In December, 2017, they released their debut album Neon Blood, Volume One, which I reviewed the following March. My, how time does fly by! 

The duo then decided to assemble a full band so they could perform their songs in front of live audiences, enlisting Brendan’s brother Chris McGarvey on guitar and Joey Proulx on drums. In January 2020, they released a New Order-esque re-imagining of the Joy Division classic song “Wilderness”. Now they’re back with a new EP Winter’s Children, their first release of new original music in six years.

After listening to the EP, I can state that it was well worth the wait. Combining elements of dream pop, indie rock, and dub with a dark gothic sensibility, Loveproof have crafted four utterly captivating songs. For their recording, Ciaran sang vocals and Brendan played and programmed all instruments. I love Ciaran’s sensuous vocal style that reminds me at times of Bryan Ferry, so it’s a treat hearing him sing again.

The EP opens with “A Song is Not Enough“, a bewitching track that channels the best of Joy Division and Depeche Mode. I love Brendan’s mysterious dreamy synths and sharp percussive notes built over a sensuous pulsating beat, accompanied by Ciaran’s ethereal sultry vocals as he softly croons “A song is not enough to break this spell.“

Equally bewitching is “Spires“, a glorious chillwave gem with icy synths layered over a sensuous bass-driven dub groove, and punctuated by emphatic percussive beats. Ciaran’s breathy croons are enchanting as he sings from the perspective of someone grasping for something solid to hold on to amid all the chaos and uncertainty. “In a world full of darkness, you said ‘the truth is coming’, and you howled to the mountains and you tore their lies asunder. With time, with faith, your spires to the heavens shine, and love will light our way.” The beautiful video created for the track features images of Loveproof performing the song interspersed with scenes of Toronto and various animals in their natural settings.

On the enchanting but bittersweet “Even the Stars“, Ciaran softly laments over a lost love: “Come back to me, Scarlet Rose / Everything good dies here, even the stars.” A highlight of this track for me are Brendan’s beautiful chiming guitar notes.

The final track “Young Lords” addresses the political polarization of modern society. Ciaran elaborates: “Not really making any political judgments, but just noticing the religious character of people’s political identities today. The phrase ‘Young Lords’ is actually the name of a far left organization that I believe still exists today. I’m just using it as a metaphor for political militancy/extremism though. I read a book that mentioned them a long time ago and I remember really liking the name, as it sounds really poetic. I don’t really know much about them specifically though. So, I guess I am just lamenting how that polarization seems to have made it difficult for people to see each other’s humanity. It seems to have coarsened public life.” “Young lords colliding. Used to be a mountain, used to be a king, hungry as a lion’s heart. Used to be a master, used to hear you sing, thundering the soul apart. Goodnight my heart, goodnight my love.” I’m sounding like a broken record as I continually use the word ‘sensuous’, but the track’s languid dub groove is overflowing with it, enhanced by Brendan’s lush, moody synths and throbbing bass.

Although its four tracks are decidedly melancholy, with less than happy subject matter, Winter’s Children is nevertheless a stunning and flawlessly-crafted work that makes for an enjoyable listen. If you’re a fan of 80s-inspired darkwave and electro-pop, as well as ethereal sultry vocals, you will like this EP. It’s good to have Loveproof back!


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