Tag Archives: music

Have You Heard? – (35) “Man Next Door” by Massive Attack

Posted on March 22, 2013 by John S

  In 1998, Massive Attack released their third album “Mezzanine”. While I love its predecessor, “Protection”, I’m coming round to the view that “Mezzanine” is Massive Attack’s finest work. It’s a dark and foreboding album, full of sinister sounds and … Continue reading →

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My Top Ten – “Duende”… Sad Songs

Posted on March 10, 2013 by John S

Back in 2008 – it doesn’t seem that long ago – the music journalist Laura Barton wrote a wonderful piece in her Guardian column, “Hail, Hail Rock’n’Roll” about what she called Duende, or what the singer Nick Cave described as … Continue reading →

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Emily Barker and the Red Clay Halo, Hoxton Hall, 8 March 2013

Posted on March 9, 2013 by John S

I went to see Emily Barker and the Red Clay Halo at Hoxton Hall, just north of the City, on Friday night. It was the last of three gigs in London featuring songs from the forthcoming album, “Dear River”. It’s … Continue reading →

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Have You Heard? – (34) “Chemical Imbalance” (DJ Die Mix) by Karime Kendra

Posted on February 28, 2013 by John S

If you like your dance music stripped back to a raw drum and bass beat, with a pretty vocal floating on top, then try this. I reacquainted myself with this track last week, when I was writing about a brilliant … Continue reading →

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Have You Heard? – (33) “Little Sunflower” by the East New York Ensemble de Music

Posted on February 20, 2013 by John S

OK, so this is obscure! But it’s good. It’s school half term this week, and I had a few days of holiday left before the end of March, so I decided to take the week off. Be around for the … Continue reading →

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Have You Heard (and seen)? – (32) Billie Holiday singing “Fine and Mellow”

Posted on January 26, 2013 by John S

I’m on to a chapter about jazz in my book at the moment and earlier this evening I was just reminding myself about Billie Holiday. What a fantastic singer she was. She had the most turbulent life – absolutely awful … Continue reading →

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“How Music Works” by David Byrne

Posted on January 19, 2013 by John S

Just spent a lazy Saturday morning finishing a great book by David Byrne, called “How Music Works”. For any of you who aren’t familiar with DB, he was the frontman with the Talking Heads in the seventies and eighties and … Continue reading →

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The demise of HMV – and the end of an era

Posted on January 16, 2013 by John S

HMV, the flagship music store in the UK, has gone into administration. Perhaps a couple of the London West End stores will survive through the tourist trade, but I’m sure otherwise it is the end. HMV isn’t the first: we’ve … Continue reading →

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Have You Heard? – (31) “Where Are We Now?” by David Bowie

Posted on January 11, 2013 by John S

Earlier this week, as I was working my way through a few hours’ worth of tweets, I saw something unexpected and exciting: a new single from David Bowie! It was completely out of the blue as far as I was … Continue reading →

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Music for going back to work – and school!

Posted on January 7, 2013 by John S

Tomorrow, I’m back to work after a couple of weeks off. My kids are all back to school. No matter how much you like work/school it’s always a bit hard to get back into the swing of things. You need … Continue reading →

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