I’m not often one for picking up live releases of songs I’ve already heard on albums, but this sensational EP from Walrus favourites Mumford & Sons and Laura Marling, and their newfound Indian friends The Dharohar Project, has made me rethink my whole approach. Recorded live at this year’s iTunes festival, the three artists have created an eight-track release that confirms that each are deserving of the title ‘artist’ – it’s interesting, diverse, unique and experimental, and captures the energy of their live performances wonderfully. Anyone who has had the …

Holy Ghost! (MySpace) duo Alex Frankel and Nick Millhiser may have started off life as part of hip hop teen-thing Automato, but thank God DFA encouraged them to move towards their current electric disco-funk sound that we have grown to love over the years. They have spent most of the last three years remixing other people’s work, but on Static on the Wire they are offering up four songs all of their own.
You are thrown straight into  that electro-funk in the opening title track with smooth vocals, tight beats and …

There’s a purity about Rachael Dadd that makes me go all warm and fuzzy. Give me this little lady with a banjo any day and I’ll be a happy, sincerely happy, muso. Her latest release, the gorgeous ‘Elephee’ EP, is astounding. This set of raw yet beautiful recordings captures Rachael at her charming best, and it’s perfect Sunday afternoon listening.
Five tracks of brilliant lo-fi goodness and I can say in all honesty there is nothing bad to say about the EP; hats off to the amazing Broken Sound Music, who …

‘To, The Bottom Of The Sea’ is the debut release from a seriously talented Norwich duo. Anyone who has had the pleasure of seeing Dani and Doug – aka Alloy Ark – perform live will go out and buy a copy of this EP on the merit of the show, but actually, this recorded sound is quite different from both early demo recordings and the live sound of the twosome.

Released on the notoriously poppy NRONE Records, it’s not surprising that Alloy Ark’s music has taken an altogether more mainstream and …

Cocos Lovers are absolutely amazing.  I randomly met bass player Bill at the lovely Norwich Playhouse Bar last year, and he wrote down the name of his band for me. I fell in love with the band via their recordings, and seeing them live for first time inside the Small World tent at Secret Garden Party was a perfect introduction to their zesty live presence.
Just ahead of two appearances at this year’s Cambridge Folk Festival, Cocos Lovers played a lengthy set of beautiful world-infused folk to a full Secret Garden …

The Oxford based Spring Offensive have started to make waves over the last year or so with their sparse recorded sound and introverted almost claustrophobic sound – even being Huw Stephen’s “Pick of the week” on BBC Radio1 and for good reason.
I’ll admit it took me a while to get into them after Pop Noodle sent over some material a few months back, but I think that probably had more to do with my state of mind at the time. They have new 13 minute (brave I know!) single coming …