- Alan Martin
Profile
Hello, I'm Alan, and I'm a music reviewer here. The address of this page tells me that I'm reviewer number 16, which I guess could be worse. To give you an idea of my musical tastes (which is almost a CV in the world of music journalism), my favourite bands and musicians would have to be Ryan Adams, Josh Rouse, The Smiths, The Cure, The Divine Comedy, Billy Bragg, The Jayhawks, Barenaked Ladies, I Am Kloot and Strays Don't Sleep. In compiling that list to a manageable 10 artists I hope not to offend the hundreds of other musicians I idolise when they inevitably read this blurb.
Outside of music, my other passionate area of writing is videogaming, and I write reviews for games elsewhere on the web, successfully managing to balance critiquing two of my main hobbies around my 9-6 job as, erm, a writer. Yup, when I'm not hunched over a keyboard spouting hyperbole over basslines and frame-rates, I'm hunched over a keyboard making sales copy entertaining for humans and search engines for a London based SEO company.
In the meagre quantity of free time not spent writing reviews, writing for clients and writing for my employer I somehow find time to maintain a weblog aggregating all this accumulated copy. I'd be ever so grateful if you could pay it a visit and leave a comment or two: www.alanpmartin.net
Recent Reviews:
Two Fingers of Firewater - Two Fingers Of Firewater Album Review- Two Fingers of Firewater is a fantastic name for a band, and was the first thing that drew me to this promo giving me puppy dog eyes from my email. My curiosity was more piqued by ...
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Liejacker - Thea Gilmore Album Review- Thea Gilmore is a peculiar talent. She's someone that most people musically in the know have at least heard name-checked, and yet she's had very little in the way of mainstream suc...
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Elephant Shell - Tokyo Police Club Album Review- The first thing I'll say is that it's a slowburner. Only after a month in my possession have I been able to form any feelings for the promo, but now it's finally clicked, it's not ...
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Love, Ire and Song - Frank Turner Album Review- It's rare that an album forcefully grabs my attention from the very first song. It's even rarer that said album still refuses to relinquish its hold five songs later, when my headp...
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Make It Happen - Nizlopi Album Review- Nizlopi broke into the nation's collective consciousness for a brief moment when they nearly earned the coveted Christmas Number 1 slot with the JCB Song. An endearing animated mus...
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Promise Lands - Lowgold Album Review- This is an interesting piece of Proustian memory from sensation. Lowgold were a good friend to me during my first year of University, and their quiet, wide-screen indie debut – ‘Ju...
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Pretty Things - Athena Single Review- Athena is due to re-release her debut album, ‘Breathe with Me’ in April on the back of a sudden interest in her work, and ‘Pretty Things’ is the 3 minute folky sample chosen to pro...
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My Paper Made Men - Amy Studt Album Review- It's an interesting assessment of exactly how cliched the sound of Amy Studt's sophomore effort is that I could imagine (with an alarming degree of accuracy, having checked YouTube...
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American Evolution Volume 1 - Jefferson Pepper Album Review- While America tends to set the trends in terms of musical fashion, there’s one genre which has incredible popularity Stateside but has failed to make any serious in-roads anywhere ...
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The Water - Colin Macintyre [Mull Historical Society] Album Review- Colin Macintyre is the artist formerly known as Mull Historical Society. It's been tempting, many times while I've been listening to his debut album under a new moniker, to refer t...
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Sun In My Pocket - Sonic Flyer EP Review- Sonicflyer are the kind of musical discovery I am proud to have made. Of course, the pride is dented by the fact the promo was mailed to me, but the four aching indie guitar-pop me...
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Josh Rouse @ Academy - 07/12/2007 - Live Review- Josh Rouse is my most watched act. I believe this was the 6th time I have seen the man perform live, and 3 of those were in Oxford - a fact I can wear with pride after he announced...
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Hospital - Nothing Rhymes With Orange Single Review
- I was first drawn to this promo by the band's name - Nothing Rhymes With Orange. It is with some regret that I can announce that this is the most interesting thing about the promo ...
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Situation - Buck 65 Album Review- When I first volunteered to review Buck 65's latest effort, it was very much an unknown quantity. I was attracted to the promo not thanks to any affinity to the music, or even beca...
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Autumn Fallin - Jaymay Album Review- Folk has never been the most fashionable of genres of music to listen to, but in terms of sincerity and understated beauty, it often carries the most memorable musical moments. Jay...
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Ani DiFranco @ Shepherds Bush Empire - 21/10/2007 - Live Review- Ani DiFranco is the most unusual of artists: she's sold well internationally, established a selection of 16 genre hopping back-catalogue albums and managed that whole 'critically a...
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Today Is Tonight - The Changes Album Review- This album review is late. This is in fact the first promo disc I was sent by Allgigs, but my fourth review. This isn’t down to some kind of Twilight Zone mystery – the blame falls...
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Until Tomorrow Then-The Best of Ed Harcourt - Ed Harcourt Album Review- Writing the start of a review is always an absolute pain, but this one was a complete gift. Read on - it's not everyday you get such an easy intro, and I don't care if you stop rea...
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Shocking Pinks - Shocking Pinks Album Review- Shocking Pinks is the name of New Zealand musician Nick Harte’s new musical project. It’s unsurprising if the name means nothing to you, as his previous works have only been releas...
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Glitter in the Gutter - Jesse Malin Album Review- I’ve seen Jesse Malin perform live twice in my life. Each time it has been just him (yep, despite the ambiguous name Malin is male, as if the Springsteen style croon didn’t give it...
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