- James Thomson
Profile
My musical tastes vary continuously and apparently randomly through Johnny Cash, Chopin, Jurassic 5, DJ Shadow, The Boy Least Likely To, Josh Rouse, Capdown, Mark Lamarr's Radio 2 show and more besides. I review on my lunch break and listen on the daily commute, so music that improves the experience of early morning proximity to business executives will typically be awarded reviews above its artistic merit. Now you know my bias, you can adjust accordingly...
Recent Reviews:
Not My Girl - Ejectorseat EP Review- Like the perfect guest at a drag themed house party, ‘Not My Girl’ is cheerful, glittery and doesn’t outstay its welcome. Opening with “I know I’m weak, but I’m all you’ve got,” ov...
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Gospel Bombs - Vincent Vincent & The Villains Album Review- Vincent Vincent and the Villains. The rock and roll images conjured up by the name aren't far from the truth – but this album is a more complex mash-up of musical ingredients than ...
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The Levellers,Alabama 3 @ Civic Hall - 06/03/2008 - Live Review- The Levellers are twenty, a bit of a shock for the reviewer who remembers listening to their first album at a friend's house before school. Tonight, back in the present, I head to ...
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The Courtesy Fall - Dawn Kinnard Album Review- The Buffseeds appeared in 2003, released 'The Picture Show', and split a year later; they sang euphoric rock-pop and the spirit of their sparkling guitars and swirling keys lives o...
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Nick Harper @ Maze - 16/02/2008 - Live Review- Nottingham’s ‘The Maze’ is an intimate venue of candles and tables for two. Tonight it’s packed with people chatting, laughing and occasionally glancing at the empty stage, waiting...
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- Nick Harper in Conversation - Nick Harper Interview
- When I reach tonight’s venue, ‘The Maze’ in Nottingham, the barman tells me that Nick is mid-sound-check and shows me to the back room where raised voices are gathering microphones...
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Sarahbeth Tucek - Sarabeth Tucek Album Review- Music reviewers do seem to like voices. Powerful, angelic, pure or soulful, a great voice is something of a pass that allows admission to the singer-songwriter's club (presumably T...
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Ratrace - Skindred Single Review- On my fifth listen through, a comprehensible lyric finally broke through the raggacore churning that fuels Skindred’s latest single Rat Race. With the same flush of triumph that ‘...
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Almost Easy - Avenged Sevenfold Single Review- Avenged Sevenfold, A7X to their fans (but not, I suspect, to their mothers) have been playing together since they were eighteen years old. Eight years of touring and writing have b...
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Capdown @ Rock City - 26/10/2007 - Live Review- Capdown were one of the first bands I saw play live, seven years ago at Derby’s Victoria Inn. It was therefore something of a life marker to see their latest dates billed as a fare...
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Bang Bang Boom Cake - Tiny Masters of Today Album Review- Within the space of two tracks, the final line of this review had written itself. See if you can spot it coming.For those unfamiliar with these young musicians (please note the sel...
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Hey, Mr DJ - Tiny Masters of Today Single Review- This single is the first from Bang Bang Boom Cake, the debut album from Brooklyn band 'Tiny Masters of Today'. Music journalists have unanimously taken the traditional approach to ...
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Sliding Doors - Kid Acne Single Review- Previous, occasionally acclaimed efforts by Kid Acne (AKA a host of aliases) have been self proclaimed as music for those who " left school at 16 only to come back pissed at break ...
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That's the Way (My Love Is) - The Smashing Pumpkins Single Review- Not having heard Smashing Pumpkins return album Zeitgeist, this was my first contact with the latest incarnation of a band that have been around (and critically acclaimed) for a lo...
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