[Live review] PJ Harvey – Heineken Music Hall, Amsterdam

pjheutour2016

Hi there! If you have been following us around lately you might remember that PJ Harvey most recent record got a mixed review here. It’s not that we don’t like Polly Jean anymore, on the contrary, we still think she is one of the best singer-songwriters around and couldn’t be happier she touched down in Amsterdam yesterday.

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[Live review] – Jeff Lynne’s ELO – Ziggo Dome

81F5YG6TwrL._SL1500_-1200x600If you’d told people three years ago that Jeff Lynne and Electric Light Orchestra would return to the stage, you’d probably be scoffed at, and rightly so. Sometimes, though, Strange Magic happens (ha!), and ELO is touring throughout 2016. Sounds from the Dark Side attended the gig in Amsterdam. Continue reading

Ulysses – #eMotion

Ulysses - EmotionFor all Ulysses does right on #eMotion (and they do a lot of things very right indeed), they do start out with what might be the most annoying opening riff I have heard in a very long time. It’s almost annoying enough to turn the album off and do something else. Almost. Because if you did, you’d miss out on an hour of extremely good progressive metal.

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David Gilmour – Rattle That Lock

David Gilmour - Rattle That LockDisclaimer: I came dangerously close to dismissing Rattle that Lock as an overwrought, pompous, meandering mess. I had seven hundred words written on how I vehemently disliked David Gilmour’s new, and fourth, solo effort. Then I gave it one last spin, just to be sure. And I’m glad I did.

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Iron Maiden – The Book of Souls

Iron Maiden - The Book of SoulsObligatory clickbait-y intro: in case you’ve been living underneath a rock, there’s a new Iron Maiden album out. It’s called The Book of Souls, sports 92 minutes of new music and it’s the first they’ve put out in five long years. I know if it’s good or not, and I’m telling you after the cut.

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Ghost – Meliora

Ghost - MelioraMeliora is Latin for ‘the pursuit of something better’, although Swedish occult rockers Ghost would be hard pressed to top 2013’s Infestissumam. That album was a masterful blend of seventies rock, heavy metal and theatre, and sky-rocketed the band to international superstar status. Delivering a proper follow-up to that is a tall order for any new band, but Ghost manage to do so, and with relative ease to boot. But is Meliora actually something better? Let’s find out.

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Pink Floyd – The Endless River

Pink Floyd - The Endless RiverWhen Pink Floyd, or rather David Gilmour and Nick Mason, announced to the world that they were going to release a new album, made up of what was left behind on the cutting room floor back in 1994, my response was lukewarm at best. Fast forward a few months and The Endless River has finally been released, shattering sales records everywhere. But is Pink Floyd’s swansong worth the hype? Let’s find out. Continue reading

Amen Dunes – Love

Amen Dunes - Love_FRONTWhat would you do if you were a singer-songwriter and your first album under your own name was marked by the media as one of the worst album’s of the year? Well, I know what I would do: I would flee my home town and get a job as a carpenter somewhere far away and maybe, just maybe I’d go back after while, hoping everyone forgot about my failure. I sure as hell wouldn’t dare the pick up my guitar in the years following. But hey, that’s me and my story is fictional.  Continue reading

King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard – Oddments

King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard_FRONTYikes! Here in the Northern Hemisphere the golden days of this years summer are long gone and are slowly replaced by harsh and cold weather conditions. Sudden outbreaks of heavy showers, strong winds and dying trees await us. Therefore, autumn isn’t exactly the best time for most people to be happy about. However, maybe some music from the now warming South could distract our minds from the darkening skies. Hmm, Australia’s ‘60s psych pop rock outfit King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard might just be your imaginative way out of the dull autumn days to come.
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Peter Matthew Bauer – Liberation!

PrintMaybe it would be best to call it quits. However, why should we? Especially after being together for such a long time. Indie rock band The Walkmen experienced a conflict like this first hand a year ago and decided a split would cause a lot of unnecessary hubbub, so an ‘extreme hiatus’ seemed a better plan. A creative gap seemed unavoidable, leaving fans empty handed. Continue reading