Where is Matt Deighton? He should be one of the UKs most celebrated singer/song-writers, but instead he’s Missing In Action. His recording career has seen him cover a huge territory, from soulful pop to full-on psychedelic rock through to acid-tinged funk. The common thread is about as English as a pint of bitter – folk, [...]

For me, movie soundtracks fall into four categories: soundtracks that are the film (think Tommy, The Wall, Hard Days Night); soundtracks that are part of the movie dialogue (musicals like Grease, Evita and any Disney animated flick really); soundtracks that are both from and inspired by (in many cases, but not all, the music in [...]

The perils of writing a ‘best albums of the year’ list are many. First of all, I know that I’ll be missing some albums which probably deserve to make the cut. Last year, for example, while calling out I Am Kloot’s ‘Sky At Night’ as the album of the year (which I still stand resolutely [...]

It’s Christmas. And, have I got a treat for you? Over the last few months, I have – like so many others – become mildly addicted to turntable.fm. For the uninitiated, it’s social networking brought to music. You enter a ‘room’, and five DJs take it in turns to play music. Play the wrong track, [...]

Think of music from Bristol, and I dare you – I double dare you – to not think of Massive Attack. I certainly can’t help it. The reaction is totally involuntary – the place and the band being as deeply connected in my mind as Radiohead to Oxford, The Boss with New Jersey, and, er, [...]

The chunky ZZ-Topping Roadie in Jay Z’s 99 Problems video. He’s Rick Rubin. You know him. You just don’t know how much. Beastie Boys:’ “You’ve got to fight for your right to party”. Johnny Cash: “Hurt”. Chili Peppers: “Under the bridge” & “Give it Away”. Run DMC:  “It’s Tricky” & “Walk this Way”. Adele, JayZ, Metallica, [...]

Even the most casual reader of these pages will know that I’m a bit of an Elbow fan. I feel that I need to put that out there straight from the off, so you know what you’re dealing with, here. That said, I’ve largely held back on commentary around ‘Build A Rocket Boys!’, save for [...]

My last post was about The Stone Roses: a Manchester band which left a mark so deep on our cultural landscape that you can probably see it from space. At the other end of the scale, a band which made barely a dent, but one from the same time and same place as The Stone [...]

Strap yourself in for this. Here’s your new favourite track, by your new favourite band. When a band comes out of nowhere with a tune of this calibre, it makes you realise that there was a void in the musical landscape. I’m talking about perfect, infectious pop – completely nailed with polish and a swagger [...]

I’ll just come out and say it: I hope PJ Harvey wins the 2011 Mercury Prize. Yes, even though she’s up against Elbow, and even though I’ve already waxed lyrical about my huge admiration for fellow nominees Anna Calvi and Everything Everything, I hope Polly walks away with the award. (And, yes, I can’t help [...]

My daily commute takes me from Manhattan out to deepest, darkest New Jersey, taking in the industrial wasteland bordering Newark airport, before finally landing in the greenery of ‘The Garden State’. The journey takes me through East Orange. And so, as I sat in my car last week, surrounded by SUVs, pick-up trucks, and knackered [...]

When I fall for a band, I sometimes fall hard. A case in point: Warpaint. I’ve mentioned them to a few people recently – and their name receives a nod of recognition. I hear good words of their live reputation, and a general acceptance that ‘The Fool’ is a fine album. For me, it’s an [...]