REVIEWS

Independent opinion, informed criticism

ALBUM REVIEW

Castle Park

Graham Coxon

Exploring adolescent romance and the passing of time, the album teems with Coxon’s familiar pop charms and is one of the strongest entries into his solo discography.

by David Rea

27 June 2026

LIVE REVIEW

Jesca Hoop live at Union Chapel in London

Hoop delivers a captivating set of quiksilver tonal shifts, flooding the half-filled Gothic revival church with her charisma and singular music

30 May 2026

ALBUM REVIEW

Long Wave Home

Jesca Hoop

Born of relationship friction, Long Wave Home advocates for love in a darkening world.

by David Rea

1 May 2026

NEW RELEASE

John Lennon Love (Meditation Mixes)

Occupying the ever-growing music/mental health space, these beautiful reimaginings succeed on their own terms. John Lennon would have approved.

by David Rea

11 April 2026

ALBUM REVIEW

The Former Site Of

The New Pornographers

This is a really enjoyable and at points captivating album, if a little beaten down by the world.

27 March 2026

ALBUM REVIEW

Wasted On Youth

The Molotovs

The sibling duo might not wear their influences lightly, but their debut album is an adrenaline shot of youthful optimism.

by David Rea

28 January 2026

ANNIVERSARY ALBUM REVIEW

BOB DYLAN’S DEFIANT VOICE IN HEARTBROKEN AMERICA: A new review of The Times They Are A-Changin'

EXTRACT: THE DAY OF John F. Kennedy's assassination, Bob Dylan likely watched the news reports come in on television — the grainy images from Dallas, Texas flickering across the 22-year-old’s crestfallen face. CONTINUE READING >>

by David Rea

17 January 2026

A black and white photo of the singer-songwriter and folk singer Bob Dylan from around 1965. He has curly hair, is wearing black Ray-Ban sunglasses and a dark shirt and is looking directly into the camera.

ALBUM REVIEW

Sad and Beautiful World

Mavis Staples

In acknowledging the world’s sadness and beauty on this deeply felt album, Mavis Staples somehow finds hope too.

by David Rea

4 November 2025

A woman with short hair sitting at a table with a pink floral tablecloth, smiling and looking down, in a room with lace curtains and yellow-painted walls.

ALBUM REVIEW

All is Love and Pain in the Mouse Parade

Of Monsters and Men

After their electro-pop LP Fever Dream, OMAM explore cinematic folk rock, but struggle to find consistent inspiration.

by David Rea

11 October 2025

A black square with white illustrations of various symbols, animals, and designs arranged in a circular pattern. The words "love" and other symbols are written around the border.

ALBUM REVIEW

Emerge, Return

The Bookshop Band

When Pete Townsend got in touch with the Ivor Novello-nominated duo, it seemed certain something special was about to happen.

Words: David Rea

4 October 2025

Black background with red bar code-like lines and a red mountain shape. White text reads "EMERGE, RETURN THE BOOKSHOP BAND."

BEST ALBUM OF 2025

The Resurrection Game

Emma Swift

Emma Swift’s stunning first album of original material is as immersive as an IMAX movie, and full of beguiling emotional complexity.

Words: David Rea

3 September 2025

Book cover titled "The Resurrection Game" by Emma Swift, featuring a woman lying on her back with her head tilted to the side, surrounded by a blue background.

Robyn Hitchcock: Blissful transcendence in East London

LIVE REVIEW

Suffused with its inter-war ghosts from its days as a Savoy cinema, the EartH theatre turned out to be the perfect setting for Hitchcock’s transcendent performance

Words: David Rea

14 September 2024

Male musician singing into a microphone while playing an electric guitar on stage.

ALBUM REVIEW

Ticking Haze

Shapes Like People

EXTRACT: The crystalline jangle pop guitar mines rich seams of bittersweetness on ‘Never Cut Asunder’ and ‘Ambition is your Friend’, and ‘Server of the Mind’ and ‘Fireworks’ float in hazy dream pop gauze.  

Words: David Rea

1 September 2024

Black and white photo of a woman with long hair holding a smartphone, with the text 'shapes like people' on the side.

ALBUM REVIEW

Liam Gallagher John Squire

This is very much in one of Britpop's key registers: cocksure optimism. Almost front to back it is tuneful, guitar-driven pop-rock, which wouldn't have sounded out of place in 1995.

Words: David Rea

2 March 2024

A pile of various colorful health and beauty product packaging, including bottles, tubes, boxes, and labels.

30th ANNIVERARY REVIEW

Definitely Maybe

Oasis

Listening to the band's rudimentary and derivative moving parts thirty years later then, it is easy to conclude that the tumult surrounding the band lent the music something which simply isn't there on the master tape.

Words: David Rea

30 August 2024

Five young men in a living room, some sitting and one standing, with musical instruments and photos, a large globe, and a fireplace, during daytime, with sunlight coming through the windows.