One of my minor agendas is to seek to balance the highly limited repertoire of Christmas music broadcast by mainstream media by posting festive tracks by artists outside that area and especially ones featured by ‘Hot Music Live'.

I reviewed the Christmas single "Happy Christmas, All Will Be Fine" by King of the Alps back in 2020 when it came out & under normal circumstances would have shared it each year since. However in the immortal words of Echo and the Bunnymen: "easier said than done my friend."

In their modesty & discretion, the band not only didn't create a video to share but they also deleted the capacity to download the track so there was literally no link to share. Until now.

They not only have created a video you can access via this link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kv0hBfUYi-M

but in the very fine tradition of this band, when they make a video, they make a most artistic one: and one which definitely fits nicely with the song it's illustrating. Initially a monochrome homage to The Simpsons' "Mr Plow' advert (can't think of anyone doing that) it then segues via a series of festive performance clips into footage of Paul & Simon jumping into the River Avon at Guy's Cliffe (thankfully it would appear in summer). Some of these sections defy literal interpretation in the context of the song (or at least I'm incapable of it) and the creative decision process of writing them comes across as surreal. Which is fine. This is King of the Alps. This is them.

This band aren't terribly interested in commercial success and make music as they want to. However even by their idiosyncratic standards "Happy Christmas, All Will Be Fine" as a song stands out (though apparently not in their own minds: in the intervening years I did enquire about the song and at least one member seemed to struggle to remember much about it).

As I said in 2020: "If however you are expecting something which will nestle snugly alongside all the old favourites on a Christmas compilation, I did warn you against second guessing them. I find it unlikely that "Happy Christmas, All Will Be Fine" will be featuring at any karaoke sessions & possibly Radio Two will pass on it. Although both are consummate experienced musicians, with this band they have no fear of experimenting with sound & this song is certainly experimental".

Which to my mind has always been a reason to share it with the wider world.

Since it was five years since the original review and I can't expect you to recollect my words, I also said "Unusually, since previous songs were originally created by Paul, this one has its genesis in a double bass & drum track created by Simon & sent to Paul who made a loop and added electric guitar, drum & vocals in his home studio……So laid back in tempo & feel that it more resembles a post Christmas lunch lethargy than a party, the various elements drift in and out of the mix like some of the more outré examples of well, experimental jazz and minimalism is a key element. The one possible direct inspiration which I could detect is vaguely Eastern in origin with an Indian drone plus a sort of gamelan guitar figure."

Much as I do like Slade and The Pogues, we also need idiosyncratic Christmas songs like this. We also need more King of the Alps in 2026: it was great to see them play at our fundraiser for The Tin in June but that was their only live show of 2025 and this their only (re)release. (The song is available as a free download via: https://kingofthealps.bandcamp.com/track/happy-christmas-all-will-be-fine). Let's keep our fingers crossed.

It's a big bonus when artists you respect have such a broad range of musical interests that they need to put them out under different names: I suppose confusion dodging is the reason but I personally suspect that music lovers have the flexibility to embrace diversity: it's the music media & the music industry who struggle to deal with those who operate in several of the artificial boxes they construct to imprison people in.

‘Fall To Ocean', the new Phoebe Court release (under her ‘Barnabas' moniker) is a world away from her work with The Caroline Bomb: briefly while the latter might be said to be on a mission to wake people up,

"To Fall To Ocean is
To Reflect
To Relax
To De-stress
To Heal
To Sleep
To Dream"

Quite the contrast.

Another Barnabas gifted therapeutic programme a la ‘Lucia's Method', ‘Fall To Ocean' is made up of the tracks "Fall To", "Ocean Dance", "Ocean Wash", "Ocean Rest", "Ocean Breath", "Ocean Glide", "Ocean Shimmer"(which seems to be her favourite) and "Rise To Bubbles".

She draws on the power of the ocean to drive this album & with its tradition as a source of mindfulness generation & therapeutic balm, that's fine by me. Also, she sent it me yesterday mid way through a stressful day so not only could I have a think about the musical qualities, I could put it to my own uses immediately. Thank you.

Given my gratitude for helping me in that way, I'm not sure whether ‘Fall To Ocean' has thereby slipped over into another category other than that which usually requires a conventional musical critique: but here goes.

My first observation I suppose is round the structure & compositional nature of the album. Mindfulness records tend (as far as I can tell) towards extended pieces designed for immersion. The mere fact that we have here eight discrete ones is unusual. Equally while most fall within a band of nearly five minutes to nearly nine (quite respectable if you're looking to submerge), "Ocean Glide" is around four & the opener barely a minute and a half: so norms are being challenged here.

"Ocean Shimmer" is indeed a very "musicianly" track: possibly the most conventionally performed Barnabas one I've yet heard and certainly shows off her guitar skills: very alluring & embracing, this one enfolds and caresses as the mission promises.

However Phoebe's humour & courage to launch into something & see where it goes are also evident: the opening track takes off from where ‘Lucia' ended: a bit bonkers & possibly intended to evoke the confused state of mind which the rest of the album aims to remedy?

On "Ocean Glide" (which nudges the symphonic) we get a saxophone and on the final track a host of less conventional instrumentation including "wood, glass & leg tapping", "mouth sounds", "hand sounds" and the mysterious "jumper": all of which do combine into something soothing (with the promised bubbles) and above all determines that what we don't get just a homogenous blend of agreeable treated guitars, vocals & synths which no doubt would do the trick & is probably how a lot of mindfulness records are created. Here instead we have wit and variety: both of which I welcome in any context.

If the festive season is for you something of a psychological minefield, you could do worst than equip yourself with this set of remedies before it kicks off.

As mentioned in my review of the Liam Vincent and the Odd Foxes' upcoming single "Four Thousand Weeks", it's actually due out on Friday, the same day as its parent release their ‘Breath, Blood and Bone' EP. Given the quality & emotional wallop of their music, the prudent course of action seemed to be to give them each their own review.

Since "Four Thousand Weeks", "Summer's Secrets" and "Keep Running" have each had their individual moment in the ‘Hot Music Live' spotlight, this article will, for the main, focus on the three other songs: "A Date With Density", "Dead End" and the title track.

However before doing that, I'd like to pick up where I left the previous article: some EPs and albums are collections of songs, others have unifying themes or concepts and therefore since the latter applies here, we need to consider the whole as well as the component parts & their sum.

‘Breath, Blood and Bone' seems to be a concept EP (have I ever written about one before?) made up of "themes of mortality, connection, and the beauty found in impermanence". So that needs keeping in mind especially when casting one's mind back to the individual songs already released as singles. They consider it their most ambitious work to date & I can understand why.

Credit are due to James Odd Fox for recording, production and engineering at Woodworm Studios  and Volt Per Octave Studios, Andy "Hippy" Baldwin at Metropolis for mastering and to Mark Stevens and Guy Fletcher for brass and mandolin in addition to Liam (vocals & guitar), Rebecca (violin and vocals), Matt (bass and vocals), James (guitar) and Diz (drums and percussion).

I tend to go on, when talking about Odd Fox music to state its impact on hearts, feet & minds. You can take that as read again here by the way. They have an instinct for what values are "right" and benevolent and equally to the factors which compel dancing. However they are also a most thoughtful band who often speak of the passionate debates at band meetings, trying to make sense of a flawed world, how it might be made better & how they can write songs about that.

Consequently, the sequencing here was given much consideration & while many bands go out on a high with their final track, as I said last time, they finish with the gentler "Four Thousand Weeks". This decision was made as they felt that it tied the themes together and that "where "Summer's Secrets" roared with defiance, "Four Thousand Weeks" smiles knowingly, the sound of acceptance, gratitude, and the quiet courage to keep singing as the year draws to a close.

The EP even has it's own subtitle: "A Six-Track Folk-Rock Journey Through Survival, Connection and the Marks We Leave Behind" which more than hints at the philosophical profundities in store as does the title & consequent artwork which "…..draws from the oldest art in the world, a red hand stencilled on the wall of a prehistoric cave, a symbol of our shared need to make change and be remembered".

Does passion communicate more potently in the blazing tracks or the slow burners? Well that's for you to judge but I think it does it in different ways & in conjunction offers powerful dynamics: another area the Odd Foxes excel in. This is a band with an interest in physics after all: note the song about density.

And they truly care. The Odd Foxes are precisely those sort of musicians who end up arrested and persecuted under oppressive regimes because they insist on telling the truth and inspiring resistance.

So what of the three songs I promised to tell you about? Well to start with, we've just outlined the spectrum of approaches above so you might say that they fit into that in various positions between the two extremes. And that's fair comment.

"Four Thousand Weeks" clocks in at just over three minutes, but all the others are noticeably longer and generally provide the band with their trademark moves into developing the tunes & providing emphasis: as well as demonstrating what great players they are. The solos are less expressions of indulgence & more of liberation as they fly off in glee at what they've made.

"A Date With Density" (the pun being so compelling that the track actually appeared as "Destiny" in a couple of contexts online initially) is perhaps both the most overtly "rock" in a folk rock way & the most Celtic. Yet it could be said to be the "heaviest" in its lyrics which certainly tend to both the poetic and the apocalyptic: I imagine each listener will respond to the vivid imagery in their own personal subjective fashion. But it isn't capable of leaving them untouched.

"Breath, Blood & Bone" is up there with "Keep Running" as the lengthiest cut and sits closest to "Four Thousand Weeks" in regards to being nearer to the ballad form. This is a big philosophical one, urging taking big picture perspectives and forging connection.

"Dead End" is another rocking tune if a little more English than Celtic and hence provides a sonic link in what is actually a rather neat progression of tone & style. It provides the most overly combative lyric on the EP: frankly it wouldn't be a true LVOF record without a call to arms would it?

Much as I applaud the thought that's gone into the EP, I wonder how much they intended this progressive effect? I suspect that they wrote each song authentically on its own merits and then sequenced them (and arranged them) with care: to think otherwise implies a sense of fitting tracks into a format which might compromise their integrity & I just don't hear that.

As these days songs come out in single form far more often than in collections, I find my capacity to process them has shifted: on one hand I can drill right down into each one in greater detail: on the other, I can get emotional overload trying to deal with whole albums of great songs. EPs necessarily fall somewhere in between but most tend to be shorter than the half dozen here and I'll be candid: ‘Breath, Blood and Bone' asks a lot of a listener. You gain much by playing it through as they so obviously desire you to do, but I'd understand it if, after doing that, you needed a bit of a lie down in a darkened room to realign yourself.

It's that three-fold attack which leaves you no escape from the intensity. You might start just getting very excited by the music, or you may experience it first live & be compelled to dance: sooner or later the wisdom of the lyrics will have you saying to yourself "yes: of course: I wish I'd thought of saying that".

Liam Vincent and the Odd Foxes seem to think its their best work & it's definitely one of the most compelling releases of 2025: that said I can't wait to hear it played live when I bet it will manifest yet more dimensions: please don't forget that they will be launching the records on Friday 5th December at The Queen's Hall in Nuneaton alongside Greenman Rising.

They don't like the way the world is going & nor do I day. In ‘Breath, Blood and Bone' they not only rail against this but even better offer alternative solutions: that cannot be underestimated. Certain forces will loath and fear it with reason. Good.

Euan Blackman has today released a new single called "better".

I'm afraid that I don't know any background this time but since Euan is proceeding further down the road of accessibility and more direct story telling (he seems to be phasing out the blurry artwork too, though the lower case titles seem here to stay), the ambiguities which tended to have me peering through the mistiness of his writing (which was definitely an intended characteristic) are melting away.

He seems comfortable these days with a more populist aesthetic and not only is he as good at it as he was with wistful melancholia but it seems to be bringing its rewards in terms of media attention & live profile. Which is good as far as I'm concerned.

The jauntiness is appealing but he's not sold out to the forces of Mammon as lines like "I hope your life's not better than mine" give this song an agreeable edge which elevates it above the cynically commercial.

I notice some other  fan has suggested that "better" is his best work: which is fair enough. It could easily become his most streamed & it's getting mainstream airplay already.

I wish him success.

The pace is hotting up in the den of Liam Vincent and the Odd Foxes. After the passion of lead singles "Summer's Secrets" and "Keep Running" from the forthcoming EP ‘Breath, Blood and Bone' they have decided to put out a third single "Four Thousand Weeks" on the same day as the EP: which is to say December 5^th.

The idea behind this song (which I'm giving its own special place in the limelight: look out for a review of the remainder of the EP in the next few days) is one I first encountered with Ian Dury's 1984 album ‘4,000 Weeks' Holiday' and in similar vein references the average human lifespan. While the earlier one was a pretty angry record, the Odd Foxes take as their inspiration the book ‘Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management For Mortals' and it sits at the more reflective end of their own spectrum (lord knows they have angry songs enough of their own).

In fact part of their reasoning is that with the maelstrom of festivities coming up, something calmer might be a counterpoint for our ears & psyches.

Polemics & blazing with passion may be characteristics of Odd Fox songs (and I do say that of them) but I might also state how intelligent & wise their songs are (I don't see those two terms as synonyms by the way). The more raucous cuts probably start their effects on the feet and then move up to the heart, so one might be excused if in the delirium of the effects, the impact on the head is subsidiary. With "Four Thousand Weeks" you do get a chance to meditate on what they are saying: and it's not like they want you to leave off dancing: it's just that this is more of a stately waltz…. and in the context of a full Foxgig that probably is no bad thing if you want to dance from start to finish without collapsing.

Again: the sentiment is humane: however fed up they get with various shortcomings of flawed and failing societies, it's because they care and can see better ways of doing things: and in this case of living lives.

In their own wise words: the song is "..a wry, warm meditation on time, mortality, and what it means to live well .. and urges listeners to embrace life's fleeting moments with joy and humour." And Rebecca adds "In a world where we're constantly told we're doing it wrong, this song is about celebrating the moment. With only 4000 weeks to live, we might as well dance a bit and sing about it — especially at this time of year."

Well I can relate to that (frankly it homes in on some of my own weaknesses and so I thank them for it) but please don't think I'm describing some sort of facile feel-good philosophising: the Odd Foxes haven't lost their bite and the actual words include such acerbic gems as "we all have to swim in the same filthy sea".

They are smart & kind people and they are also superb musicians who have adapted here to a much gentler sound incorporating a shruti box, bodhrán, and a mandolin played by Guy Fletcher rather than their default instrumentation.

What you can't appreciate as fully (yet) is their decision to close the EP with "Four Thousand Weeks": they have obviously given it plenty of thought and their reasoning is impressive. I'll share that with you when reviewing the full EP since context is all in this matter. But like their debut album ‘Fabric of a Flawed Society', Liam Vincent and the Odd Foxes can not only write some potent individual songs but also build more complex and bigger pictures by composing them into broader structures.

They will be launching the records on the same day they come out at The Queen's Hall in Nuneaton alongside Greenman Rising.

This review is possibly (sorry) going to be one of my weirder ones.

Let me explain. Orange River Remedy kindly sent me their song "Confusion (Slight Paranoia)"  (produced by Barry Bayliss at Gospel Oak Studios)  in November 2022 at the same time as their debut single  "Rollin' On", (which is featured on ‘Hot Music Live Presents Volume Nine‘ as well).

At that time, it was scheduled to be the follow-up though "BB33" in fact came out in the meantime. In November of last year, it seemed that its time had finally come, but various issues have delayed it until today, meaning that I've had a whole three years to mull over its merits and quite a few of my impressions below were drafted a fair while ago. Not that my substantive views have changed: it just constitutes something of a personal record. I'd note too that Orange River Remedy are a band so obviously steeped in the traditions of classic rock music as to pretty timeless: they are a long way from being ephemeral musical bandwagon jumpers.

Likewise, no one can accuse Orange River Remedy with saturating the market with hastily put together material: they set their quality control to same high level for recordings as they do to their live show.

As Rikki told me, they originally had it in mind for their debut album (please watch this space for that) and only the plethora of really strong material they're putting together for that has prompted a rethink, choosing instead to put it out as a single ahead of the long player.

Played with their normal panache and obvious love for what they are doing (they are one of those bands who when you see them live seem to be enjoying themselves even more than those watching), this song is a superb advertisement for just how well they both groove & swing even at low revs.

Lottie Pennington is known for her powerhouse drumming & this song gives her a chance to demonstrate her range & ability to be inventive & subtle at slower speeds & less volume.

In fact the whole track is a compendium of showcase moments: the vocal harmonies, the guitar solo, harmonica, guest Dan Sealey on organ all add up to another mesmerising track which so easily captures your affections that you don't immediately notice the complexity of the structure or arrangement. Clever stuff.

Lyrically, the Orange River Remedy approach already seems pretty diverse. Their debut certainly fitted with the good time vibe which permeates their exceptionally popular live performances. That the follow-up addressed their pride in their cousin's achievements seems a perfectly understandable detour. "Confusion (Slight Paranoia)" is cut from very different cloth to its predecessors, yet on reflection I'm not sure that we should be too shocked. Sunny optimism & enjoyment of life may characterise the way they play gigs, but a closer glance at their setlists reveals plenty of covers of darker & more unsettling songs from that late 60's/early 70s period which so shapes their sound. When I first heard Rikki & Tyron play, they were a trio with their brother Dylan & a standout was a version of "A Quick One, While He's Away": a bold choice musically but also a song which touches upon child abuse. Equally they are big Neil Young fans (one of the things they've been so busy doing is  recreating his ‘Harvest' in a series of  concerts with the help of Dan) and his repertoire is hardly light in tone is it?

Now I wouldn't wish to leave you with the impression that "Confusion (Slight Paranoia)" goes anywhere near subjects like paedophilia, heroin abuse or genocide: it's more about personal identity & relationships. However they've taken a significant step away from what Rikki identified as a "comedic" element in "BB33" and the intensity of the way they play & especially sing is noticeably higher: the sort of level typical of their gigs in fact.

In fact all the evidence is that they are a band who like to imbue their songs with balanced emotions: nothing too extreme in any single direction but nothing bland nor inauthentic either: adult songs for grown-up audiences who want something to get their teeth into.

It will be most interesting to see the variety of approaches they adopt across their album. Though when I can tell you about that is not something I dare to predict.

You'll pardon me I hope any inadequacies in my report on our eighth ‘Hot Music Live Presents' fundraiser for The Tin: the one you'll have seen posters for featuring Stone Bear, Alchemista, The Pristines  and  Massasauga: I'm sure I've not got my head round it fully: but since I may never do that, I'll give you what I've got today.

I hope you follow us on social media: if so, you'll know that the gig was threatened by poor advance ticket sales: you don't need me to talk you through that. Then, after we'd had to deal with Storm Amy hitting during our previous event in October, her sister Claudia came calling last night: and she seemed in a worse mood.

You may have seen some photos I posted earlier from which Alchemista were absent: only three members made it through to the venue given the flooding of many rural communities. This was a huge shame as they'd worked up a set of material they'd not necessarily played live before and in fact they've not gigged for a long time: you may also have seen their enthusiasm in the promotional phase too.

So: this didn't have the largest audience of the series but that, I can assure you is the end of anything negative.

So many people on the night urged me to see the positives and they are right: so here goes.

The three bands who got through in full order were superb. Top form all round. The gigs aim to raise money for a vital venue for local original music but they are also intended to have high artistic value each time.

They all presented the audience with unique experiences. Stone Bear has not played for a long time either & several of his songs have therefore never been played live. The Pristines unveiled no fewer than three new songs and Massasauga a couple of unreleased ones too: so to have been there was a privilege just in those terms.

But the performances were stunning: all three palpably enjoyed themselves on stage which to me is a key metric of success.

Part of this was the audience response: what was a bit unfortunate in terms of numbers was compensated for by extra enthusiasm and it was great to see people engaging with the artists off stage: another aim is to introduce people to bands they've not seen before. Once again it was a diverse sets of sets which sound engineer Phil Morley, shadowed by Ishmael curated perfectly.

I learned much. The biggest revelation for me was from David John who for the first time spoke about how the loss of his cousin Chris actually sparked the creation of the band (then a duo) and how so many songs were actually conversations with him. This explains so much about so many tracks & also how his sound has evolved over the years. In at least eight years of reviewing Stone Bear, I knew nothing of this and obviously in hindsight every single article I have written could probably need revising with this key information. I'm glad however that he feels that the time is right now to tell us.

It may be the thirtieth anniversary of the release of ‘Teen Fraud, Pop Whore' and while many bands tour key albums on these milestones, The Pristine's response was to play nothing from it but, as I said, look to the future. Isn't that great? You can't help but warm to a band with that attitude. As you can a band who play a song, decide they hadn't played it well enough & play it again. No wonder bands like that inspire others with their attitude as well as their actual hypnotic music & I wonder how much their influence is responsible for the revival of shoegaze locally through the likes of What About Eric?

I've reviewed loads of Massasauga releases but no actual gigs to date so I was looking forward to that (as well as previews of tracks yet to come out) and I also think I may now have been tutored into pronouncing their name properly.

For the record, it's interesting how they cover them selves with both  a fuzz rock and doom metal self description (though you know I like artists who defy formal labelling): I would say that I've tended to hear the studio recordings more in the former vein: live they are much more towards the latter… so you can get to hear them in two complementary modes if you shuffle between the two formats. And they are wild live. They take the suggestion that they recruit a bassplayer as something of an affront: as they sang forcibly of how they may be outnumbered by other bands but never outgunned. And Conrad has an octave pedal anyway.

And did you know, could you have guessed that "The Only Good Wizard Is A Dead Wizard" is their audience singalong? I didn't.

I'm still to come to the heart of what went well: and that's the sense of community. I've mentioned the audience response but the gig went ahead because of the efforts of quite a few people, most of whom I've mentioned before in the magazine. I'm humbled by what people did to turn it around and many of them could not be there due to other commitments so hadn't even the reward of experiencing the results of their input. I'd love to name them but knowing them, I suspect they'd prefer me not to: so I'll respect that but I know & you might make a few intelligent guesses.

On the night it was good to see other musicians in support: Julie from The Sunbathers (who are playing at our December 12^th event) and all of Stegosaurus Sex Party (date still being worked on) to name but two bands. This is why The Tin needs supporting because there are people who go the extra mile, support each other & are open to the admittedly often startlingly eclectic mixes these events aim to be. And they all got wet too.

I don't know how many people constitute the local audience for original music which doesn't come at them through mainstream media (ie all we heard last night). From what ‘Hot Music Live' does, I know these are good times for numbers of artists and I know all too well that the number of venues is low & they all operate without huge surpluses.

I think we do need to redouble our efforts to ensure the venues don't go & the audience builds and sustains: this event was too close for comfort.

Our next event is, as I've said, on December 12^th & features Grail Guard, RobinPlaysChords and The Sunbathers. The poster currentlyshows Abz Winter too but I'm afraid she can't now participate & as yet I've not confirmed a replacement: please watch social media.

Please do also buy tickets in advance: I really don't want to go the brink again. The link is:

https://www.ticketweb.uk/event/hot-music-live-presents-grail-the-tin-at-the-coal-tickets/13893164

Sadly, as another symptom of the current problems with ticket sales, Massasauga had had their gig the previous evening cancelled. However they have another tonight at the Wheatsheaf in Banbury with Bright Black: the weather should be kinder.

Equally, after a period without too many gigs, The Pristines are at Just Dropped In on the 30^th

I hope both Stone Bear & Alchemista appear in events listings again soon too.

Available now, at the really generous "name your price" rate via Bandcamp, is the third album from Zaruna, ‘Palm Tree Woman'.

Their albums have come annually (check out 2023's ‘El Zaruna' and ‘Hula' from last year) which (unless you are Daffod'i'll putting out five a week) is good going these days. Nevertheless it says a lot about their zest for writing and sharing their songs that they suggested to me that they felt it had taken them a long time to complete it.

Well time & perception of it may be relative but given the number of singles they've been putting out, there have been few periods of any great length between Zaruna releases: in fact I admit keeping up has not always been easy.

Some of those recent songs we've reviewed are here: "Piss", "Heaven", "Cocoa Bango", "Indigo" and "Monkey News" to name but five. They are joined by: "J Bone", "King of the Worms", "Palm Tree Woman", "Finding My Name", "Barbecue at the Luau on a Friday", "Barren Lies", "John Candy" and "On Top of the Ocean": so not only is the album reasonably priced but you get plenty for your money.

Is it a concept album? Good question. There certainly is a strong theme running through which checks out contexts of a tropical island based nature: though starting with "Hawaii", the first track on their debut via "Singapore" on their second, the theme seems more career sized: albeit more apparent this time out.

That's an issue of commonality. However through this run of singles, so diverse have they been that I've already raised a speculative one regarding how they might sound in juxtaposition: let alone with new neighbours.

Well now we can move beyond conjecture to experience.

I do honestly fear sometimes that certain forces & tendencies in our evolving culture are reducing effective attention spans: content is being created in quite small, discrete packets. To this end, I do feel that artists releasing music in single & EP formats are doing so with greater expectation of everyone listening to the end than with say an album.

This is a terrible generalisation of course & the capacity for processing albums is still there for many. Historically sprawling, eclectic sets like ‘Sandinista!' or the ‘White Album' may have perplexed those wanting homogenous collections but sent messages to other listeners that here was a band who had varied interests and could play in a range of styles. I think that Zaruna will be appreciated by those with the latter mindset & breadth of vision. Guess which one I think is the more valuable audience for them to build.

I love how they obviously enjoy playing differently each time & abjure repetition. This to me is not just a band who shine today but have the attributes to go a long way forwards. If they ever got caught be a limited expectation (as unfortunately a few "one hit wonders" have been), then that would be something of a pity. If you can't detect this joy in the playing of the songs, then you are most unfortunate.

However, I had better put my hand up next as though I fervently stick by what I just wrote, I enjoyed the tracks I hadn't heard before so much that I found it hard to tear myself away from each to move on: left to myself I'd have been abusing the repeat button. As it is, you'll want to play this album time & again.

Yes: it's very eclectic & the faint hearted may be startled by the tonal changes between tracks but each is a cracker in its own right. If you  decide you have a favourite, then you have achieved something which is beyond me. There are far more than just five tracks on here which could be singles.

Sadly all artists get put into a box sooner or later: either willingly or otherwise. Zaruna seem happy with the broad descriptor of "alternative rock" which encompasses a lot & is as fair as anything could be in their case. Yet they also possess a fine pop sensibility: their songs hook you and reel you in.

Since their music is about as non-parochial as it gets (if anything the tracks seem set on the opposite side of the globe), there is no obvious reason for them not to be embraced anywhere and everywhere: their approach already has global elements to be found referenced. And plenty of humour too which always ticks a box my end.

How they work their magic is a little elusive: whatever their thoughts on their speed may be, their prolific output would seem difficult to reconcile with having loads of time to spend on each song: especially given the Higher Education factor which means substantial periods when they can't get together. Yet each one comes across as being the product of a labour of love. A lot of it too. They must make good use of their time. I hope you enjoy their efforts as much as I did.

No sooner had a published a review of a local folk icon who is now also part of a supergroup (I'm talking here about Ellie Gowers and The Magpies) than something similar has occurred with solo star & Liam Vincent and the Odd Foxes member Rebecca Mileham.

Her new collaboration is forming one quarter of Women of Folk (no danger here of transgression against Trades Description legislation) alongside Linda Moylan, Lizzy Hardingham and Louise Hatch with a mission of paying homage to the songs and repertoires of the best women folk singers and singer-songwriters of the past and present.

With the addition of Linda's regular collaborator Ian Montague on guitar, they have just released a debut single: their version of the classic song "Wild Mountain Thyme" on the Talking Elephant label. Since Joan Baez, Judy Collins and Kate Rusby are among the (female) artists to perform it, it certainly meets the criteria above.

Obviously with four such voices available, the quality is as high as you'd expect: with almost a superfluity of vocal resources, I was impressed with how they measured them out: no grandstanding but thoughtful, dignified lead vocals in turn interspersed with the sort of harmonies you'd imagine possible given the ingredients to hand.

It's one of those "less is more" affairs which appeal to me: not just the tasteful singing but minimal instruments: just enough to carry the song & add embellishments as needed and no more. Hence you do get to hear Rebecca's violin nice & prominently too. Which pleased me.

Women Of Folk will celebrate the release of the single with a concert at London's Water Rats on 20th November: again I think the prestige of the venue tells you something useful about this new venture worth knowing. I'm not sure if they have plans for gigs around our way, or whether, like The Magpies, we may need to admire them from something of a distance.

I'm pleased to share with you the release of ‘Racialised Aggravation', the debut EP by Wallace & Vomit.

Featuring an extended version of previously released single "County Lines" (well you get 12 additional seconds of an admittedly pretty short song in the form of a sampled intro) plus "I  Drew Muhammed (PBUH) On The Back Of The Bus Stop (And The Bangla Boys Ain't Happy)", "River Or Skip", "White Devil Bitches" plus a live version of "Fight Your Feelings".

It's hard to think of a set of songs I've heard in recent years which is quite as unrelentingly provocative. Louis Scheuer, Alex Vale, Matt Cameron and Jaymes Milner appear to have set themselves up to combat racial prejudice very proactively and directly & the route they've taken is one of getting up close with stereotyping and attempting to skewer it. This manifests itself in various contexts throughout the EP.

The basic tool to do that is through irony, amplified by the passion and vitality of the delivery: all valid techniques: in a war you need weapons & ideally puissant weapons.

The danger of course is that, as Elvis Costello said "irony is lost on pinheads": first generation punks tried this and songs like "White Riot" and "Tommy Gun" by The Clash (it was in relation to the backlash against the latter that EC was speaking) or "White Noise" by Stiff Little Fingers were taken literally by some (not bothering to double check against the avowed stances of the bands) : essentially the reverse of the writers' intentions.

I would never argue against the use of irony or another grown up lyrical approach, but it does need managing I suppose. Equally to hold a mirror up to racial prejudice in the context within which the members of Wallace & Vomit live is important: I was saying to someone just the other day (it was in fact Duck Thief Justin Wing Chung Hui who is helping run the ‘Love Music Hate Racism' gig on November 22^nd at the Priory Visitor Centre at which Wallace & Vomit are playing alongside such artists as Roddy Radiation and Stereotypical: tickets are available via  https://www.eventbrite.com/e/love-music-hate-racism-coventry-tickets-1783212599889) how in the original heyday of ‘Rock Against Racism' (when I put on my first gig), the violence from the likes of the National Front, British National Party and other assorted nasties was appalling: even lethal. However the prejudice was to some extent corralled within relatively small groups of general political toxicity, led by creeps who usually ended up humiliated and/or in gaol. Now sadly much of the venom has seeped out into political contexts which actually embrace electoral success. So yes we need bands like this to express how prejudice works in 2025 and if they do so as forcibly as Wallace & Vomit do with ‘Racialised Aggravation' then that's fine by me. Some things need shouting & not whispering.

Fans of Stylusboy's 2023 release ‘Back in the Day' will hopefully be pleased to hear that he's back with another EP comprising songs based on stories from older memories of community members.

This time with ‘The Coleshill Tapes' he is (you guessed it) in Coleshill and the songs ("Pockets Full of Life and Freedom", "The Journey that Never Came Back", "A Better Tomorrow" and "Raise a Glass") are inspired by stories of life during the Second World War experienced by some of the residents to whom he spoke.

Funded by Creative Coleshill (Rural Hub Towns) through Live and Local and Arts Council England, this project is obviously centred on the unique narratives of individuals.

Consequently, he needed to create around these, whatever shape they may have taken: to insert his own creative voice, even in editing would have been an act of manipulation if not distortion & certainly lacking in the respect appropriate to the project.

Therefore the lightest of creative touches was required yet he also had to shape the stories into song formats which could connect with listeners: not an easy balance I'd have thought.

Of course, as with the previous time (the experience must have helped), he achieved this but it's worth noting that to complement this accessibility of form & authenticity of lyric, he chose to record them live in his own The Truffle Room studio. I'm sure any significant "production" detectable by the audience or convoluted arrangement would restrict the qualities he was aiming for. (It was mixed and mastered by Dave Pollard in The Wood Room).

It's impossible to fault his choice of song titles either: the aim is transparency and so you are prepared for each when you see what they are called. In fact you plunge straight into each narrative.

I'm sure you will be prepared for what lies within: any songs written from the viewpoint of elderly people looking back both to childhood and a period of trauma are bound to be emotionally charged: loss of places, times & people are the hallmarks so don't venture in unless you can handle pathos: though of course there are elements of optimism and ability to process which if they don't balance the sadnesses, at least offer compensatory feelings.

Steve as ever doesn't fall into the trap of amplification of emotion: the articulation of the residents is quite sufficient to shape the hearts of the tracks. Instead he sings with understanding & empathy: this is about them, not him.

That said, though these are person specifics, in his capable hands he takes the particular & offers it to us in ways which give us the chance, where we can, to relate to our own lives of those of our own families from that generation. His ‘Back in the Day' songs are important ones in his "regular" set to audiences from outside the community which inspired them & I don't doubt that the same will apply to ‘The Coleshill Tapes'.

If (like me) you greatly enjoyed Ellie Gowers' ‘You, The Passenger' EP which is about to celebrate its first birthday, then you'll be delighted to hear of the Extended Edition which has come out: presumably to mark the milestone.

I delight too in how busy she is: it's only three weeks since I reviewed ‘The One Thing That I Know' by her group The Magpies & here she is with a release and starting her national tour (it kicked off last evening in Guildford). I would draw your attention to the only local stop (in Kenilworth) but I strongly suspect that it's sold out.

The new edition is also her debut vinyl release (in red) though you can also access downloads via Bandcamp.

Whereas the original was recorded with TJ Allen at J&J Studios in Bristol, this time Ellie went into 300 Acre Studios with Matt Cotterill producing.

The original EP is pretty stunning and she certainly stands by it: what has happened since is that through the many live renditions with drummer Scarlett Churchill and bassist Joss Mann-Hazell, she's found new aspects to them and the exploration has taken her so far that she decided to commit the outcomes to posterity: thus Scarlett & Joss join her on live takes of "A Moment", "Testing the Water" and "Sorrow" and Ellie performs "I Can Be Right For You" by herself.

I can (and have plenty of times before) go on about the high quality of Ellie as a writer and a performer but maybe any emphasis on her as a musical philosopher has tended to zoom in on various individual songs: she is a deep songwriter and her compositions usually need study. Sometimes I have even got my analysis somewhere near her intentions. I haven't really gone into her broader visions but I think she articulates them herself most openly on this occasion.

Firstly is as I've just mentioned: she clearly sees a recorded version of a song as merely one step along her own path (but presumably that of her audience, albeit a step behind her) to understanding the potential meanings of each one. Isn't that more or less what Bob Dylan does too?

Secondly she comes out with the incredible five words "I only wrote the songs": what a thing to say: humble yes but also totally reflective of her understanding of the collaborative creative process.

I first heard her play them in a solo context but thankfully not only have I heard the recorded versions, but I've seen her play them live with her trio. I have to admit that conditioning must shape our perceptions: I've only seen her play her own material in this fashion once (and never yet with The Magpies) and in contrast  goodness knows how many times I've caught her solo.

I need to adjust to this newer, more collaborative Ellie and I think to some extent she's doing something similar: you might see the Extended Edition both as evidence and celebration. It might also be a statement of vision and intent.

The four reimagined songs without a doubt take off into different territory: the exercise is artistically justified. But then of course we ask ourselves "which do I prefer"? I guess as a reviewer you look to me for a definitive response: but it's hard and anyway you might quite reasonably differ from me. Or I could try and wriggle out by saying both versions of each has its attractions.

Certainly "I Can Be Right For You" (which I did actually first hear in a solo version) does come across incredibly powerfully with less arrangement: in my heart I feel the new take edges even the original one… but that's just me.

The other three as a set do neatly evidence the many extra months of playing by the same team: no one has radically altered words or chords but much more subtle qualities have evolved. So much so that I got caught in a labyrinth of imagination trying to definitely pin down differences. Too much of that and false perceptions would have multiplied, but the assurance factor is probably increased. I'm certain this leads to the tendency towards & courage to linger longer over notes: space is embraced & enjoyed. Each moment (which is appropriate given the theme of the first track) is savoured to the full. They seem to love playing the songs and to love playing them together.

I'll come back too to what I've said before. Ellie Gowers is without question regarded as one of the great recent additions to the folk world & graces folk festivals. This however could be filed under "jazz" in your local record store. It's luxuriant.

To finish, I'll go back to Ellie's own words: specifically how she found the original recording to be "fun and cathartic". Perhaps only Ellie could combine the two concepts. I review cathartic music surprisingly often and by it's nature, the writer/performer often doesn't sound like the inspiration had been much fun. These songs, if cathartic don't really take the raw route, but in the melancholia which underpins the melodies & words, you can detect it, but with writers of this subtlety, it's a nuance and not abruptly thrust into your sensibility.