A Healthy Discomfort: Kevin Shirley Talks Joe Bonamassa And 'Blues of Desperation'

Photo: Joe Bonamassa by Rick Gould He may be the king of 21st century blues-rock, but Joe Bonamassa is the first to admit he owes a huge debt to producer Kevin Shirley. Having helped to guide the guitarist’s steady ascent for the last decade, the South African guru – whose CV also includes Iron Maiden and Aerosmith – is perfectly placed to take us behind the scenes of a Bonamassa record, namely his new collection, ‘Blues Of Desperation’, and detail what the future might hold for the six string star.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Wednesday, 06 April 2016

PREMIERE: Peaness Pair Pop With Politics On The Bittersweet Oh George

Photo: Twin Moon The last note to ring out during Peaness’s Sŵn Festival set last autumn was a frustrated one.

Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Monday, 04 April 2016

Amon Amarth: Slicing, Dicing And Unrequited Love

Concept albums can be a nefarious, tricky business. Often, a band’s collective head will remain planted inside their shrivelling creative sphincter throughout, oblivious to the rhyme and reason of reality. So, with Amon Amarth’s first full-blown shot at the medium, ‘Jomsviking’, on the way, it’s refreshing to hear rhythm guitarist Olavi Mikkonen’s straight up take on the video for At Dawn’s First Light, where disembowelling, beheadings and band members playing with fucking arrows stuck in them feature heavily.

Written by: Alec Chillingworth | Date: Monday, 21 March 2016

Talk Talk: Many Happy Returns To 'The Colour of Spring'

Thirty years ago this month, Talk Talk’s third album, ‘The Colour of Spring’ was released in the UK. Uncharacteristically, though, it had already been released on the other side of the Channel, such was their popularity across Europe. The band’s status in their home country had always lagged behind by comparison, but that was something Mark Hollis was not too concerned with.

Written by: Graeme Marsh | Date: Tuesday, 15 March 2016

We Disappear: Love, Death And Technology With The Thermals

td#right {display:none !important;} Photos: Jason Quigley We can’t rely on many things. We’re all going to die, so that’s one. The Thermals will keep writing songs about dying, or at least the lingering prospect of it, so we can call that two. Then there’s love. You’ll get good odds on falling in, or in and out, of it at some stage. Let’s ink that in as number three.

Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Friday, 11 March 2016

Noise Not Music #15: Aluk Todolo, Chthe'ilist, Slabdragger

We’re back with an overdue dose of the finest noise from the first two months of the year, careering dangerously between grindcore, death metal, harsh electronics and the avant-garde rumblings of Ehnahre. Consume at your own risk.

Written by: Ben Bland | Date: Tuesday, 08 March 2016

Single Life: Miike Snow Rekindle Their Love Of Pop On 'iii'

There’s something in the argument that there are no great singles anymore. Like a standalone hour of TV being followed by a week of anticipation, the idea of fishing three minutes of gold from a rack of 45s or the shelves of a suburban Woolworths is an increasingly sepia tinted one.

Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Tuesday, 01 March 2016

Patience Is A Virtue: yndi halda Prepare To Return With 'Under Summer'

Photo: Daniel Gregory In this globalised world of trends, hashtags and instant engagement, it’s easy to underestimate fan loyalty. We live in a society where brevity is encouraged, but that’s not to say that real artists aren’t given a bit of leeway.

Written by: Jonathan Rimmer | Date: Thursday, 25 February 2016

Mount Moriah: Learning How To Dance

td#right {display:none !important;} Photos: Lissa Gotwals “This album is dedicated to anyone who has ever felt the cold shadows of oppression or discrimination; to the misfits, the outcasts, the loners, the misunderstood, the underdogs; to the activists who devote their lives fighting for social justice; to the artists who exist to create and create to exist, even when the fruits of their labor are threatened; to the animals of the world who teach us unconditional love; to the healers and counselors who follow our pain and show us how to heal; to the community leaders who seek not to divide us, but to unite us in compassion and humanity; to those who pursue the expansion of mind and emotion; to the cosmos and to the magic; to the seekers.”

Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Wednesday, 24 February 2016

'Words Just Left Me': Alejandra Deheza on School Of Seven Bells' Final Statement

td#right {display:none !important;} Photo: Clarke Tolton/Justin Hollar Creating a powerful microcosm charged with passion and devastation, the music crafted by Alejandra Deheza and Benjamin Curtis as School of Seven Bells is drenched in tender, bittersweet emotion. Meeting by chance in 2004, while playing in bands supporting Interpol, their worlds collided and would remain forever changed.

Written by: Milly McMahon | Date: Monday, 22 February 2016

Creeper: Misery Never Goes Out Of Style

td#right {display:none !important;} Since Christmas, life has battered our hollow, dishevelled excuses for bodies. But, at this moment, anyone with their head screwed on isn’t paying attention to the outside world. Forget crippling debt, global warming and impending nuclear war for a while, because Creeper’s third EP, ‘The Stranger’, has just started streaming online.

Written by: Alec Chillingworth | Date: Thursday, 18 February 2016

Can: Many Happy Returns To 'Tago Mago'

Lists of classic albums invariably tend to throw up the same titles time and again. You’ve got your nailed on certainties in the Beatles’ various releases, the Beach Boys’ ‘Pet Sounds’, Nirvana’s ‘Nevermind’ and Radiohead’s ‘OK Computer’, all of which also contain songs considered classics in their own right.

Written by: Graeme Marsh | Date: Tuesday, 16 February 2016

Sort Out What You Need To Sort Out: Kiley Lotz And Petal's 'Shame'

​ In the spring of ‘84, the Blue Nile put out a palatial synth-pop song that hung on an aching sentiment: “I will understand you.” Stay is the sort of number that doesn’t get released as a single anymore. It’s sad and makes no apologies for the fact, but that’s what Kiley Lotz likes about the band’s music. It doesn’t require much of a stretch to see her chalking up tour miles while getting lost in the spaces between its notes.

Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Wednesday, 10 February 2016

Loud Noises: The Dirty Nil Find Their Voice On 'Higher Power'

td#right {display:none !important;} As a concept, rock ‘n’ roll should be increasingly viewed with scepticism. These days, it’s as likely to be the fallback response of a pallid indie boy or guitar music truther, incensed at the preponderance of electronic music in the charts, as it is a life-affirming shot of adrenaline. But every now and again a band makes a case for the old way.

Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Monday, 01 February 2016

Tipped For The Top: Introducing Izzy Bizu

Escaping the predictable, mundane January gloom, Izzy Bizu spent the first weekend of 2016 sinking scotch at London jazz club Ronnie Scott’s.

Written by: Milly McMahon | Date: Monday, 25 January 2016

Family Affair: Acoustic Wandering With The Barnett Brothers

As merch tables go, it's not exactly weighed down. There's a box containing CD copies of Bobby's solo record, 'Little Wounds', and a few stickers. Pinned to the backboard, though, is a single shirt design. Printed white on black is a large fish - a striper - and the words 'Barnetts Boatyard'.

Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Friday, 22 January 2016

Arctic Monkeys: Many Happy Returns To Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not

When Arctic Monkeys released ‘Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not’ a decade ago this month, they had already amassed a considerable following. But what happened next was staggering. Their debut album went on to win the Mercury Prize and rapidly became the fastest-selling debut in UK history. Two Glastonbury headline slots, countless awards and a notable sphere of indie influence would follow.

Written by: Graeme Marsh | Date: Friday, 22 January 2016

Sikth: Done Waiting For Something Wild

Reunions can be shit. Really, really, really shit. At The Drive-In’s 2012 comeback sucked. Limp Bizkit returned in great form before showing us their ‘Gold Cobra’ and subsequently realising we didn’t want to see any of that. They now think it’s acceptable to pack 20 minutes of covers into an hour-long set. It’s probably best if you forget those last two Fall Out Boy albums, too.

Written by: Alec Chillingworth | Date: Tuesday, 05 January 2016

Stereoboard's Staff Picks 2015

We know what you’re thinking: “Let’s see some more lists. There just haven’t been enough end of year lists floating around. It’s like a desert out there.”

Written by: Stereoboard | Date: Tuesday, 22 December 2015

Stereoboard Albums Of The Year: Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp A Butterfly

td#right {display:none !important;} When it comes to album of the year, ‘To Pimp a Butterfly’ is a no-brainer. The appeal of Kendrick Lamar’s third full LP is that it becomes a more insightful and eye-opening experience with every listen. You know a record is good when the process of internalising it is as good as simply feeling it.

Written by: Jonathan Rimmer | Date: Friday, 18 December 2015