MM Shorts 165: New Song From Saint Motel

Saint Motel’s debut album is due out in July and will be called Voyeur. The first taste from it is the sparkling, effervescent indie-pop of 1997 – a vaguely loving ode to the friendships forged in the Heaven’s Gate cult! Have a listen, or grab it via the limited time download below. Pre-order the album via iTunes here. a Continue reading MM Shorts 165: New Song From Saint Motel

Mad Mackerel Recommends…The Henry Clay People

The Henry Clay People have a new album set for a June 26th release on TBD Records, Twenty-Five for the Rest of Our Lives is a thrilling and sweaty thirty minutes of teenage restlessness expertly melded with adult malaise. The new album sees not only the return of the band’s original line up, but songwriters and brothers Joey and Andy Siara rediscovering and redefining their … Continue reading Mad Mackerel Recommends…The Henry Clay People

Introducing >>> Red Cosmos

Red Cosmos is the work of one wonderfully named Kim Tortoise and when we received her CD, There And Back, in the post with a most engaging handwritten note it created the initial impression of a gentle soul full of whimsy with a floaty dress and an acoustic guitar. Hmm. Not quite. Released a month or so ago, this is an album that is overflowing … Continue reading Introducing >>> Red Cosmos

Wednesday Means Seven Of The Best: Do Believe The Hype?

Here are a few streams of some of the latest singles and tracks to be creating a buzz round these parts. Worth the hype or not…you decide! This is Anthem from King Tuff’s self titled album – full-on glam rock revival anyone? Order the record and/or grab yourself a free download of Bad Thing from SubPop here. a This is Husbands by Savages, part of … Continue reading Wednesday Means Seven Of The Best: Do Believe The Hype?

The Handsome Family: Live Review

The Handsome Family || Bullingdon Arms, Oxford || May 25th 2012 You never quite know what you’re going to get at a Handsome Family gig. The venue was an old familiar haunt, quite cataclysmically changed from yesteryear – and not in an altogether good way. (Though thankfully, the Back Room of the Bully now has air con, which on a sweltering Friday evening in May … Continue reading The Handsome Family: Live Review

The Inner Flame: A Tribute To Rainer Ptacek

Fire Records are reissuing the complete works of Rainer Ptacek, the much beloved slide guitarist from Tucson, Arizona, who originated Giant Sand’s sound from the band’s inception, as well as creating many remarkable recordings as a solo artist and with his own band, Das Combo, before succumbing to brain cancer on November 12 1997. The reissues start with The Inner Flame, a compilation of accomplished … Continue reading The Inner Flame: A Tribute To Rainer Ptacek

Introducing >>> Grave Babies

With a name like Grave Babies, an EP title like Gothdammit, and songs called Nightmare, Bloodstains, and Mourning Heir it is not hard to guess to which musical mast the band have nailed their flag. That they are able to do so whilst maintaining a healthy dose of self-awareness of the flat-out ridiculousness of much that inhabits this particular genre does them great credit. Watch … Continue reading Introducing >>> Grave Babies