Mad Mackerel Recommends…Jenn Rawling

We have been enjoying Take The Air, an album of authentic, old-timey, soulful folk by Jenn Rawling, which she has now made available for free download via her Soundcloud page here. From slow country to uptempo neo-folk, the gently weaving rhythms and honeyed harmonies are a delight. Here are a couple of our favourites, Big Old Lake and Lonely Owl should you want to sample the … Continue reading Mad Mackerel Recommends…Jenn Rawling

New Solo Album From Mike Doughty

Mike Doughty releases his new album Yes And Also Yes on February 13th. Previously front man of Soul Coughing, he has also written a brutally honest and unflinching autobiography that catalogues the utterly dysfunctional nature of his band and his own descent into full-on drug addiction. The album is his fourth as a solo artist and it is immediately apparent that the man’s scalpel sharp … Continue reading New Solo Album From Mike Doughty

The Songs Of Leonard Cohen Covered For Mojo

As is often their wont, Mojo magazine have produced another fine cover disc this month, with a tribute to Leonard Cohen’s masterpiece of a debut The Songs Of Leonard Cohen plus a ‘bonus’ of five extra classic tracks from his back catalogue. The array of artists is mightily impressive from acclaimed new soul artist Michael Kiwanuka to Cass McCombs, Field Music and J Tillman recording … Continue reading The Songs Of Leonard Cohen Covered For Mojo

Mrs Mackerel’s TFI Friday (27th January)

Children: they really do f**k you about don’t they? In a week when our eldest sprat managed to eclipse his younger sister’s great show of academic prowess by making us all as miserable as sin, I think I should resign defeated. I blame the parents; he seems to. Liar, liar, pants on fire. Most things in life that are worth something demand some sort of … Continue reading Mrs Mackerel’s TFI Friday (27th January)

New Single From Matt Cranstoun

Matt Cranstoun is a singer-songwriter comfortable and confident enough to imbue his music with genres and styles that should, by rights, probably be more used to staying well away from one another. So is then that despite a classic troubadour’s husky drawl and some classic folk chops, funk and soul and some classic rock are bedded in too, and the results, whether backing whispered intimacy … Continue reading New Single From Matt Cranstoun

The Ex-Girlfriends Club Prep Debut Album

The Ex-Girlfriends Club specialise in the sleazy blues-punk riffs so beloved of the Stooges, the glam rock attitude that so defined late-era T-Rex, and the garage rock rawness that heralded trailblazers The Seeds. The result is a incendiary mix of distortion, proto-punk and voodoo blues that manifests itself perfectly in the primal stomp of their cover of the Sonics classic The Witch, being the first single and a … Continue reading The Ex-Girlfriends Club Prep Debut Album

Thursday Means Eight of the Best

Another quick round-up of our favourite new tracks gathered via all sources digital, via our in-box, our favourite blogs, the internet at large, and best of all those CDs that arrive out of the blue. This week we can offer you the Byrdsian jangle of White Fence’s It Will Never Be, more high octane, clattering punk riffage from Terry Malts, Grouper’s unique ethereal ambience comes … Continue reading Thursday Means Eight of the Best

More Tracks From Last American Buffalo

Since we last posted about them at the start of the month Last American Buffalo have continued to release new, free tracks via their Bandcamp page. Thankfully, the quality which you might expect to dip a little with such regular releases has confounded expectations and Last American Buffalo are rapidly becoming one of our favourite bands. The latest are the superb So Cruel with its … Continue reading More Tracks From Last American Buffalo