Master bluesmen are probably pretty thin on the ground in South London, but it is down there, amidst the grey arterial routes, Victorian terraces and leafy parks that Duke Garwood makes his home. Garwood’s new album, Dreamboatsafari sees him expanding on the spacious, dusty room blues found on previous albums Emerald Palace and The Sand That Falls. The genesis of this LP came when Garwood was … Continue reading Mad Mackerel Recommends…Duke Garwood
New York’s Duchess Leo is Dan Ryan and Todd Buchler. The duo have been friends for most of their lives, having grown up a few blocks away from each other in the suburbs of New Jersey. The songs on their debut album Golden Gray roll in melancholy and shimmer with triumph. From majestic strings to tribal rhythms and from piano led ballads to driving acoustic … Continue reading Introducing…Duchess Leo
The Skeleton Dead are a fledgling band of only six months but this is something to marvel at rather than use as any sort of rationale. What sets the bar at a different level is the Greek/bouzouki-style guitar rhythm that hooks you in from the very first bar: it’s both memorable and hypnotic. This is like a combination of many of my favourite musical influences … Continue reading Introducing…The Skeleton Dead
Despite the first impressions the name gives, Lisa Will Insult You, Darling is actually the work of one man, Sebastian Jegorow. And pretty fine work it is too. And despite the first impressions the name gives, it is not garage rock, bedroom chillwave or electro noodling. Instead it is lo-fi folk, recorded on an old tape deck and carrying with it the hiss of genuine … Continue reading Introducing…Lisa Will Insult You, Darling
Now that we’ve had the top tens from all the Mad Mackerel contributors, we will give you a definitive overall top ten in a couple of days. Before that is our penultimate top ten list of the year – the favourite new bands and artists that have come our way in 2010 which was perhaps the hardest list of all to compile. So with honourable … Continue reading Mad Mackerel’s 2010 Top Ten Series: No 9, Favourite New Artists
We received this track at just past midnight on Christmas Eve and have to admire a band that is still plugging away as Santa is readying his sleigh. The band in question are a three piece from London and are called The Angry Years. They profess a liking for everything from These New Puritans, early Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Queens of the Stone Age, to DOOM and … Continue reading Introducing…The Angry Years
What music could be better suited to a Boxing Day than a woozy, hazy, ‘Where am I? What day is it?” kind of psychedelic rock? In fact, we have posted about both these bands before, but both have new tracks from their albums available and thankfully Solar Temple Suicides and Asteroid #4 both mine the space rock theme, and both do it well. So, after too much … Continue reading New from Solar Temple Suicides & Asteroid #4
Happy Christmas folks. Enjoy this, one of the best ‘punk’ Christmas songs ever by Basement 5, circa 1980. Download Basement 5 – Last White Christmas mp3 (from Last White Christmas 7″) Continue reading HAPPY CHRISTMAS FROM ALL AT MAD MACKEREL
Here at MM we share, chat, argue, bury and praise music on a pretty regular basis…like daily. So throughout the year, the Mackerel crew (Mrs Mackerel, Barry-Sean, Christy-Popper, Dr Roddy, Polly Pocket, Starbar, MM and others) keep their own ever-changing top tens ready for publication at the climax of the festive season. So last, but very much not least, is the lovely (though flu-stricken) Mrs … Continue reading Mad Mackerel’s 2010 Top Ten Series: No 8, Mrs Mackerel
This time last week, we were snow free. Twenty-four hours later, nearly two foot of the white fluffy stuff had settled, sending Christmas plans into chaos. Beautiful though it undoubtedly is, it’s created a seasonal barrier for some of us to seeing those you love the most. So sadly, the Mackerels don’t go Mackem this Yule, but we will enjoy our very special Norsk Christmas … Continue reading Mrs Mackerel’s TFI Friday (24th December)
