Tag Archives: Retro Music

ALBUM REVIEW – Boss Keloid – Family The Smiling Thrush

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Following up a breakthrough album, such as Boss Keloid’s last opus Melted On The Inch (Holy Roar) which finished at #4 in Ghost Cult’s Album of the Year poll in 2018, is a challenging proposition. Stray too far from the magic formula and you risk undoing that giant stride taken forwards (even without being a band that has always taken efforts to ensure development and evolution of their sound is a given); repeat the previous approach and accusations of diminishing returns, or playing it safe, abound along with an invariably inferior product.  Continue reading →


The Picturebooks – The Hands of Time

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The relentless push for originality can be as paralysing as it is focusing. For bands that stake their entire existence on pushing the boundaries sonically, every new release is another chance to be skewered by their own need for clear and evident advancement. Continue reading →


Mark Deutrom – The Blue Bird

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The first song on an album is important. It sets the tone for what’s to come. Get this right, and everything flows. Get this wrong, and, well… it’s better to get it right. Unfortunately, Mark Deutrom’s The Blue Bird (Season of Mist) is in the latter category. The opening track seems messy and disjointed and is followed by ninety seconds of a solo guitar playing whole notes…. Slowly…. The listener is unsure where this is going to go.  Continue reading →