Andrew Neal
@andrewneal66.bsky.social
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Carer. Writer and new releases editor at Silent Radio. Music, books, ephemera.
reposted by
Andrew Neal
Silent Radio
about 6 hours ago
"With their pop nous and polyrhythms thrown in, there is always much to enjoy. Often serious, always fun, âBingo!â is bedlam, danceable and utterly wonderful."
@andrewneal66.bsky.social
reviews the new album from La Securite
www.silentradio.co.uk/06/03/album-...
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ALBUM REVIEW â LA SECURITE: BINGO!
It is apt that both albums released so far by La SĂ©curitĂ© (âStay Safe!â and âBingo!â) contain an exclamation mark in their title. Their music is, in the best way possible, an immediate demand for atte...
https://www.silentradio.co.uk/06/03/album-review-la-securite-bingo/
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David Lance Callahan - English Primitive 1 After numerous tremendous albums as part of The Wolfhounds & Moonshake, his solo debut sees him developing his own mutant Eastern, Western blues, folk, post-punk style.
about 23 hours ago
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Excellent evening at the wonderful Chorley Theatre with
@johnrobbofficial.bsky.social
giving a charismatic talk about his new book, Punk Rock Ruined My Life, followed by a conversation about matters Fall & House of All with
@stephenhanley6.bsky.social
&
@hanleypa.bsky.social
2 days ago
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Anna B Savage - A Common Turn An introduction to an extraordinary voice. in/FLUX saw her go to the next level but, nevertheless, this is a very good debut.
7 days ago
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Personal Trainer - Big Love Blanket Storming debut with bucketloads of memorable tunes.
8 days ago
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Novak - s/t Simpler times when Novak was synonymous with a post-rock band rather than an anti-vax tennis player. The way they incorporate flute & glockenspiel into their sound separated them from other groups of the era. This still sounds wonderful.
14 days ago
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Wonky, junkshop electro pop from Solex. One of the most inventive acts of the period & there's still nothing that sounds like it.
15 days ago
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reposted by
Andrew Neal
Silent Radio
16 days ago
"its piano melodies offer an ideal blend of introspection and uplift that complement his understated voice. It is evidently a highly personal project for Bryant and proves to be his most fully realised."
@andrewneal66.bsky.social
reviews Tracy Bryant's The Well
www.silentradio.co.uk/05/18/album-...
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ALBUM REVIEW â TRACY BRYANT: THE WELL
Two major events provide the backdrop to Tracy Bryantâs fourth solo album: his fatherâs death and the birth of his first child. While references to the former feature more prominently in the lyrics, i...
https://www.silentradio.co.uk/05/18/album-review-tracy-bryant-the-well/
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The dissolution of Rodan led to a varied range of offerings: Retsin's folk leaning, Rachel's neo-classical, June of 44's post-rock & The Sonora Pine's complete mishmash. Retsin & Rachel's most likely to feature on my list.
17 days ago
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Beulah - Handsome Western States When Your Heartstrings Break may be my favourite album of the period. Until now, I'd thought it was Beulah's debut but it turns out this came earlier. It hints at the emotional power-pop perfection that was to follow but is not as fully realised.
18 days ago
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A fascinating account of the fluidity between classical music, pop & the avant-garde with a side order of post-war history. A detailed guide but
@elizabethalker.bsky.social
wears her knowledge lightly.
21 days ago
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reposted by
Andrew Neal
Silent Radio
21 days ago
"âCine-Popâ is an excellent debut indicative of a special talent to be enjoyed now but with the enticing prospect of what is to follow."
@andrewneal66.bsky.social
reviews Radhika's new album.
www.silentradio.co.uk/05/13/album-...
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ALBUM REVIEW â RADHIKA: CINE-POP
Clocking in at 33.3 minutes, âCine-Popâ could be almost too conceptually perfect. Paying tribute to the speed at which a vinyl LP is played, it is ideal for listening to in one sitting. It does not ov...
https://www.silentradio.co.uk/05/13/album-review-radhika-cine-pop/
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A distinct take on indie pop. Stuart Murdoch's best collection of idiosyncratic songs. Guaranteed to be in my top five.
23 days ago
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reposted by
Andrew Neal
Silent Radio
23 days ago
"There is no defined musical template to âA Moment In My Eyesâ. It has a welcome sense of adventure with none of its eleven tracks sounding alike."
@andrewneal66.bsky.social
reviews My Precious Bunny's A Moment In My Eyes
www.silentradio.co.uk/05/11/album-...
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ALBUM REVIEW â MY PRECIOUS BUNNY: A MOMENT IN MY EYES
Those of a gnarly disposition could easily be put off listening to My Precious Bunny by the name. That would be a mistake. It misleadingly suggests something horrendously cutesy and is, in fact, the t...
https://www.silentradio.co.uk/05/11/album-review-my-precious-bunny-a-moment-in-my-eyes/
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Helium - The Dirt of Luck Fuzzy post-punk with a pop sensibility. Likely to be in my top five.
24 days ago
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A wonderful book by
@robinince.bsky.social
. Small doses of science but larger amounts of humour & empathy. It has certainly added to my understanding of ADHD & neurodiversity, especially of the devastating self-criticism that can go with it.
27 days ago
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The Delgados - Domestiques They would become my favourite band of the late 90s / early 00s. While their debut isn't as fully realised as later works, the likes of Under Canvas Under Wraps & Sucrose are pretty mighty.
27 days ago
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US Maple - Long Hair In Three Stages The title sums up this joyfully crazy collection of skronky, wayward guitar-led post-rock.
28 days ago
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reposted by
Andrew Neal
Silent Radio
about 1 month ago
"Shadow Child has the quality of a novella or a slim volume of poems. In that time, it covers rich and varied terrain related to its theme."
@andrewneal66.bsky.social
reviews the new album from Abigail Lapell
www.silentradio.co.uk/05/02/album-...
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ALBUM REVIEW â ABIGAIL LAPELL: SHADOW CHILD
Toronto singer-songwriter Abigail Lapell is clearly partial to thematically linked song collections. Following on from the self-explanatory âLullabiesâ and âAnniversaryâ comes âShadow Childâ, a bundle...
https://www.silentradio.co.uk/05/02/album-review-abigail-lapell-shadow-child/
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I've always loved the title track. Having finally checked out the album, it is of a uniformly high standard.
about 1 month ago
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Such an important record in developing my music tastes and worldview as I entered my teens.
about 1 month ago
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William Onyeabor - Crashes in Love Wonderful keyboard sounds, horns & grooves. Probably won't make my top five but it is a close contender.
about 1 month ago
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This stands up so well. Wall to wall classics. Picking a top 5 is becoming ever more difficult.
about 1 month ago
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Magazine - Real Life Another of the least orthodox post-punk entries that it took me ages to appreciate but which I now adore.
about 1 month ago
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I loved this. Robyn Hitchcock's memoir of a formative year, 1967, the music & his time as an inmate at boarding school, how that music inspired the rest of his life.
about 1 month ago
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Today as I was about to catch a train, for the first time I was directly abused for wearing a mask. A guy shouted "twat" at me, unless he was describing himself. It probably wasn't the time to engage him in a discussion of why someone living with cancer might want to protect themself from viruses.
about 1 month ago
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If not at the level of Dead Man or Ghost Dog, this is still a very enjoyable Jarmusch movie. Love the motifs linking the three stories and the quiet humour.
about 1 month ago
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It has taken me an absurd length of time to get into this but after 40+ years it is now highly likely to feature in my top five.
about 1 month ago
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reposted by
Andrew Neal
Silent Radio
about 1 month ago
"There is so much innovation in the arrangements, a multitude of tiny details to enjoy, all put together with precision to make an album that will constantly reveal new delights."
@andrewneal66.bsky.social
reviews Long Wave Home by Jesca Hoop
www.silentradio.co.uk/04/22/album-...
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ALBUM REVIEW â JESCA HOOP: LONG WAVE HOME
With her seventh solo album, Jesca Hoop finally takes the leap to the producerâs chair. It is a move inspired by the independence of her hero, Joni Mitchell, who has played a prominent role in Hoopâs ...
https://www.silentradio.co.uk/04/22/album-review-jesca-hoop-long-wave-home/
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reposted by
Andrew Neal
Silent Radio
about 2 months ago
"It gives a good indication of the musical variety and creativity coming out of Scotland over a period of a decade and a half. It was a scene not tied down to a specific sound or sensationalism."
@andrewneal66.bsky.social
reviews the new Cherry Red compilation
www.silentradio.co.uk/04/19/album-...
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ALBUM REVIEW â VARIOUS: SOMETHING FOR THE LONGING â SCOTTISH INDEPENDENT POP 1985-1999
Ask a music fan to choose a band that personified the Scottish independent scene and it is likely that there would be lots of different answers. Perhaps it would be the feedback drenched pop of The Je...
https://www.silentradio.co.uk/04/19/album-review-various-something-for-the-longing-scottish-independent-pop-1985-1999/
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How strange that the BBC didn't mention this in their headline reports today!
add a skeleton here at some point
about 2 months ago
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Highly recommended. It's quite an achievement to derive such humour from your own cancer. It's also a thoughtful book about how your thought processes are altered by it. His cancer was evidently far more gruelling than mine but there was much I recognised. The bits about his response to the death
about 2 months ago
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Glyph - Ali Smith's best since Winter hitting that sweet spot of linguistic playfulness & political relevance.
about 2 months ago
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reposted by
Andrew Neal
Silent Radio
about 2 months ago
"It is a joyous combination of overlapping Afro-Cuban and Cavacha rhythms, guitars, keyboards and dynamic horns."
@andrewneal66.bsky.social
reviews Antoine Dougbe & LâOrchestre Poly-Rythmo De Cotonou
www.silentradio.co.uk/04/13/album-...
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ALBUM REVIEW â ANTOINE DOUGBE & LâORCHESTRA POLY-RYTHMO DE COTONOU: S/T
Calling himself âThe Devilâs Prime Ministerâ, Antoine Dougbe had a fearsome reputation. The son of a VodĂșn priest, he was initiated into the religion which while it acknowledges the existence of a sin...
https://www.silentradio.co.uk/04/13/album-review-antoine-dougbe-lorchestra-poly-rythmo-de-cotonou-st/
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Greeting the start of this year's county championship with Duncan Hamilton's elegy for the 2019 season. He is the best long-form sports writer. The prose is deeply satisfying & it is a fine celebration of a calmer, patient life, part travelog, part social history.
about 2 months ago
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Minyo Crusaders - Echoes of Japan They rework historic Japanese folk songs (min'yĆ) with Latin, African, Caribbean and Asian rhythms - wonderful stuff.
about 2 months ago
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Being at a gig last night gave me plenty of cause for reflection.
add a skeleton here at some point
about 2 months ago
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reposted by
Andrew Neal
Silent Radio
about 2 months ago
Here's
@andrewneal66.bsky.social
's interview with Fauna
www.silentradio.co.uk/04/06/interv...
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INTERVIEW â FAUNA
To celebrate the release of their irresistible, joyous debut album âTaiga Transâ, we sent some questions to Gothenburg band Fauna. Their co-founder and bassist, Ibrahim Shabo (Ibbe), kindly told us mo...
https://www.silentradio.co.uk/04/06/interview-fauna/
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reposted by
Andrew Neal
Silent Radio
about 2 months ago
"On their debut album, Fauna creates a multilayered and multicoloured landscape that is occasionally disorienting and frequently joyful but always firmly alive."
@andrewneal66.bsky.social
reviews Taiga Trans by Fauna
www.silentradio.co.uk/04/06/album-...
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ALBUM REVIEW â FAUNA: TAIGA TRANS
Faunaâs debut album is a vivid and vibrant brew. An outernational combination based in Gothenburg in Sweden, they also have backgrounds from France, Finland, Syria, Poland and Turkey which feed into t...
https://www.silentradio.co.uk/04/06/album-review-fauna-taiga-trans/
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Xenia Rubinos - Black Terry Cat Soulful, innovative, danceable, thoughtful, wonderful.
about 2 months ago
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Slug - Ripe Glorious prog-tinged indie rock from Ian Black, formerly of Field Music. Highly likely to be in my five.
about 2 months ago
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While in Leeds, I had my first cinema trip since 2020 to see The President's Cake - an Iraqi film set in the 90s. A 9-year-old has to make a cake to celebrate Saddam Hussein's birthday & it follows her attempts to source eggs, sugar & flour. Gives an insight into life where such items are precious.
2 months ago
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Wonderful gig last night at Leeds Hyde Park Book Club from
@emmaspollock.bsky.social
. Lots from the excellent Begging The Night To Take Hold plus selected oldies & Paris 1919 cover. The amusing between song stories suggested that if she were ever minded to write a memoir, it would be entertaining.
2 months ago
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Anna Meredith - Varmints Delightfully bonkers dance music through classical instruments.
2 months ago
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I don't usually review reissues but I make an exception when it is a record I love as much as this.
add a skeleton here at some point
2 months ago
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I've never watched an episode of The Hairy Bikers so was taken aback at just how engaging this episode of DID proved to be. One of the very best
www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...
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Desert Island Discs - Si King, cook - BBC Sounds
Si King, cook and TV presenter, shares the soundtrack of his life with Lauren Laverne.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002tbt1
2 months ago
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Weaves s/t Succinct, angular indie rock. Very impressive.
2 months ago
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Meilyr Jones 2013 Confusingly titled album (it was released in 2016). A chamber pop masterpiece which I'm sure will feature in my eventual selection.
2 months ago
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reposted by
Andrew Neal
Silent Radio
2 months ago
"Emerging from listening to âMeditationsâ is akin to leaving the cinema in daytime, stumbling back into the conventional world having been buried in an alternate universe."
@andrewneal66.bsky.social
reviews Bhajan Bhoy
www.silentradio.co.uk/03/25/album-...
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ALBUM REVIEW â BHAJAN BHOY: MEDITATIONS
When reviewing new music from Ajay Saggar, it has become obligatory to remark upon the impossibility of guessing what he will do next. Since last he featured on this website, he has released âSummer I...
https://www.silentradio.co.uk/03/25/album-review-bhajan-bhoy-meditations/
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Very difficult to watch Dirty Business without getting very angry about the colossal lie of water privatisation & the massive failure / complicity of the Environment Agency in turning a blind eye to sewage spillages. Brilliant campaigning & educational drama.
2 months ago
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