(The) Long, Long Winter Night

Advantages: Mellow, haunting band.
Disadvantages: Need to listen at high volume to pick up all the textures

...Intially released only in Iceland during 1999 this superb album has finally been released in the UK. This Icelandic band manage to blend ideas common in Scandinavian alternative music with a feel for the long winter nights of their homeland. In many ways, they sound like a depressed Radiohead with their use of haunting vocals and melodies, yet there is a darkness far in excess of the British band. This will appeal to people who like bands such as Godspead You Black Emperor, Mogwai, Beta Band. The second track is perhaps the most haunting one on the album, with its slow subdued 'sonar' ping marking time in the background like a slowly beating heart. Haunting in the extreme. By the way, enjoy the album notes - all the songs are in Icelandic, not the easiest language in the world to understand. The band are also highly recommended... Read review

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Advantages: soothing, haunting, beautiful, upbeat, uplifting! I could go on! ;-)
Disadvantages: none

...I was first captivated by the music of Air when I fell in love with the single Kelly Watch The Stars. Sadly that single failed to reach great heights in the UK charts, but on the plus side I was given a copy of the album Moon Safari for my birthday! Moon Safari is easily the best album of the last ten years. It’s brilliant to chill out to on long sunny days and equally soothing on long winters nights in front of the fire. I can even get away with listening to this album at work as it’s soothing sounds easily placate my boss! What Air gives us is a synthesised sound for a new millennium; haunting instrumentals like La Femme D’argent; beautiful soothing ballads like All I Need and You Make It Easy (both with the vocal talents of the much under-rated Beth Hirsch) and up tempo disco delights like Sexy Boy. Even if you’ve never heard... Read review

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Advantages: Great blues!
Disadvantages: None. Whatsoever.

...I have to admit I found Johnny Winter totally by chance. I was in a record shop and saw a CD in a round, metal case. "Johnny Winter? The Texas Tornado? I'll buy that!" So I did. What I found was a musician, Johnny Winter, who is a hard rocking bluesman of consummate skill. Johnny Winter is such a accomplished bluesman that I have to admit that it came as something of a shock to discover that Johnny Winter is a white Texan. Though he reveals that he hung out in the black part of his hometown in Texas, such was his fever for the blues. And, Winter maintains that it was his sincerity about his passion for the blues that meant that he was safe there. Even though Beaumont had not long before suffered form some terrible racially-inspired riots. Winter's blue's sound as if they were recorded in the 1940s or 1950s. Actually, I was surprised... Read review

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