Never Enough Notes e-zine // reviews + interviews + music

Cast // new single and album release // 05.03.2011

James Lavender — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 15:22:36 +0000

For people of our age, or indeed any age, a bit of musical nostalgia is healthy for us. This week, the 90s band Cast announced the release of a new single, 'Time Bomb' and album, Troubled Times, on Monday 5th March. The band was responsible for such memorable anthems, such as ‘Walkaway’, which still has the ab... Read more..

Jess Morgan // Pledge Campaign // New Album – ‘Aye Me’ // Released 26.03.2012

Sarah Wall — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 10:30:00 +0000

Jess Morgan’s first album, ‘All Swell’, is as chilled out as a Sunday morning driving along the seafront. Moving on to new things, Jess has released details of a Pledge Music campaign which aims to raise money for her up and coming second album, ‘Aye Me’. Following on from ‘All Swell’, it is set... Read more..

Still Flyin’ // New Album and Competition

Heather — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 21:25:42 +0000

American Indie pop-ers Still Flyin' have come up with a neat little package to accompany their forthcoming album 'On A Bedroom Wall'. Firstly, you can get a sneak peek into the band's sophomore album, due for release 21st May, by clicking here to l... Read more..

Smoothiesforme // New Beginnings // Out Now // Free Download

Paul Brown — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 17:28:29 +0000

When I was 17 the sort of sounds that were being produced from my adolescent vocal chords would have made a deaf man beg for silence. Suffice to say I had discovered Oasis and the joys of being a 'singer' in an Indie-Rock band (come on, it was 2007, EVERYONE was in an Indie-Rock band). At 17 Holly, under the name Smoothiesforme, is creating wonderfully crafted songs (which are recorded and produced by herself), AND she's winning awards for it. In 2010 she made it to the finals of The Forth One To Watch award in Edinburgh, and then in June 2011 she won The Burnsong Under 25 Singer/Songwriter... Read more..

Mixtape Monday // 06.02.12

Mark Green — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 17:38:15 +0000

Welcome to Mixtape Monday by Mark Green. Ladies, Gents, Dogs and Aliens. Please make sure you watch the Rendezvous video here, it's Freakin awesome! (As are the bunch of free downloads we've got for ya!) --- Artist:Rendezvous Read more..

TOWNS // Gone Are The Days // 20.02.12 // Cartoon Records

Hayley Fox — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 17:08:29 +0000
Gone are the days of 90’s Britpop, but somehow, West Country boys, ‘Towns’ are bringing a hefty essence of the genre back. There’s been a gaping space in the music field for a while now, missing that throwback. Sure we’ve had the revival of the Gallagher siblings in their new ventures, but ‘Towns’ are unmarked and fresh with no cuts or scrapes from previous bands and bust ups. Just what we need for 2012. Read more..

Last Harbour // Never // Out Now // Little Red Rabbit Records

Caroline Ranson — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 12:08:52 +0000
There is a U2-esque sound to this single with Bono like vocals and a gradual build up to the slight crescendo of a finale. It begins with simple piano chords and then introduces the vocals, and gradually builds up in a layer of instruments. Although the piano and the vocals are melodic, the song doesn’t really develop, other than the slight change in volume and power of the vocals at the end. Read more..

Soulmates Never Die // Better Skin, Better Clothes // Free Download // 13.02.12

Paul Brown — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 10:50:05 +0000
Soulmates Never Die is a some fresh talent from West Yorkshire. Generally I despise the use of ukelele in indie music. It comes across as pretentious and, frankly, lazy. Better Skin, Better Clothes, however, has a charming self-consciousness which is aided by lo-fi production and layers of vocals, guitars and ukelele. 'My weapon is courage, my armour is honesty'. Great line. Read more..

The Cactus And The Dragon // Mark Mulholland // 06.02.12 // Cannery Row Records

Tom A — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 00:08:52 +0000
Long time readers of Never Enough Notes might be wondering how we pick our reviews. In my case, I do it entirely arbitrarily. I picked this because the label's name references one of John Steinbeck's more lyrical novels. Choosing in this way means that the first listen is always an adventure, but one with rather mixed results. Read more..

Porcelain Raft // Strange Weekend // Out Now // Secretly Canadian

Leonard D'Crus — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 09:08:33 +0000
It is often easy to loose track, quite literally, when listening to a record fuelled with drifting echoes and sweeping vocals but Porcelain Raft’s latest record manages to capture the elements of both its compiled genres, being electronic and pop, and fuse it together nicely without straying too far into either. If ever you’ve listened to previous material or caught a glimpse of any of the musi... Read more..

TOWNS // Gone Are The Days // 20.02.12 // Cartoon Records

Hayley Fox — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 09:00:57 +0000
Gone may the days of 90’s Britpop, but somehow, West Country boys, ‘Towns’ are bringing a hefty essence of the genre back. There’s been a gaping space in the music field for a while now, missing that throwback. Sure we’ve had the revival of the Gallagher siblings in their new ventures, but ‘Towns’ are unmarked and fresh with no cuts or scrapes from previous bands and bust ups. Just what we need for 2012. Read more..

Frank Turner // The Second Three Years // Out Now // Xtra Mile

Georgina — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 19:08:31 +0000

This album, made up of B-sides, covers and previously unreleased songs, is the second compilation from Frank (the first-as the quick ones will have guessed-was titled “the first three years”), and although these types of B-Side albums are often something you expect from bands far bigger than the punk-folk singer from Winchester, the devout fans (and he definitely has a huge, committed and adoring fan base) will be more than happy with this collection ,which luckily is not just second rate songs that weren’t good enough to make the actual albums. Turner has alw... Read more..

Enter Shikari // A Flash Flood of Colour // Out Now // Ambush Reality

Peter Gilbert — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 15:08:27 +0000
We’ve had a couple of reviews on Never Enough Notes recently covering the St. Albans quartet Enter Shikari, most of them concluding that the new singles ‘Arguing with Thermometers’ and ‘Ghandi Mate, Ghandi’ were not like their first album offering Take to the Skies. They were right, and maybe if you prefer their first album, this latest offering may disappoint. Personally, I find these singles, as well as the rest of the new album A Flash Flood of Colour, so much better than Take to the Skies. This isn’t a ‘Common Dreads’ mark two either. This is a un... Read more..

Nada Surf // The Stars Are Indifferent To Astronomy // Out Now // City Slang

Melody Johns — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 10:00:22 +0000
Nada Surf have been making music for 20 years now, and are back with their sixth studio album and third with label City Slang. “The Stars Are Indifferent To Astronomy” hits the shelves on 23rd January, after a long four year break. The band’s name, according to lead singer Matthew Caws, is “actually referring to something much more existential, it's just surfing on nothing. Being lost in your head or in your imagination but you know, whenever I listen to music I always find myself off somewhere. Somewhere in space. You know, in mental space and it's a reference to that.” This pret... Read more..

Lisa Hannigan // Single – What’ll I do // Hoop Records/PIAS // 26.03.2012

Kirsty Band — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 09:30:06 +0000
Personal bias at large, as Lisa Hannigan gets set to release her second single on March 26th from lyrically rich and emotionally enthralling album 'Passenger'. 'What'll I do' is a bright, infectious and colourful component to the album which continues to highlight the growing change in Lisa's writing and delivery of her music. [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvwJMa5b1Qg[/youtube] Reminiscing someone who clearly makes the world a little better, it's the sort of track I'd find myself toe-tapping to as I walk down the street (inesrt comedy moment). Whilst still delivering on the a... Read more..