How many times have you been promised that an album will take you on a musical journey, only for it to underdeliver when you settle down and listen? Read on and we’ll find out how Life Rite fares in the audio transportation stakes. 

Opener ‘Ego Death’ is a slow starter, feeling a little like the airport terminal track of the album …… we’re excited , but we just want to get underway. Our journey proper begins with ‘Nonagon’ - an uptempo slice of Electronica awash with lashings of beautiful atmospheric ethereal vocals . If ‘Chrysalid’ is very reminiscent of the songs on Will’s last album ‘Foley Age’, then ‘Let A Hundred Flowers Bloom’ really pushes the Bloom’s Taxonomy sound forward , full of fantastic vocals, synths, strings and gorgeous melodies …… which then all get twisted up with key and timing changes long before any part of the song can outstay it’s welcome. 

Tracks like Big Reference and A Fridge In Brixton are already big tunes, and I can only imagine how huge these will sound played live, alongside Will’s light show projections, with volume up to the Max. This is the beating heart of uplifting anthemic Electronica .

By the time we reach the end of title track Life Rite , I can safely say on this occasion I really did feel I had been whisked away to some sun kissed magical place, and totally enjoyed the ride, my Bandcamp bucks well spent …. and all this before we even get to the 13 minute ambient epic Highland Mist - where we pack our headphones and another brand new audio adventure beckons! / Kev

Homebrew Rating 9/10 Favourite Track Big Reference 

You’ll enjoy this if you like - Moby, Jarre, Boards Of Canada 

Life Rite is available on streaming services or as a Bandcamp download.

I‘ve decided to concentrate more on artist interviews for the website and will leave album reviews to others in future, but here’s a couple of re-posts from the old ‘review’ section, just incase anyone missed these great albums. 🙂 

SONGS, DELAYED - COBBLER 

When he sings that he’s “Turning up to the knife fight, with a gun and a shit load of dynamite” , it’s clear on this, his third long player, that Cobbler intends to put the boot in early !
Trip Hop flavoured opener ‘Time To Wake Up’ is a stark reminder that we could all so easily end up sleep walking into all sorts of political and environmental grief if we’re not careful. The message isn’t exactly subtle, but with such a strong melody, and with production this lush, we’ll forgive the fact we’ve just been grabbed by the collar, given a good shake and told we need to open our eyes the f**k up !

When we get to the second track , there is a slight worry that the album may have peaked far too soon. ‘Stuck’ is absolutely the best slice of anthemic beat driven indie rock/pop that I’ve heard in a long while. This uplifting banger, about mustering up enough self belief and grit to drag yourself up out of a rut, is ear wormage of the highest order and has to be a ……cough , ‘shoe-in’, for tune of the year.

Fortunately though, even after such a powerful opening salvo of tracks , there’s still plenty to love here. The low-fi infused ‘Summer’ is simply glorious, inspired by working as a teacher during the last week of Summer Term. Reality tv show inspired ‘There Are People On The Outside’ just proves what a fantastic ear Jim has for a catchy melody, as does the melancholy soaked ‘As Cold As December’. While that latter track leans heavily on the auto-tune , it’s worth noting that it’s used here mostly for effect only. Jim can certainly hold a note, and in fact over the course of the whole album Cobbler’s vocal delivery is solid and confident.

‘Songs Delayed’ builds on Cobbler’s already impressive output, and proves that even without the help of his posse of poet friends, he’s capable of delivering a stunning set of songs that are destined to be played on repeat ……. with the volume up, and that damn knob ripped clean off ! / Kev

Homebrew Electronica Rating 9/10
Favourite Track – ‘Stuck’

Summer is here, and the independent music scene is thriving and is hotter and ever, with a whole stack of live events and great new releases to look forward to. The plan is to get my arse into gear and update this companion website more frequently ! Sorry if it’s felt a bit abandoned. 

In the meantime, the 75th show is coming up on 7th August , and as always I’m super excited about the great music we’re gonna get to hear. Keep your eyes peeled for full details of that 75th show coming very soon 👀 

/ Kev