Ruth Moody: Wanderer. Album Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

We may believe that our life has been journey-less just because we have not stepped a single foot upon the highway that leaves our home town behind, our presence a permanent reminder of what we believe to be an inertia, a static throw of the dice that lands inexplicably in zeros; and yet every day we are drawing breath we are living a life that allows us in some way to be  a wanderer, a seeker, an observer of the walk we have in our way taken, be it a caretaker of the space and time we inhabit, or maybe that of the caregiver to those we hope will shape the world in their image…for the Wanderer is the one who records all in the understanding it will be acknowledged by the nomad and the dweller alike.

Ruth Moody: Wanderer. Album Review. full post

(427 words, estimated 1:42 mins reading time)

Rum Ragged: Gone Jiggin’. Album Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

There is always a surprise waiting around the corner where the traditional folk songs’ sources come from, we may have believed with certainty that we have come across every conceivable place on Earth where the sound of the people, driven by their environment can be heard, and yet out of the blue we are proved wonderfully wrong.

Rum Ragged: Gone Jiggin’. Album Review. full post

(457 words, estimated 1:50 mins reading time)

The Lost Weekend Band: One Hell Of A Time. Album Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10

Time was a lost weekend was one filled with unaccountable angst, a shame dictated by a society used to frowning at anything that suggested a raucous behaviour that ended up in temporary amnesia of the events that might be considered anti-social, objectionable, rebelliously lawless; now time is such that the lost weekend is to be lauded, for exactly the same reasons, for the further we are treated so abominably, by the constant pressure to be treated worse than the underclass of Victorian society, the more we which to rebel and have One Hell Of A Time whilst we still can.

The Lost Weekend Band: One Hell Of A Time. Album Review. full post

(402 words, estimated 1:36 mins reading time)

Death And Other Details. Television Drama Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * * *

Cast: Violett Beane, Mandy Patinkin, Lauren Patten, Angela Zhou, Hugo Diego Garcia, Pardis Saremi, Linda Edmond, Jack Cutmore-Scott, Karoline, Jayne Atkinson, Rahul Kohli, Jere Burns, Lisa Lu, David Marshall Grant, Annie Q. Riegel, Sincere Wilbert, Tamberla Perry, Michael Gladis, Leslie Kwan, Christian Svensson, James Pizzinato, Sophia Reid-Gantzert, Byron Noble, Edem Nyamadi, Paul Yu, King Lau, Mauricio Romero, Sofia Rosinsky, Adrianna Olson, Nathan Parrott, Kharytia Bilash, Jeff Gonek, Ana de Lara, Doralynn Mui, Georgia Waters, Andril Zhebrovskyi, Alyson Bath, Takuma Behjatnejad.

Death And Other Details. Television Drama Review. full post

(486 words, estimated 1:57 mins reading time)

Mark Knopfler: One Deep River. Album Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10

One Deep River, that is the fortune of those whose lives are touched by their close proximity to the power and the pull of the seas as they make their way in land, like an artery carrying vital blood to the heart we require the belief that the river is the pulse of the town that sits by its banks, that is fed by it, inspired by its temperament, fearful at times of its rage, but always respectful of the secrets it keeps, and those like a spy it chooses to disclose to its faithful followers.

Mark Knopfler: One Deep River. Album Review. full post

(398 words, estimated 1:36 mins reading time)

Manic Street Preachers: Lifeblood. Album Review. 2024 Deluxe Reissue.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

Like artists we must acknowledge the times when our best was taken for granted, when our vision of the outcome was less than we would have expected, and the regret of placing before our peers and friends our most invaluable thoughts when they don’t quite live up to the promise we hope to deliver.

Unlike artists, those moments can soon fade, they are only seen by a minority, time can soon wipe away the more painful of our actions and leave them in the background of our experiences as a human being; only there to serve as a reminder of the possibility we once handled without care.

Manic Street Preachers: Lifeblood. Album Review. 2024 Deluxe Reissue. full post

(532 words, estimated 2:08 mins reading time)

Ed Harcourt: El Magnifico. Album Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10

To be able to capture the listener’s heart is to feel assured of the time you placed into the art you slaved over, to capture the melancholic essence of the listener’s soul is to be assured of a far higher purpose than you might have expected.

The imagination requires feeding, the stimuli it provides can be an inspiration to those who might find the dark just a little too enticing, and it takes an artist who understands the withering notes of a tortured soul to express them in such a way that they appear magnificent, almost serene, always passionate, and that is certainly the case when it comes to Ed Harcourt, his lyrics, and his particular way of communicating to the listener via instruments that sing fruitfully and in silence bring beauty.

Ed Harcourt: El Magnifico. Album Review. full post

(425 words, estimated 1:42 mins reading time)

The Bordellos: I Promise Not To Make Art Again. Album Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10

Annoy the critic and the censor of personal virtuosity by continuing to create that which pleases you and the minority, for in their ire you will achieve the kind of immortality that few can only dream of, and the finer point is that they don’t truly understand the art you have made, the reasons for it, and because of that your voice will be heard across the void of those who utter I Promise Not To Make Art Again.

The Bordellos: I Promise Not To Make Art Again. Album Review. full post

(424 words, estimated 1:42 mins reading time)

Eagles: To The Limit – The Essential Collection. Album Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10

Leave the cynicism at the door as you check yourself into the palace of Eagles memories that come with the new release of their collected works and the advantage of a series of live songs from their 1976, 1980, 1994, 1999, and 2018 tours.

Eagles: To The Limit – The Essential Collection. Album Review. full post

(427 words, estimated 1:42 mins reading time)

Midsomer Murders: The Blacktrees Prophecy. Television Drama Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10

Cast: Neil Dudgeon, Nick Hendrix, Fiona Dolman, Annette Badland, Aran Bell. Sonita Hery, Cora Kirk, Robert Cavanah, Pal Aron, Nina Wadia, Tej Obano, Holly Aird, Kate Robbins, Cayvan Coates, Carly-Sophia Davies, Chelsea Mather.

Ignore the warnings of impending doom at your peril, scoff at the ones who prep for the eventual fall of humanity, for they have at least given thought to a future where survival is an immediacy, where every eventuality is considered and given credence; and while we must live for today, tomorrow must have at least some hope in a world willing to tear itself apart.

Midsomer Murders: The Blacktrees Prophecy. Television Drama Review. full post

(409 words, estimated 1:38 mins reading time)