Nth Ascension, Stranger Than Fiction. Album Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10

There are times when only the truth that Progressive Rock holds in its soul is enough to fill the void left by all that flutters past and refuses to enlighten your being, shaking their heads as if avoiding the disappointment they offer and the realisation that they hold little or no substance. In the art of the Progressive, the ability to tell a continuing story is one that is lauded, hoped for, it may be Stranger Than Fiction but it is a tale that encompasses the very best of imagination, dedication and concentration, as well as being an art form in itself.

Nth Ascension, Stranger Than Fiction. Album Review. full post

(441 words, 1 image, estimated 1:46 mins reading time)

Ferocious Dog, Fake News & Propaganda. Album Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10

Beware the hound that bites, for they are the ones that have intuition, they are the ones who growl long before everybody else cottons on that the subject is not trustworthy, they can spot a bogus heart as quickly as they can sniff out Fake News & Propaganda, this dog bites, snaps with reason and isn’t afraid of using the conveyer of misinformation as its personal method of hygiene.

Ferocious Dog, Fake News & Propaganda. Album Review. full post

(479 words, 1 image, estimated 1:55 mins reading time)

The Schmoozenbergs, Awaken. Album Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10

Carefree times during an era of repression and conflict are to be savoured. It would of course better for all concerned if moments in history had not been under the jackboot of tyranny and the rule of fear, however out of such times comes a rebellion, the people fight back the only way they can, with a mood of enjoyment, of bliss and the ability to dance under the spotlight and raise a smile which infuriates those with no humour or soul in their body.

The Schmoozenbergs, Awaken. Album Review. full post

(360 words, 1 image, estimated 1:26 mins reading time)

The Dovetail Trio, Bold Champions. Album Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

Within the search, hope must lay that we discover something of ourselves, that we open the doors of our souls and capture forever the feeling of having become one of nature’s Bold Champions, one of the people who follow through on their plans to add a moment to the world and be entwined with its joy. The search may be fruitless in terms of profit, but in lifting the spirits of others it must be considered a benefit, and to the courageous, those who support and back their words with actions, that is point of the search.

The Dovetail Trio, Bold Champions. Album Review. full post

(395 words, estimated 1:35 mins reading time)

John Jenkins And The James Street Band, Looking For That American Dream. Album Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10

So few of us follow through on our broader dreams, content, satisfied with forever imagining what life would be like if only we had the time, or the will, to create the conditions in which we could be happy, or at least proud of being the person we want to be. It is not necessarily our fault, the cosmos conspires, fate lends a hand, and there is always a million chores to be done, perhaps by looking for our dream, holding the vision as if it were made of gossamer or the thin veils of intricate spider’s webs, we are reassured that we have at least given our life meaning.

John Jenkins And The James Street Band, Looking For That American Dream. Album Review. full post

(428 words, 1 image, estimated 1:43 mins reading time)

The Waterboys, Where The Action Is. Album Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10

Almost everybody wants to know Where The Action Is, the engagement between a group of people in which the dance of ideas are pitched and the sway of the carefully selected phrase is allowed to tightly wind itself around the listener’s heart and soul. The action is a call to arms, the latest rally in the never-ending fight against futility and the mundanity of life which dictates that stagnation is special, almost lauded, proposed by people who have no understanding of the right to stride onwards, to take heed of the Piper At The Gates Of Dawn and act accordingly.

The Waterboys, Where The Action Is. Album Review. full post

(404 words, 1 image, estimated 1:37 mins reading time)

The Waterboys, Gig Review. Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool. (2019).

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * * *

The sound is enigmatic, sincere, almost poetry within itself, add into the equation the lyrical robustness that flows elegantly as if navigating, taming a winter storm at sea, then it becomes clear why Mike Scott and The Waterboys continue to impress the audiences that eagerly await the announcement of a gig in their area, almost choir like in their appreciation, they sing to a glory that gathers rhythm and insightful prose together in a sweeping gesture that makes the heart beat faster and the mind moved in unison.

The Waterboys, Gig Review. Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool. (2019). full post

(429 words, estimated 1:43 mins reading time)

A Strong And Perfect Beat. An Interview With The Author Bob Stone.

To bring to life our vision we must be prepared to sacrifice a piece of ourselves, what that exactly entails is usually up to the one who sees the picture unfold before them, to the writer, it arguably something more, for the piece of art they are creating remains in the dark, unseen, hidden away and perhaps only glimpsed at during moments of inspiration or melancholy; for the Missing Beat to which the writer lives in is one that millions want to feel but few are willing to actually live with.

A Strong And Perfect Beat. An Interview With The Author Bob Stone. full post

(3333 words, estimated 13:20 mins reading time)

Rocketman. Film Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10

Cast: Taron Egerton, Richard Madden, Bryce Dallas Howard, Jamie Bell, Harriet Walter, Tate Donovan, Gemma Jones, Charlie Rowe, Jimmy Vee, Steven Mackintosh, Matthew Illesley, Kit Connor, Ophelia Loveibond, Celinde Schoenmaker, Stephen Graham, Rachel Muldoon.

We are all the heroes of our own story, that much is universally acknowledged, we may flatter to deceive ourselves, we embellish certain parts, omit the painful if possible and yet despite all this we might also think of our existence in stark black and white, the villain, the destroyer of dreams and the devil in everybody else’s detail. It is human nature to see ourselves as both the dashing hero and the anarchic tornado which sweeps through the lives of others, pulling the ground that is beneath their feet and tossing them aside when the mood suits us.

Rocketman. Film Review. full post

(475 words, estimated 1:54 mins reading time)

Aladdin (2019). Film Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10

Cast: Will Smith, Mena Massoud, Naomi Scott, Marwen Kenzari, Navid Negahban, Nasim Pedrad, Jordan A. Nash, Billy Magnussen, Taliyah Blair, Aubrey Lin, Amir Boutrous, Numan Acar, Nina Wadia, Alan Tudyk, Frank Welker.

We stand in the shadow of our childhood loves and see them being reworked, rewritten and given new life, for some such a moment in which they see their favourite film given a fresh face is perhaps too much to bear. The social media outrage can be vicious, head-scratching and concerning and whilst it is understandable that we see our own lives wrapped in such events, the way we look upon change now is almost as if it is personal, directed against our first firm held beliefs.

Aladdin (2019). Film Review. full post

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