MATTHEW CLARKE – Lost Souls & Outsiders
Our very own Mr Clarke has gone an released an EP of covers spanning a range from Tom Waits down to local lad The Boy I Used To Be. Not for Matthew the glossy and polished route when recording, as I expected, he has embraced a lo-fi recording technique that makes you feel like you’re listening to a much copied old cassette, recorded covertly and passed illicitly between friends. This is by no means the easiest record to dip into, but there’s something rewarding, you feel you’re delving deep into someone’s innermost thoughts and feelings.
KODIAK JACK – Bunny Girl
Kodiak Jack are unafraid to remember why they started a band… they go out to play music and have fun, there’s no serious political commentary here, just a bunch of guys rocking out. Front man Bryn possesses an impressive set of pipes and the rest of the band play the sort of macho, unashamed rock that seemed for so long to have gone out of fashion. File this next to your Aerosmith, your Guns & Roses, your Journey… all the bands you can’t help but love for their sheer passion!
LEIGH MARY STOKES – Best Served With Tea & Biscuits
Leigh Stokes writes songs that are down to earth, tales of everyman and their mundane existence. I know this even before the CD drawer retreats into the hi-fi and long before the first chords of opener ‘When It All Goes Wrong’ tinkle away. A few scant seconds later Leigh’s voice ushers forth from my speakers, it’s best described in one word – cute! There’s a lot of Lily Allen and Kate Nash in this EP and the song writing is easily the equal of the latter. It doesn’t float this writer’s boat, but it’s done very well and I have a suspicion every one else will like it quite a bit!
