Tag Archive: Whisperin’ & Hollerin’


THE PURE VOICE OF OLIVIA CHANEY

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February 3, 2013

it was a great pleasure to receive Alasdair Roberts’ fine new album, A Wonder Working Stone, for review on Whisperin’ & Hollerin’.

A happy consequence of this was to discover  Olivia Chaney  who sings backing vocals on the album.

Olivia is a new name to me but one I expect to hear much more of .

She studied piano, voice and composition at Chetham’s School of Music and The Royal Academy of Music and taught herself guitar and harmonium.

As you can hear from a selection of her songs on Soundcloud and the video link below, hers is a voice that makes an immediate impact for its purity and grace.

Her debut solo EP is out now and hopefully is just the beginning of an illustrious career.

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BERLIN UNDERGROUND CAMERA

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October 21, 2012

If you think Krautrock is passé,  think again. I have just reviewed Radiate! – a fine debut album by a Berlin trio called Camera who have built a reputation for “guerilla gigs” in the city.

They are the kind of buskers that give humanity to the metropolis.

I love this video of them playing at an underground station – check out the funky dancing:

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POLYRHYTHMIC POLLENS POP

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October 15, 2012

I haven’t yet heard Pollens‘ debut album – Brighten & Break – but I’m quite taken with the polyrhythmic energy of the Helping Hand single so I aim to track it down as soon as possible.

The Seattle-based six piece have an infectious sound that goes to prove that you don’t need guitars and macho posturing to make great pop music.

Take a gander at the band performing the song live and see what you think:

Link: My Whisperin’ & Hollerin’ review of the single.

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THIS CHARMING MANN

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September 24, 2012

Aimee MannAimee Mann has a new album out. It’s called Charmer and it’s rather charming.

In my review for Whisperin’ & Hollerin’ (which you can read here) I wrote : “I get the impression that if you invited her to your home, you’d soon find her looking for what you’ve swept under the carpet and searching for skeletons in the closet”. 

Perhaps this same thought occurred to the writers of Portlandia since they cast her in the role of a cleaning lady in this sketch:

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COMPARING TWO SPARROWS

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September 19, 2012

WOODPECKER WOOLIAMS is the bizarre pseudonym for Brighton resident Gemma Williams who earned this nickname for her tendency to nod along to her music and a fervent love of woolly jumpers.

Her excellent album The Bird School Of Being Human has just been released and you can read my glowing Whisperin’ & Hollerin’ review here.

The standout track is Sparrow, a disturbing song that takes lines from Dolly Parton’s ‘Little Sparrow’ and presents them in a darker, more venomous setting. Continue reading →

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