Field Guide - Make Peace With That (Album Review)

October 09, 2021 by Rich Barnard in Album Reviews, Alternative, Indie, Singer-Songwriter

Field Guide first came to our attention back in 2019 with the Full Time EP, a disarmingly delivered quartet of songs from the open heart of singer-songwriter Dylan MacDonald. We knew that if we kept our ears to the ground, it wouldn’t be long before the Canadian returned with a full-length album and, my, my, what a very lovely thing it is. Make Peace With That mixes lo-fi elements with a spotlessly detailed vocal and a warm, careful production. Tape hisses and floor creaks are all part of the charm and, with an average song length well below three minutes, it’s also got brevity on its side, which is always alright by me.

Leith Ross - Motherwell EP (Album Reviews)

November 16, 2020 by Rich Barnard in Album Reviews, Folk, Indie, Singer-Songwriter

22 year-old Leith Ross’ debut EP, Motherwell, is a quietly brilliant and deeply affecting collection of confessional songs. The Ottawa -based singer songwriter (who is presumably of Scottish heritage) recorded the eight-song set in a single afternoon, giving it an unpolished charm and uncommon immediacy. The frailty of human experience; the loneliness of early adulthood and the emotional resonances of family and personal history are captured in intimate, lo-fi detail, on what is one of the most remarkable releases of the year so far.

The Boy Least Likely To - The Greatest Hits (Album Review)

November 30, 2018 by Rich Barnard in Album Reviews, Pop, Alternative, Indie

Even if you’ve never heard of The Boy Least Likely To, you most probably have one or two of their songs already lodged in your subconscious. Since releasing their debut album back in 2005, the duo have had tracks placed in more films, TV shows and commercials than most groups could wish for and this seventeen song best-of collection makes it easy to see why the band have such universal appeal. Musically, TBLLT are the sound of childhood, innocence and optimism in a world where a thirty second news broadcast can quite easily toss even the chirpiest among us into an abyss of depression.