A Mountain Stands

Colin Prior is one of the world’s most acclaimed landscape photographers, whose signature shots are seen throughout the world and show that Scotland stands comparison with any other place on earth. We follow Colin over the course of a year as he sets out on an ambitious new project. He has set himself the hardest of challenges – to produce a body of work that will draw attention to the highly precarious nature of life on four islands – Harris, Lewis, Eigg and Canna. Yet Colin’s work is about more than just photography - it comes from a deep understanding of each place and the islanders.

Mott the Hoople were an English rock band with strong R&B roots, popular in the glam rock era of the early to mid-1970s. The band released four albums on Atlantic Records between 1969 and 1971. All of them included into this Hi-Res collection - features "Mott the Hoople" (1969), "Mad Shadows" (1970), "Wildlife" (1971), and "Brain Capers" (1971).

When you have a group of seasoned hardcore and metal veterans come together, what kind of music would you expect? Apparently, it's something completely different. Mountain Dust's Seven Storms is a brooding proto-metal release that will appeal to a much wider audience. From the outset, vocalist Brendan Mainville stands out as a combination of Danzig and Type O Negative's Peter Steele. His voice, unlike many heavy music records, is able to be the main melodic force throughout the album. Don't think for a second that this record is thin on riffs, though. "Inside the Rift" and "Into the Depths" contain some serious Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats vibes. It's nice to hear a heavy band that don't rely on guitar to carry their record.

Recorded when Alabama was in its prime, „Mountain Music“ combines pop rock with country in a very distinctive, always catchy manner. Comprising a variety of tunes ranging from slick rockers to soft, lush ballads, „Mountain Music“ creates a nice contrast and engages the listener from the very first note to the last. Some of the guitar rock tunes include a meritorious version of John Fogerty's 'Green River,' and Alabama's own 'Never Be One.'

The Stands former frontman Howie Payne returns this week with only his second solo album proper since the split of his Liverpool based band in 2005. Having kept the company of some of the early noughties most revered acts (Oasis, Paul Weller, The Zutons, The Coral etc.), Payne has dipped in and out of the musical spotlight ever since. With Payne choosing to take up production duties and band management, along with the occasional performance and re-release, in the interim it is a pleasant surprise to see him follow up 2009's 'Bright Light Ballads' with something fresh and new.