Innocent (2005)

Pain of Salvation - Be Live (2005). An theatrical experience more than a listening experience. "Be" is one of those few albums that is actually set up to be a drama. The whole storyline is bigger than the music itself, with Gildenlow's unabashed and unshameful politics set loose and in full force. As is with most Pain of Salvation releases, the lead man has no hiding of where he stands on global issues and usually has that at the forefront of his music.
Pain of Salvation - The Second Death of Pain of Salvation (2009). Pain Of Salvation can expertly deliver their melodically dense sound in a live concert setting, as evidenced by The Second Death of Pain of Salvation…

Upon first listen to trumpeter Wallace Roney's Mystikal one might be inclined to marginalize it as yet another attempt to re-create '70s-era Miles Davis. This would be a mistake. While Roney has always owed a large debt to the iconic jazz innovator – he even played with Davis on a concert released as Miles & Quincy Live at Montreux – Mystikal is a modern album made up of vintage parts. Which is to say that while Roney has deep affection for the sounds of '60s jazz and '70s funk and fusion, he is a resolutely forward-thinking musician who borrows from a variety of sources and time periods even when the overall sound is funky.

Orphans is the most unwieldy Tom Waits collection yet. Packaged in a Cibachrome-tinted box are three discs containing 56 songs total. It claims 30 new tunes, but a mere 14 can be found on other records - six others have to be hunted for while the remainder have shown up in various incarnations. This crazy thing began as a collection of outtakes, rarities, soundtrack tunes, and compilation-only cuts - some of which survive here in new form, including tracks from the Ramblin' Jack Elliot tribute, the Bridge benefit, and two Ramones covers, to name a few. In other words, the first conception was as a hodgepodge collection of attic material. Waits checked out the tune selection as it was and said something like "nah, bad idea; this would suck"…

With each new release, Staffordshire's Epic45 step up to the challenge of expanding their sound ever further. After a support stint with Hood and avid appreciation of the Bark Psychosis and Disco Inferno back catalogue, these influences appear to have rubbed off on the trio; making this their most confident-sounding record whilst retaining their essentially English sound. Thus, the title track begins with a huge drum sound before the dynamics are turned down to release some of the sweetest chiming guitar passages they have yet produced. 'Walk Led To Happiness' is even better; it posssess the familiar rustic atmosphere featured on previous outings but its stately pace and ambience bears comparisons with Bark Psychosis' 'Absent Friend'…

Canto-pop's queen of romantic ballads is back with her latest musical gift to all her fans. Presenting her in a red hot attractive style, it comes complete with the electrifying titular track.