Ear 2012

If the heady days of soulful blues soaked 60’s and 70’s rock ignite your heart and the likes of Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Bad Company, and Free send your emotions and pulse rate soaring then a new and equally impactful treat is just waiting for your adoration. The Brimstone Days is a band from Malmö, Sweden, a trio who live and breathe those inspirational days whilst their creativity sows those old seeds within its own unique imagination to bloom impressive and powerful songs as within their new album On A Monday Too Early To Tell…

The quality of his records may fluctuate over the decades, but there has never been any doubt that Elton John retains a keen ear for fashionable pop. So it is no surprise that he handed over tapes from his purple patch of the early '70s – roughly Elton John through Blue Moves – to the Australian dance duo Pnau, giving them full reign to sample, interpolate, splice and dice familiar tunes into new dance tracks…

WhoCares, full title Ian Gillan & Tony Iommi: WhoCares is a music project by Deep Purple frontman Ian Gillan and Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi and a charity release by the supergroup WhoCares they had formed with the help of other musicians, to raise money to rebuild a music school in Gyumri, Armenia after the destruction of the city in the 1988 earthquake in Armenia. In addition to Ian Gillan and Tony Iommi (who were Black Sabbath bandmates from 1983-1984), many artists took part in the charity music project including Jon Lord (Ian Gillan's then-Deep Purple bandmate), ex-Metallica bassist Jason Newsted, Iron Maiden drummer Nicko McBrain, and HIM guitarist Mikko "Linde" Lindström.

Blending plain old hard rock with prog rock tendencies and a clear ear for a good radio-ready pop hook, Uriah Heep never exactly wowed the critics, perhaps because their lyrical fascination with wizards and demons could make them seem as addled as Spinal Tap in that band's famous Stonehenge concert scene. But critics don't make rock memories, and Uriah Heep, despite countless lineup changes, remained a steady band that played at being outlaws on the run and produced at least a couple of enduring rock radio classics in the early '70s, most notably their fun versions of "Stealin'" and "Easy Livin'," both of which present the band at its best. This set has both of those songs, plus other bare-bone essentials like "Lady in Black" and "The Wizard," and for most casual fans, it'll fill the bill.

The Diablo Swing Orchestra dates back to 1501 in Sweden, where history tells the tale of an orchestra that played like no other. With music so seductive and divine that the ensemble overwhelmed audiences all over the country, and people from all social classes took them to their hearts. Their performances rapidly earned a reputation of being feral and vigorous and gained the orchestra a devoted crowd that followed them around…

TRIX was formed in 2004, led by drummer Noriaki Kumagai (ex-Casiopea), with bassist Mitsuru Sutoh (ex-T-Square) and now guitarist Yuya Komoguchi and keyboardist AYAKI has joined the group. Their very ear-catcy music with thrilling techniques, and entertaining stage performance have been widely accepted among fans. Some of their songs are featured as the main theme of TV programs.

WhoCares, full title Ian Gillan & Tony Iommi: WhoCares is a music project by Deep Purple frontman Ian Gillan and Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi and a charity release by the supergroup WhoCares they had formed with the help of other musicians, to raise money to rebuild a music school in Gyumri, Armenia after the destruction of the city in the 1988 earthquake in Armenia. In addition to Ian Gillan and Tony Iommi (who were Black Sabbath bandmates from 1983-1984), many artists took part in the charity music project including Jon Lord (Ian Gillan's then-Deep Purple bandmate), ex-Metallica bassist Jason Newsted, Iron Maiden drummer Nicko McBrain, and HIM guitarist Mikko "Linde" Lindström.

Nathalie Stutzmann’s credentials as a Bach singer are well established, as genuine and unmistakable a contralto voice as we’ve heard in his music on record. Now she presents a programme of hand-picked movements (mainly) from the cantata depository as singer-director – a combination of tasks by which, on this evidence, she appears distinctly unfazed.