Music

I’m faced with a choice… Which music streaming service is the one for me – Spotify or Apple Music? Choices like this shouldn’t be difficult, but yet I stand amongst a smorgasbord of user hostile pros & cons that really shouldn’t exist.

Someone is using former Lostprophets singer and convicted paedophile Ian Watkins’ Twitter account to promote new music - even though he is currently serving 35 years behind bars for his crimes.

A data scientist has crunched the numbers and found the most (and least) heavy metal words in the English language.

Delivered hauntingly slow and with sonic menace, Native Gold’s brand new EP “A Man We All Admire” appeared in my inbox and I haven’t stopped listening to it since!

Playlists are created to match every tempo of our lives, but what if the pace of music could be directly controlled by our pulse? Jonathan "j.viewz" Dagan has been working on this with an interactive music video for his song Almost Forgot, which scans your heartbeat and matches the song's tempo to suit.

Chances are you may not have heard of Port Of Est. But after receiving their new single 'Clash,' you need to listen to their brand of atmospheric electronic pop.

Plenty of work has already been done in creating eye- and face-tracking technology, which helps the paralysed to communicate. But what if you want to have some fun? What if you want to create music? That's where Andreas Refsgaard and his new app, Eye Conductor, come in.

Researchers at Georgia Tech have created a wearable robotic, which transforms drummers into three-armed machines even the experts of speed metal would be jealous of.

Alternative rock is a difficult genre to get into, and London quintet FADES hope to make a statement with their punchy new self-titled EP, set for release on March 11th. We were lucky to get an early listen, to answer a simple question: does this stand a chance of at least appearing on the radar?

Vinyl has risen from the dead over the last nine years, under the guise of superior audio quality and the full package of liner notes. This trend has led to the likes of Sony and Panasonic introducing record players recently.

Wired magazine has even gone on to write about how vinyl records won CES 2016 and while this is true, I believe we're giving records a lot more credit than they're due.

The reason: they are never played.

Looking for some real sinister-sounding electronic ambience? Allow me to introduce you to Zaflon and his debut EP LDP 1, which ticks all the boxes for an immersive listening experience.

So Apple Music has launched in over 100 countries today to a fanfare of excitement. On paper it seems like the streaming service everybody has been waiting for for years (or have given up waiting for in favour of Spotify). With the added perks of an whole music solution including global radio and a social element for exclusive content from your favourite artists, it seems to be a metaphorical slam dunk.

Not too happy with Mumford & Son's recent turn to electronic? Missing the likes of Red Hot Chilli Peppers and The Levellers? Allow me to introduce you to Quiet Quiet Band, the Reading based alternative folk/rock band with the odd combination of a classically trained violinist and a death metal bassist.

In a deep exploration of his own depression, Vince Grant has created his debut EP, fittingly called My Depression Is Always Trying To Kill Me. However, he hasn't just recorded his own coping mechanism, this is a really enjoyable listen for anybody who enjoys the likes of REM and Manic Street Preachers.

Drummer Jason Barnes was electrocuted two years ago, which resulted in the amputation of his right arm below the elbow. To most, this would be the end of any dreams of drumming; but thanks to a robotic prosthetic he has achieved his lifelong goal with superhuman ability.

Ever looked at the household objects around you and thought to yourself "what would that sound like as a musical instrument?" Not really a question you think about, but one that definitely came up in my younger music nerd days! 'Mogees' looks to answer that question with a rather innovative piece of kit.

Such is the rapid nature of receiving an entirely new album in Be Frank, Furness by Heyward Howkins, following the truly captivating Hale & Hearty, you'd be forgiven to have a slight concern. I can safely say your worries are truly misplaced.

In judging this EP by its cover, I expected to hear other worldliness, Celtic ballads, or at the very least some panpipes. The promotional photographs for Natalie Earl’s (a.k.a. Helghyer) self released EP feature all the hallmarks of Gaelic promise: moorland, mist, scrubby plants…hell, she’s even wearing a cloak and holding a staff.

The Como Brothers are siblings from New York with music in their blood. The duo's rock with an alternative blues twist is perfect for any fans of John Mayer, The Black Keys, or the earlier material of Maroon 5.