A Review of the album 'Legacy of Hospitality' by Dan Sartain Review Snapshot: The perfect starter kit for Sartain virgins, this long album may be a lot to digest but it is the perfect showcase for the singer/songwriter's diversity. The Cluas Verdict? 7/10 Full Review: Dan Sartain is anAmerican rock singer/songwriter from Birmingham, Alabama and while he has not achieved the heights of fame that he may have been originally been aiming for, he has proven to be a talented and lucky man in the music world. Since 2001 he has released six studio albums, the most recent being Legacy of Hospitality.   The album is being presented by camp Sartain as a companion to previous album Dan Sartain Lives and even something of a document of the musician’s career: it containing tracks that succeed even his early self-produced titles as well as alternative versions of songs from his previous offerings.  On listening to the current LP... [Read on]

A review of the album 'Perch Patchwork' by Maps & Atlases Review Snapshot: New to the indie scene, Chicago band Maps & Atlases mash a folk rock sound with the math rock genre to produce a well-thought out and emotional debut album. A recurring theme of bitterness around break-ups is often disguised by a cheery nature in what could be one of the must-have indie albums.  The Cluas Verdict? 7 out of 10 Full Review: Folk rock has been an increasingly popular genre for the past two years. Whether you consider it from a mainstream point of view (Mumford and Sons, Laura Marling) or if you are more inclined to take an Indie perspective (Frank Turner) it has no doubt been growing in influence. This year sees a new American band combining the ever-growing folk rock style with a less appreciated genre that originated in the 1980s, known as “Math Rock” (others tagged with this genre include Ghosts and Vodka, Dilute). Although Maps & Atlase... [Read on]

A review of the album Liquor Store by Teron Beal. Review Snapshot:  Songwriter to the stars certainly doesn’t keep the best for himself as Teron Beal releases his debut solo effort. The Cluas Verdict? 2 out of 10 Full Review: Teron Beal is a little celebrated American singer-songwriter who has spent the last 20 years in the shadows writing songs for the likes of Pink and impressively, Michael Jackson. Quite an achievement for someone who was born when the king of pop still had an afro. Not many people have achieved such things in such a young life, however he has still gone relatively unnoticed by the wider public, and the question is; will his debut album, “Liquor Store”, change this? The album is heavily influenced by Prince, with many of the tracks featuring a similar vocal style to the tiny purple one, as well as comparable rhythmic structure. The most obvious song to compare to Prince is debut single, “New Girl.” The melody i... [Read on]

A review of the album 'Playing out: Songs for children and robots' by The Crayonettes. Review snapshot: Former punk queen Anna Spencer and folk singer Kathryn Williams combine their hatred towards CDs for children to make an interesting first adult-friendly and intelligent album aimed at kids. Cluas Verdict?: 7 out of 10. Full Review: The Crayonettes is the union of popular folk songstress Kathryn Williams and lead singer of Newcastle Punk band, “Delicate Vomit”, Anna Spencer. The concept of the album is just as endearing as the actual songs. The two music veterans have relatively recently become mothers and discovered a mutual disdain for the common and fervent Children’s CDs. They wanted to produce an adult friendly children’s album to create a blissful haven for the tortured ears of mothers and fathers. Each track on the album is aimed at children while maintaining a bearable tune, covering the usual topics, questions about animals, op... [Read on]

Cluster (live in The Village, Dublin) Review Snapshot: So-called “pioneers of ambient music” fail to light fires at Dublin venue, The Village, but perform a convincing showcase for the latest “relaxing bathing tunes” CD collection. The Cluas Verdict? 4/10 Full Review: Cluster are a German electronic/experimental group which are often referred to as the “pioneers of ambient music”. When preparing to see them perform live, this tag is likely to raise your expectations. Which will be significantly lowered once the duo (Hans-Joachim Roedelius and Dieter Moebius) begin playing their less than exhilarating set list. It would be unfair to strip the group of their “pioneer” status, as they have clearly influenced bands that have helped to shape music in the last 15+ years such as Air and Röyksopp. However their live performance left a lot to be desired when they played Dublin's The Village on Saturday, 6th of Feb... [Read on]

A review of the compilation album 'Dublin's unsigned: the best of' Review Snapshot: "Dublin's unsigned: Best of" showcases the raw talent of Dublin music's underbelly with a selection of hard working bands. Shining a light on parts of the Irish music scene that are too often overlooked. A good reminder, for those that need one, that there is more to Irish music than U2, and soppy boybands. The Cluas Verdict? 7 out of 10 Full Review: For many outside of Ireland Dublin remains associated with one band, U2, despite having spawned other great bands like Thin Lizzy and er… The Boomtown Rats. What many don't realise is that there are many fabulous bands lurking in the shadows, working away, all baying for even a fraction of U2's success. To showcase some of these bands' talents, Fatfux records, with the support of the Arnotts project, Phantom FM and IMRO, have put together a compilation of Dublin's best unsigned act... [Read on]

Interview with Frank Turner, formerly of Million Dead Although Frank Turner is a well known singer/song writer in certain circles of music fans, he has in no way been affected by his fame. Leading the way up to his dressing room in The Academy, Dublin City, he made small talk and confessed that he is "a fan of peace and quiet."  Turner kicked off his U.K and Ireland tour in Dublin on October 13th, a tour which consisted of 16 dates. He's has just finished touring with The Offspring in the U.S. promoting his current album Poetry of the Deed and he has a reputation of being dedicated to being on the road. The singer spoke overtly about his gigging, saying he believes it is his duty to perform to the best of his abilities for his loyal fans: "I see myself as being an entertainer, above and beyond anything else, and my job is to get up on stage and make the people, who pay to come to the show, have a really good time." He likes to think of himself as s... [Read on]