Thursday, July 31, 2014

Playlist: July


  • Robert Plant—lullaby and...The Ceaseless Roar (2014)
  • Jenny Lewis—The Voyager (2014)
  • Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers—Hypnotic Eye (2014)
  • Big Wreck—Ghosts (2014)
  • Rival Sons—Great Western Valkyrie (2014)
  • The Pineapple Thief—Magnolia (2014)
  • EngineersAlways Returning (2014)
  • Tim Bowness—Abandoned Dancehall Dreams (2014)
  • Joe Bonamassa—Different Shades of Blue (2014)
  • Knifeworld—The Unravelling (2014)

Now on Newsstands: Syd Arthur

I interviewed British band Syd Arthur for the new issue of Under the Radar magazine, currently on newsstands and also available digitally.

The British four piece, which recently released its excellent second album Sound Mirror, is an intriguing proposition. The band's sound is, in part, a welcome throw back to the long-dead Canterbury Scene of bands of yore such as Caravan, Hatfield and the North, and Soft Machine. But Syd Arthur bring a modern, threadbare edge to their music, which explains how they're able to straddle the dispirate worlds of indie rock and progressive rock. Syd Arthur played at Coachella and Bonnarroo this year and now they're on tour as the support band for YES.

Fittingly, they're on the reactivated Harvest record label, once home to Pink Floyd, Roy Harper and Kevin Ayers. I chatted with band member Raven Bush (violin, mandolin, keyboard) for the magazine. Turns out that he's the nephew of Kate Bush, who has given the band "positive feedback."

Here's a bonus interview I did with Syd Arthur for Under the Radar's website with material not included in the magazine article. In the meantime, take a listen to the band's music videos, below.

"Garden of Time":



"Hometown Blues":