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Hello!

Another aeon has passed since I last wrote anything on this page. Huge apologies (even though that's becoming so much of a habit as to appear increasingly insincere).

Nevertheless, here I am and happy to inform you that, once again I've been listening to lots of music. Oceans of the stuff.

In addition to the ever increasing pile of reviews (Jim Lockey and the Solemn Sun's new album Death and an excellent gig at The Command House, Chatham being the most obvious examples), my shelves are now heaving - even more than they once were - with the weight of new CDs bought from my local independent record shop, Sound and Image.

It's an excellent record boutique in Chatham - one of that beleaguered town's few redeeming fetures. The shop's friendly staff have crammed records, CDs, posters, T-shirts and musical instruments into every available space. In fact, picture your ideal independent record shop and you're probably visualising Sound and Image.

Of course, I popped down to do my bit for Record Store Day last Saturday and picked up a vinyl of Regina Spektor singing a couple of songs in Russian for Mrs. Morris. Only trouble is - we don't have a record player.

May need to work on this. Still. As with all vinyl: it looks nice.

In other news, I'm discovering a fair bit of great music thanks to my role as Features Editor for Shout4Music. Each week I assemble a chart of the ten best free downloads available on Soundcloud and the like.

It's thanks to this task I've been introduced to Dear Reader and Gemma Ray. Their free tunes prompted me to get their albums, Idealistic Animals and Island Fire respectively. The first is a concept album, of sorts, with each song named after an animal. It concerns itself with big philosophical themes, sure, but in an gorgeously approachable way.

The latter of the two matches kooky sounds with big orchestral experimentation and gentle folkishness recalling, at times, The Webb Sisters.

You'd do well to investigate.

Anyway, on that note, I should probably get going. That cup of tea won't make itself, you know.

Stephe
(find out more about me here)