A Very Long Engagement (Un Long Dimanche De Fiancailles). Nonesuch Records

Byron Davies (vocalist) answered our questions.

Live Performance

Each year Alison Krauss, in partnership with superb country band Union Station, manages to release a record that figures strongly in our ‘albums of the year’ nominations. In 2003 it was her magnificent live CD, in 2004 it’s this very recent release.

Can EGE BAMYASI. Mute

Liverpool Carling Academy 2 December 2004

This is the most fascinating compilation release of 2004, and an unusual one. Horne is a record producer who has enjoyed an uninterrupted career spanning decades, while working with a bewildering array of artists and music. However, the emphasis of his work, as showcased here, has been primarily within the pop segment of the market. [...]

John Frusciante has released five solo albums this year, with each one better than the last, until now. The last one blew me away with its adventure and improvisation and just couldn’t be bettered. INSIDE OF EMPTINESS is not better but it’s as good in a different way.

It’s a long time since I really enjoyed a rap record. The industry seems to have taken over and injected huge doses of R&B and ‘pop’ in addition to toning down language. This album returns to rap roots with an ambience that leaves one in no doubt that things ain’t quite what they should be [...]

A long, long time ago I met a wonderful girl while on holiday in Southern Italy. To cut a long story short, each month she used to send me a number of 7” pop records which I still have today. They were of course sung in Italian and while I had extreme difficulty in [...]