It all started with a live performance I caught on UK TV’s only serious terrestrial modern music show, Later. The Arcade Fire (a collective of American musicians now residing in Canada) dazzled with its inventiveness, adventure, passion and consummate skill. In short, I was blown away. But then I started to wonder why we had [...]

In recent years we have featured a couple modern jazz releases in our top ten albums of the year. At Shakenstir we view music as a language with many dialects and hence our propensity to include jazz with rock, folk, dance, world, pop, etc., etc… In 2005 at least one jazz album will find its [...]

When I heard the first single cut from Coldplay’s new and rather belated third album, I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. It was so mediocre I wondered whether it would have even made it into the band’s first album. But then it probably would have done as it is exactly what the record company [...]

I was handed this CD with a ‘Give this a twirl’ from my son. A quick search on the Internet revealed that Gonzalez is twenty-six years of age, has Argentinean parents and was brought up in Sweden. The sparse album sleeve notes revealed that VENEER was actually released over two years ago, and immediately I [...]

The prolific recording career of singer/songwriter Ryan Adams continues with this double album. And it finds Adams performing what he knows best; songs that revolve around his own experiences of tortured love and life. There’s also a stronger country rock vibe in an album that comes close to bettering his original debut release, the classic [...]

This Is Menace, three words that have been floating round the British hardcore underground scene for many months. But with little solid information and much rumour I wondered if they really existed at all. Well, now this band of awesome individuals has broken cover, and with a thunderous roar.