JAMES WALSH is moved by a provocative and original take on the relationship between ecology and architecture, and a plea to work with, not against, the materials and minerals of our world
Latest editorial
Vice by Ryan Brookes
An immersive, participatory display by a queer Australian Aboriginal performer, and a rebellious unravelling of traditional Scottish dance
EWAN CAMERON witnesses a political farce that lacks a clear message
EWAN CAMERON picks out two fascinating music shows, fusing the Korean, and the Celtic, with the modern
BENJAMIN POTHIER suggests that Palaeolithic cave paintings in Spain point to the ceremonial use of hallucinogenic flora
The bard confirms that the right has a humour bypass, and replays the English Revolution on period instruments
Ryan Brookes
Vice
(Self-released)
THERE’S a surprisingly rich variety to this debut song collection by the gifted Midlands balladeer Ryan Brookes, whose talent becomes all the more apparent given that he plays most instruments on this recording — an enterprise usually reserved for the foolhardy or self-deluded.
Dan Booth of Ferocious Dog lends a masterful hand on violin in his widely acclaimed inimitable style and fellow Dog Ken Bonsall chips in expertly with colourful backing vocals.
But it is Brookes’s voice’s warm timbre and tonal range that carries the emotive load in each and every song, from the chirpy Own Sweet Way or City Lights to the confessional and majestic Find A Way.
Similar stories
EWAN CAMERON picks out two fascinating music shows, fusing the Korean, and the Celtic, with the modern
New releases from The Mountains Goats, Ed O’Brien, and YHWH Nailgun
New releases from Kneecap, Sam Blasucci, and Juni Habel
WILL STONE applauds a comprehensive survey of love in its many moods and musical forms