Tim Martin

Review: Uncut’s “Joni Mitchell – The Ultimate Music Guide”

January 6, 2021 Tim Martin 0

Back in the summer we reviewed Uncut’s special on the music of Wilco. Their latest is an update and expansion of their guide to Joni Mitchell. First published in 2018 when it looked very much like […]

A good year for music, despite it all – Tim Martin’s review of 2020

December 10, 2020 Tim Martin 0

Towards the end of 2020 the penny is starting to drop about the exploitative nature of the streaming services relationship with artists. Alec Bowman’s brilliant thought piece here at AUK recently highlights the position more eloquently […]

Hector Gannet “Big Harcar” (Independent, 2020)

December 8, 2020 Tim Martin 0

Songs and albums about the North East of England have a long and honourable history. Big Harcar, which is part of the Farne Islands off the coast of Northumberland, is another interesting entry in the list. […]

AUK’s Chain Gang: Paul Simon “Wristband”

November 23, 2020 Tim Martin 0

Last time on the Chain Gang Paul Villers tried to throw a curve ball with his very useful advice on ordering beer in Spanish. The fab St. Paul and the Broken Bones are a new favourite […]

Dave Alvin “From an Old Guitar: Rare and Unreleased Recordings” (Yep Roc, 2020)

November 18, 2020 Tim Martin 1

The front cover’s black and white Dave Alvin playing his road-worn 1964 Fender Stratocaster, pretty much sets the tone for this round up of his songs that have escaped general release until now. On his Bandcamp […]

Stamping on the passion: Why AI written PR is a bad thing for music

September 21, 2026 1

If a music writer opens ten press releases this month, they’ll spot something odd. They all sound like the same person wrote them. Not because the artists share a publicist, or because there’s a house style […]

Carla Gover and Friends “Williams Branch is Hard to Find”

September 21, 2026 0

A cycle of Appalachian folk songs from writer and activist Si Kahn, subtitled Songs for Strong Kentucky Women The subtitle for this album is “Si Kahn’s Songs for Strong Kentucky Women”. Si Kahn is one of […]

Ad for American Beauty album 5th December 1970

For the Sake of the Song: Grateful Dead “High Time”