Black Honey: Black Honey

photo: Harriet Brown

English indie pop band Black Honey manage to sound slick and tough on their self-titled album. Lead singer Izzy B. Phillips sounds a bit like Wendy James (Transvision Vamp), but with the sense of humour of Mette Lindberg (The Asteroids Galaxy Tour) as an added bonus,.

Lyrically it is an education for mainstream pop fans, and production wise a guilty pleasure for the more advanced music fan. If disco-infused pop ever makes a comeback as a serious genre, the Brighton based quartet's self-titled debut album can be pinpointed as a landmark release.

Marianne Faithfull: The Gypsy Faerie Queen (ft. Nick Cave)

The new Marianne Faithful single The Gypsy Faerie Queen was inspired by Shakespeare's play A Midsummer Night's Dream. The song was co-written with Nick Cave, who also played piano and provided backing vocals.

In memoriam: Jimi Hendrix

Forty-eight years ago Jimi Hendrix died at the Samarkand Hotel, 22 Lansdowne Crescent, Notting Hill in London. Put on some Jimi and turn it up. Your neighbours will thank you, and if not, fuck 'em.

My goal is to be one with the music. I just dedicate my whole life to this art.

Jimi Hendrix

» jimihendrix.com

The Magic Numbers: USA & Canada tour dates

UK neo-folkies The Magic Numbers will play a string of shows on the US West Coast and a one-off show in Canada to promote their new album Outsiders. They were retro before it became fashionable to perform multi-part harmonies again.

Dusty Stray: You Couldn't Wait To See Me Cry

Indie folk singer Jonathan Brown has shared a video for You Couldn't Wait To See Me Cry, a track from the forthcoming album Estranged by his Dusty Stray project. It's a country-tinged song, knee deep in keyboards, about a nasty breakup. The video was made by Arturo Bastón, a Mexican artist living in Barcelona.

Estranged will be released on October thru Great Waters (vinyl, CD, digital). The album was produced by Kramer.