(Photo by Mimi Sheytanova) Out today is the latest project by Roger O’Donnell (keyboard player of The Cure), “2 Ravens”. The release comes digitally via 99X/10 Records / Caroline International while it will be released physically on 24th July.

At the same time O’Donnell also released a video for the album track “I’ll Say Goodnight” which can watch below.

The record originally began as an instrumental record, side one featuring two cellos and piano with side two featuring a string quartet. However, when Roger was introduced to Jannifer Pague (Vita and The Woolf) he sent it to her for input and one thing led to another.

The album provides a personal insight into Roger’s world and the influences on his life of rural England. The album was written in December 2016 after a year long tour with The Cure and recorded over five days at the Air Edel Studios in London with some of Roger’s favourite musicians: Alisa Liubarskaya, Miriam Wakeling, Aled Jones, Nadine Nagen and Daniel Gea.

The release was preceeded by two singles, “An Old Train” and “The Haunt”, both featuring Jennifer Pague.

Here’s the video for “I’ll Say Goodnight”.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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On 11th November Simple Minds will release “Simple Minds Acoustic” via Caroline International. This one-off album release of stripped down and re-imagined songs includes tracks from their complete career. On the lead single “Promised You A Miracle”, the band are joined by fellow Scot KT Tunstall.

The 12 tracks on the CD version are: “The American”, “Promised You A Miracle”, “Glittering Prize”, “See The Lights”, “New Gold Dream (81-82-83-84)”, “Someone Somewhere In Summertime”, “Waterfront”, “Sanctify Yourself”, “Chelsea Girl”, “Alive And Kicking”, “Don’t You (Forget About Me)”, “Long Black Train”.

The album will also be released on vinyl too, including 3 extra tracks: “Stand By Love”, “Speed Your Love To Me” and “Light Travels”.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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(By Stéphane Froidcoeur aka Deranged Psyche) 2015 has been already a prolific year for the section Side-Line Reviews. As head of the Side-Line Reviews section I can only, but be extremely satisfied with the huge amount of promo material we got. Over the 700 (!) releases were selected while nearly 550 (!) have been reviewed thus far. I take the opportunity to express my gratitude to all labels, promoters and bands considering and respecting our work and efforts and this for years now.

But I also have to thank all of our readers because for their interest, support, trust and consideration. It’s a very important source of motivation to keep me moving on trying to support our lovely underground scene the best I can.

A review of course remains always ‘subjective’ and a source of discussion, but keep in mind it will be always the perception of the reviewer, but I can assure you we always try to argue our reviews the best as possible. I noticed multiple great releases during 2015; from EBM to dark-electro to IDM to synth-pop to ethereal, to dark-ambient to industrial to gothic and a few related genres I made a TOP 20 of the best albums of 2015! This selection has been made with the promotional material we got while compilations and EP’s were not selected for this ‘best of’.

Stéphane Froidcoeur (aka Deranged Psyche)

01 Irfan – The Eternal Return (CD Album – Prikosnovénie)
02 Neuroticfish – A Sign Of Life (CD Album – NOR)
03 Acylum – Pest (DCD Album – Alfa Matrix)
04 Eisfabrik – Eisplanet (CD Album & EP – SPV/NoCut)
05 Senking – Closing Eyes (CD Album – Raster-Noton)
06 Ah Cama-Sotz – State Of Mind (CD Album – Hands)
07 Karjalan Sissit – …Want You Dead (CD Album – Cyclic Law)
08 Alien Vampires – Drag You To Hell (DCD Album – Alfa Matrix)
09 Supersimmetria – Kosmogonie (CD Album – Hands)
10 Johan Baeckström – Like Before (CD Album – Progress Productions)
11 Hearts Of Black Science – Signal (CD Album – Progress Productions)
12 Dear Strange – Lonely Heroes (CD Album – Out Of Line)
13 IAMX – Metanoia (CD Album – Caroline International)
14 Legiac – The Faex Had Decimated (CD Album – Tympanik Audio)
15 Grand((Ø))Signal – Aktivation (Digital Album – Grand((Ø))Signal)
16 Encephalon – Psychogenesis (CD Album – Dependent)
17 Noisuf-X – 10 Years Of Riot (DCD Album – ProNoize)
18 Star Industry – The Renegade (DCD Album – Alfa Matrix)
19 Chainreactor – Dirt (CD Album – ProNoize)
20 Frozen Plasma – Dekadenz (CD Album – Infacted Recordings)

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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