It’s hard to believe that these boys are from the remote wilderness of Norway rather than the drier climate of Nashville, such is their authenticity when applying their trade to country music. Despite the relative distance between the two countries, the duo of Roald Gullaksen (vocals/guitars) and Morten Øien (keyboards) remain determined in their efforts by holding aspirations of their own as latest album ‘Born By The Sea’ cranes its neck out over the Atlantic Ocean in an attempt to transmit its signal to its distant neighbours stateside. With an album’s worth of original material, Never Mind Band ease in to their sound with the appropriate ‘The American Dream’, only this is a tale of hardships as it tips its Stetson to the ongoing financial struggles in various towns of America. The accompanying country sound is typically robust, with Roald Gullaksen’s guitar containing a little grit but remaining nicely understated without ever straying. ‘Mayflower’ allows for optimism as it opens up with violin strings and a jaunty rhythm once the guitar and keyboards catch a ride. The skill and expertise displayed by Never Mind Band is of the highest order, and something which has evolved from the live circuit on home shores considering their impressive résumé having performed alongside such luminaries as Hellbillies, Stage Dolls, Postgirobygget, Steinar Engelbrektson band to name but a small sample. Such experience lends itself to the soul-searching expressed throughout the impressive ‘The Father’, with some clever touches involving samples from an anonymous space mission in contrast to the mission taking place down below on planet Earth. The title track of this latest album is the only giveaway as to the ancestry of this duo in relation to their music, as ‘Born By The Sea’ contains elements of Norwegian folk music that also spreads to the vocal. By catering for a balance between the everyday emotions of the infectious melody of ‘Home By Dawn’, and slower tempo of the melancholic ‘Memories From The Past’, Never Mind Band pass somewhere between a world consisting of Brad Paisley, Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson, and that’s not bad company to be associated with! ‘Born By The Sea’ is but one reason to suggest that a voyage overseas to the homeland of country music is futile when hearing the faithful rendition stemming from Never Mind Band, which is a quality to be greatly admired considering the distance separating these two lands.

Following up their breakthrough album ‘You & I’ in 2011 after several years of trying, the sisterly duo of Allison and Catherine Pierce, otherwise known as The Pierces, make a return with new long player ‘Creation’. The fresh outlook of this new album began after an initial trip to Peru where, under the supervision of a local shaman, The Pierces underwent an experimental trip to reach inside their innermost selves in order to induce positive changes by means of the hallucinogenic compound Ayahuasca. The results certainly had the desired effects as the sisters set about their song writing duties with much vigour after a lacklustre period as the previous held fears soon began to evaporate. While ‘Creation’ is not a great departure in sound from its successful predecessor (if it’s not broken…), the rediscovered confidence can be heard in the more subtle touches throughout the album suggesting that patience is key here, as repeat listens will prove an enriching experience. The title song is one of the strongest indicators of this renewed confidence judging by the radiant nature of its chorus. This self-assurance is reinforced with the persuasive power of ‘Kings’ with its realisation, “If we want to, we could do what kings do” as drums rumble in the distance and the influence of Fleetwood Mac is not too far away. Similar references apply to the opening segment of ‘Believe In Me’ until the song pulls away and The Pierces pursue their own route by opening up to the possibilities of love as depicted by the song’s shimmering chorus. The softened approach to ‘I Can Feel’ works wonders, building the song gradually before hitting a glorious chorus of harmonious vocals and a combination of synths and flecks of guitar that is never overstated. Just as The Pierces have taken their time to rediscover the creative formula that was such a success in 2011, but this time with an open approach to all possibilities available at their disposal, ‘Creation’ is the album to continue their success story providing the songs are given time to become associated with due to the various subtleties held deep within.

With the clamour for metal band In Flames to lead the way for a ‘mark two’ version of one of their previous, and extremely well-received albums from their longstanding supporters, latest release ‘Siren Charms’ sees no signs of adhering to such demands just yet. Top marks however, as In Flames stick to an agenda that sees them following a creative path that provides a slight digression from the heavier sounds of yore. That is not to say that In Flames has ditched their metal roots and trademark heavy riffs as there is enough here to hopefully satisfy older fans, as well as appeal to potential new fans. It’s more that the harder edges find themselves intermingling with the fresher approaches consisting of slower songs and ballad-esque numbers that are definitely to be welcomed. The alteration in sound owes some debt to the shift in working conditions that saw the band record for the first time outside of Gothenburg and set up base in Berlin at the legendary Hansa Tonstudio. With the likes of Bowie, U2 and Killing Joke having recorded at the same location, it seems plausible that In Flames were inspired by such artists, considering the more melodic touches mixed with the larger riffs and synthesisers. If it’s direct correlations you’re looking for, however, then think Avenged Sevenfold, Deftones, Sisters of Mercy and Zeromancer and you’re somewhere close to understanding In Flames progression, as depicted by the magnificent trio of  ‘In Plain View’, ‘Paralyzed’ and ‘Through Oblivion’. ‘Siren Charms’ might not appeal to the previously mentioned longstanding legions of supporters, but it is an album to be commended for its daring to go against the grain and drum up a different beat with almost radio friendly propositions (‘Dead Eyes’) mixing with harsher elements (‘When The World Explodes’) which takes some doing if your name is In Flames.

After working with a diverse range of musical projects including dEUS, The Frames, The Summer of Mars and, more recently, A Clean Kitchen Is A Happy Kitchen, as well as a wonderful acoustic-folk collaboration with Mark Mulholland, the seemingly restless soul that is Craig Ward pops up on the creative radar again with a solo album under the moniker ‘New Third Lanark’. This time the music emitting from Craig Ward is purely instrumental, with five ambient compositions that barely rise above a few decibels in sound. Having recorded this largely improvised effort with use of electric guitar and an assortment of electronic devices, the atmospheric pieces of sound shimmer and glide through a number of spaces, beginning with the flickering of light ‘Tropic of Bennett’ and ending with the warped and ethereal sounding ‘Lemo’. The beauty of ‘New Third Lanark’ is that if this makes it to a live setting, then the room for further exploration is boundless and one that causes much intrigue when considering the darker veil of noise covering ‘Blazes As In Dixon’ and the previously mentioned ‘Lemo’ that is already nagging to be explored further such is its lengthy duration. It would seem Craig Ward has unlocked yet another creative component in his mind as ‘New Third Lanark’ reveals an artist not willing to remain still in the moment as the shifting tone of these ambient sounds clearly indicates.

An interesting compilation from Union Square Music featuring a whole host of ‘Rock ‘N’ Roll Guitar Greats’ nicely packaged and one that is set at an affordable price. Starting things off with more than an air of familiarity about it due to Quentin Tarantino’s inclusion of Dick Dale’s surf-rock masterpiece ‘Miserlou’ in his film Pulp Fiction, ‘Rock ‘N’ Roll Guitar Greats’ maintains the consistency with Duane Eddy’s guitar twanging ‘Shazam’, instrumental smash ‘Rumble’ from Link Wary, and other guitar greats from Scotty Moore ‘Have Guitar, Will Travel’; The Shadows superb ‘F.B.I.’ and The Ventures classic ‘Walk, Don’t Run’. Where this compilation would have served itself better, however, is if it had adhered to a strictly instrumental collection of rock ‘n’ roll guitar hits from the 50s and 60s and not included the overused names of Eddie Cochran and Gene Vincent to cite but two examples. While such names are rock ‘n’ roll legends in their own right, and with several of them more than adept when it comes to guitar playing, their inclusion sounds out of place due to this album being a predominantly instrumental affair. Small gripes for sure, but when you have the likes of Link Wray tearing up the house on more than one occasion; The Fireballs western ramble through ‘Vaquero’, and the dreamy ‘Sleepwalk’ provided by Santo and Johnny, the idea of a straight, guitar only instrumental really makes sense overall.

Canadian singer-songwriter Bahamas, otherwise known as Afie Jurvanen, sets out a new long player on Brushfire Records/Universal Music. Taking in to account the title of the record – ‘Bahamas Is Afie’ – as well as assuming the role of producer and multi-instrumentalist, one can safely suggest that this third album, after ‘Pink Strat’ (2009) and ‘Barchords’ (2012), is very much one that is close to Bahamas’ heart. The opening ‘Waves’ gives way to such ideas with the impression that a great deal of contemplation took place (“I held the bath inside my lungs for days…”) before committing these latest creative endeavours to tape. The time has been seriously well spent as it’s the lure of the gentle acoustic guitar that tingles the senses and gradual introduction of further instruments, along with Bahamas’ hushed vocal – nicely complimented with some dreamy backing –  from the aforementioned song that sets out ‘Bahamas Is Afie’ on this personal journey. The details of this particular voyage become more apparent with the folk roots of ‘Can’t Take You With Me’ that sees a parting of the ways of a relationship. Where this album excels is the manner in which Bahamas can transform those ‘Bitter Memories’ into something sweet sounding and wonderfully infectious with a simple melody, yet still retaining much food for thought inside a song’s brief tenure. In addition to the quieter acoustic folk introspection, there are moments where Bahamas experiments with the volume control by allowing for the mid-tempo country rock of ‘Stronger Than That’ and high-pitched vocals that also extends to the guitars during ‘All The Time’, providing an engaging twist to the overall feel of the album. ‘Little Record Girl’ adds to this tally with yet more country but this time with a brisk twang and an affectionate lyric that is just as much about a passion for music as it is regarding the opposite sex. By closing out on the slowly fading memories of ‘All I’ve Ever Known’ that is aching from the inside out, such is its emotional pull that’s not too dissimilar to the likes of the Blue Nile, ‘Bahamas Is Afie’ is a stunningly good album reflecting on former troubled times which, ironically, have led to the riches lining this latest effort.