Sonnet

I've removed the sonnet I posted last week. Not because I don't like it, but because I realised that my tutors will Google everything I submit, and also that my work is marked anonymously. I don't want to risk being accused of plagiarism when they find the poem online, even though it's under my name, so down it comes. I'll put it back up once I've submitted the assignment it relates to.

Cate Gardner - Nowhere Hall (Spectral Press)

I've been meaning to write up this review for some time but haven't had the chance to get to it.

Nowhere Hall is the third in the Spectral Press anthology series, and in my opinion it's the best yet. I won't go in to details about the story - ostensibly about a suicidal man named Ron, but really about much more than that - because it really is something special that you'll want to read for yourself; suffice it to say that Cate Gardner's writing is lyrical and beautiful, and she leaves a lot of the resolution of the story off the page. It's left up to the reader to determine what Ron's ultimate fate is, with Gardner pointing us in the right direction but leaving us to find our own way.

Of the three chapbooks in the series so far, this is the one with the most 'literary' style of writing. Some people will like that, while some won't - the writing can be fairly dense in places (which isn't, in my opinion, a criticism), and in others opens up into stunning poetical prose. I wasn't familiar with Cate Gardner's work before reading this story, but since then I sought out her collection Strange Men In Pinstripe Suits and would highly recommend it.

It's good to see Spectral going from strength to strength; there's a lot of talk about ways in which the press is going to continue to grow, and that can only be a good thing. If Paul Finch's King Death (due to be released on December 5th and already sold out) is as good as this, then it will have been a great first year for Spectral. I can't wait to see where they go from here.

New Music Monday

Just a quick round-up of the new releases I've been listening to over the last week or so.

Pianos Become The Teeth have released a new song called Spine, taken from their upcoming album The Lack Long After. It's a pretty intense blast of post-hardcore, very melodic in places and nice and aggressive in others. I'm very much looking forward to the album. You can stream Spine here.

Transit are streaming their new album Listen and Forgive in its entirety here. It's a bit more on the pop side of pop-punk than Keep This To Yourself was, and Joe's voice is sounding better than ever before. Nice and chilled in places, as I've come to expect from Transit, and there's some solid song-writing here. Well worth a listen, and there are videos for a couple of the songs in with the stream.

Thrice have a song from their new album Major/Minor up for download here. It's called Words In The Water, and it's a perfect example of the direction the band is heading in these days (ever since Beggars came out). It's nice and chilled on the verses; Teppei's guitar lines are understated but effective, and I can imagine that the chorus will sound epic live. The album is up on Spotify but I haven't listened to it yet; based on this I really should.

The new I Am The Avalanche track Amsterdam is available here. It's taken from their forthcoming album Avalanche United, which is one of my most anticipated albums this year. The new tracks are a lot faster and heavier than the majority of their self-titled album, and Vinnie's vocals are stronger than I've ever heard them on this song. I love it.