There’s a back story, you know there’s a back story. But that’s not really worth going into now. Save for perhaps a dash of compare and contrast, and to point out that almost without warning, and from the shadows, Coxon has assembled a body of work not far off that of his former band. ‘Happiness In Magazines’ was certainly a shelf or two above the incomplete sounding ‘Think Tank’. And that’s not said lightly or without prior consideration. He’s done Continue Reading

Last we heard of Miss Lorson was 1993’s darkly expressionistic mood record, ‘Piano Creeps’ with partner Billy Cote. It was a good album, sensitively compiled and executed but a little lacking in the actual ‘songs’ department, so it comes as a pleasant surprise to find Mary in robust lyrical health and chirping as sprightly and as brightly as a nightingale once again. So what’s changed? Well, there was the birth of Mary and Billy’s son, Roman and Mary’s recovery from Continue Reading

Without Lennon’s crazy stream of ramblings on ‘Come Together’ and some funky loops, it’s questionable whether ‘Kinky Afro’, ‘W.F.L’ and ‘Loose Fit’ would have ever seen the light of day. But who knows? In a strange parallel universe where everything is four-sizes too large and weird bods on E’s shuffle up and corridors with a pair of maracas, they may well have happened regardless. And whilst there’s no denying the source material – two-parts acid house funk to one-parts shoegazing Continue Reading

That I Am Kloot’s John Bramwell practically shares a post code with fellow weariest, Damon Gough is no bad thing, being that our broad alternative universe is tragically short of cynical northern bastards intent on wreaking the glummest of havocs on the usual lyrical romance and knocking sevens bells of stout out of the traditional parlances of rock. There aren’t enough misanthropes in the world, so what few there are, we really ought to cherish. By the band’s own admission Continue Reading

As the influence of the alternative 80s, New Wave and its offspring turn from retro resurgence or media-fanned fad to genuine unit-shifting modern movement, it’s sad to see that few have seen fit to update its code. If even off-the-map electro innovators Warp have signed up their own rule-following New Wave act, what hope can there be elsewhere? Tom Vek’s singles thus far have matched up sound swabs from PiL, Talking Heads, New Order and Peter Gabriel amongst others and Continue Reading

“I Love Eating Pussy”. Shakespeare said. Donne said it. You said it. I said it. But we still didn’t expect any of these guys to say it. Why? Because poets don’t talk like that. You’d have to be a line short of a stanza to think they did. But maybe we’re all a line short sometimes, because this is the way people speak and this DVD is the gods honest proof of it. Never thought poetry had anything to do Continue Reading

Just for confirmation, ‘Odelay’ was not released last week. This is not a follow up record. That record was released nearly a decade ago and there have been three full releases since, ‘Guero’ being the fourth. That ‘Odelay’ is still used as the Beck litmus test may be representative of that record’s utter peerlessness, but the sooner people realise he is unlikely to ever make another, and has in fact made others of note since, the better. ‘Midnite Vultures’ may Continue Reading

As debut efforts go, it seems to be every rookie band raises the bar a notch, whether it be hype or quality.  Fortunately, Kasabian has the kudos to go with the accolades and numerous comparisons.  If Bobby Gillespie had spread his seed, his bastard children would probably end up being something like Kasabian.   They create songs that are straight talking, dirty electronica, lyrically scything and directly venomous. Even if they aren’t political on their own admission, they’re already shrugging of Continue Reading

A striking lone-guitar re-reading of Brian Wilson’s ‘You Still Believe In Me’ kicks off the album in typically fiddly, prodigious Ward form and another beguiling guitar instrumental, J.S. Bach’s “The Well Tempered Clavier“ concludes it. Why? Because Ward is by and large a guitar player. Leatherfaced, intense, weatherbeaten and graced with the rasp of a 60-day-smoker, Ward began his low profile career with the San Luis Obispo-based and Jason Lytle produced alt-country combo, Rodriguez, and whilst his love of all Continue Reading