Classic Album: The Jimi Hendrix Experience – Electric Ladyland
For better or worse, my opinion of the work of Jimi Hendrix has always been smothered somewhat by the blanket opinion that he was the greatest guitar player in the history of the fretboard. This is an opinion held by the cool police, nostalgia freaks, my dad, and the music press. It is expected that …
Album Review: John Grant – Love is Magic
Sometimes you just have to accept your own limitations. For example, the last two months have seen me trying to desperately juggle being a father and halfway decent life partner, with selling a house, with no less than three separate roles in my day job as well. Pressure and stress levels have been predictably high, …
Not Forgotten: Genesis – Selling England By the Pound
Genesis may have not been the first, best or even the most original, but to many fans they are the archetypal progressive rock act. From distinctly unpromising beginnings, they had nevertheless evolved from cult favourites in Europe, to the point where in late 1973, they were on the cusp of sizeable commercial success. Much of …
Album Review: Matt Berry – Television Themes
When Acid Jazz Records announced earlier this year that Matt Berry’s next release would be an album of covers of Television Themes, I only momentarily considered if it was a spoof. The thing is, as much as a release like Television Themes may seem like a silly throwaway idea, whose only real reason to exist …
Not Forgotten: James – Laid
One of the pleasing things about James is that they never really seemed to be a smaller part of a larger scene. Sure, every now and then they would release a single that would chime with the times, and sometimes that would equate to a big hit, such as when “Sit Down” briefly made them …
Not Forgotten: The Wonder Stuff – Construction for the Modern Idiot
For some guitar acts ‘pop’ is a dirty word. Not so The Wonder Stuff. Over the course of their three previous albums they had demonstrated that they could be as snarky, difficult and aggressive as any dyed in the wool indie rock act, but still retain a pure pop heart. Sure, by the time of …
Not Forgotten: Randy Newman – The Randy Newman Songbook Vol. 1
Listening to The Randy Newman Songbook Vol.1, there’s probably a case to be made for him being one of the all time great American songwriters. It’s always been something of a mystery to me just why Randy Newman rarely receives the appropriate praise for his not insignificant contributions to popular song. Granted he is primarily …
News: Super Furry Animals to release ‘At The BBC’
In recent weeks Super Furry Animals kept posting images of styled hair on their social media feeds without. Over the course of days certain sections of their fandom got more and more hyped for the inevitable pre-release announcement, while others raged at the repetitiveness of the posts, perhaps not spotting that there were a number …
Not Forgotten: Neil Young – Comes a Time
Comes A Time is generally seen as Neil Young cycling back to the more laid back sounds of the hugely successful Harvest, and is therefore one of Young’s gentlest albums by some considerable distance. Actually it’s so laid-back that it’s almost horizontal in places, which can makes for a pleasant, if not exactly engaging, listen. …
Not Forgotten: They Might Be Giants – Lincoln
They Might Be Giants debut album is one of those releases where the act seems to have emerged fully formed almost out of nowhere. I say almost, in reality the Two Johns had formed TMBG in 1982, having simultaneously moved to Brooklyn from Lincoln, Massachusetts without realising the other was moving too. A few years …