indie rewind
Not Forgotten: Half Man Half Biscuit – And Some Fell on Stony Ground
Half Man Half Biscuit are one of those bands where if you’re a fan you either have, or want, everything they’ve ever recorded (a pristine copy of “No Regrets” still eludes me). By contrast if you’re not a fan then you’ll be baffled as to why such a stupidly named novelty act would inspire such …
Classic Albums: Considering the status of Nirvana’s Nevermind 25 years later
It should go without saying, but sometimes it’s okay not to like something as much as people tell you that you should do. This applies many multiple times over for music. So why am I pointing out the obvious? Because since the widespread use of the internet, there are more and more opinion pieces …
Not Forgotten: Blonde Redhead – Masculin féminin
Seemingly permanently entrenched in the fringes of the independent scene, Blonde Redhead have been with us for 23 years now, releasing nine albums for four different record labels. On 30 September The Numero group are releasing Masculin féminin, a two disc compilation consisting of their first two albums and a load of other contemporary material …
Not Forgotten: They Might Be Giants – Mink Car
Having extracted themselves from the Elektra record label, They Might Be Giants spent the late 90s keeping relatively low key, with the live Severe Tyre Damage and the early internet oddity Long Tall Weekend being the only albums added to their already interesting CV. By 2001 though they had a backlog of material to clear, …
Not Forgotten: William Shatner – Has Been
Can you imagine trying to pitch a William Shatner album to a record label in 2003? For decades he had been sniggered at for his various attempts at ‘singing’, with his much derided rendition of “Mr Tambourine Man” being a subject of much criticism down the years, though the reaction to that was nothing compared …
Not Forgotten: Ocean Colour Scene – Marchin’ Already
Anyone who has read more than a handful of my reviews will be familiar with my oddly conflicted attitude to the mid-90s Britpop movement. Seemingly a term coined by Stuart Maconie, it was one co-opted by mass-media to basically refer to any British guitar wielding act at the time. This led to a lot of …
Not Forgotten: Blur – 13
At the peak of their success I was distinctly unimpressed with Blur and their run of chirpy-chappy chart toppers. Parklife and the Great Escape both sold by the lorry full, yet I struggled understand their appeal to my generation, or quite their press-derived rivalry with Oasis was considered newsworthy. Two decades later and I can …
Not Forgotten: Super Furry Animals – Rings Around the World
Rings Around the World was released to no little fanfare and received widespread acclaim back in 2001. Fifteen years after its release, it remains one of the key releases in the Super Furry Animals discography. Having signed to Sony / Epic following the collapse of Creation Records, SFA took full advantage of much-increased production and …
Not Forgotten: Tom Waits – Small Change
Sometimes you dismiss an entire era of an established artist’s career for what you convince yourself is a good reason. As much as I love Tom Waits’ debut, Closing Time, and the albums he recorded since joining Island Records in the early 80s, I dismissed the rest of his 70s material for one reason alone. …
Not Forgotten: The Scientists – A Place Called Bad
As one of the most geographically isolated cities in the world, punk came late to Perth, but when it finally did, it caught the attention of Kim Salmon, the man who the mainstay of The Scientists. Formed in 1978, The Scientists would evolve into their own version of Post-Punk, relocating to the UK in the …