Indie
Album Review: Manic Street Preachers – This Is My Truth: Tell Me Yours (20th Year Collectors Edition)
I remember moving to London during the peak of the Brit Pop years in the midst of the Blur versus Oasis hyperbole. But the albums from that era that really struck me were Pulp’s “Different Class”, The Verve’s “Urban Hymns” and most of all, “This is My Truth Tell Me Yours” from The Manic Street …
Live: Sunflower Bean – Art School Glasgow 26.11.2018 Plus Gallery
Sunflower Bean blossom on stage in Glasgow performing tracks from their coming of age album ‘Twentytwo in Blue’. “Alright, enough of this silence” shouts vocalist and bassist Julia Cumming to the hushed crowd as Sunflower Bean take to the stage at Glasgow’s recently reopened Art School venue to kick off another night of their extensive …
Not Forgotten: Kate Bush – Lionheart
Kate Bush had exploded on the British music scene early in 1978 and had made an immeadiate impact, sweeping all before her and instantly becoming the biggest artist in the UK. Or at least that’s what her record company wanted you to believe. In reality Miss Bush had been groomed for fame for at least …
Not Forgotten: R.E.M. – Green
These days the signing of a much respected alternative / indie band to a major label is met with trepidation from the band’s established fans. Some will accuse the band of ‘selling out’, others will simply fear that they will receive wider exposure and thus no longer feel as exclusive and special to them. To …
Album Review: Various – Harmony In My Head: Power Pop And New Wave Compilation
Cherry Red seem to be in the habit these days of releasing quality Box Sets and this new compilation see`s a natural follow up to the very successful Action Time Vision and Outside of Everything releases. Unlike the Action Time Vision 1976-79 and Outside Of Everything 1977-81 previous sets in this series HIMH gives us …
Reissue: Semisonic – Feeling Strangely Fine
Whatever happened to Semisonic? One minute some were considering them to be the next big thing in American rock music, and the next, well they just disappeared. So what happened? In the mid 90s, when there was a surplus of post-grunge cash sloshing around record companies, Minneapolis power pop act Semisonic somehow found themselves signed …
Not Forgotten: R.E.M. – Up
There was something about R.E.M.’s Up that rang alarm bells with me from the moment I heard that it was going to be released. Like many of their fans in the UK, I had got into R.E.M. during the early 90s, at the point where they were at the height of their commercial powers, and …
Live: Three Queens in Mourning, Bishop’s House Sheffield 22.10.18
The Bishop’s House more usually hosts groups of schoolkids getting a bit of history lesson. But it’s an atmospheric place for an intimate gig celebrating the songs of Will Oldham – the self-styled Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy. First up, Sharron Kraus was terrific. She has a beautiful voice allied to guitar folk tunes adorned with an …
Not Forgotten: The Shins – Chutes Too Narrow
From its brightly coloured, die-cut artwork, there’s something about Chutes Too Narrow that has always struck me as cartoon-like. I don’t mean that in a bad way, after all cartoons aren’t as tightly-bound by logical linear narratives as other forms of story telling, which in turn means that the suspension of belief is almost a …
Track: Imperial Daze – Always Settling
Here’s a taste of something quite magnificent. Peckham’s Imperial Daze have all the swagger and attitude of seasoned indie veterans and in their new single ‘Always Settling’ they have created a brilliant instant classic. It’s an insistent, roller-coaster of a ride, throbbing synths, louche studied vocals and a pulse racing drive that thunders on. Ranging …