Author Archives: loreleiirvine

Lost In Music: The Cure- Lovesong

Ooooh, Disintegration. As any Cure fan will tell you, there are few finer words in the English language. I was reminded of this masterpiece of a song from said album when binge -watching the latest BBC drama Mix Tape. The poignant series, focussing on a rekindled love afair between two indie kids thirty years later,Continue reading “Lost In Music: The Cure- Lovesong”

Album Review: Debby Friday- The Starrr Of The Queen Of Life

All the best pop bangers have a yearning undercurrent: think Madonna’s ‘What It Feels Like For A Girl ‘, Robyn’s ‘Dancing On My Own’, St Etienne and ‘He’s On The Phone’. This is also true with R & B- any number of artists, from The Supremes to Solange, mine dark corners of the dancefloor toContinue reading “Album Review: Debby Friday- The Starrr Of The Queen Of Life”

Accessing The Fringe

Navigating the Edinburgh Fringe can be a Sisyphean task at the best of times, as the population of Edinburgh doubles and almost every available space transforms into a venue or site specific performance space. So it can be an altogether different kind of nightmare for disabled people, in terms of accessibility. Old buildings generally haveContinue reading “Accessing The Fringe”

Vintage Film Review: Welcome To The Dollhouse

Todd Solondz’s debut feature film from 1995 is still the most painfully accurate depiction of school brutality I’ve seen: the usual parental advice of ‘just ignore them and they’ll go away” never works, simply because bullying is a ritual, and relentless in its targets. So it is for the main character here and target ofContinue reading “Vintage Film Review: Welcome To The Dollhouse”

Album Review: Allo Darlin’ -Bright Nights

Photo: Jorgen Nordby There’s something sweetly disarming about the new Allo Darlin’ album. It’s the way the organ comes in halfway through the bittersweet country grunge of ‘Tricky Questions’ like a warm embrace. These songs aren’t large or all-consuming, nothing elbows its way in: they take up little space. But they’re slices of life, vignettesContinue reading “Album Review: Allo Darlin’ -Bright Nights”

Album Review: All The Young Droids: Junkshop Synth Pop

Philip King’s compilation of late-seventies – mid-eighties synth pop has a similar, if less political, approach as Adam Curtis: find leftfield, obscure tracks and highlight them, creating a sideways look at pop culture. As the title suggests, there is a DIY, deliberately un-glossy attitude to much of the music on offer. Frankie Goes To HollywoodContinue reading “Album Review: All The Young Droids: Junkshop Synth Pop”

The Rise- But Not Quite Fall- Of The People’s Pervert

A still from the film Pulp: A Film About Life,Death And Supermarkets Once again, Pulp find themselves positioned as the indie outsiders. While their recent reunion and album garnered much enthusiasm (despite being a little disappointing) it’s Oasis who yet again get the headlines, playing to thousands. I wonder how Jarvis, Candida, Nick and MarkContinue reading “The Rise- But Not Quite Fall- Of The People’s Pervert”

Happy 80th Birthday, Debbie Harry!

How’s it possible? How can it be? Angela Trimble, better known as Debbie Harry, turned 80 on the 1st of July. Belated birthday greetings to a true icon, the NYC goddess with sun in her hair, fiery attitude, intelligence and an incredible voice. She has it all, and she’s influenced countless artists. We’re always touchedContinue reading “Happy 80th Birthday, Debbie Harry!”

Album Review: Rival Consoles- Landscape From Memory

What a beauty. The gorgeous, endlessly inventive new album, from Rival Consoles, aka Ryan Lee West, invokes a kind of synaesthesia: you can almost hear colours. It’s textured, layer upon layer, like a kind of complex tromp l’oeil painting in sound. Tracks like ‘Catherine’, ‘Known Shapes’ and the stunning, shimmering ‘Soft Gradient Beckons’ appear likeContinue reading “Album Review: Rival Consoles- Landscape From Memory”