There are many Polly Jean Harveys, all shedding skins, one by one. While an introspective album using her poems as songwriting templates was never going to be a sonic battering ram as so much of her previous work, there are still good things to be unearthed. This is her tenth studio album and is producedContinue reading “Album Review: PJ Harvey – I Inside The Old Year Dying”
Author Archives: loreleiirvine
Evelyn Is Everything (We Need)
Evelyn Wang is the modern hero we need. Evelyn Wang is the human repository of contemporary problems,dreams, hope and fears. Evelyn Wang is the epitome of overwhelm. Everything Everywhere All At Once, directed by Daniels, really does deserve all of its plaudits.If ever a film addressed contemporary society, it’s this. Michelle Yeoh, who deservedly wonContinue reading “Evelyn Is Everything (We Need)”
Lawrence: Perennial Pop Genius
Not found in the usual outlets, Lawrence is, as I may have previously stated, a pop genius. At the start of 2023, to little fanfare, Mozart Estate (previously Go-Kart Mozart) released the singular ‘Pop-Up! Kerching!And The Possibilities of Modern Shopping’. Lawrence has crafted THE austerity era album here,bar none. Mr Hayward, the Brummie maverick behindContinue reading “Lawrence: Perennial Pop Genius”
The Wicker Man at Fifty
Awww, poor Sergeant Howie. If you’d just shagged Willow, you wouldn’t be meeting such a horrible demise… I recently rewatched The Wicker Man, as it’s now the same age as me. What struck me upon watching it again is that it’s kinda a musical – albeit one with sex, Paganism and (spoiler) ritual murder. TheContinue reading “The Wicker Man at Fifty”
The Coruscating Genius of Rowland S Howard
Lean, Dracula lean, and tall, with a pallid, angular face, Rowland S Howard cut a cool figure, ideal for an alternative musician. He didn’t so much play guitar as slash at it, his chiming, coruscating sound ricocheting in the night air. This was a violent, unsettling noise- a howl, a siren cry. My then- partner,Continue reading “The Coruscating Genius of Rowland S Howard”
Album Review: Mong Tong- Tao Fire
The enigmatic Taiwanese brothers, Hom Yu and Jian Chi , who record as Mong Tong, have created a stunning album here. It’s a blend of traditional “kitsch sound” as they describe it, fused with ambient sounds and psychedelic rock. What makes it so exciting is this description barely scratches the surface. There’s a deeper wellContinue reading “Album Review: Mong Tong- Tao Fire”
Overlooked Classics: The Butcher Boy
Both the book by Patrick McCabe and film, co-adapted by McCabe with Neil Jordan, are brilliant. Francis Brady could have been a Holden Caulfield, but he was much, much more insidious: a study in everyday psychopathy. Francis Brady, portrayed with equal parts cheek and horror by the wonderful Eamonn Owens is the titular character. SomethingContinue reading “Overlooked Classics: The Butcher Boy”
Festivals Are For Poshos
It’s 6 am and Jocasta and Crispian are out of their boutique yurt to participate in some salutations to the sun yoga with their pals Starla and Josh. Their kids Mungo, Timmy and Giselle are a tad fractious this morning, but that’s okay, they can be dispatched in the kids’ tent while they have someContinue reading “Festivals Are For Poshos”
That 6Music Shake- Up
Working as a freelance writer, I’m always working from home these days, which means a constant soundtrack from my favourite radio station, 6Music. My favourite DJ is Mary Anne Hobbs, the mellow techno earth mother. She’s wonderfully eclectic, playing everything from Shygirl to Queens Of The Stone Age. I’m also really chuffed that Deb GrantContinue reading “That 6Music Shake- Up”
Album Review: Creep Show- Yawning Abyss
John Grant’s side project with Stephen Mallinder, Phil Winter and Ben Edwards ( aka Wrangler) is more light than their gothic moniker may suggest. Full of bright eighties electronics, their second album mines favourites like Erasure and pop era Kraftwerk, playfully homaging these timeless sounds. Moneyback is more contemporary club though. Tracks like Bungalow andContinue reading “Album Review: Creep Show- Yawning Abyss”
Hit The North 