Album Review: Bodega – Broken Equipment

NYC’s Bodega have massive expectations from their fanbase for this second studio album, the follow-up to impressive debut Endless Scroll. The band and film makers are an acerbic riot of humour, self-awareness and leftwing politics and musically fall somewhere between the sarcastic indie snarl of Pavement and the insistent house party groove of LCD Soundsystem.Continue reading “Album Review: Bodega – Broken Equipment”

Album Review: Cate Le Bon- Pompeii

Even at her sweetest, Welsh avant-pop artist Cate Le Bon is always wilfully opaque. This, her sixth album, is even murkier than before. There’s nothing as driving here as Mother’s Mother’s Magazines or even Sisters. What there is instead feels like a series of dizzy spells, which seems appropriate for our weird and frightening times.Continue reading “Album Review: Cate Le Bon- Pompeii”

Disney’s Dream Debased: Alice

Few film makers are as incredible as the mighty Czech surrealist Jan Svankmajer. Like so many people of my generation, I was first aware of him in the early 90s, when Channel 4 screened his singular adaptation of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, abbreviated to simply Alice Alice, created in 1988, was a revelation. Beautiful, disturbingContinue reading “Disney’s Dream Debased: Alice”

This Nation’s Saving Grace: The First Time The Fall Flirted With Pop

There’s something wonderfully opaque about The Fall’s This Nation’s Saving Grace. No change there, you might say, but I’ve got a theory about this. Their eighth album is a strange one, but it’s incredible. It seems like the more commercial they tried to sound, the more the twinkling keyboards and big fat riffs drew attentionContinue reading “This Nation’s Saving Grace: The First Time The Fall Flirted With Pop”

My First All Emoji Review: Dig! (2004)

❀️πŸŽ₯πŸ“½οΈβ˜’οΈπŸŽ§πŸŽ€πŸŽΉπŸŽ™οΈπŸŽ»πŸŽΊβ­πŸ€©πŸ“€πŸ€‘πŸ’²πŸ’²πŸ’² πŸŽΈπŸŽ΅πŸŽΌβž•πŸŽ¨πŸš©πŸš©πŸš©πŸš©πŸ’ŠπŸ’ŠπŸ’ŠπŸ’ŠπŸ’ŠπŸ’ŠπŸ’ŠπŸ’ŠπŸ’ŠπŸ’ŠπŸ’‰πŸ’‰πŸ’‰πŸ’‰πŸ’‰πŸ˜ πŸ˜ πŸ˜ πŸ˜‘πŸ˜‘πŸ˜‘πŸ˜‘πŸ˜‘πŸ˜’πŸ˜’πŸ€¬πŸ€¬πŸ”₯πŸ”₯πŸ”₯πŸ”₯πŸ’₯πŸ’₯πŸ’₯πŸ’₯πŸ§”πŸ‘¦ ⭐⭐⭐πŸ₯ƒπŸ₯ƒπŸ₯ƒπŸ₯ƒπŸΎπŸ”ͺπŸŒŽπŸŽ‰πŸŽ‰β­β­β­πŸ‘…πŸ—£οΈπŸ—£οΈπŸ’ͺπŸ’ͺπŸ€₯πŸ˜΅πŸ˜¬πŸ€’πŸ€’πŸ€’πŸ€’πŸ˜œπŸ˜œπŸ˜œπŸ’ŠπŸ’ŠπŸ’ŠπŸ’‰πŸ’‰πŸ’‰ πŸŽΌπŸŽΌπŸŽΌπŸŽ΅πŸŽ΅πŸ€’πŸ˜΅πŸ˜œπŸš›πŸš›πŸ˜ πŸ“€πŸ“€πŸΈπŸ€‘πŸ€‘πŸ€‘πŸ€‘πŸ˜₯πŸ˜₯πŸ˜ πŸ€”πŸ€”πŸ˜πŸ€©πŸ€©πŸ€©πŸ™‚πŸ™‚β­β­β­πŸŽΉπŸŽ§πŸŽ€πŸŽΈ πŸŽ»πŸŽ¬πŸŽΈπŸŽΈπŸŽΊπŸŽ·πŸŽΈβ€οΈβ€οΈβ€οΈπŸ’―πŸŽ‰πŸ‘‹πŸ‘‹πŸ‘‹

Lost In Music: Ibeyi- Sister 2 Sister

The Diaz twins are back with new music. I’ve long been a fan of the Afro- Cuban duo from France, beautiful Naomi and Lisa- Kainde, who have inherited their parents’ musical ability and gorgeous vocal harmonies. A more R ‘n’ B route seems to be the route they’re taking, almost on the Solange tip, butContinue reading “Lost In Music: Ibeyi- Sister 2 Sister”

Album Review: Savage Mansion- Golden Mountain, Here I Come

Cheeky indie cherub Craig Angus, lead singer and guitarist for Savage Mansion has really stepped up a gear with this, the third album Golden Mountain, Here I Come. Now a quintet, Angus and the rest of the band have the bit between their teeth. Angus, keyboard player Beth Chalmers, guitarist Andrew McPherson, bassist Jamie DubberContinue reading “Album Review: Savage Mansion- Golden Mountain, Here I Come”

“The fruits of isolation”- Ezra Furman

Three new songs from Ezra Furman appeared the other day and a forthcoming tour has been announced for later this year (all being well). Thematically, it’s the usual great Furman stuff: spirituality, love, identity and connection, and her lyrics remain as on point as ever. It all bodes well for the next album. For moreContinue reading ““The fruits of isolation”- Ezra Furman”

The Anti- Amelie: He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not

This classic French film is the antithesis of trite rom-coms. Amelie it ain’t. Angelique (Audrey Tautou) is a fine arts student in love with Loic (Samuel Le Bihan) a much older cardiologist. Angelique is absolutely smitten, and desperately wants him to leave his pregnant wife. She’s an intially charming young woman, popular and well- liked,Continue reading “The Anti- Amelie: He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not”

My Valentine’s Day Playlist

What a load of shit. Mass marketing at its finest, right? If you love someone, make them feel special ALL the time, sans rose petals, chocolates or a fancy, overpriced dinner. St Valentine is like the Easter bunny to a lot of people, or the concept of Christian religion: a nebulous, fuzzy set of ill-conceivedContinue reading “My Valentine’s Day Playlist”