In a shock career U- turn, Thurston Moore is forming a Sisters Of Mercy tribute act, Thurston Last And Always. This departure comes as a startling move so late in the legendary NY guitarist’s career. Swapping his trademark shredding for a drum machine, a la Doktor Avalanche, Moore’s foray into goth rock has been deridedContinue reading “Thurston Last And Always”
Category Archives: Album
Album Review: Candy Claws- Ceres & Calypso In The Deep Time
Shoegazing as a primary influence is having a late blooming revival of late- witness Chemical Brothers and their comeback single with Halo Maude, ‘Live Again’, which feels woozy and spiky. So it makes sense that this gorgeous, elusive record is being reissued again as it turns a decade old. The Colorado trio Candy Claws –Continue reading “Album Review: Candy Claws- Ceres & Calypso In The Deep Time”
Overlooked Classics: Pulp- This Is Hardcore
Perhaps “overlooked” is a stretch- it was a huge critical and commercial success – but I reckon that Pulp’s sixth album is often forgotten in lieu of previous album ‘Different Class’. I prefer ‘This Is Hardcore’. Released in 1998, it wasn’t an album fans expected to hear. A sombre affair, it was the sound ofContinue reading “Overlooked Classics: Pulp- This Is Hardcore”
Album Review: PJ Harvey – I Inside The Old Year Dying
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”
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”
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”
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”
Overlooked Classics: Miranda Sex Garden- Fairytales Of Slavery
Many bands soften their sound as they progress, chasing more commercial routes. Not so for the experimental collective, Miranda Sex Garden, who followed up their goth rock album Suspiria with this absolute barnstormer. Fairytales Of Slavery, released in 1994, was co-produced by Einsturzende Neubauten’s Alexander Hacke. The band had toured with them, and some ofContinue reading “Overlooked Classics: Miranda Sex Garden- Fairytales Of Slavery”
Album Review: Pickle Darling- Laundromat
As more artists emerge, blinking, from lockdown uncertainty into new horizons, it’s good to see others who remain true to the lo-fi spirit. New Zealand based multi-instrumentalist and producer Pickle Darling, real name Lukas Mayo, is one such artist. Photo credit: Nick Robinson Their third album is eccentric, fuzzy and really rather sweet, but neverContinue reading “Album Review: Pickle Darling- Laundromat”
Overlooked Classics: Cranes- Wings Of Joy
The London band Cranes are often overlooked when people talk about early nineties indie bands. They’re something else altogether, often labelled Goth, industrial, neo – classical, shoegazing or dream-pop. The truth is, they are all of these things, and their own unique thing. Formed by siblings Alison and Jim Shaw, the band could grind, orContinue reading “Overlooked Classics: Cranes- Wings Of Joy”
Hit The North 