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”
Category Archives: Music
We’re Not The Mighty Fall…
In the brilliant Fall documentary, The Wonderful And Frightening World of Mark E Smith, the famous curmudgeon grumbled, ” There are all these bands saying,’We’re influenced by The Fall” .Fook off. That just means you’ve run out of fookin’ ideas. ” As ever, the wordsmith had a point. Many bands tried to emulate his stream-of-consciosnessContinue reading “We’re Not The Mighty Fall…”
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”
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”
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”
Stay Beautiful: A Post For Richey Edwards
It was 1992, and I was immune to the charms of Manic Street Preachers. I thought they were just rock posturing. My partner at the time, A, loved them. So, since we both made a little fanzine, we managed to get an interview in Dundee with Richey Edwards. I was determined to give them aContinue reading “Stay Beautiful: A Post For Richey Edwards”
Hit The North 