Already one of the finest albums of tthe year, A Certain Ratio ‘s 1982 is a series of neon squiggly graffiti lines – not least because it references Jean Michel Basquiat and Andy Warhol in ‘Samo’ , an old school funky jam named after Basquiat’s graffiti tag. But that very specific nod to the 80sContinue reading “Lost In Music: A Certain Ratio- 1982”
Category Archives: Review
Album Review: Lana Del Rabies- Strega Beata
A stately, cinematic slab of music, Lana Del Rabies ‘ new album, her third, lies somewhere between the early brutality of Swans and the eerie, gothic neo-classical experimentation of Dead Can Dance. It’s absolutely heady, erotic and hypnotic. Sometimes, it’s a thunderstorm, sometimes a soft caress. Tracks like ‘Mother ‘ and ‘Master’ feel like miniContinue reading “Album Review: Lana Del Rabies- Strega Beata”
Lost In Music: Christeene- Midnite Fukk Train
Louisiana -raised Paul Soileau, aka Christeene, is normally best experienced live, as the live artist is wilfully provocative. She’ll krump on punters, pull things from out of her ass and push you into the void. So her music often gets sidelinedJ. Not so with her third album, Midnite Fukk Train. It stands on its ownContinue reading “Lost In Music: Christeene- Midnite Fukk Train”
Film Review: Moonage Daydream
There is a shot of David Bowie travelling on an escalator in Japan which seems to sum up the otherworldly aesthetic of this unique film – he seems to float like an angel. Eschewing the usual cliches of talking heads, song clips and cultural commentary, Brett Morgen’s vibrant visual patchwork is more like a PopContinue reading “Film Review: Moonage Daydream”
Edinburgh Festival Review: Pain and I (Audio)
Sarah Hopfinger’s Pain and I is an incredible piece, accessible to all, as it’s both a live dance performance and online auditory piece. Hopfinger’s audio piece, featuring gorgeous string arrangements from Alicia Jane Turner, is at once personal tone poem and mantra. Charting her long struggle with neurological pain and back pain, Hopfinger’s words areContinue reading “Edinburgh Festival Review: Pain and I (Audio)”
Album Review: Superorganism – World Wide Pop
Perfect pop often tightropes precariously between euphoria and melancholy. So it is with Superorganism, the London- based, globally sourced pop act. Orono Noguchi’s sweet youthful vocals can be soulfully sad, joyful or snarky and cynical. It’s all anchored by quirky textures, samples and grooves. Like a Lego kit, the band thrives on building little empiresContinue reading “Album Review: Superorganism – World Wide Pop”
Album Review: Speedy Wunderground Vol 5
The legendary label is nearly a decade young, believe it or not. Dan Carey, Alexis Smith and Pierre Hall’s baby just keeps going from strength to strength, as evinced by their latest compilation. From Lazarus Kane’s opener Narcissus, a kind of hyper- caffeinated Talking Heads meets Hot Chip groove, through to The Lounge Society’s broodyContinue reading “Album Review: Speedy Wunderground Vol 5”
DVD Review: The Sparks Brothers
Edgar Wright’s The Sparks Brothers is more than a traditional rock doc. A visually glorious pop art paean to the shapeshifting nature of pop music, Ron and Russell Mael, aka Sparks, represent longevity, invention and playful erudition. From their LA childhood on the beach, absorbing their artist father’s paintings, and being driven by their motherContinue reading “DVD Review: The Sparks Brothers”
Album Review: Tess Parks- And Those Who Were Seen Dancing
This is a strange one. Tess Parks, the Canadian singer- songwriter who recently collaborated with Anton Newcombe from Brian Jonestown Massacre, is clearly steeped in retro influences, most notably the Paisley Underground and post- PU outfits like Mazzy Star, as well as the original bands who influenced them like The Seeds and West Coast PopContinue reading “Album Review: Tess Parks- And Those Who Were Seen Dancing”
Album Review: Hatchie- Giving The World Away
Harriette Pilbeam is the singer- songwriter behind Hatchie. This new release is effervescent dream pop, confident sounding, featherlight but with a little bittersweetness. ‘Lights On’ and ‘The Key’ have Cocteau Twins in the shimmering, chiming sound, while 80s and 90s jukebox favourites like Depeche Mode, New Order and St Etienne loom large, in the bigContinue reading “Album Review: Hatchie- Giving The World Away”
