Artists who change their names mid-career often confuse me, but I can make exceptions. Santi White, whose eponymous debut solo album came out in 2008 under the name Santogold, is a bit of a musical genius, I think.She’s now better known as Santigold. What a debut it is. She’d been part of the millennial neo-Continue reading “Overlooked Classics: Santogold”
Tag Archives: Classic albums
Lost In Music: PJ Harvey – To Bring You My Love
Recently, Ezra Furman said in a podcast that her ideal bar would have PJ Harvey ‘s To Bring You My Love on the jukebox. That sounds like perfection to me. Harvey’s third album, released in February 1995, was a startling departure from her previous brittle albums, Dry and Rid Of Me . A more febrileContinue reading “Lost In Music: PJ Harvey – To Bring You My Love”
‘Modern Life Is Rubbish ‘ is 30!
“We’ve done it”, proclaimed Damon Albarn on one of his many Select magazine covers in 1991. “We’ve killed baggy!” He’d always been a little too drunk on his own chutzpah, that lad. Still, he had a point. While jeans just got bigger and flappier, and a nation of saucer -eyed kids were getting “mad ferContinue reading “‘Modern Life Is Rubbish ‘ is 30!”
Overlooked Classics: Ezra Furman- Day Of The Dog (2013)
What a doozie. Ezra Furman ‘s second studio album after her work with The Harpoons is absolutely sublime. Inspired as much by punk rock as gospel, doo-wop and rock ‘n’ roll, the song writing was kicked up several notches into something really special. Fusing her spiritual side with And Maybe God Is A Train, withContinue reading “Overlooked Classics: Ezra Furman- Day Of The Dog (2013)”
Why ‘Surfer Rosa’ is still the tits!
Never mind Nevermind: for me, the albums that signified that the 90s were going to be musically exciting were by Sonic Youth, My Bloody Valentine and Pixies…amongst others. Everyone raves about Doolittle and it’s perfectly fine, but for me, Surfer Rosa is still perfection. Originally, it was to be titled Gigantic after the glorious songContinue reading “Why ‘Surfer Rosa’ is still the tits!”
Aladdin Sane at 50
If Ziggy was Cary Grant, Aladdin Sane was Peter Fonda. Recorded between December 1972 and January 1973, this iconic album, Bowie’s sixth, still feels like a deconstruction of fame and the American Dream from an outsider’s perspective. It’s experimental, as exemplified by Mike Garson’s wayward jazz piano on the wild title track. He goes maniacallyContinue reading “Aladdin Sane at 50”
Overlooked Classics: Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds- Your Funeral, My Trial
The fourth album from Nick and the dapper chaps, released in 1986, remains a little bit sidelined, as far as I’m concerned. It’s Cave ‘s Grand Guignol, one of his most macabre and sexually charged… And that’s going some for someone who is often criticised for the violence of his lyrics. ‘The Carny’ is aContinue reading “Overlooked Classics: Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds- Your Funeral, My Trial”
Overlooked Classics: The Fall- Dragnet (1979)
The Fall were starting to implode. Martin and Karl were out, replaced by the Scanlon brothers, Craig and Steve, pals of Marc Riley. It’s this line-up that’s the secret to their brilliant, often overlooked second album, Dragnet. Dragnet is excellent, a brooding, murky record, albeit with MES’ typically esoteric lyricism. He had already proved whatContinue reading “Overlooked Classics: The Fall- Dragnet (1979)”
Lost In Music: AR Kane: i
I have a particular interest in bands who occupy liminal spaces, and do their own unique thing, apart from hype machines and trends. A R Kane are one such band. They were dream pop before it attained that definition, proto – shoegazing, or avant-pop way ahead of the curve. I adore their second album, ‘i’.Continue reading “Lost In Music: AR Kane: i”
Overlooked Classics: Julian Cope- ‘Fried’
There just aren’t enough albums that feature male singers with turtle shells on their backs. But then, Julian Cope, surely by now regarded as one of the UK ‘s greatest living songwriters, was always a true eccentric. ‘Fried’ is, I reckon, one of the best albums ever made. From the brittle psych meltdown of ‘ReynardContinue reading “Overlooked Classics: Julian Cope- ‘Fried’”
Hit The North 