Aldous HardingDesigner New Zealand singer-songwriter’s third album is sublime New Zealand-based Hannah Harding – who records as Aldous Harding – kicks down the doors of perception, like her druggy writer namesake. In her case, though, it’s the limitations of folk music that she skews. This, her third album, finds her on haunting and beautiful form. PJ Harvey memberContinue reading “Archive Review: Aldous Harding -Designer”
Tag Archives: Classic albums
Just Step Sideways: Dean Friedman – “Well,Well”, Said the Rocking Chair
Billy Joel , Billy Schmoel. New Jersey legend Dean Friedman is where it’s at, kids. Too funky to be a crooner, too silly to be MOR, he occupied a strange position in the rock music galaxy in the seventies. Some of his music was confessional singer -songwriter, a la Elton John; some was like aContinue reading “Just Step Sideways: Dean Friedman – “Well,Well”, Said the Rocking Chair”
Overlooked Classic : Sonic Youth -EVOL (1986)
The front cover shows Lung Leg, in a still from Richard Kern’s notorious film Submit To Me, doing her typically fucked-up, possessed writhing. Kern of course had collaborated with Sonic Youth on the ‘Death Valley 69’ video, but EVOL, which remains my favourite Sonic Youth album beside Daydream Nation, is a much different beast thanContinue reading “Overlooked Classic : Sonic Youth -EVOL (1986)”
Overlooked Classic: Broadcast- The Noise Made By People
Label: Warp Records 1 Long Was The Year2 Unchanging Window3 Minus One4 Come On Let’s Go5 Echo’s Answer6 Tower Of Our Tuning7 Papercuts8 You Can Fall9 Look Outside10 Until Then11 City In Progress12 Dead The Long Year http://warp.net/ Broadcast were formed in Birmingham in 1995 by singer Trish Keenan and James Cargill. Both shared a similar aesthetic and love of the esoteric. They quickly developed a huge following,Continue reading “Overlooked Classic: Broadcast- The Noise Made By People”
Overlooked Classics: Miranda Sex Garden – Suspiria
Katharine Blake’s band of merry goth minstrels – who ultimately expanded into the more “palatable” Mediaeval Baebes, were always wilfully out of step with the prevailing trends of the time. Britain in 1993 was mired in all things Britpop,: seventies Adidas tracksuits, floppy curtains hairstyles and bucket hats. Lads and ladettes stalked the land. MirandaContinue reading “Overlooked Classics: Miranda Sex Garden – Suspiria”
Fallen To Earth, Low But Not Down
“It’s very, very sad… Very romantic” , David Bowie explained to a bemused Russell Harty in one of their many infamous awkward chatshow exchanges, after of course the pompous host remained fixated on the aesthetics and not substance, yet again. He was of course referring to The Man Who Fall To Earth. Low, the albumContinue reading “Fallen To Earth, Low But Not Down”
Lost In Music: Soft Cell- The Bedsitter
Today, let’s pay tribute to Dave Ball, sleazy keyboard king, taken from us too soon.I was fortunate enough to review Soft Cell a few years ago in Glasgow for The Wee Review. They still sounded majestic, transgressive and sexy. Here’s to the stoic musical sidekick, providing the pulse alongside the diva. Rest in peace Dave.Continue reading “Lost In Music: Soft Cell- The Bedsitter”
Lost In Music: The Cure- Lovesong
Ooooh, Disintegration. As any Cure fan will tell you, there are few finer words in the English language. I was reminded of this masterpiece of a song from said album when binge -watching the latest BBC drama Mix Tape. The poignant series, focussing on a rekindled love afair between two indie kids thirty years later,Continue reading “Lost In Music: The Cure- Lovesong”
Archive Review: Julia Holter- Aviary
Lorna Irvine Julia HolterAviary Uneasy listening from LA multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter In a sea of twee folksy singer songwriters, it’s reassuring that we are blessed with some genuinely unique and gifted artists who occupy their own sonic territory: singular women like Annie Clark, aka St Vincent; Kathryn Joseph, Solange, Jane Weaver, FKA Twigs, and Mary Epworth. Los Angeles based multi instrumentalistContinue reading “Archive Review: Julia Holter- Aviary”
Lost In Music: Adam and the Ants- Kings Of the Wild Frontier
Two decades before Meg and Jack, there was only one white stripe that mattered: the warpaint over the nose of Britain’s biggest pop star: Adam Ant. His look was so iconic that kids copied him everywhere: indeed, me and my cousin Audrey, inspired by his style, attempted to emulate said stripe one summer, using tennisContinue reading “Lost In Music: Adam and the Ants- Kings Of the Wild Frontier”
