Everyone adored their hit single, ‘Since Yesterday’, but Strawberry Switchblade’s eponymous album had many more beautiful songs. In their aesthetic and musical DNA lies a plethora of influences. Sixties icons Brigitte Bardot and The Shangri-Las. Their look is the first obvious jumping -off point. There’s a strong goth look in the Siouxsie-esque make-up and corsets,Continue reading “Anatomy Of A Classic: Strawberry Switchblade”
Tag Archives: Debut album
Sunday Hymn: The Avalanches- Frontier Psychiatrist
The Avalanches’ debut ‘Since I Left You’ is still an absolute doozy. I like this track very much. You have to admire a band who can fuse old western soundtracks with kitschy jazz and Francine Fishpaw (Divine) from ‘Polyester’ It’s an absolute banger. I worked in retail in Glasgow for a long time, and toContinue reading “Sunday Hymn: The Avalanches- Frontier Psychiatrist”
Lost In Music: Before Lana Del Rey … Mazzy Star
She Hangs Brightly was the debut album from Mazzy Star, aka guitarist Dave Roback and vocalist Hope Sandoval. Previously, with singer Kendra Smith, they were Opal, but she was replaced, and the (ugh, I hate this word) jailbait prettiness and sleepy drawl of Sandoval proved more marketable, it seems. Released in 1990, essentially the duoContinue reading “Lost In Music: Before Lana Del Rey … Mazzy Star”
Album Review: James Adrian Brown -Forever Neon Lights
Former Pulled Apart By Horses guitarist James Adrian Brown’s debut album is an eerie but slick series of beats, sitting somewhere between Boards Of Canada and Gold Panda. His choppy electronics are heavy but beautiful, warped yet melodic. These paradoxes make his sound interesting. Contradictions in sonics are always welcome with me. He may notContinue reading “Album Review: James Adrian Brown -Forever Neon Lights”
Album Review: Jasmine.4.t- You Are The Morning
It’s not even out until January, but I’m calling it already: this thing of beauty will be one of 2025’s finest. Based in Manchester, Jasmine Cruickshank, who writes and records as Jasmine.4.t , makes music that disarms through its intimacy and hopeful, wistful intensity. Produced by Boygenius, it shares sonic DNA with early Perfume Genius,Continue reading “Album Review: Jasmine.4.t- You Are The Morning”
Album Review: Geordie Greep- The New Sound
Trust Geordie Greep , former lead singer of the endlessly inventive Black Midi, to blend a huge cocktail of genres for this, his debut solo album. Much of his work is all about pulling together genres to create something unique and wilfully bonkers. Take the first single to be lifted from the album, ‘Holy Holy’.Continue reading “Album Review: Geordie Greep- The New Sound”
Album Review: Lili Holland-Fricke and Sean Rogan- Dear Alien
This debut is a glorious thing indeed, bringing some much needed sunshine as days get colder. The duo, both based in Manchester, recorded the album in Greenwich, and it’s both melodic and full of improvised energy. Sleepy, feline cellos mesh with tape loops and it’s Holland -Fricke’s unique approach to cello playing that feels soContinue reading “Album Review: Lili Holland-Fricke and Sean Rogan- Dear Alien”
Overlooked Classics: Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds – From Her To Eternity
Debut albums rarely feel as raw as From Her To Eternity. The Birthday Party had dissolved pretty messily, amid drug abuse and ego problems, so Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds could have toned things down a little in order to hit that commercial paydirt. Ha, as if. Cave was far too independent, too contrarianContinue reading “Overlooked Classics: Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds – From Her To Eternity”
Lost In Music: Pearl Jam- Black
It’s funny how music can evoke one thing at a particular point in your life, then take on an entirely different meaning later on. Pearl Jam’s epic song Black does that for me. In the early nineties, my best friend B moved near Seattle from Scotland and got a job as an au pair. SheContinue reading “Lost In Music: Pearl Jam- Black”
Overlooked Classics: Captain Beefheart And His Magic Band-Safe As Milk
Running the gamut of genres- from Delta blues to experimental psych- the magnificent debut album from Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band is all about the inimitable singer songwriter and musical fruitloop, aka Don Van Vliet, finding his feet after an attempt at popularity with the swampy hit, the cover of Bo Diddley’s Diddy WahContinue reading “Overlooked Classics: Captain Beefheart And His Magic Band-Safe As Milk”
