Formed by 4AD bosses Ivo Watts-Russell and John Fryer, This Mortal Coil made some of the most sublime, prescient music ever. Not everyone was keen. AR Kane dismissed them as simply “people in black clothes with shaved heads” and the second album by the collective , the dense,sprawling Filigree and Shadow (also my favourite) wasContinue reading “Lost In Music: This Mortal Coil”
Tag Archives: Indie
Possibly, Definitely, Actually… Maybe…
Whisper it, but it appears that the feuding Gallagher bros Lennon and Brains are actually getting the band back together. Yes, Ahr Kid and Songwriter Kid are apparently reforming Oasis. The overrated monobrows will be touring next year. I’m with the ever-quotable Bjork who described Oasis as “bad boy scout music”. Their laddish, Beatles -worshippingContinue reading “Possibly, Definitely, Actually… Maybe…”
Lambrini Girls Rule!
Who are Wet Leg anyway? The Last Dinner… what? Lambrini Girls are the real thing, spitting out home truths as their guitars buzz and drums clatter. It’s music as electric shocks, little pinches of reality that remind us that not all indie is made by PR -hyped, radio playlist seeking poshos. Iggy Pop is aContinue reading “Lambrini Girls Rule!”
Lost In Music: Cocteau Twins – Treasure
Elizabeth Fraser and Robin Guthrie may have said to the British music press, “Treasure was such an abortion. I hated it”, but the 1984 classic is still one of the band’s best-selling, best-loved studio albums. Originally, this, their third studio album, was to be produced by Brian Eno, but the band’s Robin Guthrie took thatContinue reading “Lost In Music: Cocteau Twins – Treasure”
Album Review: Marcel Wave- Something Looming
This is a hell of a debut. Featuring members of Sauna Youth and CoId Pumas, Marcel Wave are a promising lot. Singer Maike Hale- Jones delivers witty, gobby vignettes on the state of Britain, flanked by Oliver Fisher and his bruising guitar, and organ from Lindsay Corstorphine. It’s in the grand tradition of UK post-punkContinue reading “Album Review: Marcel Wave- Something Looming”
Overlooked Classics: Marc Almond With The Willing Sinners- Mother Fist
Much more than just beautifully crafted filth, Marc Almond’s third studio album from April 1987, created with backing band The Willing Sinners, is a doozie. Taking inspiration from Jean Genet, Judy Garland and the Weimar republic, Almond ‘s musical palette was ever widening, full of left turns and his trademark bon mots- he’s always hadContinue reading “Overlooked Classics: Marc Almond With The Willing Sinners- Mother Fist”
Album Review: Indoor Pets- Pathetic Apathetic
Grunge influences and 90s alt rock nods are still around in contemporary music. Indoor Pets definitely channel the energy of Nirvana, Pixies and Jane’s Addiction, while retaining their own 2020s sound. It’s so well executed that it feels like a great big shot of adrenaline. ‘London’ and the title track are fuzzy, pile-driving songs asContinue reading “Album Review: Indoor Pets- Pathetic Apathetic”
Steve Albini Was A Contrarian
Goodbye Steve Albini, you sonic wizard. The obituaries have rightly praised the music legend as a brilliant producer and musician. What I found most fascinating though, were his many contradictions. He wrote offensive lyrics and named his band Rapeman after the manga comic, but championed many female feminist artists. His music was pure punk; butContinue reading “Steve Albini Was A Contrarian”
The Power of the Sad Banger
As Sophie Ellis-Bextor once observed, “It’s murder on the dancefloor”. But it’s sometimes fun to wallow in a little drama. This is where the sad banger comes in. It’s an anthem for the dumped, the disillusioned, or simply the thwarted romantic. Abba probably started it, these Eurovision winners with their Scandinavian melancholy in the verses,Continue reading “The Power of the Sad Banger”
Album Review: Mammoth Penguins -Here
You just can’t keep a good indie trio down. Cambridge scamps Mammoth Penguins ‘ new album fizzles with effervescent energy. Emma Kupa, Tom Barden and Mark Boxall have returned with music that is irresistible, straight out of the traps, racing forward and never looking back. Their trademark grungy indie, and Kupa’s sweet, youthful voice, hasContinue reading “Album Review: Mammoth Penguins -Here”
Hit The North 