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”
Tag Archives: Lorna Irvine
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’”
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”
Flammable
You stain the glass with your leer, your provocation filthy against the pristine window, disinfected and buffed to sparkling transparency. Posed in flammable nylon, you are the supposed epitome of desire; an uunattainable level of glamour mere mortals can only dream of. Vacuous, pert and pretty, you are an airbrushed fantasy, your appeal only lastingContinue reading “Flammable”
The Future’s Here Today: Shake Chain
Signed to our pals at Upset The Rhythm (always a sign of quality) Shake Chain have an imminent new release forthcoming with debut album Snake Chain. Featuring the genuinely unhinged vocals of Katie Mahony, they’re an uncompromising, bloody slice of post -punk. Whereas other bands believe themselves to be alternative, this band are truly uniqueContinue reading “The Future’s Here Today: Shake Chain”
The Company of Wolves (1984)
Angela Carter… So much to answer for. I first read The Bloody Chamber in 1987 as a young teen, exactly the right time to discover her voluptuous, gory, evocative prose. Her descriptions of sex, death, circuses, films, literature and the theatre were vivid and lucid, patently original. Without het, I question if Guillermo del Toro,Continue reading “The Company of Wolves (1984)”
Why Shoegazing Endures
It’s funny, but shoegazing in the late eighties and early nineties was supposed to be a fad in British music, something that lasted as long as a teen crush. Taking as its sonic template sixties psychedelia, Goth, Cocteau Twins dreaminess and the melding of noise and beauty you could find in Sonic Youth’s ground-breaking midContinue reading “Why Shoegazing Endures”
The Surprise Hit of 2022: Justin Hawkins Rides Again
Who would -a thunk it? Justin Hawkins, lead singer of The Darkness, has become the YouTuber of 2022. With his brilliant comic timing, sense of irony and vast musical knowledge, he’s a louche, irreverent delight. Erudite and self deprecating, the stylish frontman also has an extremely eclectic taste in music.Essentially, he knows his Arca fromContinue reading “The Surprise Hit of 2022: Justin Hawkins Rides Again”
Just Step Sideways: Dogging Tales
Like a fever dream taken directly from the pages of Viz comic but created by Chris Morris, Dogging Tales from 2013, remains one of the most unforgettable TV documentaries of the last twenty years. Screened as part of Channel 4’s True Stories strand, and in actual fact directed by Leo Maguire, it was more JeremyContinue reading “Just Step Sideways: Dogging Tales”
Hit The North 