The late eighties was ripe for parody. Pompous, crass, sexist pop was seemingly ubiquitous. So, Kim Gordon from Sonic Youth took the leery Robert Palmer tune, Addicted To Love, and kicked it in its groin. Ciccone Youth’s The Whitey Album was both knowing piss -take and affectionate homage. Their Sonic Youth offshoot was never goingContinue reading “Kim’s Karaoke”
Tag Archives: Lorna Irvine
Praise Be to Vod!
As if Sam Bain and Jesse Armstrong couldn’t have created one of the best sitcom characters ever in Peep Show ‘s Super Hans, they surely outdid themselves with Violet ‘Vod’ Nordstrom. Fresh Meat, which piggybacked on that show’s deserved success, had one of the funniest, sexiest and most complex characters ever. Surly, promiscuous, stealing fromContinue reading “Praise Be to Vod!”
Album Review: Mandy, Indiana – I’ve Seen A Way
The quartet from Manchester, founded by Valentine Caulfield and Scott Fair, now joined by Simon Catling and Alex MacDougall, have a hell of a blistering debut here. It’s experimental music which feels like being driven blindfolded to unknown territory. ‘ Pinking Shears’ is brittle and fuzzy, and there’s minimalist industrial shades to ‘Injury Detail’. ThisContinue reading “Album Review: Mandy, Indiana – I’ve Seen A Way”
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”
Lost In Music: A Certain Ratio- 1982
Already one of the finest albums of tthe year, A Certain Ratio ‘s 1982 is a series of neon squiggly graffiti lines – not least because it references Jean Michel Basquiat and Andy Warhol in ‘Samo’ , an old school funky jam named after Basquiat’s graffiti tag. But that very specific nod to the 80sContinue reading “Lost In Music: A Certain Ratio- 1982”
Just Step Sideways: Richard Dawson- The Hermit
He’s possibly the closest thing we’ve got to a modern-day William Blake, with his lyrical, wry and political musings on our troubled isle.. Now, the genius that is Richard Dawson, officially releases the forty one minute video for The Hermit. Directed by film maker James Hankins and filmed in South West England in the summerContinue reading “Just Step Sideways: Richard Dawson- The Hermit”
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: Takako Minekawa- Fantastic Cat
Despite being a moody old goth, I do have a love of really, really ridiculously kitsch art. This extends to music, and nobody makes better kitsch music than the Japanese. Takako Minekawa released this oddity in the mid-90s and it is much more imaginative than the J pop that followed in her wake. Part hoedown,Continue reading “Lost In Music: Takako Minekawa- Fantastic Cat”
Watch With Mother?
I recently reviewed a gorgeous show at Tramway for Fjord Review, a lovely dance website I’ve been writing for since 2015. The show carried a trigger warning, which is fine by me. People have different sensitivities, and if you have kids, some material could be inappropriate or even offensive. Now, I’m not a pearl clutcherContinue reading “Watch With Mother?”
The Future’s Here Today: Debby Friday
Born in Nigeria, raised in Montreal and now based in Toronto, Debby Friday releases her debut studio album Good Luck tomorrow. She’s hugely gifted, her cocktail of genres reflecting such a peripatetic upbringing.The critics have been universal in praising her previous work like debut EP, Bitchpunk. You can hear soul, punk and crunchy electronica influencesContinue reading “The Future’s Here Today: Debby Friday”
Hit The North 