Seems like everyone has an opinion on oh-so enigmatic Quebec duo Angine de Poitrine at the moment, from Justin Hawkins to outspoken Glasgow comic Limmy. They’re becoming ubiquitous at the moment, possibly with good cause. Styled like a fusion of Tristan Tzara and Strawberry Switchblade with a soupcon of Noseybonk (those phallic noses, ugghhhhh) inContinue reading “Lost In Music: Angine de Poitrine”
Tag Archives: Music
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”
Theatre In Pop Is Back
Back in the seventies, decent pop leaned into the avant-garde, with artists transcending mere gigs. This was pop as theatre. Bowie, Kate Bush and even prog rock charlatans like Emerson, Lake and Palmer and Genesis could be found using stage craft, props and exquisite scenography to boost their strange and otherworldly music. This elevated itContinue reading “Theatre In Pop Is Back”
Lost In Music:Prince- The Beautiful Ones
There are many songs I could have picked as a tribute: obvious anthems (‘Purple Rain’, ‘Little Red Corvette ‘, ‘Raspberry Beret’, etc) or the more lascivious songs (‘Get Off’, ‘Cream’, ‘Sister’, ‘Darling Nikki’, ‘Kiss’, ‘Sexy MF’ etc) even his big conceptual songs from the Sign O’The Times era or featuring his Camille alter -ego. ButContinue reading “Lost In Music:Prince- The Beautiful Ones”
Lost In Music: Prince- Controversy
It’s, almost ridiculously, a decade since we lost the visionary Prince. So, with no fanfare at all, here’s one of the earliest hits which put him on the musical firmament. Drink a purple coloured beverage to him and his legacy tonight. He was the full package, a total visionary, a funky one-off.
Hold Music
I call my doctor, and am subsequently third in the queue. I’m mesmerized by the hold music, reassuring warm piano ostinatos that go on and on till the point of tedium. I imagine it’s the theme to a sitcom. The sitcom is American, as is so often the case. We open on a bunch ofContinue reading “Hold Music”
A Kathy Acker Playlist
I’ve been reading the great Kathy Acker again, someone whose blunt, unvarnished prose is like steel and concrete. She’s timeless because Americans are, as we are in the UK too, struggling to make ends meet. Her books represent the desperation, the lost love, family stress, romantic disappointments and the defiance of those who slipped throughContinue reading “A Kathy Acker Playlist”
Has Pop (Culture) Eaten Itself?
Have we finally reached saturation point with internet culture? I ask as I stumbled upon The Kiffness (pictured above) the other day, aka. the musician David Scott on YouTube who creates songs based around “singing cat” videos, playing an actual gig, with a proper audience, all of whom were singing along to him, and theContinue reading “Has Pop (Culture) Eaten Itself?”
Overlooked Classic: My Bloody Valentine -You Made Me Realise EP
The swooning gods and goddesses of noise, My Bloody Valentine created this EP in 1987, when bands like Sonic Youth has already laid down the blueprint. Melody and harmony was given a kicking in an alleyway. You Made Me Realise EP is a masterpiece, from artwork to tracks. It’s everything I love about art: melancholic,Continue reading “Overlooked Classic: My Bloody Valentine -You Made Me Realise EP”
Lost In Music: David Bowie – Ashes to Ashes
The best art often frightens me. When I was five, Kate Bush doing ‘Wuthering Heights’ made me think she was a witch. Now I love witches. Two years later, David Bowie freaked me out in ‘Ashes to Ashes’. It wasn’t him, per se, in his little Pierrot clown outfit, It was the strange space ageContinue reading “Lost In Music: David Bowie – Ashes to Ashes”
Hit The North 