Album Reviews
Not Forgotten – Wilco – Sky Blue Sky
The career resuscitation of Wilco following the release of the rightly hailed Yankee Hotel Foxtrot was a joy to behold. From being dropped by a short sighted record label to the redemption they found proving the doubters wrong, via losing key band members and being celebrated by the notoriously fickle music press, it must have …
Not Forgotten – Imani Coppola – Chupacabra
One quick glance at my album collection will confirm that I am pretty ignorant when it comes to rap or hip-hop. I’m afraid that it just doesn’t push my buttons and I find it has very little in the way of cultural relevance to me. It’s odd then that Chupacabra has found its way into …
Album Review: Paws – Youth Culture Forever
Not out till June 2nd, Paws’ second album, Youth Culture Forever, sees the result of the Scottish trio decamping to Adam Pierce’s (Mice Parade / Swirlies) studio in the woods just outside New York to try to build on both the sound and the buzz of their debut album, Cokefloat! And to an extent, they …
Album Review: Eels – The Cautionary Tales of Mark Oliver Everett
Released just over twelve months after the well-received Wonderful, Glorious, Eels’ latest offering has one of those album titles that gives fair-warning about what exactly to expect from its content. E has straight out said that The Cautionary Tales of Mark Oliver Everett is an album about his own failures in relationships, so anyone expecting …
Not Forgotten – The Divine Comedy – Fin de Siècle
Neil Hannon (the man who effectively is The Divine Comedy), cut a unique dash through the British music in the mid 90s, as his almost imperceptible rise to near-fame ran parallel to the Brit-pop movement, meant that he sometimes got lumped in with the unwashed masses. Foppish, louche and possessing a more sophisticated musical mind …
Album Review: Select All Delete Save As – ‘Ultra Cultura’
Just when I thought I’d figured out ‘Ultra Cultura’, the new album by Select All Delete Save As, it continued to throw curveballs left, right and centre. Constantly exciting, always involving and brilliantly put together this is an album that makes each listen rewarding for multiple reasons. Achieving that is one thing but making this …
Not Forgotten: Bernard Butler – People Move On
When former Suede guitar botherer Bernard Butler announced he was going solo after a short but troubled collaboration with Soul singer David McAlmont, I barely blinked. I was actually pretty ignorant of his career up to then actually. I had heard that he had quit Suede just before the epic and gloriously overblown Dog Man …
Album Release: The Crookes – Soapbox
Over the past few years I’ve been introduced to a lot of bands; I’ve witnessed the release of new singles, the creation of new music videos, and travelled hundreds of miles to see talented musicians play some incredible live sets. In all that time, only a few bands have stuck with me, and The Crookes …
Not Forgotten – Sparks – Exotic Creatures of the Deep
Following up the undisputed best album of your career must be an unenviable task. There was no way that Oranges & Lemons was ever going to be a match for Skylarking, Desire was no Blood on the Tracks, i, as brilliant as it is, will always suffer in comparison to 69 Love Songs, Guerrilla would …
Not Forgotten – Elton John – Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Top selling musicians these days have it easy. The average recording artist is expected to release a new album once every two years, maybe one a year if they are a new artist. Back in the early 70s it was a given that at least one album a year was the acceptable rate, that way …