indie albums
Album Review : My Drunken Haze – My Drunken Haze
One listen to Athens, Greece quintet My Drunken Haze and their self-titled debut, you can tell they’ve done their homework. Their sound is colored with hues found on a late-60s psychedelic color wheel. They veer more on the side of pop than rock, but that’s not to say a fuzz pedal isn’t engaged here and …
Album Review; Ariel Pink – Pom Pom
I must confess to being late to the Ariel Pink party. His debut album ‘House Arrest’ came out in 2002, completely under my radar. I stumbled across this new album, ‘Pom Pom’ whilst perusing Spotify for something new to listen to. I had no idea what to expect, but it was clear from the opening …
Album Review: The Orchids – Beatitude#9
It could well be that The Orchids passed you by. The Scottish five piece James Hackett (vocals), John Scally (guitar), Chris Quinn (drums), Matthew Drummond (guitar) and James Moody (bass) formed in 1986, releasing a whole host of material on the tiny but (subsequently) hugely influential and loved Sarah Records label. Splitting up in 1995, …
Album Review: Medicine – Home Everywhere
I’ve been listening to Medicine’s new album Home Everywhere for three days straight and I’m still finding new nuggets of aural beauty every time I hit play. Brad Laner, Beth Thompson, and Jim Goodall don’t make cut and dry kind of albums. They make albums that beg for repeated listens. Much like the films of …
Album Review: Half Man Half Biscuit – Urge for Offal
There’s a good argument for Half Man Half Biscuit being the greatest indie band of all time. After thirty years they still remain utterly loyal to the tiny Probe Plus record label, releasing thirteen albums and five EPs laden with equal parts pithiness, wordplay and the most spot on cultural references. Half Man Half Biscuit …
Album Review: High Hazels – High Hazels
High Hazels are a romantic four-piece from Sheffield who have won the hearts of pretty much everyone this year with good songs, good manners, and good looks. They’ve got the makings of an extraordinary band and they’re working hard to get the success they deserve. They’re about to share their first full studio album, which is …
Album Review: St. Christopher – Evermore Starts Here 1984-2000
This is weird. Me and St Christopher have history. I bought, direct from Sarah Records, that beacon of all things indie and (in some cases) twee, All of a tremble, and fairly shortly afterwards stole one of their other singles for the label from my brother, Say Yes To Everything. Fast forward a long time …
Album Review : Julian Casablancas + The Voidz – Tyranny
So what happened to Julian Casablancas, or has he always been really weird? I guess there’s always been an element of weirdness to the guy, even back when he was the king of New York cool. That weirdness still felt slick and tough, that is until 2006 with The Strokes’ First Impressions of Earth. While …
Album Review: Ashrae Fax – Never Really Been Into It
Every once in a while you happen across an album that surprises you. Maybe it doesn’t change your life or blow your mind, but it stops your brain from that constant run of streaming real-world problems. You momentarily just shut the cranial machine down for a half hour or so and allow yourself to enjoy …
Album Review: Pete Fij / Terry Bickers – Broken Heart Surgery
Old rockers, it seems, don’t necessarily have to grow old disgracefully. Former Creation labelmates Pete Fij and Terry Bickers made noiser, more aggressive records in their guises in Adorable and Polak (Fij) and in particular Bickers in his role in The House of Love and Levitation. Here they’ve made a record that is funny poignant …