Author: jerobear
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Phil Collins: No Jacket Required
This was a massive album back in the 80s: the third solo studio album by drummer Collins, it sold 10 million copies in the US, 1.8 million in the UK and 20 million worldwide. No wonder Phil has such nice houses. It won the Grammy for album of the year in 1985. It bit like…
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September Girls: Age of Indignation
We’ve played this the usual dozen or so times but it’s not really an album suited to repeated play. In feeling, it reminded us of PiL for the stripped down intensity, with the vocals/drums giving it the sound of early Siouxsie. There’s a solid drone to the music, with lots of guitar washing over the…
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Altan: Widening Gyre
Altan are one of Ireland’s longest lasting bands, 35 years and counting, and the longest running line-up of founding members in Irish music. We confess never having heard of them. (We have heard of equally long-lasting Irish band Aslan, the band random name generator obviously getting stuck at “A” in 1980s Ireland). Altan specialise in…
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The Posies: Solid States
We’ve heard of The Posies but never anything by them. They’re from Bellingham, Washington — also hometown to Death Cab For Cutie — and been going since 1987, so we’ve either missed them or they’ve managed to remain cult. They play clever power/pop that reminded us most of Fountains of Wayne; they’re better than FoW,…
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Meilyr Jones: 2013
It takes some time to get into this adventurous, bold and frankly difficult pop album from former Race Horses frontman Meilyr Jones. It’s a mix of soul/dance music in the style of Dexy’s Midnight Runners and all manner of orchestral instruments: one comparison is early ELO — but far more the debut Electric Light Orchestra…
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The Heavy: Hurt and The Merciless
We’ve heard people raving about The Heavy and can see why: they’re basically the best wedding band you’ve ever heard, and they’ll keep you awake and happy on the drive to work. If “the best wedding band you’ve ever heard” seems harsh, it’s not meant to: fans of the Blues Brothers, particularly the live touring…
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Heck: Instructions
Mathcore punks Heck were previously known as Baby Godzilla but forced to change their name by a Japanese film company. Which is ironic: play this raucous blast of noise pollution at an invading gorilla whale and it would soon get the heck out. We no longer have to fear alien invasion, at least. Heck are…
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Day At The Lake
The clock was turned back over a century at a local beauty spot this weekend as its heyday as the Blackpool of the Potteries was recreated. Wild Rumpus, organisers of the Just So Festival, took over Rudyard Lake over the weekend and laid on the entertainment that Potteries workers would have enjoyed in the mid-1800s,…
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