Month: May 2005

This women has been lauded, my has she been lauded. In fact she must have got so weighed down by the stuff that she fell perpetually below radar. Aside from the gust of air that carried her into public consciousness, otherwise known as her 2001 Mercury Prize nomination (for the pretty and gifted ‘Little Black Numbers’), she has remained undeservedly low key. But in a funny way, with a newly skewed hindsight, this album makes that treatment seem justified. Because Continue Reading

It used to be that every band in Scotland sounded, in one way or another, like Teenage Fanclub. Even Idlewild got there in the end you’ll notice. Of course that’s not exactly an all encompassing truth, anymore especially, since we’re sure there are trainee Franz Ferdinands throwing out their Travis pin badges and cluttering up rehearsal space the length and breadth of the country. But wait, here comes the second band, after Biffy Clyro, to sound a bit like Biffy Continue Reading

It sort of doesn’t quite seem right that we’re here at all. Right? Right. Five albums have already been submitted under the Eels moniker, not to mention solo endeavours from main-man E, like a band formed from his own neuroses, under his sole direction and image, wasn’t enough. This was a band too that many thought would collapse in on themselves like a novelty hit black hole after their debut had the good fortune to provide MTV with two wholesome, Continue Reading

The lowest note on a piano is around 33hz. It’s not the only interesting thing about this band. But it’s close. Picking up where Wham, Hall and Oates and Prince (during his Purple-rinse period) left off, vocalist Benny Lo and the boys have crafted an album that artfully reproduces the electro-funk of the mid-nineteen eighties right down to the billowing shirts, the bouffant hair-styles, and the leg-warmers. It’s danceable, gently erotic and as packed with perky pop bombshells as a Continue Reading