Reviews

Have to admit that after the first 15-minutes or so I was fed up to the back teeth with the insufferable perky, cheerfulness of this bonkers ska sextet operating under the increasingly spurious banner of J-Pop (or Japanese Pop to those still blissfully ignorant of the term). Fresh out of Japan, and fresh some paedo wet-dream if you ask me, six-girls just out of J-School and recently signed to Sony Music Japan, not coming up with material that belies their Continue Reading

Compiled by Marc Collin and Gilles Leguen of French musical collective Nouvelle Vague, and clearly inspired by Jarvis Cocker and Steve MacKay’s recent ‘trip’ down memory-lane, the New Wave comp features an absolutely cracking collection of covers by some of the great names of 80’s First-Wavers and Synth-Acts like Visage, Devo, OMD and Gary Numan. Why have they done it? Who cares.  Anyone who remembers the early eighties will understand: peddle-pushers, one-finger synth parts, a loquacious disregard for dancing or Continue Reading

Crikey, we could bang on all day about what makes the ultimate mix-album. Should it recreate a live dance club experience? Should it provide a banner under which to unite a multi-tiered mesh of moods and/or concepts? Should it provide a seamless spirit of sound? Should it in some way reveal a little bit more about the artist themselves? Tosh. What the hell does it really matter? When you, me, Hot Chip or even my great Aunt Maud compiles a Continue Reading

Believe it or not, Pepe Deluxe is so much more than the outrageously cool single, ‘The Mischief Of Cloud 9’. It’s also so much more than the sum-total of their parts: James Spectrum (AKA Jari Salo) and JA-Jazz (AKA Tomi Paajaanen). So much more than samples. And new album, ’Spare Time Machine’ is the timely blessed proof. Coiled brightly around the world’s largest reverbation unit and packed to the rafters with solid chunks of paisley-patterned funk, tracks like ‘Ms Wilhelmina Continue Reading

It’s been many moons now since Sean Cook left Spiritualized under a black cloud, though not before playing his part in crafting one of the finest pieces of recorded music ever committed to tape of course. Go straight to the back of the class if you know not that we refer to ‘Ladies & Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space’, and when the final bell has tolled race to the nearest record stockist and acquaint yourself with it immediately. It Continue Reading

You know when someone comes up to and starts telling you about this fantastic film they’ve just seen, or this fantastic book they’ve just read and continues to rattle on about it for five-minutes without pausing for breath only to conclude their eulogy by thrusting it in your hands and telling you that you can borrow it? And you don’t have the heart to take the wind out of their sails by saying that you got it yourself 12months ago? Continue Reading

There is an awful lot to dislike about Mumm-Ra, which we may as well be upfront about, clear the air. For a start, there’s the name, presumably a misguided stab at knowing retro kitsch, but coming off like the cheap novelty plastic figure with teeth-marks in that no-one plays with any more because it was and is just a bit rubbish. And they hardly convince in the evil nemesis role either, far too fresh-faced. Have they even had chance to Continue Reading

In my day ‘party music’ could only mean one of two things: Russ Abbott or Black Lace. ‘Course there was always The Nolans and a dash of Abba’s ‘Dancing Queen’ by way of relief but nothing too noisy for the kiddies and for grandma. As sure as sausages were on sticks out came ‘Agadoo’ and ‘Atmosphere’ and everyone would be three sheets to the wind and happy as sandboys. But times have changed and the point that aims at party’s Continue Reading

Cambridge’s boomin’ house letharios, Andy Cato (real name Andrew Cocup) and Tom Findlay have to be the Troy McClures of popular music today. You may remember them from such successful TV commercials as Renault Mégane’s ‘I See You Baby/Shaking That Ass’ and 2001’s ‘If Everybody Looked The Same’ by Mercedez-Benz. You might also remember them from the hit movie ‘Collateral’, ‘Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, previews for Channel 4’s ‘Lost’ and the video game Rayman 3. It’s a Lemon Jelly thing. Continue Reading