Debut albums (like debut novels) contain an entire lifetime of ideas and ambition. The really great ones are those that make everything fit together as neatly as possible. But sophomoric albums? They're a trickier proposition, because with your first attempt you've said everything you've always wanted to say - and if you're lucky enough, you've… Continue reading City of Subarus by Tullycraft
The Bravery were a song and a video but definitely not an album. Goodness, why would I buy that? They weren't my thing at all, so I thought. My opinion was based on nothing other than a photograph of them in NME. Back in the noughties, I tended to identify what I liked and hated… Continue reading The Bravery by The Bravery
I can't pretend The Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills is my favourite show from the long-running, mega-successful franchise. My heart belongs to New York. However, I watch most of the various different shows in the Real Housewives umbrella. Beverly Hills is often regarded and referred to as 'lifestyle porn' because it presents the cast in… Continue reading I’ve laminated my Dorit Kemsley fan club badge
Every kid deserves their own pop star, that one superstar they can adore from a distance. As a child, I wasn't short of icons to admire. There was The Doctor and Ace, who saved the universe from evil monsters each week on BBC1. Agent Dale Cooper was there for me even though he preferred coffee… Continue reading Boomania by Betty Boo
One of my favourite hobbies in the early years of 2000 was trolling the pages of Channel 4's Planet Sound music page on Teletext. Every week I'd write in and upset people with my eloquent displays of bitchy brilliance. Oh yes, I enjoyed it. My favourite technique was to write really long letters praising Girls… Continue reading Chemistry by Girls Aloud
Nu-Metal was terrible, according to critics. It was masculine, posturing, witless, joyless rock that allowed everyone into the hermetically sealed world of metal. Actually, it did allow metal to crossover into the mainstream. In the early 2000s, it wasn't unusual to see a Limp Bizkit song in the Top Ten or hear Linkin Park's Hybrid… Continue reading One Inch God by Defenestration
Way back in 2001 when I was skinny and trying to find my way in the world, I used the freedom of my student loan to buy books and music and clothes. Really, that was my entire existence. Through these things and the newness of college, I was able to become...me, or a version of… Continue reading Sonic Jihad by Snake River Conspiracy
Juvenilia is an EP by Liz Phair released in 1995 by Matador Records. Ostensibly a single for Jealousy, a track taken from her second album Whip-Smart (which I still listen to quite often), it also shows a more playful side to a singer/songwriter often written off by male journalists because she never quite became what… Continue reading Juvenilia by Liz Phair
Dear Shirley Manson, I'm writing this because I want to apologise to you. I've always admired your power, your supreme fierceness, your talent. In the '90s, you were a huge part of my life. You and the band were a soundtrack for voluntary self-distancing. I listened to your voice, took in your words, studied interviews… Continue reading beautifulgarbage by Garbage (an apology)
Sometimes a band are so good that they fear their greatness and run away from it, only to encounter a different sort of glory. The Cardigans were always brilliant. Completely, wholly amazing. Their first three albums brimmed with beautifully crafted pop that left the listener warm and happy because the music never failed to sound...wholesome.… Continue reading Gran Turismo by The Cardigans
