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
The Sunday Mail seemed to live at the side of the couch until the next edition appeared. At this point in my life, when I was heading to college, the Sunday newspapers felt like a mandatory part of working class life. Everyone read the News of the World and (here in Scotland) the Sunday Mail.… Continue reading Ping Pong Bitches by Ping Ping Bitches
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
Last week while cleaning out my Cupboard of Crap, where all the junk and clutter fits even when there's no space left, I suddenly remembered something I'd forgot about for years. There I stood with a pair of gloves and a mask, trying not to breathe in years of dormant dust, when a box marked… Continue reading Nemesisters by Babes In Toyland
Lockdown is tough on everyone. All of our freedoms have been snatched from us, our TV sets and streaming services help a little, but the more adverts I see telling me to #StayAtHome the more I want to scream. No-one wants to overwhelm our NHS, but of course if The Tories hadn't slashed it to… Continue reading Things That Make Me Happy During Lockdown
