Let's have it right: no other band sound, or made sounds like Romeo Void. It isn't just the saxophone or the synths. Romeo Void had something else that set it apart from other songwriters and musicians - her name is Debora Iyall and her writing was fundamentally rooted in poetry, while her appearance was striking… Continue reading Benefactor by Romeo Void
Pizzicato Five were an oddity of a band among a collection of odd bands - my collection, in fact. In a cupboard full of CDs, all arranged in order of how much I loved them, Pizzicato Five were always near the top row, alongside other dear favourites, the songs that gave me an escape route… Continue reading The Fifth Release From Matador by Pizzicato Five
I really want to wash those dishes up. 1996 was a vintage year for my CD rack. Keith Flint stood in a tunnel, monochromatic yet brighter and more colourful than anything else around. Britpop approached a zenith, Jarvis Cocker's arse made The Brits relevant, Alanis made us reach for a dictionary to check the actual… Continue reading Alisha Rules The World by Alisha’s Attic
It's Morrissey's fault I even knew about the special Smiths inspired episode of The Simpsons. Somehow I hadn't got around to unfollowing Morrissey Official on Facebook, so the news appeared on my feed, promoting what seemed to be a wonderful tribute to one of the greatest pop groups ever to emerge from the neon lit… Continue reading I Am Lisa Simpson
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
