Oh Marina Girl by Graham Lironi

I look back at Oh Marina Girl, the Glesga cult novel that I felt never got the attention it deserved...

Lycanthropy by Patrick Wolf

I saw Patrick Wolf very early on in his career at the original Stereo while he was touring Lycanthropy. The gig wasn't very well attended, which made sense because Patrick was most definitely a cult artist at that point, beloved by critics and photographed for all the coolest magazines, who presented him as the coolest…

Social Dancing by Bis

Trends change, fashions leap around, forever leaving millions of reviewers and bloggers to catch them. Sometimes, however, it isn't up to us to catch these trends, but to catch up with them. In the case of Bis, a band whose magpie musical styles made them impossible to categorise outside of 'pop' (a whole universe in…

Library Lurking in Scotland

I live in a strange area which I won't specifically mention because I'm still hiding from the debt collectors, but it feels very apart from everywhere else. The transit system is infrequent, with buses forgetting to pass by on their route, but when they come, they take me to Glasgow, Stirling, and Falkirk. All of…

Bright Like Neon Love by Cut Copy

The second best album of 2004 was also the least likely to succeed. It's essentially a lo-fi electronic pop record that sounds like it came from a geek's bedroom. It's simple, effective, but most of all...affecting. Songs of aching hearts and thwarted love sit snugly alongside each other. This is a Cut Copy that isn't…

Bed by Juliana Hatfield

The truth is I listened to 'college rock' before I ever went to college. I'd already decided what life was going to be like based on some CDs and movies, all of which were from America. Britain was going through a post-Britpop hangover and for the most part, I favoured alternative American bands. I had…

Being A Teenager In The ’90s

As things change, things also stay the same. A mystery assailant with a grudge against high-profile officials sends bombs in the US Mail. Sabrina The Teenage Witch gets up to silly magical hi-jinks with the help of her two kooky old aunts. RuPaul hosts a chat show crammed with celebrity guests. You might think I'm…