expect delay
I’m pretty sure I’d heard Pixies‘ version of The Jesus and Mary Chain‘s “Head On” before the original, and so it’s maybe a bit of an overcorrection on my part to insist the original is better than the cover, which is probably just as well-known. Or maybe it’s just that I’m into drum machines these […]
While Curve are usually named in the second tier of first-wave shoegaze bands, they haven’t gotten the same level of respect as their ’90s peers, despite arguably just as groundbreaking. They embraced electronic and dance textures earlier than most, and frontwoman Toni Halliday’s sexy/scary charisma set the template for many alt.rock rocks to follow. A […]
Saluting of one of the most satisfying combinations of melody and gibberish, “Kidney Bingos”, the single from Wire’s 1988 album A Bell Is A Cup… Until It Is Struck. In a 1988 interview with McGill University radio station CKUT, Colin Newman offered these thoughts on the song: “There’s always been a very strong pop element […]
Japanese musical equipment powerhouse Roland turns 50 years old this year, and they’re celebrating the milestone with some pretty cool festivities. They’ve taken their 808303.studio online real estate, which previously housed a pretty cool brower-based version of two of their legendary instruments – the TR-808 drum machine and TB-303 bass synth – and added a […]
Last year, I marked the 29th anniversary of Ride’s Going Blank Again with a “Twisterella” post so this year – the much rounder 30th birthday – here’s the record’s opening track. While understandable that the video uses the radio edit – it’s doubtful the full eight-plus minutes would have cracked the UK top 10 – […]
This year marks the 40th anniversary of XTC’s fifth album, English Settlement, a record that represents the inflection point in the band’s career between the frantic, high-energy post-punk they made their name with to the more orchestrated, pastoral sounds that defined the remainder of their active years. It also marked the final record that the […]
By the numbers – it’s telling that Gang Of Four in 2022 are clearly bookending themselves with the years 1977 and 1981. That was the period captured in last year’s deluxe box set 77-81, which comprised Entertainment! and Solid Gold and singles of the era. Two of the founding members – vocalist Jon King and […]
Ulrich Schnauss‘ take on the centrepiece of Slowdive’s Pygmalion was one of the standout tracks on the uniformly excellent Blue Skied an’ Clear, a 2002 tribute album assembled by German electronica label Morr Music. I’m of the belief that this comp in no small part helped elevate that record from its initial status as career-ending […]
Cold War anxiety permeates a lot of the original post-punk bands, but it seems more to the fore with The Sound. Case in point, one of the standout tracks from their debut album Jeopardy, presented here in live form from their appearance at the “No Nukes” concert in Utrecht, Netherlands in April 1982. They may […]
When I did this roundup of versions of Magazine’s “A Song From Under The Floorboards” back in November, I certainly didn’t think I’d be needing to make an addendum a few months later, but here we are. And that’s because none other than The Wedding Present have tackled the song as the b-side on their […]
