She can’t sing but neither could Billy Bragg or Shaun Ryder and we didn’t hold that against them. Besides, in a world that doesn’t even know Whitney singing “I will always love you” was a shocking cover version  devoid of any soul at all, Nash might be up against it. The comparisons with Lily Allen are easy to make – the vocal style, The My space stuff, The swearing (shock horror eh? Women swearing in pop songs) – but the actual sound is elsewhere. Some of the album sounds like half finished demos or scrapbook ideas and some of it starts to hit the mark in terms of making you want to hit the ‘repeat’ button. “Mariella” is one of the maddest pop songs I’ve heard all year but it’s compelling..There’s a mixture of vulnerability, irony, boyfriend bashing, boy ignores girl, clumsy tinkering and genius at work here. May be a bit too fragmented now but there’s evidence that she might just be sticking around a bit longer than some might have predicted. 7/10

Chris Dye is a singer/song-writer worth checking out. With influences ranging from Nina Simone, Tori Amos and Antony & The Johnsons, Chris Dye has a real skill at telling stories in his songs. “I Will Be Your Child Tonight” tackles the sensitive subject of being a young gay man preyed on by older guys who manipulate and abuse teenagers fresh in coming out. I look forward to hearing more from this guy.

  Minipop are Tricia Kanne (vocals), Nick Forte (bass), Matthew Swanson (guitar/keyboards) and Lauren Grubb (drums). They are from San Diego and debut album “A New Hope” is just lovely. This is dreamy indie-ish pop with the sultry and sweet vocals of Tricia Kanne angelic and delightful. The album has a kind of Saint Etienne and The Cardigans vibe whilst sounding slightly other-worldly and original at the same time. “Like I Do” (featured in the youtube clip below) is one of the nicest pop tunes of 2007 and tracks like “Precious” sound like they’re being sung in heaven themselves. Gorgeous in places. 8/10

Siouxsie at Astoria2

Oct 19, 2007 by Owen

Siouxsie’s return to the London stage after the release of her new solo album, “Mantaray” was a triumph.

Siouxsie came on stage to rapturous applause and launched into “Israel” followed by “Arabian Knights”, and that was the gauntlet thrown down right there and then. She is Siouxsie and has a back catalogue to die for. That established the tone for the rest of the set, mixing Banshee classics with songs from the new album and that approach worked exceptionally well, new and old songs seemlessly meshing. There were no songs from The Creatures but that might be down to the absence of Budgie.

Siouxsie strutted across the stage, arms weaving in dramatic gestures, legs kicking high in trademark stilettos, hands slapping her thighs in time to the drums, throwing back her head one moment and leaning in to tease the front of the audience the next. She was in great voice and the band was tight. She looked good in a harlequin body suit, slender and lithe, scarlet lips and black on black wild hair. Siouxsie is back and, judging from how she was last night, enjoying herself.

She was on stage for around 1 hour followed by two encores of two songs each. The sound was excellent and that made up for the poor lighting. Highlights were the wonderful ‘Dear Prudence’ (preceded by Siouxsie saying, ‘do we have to do this one?’), ‘Nightshift’ (atmospheric in the dark surroundings), ‘Here Comes That Day’ (the new single), ‘One Mile Below’ and ‘Sea of Tranquility’ (from the new album). The set closed with a great version of ‘Into A Swan’, obviously set to be her new anthem after launching the album.

While waiting for the encore I joked that she’d come back with ‘Hong Kong Garden’ and that’s what happened. The marvellous ‘Hong Kong Garden’ opened the encore followed by the spectacular ‘Spellbound’. A second encore treated us to the moody ‘Swansway’ and ‘Hello, I love you’ (the Doors song).

The audience was an interesting mix of old punks and former goths, a surprising number of smartly dressed women, a smattering of wierd and wonderful haircuts and piercings (I liked the woman with a huge mass of lime green hair in the middle of the crowd) and the usual mob of fat, middle aged, drunk men getting too boisterous in the name of their own enjoyment at the expense of everyone else (especially unpleasant when they smell of stale sweat and beer). At such a gathering of the clans I suppose that’s to be expected.

The queen has returned and we must worship.

Suzanne Vega at Cadogan Hall

Oct 25, 2007 by Owen

Suzanne is promoting her latest album, ‘Beauty & Crime,’ and turned up at the reserved surroundings of Cadogan Hall off Sloane Square for a gig with her band. Firstly we had to sit through the support act, Gary Daly (formerly of China Crisis). Unfortunately, if this is the launch of his new solo career then he needs to do some more work and there was little there to keep my attention. I preferred his last three songs to the first lot. Ho hum. Anyway, on to Suzanne…

I last saw Miss Vega in July at the Queen Elizabeth Hall on the South Bank in July so was familiar with the current show. Dressed in a black ‘raincoat-dress’ (part raincoat and part off-the-shoulder frock) with a black fedora she looked the part, reflecting the cover of her latest album. She came on stage alone, singing a capella ‘Tom’s Diner’ as one by one her four-piece band walked on stage with a mug or a newspaper as they would in the diner itself, so they all were on stage by the time she finished the song. It’s a nice, quietly dramatic way to open the show. The show closed with the dance DNA version of the same song, a New York diner bracketing the show which is a nice idea, all life happening in a diner.

The songs were a mix of favourites and tracks from the new album and, this time, I got to see and hear ‘Unbound’ from the new album, one of my favourites, a nice bouncy bass-line to that song so I was a happy bunny jigging along in my seat. She played an excellent version of ‘Bound’, also from the new album, as the final encore. It’s easy to think of Suzanne in the ’singer-songwriter’ accoustic category but she writes some powerful music that comes to life with her tight band behind her blasting out the aural imagery, and ‘Bound’ is a good example of that. Both songs were new to me live and I hope to see her perform them again.

Favourites of the evening were ‘Blood Makes Noise’ (just voice and bass), ‘Luka’ (still powerful after all these years), ‘Gypsy’, ‘Frank & Ava’, ‘Angel’s Doorway’ and ‘Zephyr & I’ which opened the encore. ‘The Queen And The Soldier’ was also part of the encore (jokily introduced as a song ‘with a long narrative and a tragic end’), an old favourite that always pleases. The second encore was ‘Bound’.

I love Suzanne’s voice and could listen to her talk and sing all day. A couple of times during the concert I closed my eyes so I was just listening to that marvellously clear voice. She has a lovely dry wit that every now and then extends in mischievousness in some of her comments to the audience (like speculating about Rod Stewart dating older women while introducing ‘(I’ll Never Be Your) Maggie May’). Her songs are excellent, a perfect marriage of words and music, painting pictures and telling tales.

It’s always a pleasure to see Suzanne and I look forward to our next meeting.

Jackie Mittoo – Reggae Magic!

A founding member of the Skatalites and an extraordinarily prolific songwriter, Mittoo deserves his place as one of the most influental legends of reggae. “Reggae Music” is an instrumental album featuring his excellent keyboard playing and slick rhythms. It’s as cool as a hot summers day. Jackie’s soulful organ sounds may at times sound somewhat cheesy but it’s still managing to kick.  The style is unique – warm, melodic and addictive – and I play this album and think of flares, afro’s, starsky and hutch and Georgie Best. Nicely kitsch. Very 70’s and very  good.     7.5/10 

Dennis Brown – Visions 

Visions is probably the finest Dennis Brown album on the market. Released in 1978, it find Brown at his most prolific and creative. The vocals are bang on the mark throughout and there isn’t a bad song anywhere in sight. The heartbreaking “Oh Mother” is just wonderful with Brown using the most natural instrument he has – that voice of his (it’s hard to believe that he was barely out of his teens when he sang these songs with such maturity and assurance). He offers wise words on the mellow “Stay At Home” (“Dont let your mama down, dont be a runaround”)and offers an inspiring cover of The Heptones “Love Me Always”. The production from Joe Gibbs is fantastic and Brown is proud, political and thought provoking on songs like “Malcolm X”, “Repatriation” and “Deliverance Will Come”. 9/10

The Specials – The Specials

Released almost 30 years ago, The Specials debut album still has that ’shiver up the spine’ magic now like it did on its original release. Their influence on popular music today cannot be understated. Can you imagine a Damon Albarn or The Streets without a Terry Hall? Probably not. The lo-fi raw energetic sound burns a spirit right through the entire album (Elvis Costello produced). Standards like “A Message To You Rudy” are given a kick and the message (both visually and aurally) of racial harmony and non-violence at a time of National Front disturbances was a important and inspiring one. Written at a time when Thatcher’s terrible years were to cast a shadow on the working class, this record comes straight from the city for the city. The lyrics throughout are fantastic and Hall’s vocals are deadpan. None more does he hit the spot on the outstanding “Doesn’t Make It Alright” – “Just because you’re a black boy..
Just because you’re a white..
It doesn’t mean you’ve got to hate him..
It doesn’t mean you’ve got to fight..” he sings with no excuses being accepted for racial intolerance and violence. A debut album that marries the spirit of punk and the sounds of reggae and ska. It was and still is one of the most important records in British history.  10/10

Aztec Camera – High Land, Hard Rain

It’s easy to forget that Roddy Frame was just 19 when he wrote this fantastic debut record. I don’t want you to put you off by saying poetic pop, but the whole thing certainly does move around with both super energy and excellent lyrics. The poppy and upbeat “Oblivious” still has its nice strummy charm and “Down The Dip” strips bare to acoustic guitar and vocals with Roddy showing passion that makes a mockery of some of the awful trite sentimental trash that filled the charts at that time. Depth, emotion but most of all packed full with great tunes (The Boy Wonders, Walk Out to winter, the bugle sounds again, oblivious, pillar to post..) – this should find a place in your heart and your home. 9/10

UB40 – Who You Fighting For

UB40 are more well known for their banal cover versions and diluted radio friendly reggae-pop than their very good first few albums in the early 1980’s. For years now, UB40 have been walking in treacle. Once quite edgy and intelligent songs (my way of thinking/one in ten/if it happens again to name three) have been replaced by the kind of respectable mid-tempo dirge that even Simply Red would reject. Sure, sometimes they’ve managed to claw their way back and produce something at least hinting at early promise (such as the over-looked UB40 album which had its moments). The songs here are mostly fairly well crafted but it just sounds middle-aged and safe. They have at least found a bit of passion in the lyrics but musically, it’s sterile and dull and well..just plain bland. Is this really the same band who wrote tunes like “One In Ten” and “Madam Madusa”?     4/10

Soft Cell – Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret 

It could be argued that the album celebrates decadence in a way that champions the type of oneupmanship we see on the gay scene – of drugs, dancing and mindless lonely sexual encounters. That may be so but Almond is so sick of suburbia and normality that he is begging for fun and new beginnings. But Almond soon finds out that it’s not what it’s cracked up to be. Take “Bedsitter” for instance – one of synth pop’s finest moments – it’s the hangover after the party, the crabs after the crap one nighter, the black eye you don’t remember getting..it cries with despair, pain and loneliness. The realisation has hit home that here is one big false dream. A lack of friends (“No one knows i’m here for sure”), comfort eating (“think it’s time to cook a meal..fill the emptiness I feel”) and the painful confession that Saturday night is one over rated sea of nothingness (“start the night life over again and kid myself i’m having fun”). Rarely has a song so catchy and poppy been hiding such a lonely existence. Back then and Soft Cell sound like a mini revolution, destined to talk about the things your neighbours would rather not acknowledge. Musically, they sound innovative, daring, exciting and most of all they make electronic music sound a bit threatening and edgy at a time when nobody else dared do this. For all the battles within the music industry he stood against – and won – and the battles he encountered in his life offstage – and won – Almond deserves his place right up there as a pop giant. A timeless celebration of daring to be different in a era of clones and where gay sexuality was largely frowned upon in the industry. And “non Stop Erotic Cabaret” is a pop album that breaks free in every sense of the word.  9/10

The Pet Shop Boys – Behaviour

Prior to “behaviour”, I think there was a perception of the pet shop boys as being a bit too clever by far. What this album does is stop the knowing nods to irony in its tracks and slow the pace down to a level where Niel Tennant can start to shine a bit more. I hate the word “mature” as it will probably conjure up images of George Michael (“older” period) or Phil Collins at his most pompous, but there is a real sense of adult themes about loss, relationships and life in general. It’s as if Neil Tennant is putting away his super coolness for a while, and revealing the pages of his diary and as a result, they’ve never sounded so autobiographical, so warm and intimate and so smooth.Musically, Chris Lowe settles for the sublime and is quite happy for the anologue synths to bobble along nicely as Tennant reveals what’s on his mind. Fans expecting or hoping for a camp over the top disco pop album will be surely dissapointed. But for those who like their synth pop a bit more reflective and intelligent (and indeed understated), then “Behaviour” is an out and out winner from start to finish. “Being Boring” is the epic opening track that surely must rank as their best ever. A sad, warm, reflective and beautiful song – musically outstanding and where Tennant’s whispered vocals truly stand out as he looks back on friendships and the sad impact of AIDS on his life – “Some are here and some are missing..in the 1990’s”. This track has the power to stand the test of time and still sounds as fresh and vibrant today as it ever was and of course, they can’t help but shatter the public’s perception of them into the bargain: “We were never being boring cos we were never being bored”. Musically, vocally and lyrically, the pet shop boys here are at their artistic peak. In fact “Behaviour” probably sets the ultimate standard in how to tackle a mature pop record and stay interesting and relevant. Above all else, it is a timely reminder that for a band whose entire career has been based around various images that substance always beats style.  10/10

Client – City

Electro-pop always could always deliver pure raw emotions that defy their machine origins. sweeping synth sounds and primitive drum machines lead themselves well to a vocal like Sarah Blackwood – a singer who silently spits her anger with restrained frustration and deadpans her way out of the speakers and straight into your heart.”City” breathes new life into the genre and this is in no small way due to a sound that recalls the best moments of Numan, Depeche Mode, Human league and at times, the icy chill of Kraftwerk. Client work with minimilist electro sounds and add layers of strong melodies and ear pleasing vocals. Carl from the Libertines pops up to add edge to “Pornography” which is a fine rock out moment and Pete Doherty adds his vocals to the impressive “Down To The Underground”. There’s also moments of sparkling pure-pop like the abba pop that lights up “Don’t Call Me Baby”. Shameless greed is the topic of the anthemic sounding “In It For The Money” complete with chorus “just give me love, just give me sex, just give me money.” “City” offers that rare winning formula of style and substance and has a slowly infectious charm that will leave you coming back for more. After the huge critical and commercial success of debut Dubstar album “Disgraceful”, many wandered if Blackwood would vanish to the sky of forgotten pop stars. She sounds far from washed up here. With a mature and interesting lyrical take on relationships and fame, Blackwood deserves a bit more than fifteen minutes. It never quites reaches dizzy heights but it’s an entertaining album.. 7/10

Hal – Hal

Irish quartet Hal do sound and look like they are trapped in a timewarp with their blend of melodic summery 60’s guitar pop and richer Beach Boy-esque dreamier numbers where singer Dave Allen never shies away from thse high notes. This is an album that is about as inoffensive as you can get and is destined to be loved forever by Radio two. But don’t let that put you off. If you like great tunes, then Hal rarely dissapoint.Tracks such as the sunshine Beautiful South type anthem pop “What A Lovely Dance” and the quite brilliantly joyous “Play The Hits” show that Hal waste no time in their persuit of the heights of great melodies that will hit the heart and head. “worry about the wind” and “keep Love as your golden rule” are further examples of quality tunes that will be enjoyed by all long after the summer is over. It doesn’t all work. The pace occasionally drops to leathargic levels – such as on the snail paced non-starter “Slow Down (You’ve Got A Friend). Likewise, some of the lyrical cheer-ups are a bit cliched and worn. 7.5/10

The Communards – Red

“There’s More To Love Than Boy Meets Girl” should be considered one of the most political songs of the 1980’s. Written at a bleak time for gay men (clause 28, media hysteria about AIDS, family values being pushed..), Jimmy Sommerville is suffocating inside with his emotions aching for freedom..wanting to shout from the highest mountain but admitting “All around there’s violence and laws to make me think again..maybe one day they will understand”. The chorus is an assualt on the ears of those who were deaf to all gay men during that era. And the theme of hurt and being seen as an outsider in the 1980’s is constant thoughout. The Communards were not taken terribly seriously at the time..partly due to Jimmy’s falsetto vocals and strong political views, but it’s easy to forget just what a good band they were. The delightful HI-NRG version of “Never Can Say Goodbye” treads similar ground to the huge smash hit “Don’t Leave Me This Way” but there’s more to them than catchy dancefloor hits. “For A Friend” still sounds heartbreaking and tender tracks like “If I Could Tell You” and “Lovers and Friends” melt with sensitivity and quiet reflection. A wonderful album that has dated remarkably well. 8/10

Terence Trent D’arby – Introducing The Hardline According to Terence Trent D’arby

This is one of the finest debut albums of the 1980’s. Cocky young singer Terence Trent D’arby burst on to the scene with an album that brought us one of the finest soul and pop voices in years. His big voice was matched by a gigantic ego that rubbed people up the wrong way but gave the media great value. Big hit single “Sign Your Name” is perhaps slightly twee now but the wonderful cover of Smokey Robinson’s “Who’s Lovin’ You” is still wonderful. The brilliant funky pop of “If You Let Me Stay” is infectious and joyous, “Rain” is still slightly bonkers and “I’ll Never Turn My Back On You” is cute and soulful. You can’t help listening to this and thinking that D’arby should have been a huge international star and every bit as big as the soul greats who inspired him. He could never quite shake off the ‘poor man’s Prince’ tag. 8/10

Happy Mondays – Pills, Thrills ‘n’ Bellyaches

The Mondays were perhaps the most loveable of all the Madchester rogues and ‘Pills, Thrills ‘n’ Bellyaches’ is the sound of a band having the time of their lives. The indie/pop smash “Step On” still raises a smile with its glorious “call the cops” lyric and tuneless whistling. The epic “kinky Afro” is still ace and has that wonderful “I only went with yer mother cos she’s dirty” line. Elsewhere and there’s no shortage of great tracks on offer. “God’s Cop” is a brilliantly sneering attack on ex Manchester Police Chief James Anderton and “bob’s Yer Uncle” manages to find Shaun Ryder actually sounding quite sultry and seductive. The equally chilled out “Harmony” and “Donavon” chill pleasantly in the background offering some rest after the party. And the party never got better than this for the Mondays. “pills..” is a great rock n roll moment. 10/10

The Beloved – Happiness

Happiness is a warm bed of synths that sparkle gently like crystals, all warm, soothing and delicate. Who said electronic music lacks feeling? What “Happiness” by The Beloved does in the mood and tone of this glorious album is paint a permanent picture of that exciting and carefree period. Aside from the fantastically atmospheric chill out anthem “The Sun Rising”, The Beloved themselves were always too poppy to make a defiant and significant impression on the rave scene itself but what they did manage to do was broaden its appeal and give their own take on that summer with a blend of highly infectious, dreamy pop/dance tunes. “Hello” is busy name checking the sad, the glorious and the surreal – zippy from rainbow to Jeffrey Archer and even cult ex Crystal Palace footballer Vince Hilaire. It’s beautifully enchanting and Marsh even cheekily throws in a bit of eco-politics into the mix by asking “Can you spot the difference that lies between the colour blue and the colour green?” before realising we are very much in the middle of a Tory grip and a lack of action on environmental issues and thus the line soon after of “Sometimes I feel that the whole world’s going mad!”. The music, the gentle whispery vocals, the melodies..they all convey the feeling that everything is fine, if you allow it to be. “Wake Up soon” is a cry for individuality, for example. The lyrics expressing the need to live your life with you being the ultimate responsibly “Oh, so many people tell you what to do/ And you believe them, that’s the trouble with you/ Just think for yourself!” before perhaps being aware that beyond the raves, behind the partying and the dreams is a reality we all must face – “There’s a whole world out there waiting for you/ if you’ll just stop dreaming”. “I love you more” could even qualify as the most tuneful joyous pop song ever written! no mean feat. It literally bounces around the speakers with excitement and joy and the lyrics – just as the title implies – look at the state of feeling intense happiness but never quite being able to communicate it to a partner. “Up Up and Away” takes the whole party vibe that one step further with such utter devotion that it will make hippies and pacifists of us all yet. It is hugely infectious and rather like “wake up soon” before it, displays messages of realising full spiritual contentment. “Happiness” is wise enough to know that the best drug of all is love. An album made to be loved and one that offers many soothing cuddles in return. 10/10

Spoon – Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga

“The Ghost of you lingers” stays in your mind long after the closing bars. It’s one of those “listen with your headphones on and with your eyes shut” songs that just <i>get</i> you. It’s delicious and dark and creepy but strangely erotic all at once. Spoon deserve to be up there with the giants of the indie/alternative scene. On “Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga” they manage to pull of a great trick – sounding mildly poppy and mainstream without ever compromising on their edgy hooks and their experimental genius burns strong throughout. Whether it’s the reggae-ish sound on “Finer Feelings”, the bluesy and rugged opener “Don’t make me a target”, the bittersweet pop craft evident on “You Got Yr Cherry Bomb” and “The Underdog” or the sheer hypnotic thrill of “The Ghost That Lingers”, this is one of the best albums I have heard this year. You may want to avoid the limited edition version though which includes a second disc full of short outakes although it does give you a further insight into the tension to their songs which is never far away from the surface.  8.5/10

Supergrass – I Should Coco

As much as I loved Blur and Pulp, “I Should Coco” may just well be the best of all the Britpop albums. Over 12 years after its release, this album still makes you want to jump around your bedroom. It’s so much fun. The sound of young guys let loose in the studio on a sugar-rush and a headful of cool tunes. Despite “Alright” being heavily over-played at the time, it still remains a lesson in perfect teenage pop writing “We wake up, we go out, smoke a fag, put it out..see our friends, see the sights..feel alright!”. The slightly goofy punk pop sound is not without some outstanding moments. “Caught By The Fuzz” with its edgy tense fear about being arrested is a cracking tune and “Mansize Rooster” still bounces all over your head in unashamed joy. If your an old git, you’ll hate it. If you’re young or young at heart, what is there not to like? A cracking album that sounds as fresh now as it did in the mid 90’s.  10/10

The Enemy – We’ll Live and Die In These Towns

Almost 30 years ago, a band emerged from Coventry called The Specials who were to have an immense impact on British music. The Enemy could easily have a similar impact if they continue to make records like this. The comparisons to Oasis are a bit cloudy though – Oasis don’t write decent lyrics for a start! and it’s been a long long time now since the Brothers grim wrote songs this catchy, energetic and vibrant. The Appeal to this band is that they should continue to get better and better – all the ingrediants are certainly there – like songs, attitude and knowing the right trainers to wear. The singles are of course fantastic with the working class anthem “It’s Not OK” and the sing-a-long stomp of “Had Enough” hitting the right buttons throughout. And the album follows in a similar vein throughout with “This Song” also a top highlight. A young angry and highly infectious record that should be one of the albums of the year in the end of year polls everywhere. 9/10

The Pigeon Detectives – Wait For Me

I wanted to love this album, I really did. The criticism The Pigeon Detectives get is wrong – there is nothing wrong with catchy indie-pop (we have so many shoegazing serious and ultimately dull as dishwasher indie bands clogging up things)..but here lies the rub. The Pigeon Detectives are dull not for having the cheek to marry The Monkeys with The Libertines but because the tunes don’t particularly grab you over the course of an album. Sure, there’s a certain rush to songs like “Romantic Type” and especially “I Found Out” but will you be playing this album in a year or even 6 months time? probably not. Very ordinary, very samey and not very inspiring. 5/10

The Good, The Bad And The Queen

The band with no name is the latest in creative adventures for Blur frontman Damon Albarn and rather like Gorillaz, Albarn sounds yet further away from the ‘pop person’ we remembered from his Britpop days. Helped along by ex-Clash bass player Paul Simonon and Former Verve Guitarist Simon Tong, Albarn makes a record that is dark and cinematic. What they manage to do so well is to create a hangover from Parklife – as much as musical landscape about London than it is a lyrical portrait. The mood is sombre throughout with snatches of songs and scrapbooks of ideas that somehow all merge together. This helps make this sound like a fully flowing album rather than just a collection of hits and filler. Whether it stands out as Albarn’s best work is debatable but tracks like the beautifully soothing “Nature Springs” and “The Bunting Song” sound like lullabies of our times. 7.5/10