When The Cricketer Left The Crease: A Year Without Peel
On the eve of John Peel Day and the anniversary of the great man's death, it's worth assessing how his legacy has been dealt with, and what tributes have been most fitting...»
Articles
thommo has written the following articles:
A + E Line - Train Wrecks
Oooh, arty. As far as current musical duos go, it seems the south coast has got one of the darker, quirkier and more laterally-thinking twosomes in A+E Line, the sort of band you’d think were utterly twee if they weren’t dealing in shaded, twisting electronic pulsations and sharp flecks of guitar. It's difficult to tell precisely where they’re at or, indeed, where the bloody hell they think they’re going with my curiosity tucked under their arm.»
The Harpies - Waitless
Feeling brutal? Or rather, feeling that your ears, bowels and entire being need something to stir them up for about three-and-a-half minutes? I have just the thing for you...»
Cornershop - Wop The Groove
Even though it’s only the second single on Rough Trade, it’s obvious that Cornershop seem to be falling into some sort of guest-vocalist formula. But whereas ‘Topknot’ sparkled with summery pleasantness, their new single ‘Wop The Groove’ is something that you rarely find the ‘Shop producing, i.e. a mediocre record.»
The Sways - International Orange
So what if it hardly trounced ‘Funeral’ in the maelstrom of year-closing album polls? It’s still one of the most arresting albums from the last twelve months’ worth of underground guitar music, and one of the most sinister things your correspondant has tapped his toes to all year. »
Richard Hawley - Just Like The Rain
Any expert on modern-day Marlboro-bothering crooners is likely tell you that Richard Hawley has created some of the most soothing, hope-drenched and plain heart-shatteringly beautiful songs of this century. Which makes ‘Just Like The Rain’ seems so naggingly, well, average...»
Regina Spektor - Mary Ann Meets The Gravediggers And Other Short Stories
Are you sitting comfortably? Then Regina Spektor will place herself delicately down behind the ivories, take a swig of something bottled, and begin. If you've never been enraptured by her before, then this should be an indicator of just the sort of marvellousness you've been missing out on. »
The Crimea - Lottery Winners On Acid
It’s now been over three years since we first heard that The Crocketts had mutated into The Crimea, and a little while longer since three minutes of doe-eyed bliss entitled ‘Lottery Winners On Acid’ first graced the ears of your correspondant. But is ‘LWOA’ still…well…any good? »
Supergrass - Fin
Whilst Road To Rouen has some moments that aren’t so much acoustically whimsical as just plain bland, Fin is proof that they are still capable of stealing hearts, just not by particularly energetic means (or ways that would be frowned upon in the medical profession). »
Wurzels - Remember Me / I Am A Cider Drinker
“I’m so bloody stupid I can’t even remember meself.” Despite their prevailing controversial status in the rural music scene, The Wurzels have covered British Sea Power and somehow created a late contender for single of the year. You heard. »
Magnet - Fall At Your Feet
Melodic enough to be turned into a ringtone? Check. Vague sentiment of undying love general enough to be applied to universal emotional attachment? Check. Creator instrumentally gifted enough to be considered a Proper Musical Artist? Yep. A song safe and warm and dangerously close to being downright mediocre? But of course.»
Tri-City President, Cathode Ray Mission, JayEtAl at Southampton Hobbit, Fri 26 Aug
Post-soft-rock, shambolic indie-rockin' and Mactastic electronica abounds. Make sure you’re freaky dancing when the revolution comes.»
Dead! Dead! Dead! - Demo #2
As typically English in its sadistic eccentricity as slipping arsenic into your PG Tips, it's a wonder this lot are a secret so well kept for so long.»
Fleeing New York: "We could have a rock opera if we're not too careful."
"A gauntlet was set for us to fail. People saying 'oh, you’re being awkward, go die in the gutter'." DiS catches up with two thirds of the not-really-art-rock powerhouse Fleeing New York to muse over sheds, school rucksacks and Later With Jools Holland.»
Lady Sovereign - 9 To 5
Get ready for the Ess-Oh-VEE!! Or, rather, get ready for Lady Sov to not be as brilliant as usual...»
Lethal Bizzle - Uh Oh! (I'm Back)
Bizzle's back in town, apparently, and by all accounts he's come to lock it down. Which makes for reasonably exciting listening.»
Madness - The Dangermen Sessions Volume One
Warning: may contain Nutty.»
Young Knives, Fleeing New York at London Islington Academy, Thu 21 Jul
At times they’re rocking out like they’re the snarling Southern scamps who’d easily put their aural stamp on any field with a speaker stack and then go backstage to eye up Queens of the Stone Age’s rider. At other times, and there’s many of them, they’re simply making the boldest, most celestial, most life-affirming songs of any band to pick up guitars in the last few years.»
Undercut - Something To Die For
Stadium-rock may be a dirty phrase around here, but rock n’ roll wouldn’t be as gleefully infamous without it. Sadly, Undercut don’t really do enough to separate themselves from the swathes of other bands intent on sports arena legend.»
Over-Killers: more corporate Brandon
A veritable newsfelch from those sleek, hip, ultra-produced Vegas types.....»
The Fairies Band at Southampton The Joiners, Sat 16 Jul
The Fairies Band are not only the token out-of-towners present here tonight, but also the most alien of conceptual gangs – it’s like they appear from a parallel universe where all stilettos are sold with graffiti pens, it’s encouraged to talk dirty to strangers, and The Pipettes wear denim rather than polka-dots.»
The Features - The Way It's Meant To Be
It's re-release mania after The Features were plucked from Fierce Panda, but for making two minutes' worth of incendiary gabba-gabba-rama-lama-skree brilliance we'll let them off.»
Kid Carpet - Ideas and Oh Dears
It's 'novel' in the best sense of the word, in that it's doubtful anyone's tackled love and anger quite like this before. Now off to Toys R Us with you...»
The Retro Spankees - My Sonic Driver
In the one-hundred-and-sixteen seconds it hangs about, 'My Sonic Driver' manages to mash together scratchy guitars, squeals, squeaks, shrieks, other vocals of a bewilderingly high-register and, as the icing on the cake, something resembling a pop song.»
Saint Etienne - Tales From Turnpike House
Ah, there is a corner of a quirky, left-of-centre indie disco that is forever Saint Etienne. Shame, then, that their new 2-CD modernist extravaganza is the sort of concept album you can't grasp the concept of, and...hold on, is that David Essex?»
You will be watching The Hungry i
One-man post-rock-hop neo-troubadour packs up his machines and does tour.»
The Chemistry Experiment - The Melancholy Death Of...
Let’s not confuse melancholy with depression, though – there’s too much hope, faded glamour and potent beauty in this album for it to be depressing.»
Various, Goldrush, Objects, Turncoat - Ejector Seat Vol. 1: 'The Theme Is Music'
The four-legged promotion team Ejector Seat are already somewhat legendary ‘round these parts (by which I mean both the geographical location of the UK’s south coast as well as the underground music scene that often operates therein), and it’s not like it’s without reason. Here's another to add to the list, though, in the form of their first compilation.»
Bearsuit: “If only we sounded more like Busted…”
DiS gets a surreal and tangential chat with super-furry, schizo-phonic lovelies Bearsuit to discuss space, Stetsons and what to do when trapped in a bouncy castle.»
Scout Niblett - Kidnapped By Neptune
If you’re looking for dusty, cavernous melancholia entwined with hard rockin’ and speckled with magic, then consider it found.»