Friday 28 May 2010

Everything Everything // Man Alive



Cometh the hour, cometh the MAN ALIVE …



Everything Everything debut album MAN ALIVE
released 23 August 2010





"The British band most likely to deliver the
first truly great debut album of 2010"


- Sunday Times Culture


Pre-order here



Tuesday 25 May 2010

Pink Mince

“For the confirmed bachelor of exceptional taste” runs the tagline, and with the emphasis on photography, collage, writing and the kind of retro imagery that pinballs between kitsch and really hot, Daniel Rhatigan’s funny, smart and beautifully designed zine puts a bit of much-needed underground OOMPH back into gay life.



Each issue is broadly themed and it’s in classic zine format (that's A5 to you). You will find my own modest contributions in Issue #3, ‘Alter Egos & Secret Identities’ (short novel extracts collaged with mucky photos, so, not that modest) plus BRAND NEW Issue #5 ‘The Louche Limp-wristed Lifestyle’ features a double-page spread of hilarious messages I haemorrhage off my phone at the end of each month and which have proved strangely popular on this here blog. I’ve seen a preview and if I do say so myself, it’s fricking hilarious. The rest of the issue ain’t bad either!


The bossman Daniel is a Yank, resident in London, a designer and typographer by trade, which is more than apparent in the slick-yet-home-done feel of the mag. Check out his blog (and excellent tats) here



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Sunday 16 May 2010

Girl Groups

The Shirelles


The Supremes


The Toys


The Velvelettes


The Shangri-Las


The Ronettes


The Dixie Cups


The Chiffons


The Blossoms


The Angels


The Marvelettes


The Vandellas


The Crystals


The Chantels








Saturday 8 May 2010

Bands

Wire

The Heartbreaks

The Wedding Present

The Move

The Blue Aeroplanes

The Knack

Sugar

The Smithereens

Skinned Teen

Shonen Knife

Neu!

My Bloody Valentine

Microdisney

LiLiPUT

Kingmaker

Felt

Destroy All Monsters

Delta 5

Bow Wow Wow

Bivouac

Big Star

Angelic Upstarts

Acetone

Friday 7 May 2010

The Heartbreaks

This wants watchin' ... Think Orange Juice, Teardrop Explodes, The Smiths, Felt, all your favourite stuff from your imaginary older brother's record collection basically. They're from Morecambe. I know right? The only good thing to have come out of Morecambe is my mate Shaun. Till now. Spot the speeded-up 'Meat Is Murder' riff too.



Sunday 2 May 2010

330 Words

"330 Words is a blog for writers. Or more specifically, writers with a digital camera or a camera phone.

The concept behind 330 Words is simple. Take a photograph and let it inspire you towards a piece of fiction.

Let your photograph form the foundation of your story. Choose your own genre and style. Keep the entire thing under 330 words"

Simple!

Check out my photograph and story here ...

Beach House played at Islington Mill in Salford in February

I know this is sooo late but I wrote it for a magazine who then decided not to run it so I thought someone should get the benefit ...



"Three albums in and the signposts to Baltimore’s Beach House are well established (Mazzy Star, Velvets, My Bloody Valentine) while the less obvious ones are in strong evidence live (Feist, Cranes, M83).

Comparisons aside, with only a guitar (Alex Scally), keyboard (Victoria Legrand) and drum kit in tow, it’s sometimes hard to credit such a lush, plaintive layering of sounds. In truth, not much shoegazing territory is covered in their recent output, Legrand’s torchy vocals compete squarely with the swirls of instrumentation rather than fade under an FX pedal.

God save us from the term ‘dream-pop’, but an hour in the Beach House underworld, even in the Mill’s ramshackle surrounds, can at least begin to tickle your subconscious. A set list heavy with the new Teen Dream LP yields audience favourites despite being only a month old and the live experience suggests they’ve equalled and maybe surpassed their lush eponymous debut."

Saturday 1 May 2010

Most played, least played

Is someone hacking into my PC to play Alfie songs in the dead of night? They're still up there look! Bless 'em. Not much has changed really, Magnetics/Beach House binges aside ...


THIS is far more fun though, here are my least played artists on Spotify ...



When the frig did I play Duncan James? I'm blaming drunken house guests. David Essex I'm standing by, Tony Orlando and Dawn look fun too don't they? Go The Buddha Lounge Ensemble!