September Round-Up

I guess I just don't hear it. Every time that I try to get into Protomartyr, they sound like a solid, competent, extremely one-dimensional post-punk band. In the past, they did occasionally do things that felt a little bit more intriguing ("Make Way") but Hotel Usona is a bit of a slog. Lots of self-belief and conviction and not enough songwriting chops. 5/10

There was a point during my first listen to the opening song on Tears In Time when I thought I’d found my album of the year. “For A Rainy Day” sounds like a classic Peter Hammill ballad. With a stark, complex melody that manages to be both elusive and impossibly beautiful. The rest of this new album is not quite as hard-hitting but it is still a late-career peak for the man. Particularly strong are the singles (the groovy “Heavy Weather” and the melodic and disarmingly beautiful “So Much Water”) and the surprisingly direct rocker “Red Flag (In The Sunset)”. But it is all good, really, once you settle into his unique, unsettling rhythm. 7/10

Sugar On Blackstone won’t win Kristin Hersh any new fans, but for my money these are her best, most nuanced songs in years. There’s a sense of beautiful tension to the album, and subtle orchestration works really well. The album opens very strongly and then teases with a couple of slow-burning, melodic highlights in the second half (“Sundial”, “Dom In Orange”). Excellent stuff, just don’t expect another Hips and Makers. 7/10

Half-Told Tales, really, is just as good as the previous two by the band. Intoxicating, catchy, utterly depressing. The only difference is that this new album is a little longer - with no less than 14 songs. That said, I don’t think there is any filler here (well, perhaps the short story “Under Offer” could qualify, but that’s it). My favourite is probably the ecstatic, protean “Dollar Park” that feels like an Arab Strap-styled suite. Lots of lyrical jewels, obviously. One of the albums of the year. 8/10

The Neil Young album that I’m most reminded of when I listen to Second Song is Harvest Moon, and that is a big compliment as that particular LP is among his very best. No dirty-ass Crazy Horse rockers here, just beautiful plaintive balladry. The two longest songs are the best (“Soon I Might Be Going” in particular is a late-career peak) but it is all very even. There’s a definite lack of variation here, and you will probably recognise some of the melodies from earlier albums, but who can resist that soulful voice?.. 7/10

I would argue that Feminine Divine by Dexys Midnight Runners had worse production but better songs. LOVE (very possibly their last album) definitely sounds good but, other than the singles, the songs themselves just don't impress. A very tasteful, warm sounding album that compromises on the edge a little. 6/10

Gilla Band used to be called Girl Band. The change was unnecessary (you can guess why they did it - bless you if you can't), but it's all in the past now. This is the second album from this Irish band released under the new name, and Pugnello is getting acclaim from all sorts of places. It is all noise, quite colourful and cathartic. If Mark E. Smith ever wanted to go into noise rock direction, the Fall might have sounded something like this. I might try to catch them on a tour early next year, this  probably makes more sense in a live setting. 6/10

Listen to Beck's new album back-to-back with Sea Change and weep... Ride Lonesome is a little better than Morning Phrase but that’s damning with faint praise. It’s a uniformly pleasant listen (oddly, Beck’s sharpest songwriting can be found in the final third of the album) but choosing between an introspective classic and “tasteful but boring” I’d probably go for the latter. Modern Guilt feels centuries away at this point. 6/10

I wish there was something interesting I could say about M83's new album I Wrote You A Letter. All I can manage, though, is that it is lush and ambient and makes for a nice background listen. 6/10 

Same with Blondshell's new album Violins (she is rather prolific). There is some sweet guitar-based indie singer-songwriting stuff going on here ("Fur Elise", for instance, is a slow-burning beaut), but the sound is a little too monotonous and the hooks a little formulaic. 6/10

Songs of the Month:

"For A Rainy Day" by Peter Hammill

"Soon I Might Be Going" by Neil Young

"Dollar Park" by Arab Strap

"Face The Wall" by Peter Gabriel

"Sundial" by Kristin Hersh

"The Music Of The Spheres" by Johnny Flynn

"You've Got The Love" by Dexys Midnight Runners

"Blister Sunrise" by M83

"Falling Through My Hands" by Beck

"Fur Else" by Blondshell

August Round-Up

It's one of the two: either I'm getting too hard to please when it comes to new music or this year has just been very poor. 

Back when I was 25 or so, I was writing reviews for Oxford Music Magazine, and one of the first pieces I ever did was on Lambchop's Mr. M. It had this odd but stylish black and white cover and the songs were slight but very haunting. Punching The Clown, Kurt Wagner's latest, is very similar but this country-tinged indie music just feels toothless and brittle. There is no real bite, just monotonous pleasantness. 5/10

Westside Cowboy is this hot new British band critics are falling in love with. The guys have good, confident sound but the songwriting is just not there yet. The opener of It Goes On rides quite beautifully on a Velvets inspired groove (think "Rock and Roll" and "What Goes On") but the rest doesn't leave much of an impression. Still, a decent debut, all things considered, and it will be interesting to see where they go from here. 6/10

I had been really looking forward to the Afghan Whigs' new album, and while Self Control is not quite as punchy as their three comeback albums (or, for that matter, Greg Dulli's underrated solo album from 2020), the quality control is still there. The album is very even with no filler and few standouts. Sort of grungy pop with an edge. 7/10

The new Jayhawks album, Sanctuary Park, felt different: the highs were high and the lows were mediocre. The opening "Keeping Our Heads Above Water" is the sort of memorable, anthemic alt-country they used to be so good at (think "Waiting For The Sun") and "Familiar Strangers" is a knockout pop tune that sounds like a cross between Crosby, Stills and Nash and late-period (but good!) Teenage Fanclub. The remaining songs are drenched in vocal harmonies and overall goodness but just don't feel too inspired to me. 6/10

Also, I keep not caring about Interpol. I will grant them the debut which showed some dreamy post-punk promise - but that was almost 25 years ago now. Outside the catchy single "See Out Loud", The Mirror Weighs A Ton is severely lacking in the songwriting department. Plus, the whole thing is way too long. 5/10

Thank God for Kiwi Jr. Blowin' Up, their latest, is yet another masterful set of tuneful, jangly indie rock. Jeremy Gaudet is a fantastic songwriter who sings in vocal hooks. Plus, Brian Murphy keeps adding these wonderful keyboard runs all over the place. They are playful, too, and not just lyrically. They do some clever tricks with time signatures on "Hard Drive, Ontario" and they provide pure power pop sugar rush on "New Jade Rabbit". An album of the year. 8/10

Thrasher by Brandon Flowers. I almost made the mistake of turning this thing off after the first two songs - thankfully, they are easily the worst songs on the album (well, add "Paradise" to that list). Straight up country with little to no imagination. When he stretches himself a little and challenges his inner Springsteen, the man comes up with near-classics like "Tiger's Blood" and "Angel". Overall not as good as Pressure Machine but it does scratch the itch. 7/10

Finally, Dinosaur Jr. are back with what many fans and critics claim to be their best album since Farm - if not their late 80s heyday. Perhaps. There Near is a really strong collection of beautifully noisy rockers and ballads filled with J Mascis's familiar slacker vocals and amazing guitar work. The album starts strongly, loses me a little in the middle and picks it up in the third act with the melodic "Walk Me Back" and Lou Barlow-sung toe-tapping "No One's Ready" that closes the album. 7/10 

Songs of the month:

"Landscape With Limousine" - Kiwi Jr.

"Familiar Strangers" - The Jayhawks

"Angel" by Brandon Flowers

"Heavy Weather" - Peter Hammill

"No Friends" - Dinosaur Jr.

"Looking For The Happy" - Peter Gabriel

"Memphis, Texas" - The Afghan Whigs

"Kick Stones (The Boys)" - Westside Cowboy

"Marianne" - Fontaines D.C.

July Round-Up

The tragic thing about the new album by The Strokes is that it could have been something else. Like, really good. Even great. Instead, Julian Casablancas decided to drag his voice through autotune, and obviously the two songs that do not feature processed vocals are the best ("Dine N'Dash" and "Going To Babble On"). The rest has potential (instrumentally, Reality Awakes is excellent) but Julian turns it into a nightmare. I would like to know the honest opinion of his band members. 

Thank God for Luke Haines. Izzy Wizzy Let's Get Bizzy is yet another reliably eccentric concept album, this time about the occultism and the magic of British children's TV in the 70s. If you think that's niche, you haven't been exposed to Luke Haines' music over the last decade and a half. It is dark and it is catchy and it has a lot of recorder and sinister folk strumming. And also, in the short and sweet "Spiritualist Church at 7.30pm Every Other Wednesday", one of his trademark classic pop tunes. 

There was a time (circa 2012) when The Menzingers meant something to me. On The Impossible Past was on constant repeat and I even caught them performing unforgettable, high-octane punk classics like "Obituaries" and "Time-Tables" in a raucous pub in Dublin. Since then, they have been patchy (Rented World) and boring (Some Of It Was True). Their new album, Everything I Ever Saw, is both of those things. It feels laboured, and very predictable. 

The cover of Charli XCX's previous album was pure kitsch, but then so is the black and white photo of Music, Fashion, Film. The album itself is filled with 2 to 3 minute songs that feel both snappy and strangely underdeveloped. It is an album of reels and threads and tiktok videos in a music form - all catchy and irresistible and also a little empty.   

The Rolling Stones have released their latest 'best since Some Girls' album. Foreign Tongues is certainly an admirable effort from a band so past their prime it is not even funny. At this point, we are way beyond their lifetime and even their afterlife. It is a revived corpse that is still, somehow, able to produce good music. Foreign Tongues is full of energy and decent grooves and hooks and memorable choruses. If it all feels a little off, then it is not their fault. It's the age. Best since Some Girls it is not, of course, but their most substantial work released this century? I might just accept that. 

Alex Cameron has lost something. After the perfect four album run (no small thing), he has released Late To Set without the saxophonist and longtime collaborator Roy Molloy. It shows. The songs feel a little more hollow this time, the playfulness is nearly gone (despite the conspicuous title "Jesus Never Had No Porno") and the humour has become a little forced. He is still very good, though, and both the ballad "Ricochet" and the groovy single "Red Hook Rain" are worthy additions to his stellar catalogue. 

At this point in time, I know exactly what to expect from Robyn Hitchcock. And I'm fine with it. There is nothing confusing about The Confuser. It is a late period Robyn Hitchcock album, full of memorable (but not that memorable) and eccentric (but not that eccentric) songs that are perfectly fine but won't get him any new fans. I'm just happy to get back in the groove for a while, and even hear that Kimberley Rew guitar which appears here from time to time. No classics, just a lovely little collection of ten new songs. 

Finally, another reliable album came from Shearwater whose new album, The New World, features an Interstellar-styled cover (which gives it a somewhat sinister edge) and nine songs of excellent slow burning folk-rock that has real tension and urgency to it. The musicianship is terrific and the beautiful melodies seep through, eventually. Laurie Anderson guests on the dreamy, hypnotic closer "You And My Dog".

Songs of the month: 

"Spiritualist Church at 7.30pm Every Other Wednesday" by Luke Haines

"One By One" by Peter Gabriel

"Photos Of The Reenactment" by Kiwi jr.

"Ricochet" by Alex Cameron

"Daydream Unbeliever" by Shearwater

"Glamour Magick" by Arab Strap

"Rough And Twisted" by The Rolling Stones

"Cocaine Walking, Booze Talking" by Richard Thompson

"Monday For Me" by Robyn Hitchcock

"Going To Babble On" by The Strokes

"You're Gonna Need A Little Music" by Yard Act

Sam Neill's best performance

It is never right to reduce an actor to a single role, but for me Sam Neill (who died last week) will always be about one little known film from 2008 I saw a while ago, in terrible quality, on a small computer screen. And yet it remains one of the most special cinematic experiences in my life.  

Dean Spanley is that rare combination of charming and bizarre that, if done properly, will always leave a mark. The film is billed as "a surreal period comedic tale of canine reincarnation exploring the relationships between father and son and master and dog". And it is all that, too. Sam Neill plays a clergyman who has a weakness for Hungarian Imperial Tokay wine. Weakness, though, does not even begin to cover it. For when Dean Spanley drinks the wine (slowly, meditatively, with tiny sips), he starts to relive memories from his previous life. During which he was... a Welsh Spaniel. 

There are moments in the films where the plot gets so eccentric it really should fall apart. But it doesn't. Instead, it inhabits its own strange world so comfortably, with such disarming commitment, that you simply get lost in its atmosphere. And at the heart of it all is Sam Neill who is clearly relishing the wine and the canine memories (both funny and sad). Relishing the role. When he is saying that you can't commit a bigger crime than to drag your dog from a lamppost with its complex mixture of odours... As a dog owner, this goes right through my heart. 

As does this story, and this film. Dean Spanley is the epitome of 'special', like so many other brilliant but unflashy and obscure works of art I have discovered over the years (Good Things by Epic Soundtracks, Kafka Was The Rage by Anatole Broyard). It gets inside you and it stays there. It evokes something you never knew could be evoked. And it is all done through the absolutely magical performance of Sam Neill. The way he closes his eyes when he drinks Tokay... You wish you could taste just one sip of that, and God only knows what memories would follow. 

June Round-Up

It probably says something about this particular June (hot, sticky, infuriating) when the best album is Graham Coxon's archival release.

Castle Park was recorded back in 2011 while Coxon was working on A+E but for reasons not entirely clear it had remained unreleased for 15 years. Well, he did say something about this music being unfashionable, but come on. It's not like Graham Coxon has been in fashion at any point since the mid-90s (I'm saying this affectionately, of course). Castle Park is not much but it is a very tasteful, Britpop adjacent collection of pop rock tunes. I'm particularly fond of the short and snappy "When You Find Out" and the galloping "Dripping Soul" that oozes Coxon's effortless melodic charm. The whole thing ends in a somewhat inconsequential way, though, with a classical instrumental and a brittle lo-fi ballad, which betrays a certain lack of interest on Coxon's part. 

Otherwise, it's been a drab month with new albums by indie veterans Death Cab For Cutie (boring!), Modest Mouse (mediocre!) and of Montreal (uninspired!). Really meek, toothless stuff, with the artists having so little to say you have to wonder why they even bothered. At the very least, Olivia Rodrigo's new album sounds like she cared. Not that I do - no, not even with a song called "The Cure" and Robert Smith himself guesting on "What's Wrong With Me" (at the very least, his feature is a lot more prominent than in the case of the new Rolling Stones single). 

Songs of the Month:

"Pure Michigan" by Kiwi Jr.

"Dripping Soul" by Graham Coxon

"I Belong To The Sky" by Peter Gabriel

"30 Degrees" by The Fall

"Jealous Lover" by The Rolling Stones

"Jesus Never Had No Porno" by Alex Cameron

"Keeping Our Heads Above Water" by The Jayhawks

"Pizza Mind" by Benjamin Clementine

"See Out Loud" by Interpol

Book review: WHAT WE CAN KNOW by Ian McEwan

It just keeps happening. Each time that I finish another book by Ian McEwan, there is a thought I cannot get rid of: this might be his best work yet. I believed that when I finished Black Dogs all those years ago. Later, Amsterdam. Later, Saturday. Four years ago it happened with Lessons. And this is where I am now, having just finished his latest novel. The only difference this time is that What We Can Know got me into this state of mind two pages into the second part. Which is exactly the moment when you begin to get the sheer scope of what McEwan is about to accomplish here. 

At its heart, What We Can Know has the sort of idea any writer would kill for. We are in 2119, the world has gone through wars, climate cataclysms and economic disasters (McEwan does not get into many details, but if anything, it only strengthens the effect), and the narrator is trying to piece together the past. The past is our present, our time, namely the beginning of the 21st century. The narrator is mostly interested in trying to find one legendary poem that was once written but has never been made public. It may have been called "A Corona for Vivien", and it was a birthday gift from the famous poet Francis Blundy to his wife Vivien. We get into many details about the circumstances of the gift and the birthday party during which the poem in question was recited. 

The backdrop is dark, even harrowing. Much of the UK is submerged in water, life expectancy is sixty-two, University students don't care about the past ('the morons of long ago', as they call us at one point) and Nigeria seems to be the most powerful and technologically advanced country in the world. The money is scarce and so is the food. Your average diet includes eel pies, protein cakes and mushy apples. It is an unappealing world, but it keeps trudging along in the shadows of tragic delusions and decisions of the past. It is inhabited by people who keep going about their lives: they love, they cheat, they make plans. 

What We Can Know is not about the present, though. It is about the past (or, basically, our present). The past has been analysed, dissected and 'robbed of its privacy'. And yet the past looks impossibly distant and unknowable (though admittedly, doesn't it seem sometimes that 2014 happened at least half a century ago?). You could dig around it for years but still there would be limits to what you can know. Sometimes time goes faster and sometimes it slows down almost to a halt. The past gets trapped in it, and the important circumstances are coloured in dark secrets and inevitable subjectivity. 'The past', writes McEwan, 'survives in its own special tense, a form of ahistorical present'. 

It is not always easy to get into a McEwan novel. You need time to get your bearings and settle into the right rhythm. But do bear with What We Can Know. His prose is always rewarding, as are the details (as soon as you finish this book, you will want to read it all over again), as is the mood of uncertain and slightly compromised elation you get while reading. He does get across this idea that what we have now, every little thing, is a miracle. It may not feel that way, but waiting until 2119 to make sure is not a good option. 

I remember that when I first saw the title of McEwan's new novel, I immediately thought of what Salman Rushdie once said about Christopher Hitchens's God Is Not Great: "It is one word too long". The reasons for Rushdie saying that were of course quite different, but it just felt to me that the title didn't seem right. Too many words. Too many short words. And yet some titles prove to you their inevitability once you start reading the book. And What We Can Know is inevitable. If anything, he could have thrown another short word in there - 'not', for instance. Which, however, would slightly cheapen the effect.

Baxter Dury in Warsaw, 10.06

"I want to fucking kiss you on your Polish forehead!"

There is a point at every Baxter Dury concert when all subtlety is gone, the man wraps his jacket around his head and gets into the full screaming mode. This happened when I first saw him in Berlin a few years ago. This happened at the OFF Festival in Katowice in 2024. And this definitely happened at Progresja in Warsaw last Wendesday. What I have noticed, however, is that these days he gets into that mode right from the very beginning.

This makes sense, of course. We are a long way away from sophisticated, downbeat albums like Len Parrot's Memorial Lift or even Prince Of Tears. Hell, even 2020's The Night Chancers was subtlety incarnate compared to the electropop onslaught of last year's Allbarone. A good album, granted, one that can make a dance club explode. 

No wonder, then, that it is the Allbarone songs that work best at a 2026 Baxter Dury concert. There is no foreplay, and he does not even do "Leak At The Disco" anymore. He gets into it straight away, no-prisoners-taken style. "Alpha Dog", then "Hapsburg". There are many in the audience who have only just discovered Baxter Dury, and the propulsive "Kubla Khan" is what they are here for. The third song of the set, the synthwave classic "I'm Not Your Dog", sounds almost elegant by comparison.

He does mix the old with the new but it is the Allbarone album that is played in its entirety (well, almost). Again, it works well within the context of the venue and his latest musical mindset (the chorus of "Allbarone" is positively ecstatic). The old stuff sounds uneven. While the magic of "Prince Of Tears" simply cannot be denied, the hookline of "Aylesbury Boy" becomes a bit of a mess. 

I still love him, of course, and I certainly don't want to say that he was only good when he played small Paris clubs and had 4000 monthly listens on Spotify. That said, it sounded a lot more effective when he squeezed the paint out slowly instead of splashing it all over your Polish forehead the moment he got on stage.