La Coka Nostra – A Brand You Can Trust (Uncle Howie)
For all its claims at independent non-conformity, for all the posturing that screams authenticity and for all the turns of phrase that rhyme one too many words in succession to engender dazzlement, A Brand You Can Trust feels lightly peppered with easiness. Rather than actively [...]
“Like Bob Marley and Marvin Gaye, he died in his prime.”
Radio 1’s coverage of the death of Michael Jackson continues to tread the fine line between over-sincere tribute and uncomfortable irreverence, with a balancing pole constructed of sheer idiocy…
Jeff Wayne’s Musical Version Of The War Of The Worlds – 30th Anniversary Edition (Sony)
Hot on the heels of the 2005 Special Edition, the 2006 remixes and the 2007 highlights packages comes this 2009 30th Anniversary edition of Jeff Wayne’s long-cherished opus, this time as a USB memory stick with myriad extras. First things first: [...]
The Present – The Way We Are (LOAF)
Freeform in its initial appearance, The Way We Are by New York’s The Present takes the form of several tiny sound experiments and one gargantuan, climactic one. The veneer must be scraped from this colossal work (the whole work, not just the final 30+ minute title track) to [...]
We Were Promised Jetpacks – These Four Walls (Fatcat)
It’s obligatory now to comment on the refurbished and revitalised state of Scottish independent music (has it been unhealthy at any point over the last twenty or so years?), and it’s into these encouraging climes that bands like We Were Promised Jetpacks weather their inception. For many, [...]
Part 2, YEAH!
Let’s go back awhile – you formed for your keyboardist’s birthday party, right? Do you intend to play at all forthcoming band birthday celebrations?
Kip: Well, we have, for the most part. I remember Alex’s birthday party in our first year, and we threw this big house party at the place I was [...]
Here’s an interview that was supposed to be published but wasn’t. Whee!
New York’s The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart are distinct by their ability to totally transcend their influences. The husky, dreamy pop fury of their self-titled debut calls to mind any number of fuzzy twee and poppy shoegaze stalwarts as you’d care to [...]
A few years ago (maybe 2005…) PM went mental for Precious Fathers, an instrumental bunch from Vancouver. They were a slow-burning affair, both musically and progressively, culminating in them taking a good four years to release to their excellent self-titled debut (thanks to stints in other bands, including Destroyer ferchrissakes). Alluvial Fan is coming out [...]
PM is very happy to be included amongst the slew of reviews for Malcolm Middleton’s new LP, Waxing Gibbous, as highlighted by the man himself on his website:
“Some reviews of Waxing Gibbous.
“All this from a man”
“Malcolm Middleton spent a decade in an important band named after a sex toy”
“some of Middleton’s lyrics are not [...]
