What is the correct response to the old ‘what are your influences‘ chestnut?
It really should be an interesting question as genuine influence is usually pretty fascinating. Witness, for example, the John Lennon jukebox CD/documentary or, […]

INDIE AMNESTY
You know the score by now, unwanted CDs of doubtful provenance auctioned on eBay for our Grecian Earn appeal. So forget the blurb and check out these beauties!
Sad Beth for one earth pence!
I Love 1996
Someone take their tartrazine away[…]

Recording my new album — so there was this one and there’s this one and then there’s a so-far unreleased one done back in May, but album number four has been completed and I’m listening to it now as I dub a copy to be sent up […]

My August albums — there are three records that I listen to only at one particular time per year, and that’s an LA summer, smack dab in August. I didn’t get any of them in August to my knowledge, I don’t even think I first hea[…]

In praise of Apollo Heights — who I’ll be sorta surprised if anyone reading this has heard of, but no matter, that’s why I’m posting it! This week I’ve been indulging in the past four (well, three and a half) albums by […]

V – “Hip To Hip”
Popjustice’s pet boyband make – as you might expect – wonderfully infectious singles, and when I’ve seen them on TV the enthusiasm has crackled off the screen. But just what is it that makes […]

Here‘s something for use in the current discussion about the ‘state’ of the music journalism business.
On the Plan B forum, it prompted me to say that hating the NME was the new hating ‘manufactured chart pop’, even if t[…]

The Killers Press Posters.
This poster is labial pink, barbie pink, has the bands name in marquee lights, and the only image is a woman, cut off at the waist, back arched, stripper heels. It’s crass, it’s boring, it’s violent, it ha[…]

All the talk downscreen about the ‘uses’ of music got me thinking. Thinking about shelving. Sure, I ‘use’ music as much as the next blogger but the music I actually ‘use’ is pretty much entirely dependent on storag[…]

Tesla – Five Man Acoustical Jam
I first heard a snippet of Tesla performing “Signs” on a taped episode
of Raw Power in around 1990/1 – or was it the Kerrang TV show, you know
the one presented by Mosher or Thrasher or whatever[…]