Muso's Guide - Columns

Physical Format-20190619

19 June, 2019
Written by Kenneth McMurtrie
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The final five discs of 2018 start with Lady Bird (on the near obligatory orange vinyl) and the socially conscious 'Reprisal' and 'Shag Tally'. The trio are on the roster of Slaves' label & that comes as no surprise, given the mainstream modern punky sound they purvey. Nice inclusion of some organ on both tracks though, which lifts it a bit above the herd. Facebook shows the band have an active summer ahead.

Bessie Turner is unfortunate enough to get one of the wonky discs that periodically come out on Flying Vinyl (most seem to be the purple ones) but, as I'm never that bothered by singer-songwriters 'Nino' and 'Abseil' don't sound like my cup of tea anyway. Pleasant enough but easy to pass over. Bessie seems to have a fair amount of online coverage but no site or page showing here current doings.

Superego are this month's group with a Miles Hunt-alike in their ranks. Apparently they're "the four-piece who've been slowly crafting their sound on the underground scene". The only one. In the whole world, at least five months ago they were. 'Sleep' chugs along but sounds like it would be pretty boring live. 'Black Balloon' is rather quiet in comparison. Even the bits that are obviously meant to be loud. Soundgarden they are not. The band seem to only have a Twitter account to highlight what they're up to but they're obviously active.

Doubling up random letters in your band name seems to still be a thing for Llovers (who're definitely not Welsh). The Lego Ninjago Movie comes to mind. More '80s (via Suede) stuff going on here on lead track 'Go Get Her, Go Getter', a piece of wordplay all their own it seems. It's shiny. 'Without You' is yearning and slow. At least up to the point I stop listening at. Facebook shows the band to have had a new single out last month.

Cleopatrick are Canadian and manage to sound more accomplished than most of the Flying Vinyl UK bands within about two seconds. 'Hometown' has a very pleasing weight of grunge about it. This is the best tune to come out of one of these boxes for months. 'Youth' repeats the feat on the B side, albeit with a more considered approach. Still a good double-header though. Five months in to 2019 though and I for one have failed to see more of the duo, despite the booklet's assertion to the contrary. The band's site shows they've a couple of UK dates next month though so those may go some way towards raising their profile.

Physical Format-20190612

12 June, 2019
Written by Kenneth McMurtrie
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Fickle Friends are the first act in the November Flying Vinyl box. Unfortunately they aren't featured in the accompanying booklet so I've no further information about them other than that they get three tracks on their transparent green 45 - 'Broken Sleep', an upbeat slice of pop if ever there was one. A summer song released at the end of autumn. 'The Moment', more of the same. Thankfully seemingly light on the autotune (if used at all) and 'San Francisco' again with the poppy and pleasant air. Each tune deserves a bit of attention this summer if they're lucky. The internet shows the band have played the Far East but not released any new music for a while.

Secondly, on red vinyl, we have Bristolians Swimming Girls doing their bit for the '80s revival. 'Back Of Your Car' is nicely upbeat but the lyrics are nothing special and overall it's forgettable compared to the Fickle Friends songs. 'Asking For It' is slower and again nothing of note. They've not risen any in my estimation since their 2017 release. The band's site shows they've just begun playing a few festival dates in Great Britain.

Eliza Shaddad has a breathy singing voice. Not unpleasant but 'This Is My Cue' is in no way the sort of thing I'd choose to listen to. all a bit too angsty as it gets going. 'Just Goes To Show' is a bit more considered but still strives towards the anthemic at times. Well crafted and she probably deserves better attention on the back of it. Eliza's site shows she has one live date coming up.

Loners apparently have the "undertones of the anthemic early '00s indie" in their sound but all I'm getting is more '80s and Erasure on 'He Looks Like Me'. Less Erasure and more Simple Minds on 'Give Up', which I do before the halfway point. Facebook indicates it's a slow process for new music coming out.

Lucy Lu's cover for 'Adonis'/'Down For The Third Time' flatters to deceive, giving the false impression that you'll be in for some muscular jazz funk. Instead you get fairly tepid and unmemorable modern soul. Definitely not my choice for the soundtrack of my lazy Sunday morning, unless by way of encouraging me to get up so as to turn it off. No one seems to want it on Discogs either so it's into the flea market pile. The band's site shows they have one live date still to come this summer.

Physical Format-20190605

05 June, 2019
Written by Kenneth McMurtrie
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No September review folks as someone at the pressing plant or Flying Vinyl HQ left my discs for that month shrink wrapped so they're up for sale in mint nick, much as I think I like Kagoule and a couple of the other discs actually looked interesting. If only I could download the tracks to find out ...

Anyway, October 2018 instead and first up are Black Honey, who I think I disliked last time they featured in a box. Apparently they've "stormed the charts" since then, which says a lot about that institution and why many people pay no attention to them. 'Blue Romance' passes by barely noticed as I'm typing the above and 'Crowded City' isn't too bad, in a Gwen Stefani-like way when it cuts loose but outside of those bits it plods. The band's site shows them to be touring Europe & England over the summer.

Nancy get a nice purple vinyl disc for the oddly wobbly 'Teenage Fantasy'. Think Tame Impala and you'll know what to expect. The B side just features a remix of the A side so nothing very special overall. Facebook shows the band are still active.

Elle Musa has a nice voice. 'Lime Green' is pleasant, in the singer-songwriter vein. It could though be any number of falsetto-voiced folk singing and strumming away. It's also a very short song. 'Rosa & Henri' adds a piano to the mix and things come over all Amelie OST. Pleasant. Facebook advises that Elle now has an album out.

Mint (this week's other act who are likely hard to find online) hail from Grimsby and are another act seemingly styling themselves on The Wonder Stuff, if their photo's anything to go by. 'Nothing Seems To Get Me High' is a pretty good track in the thumpy/shouty vein of rock. The band have elements of The Hives in their sound but, as seems to be the case often with songs in this column, the track ends too soon. 'Superglue' chugs along at a good pace but there's a comedic element about the band's sound which makes it hard to take the whole thing seriously. Maybe that's the point - they're here for a good time not a long one. Overblown solos abound but this time the unexpected ending is pulled off fine. Have a click on the band's site to see what they're up to at present.

Blood Red Shoes are an act I'm surprised to see in this box, thinking them a bigger act than would need the association. Here they are though with 'Mexican Dress' and 'Beverly'. Our regular contributor (and instagram guru) Steven is a big fan of the duo but I've never been bitten deep by their work. This single seems unlikely to change that. The A side is efficiently melodic and a bit dark with a tune which, if heard repeatedly might be something you'd find yourself humming snatches of. As I'll only be playing it once that won't happen here. 'Beverly' goes down the moody & slow route. Fine if you like that kind of thing but I don't get past halfway. The web shows the duo are touring Europe & the UK from now until the end of November.

Physical Format-20190529

So I've finally gone and done it. The email to cancel my Flying Vinyl subscription has gone in. Originally the intention was to do it after having reviewed all of the releases I have but, given the chances of me suddenly finding I want to keep all 50 of the discs remaining to be written up are slim, it felt right to pull the plug now. The label's 50th box was waiting for me when I got back from holiday in the first week of this month (when this is being written) and the contents were visually unappealing and the assumption is that the music will be too. The box also had some rubbish on it about your music collection resembling your coffee collection. Who collects coffee?

Everything's being got rid of one way or the other after being played for review purposes too. The chances of future plays are near zero for any of those I've kept hold of up to now (the Pip Blom disc is the only one I can think of which could well get that, or the Theo Verney one) and I need the space for the numerous good singles from my youth that I want to keep. Those won't get may more plays over the years either but that's beside the point.

Which fate then awaits the releases from August 2018? Discogs or the fleamarket for someone to take a 50p punt on?

That month found the orange vinyl going to Bad Sounds with 'Couldn't Give It Away' and 'Honestly'. Poppy and upbeat though it is the first track has no depth and is totally disposable. 'Honestly' sounds a bit like De La Soul round about when they first started. Amusing but not really funny so clearly one for folk already into that sort of thing rather than me. The duo's site shows they have an album out but no upcoming live shows.

Fur (a band probably destined to be hard to find online) get the clear vinyl this time around. 'If You Know That I'm Lonely' has a pleasing indie jangle and pacing to it, bringing to mind more the likes of Peter & Gordon rather than The Beach Boys, if we're sticking with the booklet '60s comparisons. B side 'What Would I Do' has a definite 'last dance' thing going on. It's even better than the first track (apart from the sudden ending) and I'd keep it in a flash but it seems to command good money on Discogs so on it goes. Facebook shows the band will be on tour in the UK in the autumn.

Citrus Heights first track is called 'Vanilla' and it's a wholly apt name. Limp and weak as piss. 'Lovers' seems like wishful thinking on the band's part. Wedding band material. Facebook shows the band have a new song out and will have played a show by the time this column is published.

Sports (another bunch it may be hard to search for on the web) start things off on 'Shiggy' with a meaty bit of synth. They and the previous band share a bit of '80s smoothness but there's more conviction here and the American trio would steal Citrus Heights' dates with barely any effort. 'Don't Tell Me' is a pacier, funkier affair and less to my taste in this genre but it's still obviously an accomplished track which would fill the dancefloor. The ending's a bit weak though. The band are still active online although not much in the past couple of months.

Last up this time around are Yassassin with 'Wreckless' and 'Sinner'. Imagine Elastica's comeback and you're in the same room as this lot. Except they seem to be doing it at half speed. 'Sinner's a bit quicker but still a mite ploddy. Not the sort of thing that would encourage me to seek them out live, on the off chance that they liven up when on stage. By the time you read this the band will have played at The Great Escape & maybe have some other new information on social media.

Physical Format-20190522

It's a few weeks since I last wrote one of these columns, having bunched a few together in advance of going away at Easter but, with one lot of holidays done and the summer ones within sight, it's time to get on to July of 2018's Flying Vinyl box.

Since last actually writing there's been a Discogs sale - £2.50 for the Boniface single to someone in Poland. There's hope yet then that the other discs I'm wanting rid of will also shift.

The Night Cafe get a cheery orange vinyl for their songs 'Turn' and 'Felicity'. The latter is thankfully not a cover of the Orange Juice number. On both tracks they get a decent bit of shoegaze/indie guitar going without overblowing it. Pleasant stuff which I'll be keeping although, having not heard their name mentioned before digging the disc out tonight I'm presuming I'll not find much action about them when I have a look online for the current state of their affairs. The band's Facebook shows they're debut album will be out in the autumn, which is probably more than I was expecting.

Tempesst are London-based Aussies (at least they were last summer) who resemble The Wonder Stuff a bit. 'Doomsday' was supposedly one of the 'psych-rock hits of your summer' but it must have happened when I wasn't looking. They have a big sound which would no doubt reach apogee if they ever get to play stadiums but, as it goes, the strings bring to mind late Verve. 'Roller Coaster' feels more like ABC. Smooth with strings. Okay but hardly psych by any stretch. Keeping it for now though. Facebook shows the quintet are still plugging away at it.

The Flying Vinyl discs have some truly awful covers. Sports Team's 'Liberal Friends'/'Stanton' is definitely one of the worst, a shit bust of Charles & Diana (the point obviously being to be crap but still). Their name rang a vague bell but it seems that they're not in fact who I thought, which is handy as they're nothing special. Plodding, mid-paced indie and a singer who sounds as if he apes Bryan Ferry on stage. Something North of a tenner is apparently possible on Discogs so listed it is. Facebook reveals the band have played a couple of festivals this year so no doubt they'll be doing a few more of those over the summer.

Krush Puppies and Good Foxy also have rubbish covers. The former do at least have the better name of the two.

'Petal Head' is a moody, breathy effort to start off as it plods along. The guitars go a bit Elastica then its back to plodding. On 'Passata' the vibe is lighter but unfortunately to the point of inconsequence. No one seems interested on Discogs so off to the fleamarket it goes. The band seem to have been quiet since February 2019, according to Facebook.

Good Foxy are apparently a quartet yet their booklet photos contain five blokes. They're also apparently 're-energising '60s psych-rock'. So much so that of course they've become massive since last summer and there's no point in me reviewing 'Winning Man' or 'Don't Get It'. Part of that last statement is at least true. Another one for the fleamarket. The band's website shows them to have a few live dates in the coming months.

Physical Format-20190515

Things don't begin particularly summery with the June 2018 selection from Flying Vinyl. Nova Twins' Skunk Anansie meets The Prodigy sound is as heavy as that description is intended to convey. 'Hit Girl' pounds away with stacks of attitude and anger infused through it. 'Lose Your Head' does pretty much the same thing, although it lacks a hook & I barely took it in as I was typing a message whilst it was on. I think I've filled all the head space I have for this sort of thing so it's going up for sale. The duo have a new single coming out in the near future, according to Facebook.

Premium Leisure apparently curate their rock (so says the booklet this month), whatever that's supposed to mean. 'Water Pistol' doesn't make me think "classic rock 'n' roll" so that's another badly written element of the blurb. It's okay; no edges and no hooks but inoffensive. Like George Harrison's comeback in the late '80s. 'Gold Tunes' is more of the same. No one seems to want it on Discogs so it's into the fleamarket box. The act seems to have little online presence and to have been quite quiet since last summer.

Paris Youth Foundation (from Liverpool) get off to a good start with the sprightly paced 'The Off Button'. There's a good mix of synth-backed bits and guitar-heavy passages and I find myself comfortably nodding along to it. 'London', on the flip side, is a bit less accomplished and Snow Patrol-like but it's the second song so who ever plays those anyway? The band have a few live dates coming up this month.

Kashmere, from their photo, look like they enjoy Kasabian via Manic Street Preachers. 'Tokyo' fits firmly into the post-Britpop landfill indie bracket so that impression wasn't too far off although it does kind of come into its own just as it's winding to a close. 'Codeine' is thankfully not another version of that much covered '60s track but is rather more polished and synth-driven than the A side. Someone's apparently so loveable they're as addictive as the drug. Holy moly. Unsurprisingly the chances of a sale on Discogs appear slim but it's listed anyway. The group seem to have released no music in the past few months but do have a new badge for sale.

The Pale White also seem to be channeling Kasabian a bit on 'Loveless' and, as the track progresses I find myself thinking about Secret Machines, who I streamed earlier today having been reminded of them whilst getting rid of the singles I'd bought years ago. Decent enough indie rock which didn't find major favour & seems to have seen them disappear after only a few years. Unfortunately I predict the same for this trio. 'Peace Of Mind' is a grittier affair than the first track, however, and I find myself warming to the group. This one stays with me for now. The band toured Northern Britain earlier this year but their own site lacks any further information just now.