Robbie Williams RUDEBOX. EMI
“It wasn’t till I was in a studio the other day listening to a few of the tracks back, I was with the Soul Mekanik boys and the thought hit me… Do songs like the ones you like, I’m eight albums in, so why didn’t I think of this before? Doh! I’ve just been scared to make this record before I think.” Well Robbie, you’ve at last convinced me. Now I’m no fan but there’s a lot about this album I like; its (very) rude rap, its diversity (he still hangs onto a few pop ballads that are as good as anything he’s recorded before), its humour, its exuberance. Robbie adds, “My solo career started when the Britpop explosion did, and I thought, try and make songs that sound like that, but this is now… I’m 32 years old, eight albums in, and this is the record I’ve always wanted to make. It’s the start for me. It’s reignited how I think about what I can do with music myself. I’ve always been scared to try out different things and with this album I think I’ve lost the fear of where I should be in my head as a populist; as a populist artist. It means I can just go and do wonky pop now, which is I really wanted to do anyway.
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My Chemical Romance THE BLACK PARADE. Reprise
The other night I was travelling to a gig with my associate JJ and we started to discuss the new Chemical Romance album. I wasn’t too sure about how good or bad it was and wanted JJ’s view. He loved it and described the rather complex story behind it; it’s a concept album which Gerrard Way does not regard as a Chemical Romance release (he has said that 2007 will see the next band’s release) – hence the uniform dress code, etc… Gerrard described the album as: “The story of a man who dies tragically before his time in a hospital. Death comes for him in the form of a Black Parade because his strongest childhood memory is his father taking him to see a parade as a boy. The parade leads him to his final judgement; an examination of mortality.” He also said that The Black Parade also represents am alter ego for the band for this album as well as a collective name for their devoted fan base. With this information firmly lodged in my brain, I listened to the album again and discovered something new each time I played it. There’s no doubt it’s a grower, it’s very brave and one helluva recording…
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Vega 4 YOU AND OTHERS. Columbia
It must be around three years ago that I travelled down to London to attend a showcase by Vega 4. I was impressed by this multinational four-piece’s performance and songs, in fact so much so that for me it was not a question of ‘if’ but when and how big. A couple of EPs were followed by a great album but the band found much more success abroad than in the UK. Following a long period of silence here the second album is about to drop, and if there was any justice it should fly…
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The Bronx Live
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The Howling Bells Live
Manchester Academy 4, 21 October 2006.
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Moby The Very Best Of Interview
It seems a million moons ago that Moby’s extraordinary PLAY album landed on my desk and proceeded to blow me away. In fact it was mid-1999 and I knew nothing about this allegedly eccentric and eclectic musician. But on listening to the album I just had to find out more and eventually met Moby at his little London hotel in North London. It was Moby’s first PLAY interview in the face of a rather disinterested UK music media, and was not without incident; he had been held up by London’s choking traffic and eventually turned up for the interview an hour late. To make matters worse he was due to fly out to Germany and so our interview took place while he was packing his bags for the journey! The story of course had the happiest of endings when PLAY eventually took hold in 2000 (many months later) to become the biggest selling album of the year, eventually going on to sell 10 million units worldwide. This new, very comprehensive and open interview coincides with the release of his first best-of album, one of the most essential seasonal compilations.
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The Darkness The Final Show
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Soho Dolls & Zil Live
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Frames THE COST. Plateau
As a reviewer I’m always praying that the next album I listen to is going to be great; that an act is going to improve on what’s gone before. But I’m at the stage now with Irish band the Frames that I’m almost hoping that a new album will be a disaster, and for once I can demolish it… Some fuckin’ hope! Very few bands I know can boast such consistent quality while adhering faithfully to their distinctive sound. Sure, there have been minor blemishes; mostly production related; but the song writing and performances shine like a blazing desert sun, with the capacity to overwhelm; to involve like no other rock band. THE COST is the band’s latest album and is not released in the UK until 2007, although a little bird told me you can buy it on import from Ireland (go to the band’s website www.theframes.ie).
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Razorlight RAZORLIGHT. Vertigo
A new album hailed as a masterpiece by the music media, and a subsequent performance at the V Festival hailed as great but in reality a pale shade of the band I remember… So what’s the truth? I’ve had this album for a few months and listened to it several times to give it a ‘fair go.’ In truth it’s far from being a great album.
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Shakenstir Photo Supplement |
DPK: Digital Press Kit |
The Airborne Toxic Event |
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