September, 2020 - The Ginger Quiff

IDLES – Ultra Mono

September 27, 2020 By neilho27@sky.com

I’m not sure if you’d call this a review. Its more me trying to rationalise why I’m finding it so hard to love the new album from IDLES…

I’ve swithered about writing anything at all about this album. It is a total conundrum for me. I’m having a strange relationship with this one. The first time I listened, I was underwhelmed. The second time I began to appreciate some of the tracks. Appreciate – wow even that sounds like damning praise. The next time again, I found myself picking holes. Time and again I changed my impression on various tracks.… Read the rest

More Pandemic singles…

September 27, 2020 By neilho27@sky.com

The Filthy Tongues – Pandemic Pete

The real-life apocalypse that 2020 has become has fucked with The Filthy Tongues schedule of recording the third album in the apocalyptic trilogy they started with the darkly magnificent duo Jacobs Ladder and Back to Hell. To keep Tongues fans satisfied the band have just released the second of their global epidemic related tunes, following up Gas Mask Blues with the mighty Pandemic Pete.

The song is a microcosm of everything you could want or would expect from The Filthy Tongues. Colourful storytelling and characterisation. Biting lyrics with a wry dark humorous edge. The opening couplet drolly listing the ways in which an disaster that writes off a whole year might have announced itself…”I wanted zombies and diamond dogs, I wanted triffids and a plague of frogs….”… Read the rest

Letters From Lockdown – Natalie Pryce

September 12, 2020 By neilho27@sky.com

If you like your humour a bit close to the bone you could do a lot worse than listen to the (so far) four Letters from Lockdown from the enigmatic Natalie Pryce. Increasingly darkly humorous bizarre snapshots of how some desperately odd and sinister characters are dealing with 2020.

While you’re at it check out their tremendous 2020 album Humans of Late Capitalism for some eerie futuristic space rock n roll. Definitely one of my albums of the year.

Letters from Lockdown 1

Letters from Lockdown 2

Letters from Lockdown 3

Letters from Lockdown 4

… Read the rest

Lou Kyme – What’s the Worst That Can Happen? – album review

September 11, 2020 By neilho27@sky.com

Straight out of the deep south comes the melody packed debut mini album from Lou Kyme. I should point out, the deep south I speak of is deepest darkest Southampton. However, you would be forgiven for thinking these seven radiant slices of Americana/country same straight out of the USA.

Chuck magic

In fact, that isn’t so very far from the truth. Despite Lou’s English roots, and wealth of experience treading the boards with her dads’ band, the Okeh Wranglers, there are several American rootsy factors at play here. None more so than an appearance from legendary Green on Red axe man, and general guitar slinging legend Mr Chuck Prophet.… Read the rest

Mt Doubt – Doubtlands – album review

September 10, 2020 By neilho27@sky.com

One of the advantages of membership of Last Night From Glasgow is getting your sticky mitts on the glorious recordings ahead of their release. As the date for the official launch of the latest album, Doubtlands, from the magnificent Mt Doubt approaches (18th September) this stirring collection of songs, which manages to be both darkly melancholic but at the same time upliftingly enriching, feels like it has been spinning on my turntable for years such is the welcoming radiance it exudes. A sound that feels like the missing link between the dark storytelling and deep velvety resonance of antipodean troubadour Nick Cave and the multifarious textures of Glasgow’s own Blue Nile and The Bathers.… Read the rest