I don’t make New Years Resolutions, but I did kind if make a mental note that I would try to be kinder to myself in 2026, aim to have a better work/life balance and set aside more time to do the things I enjoy… best laid plans and all that…
You guessed it, despite the best of intentions and promising myself that better work/life balance and to be less critical of myself, it’s only February and already I’ve missed more gigs than I’ve been to, I’m constantly metaphorically self-flagellating and I’ve gone down several dark holes which I’m scrabbling to escape from,it feels a bit like those cartoons where you see the character stuck in a hole and as they start to climb the walls, something happens to knock them back down again. If nothing else, I’m consistent… I just keep going round and round the same hole.
In an effort to kick start me back into action (I’ve got a few other irons in the fire to help get me out of the hole and seal that fucker up… for good!). I’m reintroducing Buzz Cutz, a selection of short reviews, features or shouts outs for albums I enjoyed in January that I would have reviewed if life and other bullshit hadn’t got in the way…
Amy Duncan – Greetings from Gartnavel
As you may have deduced from the above intro, when I first listened to Greetings From Gartnavel, I was in quite a fragile emotional state due to my own mental health issues, so the album of songs written by David Paton exploring his experience as an inpatient in Gartnavel Psychiatric Hospital often struck a nerve. While I’ve never had the same experiences as Paton, his bravery in opening up and sharing his very personal experiences with schizophrenia will surely make some listeners feel seen as they listen to these often emotionally wrought songs and recognise elements of shared experiences. To others it will hopefully be an eye-opening observation of his lived experience, because as well as being an emotional listen it is also an extremely insightful document of someone experiencing mental health issues. The end result is a beautifully affecting work of art, an album on which Duncan approaches the songs with such an poignant and touching sensitivity that you feel genuinely moved with a feeling of overwhelming sadness and empathy, at times Amy’s vocals are so haunting and raw, and the accompanying instrumentation and arrangements sympathetic and suitably sparse, then in other moments you are filled with a feeling of hope over adversity. When I first heard the album it had a profound effect on me, at times a difficult listen, I was often moved to tears, both from the sheer beauty of the music, and divine nature of Duncan’s vocal, but also at the brutal honesty in Paton’s lyrics which somehow manage to be simultaneously hard hitting and poetically elegant. While I can’t say I’ve experienced mental ill health to the same extent as Paton, I have experienced situations where people can be quite dismissive of the serious nature and impact of poor mental health, so anything that shines a light on this can only be positive and this album is a case in point, much kudos should be directed towards both Paton for sharing his experiences and to Duncan for her exquisite handling of David’s stories. An essential listen.
Amy Duncan – Greetings From Gartnavel
Hen Hoose Collective – The Twelve
When you’ve got a collective of artists that reads like a read ’em and weep list of the great and good of female and non-binary musicians, writers, and producers you are on to a winner straight away. This latest album from the Hen Hoose Collective is a coming together in a remote recording studio, The Black Bay on the Isle of Lewis, of the talents of (takes a deep breath) Susan Bear, Inge Thomson, SHEARS, Carla J Easton, Frances McKee, AMUNDA, Djana Gabrielle, Emma Pollock, Jill Lorean, Cariss Crosbie, Ray Aggs, and MALKA. Any one of these artists is a force to be reckoned with in their own right, so when they pull together on this superb collaboration, the result is richly diverse tapestry of sounds, a collection of songs that takes in a gamut of musical styles from dance beats to folk and indie-rock to pop and disco funk, and despite, or perhaps because of, this diverse range of styles, and the artists that create them, the album feels whole, like a journey of exploration, the shared experience of living and working on these songs in close proximity clearly had a distinct influence ultimately giving the songs a harmonious and unified soul. It’s hard to pick highlights when there is such a dramatically striking array of sounds to pick from, including songs like Rich (Katy’s in Space) which celebrates the rich diversity and power of women in music while taking a wry sideswipe at Katy Perry and In Control which is a powerfully impressive anthem that feels like it is channelling the spirit of Self Esteem. The songs on offer here range from the calm and beatific, like Ego Death & the album’s closer Blessings On the Day, to those which are stunning in their dynamic intensity as demonstrated on of Out My Mind. A must have album for 2026.
The Twelve | Hen Hoose Collective
M John Henry – Early Songs, Of Late
The De Rosa front man released this cleverly titled album in January, with Early Songs, Of Late taking some songs from his back catalogue and unreleased songs and and re-working and re-recording them,. I’m not sure if it’s a theme of the albums here or a result of my own state of mind, but this album is another moving listen, the instrumentation and arrangement of the songs and M. John Henry’s sensitive vocal delivery come together as a soul-stirring package that moves between stark poignancy and heartwarming beauty. The stripped back nature of songs like Camera, and the heart-aching beauty of forthcoming single Evelyn, with Henry and acoustic guitar at their core and with minimal or sympathetic additional arrangements really capture the purity and the essence of the songs. Elsewhere the banjo parts on songs like New Lanark, Hattonrigg Pit Disaster, which featured in my January singles round up and and the album’s opener Hopes and Little Jokes brings something a bit different to the mix adding a welcome texture and give Early Songs, Of Late, a feeling of accomplished completeness, a consummate collection if songs that feel like there is a beginning, a middle and an ending, an album that was written as a whole, rather than a the sum of the parts of songs collected together. Perfectly executed with a unearthly fascinating allure.
Early Songs, Of Late | M. John Henry
The Cribs -Selling a Vibe
Selling a Vibe, the band’s ninth, is probably my favourite album from The Cribs since 2007’s Men’s Needs, Women’s Needs, Whatever. One of the most enduring, and endearing bands from the noughties indie scene, it’s hard to believe that it’s 20 odd years since the band’s self-titled debut album and then their first foray’s into the charts with singles Hey Scenesters! and Mirror Kissers from their sophomore release The New Fellas. Selling A Vibe has some unmistakable Cribs style anthems in the shape of the albums opener the bittersweet Dark Luck and the addictive high energy rhythm of Never the Same, making these songs instantly accessible surefire live favourites Those songs with that distinct forceful potent vitality are tempered with some more contemplative songs like the stirring single Summer Seizures and the affecting Looking for the Wrong Guy standing out as some of the album’s highlights, and displaying a theme throughout the album with very ruminative and introspectively thoughtful lyrics. The album’s closer really hits you straight in the feels, with a hugely emotive melody and some reflective uplifting and personal lyrics about sticking together through thick and thin, a message which has clearly worked for this band of brothers with Selling A Vibe demonstrating a band at the top of their game.
The Cribs – Selling A Vibe. The Cribs.
The Jack Rubies – Visions in the Bowling Alley
Having formed back in the 1980s, The Jack Rubies returned to the fray in 2023 after a hiatus of around 30 and followed up a series of singles with the 2024 album Clocks Are Out of Time. Visions in the Bowling Alley is the follow up to that release and it is another triumphant release, a statement release that very much cements the message, The Jack Rubies are BACK, with a vengeance. The overall sound of the album is one of a potent and forceful energy, with a booming dark heart created by a forbidding rhythm section. The underlying melodies of the songs are often laced with a hint of menace, with perceptive observational lyrics, often hard hitting with a social conscience suffused with wry humour. The album is packed with bombastic footstompers, the sleazy blues of Swampsnake a case in point with Be Good or Be Gone another album highlight, with its soaraway uplifting melody and vocal harmonies that had me thinking of Shakespear’s Sister. As a reference point for new listeners, My Perception suggests hints of That Petrol Emotion at its core while Primordial Sludge channels London Calling era rumblings of The Clash, but also nods to The The with it’s piano parts (Swampsnake also wouldn’t have sounded out of place on Infected). There are some huge highs of effusive and lively vitality on the likes of Boat Rocker which will have you wanting to jump out of your seat and make some moves… my recommendation, just do it, dance like no-ones watching. Highly recommended.