Review: Mansfield new wave band B Movie unearth their long-lost 1982 album Hidden Treasures, more than forty years after they first recorded it for Phonogram, an imprint of Universal. The band were on the same management and signed to the same label as Soft Cell, but their career turned out to be a damp squib by comparison and they split up in the mid-eighties, without ever releasing this great album of synth pop for goths. Taking influences from the likes of Ultravox and The Human League, they cloak it in a more brooding atmosphere, reminiscent of The Chameleons and Joy Divsion - hitting all the right notes along the way, we think.
Review: Described as "the bastard child of a Ramones/Strokes one night stand", London's Bad Nerves take the early 60s rock n' roll power pop that birthed the later punk scenes and bend them into an ouroboros of tail-eating, hook-laden punk rock swagger. Following on from their 2020 self-titled debut full-length, their aptly titled sophomore effort ("that was never meant to exist") Still Nervous arrived in 2024 armed to the teeth with fuzzier riffs, bigger hooks, more breakneck pace and an endorsement from Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong. Boasting cuts such as the mega anthem 'You've Got The Nerve', this is as to-the-point, unpretentious and garage-punk as it gets.
Review: After over four decades out of print, Henry Badowski's 1981 debut Life Is A Grand finally comes reissued by Caroline True Records. Despite cult status, this is a can't unhear record whose privies are never lost on those who love it. Badowski built a quiet reverence for himself over the years, eluding mainstream rediscovery while gathering admiration from those drawn to its peculiar charm. Though he eventually slipped away from music and began a succession of other jobs - fans often wondered how such a gifted musician could just disappear - Badowski was known to have been a teenage bassist in Chelsea briefly linked to The Damned, later stepping away from punk's sharp edges to craft something far more whimsical and idiosyncratic. Drawing on his affection for Roxy Music, Ian Dury and Jethro Tull, he wrote, arranged and played nearly everything on the album himself, rom the baroque pop of 'Swimming With The Fish In The Sea' to the instrumental strut of 'Rampant'. Rich in synth flourish, sardonic lyricism and melodic invention, and now pulled up by the pinky and thus saved from the gorge of obscurity, Life Is A Grand returns with its sly wit and strange beauty completely intact.
Review: This is The National's Matt Berninger's second solo album and treads a sonically similar path to the Cincinnati band, with some forlorn lyrics and gloomy delivery. Berninger is clearly a fan of plumbing the depths of his heart and fortunately has the talent to be considered one of the top merchants of emotion around these days. Of the tracks here, 'Breaking Into Acting' is a beautiful slice of stately Americana and his vocals interlock beautifully with Meg Duffy, aka Hand Habits. For something more energetic try 'Bonnet Of Pins' as it's a pulsating chamber pop cut with thumping rhythms and a tear-jerking yet rabble rousing atmosphere. Live, this one will ultimately go down a treat.
Review: The original album artwork, designed by Tony Hung, features an ice cream in neon lights against a black background. For this special edition, Hung has reimagined the design, adding gold foil and embossed details. It's a beautiful reworking that goes well with the gold disc and shows a deeper connection to the music. The audio has been spruced up using a technique that is the holy grail of vinyl cutting. And in terms of the music, you might consider the tracks more deep cuts as they don't tend to decorate their live sets. But that ought to change as there's moments of pure genius. To name a couple: 'Lonesome Street' could have made any of Bowie's albums. And 'There Are Too Many of Us' sees Albarn dabble in Roger Waters-esque observations beautifully. Time has been very kind to The Magic Whip as it's aging really well.
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