As the cover of their first EP boasts, this quartet from Hull (actually, only drummer Hugh Whittaker hailed from the English city, the rest wound up there for various reasons) are quite good, creating distinctive, finely crafted pop songs. Flag Day is an outstanding debut, four polished tunes that are memorable and intelligent. No fey…
A trio vigorously lauded by supporters as the new Clash, New Model Army is long on principle and maintains a fervent, unyielding political stance. Taking primary inspiration from early punk roots (though less abrasive and more melodic), NMA breathes life into the genre, providing a most effective medium for singer/guitarist Slade the Leveller (Justin Sullivan)…
Ignore the misleading name: New Haven, Connecticut’s Bleached Black offers a unique brand of keen-edged power/punk pop. Hard and driving, yet sublimely melodic, the trio intermingles unusual influences (Buzzcocks and R.E.M., to name two), enhanced by the dual vocal attack of guitarist Stevo and bassist Greg Prior. The indie-land debut, Wrist-Slashing Romance, suffers as a…
Ever-changing and always challenging, London’s Wolfgang Press is one of the most enigmatic groups on a generally enigmatic label. Probably better-known for their stylish Alberto Ricci record covers than their music, the trio comprises Michael Allen (vocals/bass) and Mark Cox (keyboards) — both of whom had been in Rema Rema with Adam Ant collaborator Marco…
In this era of retro-rock, revivals and ripoffs, it’s not easy to find truly innovative pop music. That’s what makes this quintet from Peckham so special — they literally defy categorization. Led by the exuberant Rolo McGinty, the Woodentops employ only the barest of essentials — vocals, keyboards, acoustic guitars, bass and rudimentary drums. The…
Glasgow’s coy Orange Juice, de facto leaders of the Scottish neo-pop revolution, typified a UK trend towards clean, innocent looks that unfortunately spilled over into the music. Emphasizing their “unspoiled” raggedness, the band began with clumsy tunes about insecurity and romantic rejection; singer Edwyn Collins mumbles and croons like a slowed-down Ray Davies. You Can’t…
This terminally cute London quartet with the daft name spun off from the defunct Marine Girls but, unlike former bandmate Tracey Thorn (who went on to form Everything but the Girl), Alice Fox and her crew still hawk the chaotic tunelessness that made the Marine Girls so insufferable. The first EP has a sparse, almost…
After dissolving Swell Maps, singer/guitarist/rock scribe Nikki Sudden released two solo albums, Waiting on Egypt and The Bible Belt, which basically offered more of what that band had been doing. But then he formed the Jacobites — a core trio of Sudden, guitarist/singer Dave Kusworth and ex-Swell Maps drummer Epic Soundtracks (Sudden’s brother), plus assorted…
Chicago’s Naked Raygun was one of the encouraging new punk bands that bloomed in the Midwest long after thrash had apparently isolated the punk aesthetic in its own circumscribed ghetto, where it would never again challenge the musical values of regular folk. Lump the longer-running Raygun in with Hüsker Dü, Man Sized Action, Big Black…
The Jazz Butcher has undergone more transformations than most bands do in several lifetimes. Led by the Jazz Butcher (aka Butch; in truth, Pat Fish) himself, it is, regardless of incarnation, his lyrical witticisms and humorous critiques around which the group’s music revolves. The debut LP, A Bath in Bacon, is for all intents and…
The name James must mean “flux” in Manchester parlance: the English group has been changing and evolving along an unpredictable course ever since making its debut as a folky new wave quartet in 1983. Surviving several stages of the city’s pace-setting musical development, James has followed a unique agenda, expanding its ambitions wider and deeper-…
Originally from Australia, the Moodists are graduates of the thump’n’grind school of gothic punk. Combining dense metallic bass and razor-sharp guitar riffs with singer Dave Graney’s demonic growl, the band is capable of a most unholy din. Although dark and ominous, the music can at times be surprisingly melodic. The seven-song Engine Shudder is not…
Criticized for their uncanny resemblance to R.E.M., Connecticut’s Miracle Legion cannot be so easily dismissed as rote imitators. There’s no denying the obvious similarities (vocals and guitar); thanks to musical creativity, however, Miracle Legion manages to stake out their own territory. Savvy production techniques and aggressive playing make The Backyard a landmark. Mark Mulcahy’s vocals…
Although this London trio’s music is not particularly avant-garde, the group does fit in with the uncompromising 4AD family due to their steadfast determination to totally redefine a musical style. Instrumentalists Martyn and brother Steven Young, along with vocalist Lorita Grahame, take soul places it’s never been — and is unlikely to go again. The…
Originally a duo from Cork, Ireland, Microdisney combine heavily orchestrated smooth pop with potent songwriting. A sublimely seductive paradox, the music goes down easy but invariably returns to haunt the intellect. After moving to London and recruiting three more members, Cathal Coughlan (vocals/lyrics) and Sean O’Hagan (guitar/music) recorded Everybody’s Fantastic, thirteen gently atmospheric songs that…
Despite competent musicianship and complexity, this Dutch quartet’s gothic dance gloom is more imitative than distinctive. On The Clan of Xymox, the right components are present but the record is disappointingly short on personality. Despite three alternating vocalists (deeply anguished to breathlessly fragile), jutting electric and acoustic guitars, sinewy bass and a wealth of synths,…
Although they had precious little to say, this Liverpool quartet (notable for the inclusion of hornman Andy Diagram in its lineup) took an incredibly long time to get it out. Overdramatic to the point of absurdity, much of the Fountains’ music falls somewhere between fake jazz and soul, with occasional digressions into pop and folk.…
The ready adaptability of this Brixton quartet enabled them to rise from the ashes of London’s ill-fated Batcave scene — a curious association to begin with, since these mascaraed, leather-clad poseurs are more closely related to old-fashioned rock than gothic grave-robbing. With undisguised superstar aspirations, they signed to Polydor and released two excellent singles (“Restless”…
If for no other reason, this Boston-based quartet reserved its seat in music history by being the first American band signed to the British 4AD label. An eclectic blend of jerky guitar pop and songwriter Kristin Hersh’s unpredictably eccentric vocals, the early work by Throwing Muses bears no resemblance to any other group or artist…
One part Scottish, two parts English, this fierce trio (led by two ex-members of Motor Boys Motor) is well-named. Not averse to howling until blue in the face, they could very well be the prophesied saviors of static ’80s pop. The Messiahs take their jaundiced love of Americana and render it into an unrecognizable hybrid…
