Women - Women: Album Review

The four men who make up Women know a thing or two about confined spaces. This debut album by the band, which clocks in at just 30 minutes, is so densely packed with sound that it feels like their songs are pushing down hard on your skull. The arid air that filters through Women is in marked contrast to the band’s origins in the foothills and wide-open spaces of their native Calgary. The band members appear to have balked at these surroundings, taking a deliberately contrary step by forcing their music into a tightly compressed corner.

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The Vaselines - Enter the Vaselines: Album Review

I was apprehensive about seeing The Vaselines when they passed through New York last year on a brief reunion tour. The thought of Frances McKee and Eugene Kelly bringing their filthy, funny and endearing songs to the stage more than 20 years after they were conceived, seemed to run in marked contrast to the youthful nature of the original material. My fears proved unfounded; seeing Kelly singing “It’ll take three to satisfy me/ 'Cause I’m more of a man than you’ll ever be” (from “Rory Rides Me Raw”) was riotously entertaining. Further sharp witticisms and ribald jokes flowed between songs, with both members effortlessly tapping into everything that made this band great in the first place.

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The Horrors - Primary Colours: Album Review

I come from the same small town as the Horrors. It’s a rundown seaside outpost in the south east of England, full of petty violence and hatred. The kind of place that will suck all the dreams out of you unless you find a way to escape. Morrissey’s “Everyday Is Like Sunday” video was shot there, and never has there been a more grimly appropriate interface between song and location. The Horrors are a band whose initial departure from such confines was met with a mixture of bewilderment, adoration and derision. Their debut album, Strange House, was a poorly received attempt at assimilating their ‘60s psych and goth influences, causing them to be swiftly dropped by their label, Loog Records.

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The Future of Music Writing

Last week, a group of British music critics united on Twitter to discuss the pertinence of their work in an age when their jobs may be sliding into irrelevancy. An unquantifiable, but abundant portion of recorded music is now available to stream or download online, often for free. The days of turning up at a record store and basing purchases on a shaky premise (the name of a producer, or a reliable record label) are over, and have been for quite some time. During the Twitter debate, former Melody Maker scribe Everett True asked: “In the babble of voices that is web 2.0, how is one more voice - however well-informed and succinctly argued - going to stand out?”

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