(May 2022) Episode 405 is the HAPPY MONDAYS. Arguably the most Madchester sound within the Madchester scene, with plenty of grooves and rave beats. But they lacked the melodic charm of peers the Stone Roses and Charlatans.
Favourite album: Pills ‘n’ Thrills and Bellyaches
Favourite song: Bob’s Yer Uncle
Compared to expectations: ↓
Recommendation: worth a listen to see what the Madchester thing was all about
(May 2022) Episode 404 is DEATH (the proto-punk band, not the death metal band). My primary interest is in their role as a proto-punk band, although they didn’t make a mark outside of their native Detroit until rediscovered decades later. Also unusual in that they were a trio of Black brothers who started out in funk but got turned on to hard rock, with political and later Christian themes. Their sound is like mixing MC5, Love, the White Stripes and Glass Harp in a blender.
Favorite album: …For the Whole World to See
Favorite song: Politicians In My Eyes
Compared to expectations: ↓
Recommendation: only of interest to those exploring the roots of punk
(April 2022) Episode 396 is CROWDED HOUSE. It’s generally more soft rock than my taste, but I’ve always admired Neil Finn’s songwriting skill (kinda the kiwi Difford/Tilbrook). There are some pop gems in here.
Favourite album: Woodface
Favourite song: It’s Only Natural
Compared to expectations: same
Recommendation: their greatest hits album (Recurring Dream) is worth having
(March 2022) Episode 393 is THE BETA BAND. Like me, you may know them from that iconic head-bobbing scene in the movie High Fidelity. It’s hard to describe their esoteric mix of folk, electronica, loops, beats and experimental sounds, but it is generally enjoyable. I don’t know if it was intentional, but the “beta” in the name implies it’s not a finished project, and it sounds like it.
Favourite album: Hot Shots II
Favourite song: Dry the Rain
Compared to expectations: same
Recommendation: if you’re looking for something unconventional
(March 2022) Episode 390 is THE CHARLATANS (UK). A band out of Madchester scene (dream pop with funky beats) that survived its demise (where did you go Stone Roses?). They impressively transitioned through Britpop, with some good albums in the 90s, and kept evolving their sound with melodic rock and lush pop.
Favourite album: Us and Us Only
Favourite song: Forever
Compared to expectations: same
Recommendation: they should be in your 90s Britrock rotation
(February 2022) Episode 386 is KULA SHAKER. Their debut was lightning in a bottle, a Harrisonesque mix of Britpop, Indian music and Hindu mysticism. I had it in heavy rotation back in the day. Subsequent albums, despite occasional good bits, never matched the charm.
Favourite album: K
Favourite song: Into The Deep
Compared to expectations: ↓
Recommendation: just K (debut album)
(January 2022) Episode 385 is BLUE CHEER. One of the loud and heavy bands from the late 1960s – and you know how much I love loud and heavy bands from the late 1960s – that is seen as a precursor to heavy metal. The sound on their first four fuzz-laden albums (the only ones you need listen to) is like Vanilla Fudge mixed with Iron Butterfly with a cup of MC5. Like many of that era, inevitably, they reformed to record some terrible albums in later decades.
Favorite album: Vincebus Eruptum
Favorite song: Come and Get It
Compared to expectations: same
Recommendation: for those who like 60s deep cuts and metal historians
(January 2022) Episode 383 is THE BOO RADLEYS. As I continue my (second) tour of 90s UK bands, I come to The Boo Radleys, who trod the crowded path from shoegaze to Britpop. Their songs never settle on a singular style, both within and across albums, which makes them both an interesting listen but also hard to characterize.
Favourite album: C’Mon Kids
Favorite song: What’s in the Box? (See Whatcha Got)
Compared to expectations: same
Recommendation: should be on your 90s British rock list
(January 2021) Episode 380 is COURTNEY BARNETT. Conventional yet enjoyable singer-songwriting, delivered in a somewhat laconic, sometimes Sprechgesang Australian accent. I was drawn to her by the grungy fuzz of “Pedestrian at Best” but that was more exception than rule.
Favorite album: Sometimes I Sit And Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit*
Favorite song: Pedestrian At Best
Compared to expectations: same
Recommendation: enjoyable but not spectacular
* one of my favorite album titles of all time
(January 2022) Episode 375 is DENGUE FEVER. I had no idea there was such a thing as Cambodian psychedelic rock until I was introduced to this band. Dengue Fever combines a couple of indie hipsters from LA and a Cambodian immigrant singer. Their music recreates the sound of that scene from the 60s and 70s (until undone by Pol Pot), a mix of surf-style guitar, fuzzy keyboards, world music rhythms and lyrics sung (mostly) in Khmer in a Eastern pentatonic style. It’s an odd mix that works.
Favorite album: Escape from Dragon House
Favorite song: One Thousand Tears of a Tarantula
Compared to expectations: same
Recommendation: if you like hearing styles you’ve never heard before
Opus Project 