A decade or two ago, there were only four bands who I would bother to make the trek out from the suburbs to the ‘great’ metropolis that is Los Angeles: Farflung, Tunnelmental, The Flash Express and The Secret Society of the Sonic Six. Each were brilliant in their way, and Continue Reading
Avant-Pop
Y Bülbül – Fever
What a charmingly weird discovery this is! Yiğit Bülbül is a London-based musician whose roots are in Turkey, and this mini-album combines the experimentation of artists like Holger Czukay with the dulcet sounds of Serge Gainsbourg’s backing band in their calmer moments. A surreal release this one…
Dominique Figaro & Steve Shehan – Figaro... Si!
I had no idea what to expect with this album except that it was promoted by Carbon 7 record label impresario and former Univers Zéro bassist Guy Segers. His taste tends to be outstanding, so I gave this a shot. Quite pleasant, actually. Dominique Figaro’s voice reminds me of a Continue Reading
Peter Gabriel – Peter Gabriel 1 (Car)
It’s safe to assume that the vast majority of my friends and readers know who Peter Gabriel is. I don’t think there’s been a more important pop singer in the last 40 or so years, and it’s really a pleasant surprise to see him put the whole of his catalog Continue Reading
Venus Berry – Shibari
This is perhaps the coldest of cold wave releases I’ve ever had the pleasure of reviewing. Venus Berry is the nom de plume of Anouk Allard, who is not only a musician but has a background in visual art. Her style covers not only the aforementioned cold wave which the Continue Reading