Noah Gundersen isn’t giving up on “Better Days”
There’s a piano. It’s broken or muffled. There seems to be the sound of people moving about in the background. It turns out those noises are the drums that soon join in. This is how Noah Gundersen’s “Better Days” starts. Quietly, effected, but deceptive, for when the singing starts it’s crystal clear, soulful, and emotional. […]
The The get “Infected” with a Sweet Disease
In 1989 English band The The released Mind Bomb, a luscious album that capitalised on everything its predecessor had promised. It’s a quiet masterpiece that still holds very strong today and is one of my favourite albums of all time. But the previous 1986 album was where I discovered this passionate, unique band. I was […]
The Half-awake Dream of Jörgen Kjellgren’s “On A Tuesday”
If you make music, if you put pen to paper and voice to tape (well… the electronic equivalent these days, but I’m being nostalgic), does the time of day or day of the week affect what comes out? Tuesday is the day of the week for music producer and singer songwriter Jörgen Kjellgren’s latest song, […]
“1979” – The Smashing Pumpkins’ best song
There’s three things I love about The Smashing Pumpkins. First, Billy Corgan’s look – watch the videos for “Ava Adore” or “Stand Inside Your Love” – he’s mesmerizing, a modern rock Nosferatu. Second, their name – it’s hilarious! And third, “1979” – their best song. There are other songs I like but “1979” has this […]
“When You’re Breaking My Heart” by Gatlin: Game-playing and infectious pop in equal measure
Gatlin seems to have contradictions to deal with. She’s with someone and she likes them, you know, in that special way… until they reciprocate. Then she’s not so sure. Ah love! It’s a complicated game isn’t it? Luckily, Gatlin has a supremely catchy song with which to work through her feelings. As she explains at […]
“Pull” by Joel Ansett is a Welcome Moment of Calm
It’s a loud, busy, frenetic world out there, isn’t it? Sometimes it can be overwhelming, I know! If you need a couple of minutes to escape from it all, you could do a lot worse than to listen to “Pull” by Joel Ansett. Gentle, confident guitar notes are counted in and a sweet voice with […]
There and Back Again: Depeche Mode Take You on a Trip with “World In My Eyes”
At the end of the 80s Depeche Mode put a small advert in the papers. It read “Your own PERSONAL JESUS” and had a phone number below it. If you phoned that number, you got to hear their new song. That song is now fairly legendary in their canon as is the seemingly generationally-adored “Enjoy […]
Meditation in loss: “Holy Smoke” by Nicki Wells
It seems fitting that “Holy Smoke” is highly minimal. It’s a track that invites you to quietly join it in the open space, to have the room to feel what you need to as the track slowly calms you. Nicki Wells seems to have been influenced by a wealth of different musical styles but here […]
Why Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill” endures
You know that feeling when you’ve discovered a song and it feels personal to you? It feels like something in that song is speaking to you, and no one else. Then you find out that millions of people are listening to that song and it feels jaded, it feels like it’s no longer special because […]
Death Cab For Cutie Ponder Movie Stars, Eternity, and Pop Perfection on “Here To Forever”
For more than twenty years Ben Gibbard has been honing the sound of Death Cab For Cutie, trying to distill what they do to a set of musical fragments that, when played together, make up a melodic whole. On “Here To Forever” he may just have mastered that technique. To my mind, modern Death Cab […]
