Nine Feet Underground

The 25th October 2014 marks a decade since John Peel died of heart attack, at the age of 65, whilst on a working holiday in Peru.  I first heard of his death on that day on my way back home from Leeds.  When I got off the train at Kings Cross I had to walk to the tube station via the street (there were building works going on) and on my way I passed some 'Metro' stands and the headline caught my eye, so I picked up a copy and read the bad news.  A lot of words have already been written this month about John, his legacy and what he meant to many of those who met and worked with him.   I didn't ever meet John though did see him near Broadcasting House one evening in the 1990's - just didn't have the bottle to say hello. Apart from having influenced and broadened my musical horizons for more than 30 years – from teenager to father of three – he also introduced to some of the artists and bands I still love today.  This post i...

Ai Caramba! You know that the stigma – in some “cool” music journalist circles at least – associated with the musical genre termed “progressive rock” has finally been exorcised when one of the icons of hip-hop/jazz cool can release – get this – a concept album, with a psychedelic art cover, intended to be listened to as a single piece of music (all 38-odd minutes of it) and it be lauded across a broad spectrum of the music press. I present to you ‘You’re Dead!’ by Los Angeles jazz/fusion electro-hip-hop maverick Flying Lotus (real name Steven Ellison). Make no mistake ‘You’re Dead!’ is as unashamedly prog an album as you are likely to find anywhere this year.   It may be a jazz/fusion hip-hop psych album but prog it most certainly is. Like all musical genres – and prog is an incredibly broad genre – the music stands or falls on its own. So the question is, is ‘You’re Dead!’ any good? For starters, that’s a question for you to answer – after all one man’s meat is anothe...

I’m always a little wary of bands that choose to name themselves after songs by bands with “cool” or “hip” critical credentials.  For that reason I’ve never taken the time to listen to bands like Death Cab for Cutie , Hunters and Collectors or Eric’s Trip to name but three: for the same reason I have ignored Spoon until now. Turns out this is a prejudice I must reconsider: Spoon ’s latest album ‘They Want My Soul’ is the sound of a band totally comfortable with their on song writing ability and willingness to experiment with their sound. The band, a five-piece, has a pretty traditional rock line-up - guitars, drums and keyboards – but on this album uses effects and treatments to get a more spacey sound that makes the fairly straightforward arrangements sound fresh. Highlights of the album include the title track ‘They Want Your Soul’, and ‘Do You’ and ‘Inside out’.   Take a listen to the title track on YouTube: Or alternatively the whole album o...

Music blog “The Quietus”   is rapidly establishing itself as the place to go for music writing with bite. These guys write with passion and don’t care who they upset but most of all they just love music. It doesn’t matter if the music in question is from last week, last year, the 60’s, the 70’s – whenever – if they like it, they say so and say why. You may not agree with what they write - prepare to have your preconceptions challenged - but in general it's a fun and bumpy ride. There have been articles praising Hawkwind’s towering live album  “Space Ritual” , the influence of the Motorik drumming style, 14 of the best independent label tracks   from 2014 and an interview with Ronika about her recent album “Selectadisc”   to name but four.   (I note with raised eyebrow an article today in praise of the re-released version of Jethro Tull’s “Passion Play” – who could have seen that coming? Never heard the album myself - must give it a listen) On...

I love unexpected or random sounds which contrast or oppose a song’s melody line or riff; sometimes these are deliberate, sometimes perhaps accidental.  One sound I particularly enjoy is the noise made when a guitar player’s finger rubs along the string as they change notes or chords, and that’s why I prefer the Peel Sessions recording of ‘Moon’ by Microdisney.  It’s from their 1984 album, with the ironic if not downright sarcastic title, ‘Everybody is Fantastic’ and is a beguiling but simple song built upon a plodding drum machine pattern and a meandering riff.  The Peel Session version opens with the sound of fingers and strings and randomly smatters the sound throughout the song.  It’s what brings me back to this song time and again. Here's the Peel Session version of 'Moon' on YouTube:

Welcome to part 2 of my 'Best of 2013'. The second and final part looks at reissues, favourite songs and, last but not least, compilations.  So, without further ado, the rest of the best of 2013... Reissues Hawkwind – Warrior on the Edge of Time :    Finally, after far too many years and all manner of mysteries regarding contractual disputes and personal wranglings, this album sees the light of day on an official CD release.  Esoteric must be commended for finally making this happen, and what a happening – a variety of packages including a triple disc with multiple mixes and extras and a vinyl box set.  It’s worth it for the intro to ‘Assault and Battery’ alone… Brainticket – Cottonwoodhill:     The album comes with a warning: “Only listen once a day to this disc. Your brain might be destroyed.”  There can be no higher recommendation for any piece of music. Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band – Trout Mask Replica :  ...

2013 was an excellent year for music. Thinking back it seemed to have been a good year before I sat down to list my highlights, but as my shortlist got longer I realised just how much good music I'd heard in 2013. Traditionally I've produced a top 5 or 6 albums list based on new releases alone, but this y ear I'm going all "music mag" with favourite tracks, reissues and new release lists as well. It's a sneaky way of recognising a few of the other albums that made the year's music so enjoyable. In case the title of this blog post wasn't too much of a giveaway I've decided to split the list into two posts; the first part covers new album releases whilst the second covers reissues, tracks/songs and compilations.   Here goes... New Release Albums My Bloody Valentine – MBV : Took a gamble and bought this without hearing it first; the great fear being that it would be just a re-tread of past glories with no new ideas - it wasn’t! No on...