"Short stories and travel reports from my life adventures around the globe".
In the fall of 1993 Seattle three-piece Nirvana was arguably the biggest rock band in the world. Their debut album Bleach had planted seeds of vehement potential, while everybody and his dog picked up a copy of its all-conquering follow-up Nevermind. Then came the eclectic rarities compilation Incesticide, before recently released third LP In Utero, […]
Read MoreI was deep into my Nirvana phase when a friend of mine suggested another American band I might enjoy, “They totally influenced Kurt Cobain!” he exclaimed with wide eyes. A few days later he personally hand delivered two CDs, a mini LP called Come on Pilgrim (1987) and a thirteen-track debut album by the name […]
Read MoreIt took me a long time to get Bob Dylan. For years I was totally immune to his harmonica-laced charms, happy to tell anyone who would listen that I didn’t see what all the fuss was about. After all, the guy couldn’t even sing and having only been exposed to his protest song era, he […]
Read MoreIt’s easy to forget what an unparalleled tour de force Oasis were when they burst onto the scene in the summer of 1994. Dangerously cool, razor-edge witty and a whole new level of arrogant, they were impossible to ignore, the musical equivalent of Jack Nicholson smashing the door down with his axe in The Shining. […]
Read MoreAnyone familiar with my reviews will be far from surprised to hear that I’m a big Elliott Smith fan. Like Nick Drake before him Elliott was a deeply troubled soul who wore his heart on his sleeve, writing immensely cathartic alt-rock throughout a tragically brief solo career. Time and time again I find myself falling for […]
Read MoreIn the summer of 2000 I turned twenty two and as per tradition back in those days I was treated to a bunch of CDs from my core group of music-loving friends. It was always exciting to receive a pile of albums all at once, even if I knew I’d be getting exactly what I’d […]
Read MoreI have a somewhat sheepish confession to make. Now bear with me, but the first time I heard The Smiths I was not impressed. The track I’d stumbled across was Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others, a quirky little tune that appeared as simplistically self-explanatory as its title suggested. ‘‘Some girls are bigger than others’’ […]
Read MoreI was wandering around Our Price Records one day in the mid 90s when suddenly a song struck me like a well-fired arrow. “Avoiding all work, ‘cos there’s none available’’. With its new wave beats, thorny guitars and cynical vocals I initially thought it might be The Cure. But the longer the track went on the […]
Read More‘‘You’re a Neil Young fan?’’ a friend of a friend once asked me. ‘‘Really?” ‘‘LOVE Neil Young’’ I clarified, putting on my best ‘‘don’t fuck with me!’’ look. ‘‘You don’t think his voice is annoyingly whiny?’’ “Nope’’. ‘‘You don’t find a lot of his music to be plodding, uninspiring dad-rock?’’ “Not in any way’’. ‘‘Hmm, ok. […]
Read MoreI can’t put my finger on when exactly Britpop became such a dirty word. A genre that once channelled such an acute sense of hope and reinvention, today it’s often referred to with an acidic dismissiveness. Cock an ear to any non-believer and you’re likely to hear buzzwords like ‘‘derivative’’, ‘‘pedestrian’’ and ‘‘false dawn’’. Britpop […]
Read MoreAlbum Review: Bryter Layter by Nick Drake. One day in my late teens I spontaneously picked up a copy of Q Magazine from my local WH Smith. Informative, witty and covering a varied array of artists, it wasn’t long before I declared myself a loyal reader. Their excellent feature pieces brought me fascinating stories behind […]
Read More1995 was a golden year in my budding journey as a record collector. At seventeen years old I had barely twenty albums to my name but was greedily lapping up as much new music as my free time allowed. Which, as I happily underachieved my way through college, turned out to be quite a lot! […]
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