November 2024 – THE NEW VINYL VILLAIN

SATURDAY’S SCOTTISH SONG : #431: CAMPFIRES IN WINTER

It’s a second successive week that a band is included in this series as a result of them being on Olivegrove Records. Campfires In Winter have been on the blog before, back in March 2017 when I gave a plug to their debut album Ischaemia. A quick reminder that the four-piece of Robert Canavan (lead singer/lead guitar), Wullie Crainey (bass guitar), Scott McArthur (keys/guitar) and Ewan Denny (drums) come from the village of Croy which is some 15 miles to the north-east of Glasgow, and is fairly adjacent to Kilsyth the small town from where emerged The Twilight Sad. As I said last time around, Robert’s vocal delivery leaves you in no doubt that they are from Scotland, as he rightly makes no effort to disguise his lilt. Here’s one from the debut album:- mp3: Campfires in Winter – With A Ragged Diamond It’s a bit of an epic, running to almost seven minutes. To my ears, there’s quite a few other Scottish-based influences within the track, such as the afore-mentioned Twilight Sad, along with The Phantom Band and Frightened Rabbit. The band has been quiet for a number of years, no doubt their efforts to write and record, not to mention play live, were impacted by the COVID lockdown. There hasn’t been any new music since the 2017 album, but there was a live show back in April 2022.

JC

Lou Reed

AN IMAGINARY COMPILATION ALBUM : #381: LOU REED

I was thinking the other day that it had been a while since I came up with a contribution to the Imaginary Compilation Albums series, but was also thinking that, despite being retired and supposedly having loads more time on my hands, I just couldn’t take all the hours needed to listen to all sorts of songs, narrow a long list down to ten and then write some notes.

And then it hit me. I can just rip off something that’s already out there, in this case an album that was released back in 1977. There were 11 songs on it, but given that I featured New York Telephone Conversation a few weeks back as part of the songs under 2 minutes feature, it could be dropped.

From wiki:-

Walk on the Wild Side: The Best of Lou Reed is the first greatest hits compilation by Lou Reed, formerly of The Velvet Underground. It was issued by RCA Records after Reed’s first contract with them ended in 1976. Issued on Compact Disc on October 25, 1990, the album cover features photos by Mick Rock of Reed and then-girlfriend Rachel Humphreys.

Side A

1. Satellite of Love (from the album Transformer, 1972)

2. Wild Child (from the album Lou Reed, 1972)

3. I Love You (from the album, Lou Reed, 1972)

4. How Do You Think It Feels (from the album, Berlin, 1973)

5. Walk On The Wild Side (from the album Transformer, 1972)

Side B

1. Sweet Jane (live) (from the album Rock’n’Roll Animal, 1974)

2. White Light/White Heat (live) (from the album Rock’n’Roll Animal, 1974)

3. Sally Can’t Dance (single version, 1974)

4. Nowhere At All (b-side of Charley’s Girl single, 1976)

5. Coney Island Baby (from the album Coney Island Baby, 1976)

The review over on allmusic, by William Ruhlmann, will make do as the blurb.

Walk on the Wild Side: The Best of Lou Reed was the standard record company “hits” compilation surveying Reed’s five-year, eight-album sojourn at RCA from 1972 to 1976. Its 11 songs included two from Lou Reed, three from Transformer (among them, of course, this album’s title track, Reed’s sole chart hit), one from Berlin, two from Rock N Roll Animal (one of which is “Sweet Jane” minus the introductory fanfare), and the title tracks from Sally Can’t Dance and Coney Island Baby, plus the previously non-LP B-side “Nowhere at All.”

It was a bulletproof selection, as unimaginative as it was dependable, which oddly was why it worked so well. Reed’s solo career had seen some extreme tangents, and this album caught them, from the Dylan-ish “Wild Child” to the glam pop of the Transformer material, and from the heavy metal rearrangements of old Velvet Underground songs on Rock N Roll Animal to the attempts at straightforward adult singer/songwriter rock on songs like “Coney Island Baby.” The regular albums had been uneven, but here Reed comes off as an accomplished dabbler in a variety of styles who really had something to say and said it, sometimes humorously, sometimes frantically, but always with conviction. Reed has been a prolific artist, and this album captures only a fraction of his catalog, but he is actually less eclectic as a rule than this collection makes him seem, so the result is an excellent introduction.

JC (with apologies for my laziness)

Arab Strap

FAVOURITE ALBUMS OF 2024 : I’M TOTALLY FINE WITH IT, DON’T GIVE A FUCK ANYMORE by ARAB STRAP

An occasional feature between now and mid-December, hopefully giving you time to put some records on your list to Santa. It’s not a rundown by any stretch of the imagination, but simply a chance for me to mention a few albums that have brought me immense pleasure thanks to them being released in 2024.

I’m Totally Fine With It, Don’t Give A Fuck Anymore – Arab Strap

Those of you who have long followed the blog won’t be surprised to find this one appearing as a recommendation.

Arab Strap very rarely disappoint those of us who are fans. They have been making music for the best part of 3o years, with the first six studio albums appearing between 1996 and 2005, with the next two appearing in 2021 and 2024 after Aidan Moffat and Malcolm Middleton had taken the decision to tour and record again, all the while maintaining their solo careers and other spin-off collaborations.

Those who pay no close attention simply pigeon-hole them as one-dimensional miserabilists who curse and swear a lot on their songs. The miserabilist bit isn’t an unreasonable point to make, but it doesn’t take into account just how much shift there has been over the years in what makes them so angst-ridden. But there is no way that Arab Strap can ever be dismissed as one-dimensional, something I intend to demonstrate with the songs selected today.

The artwork for I’m Totally Fine With It, Don’t Give A Fuck Anymore kind of gives the game away that this is an album full of frustration and resignation with the modern world. I’ll borrow some words from Stewart Berman‘s review for Pitchfork to try and best sum it all up.

In a pre-smartphone era, Moffat and Middleton were the novelistic narrators of twentysomething Scottish life and all the awkward conversations that transpire after the pubs clear out for the night. Now, with their second post-comeback effort, they stand among indie rock’s most astute observers of human behavior in the digital age. Moffat probably could have written the lyrics to “Sociometer Blues” back in 1998, as a window into a disintegrating dysfunctional relationship: “You take all my time, you take all my strength, you steal my love, you are the worst friend I ever had.” But the sense of exasperation and desperation is amplified upon realizing the song’s object of desire is his mobile device.

One of the things I’ve always loved about Arab Strap is the way they introduce each new album, as it never really is quite what you expect based on what has come before. They pull off another great trick this time, with one of the hardest-edged tunes they’ve ever recorded, betraying somewhat that Malcolm has long had a lifelong love of rock music while Aidan spits out a lyric which warns of social media and all the ills that come with any sort of addiction.

mp3: Arab Strap – Allatonceness

You’ll be pleased to hear they are still very capable of delivering moments of levity, as can be seen from the promo for the second and last single lifted from the album. It was filmed in Glasgow, taking in a few well known locations, and is seemingly the first time Mr Middleton has been part of an Arab Strap video in 25 years. He more than makes up for it:-

The video does disguise that this was probably the most personal song on the record, with Aidan explaining ” It’s about a period when I wasn’t doing very well, both mentally and physically. I was walking with a cane and in pain most of the time, and drowning my sorrows too, trapped at home and watching the phases of the moon through a window.”

I’ve long said that Moffat is the modern-era bard of Scotland, a lyrical genius whose work is so often achingly poetic.

Love will always be stronger than death.

Arab Strap ~~very rarely~~ never disappoint those of us who are fans.

JC

Dafydd Iwan ac Ar Log, Welsh Wednesdays

WELSH WEDNESDAYS : #4 : DAFYDD IWAN ac AR LOG

aka The Vinyl Villain incorporating Is This The Life?

#4: Yma O Hyd by Dafydd Iwan ac Ar Log

After examining some of Wales’ younger contingent in the past few weeks, today we’re going for something a bit older from a true Welsh legend; a song that has become a second national anthem.

Dafydd Iwan was born in the west Wales town of Brynamman and spent much of his youth in Bala in the north, before relocating south to attend university in Cardiff. He soon became known for his political activism and protest music. In 1969 he wrote the satirical song Carlo for the investiture of Prince Charles as Prince of Wales. The following year, his activism for Cymdeithas yr Iaith – the Welsh Language Society pressure group – got him imprisoned following a campaign of defacing English language road signs. His songs have taken in subjects including Welsh devolution, the Falklands war, The Troubles in Northern Ireland, the Gulf War and the Tiananmen Square massacre.

But in 1981 he returned to the topic of the Welsh language by penning the defiant anthem Yma O Hyd. Over the years, this song has taken on a life of its own. Yma o hyd means ‘still here’ in Welsh, and the song hails the resilience of the language to withstand the numerous attempts to obliterate it (and Welsh culture in general) against all the odds. Sports fans have adopted it as a rallying call, and most recently, it has become a pre-match ritual at Wales football internationals. Of course, the Wales national football team is currently experiencing its most successful period in history. Following them plummeting down the world rankings at the start of the century, Yma O Hyd is bellowed by fans. “We are still here/In spite of everyone and everything.”

40 years on, Yma O Hyd has become Wales’ second national anthem. In Dafydd’s own words: “It all started at the Austria game in March 2022, when The Red Wall propelled the song onto the world stage. After the second performance before and after the Ukraine match, the song was on its way to the World Cup as the Welsh Team’s official anthem. But what has happened since is even more significant, with people all over Wales singing the song, and people from other countries seeing Wales on the world stage.”

The album ‘Yma O Hyd’ enjoyed a 40^th anniversary re-issue last November which also coincided with Dafydd Iwan’s 80^th birthday.

MP3: Yma O Hyd – Dafydd Iwan ac Ar Log (from ‘Yma O Hyd’, 1983)

Here’s the rendition Dafydd referred to above, where he is joined by “the Red Wall” prior to Wales’ World Cup qualifying play-off semi-final against Austria in Cardiff. Rousing, moving, inspirational. Astonishing!

The Robster

PS : a quick reminder that there is still time to enter the competition associated with Welsh Wednesdays #3. Click here for all the info and details.

Popguns

ONE HUNDRED AND ELEVEN SINGLES : #076

aka The Vinyl Villain incorporating Sexy Loser

#076: The Popguns – ‘Still A World Away’ (Midnight Music ’91)

Hello friends,

I have to be rather careful here, because strong parts of my love for The Popguns were always based on my never-ending love for Wendy Morgan, the singer. The problem is that Wendy is no longer Wendy Morgan, she is Wendy Pickles for quite some time now, wife of Simon Pickles, guitarist, pictured above in the middle. And Simon, lucky him, has visited The Vinyl Villain in the past and left comments (this was years ago, yes, but still I’m quite jealous of him (not so jealous like I am of that midget of The Jesus & Mary Chain for having stolen the one and only Hope Sandoval from me, but jealous enough, believe me)), so I’d better watch out and don’t praise Wendy too much!

But I digress, as usual. In the late 80’s, as you know, there was a flood of great indie bands from the UK, basically heading towards more accessible music than their precursors from four or five years ago. The list of those bands would be endless, but in the long run The Popguns always kind of led it, as far as I’m concerned. And it was a well deserved leadership, because they came up with five wonderful singles between ’88 and ’91, each one of them a true masterpiece!

So it would have been rather hard to pick a favourite if it weren’t for the video that accompanied their fifth single, today’s choice. I mean, obviously the song itself is stunning enough, but watching Wendy in its video makes it even more special!

To me it was never a question that something from The Popguns had to be included in the 111-singles-box. It could easily have been a different 7“, ‘Waiting For The Winter’ for example, because of its B-Side, ‘Because He Wanted To’ or, for that matter, their take on ‘Harley Davidson’ from a few years later. But no, it turned out to be this gem:

mp3: The Popguns – Still A World Away

Bloody brilliant, isn’t it? ‘They don’t make ’em like that no more’, as my mother says. And with this I certainly don’t mean The Popguns, but today’s music per se, because The Popguns, mind you, are still going strong: they released a single last year for example, which is worth listening to, the same is true for their recent album(s).

If you liked the song above as much as I do, check out their other stuff: as well their early work as their recent releases – you could spend your time a good deal worse!

Take care,

Dirk

Sprints

FAVOURITE ALBUMS RELEASED IN 2024 : LETTER TO SELF by SPRINTS

An occasional feature between now and mid-December. There will be ten albums in all, and maybe having read what I’ve had to say, and listened to a few tunes, you might like the idea of suggesting something to Santa. It’s not a rundown or a Top 10 – the latter would be just too difficult to try and do.

Letter to Self – Sprints

It was SWC, over at No Badger Required, who introduced me to Sprints a couple of years back. I spend far too much time looking backwards, and any new music I pick up on tends to be associated with the scene in and around Glasgow. I don’t pay much attention to new releases from elsewhere, and I don’t tune in enough to BBC Radio 6 to keep abreast of what’s going on. Thankfully, No Badger Required always delivers a comprehensive run-down of what its author considers to be the best 40 songs/acts of the past calendar year. Oh….and he’ll always be SWC to me, even if he hides behind the name of Barry Stubbs these days.

By the time I decided to try and pick up physical copies of the various singles and EPs that had been self-released by Sprints, I was far too late unless I wanted to pay silly money via the secondary market. Thankfully, the band, with the support of their new label, City Slang, decided to issue a compilation, The Back Catalogue, which brought together almost all of their early work into one handy location. It proved to be one of my favourite and most-played albums in many a year.

The debut album was hugely anticipated. Letter To Self was released in the very first week of 2024, but it had been heavily trailed by a run of singles, all of which were outstanding in their own way. Here’s three of them:-

So far, so brilliant.

Letter To Self had been ordered well in advance of release, direct from the label. It was opened with a great deal of excitement and anticipation and placed on the turntable.

Hmm.

It’s a lot harder and rockier than I was anticipating, particularly when compared to the songs that had been collected on The Back Catalogue. File under ‘I’m Not Quite Sure’.

The album wasn’t played anything like as often as the compilation, but it was one I more often familiarised myself via the i-phone going to and from football matches on trains and buses. It gradually began to grow on me, and I grew increasingly pissed-off that I had been too slow off the mark to get a ticket for the scheduled live show in Glasgow as part of the tour promoting the album.

Without going over too much old ground, I did end up getting a ticket at the very last moment, just a couple of hours before showtime. It turned out to be one of the great gigs across the year, with the songs sounding even better in the live setting than they did on record.

mp3: Sprints – Cathedral

As I wrote in a review of that live show, the foursome of Karla Chubb (vocals and guitar), Sam McCann (bass and vocals), Colm O’Reilly (guitar), and Jack Callan (drums) delivered a non-stop blistering 15-song set, consisting of everything on the album and four songs lifted from their earlier Modern Job EP. The energy from the stage and within the capacity audience at King Tut’s was a sight to behold.

In the aftermath of that tour, the band announced that Colm O’Reilly had decided to quit the band. The wording of the statement to accompany his departure was quite telling in respect of the stresses and strains felt by young musicians.

“Life on the road can be tough – mentally, emotionally and physically, and does not always allow us to pursue our ambitions and dreams in our personal lives. Colm has expressed a desire to retreat from public performance and full-time touring to pursue his own passions, and we fully support his decision.

“Colm has and will always be an integral part of the Sprints family and we are excited to see how both our journeys unfold.”

I’m off to see Sprints again in a few days time. I’m not sure what to expect – they are continuing as a three-piece with guest guitarists for the live shows – and I’m not that keen on Feast, their first post-album single which emerged a few weeks ago…it’s just a bit of the repetitive side and leans too heavily on the rockier rather than post-punk side of their music. But I’m fairly sure it’ll sound great in the live setting.

JC

Wedding Present

THE WEDDING PRESENT SINGLES (Part Fifty-Three)

The hard work and efforts of the lockdown period, as mentioned in last week’s posting, delivered something quite special for fans in early 2021 with the release of the album Locked Down And Stripped Back. It contained twelve songs, of which ten were new takes on some classics, while two were completely new altogether, albeit one of them was a cover version.

All the songs had involved each band member – David Gedge, Jon Stewart, Melanie Howard and Chris Hardwick – recording their parts at home under lock-down restrictions. It had stemmed from The Wedding Present‘s contribution to the 2020 At The Edge Of The Sea Festival, by necessity an ‘on line event’, in which songs had been re-worked in a semi-acoustic style, with the tunes and films then stitched together for broadcasting. Here’s how California, a single from 1992 turned out.

Jon Stewart, formerly of Sleeper, was now very much part of The Wedding Present, and the cover version mentioned above was of one of his old band’s songs, but with the twist that Sleeper had never got round to recording it. An approach was made to Louise Wener to ask if she would consider duetting with David Gedge on the version that The Wedding Present were proposing to make as part of the Lockdown project, and to everyone’s delight, she agreed. The album, was very well received, particularly the collaboration on the cover version.

By mid-late 2021, things were returning towards a degree of normality, and live shows, with restricted numbers, became a possibility again. The Wedding Present wasted no time in getting back on the road and played a total of 19 shows in the UK and Ireland across August, October and November. It was during the middle part of the tour that news came out of an exciting project for 2022.

It was called 24 Songs, and it echoed what had happened back in 1992, with a new limited edition 7″ single being issued each month. They would be issued by the Leeds-based Clue Records and made available in shops across the UK, along with an option to subscribe in advance and receive a signed postcard with each delivery along with the promise that a specially designed box would arrive during the year in which the newly acquires single could be stored.

You can probably guess which option I took!!!

The first single arrived on 21 January 2022. It was a re-recording of the Sleeper cover that had proved such a hit on the Locked Down album:-

mp3: The Wedding Present (featuring Louise Wener) – We Should Be Together

The flip side was a track that had been written and occasionally performed back in 2019, with the writing credits including two former members of the band – Danielle Wadey and Charles Layton.

mp3: The Wedding Present – Don’t Give Up Without A Fight

It was an appropriate song with which to make the studio comeback, and yes, I agree entirely with the promo blurb that came with the release that Don’t Give Up Without A Fight combines classic Wedding Present feistiness with a Krautrock finale.

And so, we are now on the final stages of this epic journey through the singles from The Wedding Present. Please stay in your seats with your seatbelts securely fastened until we do finally come to a halt….which will be sometime in early 2025

JC

Call To Mind

SATURDAY’S SCOTTISH SONG : #430: CALL TO MIND

I’ve just one song by Call To Mind. And it’s under two minutes long. As such, it is one that could have appeared on other ongoing series, but its natural place is this Saturday effort dealing with Scottish bands. The band is described on their bandcamp page as ‘a collective from Ardersier, in the Highlands of Scotland’ Ardersier is a former fishing village on the Moray Firth located between Inverness and Nairn, with a population of just over 1,100. It was in Glasgow that the band members Martin Ross (piano/keys/vocals), Jamie Ross (guitar/vocals), Andrew Masson (bass/vocals), Joe Smillie (drums/percussions/vocals) and Steven Gribbin (guitar/vocals) made some headway back in 2013 when they signed to Olivegrove Records and released debut album The Winter Is White. It is thanks to the inclusion of this song on the 2020 compilation album Get Into The Grove : 10 Years Of Olivegrove that I can bring the band to your attention today:- mp3: Call To Mind – Recovery As far as I can see, the band has not been active since the recording and release of the debut album.

JC

Pooh Sticks

ONE HUNDRED AND ELEVEN SINGLES : #075

aka The Vinyl Villain incorporating Sexy Loser

#075: The Pooh Sticks – ‘Young People’ (Sweet Virginia ’91)

Hello friends,

back to sunny Wales we go, to Swansea, to be precise. After the embarrassing Helen Love-incident, (see # 34 in the series), I promise to be careful with my filthy tongue this time … I learn from my mistakes, although Mrs. Loser often says otherwise!

The Pooh Sticks it is, and the name is of course a common one. Somehow they have always been around, haven’t they, but in one form or another they also always managed to stay under the mainstream’s radar. The band may see this differently, of course, but as far as I am concerned: thank God they did!

Primarily recording between 1988 and 1995, they were notable for their jangly melodiousness and lyrics gently mocking the indie scene of the time, such as on “On Tape”, “Indiepop Ain’t Noise Pollution” and “I Know Someone Who Knows Someone Who Knows Alan McGee Quite Well”.

The band changed direction on their 1991 U.S breakthrough ‘The Great White Wonder’, eschewing the twee British indie pop sound for a more American-styled power-pop sound. Nothing wrong with this, because as bad as this sounds, we are talking about flawless, perfect pop here!

You see, the Pooh Sticks had many great moments, and lifted many a great tune. However, for most listeners, ‘The Great White Wonder’ will always be their finest hour. If you ask me, this was the absolute majestic ‘Force Fed By Love’ , but what do I know, right? But that was never released on 7“, to my great dismay!

So, instead, from the album, we have the opener today (old DJ trick, by the way: when you’re back too late at the decks or you’re completely lost because you chatted with beautiful female guests again, Side A, Track 1 is always the safest choice!), certainly a highlight in the long run of Pooh Sticks-singles:

mp3: The Pooh Sticks – Young People

Of course I hope you enjoyed the tune, as usual. If, for some reason, you did not, let me quote from it: „Get into it! And if you can’t get into it, shine it on!“

Take care,

Dirk

Flightpath Estate, Various

FAVOURITE ALBUMS RELEASED IN 2024 : SOUNDS FROM THE FLIGHTPATH ESTATE (VOL 1) by VARIOUS

Sounds From The Flightpath Estate (Vol 1) – Various

Maybe not the usual sort of thing you’d normally find around here, but this is a double-album that’s given me immense pleasure this calendar year. There’s people out there far better qualified than me to write about this album, so I’m going to lean heavily on them. This is the blurb over at Bandcamp:-

“The Flightpath Estate is a Facebook group dedicated to the music, art and work of Andrew Weatherall. It began life in 2013 and has become a virtual home to his fans, friends and family. It is also the host of the Weatherdrive – thousands of hours of recordings of Andrew Weatherall’s DJ sets, mixes and radio shows.

Sounds From The Flightpath Estate is a compilation celebrating people and places, the outlook, aesthetic and music Andrew Weatherall was known for, and the sense of community and love of music centered around The Golden Lion. (JC adds….a pub/live venue in Todmorden, West Yorkshire)

The sounds are forward thinking, created with a deep understanding of the music of the past but future facing, dance floor oriented and made with love.”

Adam, the genius behind Bagging Area and dear friend of this blog from the very earliest of days back in 2006, is part of The Flightpath Estate. He contributed the sleevenotes, and they alone make the whole thing utterly invaluable. I know he won’t mind if I pinch from his blog, written on 14 February, the day before the vinyl was made available:-

“Last summer while me, Martin and Dan were DJing at The Golden Lion we had a chat about a Flightpath Estate compilation album, the sort of chat which seemed like wishful thinking at the time but which sowed seeds with each of us. At first I was thinking of a compilation of already released tracks but that seem to be fraught with complications- licensing tracks from various other labels seemed complex and potentially costly. A compilation of artists who are members of the group and who were friends/ partners/ colleagues/ fans of Andrew’s but with previously unreleased music might be easier to pull off. I should point out that our experience of putting an album out was at that point extremely limited (of the five of us, Mark makes music as Rude Audio and has some experience releasing music but the rest of us- me, Dan, Martin and Baz- have close to zero).

The following week we discussed it further and drew up a list of names to approach. Our list included David Holmes, Timothy J. Fairplay, Sean Johnston, Richard Sen, Justin Robertson and Sons Of Slough (Ian Weatherall and Duncan Gray), plus Rude Audio, Jesse from 10: 40 and a few others. We divided them up between us and started making contact, via social media messaging and email. The first name in the list, a well known Belfast based DJ and producer who may have the initials DH but who has to appear pseudonymously due to him being signed to a record label, said yes immediately.

Once he was on board we felt we had a chance of getting this together. We contacted Waka and Matt at The Golden Lion, Todmorden, who not only run a pub/ live venue/ portal to another world, but also have a record label – Golden Lion Sounds. They were happy to put our at this point speculative album out. The other names on our list began to respond and say yes too. As summer turned into autumn we began to receive music: a track from the Belfast based DJ/ producer that he’d begun years earlier and now wanted to finish to give to us, a track that is seriously good; dubby music from Justin Robertson and Tim Fairplay, recorded specifically for the album; music from Richard Sen and from Hardway Bros (Sean sent us a track, then another version of it, then scrapped it and went back to the drawing board and sent us a Flightpath Estate theme tune); Sons Of Slough promised us a live track recorded at their gig at The Golden Lion last August; new music from 10: 40 and Rude Audio. All of it genuinely brilliant.

We discussed getting an Andrew Weatherall or Two Lone Swordsmen track. Martin is one of the few people who owns a copy of Still My World, a promo CD released in Japan in 2003 tied into a clothing range and we all loved the ambient track The Crescents. He contacted Andrew’s manager Pete Lawton and former Swordsman Keith Tenniswood, and we got their approval and blessing to use it, pending discovery of the master. Ian Weatherall gave us his approval, as did Lizzie, Andrew’s partner.

I contacted Andy Bell (of Ride and GLOK) and asked if he was interested. He replied to say he had a cover of Smokebelch that he started the day Andrew died but hadn’t finished but to keep in touch. Then he went on tour to the USA with Ride. Our deadline for music was approaching (we were keen to have the tracks in our hands, compiled, and ready for mastering for vinyl by November ’23 in an attempt to get the album out spring 2024). I emailed Andy on the off chance and the following day he replied to say I’d given him the nudge he needed, and he sent me his now completed, stunning cover of Smokebelch.

Now we had ten tracks, and a clear idea of which ones should open and close the album (Two Lone Swordsmen and Andy Bell respectively). Dan contacted Rusty, an artist and designer who goes by the name of Personality Crisis, about sleeve art (and getting that back plus the gatefold inner was another genuinely amazing moment). I wrote some sleeve notes. We did the legal stuff. GLS got it mastered. Last week, test pressings arrived at The Golden Lion. Now the sleeves are going to print and the records are going to press, and with any luck we’ll have them out in April (which happily will coincide with the AW61 celebrations at The Golden Lion).

At times while doing this, we’ve felt like a bunch of amateurs chancing our collective arm and making it up as we go along- but it turns out that things like this can actually happen. It’s one of the most exciting things I’ve ever been involved in. It still makes me shake my head in disbelief that in a couple of months it will be an actual physical record with this line up of artists, available to buy. The artists who have donated their music, the people who’ve helped us out along the way with advice and contacts, the team at The Golden Lion, the enthusiasm from a very select group of people who’ve known about this until last night – massive thanks to each and every one of you.”

JC adds…….

It was genuinely exciting to look on from afar and see all this come together. Adam is such a wonderful human being, someone who has worked hard at keeping the Weatherall flame burning – I’ve no doubt if he ever went on Mastermind, he’d score 100% on his specialist subject with no passes.

mp3: Hardway Bros – Theme For Flightpath Estate

My only regret in bringing this to your attention is that the album is nigh-on impossible to get a hold of without paying over the odds. Only 500 copies were pressed up, with no plans for a repress or a digital release.

You can, however, via Mixcloud, enjoy a 20-minute sampler of all its tracks. Click here.

JC

Half Happy, Welsh Wednesdays

WELSH WEDNESDAYS : #3 : HALF HAPPY

aka The Vinyl Villain incorporating Is This The Life?

#3: Say This Twice by Half Happy

OK, before we start, full disclosure: I work with the dad of today’s band’s drummer. There. Any accusations of nepotism are therefore fully justified, but I don’t care! And I don’t care because, actually, Half Happy are pretty damn good. They are one of the youngest bands on Cardiff’s current scene but are showing a heck of a lot of promise. After a handful of singles across 2022 and 2023, they won the 2023 Welsh Music Prize’s Triskell Award for new artists. Then in October 2024 they released their debut EP ‘Conversation Killer’, described by vocalist Rosalie Miller thus:

“Each song almost feels like a different part of the day sonically. I feel like we imagine we’re in different locations; work, pub, town, back in your bedroom for each track. The EP is one big diary entry, one crazy day with lots of drama.”

‘Conversation Killer’ showcases Half Happy’s penchant for sparkling indie-pop tinged with sadness, frustration and defiance. But there’s more to them than that, with some songs lurching towards shoegaze, and others boasting a glaze of synths. You wouldn’t be far wrong if you made comparisons to the likes of Alvvays and Camera Obscura (they recently played a very well-received support slot with the latter) but I think Half Happy have given themselves a lot of room for movement in terms of their evolution. It’ll be interesting to see where they go from here.

This week’s track is Say This Twice, a rather excellent single that pre-dates the EP.

MP3: Say This Twice – Half Happy (single, 2023)

And the video is for one of the EP tracks. Well Done Honey was written by Rosalie after a particularly bad day at work which left her “crying in the car”. It’s my fave of their repertoire to date and has drawn comparisons in some areas to The Sundays, which I know you’ll agree is no bad thing whatsoever!

But that’s not all folks. We also have an added bonus for you today. You see, not only do Half Happy make excellent music, they are also a lovely, generous bunch who have donated one of their t-shirts to a lucky t(n)vv reader* who can answer this simple question:

What is the title of the opening track on ‘Conversation Killer’?

If you need a hint, check out their Bandcamp page: https://wearehalfhappy.bandcamp.com

Answers should be emailed to thevinylvillain@hotmail.co.uk with the subject line ‘Half Happy t-shirt’ and must be received by midnight GMT on Saturday 30 November.

Please also include the size of the t-shirt you would like sent to you, should you be the lucky winner who will be chosen at random by someone not in the slightest bit related to the band. He/she/they will be contacted directly and announced on another Welsh Wednesday in a couple of weeks.

*apologies in advance, but the competition is open only to folk living in the UK. The postage overseas is just a bit too expensive in this instance. The blame can be attached to the usual suspects…..

Good luck!!

The Robster

English Teacher

BONUS POST : ENGLISH TEACHER GIG REVIEW

It’s a bonus post about last night’s gig by English Teacher given that a couple of folk who commented on yesterday’s post said they would like to read about it.

You’ll recall that I had some fears that the Queen Margaret Union at Glasgow University would prove to be less suitable than the surroundings of St Luke’s, a former church which a few years ago was converted to a lovely and quite intimate concert venue. I’m pleased to say that my fears were not realised.

English Teacher took to the stage at 8.45pm. The first thing I noticed was that the four band members were accompanied by two additional musicians, one of whom played additional guitar while the other was a cellist. I’ve since learned, from reading things overnight, that this is all part of their live sound, and indeed has been for quite some considerable time.

They went straight into fast and frantic mode with R’nB followed by I’m Not Crying, You’re Crying. It was, given the nature/mood/tempo of the songs on the debut album, and indeed previous EPs and singles, a pace that would be impossible to retain and there inevitably be would be a shift away from your bog-standard indie-pop night out. We didn’t have long to wait.

Having been out front on guitar for these two songs, vocalist Lily Fontaine retreated slightly to the back of the stage to play keyboards on Broken Biscuits, one of the many gentler-paced tracks on the album, but which in the live-setting generated a degree of energy and passion which really set the tone for the rest of the evening.

She came back to the front of the stage and for the first time addressed the audience to introduce Albatross, the opening song on the album, as being about a happening in her life when she had been 18 years of age when she had left home to head to college, the impetus for all that has happened in the years since. The cellist doubled up on keyboards, helping to make, again, a sound which surpassed the production on the record. Four songs in, and I’m having a wonderful night, as is my compadre, Aldo.

Three songs in a row – A55, Mental Maths and Polyawkward, all from an EP released in 2023, offer a reminder that English Teacher do indie-pop/rock with subtle lyrical and musical twists, as well as highlighting that the majority of the 900-strong audience in the sold-out venue are more than familiar with the songs not on the award-winning album. By now, I’m growing increasingly ridiculously impressed by the playing of Lewis Whiting on guitar, Nick Eden on bass and particularly by Douglas Frost on drums, whose appearance and style was bringing flashbacks of a young Pete de Freitas.

Fan favourite Not Everyone Gets To Go To Space is well received, and it is followed a run of songs, all of which provided moments that will stay with me for a very long time. Three ballads in a row – Mastermind Specialism, You Blister My Paint and This Could Be Texas – in which the sound was stripped back with Douglas leaving his drumkit for the keyboards. It was here that we could really appreciate just how great, and I mean great, a singer Lily Fontaine is. The beauty of her voice came over in a way that I don’t feel was really captured on the album. It was captivating. And equally enjoyable was the fact that the audience was silent, attentive and rapt throughout – no inane chattering or folk wandering over to the bars to buy drinks – you could have heard the proverbial pin drop in the gaps between notes.

A new song, Billboards was then played – it was akin to the tunes from the Polyawkward EP – before Lily mentioned that the families of the band were all in the audience tonight, and they were determined to make the show that bit more special. It’ll come as no surprise that album highlight, The Best Tears of Your Life, almost brought the house down at its conclusion.

The band then found a whole new gear as the show headed towards its climax. Lily took off her jacket and told us she’s been practising her dance moves as three uptempo numbers – Song About Love, Nearly Daffodils and The World’s Biggest Paving Slab – were unleashed on an audience who by now were very much entirely in the palm of the singer’s hand. We danced and clapped along as instructed, and the venue was bouncing.

But for me, the true magic came with what happened next. Most bands would have been ready to take their leave at that point, no doubt coming back for an encore given the energy in the room. Instead, Lily said they had one more song to play, and it would be the one written about her home town.

It was like flicking a switch. To go immediately from the manic levels of the three previous songs to playing the majestic and moving Albert Road was a brave but ultimately rewarding move. It would have made for a perfect ending to a perfect evening, except that we did also get a cherry on top of the icing on the cake, with a very quick return to the stage to play Good Grief, another of the tracks from the earlier EP.

And with that, the show came to an end after 75 minutes. Aldo and myself took our leave into the bitterly cold November evening, marvelling at what we’d enjoyed. And judging by the big smiles of contentment on the faces of the many many many people who accompanied us back into Glasgow city centre on the Subway system, we weren’t alone in feeling that way.

Lily promised that English Teacher would make a return to Glasgow before too long. I’m hoping that they will take to the Barrowlands stage next year rather than be part of the line-up at one of our outdoor festivals.

mp3: English Teacher – Good Grief

JC

B-52s, Cult Hero, Essential Logic, Only Ones, Ruts, Squeeze, Suicide

SHAKEDOWN, 1979 (November, part two)

You know the script by now. I delve into my big bumper book of Indie Songs (The Great Indie Discography by Martin Strong, originally published in 1999, with a second edition in 2003), to find who were top of the flops in November 1979.

mp3: The B52s – Planet Claire

The search by Island Records for the elusive second chart hit for the band from Athens, Georgia continued this month with the release of a song that had done well in the USA and Australia. Part of the marketing campaign saw it released on picture disc. I bought a copy. Not too many other people did. If you’re reading this and thinking that you were sure Planet Claire was a hit single in the UK, then you’re right, as it reached #12 when given a re-release as a double-A single with Rock Lobster.

mp3: Cult Hero – I’m A Cult Hero

From wiki:-

“I’m a Cult Hero is a single released by an extended line-up of The Cure under the name Cult Hero. The single was conceived by Robert Smith (singer/guitarist of the Cure) and Simon Gallup (then bassist of the Magspies) as a way to test their musical compatibility. Smith was considering Gallup as a prospective replacement for Michael Dempsey (the Cure’s bassist at the time).

The songs were written for, and feature on vocals, local Horley postman Frank Bell, who is also depicted on the single’s artwork. They also feature Malice/Easy Cure guitarist Porl Thompson and Magspies keyboardist Matthieu Hartley amongst an extended line-up of friends and family, including Robert’s sisters Janet and Margaret and local band the Obtainers.”

It came out on Fiction Records. Copies are available for silly money over on Discogs.

mp3: Essential Logic – Popcorn Boy

This is actually an ‘oops!’ moment as Popcorn Boy should have featured last month as it was released in October 1979. You’ll hopefully recall from a previous flop single featured back in May that Lara Logic had been the saxophonist with X-Ray Spex, but left the band after the debut single Oh Bondage Up Yours. She then formed Essential Logic, for whom she also provided lead vocals. Having seen that first single on Virgin Records fail to trouble the charts, the band was let go and signed to Rough Trade for whom this was the debut offering.

mp3: The Only Ones – Trouble In The World

I couldn’t recall this from back in the day, but when I gave it a listen, I thought it sounded like Gordon Gano of the Violent Femmes on lead vocals. It’s nowhere near the class and genius of Another Girl, Another Planet, but then again what is?

mp3: The Ruts – Jah War

The Ruts had enjoyed two Top 3o hit singles with Babylon’s Burning and Something That I Said. The debut album, The Crack, had gone Top 20 on its release in October 1979. The band decided, with the support of Virgin Records, that the next single should be an edited version of the 7-minute-long album track Jah War, written as a response to police violence and brutality when dealing with protestors demonstrating against a far-right campaign meeting in London. A protestor died from head injuries after being struck twice by a police truncheon.

Jah War was banned by the BBC on the grounds that the song was too political. A number of the larger record stores refuse to stock the single. It’s no surprise it didn’t chart.

mp3: Squeeze – Christmas Day

The band had enjoyed a productive and successful year, and decided to round it off with a stab at making a festive hit. It proved to be just a bit too strange to get any airplay, and let’s be honest. It’s rather awful.

I can’t possibly bow out with that, so how about a cult classic from back in the day

mp3: Suicide – Dream Baby Dream

The duo of Alan Vega and Martin Rev never achieved any commercial success whatsoever, but Suicide has long been a hip band name to drop into any conversation. I never knew about them back in 1979, and indeed only picked up on them when Paul Haig later covered their song Ghost Rider. This flop 45, released on Island Records, may be a bit on the repetitive side of things, but it’s bloody brilliant!

JC

English Teacher

FAVOURITE ALBUMS RELEASED IN 2024 : THIS COULD BE TEXAS by ENGLISH TEACHER

This Could Be Texas – English Teacher

This is the one on the list where ‘immense pleasure’ may be a breach of the Trades Description Act.

It’s an album I bought on a whim, based on a few things I’d read across blogs and within the on-line pages of a few mainstream publications. There was also the fact that I had a lot of time for one of their songs previously included in the best of No Badger Required back in 2022 plus one of their singles from 2023 was something of a favourite:-

But the first listen of the full album left me a bit bemused. It was much the same with the next two or three listens over the following days as I tried to work out if I’d bought a dud or not. The constant shift between genres, combined with there seeming to be a lot of noodling from the musicians, was messing around with my head. It wasn’t an easy or comfortable listen, with ‘Paving Slab’ being very much the most commercial of their songs. There was one other track that I took an instant liking to, one that was a re-recording of an early single from back in 2021:-

mp3; English Teacher – R&B

I then gave it a listen as I was travelling on a train to the football. Maybe it was the fact I had no other distractions, or maybe it just sounded better coming through the headphones, but I had a bit of a light-bulb moment and a lot of what English Teacher were about now made sense.

The album has been greeted with near universal acclaim, and indeed won the 2024 Mercury Music Prize here in the UK. I’ve become more appreciative of it over the past six months, and in particular its closing song:-

A ballad in which singer Lilly Fontaine, unflinchingly but movingly, recalls how difficult it had been to deal with growing up as a mixed-race child in a tight-knit, small working-class town. It’s one of THE songs of 2024, and that, dear readers, is very much why This Could Be Texas makes the end-of-year list.

Incidentally, myself and Aldo are off to see English Teacher tonight. The gig has already been moved from the quite wonderful St Luke’s (a converted church close to the Barrowlands) to the rather more mundane surroundings of the Queen Margaret Union building at Glasgow University. It’ll be interesting to see how the quieter and more intense songs are received.

JC

Wedding Present

THE WEDDING PRESENT SINGLES (Part Fifty-Two)

2020. The year of the COVID lockdown restrictions. David Gedge turned his hands to providing fans with an online presence that turned out to include live streams and home recordings. The Edge of The Sea Festival was planned and delivered as an online event. The Wedding Present then actually managed to deliver an online gig in October, thanks to cameras being set up in each of the individual houses of the band members.

The purchase of vinyl and CDs also had to be done differently. Record shops being closed meant that owners had to enable customers to order online, with arrange for everything being to be delivered in due course. Record Store Day in 2020 was adapted to deal with the unusual circumstances. Instead of stock coming into shops on one day and potentially causing so much chaos that systems would collapse, it involved what were described as ‘drops’ over three Saturdays in August, September and October.

The Wedding Present’s contribution was issued on 26 September. It was a 7″ EP, on blue vinyl, released on Hatch Records, a Leeds-based label. It consisted of the three songs the band had recorded on 5 August 2019 for the Shaun Keaveny Show, broadcast on BBC Radio 6 Music. It’s a fine reminder of how tight the band were at that point in time, with Danielle Wadey on guitars and backing vocals, Melanie Howard on bass and backing vocals and Charles Layton on drums.

mp3: The Wedding Present – Don’t Ask Me (Shaun Keaveny Session)
mp3: The Wedding Present – Panama (Shaun Keaveny Session)
mp3: The Wedding Present – No (Shaun Keaveny Session)

The first song was a new one. Its title would change in due course, and it would be released in 2022…..and that’s something I’ll get to in the not too distant future. The middle song was relatively new, having been the b-side of the 2019 Record Store Day release, and which featured in this series just seven days ago. The third track is a fresh and slightly less frantic take on one of the songs to be found on the 1989 album, Bizzarro.

All in all, a decent enough release to help the band and fans get through what was proving to be a difficult and challenging time.

JC

Brontës

SATURDAY’S SCOTTISH SONG : #429: BRONTES

From the Last Night From Glasgow website:- Brontës are a five-piece from Glasgow formed in 2021. The group take inspiration from the likes of Foals, Talking Heads and Mazzy Star – blending a classic indie sound with lush vocals and a funky edge. In 2022, they released their debut single, a AA 7″ featuring tracks First Hand Arrogance and Groove, that prompted praise from press and listeners alike. They’ve built up a steady buzz in Scotland. Known for their smooth performances; from playing a sold-out headline gig at the iconic King Tuts, to bagging various festival slots and filling out rooms with secret sets. They released two new singles in 2023 – Down To You which was featured as Single Of The Week on BBC Radio Scotland’s Afternoon Show and He’s Not Racist. Brontës released new EP Element of Revival with accompanying compilation CD in April 2024. They are yet another excellent young band to emerge from these parts. I’m lucky enough to have a copy of the debut single, their only release to date on vinyl, as the 2023 releases were digital. mp3: Brontës – First Hand Arrogance Hope it meets with your approval. ~~If you do like it, please give consideration to visiting LNFG and ordering the Element of Revival CD given that it is one of its seven tracks.~~ Sorry. The CD is sold out. But you can get a high-quality digital copy of the debut single. Click here.

JC

Arctic Monkeys

THE 7″ LUCKY DIP (25) : Arctic Monkeys – Brianstorm

R-959102-1555350943-2532

Fair play to Arctic Monkeys who indicated well in advance of any new material that they weren’t going to be content with simply regurgitating the sound of their 2006 debut album and the various hit singles it had spawned.

But I don’t think anyone was fully prepared for the lead-off single for the second album.

mp3: Arctic Monkeys – Brianstorm

Loud, fast, energetic and much harder than the vast majority of the indie-style material with which they had made their name. It didn’t put anyone off, as can be evidenced by it reaching #2 in April 2007.

The b-side was also quite different

mp3: Arctic Monkeys – Temptation Greets You Like Your Naughty Friend

Lyrically, it’s akin to many of the songs on the debut, but it boasts a rap contribution from Dizzee Rascal which takes it to a wholly different level.

It’s a thumbs-up from all concerned here in Villain Towers.

JC

Bug Club

FAVOURITE ALBUMS RELEASED IN 2024 : ON THE INTRICATE INNER WORKINGS OF THE SYSTEM by THE BUG CLUB

On The Intricate Inner Workings Of The System – The Bug Club

In which I have to say a huge thank you to The Robster. It was his guest posting back in June of ICA #368 which first alerted me to the very existence of The Bug Club.

He referred to them as being one of his and Mrs Robster’s favourite local bands, helpfully explaining that they had acquired a large cult following over the few short years of their existence, gained coveted airplay and live sessions on BBC radio, had released 10 singles, two albums (one of them an ambitious double), two EPs, three things nobody knew how to describe, and a live album of exclusive material under a different band name, all since 2021, and while playing 200+ gigs a year.

The ICA proved to be a great listen and a mental note was taken to keep an eye on things. A couple of months later, I’m browsing in one of the indie record shops in Glasgow city centre when I spot an album by The Bug Club. Turns out it was the new one The Robster had referred to in the closing sentence on the ICA, with the band having signed to Sub Pop. The debit card was fished out, and I went home with what is described as ‘The Loser Edition’ of On The Intricate Inner Workings Of The System on orange marble vinyl.

It looked great as I placed it on the turntable. How did it sound? Well, I couldn’t say as that was when I discovered my amp had suddenly developed a fault which meant whatever was being played through the turntable, CD player or indeed the DAB radio couldn’t be heard above a dreadful buzzing noise. It took a few weeks to get it all fixed, and it wasn’t until early October that I finally got to hear the record, albeit I had dipped in and out of a few tracks via YouTube. (I don’t have any streaming services at all).

I sent an email back to The Robster the next day, the summary of which was:-

“It.

Is.

Superb.

Hints of so many acts I’ve loved over the decades. Violent Femmes. Jonathan Richman. Lovely Eggs. HMHB.”

As with Viva Hinds, this is another short record, with eleven songs coming in at just under half-an-hour. It’s not quite in Otoboke Beaver territory, but Sam Wilmett (vocals/guitar) and Tilly Harris (vocals/bass) don’t hang around. Once again, I’m delighted to say, there is never any feeling that the listener is being short-changed.

The Robster did finish off his ICA with a link to the advance single for the album.

Lyrically, it doesn’t get much simpler than that. I imagined that most of the album would have been along similar lines, but that was far from the case. They can get quite surreal when they put their minds to it

mp3: The Bug Club – Actual Pain

Anarchy and sympathy entwined in mediocrity. I never liked the way you move. Those conifers are louder than my ten gallon hat. That’s crazy but it’s true. Baby I’m in actual pain. Baby I’m in actual pain. Baby I’m in actual pain and it don’t tickle like the handbook said. Illwill never killed the meaning of the word. I never heard you scream. Magnolia, alpine white or somewhere in-between. Baby I’m in actual pain. Baby I’m in actual pain. Baby I’m in actual pain and it don’t tickle like the handbook said. My life blood leaking on the heavy metal grass. I never stopped to ask your opinion. Sincerely your best friend and ever loving companion. Baby I’m in actual pain. Baby I’m in actual pain. Baby I’m in actual pain and it don’t tickle like the handbook said

And if this one doesn’t put a smile on your face, then there really is no hope.

The Bug Club are coming to Glasgow in February. Tickets have been purchased. It’s the night before Hinds hit town. This 61-year-old is exhausted just thinking about that week, never mind trying to live it.

JC

CVC, Welsh Wednesdays

WELSH WEDNESDAYS : #2 : CVC

aka The Vinyl Villain incorporating Is This The Life?

#2: Docking The Pay by CVC

There are too many people in the UK who wish it was still the 1970s. You know, casual racism and homophobia, the Three-Day Week, terrible clothes, the birth of Thatcherism, the fucking Austin Allegro… Why? I mean really – WHY? I’ll tell you why – the music! Bowie. Punk. Reggae. The Ska revival. Abba. Yes, Abba. SHUT UP!

You see, us lot in Britain seem to have a perverse love of nostalgia. Everything was apparently better back in “our day”, whenever that was. My generation loves the 80, another really awful decade. But it’s the culture we hold dear, not real life. Wales wasn’t in a good place in the 70s, like the rest of the UK, yet musically we seem to be finding guidance in the decade that fashion forgot, despite the fact that many of those forging this trend weren’t even close to being born back then. CVC, for instance, look and sound like an episode of Life On Mars. Yet, for some reason – probably because the best bands in Wales have traditionally been rooted in psych-rock – they sound so NOW.

Hailing from Church Village – a tiny town on the southern edge of the Rhondda Valley, halfway between Llantrisant and Pontypridd – CVC (Church Village Collective) released their debut album ‘Get Real’ in 2023, catapulting themselves into the national spotlight thanks to BBC 6 Music going absolutely ga-ga for them. It probably doesn’t hurt that their guitarists are also related to Welsh music royalty (I’ll give you a clue – their names are David Bassey and Elliot Bradfield…) so there’s more than few good genes kicking about in there.

Depending on when this piece is published, CVC may have a new album out, or it may still be pending. Docking The Pay features on the debut though.

MP3: Docking The Pay – CVC (from ‘Get Real’, 2023)

An album of off-cuts called ‘B-Real’ also snuck out last year, and from it, you can listen to this cover of a song by the best Welsh psych-rock band ever. Yes, EVER!

MP3: Juxtaposed With You – CVC (from ‘B-Real’, 2023)

The Robster

Hinds

FAVOURITE ALBUMS RELEASED IN 2024 : VIVA HINDS by HINDS

Viva Hinds – Hinds

Back in February, I wrote about Hinds playing a basement venue in Glasgow to a packed and enthusiastic audience, including myself and Aldo. We were ecstatic that it turned out to be a triumphant return after a period of change and uncertainty, and it was an evening in which the two remaining members of the original four-piece line-up, Carlotta Cosials and Ana García Perrote became almost overwhelmed by the reception given to them by the audience. There were a handful of new songs aired during the set, all of which were as enthusiastically received as the old material, which really bode well for the next album.

Viva Hinds, their fourth studio album, was released in September 2024, but was preceded by a number of singles/music videos, which meant I was quite familiar with much of the material by the time the vinyl was delivered to Villain Towers – this was one ordered directly from the band to try and ensure as much of the money ended up with them, an important factor as there have been very trying circumstances for all concerned in the four years since the release of The Prettiest Curse back in 2020.

Given all that has happened to the band – it wasn’t just the departure of their original drummer and bassist, but they also lost their management team and record label – it might be anticipated that the comeback album would prove to be bitter and resentful. The Glasgow show back in February, however, gave more than a few hints that it wouldn’t turn out that way. I knew that Viva Hands was going to be a joy to listen to, and it also managed to offer up a few pleasant surprises, not least how polished it felt given that the main recordings took place in pop-up studios in rural France, albeit some work, including some backing and co-vocal contributions from well-known guests, took place in more conventional surroundings.

It might be a short album, with its ten songs stretching out to 32 minutes or thereabouts, but there’s no sense of ever feeling short-changed. The songs, mostly, bounce along with that comforting blend of pop/post-punk on which the band has built its reputation since first getting together back in 2011.

That’s one of the aforementioned guest contributions. Here’s the other:-

mp3: Hinds – Stranger (feat. Grian Chatten)

It’s also the first album in which they sing in their native language:-

But for me, the standout song is the one written by Carlotta and Anna as a riposte to those who abandoned them.

“’Superstar’ talks about the disappointment and the pain you feel when someone you love deeply, disappears with no explanation; you feel worthless, you start thinking you never really knew that person, and you question your shared past, and if what you remember really happened. It’s hard to let people go, but writing this song helped. People need closure, and this song is ours.”

Defiant. Anthemic. Joyous.

Hinds are back in Glasgow this coming February. It’s likely to be one of the highlights of the year.