I'm going to try to do a weekly current music review feature. (Well, music that's currently on my player. It won't all be new.) Come back next week and watch me fail!
Honey from Portland band Sunbeam is one of the best summer singles I've heard in donkey's years. I want to say it reminds me of Terry Hall's Colourfield, but only in the way it makes me feel... like the sun is shining even though it's pouring with rain outside my window. I know very little about this band, but I liked the two samples they kindly sent me so much that I had to buy the rest of their debut album, Sunbeam And The Lovely Ghost. You can listen to Honey and download a free track, Bulldog, from their website. I think you'll find that once you do... you'll end up wanting the rest of the album too.
The first time I listened to the debut album by The Vaccines, I thought it was a pretty racket that I'd probably lose interest in very soon. I had no idea how much these short, spiky songs with a touch of Jesus & Mary Chain distortion would hook in my head. The album has been on constant rotation ever since. But unlike most of the artists I rave about, I'm not really drawn to The Vaccines by their lyrics. I couldn't really tell you what any of their songs are about (one's about a wetsuit, that's all) but they have that rare and elusive quality that makes a hit record: catchiness. Their new single is Nordgaard (haven't a clue!): try not to hate them for the fashionista video.
A far more interesting lyrical prospect are Band Of Horses, whose song Factory features one of the finest opening lines I've heard in a dog's age (puppies not included).
The elevator in the hotel lobby has a lazy door...
If that was the opening line of a novel or short story, I'd have to read on. Thankfully, the rest of the tale is just as well written - beautifully sung and melodically played too. If the rest of the album Infinite Arms is as affecting as the opening track, Band Of Horses will have a fan for life.
Spearmint mainman Shirley Lee is back with his second solo album - and this time it's a double. I approach double albums with some trepidation, wary of padding, but Shirley has helpfully divided this one into four easily-digestible parts. The first disc is Winter / Autumn, the second Summer / Spring. This made perfect sense as Shirley's songs are always wonderfully evocative of time and place. They're like snapshot stories from his life - a great night out with friends, the last time he spoke to his father, dancing to a song that made everything seem right. I think of Shirley's songs as his personal audio scrapbook and they're always fascinating, engaging and often deeply moving. Given the time of year I've been listening to the second disc first, and it's here we find his tribute to John Peel (above), When An Old Cricketer Leaves The Crease.
During my rare public appearance at last weekend's Caption Comics Festival I found myself chatting with a bloke called Nick, husband of cartoonist Francesca Cassavetti. It was one of those weird coincidences where I'd driven all the way to Oxford and ended up sitting next to someone whose dad came from just over the hill from my home - Golcar, the next village on from Slawit. I enjoyed talking to Nick, he was a friendly and interesting fella. I had no idea... until much later... that I'd actually been talking to the former lead singer of The Members, Nicky Tesco. It's probably a good idea nobody told me: I'd only have been starstruck.
