On November 24th, 1989, as a surly sixteen year old, I saw my first “proper” live concert. I’d seen unknown bands on other occasions, like free amusement park shows on holiday in California or holiday camp cabaret at Pontins in the UK, but nothing that really counted.The Cult at Wembley Arena on the Sonic Temple tour was my first gig as a paying customer. I shelled out the princely sum of 10 pounds (today that would be £26.71, but a show at the same venue now actually costs around £70, depending on the band) and got myself to London (don’t remember how) to meet my brother, aunt and uncle to begin what would become a lifelong passion.
I suppose the first proper band I saw was Claytown Troupe as they were the support band, but I was only there for the Cult…and I was blown away. They burst onto the stage and launched into the underrated New York City and I was immediately in awe of how larger than life it all seemed. This was the Cult in their prime; Sonic Temple had gone top 10 in the US (selling over a million in the process) and top 3 in the UK, the classic line-up was in place and they’d finally rocked up for the UK leg of the tour after a series of US dates supporting Metallica and a a handful of European shows opening for Aerosmith. Basically, they were now primed for big arenas and riding the wave of big-time rock n roll. Anyway, they ran through a set of classics mixed with most of Sonic Temple – which had been out since April, so no debuting new songs – with the album’s filler tracks taking on a whole new dimension in the live arena.
OK, I’ll admit it, I don’t “remember” just how great it was, but half the songs from the show are on the Sonic Temple 30th anniversary reissue, so that jogged my memory a tad. I do remember how I felt however, which was ecstatic! I was seeing my favourite band, in the flesh, playing all their best songs!!! I headbanged my way through the entire set and went back to my uncle and aunt’s in Selhurst with an aching neck, a ringing in my ears and high on the excitement of the whole thing. The next day I was treated to a vegetarian lasagne (!) and a tour of Croydon’s finest record stores – Beano’s, HR Cloakes, 101 Records – before somehow getting back to Southampton (again, don’t remember how – probably involved a train).
Anyway, the point here is not to review the show, but to take a look at the memorabilia, as besides still having the original ticket (see above), I also have the absolutely spectacular concert programme. Even back in the 80s the humble programme was generally considered a bit of a ripoff as souvenirs go and has been gradually disappearing ever since…do they even still exist? But, this particular programme was a rarity, as it was much more than the standard array of glossy photos that was par for the course. Here you get features on all the band members with a couple of pages for everyone; a discography with a list of single and album releases; a family tree showing how the band formed and all the connections to other bands (Billy Duffy used to be in a band with Morrissey!); in addition to a fold out band poster in the middle. It’s beautifully packaged, the photography is superb and it’s packed with information; talk about getting your money’s worth. It makes for a fine memento of an important occasion in my life and still looks the business 36 years later. Check it out below.
If there is one dead cert in the world of music writing, it’s the end of year list – the golden opportunity to wax lyrical about all the uber cool shit we’ve been listening to through the year that we totally believe every other fucker should also be listening to. I’m just as guilty as the next pensmith; I mean, I’ve already done two – one for Already Heard ( http://alreadyheard.com/post/154430616852/record-of-the-year-2016-staff-lists), another exclusively on thrash metal albums, although in fairness it was a retrospective article analyzing the genre with a top 5 attached (https://hardpresseded.wordpress.com/2016/12/07/thrashback-best-of-2016/)
But lets face it, here in the blogosphere it’s basically a totally subjective list and isn’t really worth shit, unlike the top ten we came up with at AH (http://alreadyheard.com/post/154422480446/already-heards-record-of-the-year-2016) which involves several contributors. So, the final list is a kind of representation of the site’s view of the world of alternative rock, and therefore a pretty useful piece of retrospection. Anyway, my top ten is there, along with the site’s top ten, but I have to say that probably wouldn’t be a definitive list, nor would another one that I might write tomorrow. So what’s the point?
However, there is surely some value in celebrating some of the seriously cool records that have had an impact on me this year. It doesn’t need to be a top ten. They don’t need ranking. It’s enough to say that this is cool as fuck and you could do a lot worse than give it a whirl, you might discover something you love – it’s what Spotify is for, for fuck’s sake. So, here come a bunch of records I’ve been listening to pretty solidly this year and intend to keep spinning well into the future.
David Bowie – ‘Blackstar’ I was deeply moved by the death of David Bowie and wrote about it at length here:https://hardpresseded.wordpress.com/2016/01/12/303/ Listening to Blackstar is inextricably linked to the loss of this musical giant and was always going to be an emotional experience, but having gone back to it again and again since its release, I have to say that it really is quality and holds up well. ‘Lazarus’ is undeniably superb and the artistic merit of the record as a whole is unquestionable. Great record – excellent way to punctuate such an incredible cultural footprint.
I only got round to listening to Michael Kiwanuka – ‘Love & Hate’ a couple of weeks ago, but have had it on very heavy rotation ever since. Damn, what a great, honest record this is. Michael lays bare his conflicting emotions on this sublime collection that neatly combines a kinda classic seventies soul groove with a more contemporary feel and some achingly good guitar work. The title track is unbeatable.
Lisa Hannigan – ‘At Swim’ Great songs, cool vibe, lovely voice, excellent record – I keep going back for more.
Lonely the Brave – Things Will Matter is a good solid sophomore record from the Cambridgeshire boys and continues their climb up industry ladders. There are some quite spectacular moments, like the massive ‘Black Mire’, the excellent ‘Diamond Days’ and ‘Jaws of Hell’ that hint at a very bright future for British alternative rock.
Slowcoaches – ‘Nothing Gives’ came out about a week ago and I had the immense pleasure of five outta fiving it for Already Heard. The most exciting garage punk record in years, it has an energy comparable with The Strokes debut and rocks from beginning to end as it tackles issues like loss and anxiety. Heather Perkins is punk rock personified, making their brand of angry optimism instantly relatable – this band deserve to be massive.
The Cult – ‘Hidden City’ There’s nothing like your favourite band hitting good form again. Ok, it’s not ‘Love’ or ‘Sonic Temple’, but it’s creatively vibrant, still pushing boundaries and features some killer tracks. Ian Astbury‘s raw vocal on ‘Birds of Paradise’ and the killer hook of ‘No Love Lost’ find The Cult at the top of their game.
Another return to form from an eighties icon came on The Mission – Another Fall From Grace. Wayne Hussey took a conscious decision to dust off his twelve string and write an album bridging the gap between Sisters of Mercy and The Mission. According to the front man it was a painfully cathartic experience, but the vocalist can be justifiably proud of his band’s finest record since their peak. Sure, it’s as overblown and pretentious as you might expect, but Mish fans wouldn’t have it any other way. The title track is prime example of Wayne’s songwriting prowess and ‘Tyranny of Secrets’ shows they can still deliver a good old Goth rock banger.
Black Foxxes – ‘I’m Not Well’ is quite simply one of the best records I’ve heard in years. It’s rawness imbues it with power, energy and emotion at a level few bands come close to. Stone cold killer from beginning to end – album of the year by far.
Since the release of The Cult‘s largely awesome ‘Hidden City’ I have been streaming the shit out of it, the album having become my default option for pretty much any and every time of day. Even so, there has still been plenty of room for other aural delights, what with the stack of awesome new music http://www.alreadyheard.com have been making me review; twisting my arm until I give in and put fingers to keyboard. Then there’s all the interesting new releases outside of AH’s remit; 2016 shaping up to be a damn fine year for new music. However, given the subject matter of some of my recent posts I’ve also been doing more than a little memory lane, so check out the diverse selection of listening pleasures that have been riding my personal air waves of late….
The Mission
The Mish are a band I tend to listen to fairly regularly anyway, but one of the most recent things that I have written is a look at their 30 year career with a definitive top 10. As such, in the name of research I went trawling through their catalogue, agonising over what to include, so there’s been days when they were the only band ringing in my ears. Here’s a classic performance on British TV:
Aztec Camera
I always had a bit of a soft spot for Roddy Frame when I was a kid, he came up with a handful of really good tunes, which have actually stood the test of time. I was reminded of AC while reading the tome that is ‘How Soon Is Now’, on the mavericks behind 80s indie, and was thus inspired to write about the vibrant Scottish scene which spawned so much of the music that sound tracked the UK during the 1980s, including Aztec Camera. Anyway, I tracked the greatest hits down on Deezer and was pleasantly surprised by the enduring quality of the songs, ‘Working in a Goldmine’ being a personal favourite as its a lesson to any budding songwriter in how to nail a good hook.
Noise – Heck and So Pitted
The DIY ethic around the music business right now and the whole indie punk vibe afforded by the internet is leading to some really exciting new music. Seattle’s So Pitted are a recent discovery, their sound being really quite horribly awesome. They have an air of disquiet about their heavy bruising brand of alternative rock, soaked in flurries of feedback, and their debut album, ‘Neo’, makes for a brilliant but disconcerting listen. https://hardpresseded.wordpress.com/2016/02/24/so-pitted-neo-review/
On the opposite side of the Atlantic, but equally noisy, are the chaotic Heck. There is something refreshingly free about the wrecking ball sound of debut album ‘Instructions’ and I’ve had it on heavy rotation since giving it a 5/5 over at AH. http://alreadyheard.com/post/140796180606/album-review-heck-instructions
The Cult
Which brings me back to The Cult. I make no secret of the fact that this is my favourite band and have written about them a lot. Most recently I did a retrospective review of their supremely underrated self-titled album, as I believe that there are a number of seriously good tunes getting seriously overlooked. Check out ‘Gone’ here:
This year, British Goth rockers The Mission are set to celebrate 30 turbulent years in the industry by doing precisely what they do best – touring extensively and reliving former and more recent successes.
Once upon a time the Mish ruled; achieving an enviable level of commercial success with multiple top 40 singles and top ten albums, as well as being one of only a handful of bands to have headlined the Reading festival on more than one occasion. Their first headline slot is testament to the quality of their early releases as it came a little over a year after Wayne Hussey and Craig Adams had said goodbye to the Sisters of Mercy to form first The Sisterhood and subsequently The Mission.
Their debut album, ‘Gods Own Medicine’, and the amalgamation of their early EPs, The First Chapter, had struck a chord and catapulted the band to early success; tracks like ‘Wasteland’, ‘Garden of Delight’ and cover versions of ‘Like a Hurricane’ and ‘Dancing Barefoot’ were indicative of their growing reputation and a lot of hard work on the road, supporting the likes of The Cult, The Psychedelic Furs and a still credible U2, as well as on their own, soon expanded their hard core of fervent fans – ‘The Eskimos’.
The band’s penchant for the theatrical, Hussey’s resonant baritone and Simon Hinkler‘s intricate guitar work, meant that the Celtic rhythms and rich melodies to their particular brand of atmospherically dark pop could do no wrong. In the period from early 86 to the end of 1990, successive releases saw the band grow in stature and confidence, the John Paul Jones produced ‘Children’ peaking at number 2 in the UK, while the first single from ‘Carved in Sand’, ‘Butterfly on a Wheel’, just missed out on the top ten. As Wayne says:
“Our record label were making us a ‘worldwide priority'” … “We were a band on the cusp of being very successful internationally. It was something that we collectively really wanted at that time.”
However, behind the scenes the excesses of the rock ‘n roll lifestyle were beginning to take their toll and the wheels were starting to come off. Internal conflicts and record company input meant that ‘Carved in Sand’ never did quite as well as it deserved, Wayne having been forced to compromise the track listing; in the words of the man himself:
“I have to say that the only true professional regret I have to this day is that I allowed the final track listing for ‘Carved in Sand’ to be chosen by committee rather than the usual practice of yours truly stamping my feet until I got my own way. I think at this point in time we the band and, more regretfully so, myself were more than willing to allow other people to make important decisions for us. We relinquished control and responsibility and unfortunately I think ‘Carved In Sand’, as an album, suffered as a result.”
The subsequent tour was also wrought with difficulties ranging from illness and staggering levels of debauchery to conflict and walk outs, with Hinkler taking his leave mid-tour.
Wayne:“With the release of ‘Carved in Sand’ (which, almost ironically, actually went on to become our biggest selling album) we were set up to go and conquer the world but instead within the space of a few short months in early 1990 after its release we internally combusted and our trajectory was set downward for the first time since our beginning in late 1985. We were never to recover.”
Nevertheless, that five year period to the end of 1990 had produced five albums worth of genre defining material and makes for an impressive achievement. Such prolific production documents the sound of a band that had hit a rich vein and were peaking in more ways than one. Their early catalogue of releases has certainly stood the test of time and is packed with classic tracks that comprise a fine record of Hussey and co’s songwriting talent.
Although the following record ‘Masque’ had its moments and there was the occasional hidden gem in subsequent albums, The Mission’s material post 1991 has offered little to compare to their peak period. The notable exception being 2013’s ‘The Brightest Light’, which saw Hussey reunite with Hinkler and fellow founder, bassist Craig Adams. This was the sound of a band reformed and reinvigorated and although it owes more to hard rock than Goth, it sounds fresh and honest. Hussey’s voice is a little more gravelly with age but no less powerful, and it sounds as if Hinkler had been given the chance to throw off the shackles a little to let rip on the guitar.
The intervening years had also seen a whole batch of re-issues, compilations and live albums, as well as (far too many to mention here) line-up changes, hiatuses and solo projects. Yet every time they hit the road there was always a faithful army helping to recapture the essence that makes the Mission such an enduring prospect; recent shows on the Blood Brothers tour with Fields of the Nephilim proving a resounding success. So this year’s anniversary tour is sure to be greeted with the adulation it will no doubt deserve, can’t help but wonder if there’s another album in the pipeline…..
In the meantime here’s my Mission top 10, which might raise the odd eyebrow amongst the faithful.
10. Amelia
Probably the bravest song Wayne has ever written, yet it is something he is rightly proud of, given the difficult subject matter of child abuse. Lyrically, it is cleverly constructed and the urgency to the instrumentation compliments it perfectly.
9. Severina
It’s theatrical, it’s magical, it’s a superb slice of Goth rock fantasia – “She’s dancing by the light of the moon”
8. Beyond The Pale
‘Children’ saw The Mission take a more measured approach with a strong nod in the direction of the grandiose; as such Beyond the Pale perfectly captures where they were at the time. There’s plenty of substance to this epic song, yet it’s a great example of their pop tropes, boasting a series of killer hooks in the chorus.
7. Swan Song
Of the tracks on ‘Brightest Light’ this is the most Goth influenced and stands tall alongside the early material. There’s some superbly atmospheric guitar work from the underrated Hinkler that builds to a climax on a fine solo, while Wayne delivers the killer hook and intense finale in fine style.
6. ‘Sacrilege’
There’s a wonderful dark energy here as the arrangement ebbs and flows with subtle time changes and chord progressions. It’s a superbly constructed song and is a fine example of Goth rock at its intriguing best.
5. Bird of Paradise
If Wayne had got his way this epic piano ballad would’ve been the closing track to Carved in Sand and a sublime way to close the album. Darkly atmospheric with a beautiful melody and beautiful lyrics, quality.
4. Wasteland
The opening track on their debut album was a killer cut to kick off with and indicative of the leverage that had secured a seven album record deal. One of their most enduring songs; there’s the evocative opening riff, the barren landscape of the verses and the battle cry chorus, all easily translating to the biggest stages; great start to a great album.
3. Like a Hurricane
If you’re gonna cover Neil Young you gotta do it right and here The Mission do not disappoint. There is sufficient tribute to the original, yet they succeed in making it their own. IMHO this is Hussey’s finest vocal performance at the helm of The Mission, where Young’s original is almost plaintive, live versions showcase Wayne’s voice as powerful, rousing and nothing short of brilliant.
2. Butterfly on A Wheel
The Mission always had a gift for melody and this beautifully atmospheric cut is one of their finest moments. It is a wonderfully evocative song featuring genuinely spine tingling moments; the time change after the second chorus and the ever building intensity sublime to say the least.
1. Deliverance
For me, this is the perfect Mission track, including every weapon in the band’s extensive armoury – from the atmospheric opening, through the driving bass, to the hook riddled chorus and hard rocking guitar parts – yet still shrouded in the Goth feel – I can never play this song loud enough.
The recent success of ‘Hidden City’, the excellent new album by The Cult, has prompted a revisit to their back catalogue for the second in the series of Overlooked or Underrated. Most of The Cult’s work has got the treatment and reviews that it deserved, but their self-titled sixth studio album, also known as the ‘Black Sheep’ album due to the cover art, is the one from their back catalogue that is constantly overlooked, even by the band themselves. Only two songs, ‘Gone’ and ‘Star’ have been featured with any regularity in their live set and only the much maligned ‘Ceremony’ album has been ignored on a similar scale. ‘The Cult’ was released to almost universal indifference back in October 1994, so what went wrong?
The relative failure and black sheep status of the album can be summed up in two words – Grunge and Britpop, which is pretty ironic considering their oft cited influence on grunge. Even so, Billy Duffy and Ian Astbury had never really fit into a scene, though they’d garnered their audience from the Goth rock crowd and had achieved notable success with their own brand of hard rock; total album sales running into the millions. However, with the reshaped musical landscape they basically became a band adrift, their sound not really striking a chord with anyone outside of their own fanbase and their creative direction moving away from more traditional rock influences not being well received by die-hard fans. They weren’t grunge, they definitely weren’t Britpop and now they weren’t even metal anymore, but when you listen back to the album it really does rock and there is a lot of really accomplished work on offer, it just didn’t exactly fit the time. It is telling that Hidden City probably has more in common with this record than any other releases in the Cult’s extensive catalogue, being that both find the band writing meaningful songs that push them out of their musical comfort zone.
The songs on ‘The Cult’ are among the most personal the duo has ever penned, covering issues like Astbury’s experience of sexual abuse, the death of their contemporaries and sobriety. Lyrically speaking, they are at their most sincere and their most offensive, so, maybe, way back in 1994, it was just not the right climate for the record. It seems strange, however, that the band should distance themselves so much from such a brutally honest record – there are several quality tracks here that have never been played live. Ok, it is by no means a perfect album, but there is plenty of quality material and repeated listens reveal it to be a record of depth and intensity with some genuinely killer moments; Bob Rock‘s crisp production as impeccable as ever.
‘Gone’ opens the album to a bass riff and touches of piano, before exploding in uncharacteristically angry fashion, immediately showing a different side to the band. Damn this song burns! Surely rating among their finest, it is the one track still getting regular live outings. The following track, ‘Coming Down’, is much more disposable but it’s got groove and a killer hook to the tambourine fueled chorus. It is in similar vein to ‘Star’, a track left unfinished from the ‘Sonic Temple’ sessions, which also explores an industrial dance groove, a sound they’d flirted with on ‘The Witch’ on ‘Pure Cult’, but never quite managed to fit. Nevertheless, it’s a good tune with a wonderfully rough edged vocal and is the only other song on the album to have graced repeated set lists.
The first half of the album is probably the stronger, the seriously underrated ‘Real Grrrl’ boasting an emotionally charged performance from Astbury, while the guitar lines have more than a taste of early era Cult. Then there’s the brooding ‘Black Sun’ and the slick bass groove to ‘Naturally High’ featuring some lovely understated guitar from Duffy. It is ‘Joy’ however, which ranks as one of The Cult’s most criminally overlooked songs. It has a dark energy in the abrasive riffing and a powerful intensity to the bridge/chorus, while the organ riff lends an air of modern day Doors; killer.
The second half features some of the more throwaway songs, like the straight up rock n roll of ‘Be Free, which doesn’t really fit with the vibe of the record, and the grungy ‘Universal You’, co-written with The Mission‘s Craig Adams to the loud-quiet-loud formula, though not quite nailing it. It’s not that either of these tracks are bad, they just fall a little short and maybe could’ve been saved for b-sides.‘Emperor’s New Horse’ is another that starts out not really firing on all cylinders, but it’s saved by a killer hook and works within the context of the record.
‘Sacred Life’ and ‘The Saints Are Down’ however, count among Astbury/Duffy’s most atmospherically reflective work. The former, is a sincere tribute to souls the world has lost, and is easy on the ear, while the latter is a slow burning ballad with a heavy dose of hard rock intensity. I love tracks like these and at a different time and in a different context they could’ve become Cult classics.
All told ‘The Cult’ is a vastly underrated album, which today would easily be an eight out of ten and even the band themselves should maybe give a second chance. Astbury is on fine vocal form throughout, stretching his voice way beyond the norm, while Duffy`s guitar playing is sublime as he shows off the versatility that gives them so much depth. There is more than enough killer material on this record to keep any fan of quality rock happy; definitely worth another listen.
With Carnaval and the accompanying break – damn the Brazilian government for making us have more time off work – I have had more family time and less music time than usual. Even so, I have managed to squeeze in some quality listening during the hours of endless relaxation and sun soaked ennui, albeit somewhat restricted to stuff I’m writing about for one reason or another. David Bowie has obviously continued to feature quite heavily, ‘Blackstar’ not being an album you can get to the bottom of in a couple of listens, but have also discovered some lovely new music besides revisiting some old favourites. I’m actually putting together a Hard Pressed mixtape/playlist of lesser known artists that I have featured here on the site, so the likes of Luna Sol, Haybaby and Blind Wives have all been getting a spin, along with a remix of Tairrie B. by Nina Mediatrix, who was gracious enough to grant me an interview a couple of weeks back that is well worth a read. Inescapably though, it is stuff I’ve been reviewing, or had thought about reviewing but just couldn’t find the words for, that has been most dominant; so here’s what’s been titillating my eardrums over the last month or so.
MONEY – Suicide Songs
I really wanted to review this stunning album by the British indie trio, but just couldn’t seem to do it justice. It is beautiful, hypnotic, uplifting and melancholic in equal measure and makes for an elegant, yet emotionally brutal record of poetically crafted songs worth languishing in for a while. Treat yourself to some catharsis, you know you need it.
Two songs which featured in stuff I reviewed last month, and were two of the first tracks that I earmarked for Mixtape Vol.1, are ‘Scars’ by Danish power trio Forever Still and the wonderfully titled ‘Placebo Button’ from the Italian grunge rockers Noam Bleen. The former is a powerful blast of fresh sounding heavy rock with an epic emotional chorus and a cracking vocal from front woman Maja Shining. Noam Bleen, meanwhile, offer up an intricate slice of 90s tinged alternative rock that shows off the band’s love of heavy tube distortion, but also finds them exploring their melodic side with a fine instrumental section; promising stuff from both bands.
The Cult – Hidden City
Isn’t it gratifying when your favourite band come back to top form and produce their most interesting record in over twenty years? What a pleasant surprise this album has turned out to be, there are a lot of really good moments and the quality is high throughout. The Cult maintain their signature sound, that tambourine is shaking away beneath the surface, but they also really explore creatively. Sure, Billy Duffy is on fire and there are riffs a plenty, but Ian Astbury also delivers some emotionally raw vocals and the songs are some of the most stylistically diverse of their career. Killer record.
The prospect of a new record from my favourite band can be a worrying prospect, because as much as I love The Cult, I am the first to admit that they don’t always hit the spot. Not that they make bad records, just that some material, despite its apparent quality, has left me cold – ‘Beyond Good and Evil’ being prime example. “Hallelujah” and “Praise the Lord” then for ‘Hidden City’, the follow up to 2012’s largely quality effort ‘Choice of Weapon’.
There must be something in the air, because like so many of their rock peers that have stayed the course, there seems to be a feeling of reinvigoration about Ian Astbury and Billy Duffy that has enthused the album with a dynamic reminiscent of their glory days. Maybe it’s down to the difficult times in which we live or as a reaction to the puerile aspects of social media that have so invaded everyday life, who knows? Suffice to say that many bands that have been going through the motions for so many years are now turning out work that stands up alongside their best – The Cult included.
‘Dark Energy’ is a no nonsense starter; it doesn’t get more basic than this, the upbeat drumming and straightforward insistent riffing, as Astbury comes into his own vocally, are meat and potatoes, but sure taste good. ‘No Love Lost’ then starts out with a slow burning riff that suddenly bursts into life, rocking in classic cult fashion – killer hook, killer track.
This is one of the most varied Cult records I have ever heard. We get dark atmospheric numbers, like the classy ‘In Blood’, its piano melody, light orchestration and brooding guitars underpinning a powerful song with a wonderful arrangement. In contrast there’s a track like ‘G O A T’, Greatest Of All Time, which is a down n dirty rocker that gives Billy Duffy the chance to let rip – man this record is rocking.
There are one or two tracks like ‘Dance The Night’ and ‘Avalanche Of Light’ which are fairly disposable, but their upbeat pop/rock is pleasant enough. Their blandness is more than compensated by the last two pre-release teasers. ‘Hinterland’ has that classic cult feel to the rhythm, and what a hook! It is stylishly executed rock with an up-to-date feel, great track – The Cult are on fire – especially Billy Duffy with a superb variety of guitar sounds, both to the riffs and in the soloing. ‘Deeply Ordered Chaos’ written in reaction to the Charlie Hebdo shootings, is similarly high quality, this tale of Euro empathy slow boiling in brooding fashion, with touches of orchestration adding drama beneath the clashing guitar sound as Astbury’s familiar baritone croons “I’m a European, blood for holy water/I’m a European Africa my mother”. Duffy is on top form with some lovely touches on lingering notes in the solo as the track gathers urgency on the highly charged finale.
Even so, there are still more high points on ‘Hidden City’, the synth fueled ‘Birds of Paradise’ featuring one of the most heartfelt vocal performances I’ve ever heard from Ian, while ‘Lilies’ is an unexpected gem with its touches of Spanish guitar; it’s totally different to what you might expect, but sounds fresh and highly accomplished. There is even more surprise on closing track ‘Sound and Fury’ which is an intense piano croon with a theatrical feel that rambles to an enigmatic close; inspired.
This is surely one of the most artistically diverse Cult albums; there’s a fearless edge here that has added a freshness to their sound and it’s great to see such a fine band pushing their creative boundaries on what is their tenth studio album. Bravo!
Placebo were formed in 1994 after a chance meeting on a London tube platform between Brian Molko and Stefan Olsdal, who had both previously attended the American International School in Luxembourg. Their first album was released in 1996 and in celebration of its twentieth anniversary the boys are doing a number of retrospective projects including the recent MTV Unplugged set of primarily early material. As such, it seems like as good a time as any to celebrate the work of one of my favourite alternative rock bands.
Born in the midst of Britpop and inaccurately labelled as such, Placebo have always trodden their own path, often in the face of senseless criticism, and have succeeded in amassing a consistently high quality body of work. Placebo albums are a bit like Denzil Washington‘s films, never bad.
Although ostensibly a British band, Brian was born in Belgium to an itinerant Scottish Mother and American Father, while Stefan, despite being born to Swedish parents in Sweden, also moved around a fair bit before settling in London. For me, this is one of the principal reasons for Placebo never quite fitting in, they have a multi-cultural background and a kind of rootlessness that enables them to play by their own rules.
Their sound is very much their own, not only down to Brian’s distinctive vocal, but also instrumentally; their hard edged alt rock sound, owing as much to Wedding Present as to Marc Bolan, never plays it safe and they are also not afraid to explore more atmospheric airs, regularly incorporating piano and strings. I’ve had the privilege of seeing them live just the once, at Reading in 2000, and although they put in a great performance, I had the distinct impression that headliners, the Stereophonics, were worried and made sure their volume was turned down.
Anyway, here’s a handful of songs celebrating the awesomeness of this criminally underrated band of outsiders who despite bucking trends and media hostility have managed to sell in excess of eleven million records – count em!
‘Nancy Boy’ was the first Placebo song I ever heard and in the post grunge comfort zone of overblown Britpop it was refreshingly loud and crunchy, yet had just enough pop sensibility to nag its way into my unconscious. Love the guitar sound on this version from Later with Jools.
Placebo were unaffected by “difficult second album” syndrome; following up the top 5 success of their debut with a dark brooding slab of hard edged intensity. The title track of ‘Without You I’m Nothing’ (see below), ‘Pure Morning’ and ‘Every You, Every Me’ are the obvious killer cuts from the album, but ‘Brick Shithouse’ is as hard as it’s title and ‘Scared of Girls’ has a groove vaguely reminiscent of early Cult. Check out this badass version of ‘Scared of Girls’ from their debut headline show at Brixton Academy back in 98. The action starts at about 3’50.
‘Without You I’m Nothing’ is an epically dark ballad that is superbly intense in it’s own right, but as a duet with David Bowie could not have had a better compliment paid to it.
‘Plasticine’ – love it. Rocks hard from start to finish. “Don’t forget to be the way you are.”
‘Protect me/Protege Moi’ finds Brian at his wonderfully pretentious best.
‘Battle for the Sun’ is one of the more unusual Placebo tracks, but the building intensity and insistent vocal give it a defiant urgency.
Back in December of 2008 Placebo played a unique semi acoustic set at the Angkor Wat temple in Cambodia at the beginning of the ‘Battle for the Sun’ tour. The 40m showcase is really something special with its atmospheric vibe; check out this mesmerizing version of Meds with a superb performance from the new boy on drums at the time, Steve Forrest.
Placebo has never shied away from doing a cover and ‘Sleeping with Ghosts’ saw them bring an album’s worth of B-sides and one offs together for a bonus disc that included songs by artists as diverse as Kate Bush and Darts. Their version of Where Is My Mind by the Pixies is so damn good that even Black Francis (A.K.A Frank Black) came out at the legendary Paris show to play on it. I actually get goosebumps from head to toe when I watch this.
My earphones have been as busy as ever with the likes of Haybaby and Wolf Alice, but there’s been plenty of other stuff filling my personal airwaves. I’ve reviewed some great stuff for Already Heard, like Saint (the) Sinner, Aurora and This City Limits (See below for reviews), as well as the new Nitin Sawhney and Jeff Lynne’s ELO releases right here. It’s all great stuff but there’s a few other things topping my personal charts right now.
Dave Gahan & Soulsavers
It’s quite natural for stuff that I’m reviewing to get a fair few plays, but Dave’s latest has been on super heavy rotation ever since. The almost cinematic quality of this sweeping soundtrack to life is extremely impressive and its depth and texture nothing short of sublime. Gahan puts in a strong vocal performance throughout; the rough edge to his voice carrying an emotional weight that combines beautifully with the epically dark gospel feel. Killer.
The Cult
I’m not ashamed to admit that The Cult is my all time favourite band and tend to get played pretty much every week as it is. So when I decided to do my 10 reasons The Cult are awesome piece (https://hardpresseded.wordpress.com/2015/11/10/10-reasons-the-cult-are-awesome/) it was the perfect excuse to delve into their back catalogue even more. Electric/Peace got a fair few listens as did Love. They are such a unique band, despite wearing their influences on their sleeves; nobody else sounds like them and they defy classification. Billy Duffy’s guitar playing is always superb, conjuring up varied riffs and smoking solos, while Ian Astbury’s baritone is the most distinctive voice in rock. Here is something a little newer though, from the soundtrack to Gone In 60 Seconds, ‘Painted on my Heart’. Love ’em.
Of Allies
I’ve reviewed them, I’ve interviewed them, I’ve featured them in not one but two other pieces and yet I can’t stop listening to them. Both the first EP, ‘Tempers’, as well as its follow up, ‘Fragments’, are regular listens that I just never get tired of hearing. On Tempers we get the earworm that is ‘Ghosts’, the brooding ‘Our Decay’, the bombastic ‘In Screens’ with its guitar interplay and hook filled chorus, the ebb and flow of the atmospheric ‘In Stasis’ with its epic finale and the massive ‘Play Dead’. Fragments is equally triumphant with its slightly more radio friendly, but no less hard edge sound. The title track is pure quality, ‘One 19’ is a hook filled belter, ‘Old Bones’ is full of twists and turns, while ‘Tempers’ rocks seriously hard before the accomplished ‘Call It Home’. Basically, I cannot get enough of this band and am stoked that work on their debut LP has begun – look out for them in 2016.
I blame my brother, he went through a Goth phase at school in about 1987; I was just entering a hard rock/heavy metal phase and the one common ground we developed was The Cult. After resisting the jangly goth lite of ‘Love’, which I now, er, love, I gave in to ‘Electric’ with it’s array of classic rock riffs and soon became a mega fan/collector of all things Cult. I was overjoyed when ‘Sonic Temple’ achieved mega success whilst sounding like only The Cult can sound. They were the first band I ever saw live, well the second if you count their support band Claytown Troupe, at Wembley Arena on the Sonic Temple tour, and I went on to see them another 16 times (I think!) – the only reason I went to Guns n Roses at Milton Keynes Bowl was because The Cult were supporting. Every time I saw them they were fucking awesome; working the stage as hard as hell whatever the crowd; even the lukewarm half sized crowd the last time I caught them in Brazil (2006?) were treated to a relentless performance. IMHO Ian Astbury is the best rock vocalist of a generation – nobody but nobody sounds like him, he has a uniquely rich voice of superb depth that adds a real emotional edge, while Billy Duffy is a cruelly underrated guitarist that can play pretty much anything from badass rock to the ethereal. The Cult are a unique band that never really conformed and could never be pigeon holed and here’s ten reasons why you gotta love em.
Horse Nation
One of the first songs to really show the band’s potential, from the atmospheric intro to the scuttering riffs, it offers a glimpse of what Billy Duffy can do as a guitar player, what the band can do as songwriters and primarily how even with some very familiar elements they manage to sound unique.
Love
The most obvious rocker from the album of the same name, it’s got groove, it’s got feeling and is a showcase for some smoking guitar from Billy as he plays multiple breaks of ever increasing intensity behind Aster’s slow boiling vocal. “Gonna drive away in a big fast car….”
She Sells Sanctuary
This is the song that made them and stands up as a classic until today. I can’t really pinpoint one thing that makes it so good, maybe it’s that it sounds like no one else, maybe it’s the instantly familiar opening chords or the riff structure, or maybe its the multiple hooks; whatever, it works and is a master class in song writing, the 7 minute Long Version from the 12″, with the vaguely ironic clapping at the end, being nothing short of superb.
Love Trooper/Zap City
The Cult had a turbulent time making their third album, Electric; infamously scrapping the Manor Sessions with Steve Brown in favour of a stripped down, rocked up sound with Rick Rubin. The final result worked and both versions are very listenable (despite the god awful ‘Bad Fun’), but two tracks left off the final version of Electric, and rightly so because they don’t really fit, though subsequently used as b-sides, are two little gems from those initial sessions, Love Trooper and Zap City. They are pretty straight forward rockers but there was enough of Love in them to bridge the gap to Electric, and here’s the thing, they stand up as highly listenable until today.
Wolf Child’s Blues
Recorded live in the studio New Year’s Eve 1987 – I fuckin love this song – there’s just something so raw about it. Killer.
Fire Woman
On Sonic Temple Bob Rock helped them marry up their Led Zeppelin aspirations and the atmosphere that Rick Rubin had stripped away to come up with an enormous sounding record the Americans went mad for, and Fire Woman was the perfect lead off; it rocked, had a big ass chorus, some great riffs, the instantly recognisable intro and was just enormous. Winner!
Gone/Real Grrl
The Cult’s eponymous album failed miserably but further listening reveals it to be seriously underrated. The album came out at a difficult time for rock bands, if you weren’t Grunge or Britpop you were going nowhere, as this record did, but in a different context listening to it today, which I have done frequently, there are some great tracks – ‘Gone’ is angry as shit with some seriously hard guitaring from BD while ‘Real Grrrl’ is a superbly structured song brimming with power, energy and emotion.
Love Removal Machine
Although L.R.M is by no means the Cult’s greatest song, it is the best show closer in their armoury; partly because it’s got some groove from the tambourine shakes and the rumbling bass but mainly because you know what’s coming in the frantic closing section; the song rocks back and forth, Billy teases with a cool solo, the Stones-esque riff ebbs and flows, then…bam “Look out here she comes” – “Shake it don’t break it baby” and it’s swirling mosh pit chaos – I should know, I was in it every time.
When I started writing this I didn’t realise The Cult had new material about to drop, lets call it a happy coincidence! Check out killer new track ‘Dark Energy’ right here:https://youtu.be/pSDnqJB3Wc8
Hard Pressed 