Outsideleft Week in Music Wrapped in Silver Linings

The hard to pronounce hackedepicciotto (a mash up of  the names of Einstürzende Neubauten's Alexander Hacke and artist, musician, and filmmaker Danielle de Picciotto) are charming. They really are.  In a world of slick, glossily over produced videos, their amateurish and ham fisted attempts are a breath of fresh air.  The underwhelming nature of this live video, their insistence in spelling their tongue twister of a name all in lower case, and the cheesiness of the title of the album it is taken from ('The Best of hackedepicciotto - Live in Napoli') fly against all that we have been told is needed for an act to succeed. Besides all that, they make a glorious noise here, combining bass and Hurdy Gurdy to produce a modern version of renaissance music (the era, not the band!). They spoke to us about their art a while back, but it's worth your refreshing your memory here.

Flawless as... Well what? Let's say the Orloff Diamond. And if you were to present someone with a copy of this record, should they have the wherewithal, they would doubtless reward you for that gesture with a Marble palace in St. Petersburg too. Steal it, give it and see. It is so great. This organ strips paint. Wow! I want to be in a band that sounds 25% as good as this and that would still be great. Oh wait, I am in a band but maybe 25% is over egging it though.

Delightfully dumbass bass part. Swoon, swoon, swoon. There's a lovely language barrier which means their lyrics could be as terrible as Sting, I mean stink, their lyrics could be as terrible as Stink and yet no one would mind, such is the charm. Swanning around a cemetery in Black and White, check! This rotates it's hips in a way that makes you wish you still could too. All together Excellent.

We rated Sweden's Then Comes Silence's album, 'Trickery' as five stars, even pinning them down for an interview in the middle of their US tour.  'Stay Strange' was an album highlight, with its Killing Joke vibe and anthemic chorus.  I'm not quite sure, though, why they are releasing this track now as a single, unless its to help promote their seemingly endless tour.  That's how things are done now.  The album promotes the gigs, not the other way round.  Then Comes Silence are very Goth in looks too, though not without a sense of humour as you will see in the video. 

There was a time, 25 years ago, when it looked like Bristol's Mesh could break through, riding the wave started by Depeche Mode for melodic, anthemic electronica. The album this is taken from, 1999's 'The Point At Which It Falls Apart' was a master class in how to do these things, and was a regular fixture on my turntable. I even caught then live at Camden Underworld at the time.  But it was not to be. They had indie success, but not the mainstream adulation they were aiming for. They are still around, gearing up for a new album and tour, with the reissued 'The Point At Which It Falls Apart' getting a 2024 mix, re-master, and the full bonus CD and art book treatment.  It still sounds damned good too. 

Being a Melvin or being appropriated by Dorritos has its rewards. They probably own adjacent farms or something, Waits and Crover, way out West. I only say this because they begin by mimicking animal noises and sound like they're familiar with those type of country folk. That's as good a start as I could ever hope to hear. On this showing when Ozzy hangs up the mic next week, Dale's a shoe-in for lead vocals on any future Sabbath reunion tour. btw, that's my Sabbath cover band name Future Sabbath - all Sabbath all the time on vintage synths, perverse enough for you? But I digress... And meanwhile, this is a great one. The title track from Dale Crover's new cavalcade of stars packed new album. A cavalcade of stars? No wonder. Who's not taking calls from the Melvins' drummer? Wow! Everything is right with this. 

A song about suicide, 'Catwalk' is powerful stuff. Singer Jax Allos said of the track "‘what started as a very difficult, challenging subject ultimately became a positive experience.[melter] made me feel welcome and really helped me find my voice. It has allowed me to reconnect with those aspects of my life that I needed so badly and, in its way, it saved my life.”  The track itself has a simple, Cure-like bass line and piano line, and shouldn't really be anything special, but is, due to the intensity Allos puts into her performance.  That's a gift really, but can't be easy for her and that's what makes [melter] stand out from the crowd.

Previously, I thought Sex Swing's last single, 'Kings Roman Casino', to be a right old one heart mess. This is a mess too, but in a much cooler, more Cramps-y fashion.  It has a cool, kitsch, video too. So three extra hearts for making more (non)sense this time round.  A few more rolls of the dice and they could even pass 'Go'.

I don't know about you but generally let's say the mere thought of a poltergeist would even get me skating in the opposite direction at something over slacker speed. But Duster? Do they give a fuck? About anything? Wow! Added a heart halfway through listening for the bad cinematic overtones. From their pretty exceptional LP, 'In Dreams' So lumpy, so lovely, not so lively.

City dudes get outdoors in nature. In a super controlled way. Their friends got there first though and they're having a great time before the city dudes come along. Right about now I'm expecting a campfire but the city dudes have brought a stratocaster instead, they don't burn it, but they don't have a battery-powered amp either. Folk Horror! Like a Steely Dan with soul, Bathe washes over you and despite the cloudiness of the vid and you know you'd do well to embrace them when making moves in the Night time economy. 

'Lush Britpop' is how Our Girl describe themselves.  Britpop is, of course a very old and tarnished term, so is probably overdue a revival by now.  In which case, this unremarkable nothing of a tune could probably do well.  Otherwise, it will no doubt float by like summer clouds, before dissipating as if it had never been, like a Slowdive concert. File under 'meh'.

No doubt they intended their name to sound a bit like Karl Marx.  I have no idea why, as this has nothing to do with Socialism. 'Wasteland Baby' is a silly subject for a song anyway.  OK, I know most song subjects are, but this sounds like the sort of rubbish U2 used to routinely put out.  The video looks like cutting room floor outtakes from Fallout too.  That is all you need to know.  

Can't fault this record in any way. Unless I suppose they might have cleaned out just some of the pops and scratches and crackles? Arguably one of the greatest record producers of all time. Before that, Joe Gibbs' chief engineer. 'Mr. Brown' features predominantly but I don't even know the etymology of that. Could be Niney's to begin with. Let me know, I know someone will. Whatever. This... perfectly brilliant for sure.

Sometimes a song finds you at the exact moment you need it, that key to the unravelling of every complex knot of feeling you’ve tangled in the preceding days. Ivan Campo (no, not the footballer) have a habit of making me come utterly undone - And When the Sky was Opened is no exception, the mix of joy and melancholy that traces the edges of their inimitable alt-folk is out in full force with this latest release. The lead single from their upcoming album fill you with the promise that something wonderful is about to land, reaching you at the perfect time for watching the world move into hibernation as the nights grow longer and that sliver of cool crispness whispers against you at the edges of the breeze.  Be it the colour and shape of the music that grabs you, or the warmth of the vocals and soaring harmonies over the gently picked guitar, subtle instrumentation and simple percussion. Welcome, to a comforting jumper of a single, something that feels like it was always there from the moment you encountered it.

Its self evident what this is about.  Mainly due to it shouting 'Whistleblower' at you a lot.  It celebrates Julian Assange, drops in a bit of V for Vendetta imagery, draws parallels with 1984.  Its all getting a bit tough these days for electronic acts with a dystopian view of the future, as that is  increasingly becoming an everyday experience for all of us, with every chance we will see a certifiably insane US President installed within a few months, exploding pagers, war with Russia, and so on.  There is, basically, no longer any need to rely on musicians to warn us about this stuff.  We know. We watch the news.

What's this? Detritus scraped up from an NY sidewalk like a rockplast everything James Murphy has ever eschewed. Great to see cock rock back on top. Just because someone says you can doesn't mean you should. English Teacher I Love You But You're Bringing Me Down. Hopelessly.

Relentlessly, intensely great as you might hope...

"Blossoms were never meant to be on my radar..." But now Ogglypoogly provides an entire LP review, right here.

From the 2004 Jon Spencer Blues Explosion LP 'Orange' that had such pretty silver, black and orange livery. Critics elsewhere call it one of the greatest garage rock LPs ever and def. a big influence on my  lower-rent-like, efficiency cold-water walk up in comparison, doings in Ron & Nancy out ther in Fullerton.

This great moment in pop history. That's me! From a very original and still quite brilliant eponymously named debut LP.  

Why? When we reviewed it already? Because I think this is going to be on a lot of year end lists as best pop/rock song. And percussion magazine for most tasteful use of a high hat. Karen's voice... uurrrghhh, it just has everything I need now.

How cool is this still? Channeling James Burton and Vegas brass. The superb Greyboy Allstars with the vocalising of The LIving Sisters putting together the umpteenth version of Nancy Wilson's pop hit... I am old now and I'm kind of wondering why we don't get these Tony Joe White type records like this sent to us anymore, because I remember 2007 how glad I was when we did.

This hit from Huntingdon Beacj is nearly 30 years old now. Near perfect. But not so nearly perfect as they think, which always made Ron & Nancy better.