after the CRITICAL and COMMERCIAL SUCCESS that was PARKLIFE (FOOD, 1994), UNDOUBTEDLY one of the CULTURAL HIGH-WATER MARKS of the ENTIRE BRITPOP MOVEMENT, the subsequent FOLLOW-UP EFFORT THE GREAT ESCAPE (FOOD, 1995) was a seemingly KNOWING attempt at refashioning and even expanding on its PREDECESSOR's playbook.  this included more SELF-CONSCIOUS TRACKS with PROVINCIAL LYRICAL PREOCCUPATIONS regarding CLASS, STATUS, ALIENATION and the GENERAL CULTURAL STATE of BRITAIN in the wake of the AMERICAN-dominated ALTERNATIVE ROCK era as epitomized by the likes of NIRVANA, SOUNDGARDEN, ALICE IN CHAINS and PEARL JAM.  sonically this RECORD also utilizes expansively ORCHESTRATED COMPOSITIONS that provide an almost CINEMATIC QUALITY to many of these SONGS.

it feels like ever since BLUR took the ARTISTIC TACK of being EXPLICITLY influenced by the CULTURAL STATE of BRITISH SOCIETY in their LYRICS, beginning with their SECOND RELEASE MODERN LIFE IS RUBBISH (FOOD, 1993), in the CELEBRATED SONGWRITING TRADITION of THE KINKS, THE WHO, THE JAM, THE SPECIALS, THE SMITHS and so on, everything has led up to this moment on THE GREAT ESCAPE when the band had the CLOUT, BUDGET, CORPORATE-BACKING and TIME to pursue this type of RECORD in EARNEST.  it also marks an end to this MODE of SONG-CRAFT, as later RECORDS sought to keep things more SONICALLY and LYRICALLY INTUITIVE, INSTINCTUAL, IMMEDIATE and IMPROVISATIONAL in COMPARISON.  i believe that part of such a TRANSITION is due to their FREQUENT use of CHARACTER SKETCHES a la "PARKLIFE" and "TRACY JACKS" on PARKLIFE which find a case of DIMINISHING RETURNS with "CHARMLESS MAN," "STEREOTYPES" and "COUNTRY HOUSE" on THE GREAT ESCAPE.  this NARRATIVE DEVICE allowed MAIN LYRICIST and CO-SONGWRITER DAMON ALBARN to administer CRITIQUES regarding BRITISH SOCIETY from a DISTANT VANTAGE POINT.  this type of SONGWRITING has a LINEAGE in ENGLISH CULTURE going back to RAY DAVIES, MORRISSEY, PETE TOWNSEND, PAUL WELLER and the like, but at this point in BLUR's CAREER such OFFERINGS felt a bit TIRED and STALE in CONTRAST to their BRITPOP PEERS in PULP, SUPERGRASS, ELASTICA and OASIS whose more DIRECT LYRICAL AESTHETIC that promoted an EXPLICIT FEELING and VIBE rather than an INTELLECTUAL EXERCISE was more ENGAGING, IMMERSIVE and FUN in COMPARISON.  such would be EXPLOITED to GREAT EFFECT on the following BLUR (FOOD, 1997) ALBUM, arguably another one of the FINEST RECORDS of the BRITPOP era.

PERSONALLY THE GREAT ESCAPE is the BLUR ALBUM i revisit and listen to LEAST, even far less than the GRAHAM COXON-less THINK TANK (PARLOPHONE, 2003) TROUBLED and DIMINISHED EFFORT of later years.  to me it sounds like a more BLOATED and less SUCCINCT and ENGAGING VERSION of PARKLIFE, as if the TEMPLATE to SUCCESS was dropped in their lap and they ESSENTIALLY attempted to RECORD a BIGGER and BETTER VERSION of their PREVIOUS RECORD to DIMINISHING RETURNS.  that is not to say that it is a TERRIBLE RECORD, as "THE UNIVERSAL" and "YUKO AND HIRO" are INTRIGUING EXPERIMENTS with ALTERNATE INSTRUMENTATION.  to me it just SUFFERS from being a MEDIOCRE, TRANSITIONAL ALBUM between two LANDMARK RELEASES in PARKLIFE and BLUR.  kinda like PINK FLOYD's ANIMALS (HARVEST, 1977), THE CLASH's GIVE 'EM ENOUGH ROPE (CBS, 1978) or THE BEATLES' MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR (PARLOPHONE, 1967) RELEASES.

its hard to downplay what an UNEXPECTED CULTURAL PHENOMENON the INDEPENDENT FILM CLERKS (MIRAMAX, 1994) was when it was released in the mid 1990s.  shot in black-and-white at night in an OBSCURE suburban JERSEY SHORE convenience store for under $30K, which is essentially NO BUDGET (all of which was completely SELF-FUNDED by local WRITER / DIRECTOR KEVIN SMITH).  the film represented a DISTINCT DIY ETHIC and the PROMISE / HOPE that anyone with DRIVE, TALENT and a KILLER SCIPT could enter the ridiculously COMPETITIVE FILM INDUSTRY, obtain DISTRIBUTION and possibly succeed.  CLERKS was nothing if not a COMPLETE CULTURAL GAME-CHANGER that also benefited upcoming ALTERNATIVE and INDIE ROCK-minded ACTS on its SOUNDTRACK, most noticeably ALICE IN CHAINS and SOUL ASYLUM, as well as obscure deep cuts by the likes of SEAWEED, THE JESUS LIZARD, BAD RELIGION and GIRLS AGAINST BOYS.  i wonder how much of the CURATION PROCESS surrounding of this SOUNDTRACK was done out of minimizing LICENSING COSTS as most of these ACTS were pretty UNDERGROUND at the time on boutique INDEPENDENT RECORD LABELS (TOUCH AND GO, SUB POP).

it makes sense that the FOLLOW-UP FILM MALLRATS (UNIVERSAL, 1995) benefitted from a more PROMINENT CAST, including SHANNEN DOHERTY, BEN AFFLECK, CLAIRE FORALANI, JASON LEE and so on, as well as a SOUNDTRACK with more POPULAR ACTS of the MOMENT representing the EMERGENCE of POST-GRUNGE BANDS like BUSH, SPONGE and SILVERCHAIR, as well as more INDIE and PUNK-minded fair like ALL, WEEZER, SUBLIME, ELASTICA and ARCHERS OF LOAF.  of course MALLRATS was initially a COMMERCIAL FLOP (making only a third of its BUDGET back in the DOMESTIC MARKET on its initial release in theaters).  thematically and cinematically MALLRATS was a CONSCIOUS departure from the WORKING MAN's SURVIVALIST BITE or SEETHING DIALOGUE of CLERKS, which makes sense given the ELEVATED EXPECTATIONS that come with having an ACTUAL PRODUCTION BUDGET and playing the game as more of an EQUAL INDUSTRY PARTNER than an outside INSURGENT USURPER.  it was more of a fun TEENAGE ROMP FILM than a PENETRATING SOCIAL COMMENTARY VEHICLE about the seemingly DIMINUTIVE PROSPECTS of the UNDERCLASS.  much later with the advent of widespread INTERNET-ENABLED DVD DISTRIBUTION / SALES and STREAMING SERVICES, MALLRATS has maintained a bit of a LONG-TERM CULT following, much like with all KEVIN SMITH PRODUCTIONS within his SELF-DECLARED VIEW ASKIEWNIVERSE.  so the sting has lifted quite a bit from its initial release and the SOUNDTRACK serves as good as any of the type of ROCK AND ROLL that was markedly ASCENDENT during the mid-1990s in the wake of the MASSIVE ALTERNATIVE ROCK WAVE that CLERKS had rode on.  BRITPOP was very much still a thing and POST-GRUNGE was just getting started as BANDS now looked towards SEATTLE BANDS for SONIC INSPIRATION and a TEMPLATE to COMMERCIAL SUCCES.  for me the INTERESTING ADDITIONS are INDIE ROCK BANDS like ARCHERS OF LOAF and the PUNK ROCK FORMER DESCENDENTS VETERANS of ALL, both of whom are associated with INDEPENDENT LABELS (MERGE, CRUZ and EPITAPH) that was IMPORTANT during this ERA.  one wonders why they agreed to license their MUSIC outside of AMBITION for a SINGULAR CULTURAL MOMENT similar to that of CLERKS.

thats the way i see the MALLRATS SOUNDTRACK three decades later; as an INTRIGUING time capsule of a UNIQUE moment in ROCK AND ROLL history when everyone was coming to terms with the ECONOMIC and CULTURAL IMPLICATIONS of the massive success associated with the THEN-RECENT ALTERNATIVE ROCK explosion.  i wouldnt say this is an essential release, but an INTERESTING one nonetheless for 90s CINEPHILES and ROCK FANS alike.

THE GREAT ESCAPE (FOOD, 1995) represented the end of a certain MODE OF SONGWRITING for the BRITPOP ICONS in BLUR, one in which FRONTMAN DAMON ALBARN wrote through CHARACTERS that represented aspects of BRITISH SOCIETY that he had a CONTENTION with.  a RECURRING OBSESSION was the loss of COMMUNITY and the literal PHYSICAL TRANSFORMATION of the BRITISH SUBURBAN LANDSCAPE and COUNTRYSIDE with the PROLIFERATION of AMERICAN-style CORPORATE RETAIL OUTLETS throughout the 1990s that pushed out mom-and-pop SMALL BUSINESSES that had previously given each town their UNIQUE IDENTITY.  on PARKLIFE (FOOD, 1994) this LYRICAL and THEMATIC PERSUASION was NOVEL, but by THE GREAT ESCAPE it had turned to something of a crutch.  same with the MUSICAL APPROACH which had become BLOATED with MASSIVE ORCHESTRAL ARRANGEMENTS that pushed the limits of CREDULITY for this once tight four-piece.  change was in need all around.

for me BLUR (FOOD, 1997) is the album where ALBARN somewhat abandoned COY and CLEVER CHARACTER-BASED OBSERVATIONS of BRITISH society as a SONGWRITING VEHICLE (in the great TRADITION of RAY DAVIES, PAUL MCCARTNEY and DAVID BOWIE) and turned inward at himself and got REFLECTIVE and PERSONAL.  in particular INSPIRED tracks like "BEETLEBUM" and "DEATH OF A PARTY" seemed to be MOURNFUL CODAS or ELEGIES on a BRITPOP scene that had run its course but was now in decline as a CULTURAL MOVEMENT.  there was a new found DIRECTNESS and MUSCULARITY to the SOUND, courtesy of GUITARIST and fellow SONGWRITER GRAHAM COXON whose INTEREST in the LO-FI, DISCORDANT and EXPERIMENTAL end of AMERICAN INDIE ROCK (bands like PAVEMENT, SONIC YOUTH and MISSION OF BURMA) came to forefront on BLUR on largely IMPROVISATIONAL tracks like "CHINESE BOMBS," "M.O.R." and most memorably, "SONG 2." 

COXON around this period also stepped out as a COMPETENT LYRICIST and VOCALIST in his own right with the AMBIGUOUS "YOU'RE SO GREAT," which could have been about love just as much as it could have been about ALCOHOL, since during this period he was well into the depths of his ADDICTION.  this tact would continue and be mined on the likewise STELLAR and SIMILARLY-THEMED track "COFFEE & TV" from the follow-up album 13 (FOOD, 1999).  in fact, the use of controlled substances as a SONGWRITING VEHICLE is also found on "BEETLEBUM," which some have interpreted as potentially also being also about the LASTING DAMAGE and loss of WILL and SELF-IDENTITY that comes with PROLONGED HEROIN ADDICTION.  in the late 90s, it was common knowledge that many a BRITPOP band and their entourage had fallen VICTIM to NARCOTICS at the expense of their CAREER, LIVELIHOOD and POTENCY as ARTISTS.  seems all CULTURAL MOVEMENTS eventually hit that CLICHE OPIATE STAGE when everything begins to dismantle and become ENTROPIC.

i always find it INTRIGUING that a record which found its origins in abandoning what worked before and wholesale embracing UNCERTAINTY through PERSONAL LYRICAL THEMES and EXPERIMENTAL DISCORDANT SOUNDSCAPES turned out to be one of the most artistically SATISFYING albums of their CAREER.  not only that, but the ONE-OFF, RANDOM, THROWAWAY lark of a track "SONG 2" is identifiably the BLUR song of ALL-TIME, being used as a CODED SIGNAL for UNBRIDLED CELEBRATION at sporting events the world over at times of SUDDEN VICTORY.  for me the UNDISPUTED HIGHLIGHT is "BEETLEBUM," not just for the AMBIGUOUS LYRICS, but that HAUNTING GUITAR LEAD at the end which seems to distill all that BUBBLING UNCERTAINTY and PAIN into a severely MEMORABLE MUSICAL REFRAIN.  its arguably the most INTENSE and EMOTIONALLY-WROUGHT moment on any BLUR recording.  it was also the moment i saw COXON as an EXPRESSIVE GUITARIST on par with my other BRITISH GUITAR HEROES in JOHNNY MARR, DANIEL ASH, ROBERT SMITH, ROBERT FRIPP and JOHNNY GREENWOOD.

goes without saying that BLUR is a MEMORABLE and absolutely ESSENTIAL album well worth checking out.

parody & text by nacrowe

not to get all ANTHONY FONTANO on everyone, but PERFECT ALBUMS have always been in short supply.  it sometimes feels like when a band hits their CREATIVE PEAK that they dont normally cash-in on said ARTISTIC SUCCESS commercially until subsequent RELEASES that inevitably dont live up to the HYPE.  i can think of countless UNDERGROUND PUNK ROCK and INDIE ROCK examples but such are the machinations of the MUSIC INDUSTRY which necessitate a convergence of outside forces to be ALIGNED and SYNCHRONOUS for such RECOGNITION and BENEFITS to materialize.

in my estimation, the debut self-titled ELASTICA (GEFFEN, 1995) ALBUM is such a case study.  i'd argue that song-for-song it is the STRONGEST, most CREATIVE release of the BRITPOP era, topping efforts by more FAMOUS and NOTORIOUS acts like OASIS, BLUR, SUEDE and PULP.  ELASTICA songwriter JUSTINE FRISCHMAN's CHARISMA, VOCAL DELIVERY and CLEVER TURNS OF PHRASE over ANGULAR, OFF-KILTER, HOOK-LADEN SONG STRUCTURES is pure MAGIC.  i can vividly remember hearing "CONNECTION" in my parent's compact two-door HONDA ACCORD on my may way to and from soccer practice in elementary school on the LOCAL radio station 106.7 KROQ out of nearby LOS ANGELES.  it sounded like nothing else on the radio and just had this PALPABLE sense of DRIVE and UNDENIABLE COOLNESS.  the only other BRITPOP song i can recall from my childhood in SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA is OASIS' "LIVE FOREVER," but my AWARENESS of the CULTURAL MOVEMENT didnt really coalesce until a year later when my family stayed in ENGLAND with a relative for a month during the summer.

in 2001 shortly after being shipped off to live with a distant relative in SUBURBAN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA from KUWAIT in the aftermath of 9/11, i dove into BRITPOP in earnest along with RELATED GENRES like SHOEGAZE and POST-PUNK.  discovering bands like WIRE and GANG OF FOUR around that time put ELASTICA in context, especially their SONIC AESTHETIC of fashioning an INTRICATE MELODY out of INTERWEAVING GUITAR LINES that sync in and out of SYNCOPATION with the RHYTHM SECTION.  it provided me CONTEXT and a better APPRECIATION for songs like "2:1," "ANNIE," "NEVER HERE," "LINE UP," "CONNECTION" and "WAKING UP."  in my estimation, ELASTICA hasnt aged one iota in the nearly three decades since its release. 

to me it still sounds RELEVANT and absolutely CONTEMPORARY.  a prime example of what a ROCK N ROLL RECORDS should feel and sound like to go hand in hand with anything ever produced by the universally CELEBRATED likes of THE STOOGES, BLACK SABBATH, RAMONES, THE DOORS, QUEEN, LOU REED, RADIOHEAD, THE CLASH, NIRVANA, THE BEACH BOYS, VAN HALEN or THE BEATLES.  id put it in that company.  unfortunately due to reasons outside their control, i dont believe ELASTICA or its STELLAR FOLLOW-UP THE MENACE (ATLANTIC, 2000) ever got their proper comeuppance.  such is the MUSIC INDUSTRY.

embedded below is a recent DEER GOD RADIO episode on nonprofit internet radio station MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC that includes a playlist celebrating the ICONIC BRITPOP band ELASTICA.  enjoy!

its INTERESTING to look back at the debut BLUR album LEISURE (FOOD, 1991) given the incredibly DIVERSE and ACCOMPLISHED discography of not only frontman DAMON ALBARN, but also guitarist GRAHAM COXON.  undoubtedly the band is a PIVOTAL and wildly INFLUENTIAL BRITISH CULTURAL SONGWRITING institution well beyond their BRITPOP association not unlike THE KINKS, T.REX, THE JAM, ELVIS COSTELLO, THE SMITHS, DAVID BOWIE, THE WHO, XTC, THE CLASH and THE BEATLES transcended GENRE before them. 

but this is not the album to start with.

to my ears LEISURE is the sound of a young ENTHUSIASTIC band getting acquainted with the RECORDING PROCESS and finding their bearings while sounding rather DERIVATIVE.  all the hallmarks are there, a little MADCHESTER-esque ACID HOUSE beat here on "THERE'S NO OTHER WAY" (apparently a favorite of KURT COBAIN) that wouldnt sound out of place on a HAPPY MONDAYS, PRIMAL SCREAM or THE STONE ROSES track and a bit of ARTFUL SHOEGAZE DISSONANCE there on "SHE'S SO HIGH" a la LUSH, RIDE or SLOWDIVE.  what shines through on those two singles is the QUALITY songwriting, the MEMORABLE guitar lines of COXON and the GENERATIONAL CHARISMA of ALBARN.  compared to subsequent releases this album does not hold up beyond those two singles, with ALBARN even stating (probably overzealously) that it was one of the two BAD albums he ever made, the other being THE GREAT ESCAPE (FOOD, 1995).  i think that assessment is a bit HARSH, but relative to their peers in OASIS, SUPERGRASS, ELASTICA and SUEDE, all of whom had CLASSIC debut albums, LEISURE is undoubtedly somewhat of a slow start of out the gate.  but the growth both MUSICALLY and CONCEPTUALLY in-between this and their sophomore album MODERN LIFE IS RUBBISH (FOOD, 1993) is TREMENDOUS and showcases a considered and THOUGHTFUL PERSPECTIVE of BRITISH CULTURE brought on by the TRANSFORMATIONAL EXPERIENCE of EXTENSIVE INTERNATIONAL TOURING that put their sense of SELF-IDENTITY in context.  such would be CREATIVE fodder for several records, if not the whole career of the band and numerous outside ALBARN and COXON projects.

i would not state that LEISURE is an essential BLUR release, but it has two great singles and gives a UNIQUE look at a SEMINAL band during its brief NAIVE phase before a long STORIED, CULTURALLY SIGNIFICANT TRAJECTORY. 

seemingly every popular CULTURAL MOVEMENT has their TRANSCENDENT, FRONT-OF-MIND acts that capture the collective imagination of the public such as with THE BEATLES, THE ROLLING STONES and THE WHO with the BRITISH INVASION during the early 1960s and arguably outshine similarly STELLAR acts like THE ANIMALS, THE YARDBIRDS and THE KINKS.  alright, maybe THE KINKS should be in the former category and not the latter but you get the idea, the strength and depth of a CULTURAL MOVEMENT is likely the quality of those ALSO-RAN acts as much as the frontrunners.  in the 1990s you had the BRITPOP scene that REVITALIZED BRITISH ROCK AND ROLL and undoubtedly was dominated by OASIS and BLUR, and to a lesser extent SUEDE, PULP and ELASTICA.  below even that was a tier of bands that id argue were similarly UBER-TALENTED including SLEEPER, SUPERGRASS and THE VERVE.

in the public imagination, THE VERVE was in essence a public front for the gifted SONGWRITER RICHARD ASHCROFT and their third album URBAN HYMNS (HUT, 1997) is his MAGNUM OPUS.  the band was primarily known for EARNEST SONGS about COMMON WORKING CLASS life, often delicately strummed on an acoustic with MINIMAL INSTRUMENTATION that put the aural focus on ASHCROFT's voice a la SONGS like "SONNET," "THE DRUGS DON'T WORK" and especially "LULLABY."  there are also more SPACEY numbers like "THIS TIME" and "THE ROLLING PEOPLE" but those are less successful than his STRIPPED-BACK fair.  

with one quite NOTABLE exception.

"BITTERSWEET SYMPHONY" is arguably one of the BIGGEST singles from the entire BRITPOP movement, being outshined in comparison to "WONDERWALL" or "DON'T LOOK BACK IN ANGER" by OASIS, "PARKLIFE" or "SONG 2" by BLUR or "COMMON PEOPLE" by PULP.  maybe.  whereas those other bands had other NOTEWORTHY singles, "BITTERSWEET SYMPHONY" represents THE VERVE's lone SHINING moment and it was definitely BITTERSWEET, give that its use of a orchestral sample off a ROLLING STONES SONG was not cleared by the COPYRIGHT holder, LEGENDARY manager ALLEN KLEIN, and subsequently the band lost all of its revenue from the single.  their BIGGEST HIT was their BIGGEST DEBACLE and is an INFAMOUS CAUTIONARY TALE to date about the risk of not properly clearing all SAMPLES before publication.  in 2019, ten years after KLEIN's passing, the bequeathed COPYRIGHT holders passed on the COPYRIGHT to ASHCROFT.  but the DAMAGE was done.  the SONG itself, with its LILTING STRING SECTION, is an UPLIFTING paean to living one's life to its fullest given the brief time we all have here in this physical realm.  the SONG has been included on various greatest-songs-of-all-time lists and seemingly perfectly captured a deeply felt sense of unbridled OPTIMISM that took place during the BRITPOP era and the REVITALIZATION of BRITISH MUSIC and POLITICAL CULTURE during this period.

that this career peak became a career low is a testament to the BRUTALITY of the MUSIC INDUSTRY and the need to have a skilled and loyal support team at the ready.  URBAN HYMNS is definitely worth checking out, albeit i consider it a lesser album than those put out at the time by their BRITPOP peers in OASIS, BLUR, PULP, ELASTICA and SUEDE.

after reading guitarist GRAHAM COXON's recent ENGROSSING VERSE, CHORUS, MONSTER! (linked HERE) memoir i sought out the relatively OBSCURE BLUR tour documentary STARSHAPED (PARLOPHONE, 1993) from the earlier 1990s.  the band at the time were rather GREEN and touring in support of their early releases LEISURE (FOOD, 1993) and MODERN LIFE IS RUBBISH (FOOD, 1993) while participating in music festivals such as READING and GLASTONBURY for the first time.  aside from the performances, most of the FLY-ON-THE-WALL road footage showcases the band in some stage of INEBRIATION.  im sure when this film was haphazardly recorded by their friends there was some hope of this footage being ENTERTAINING, but what comes across most prominently is the inanity and BOREDOM of being a TOURING MUSICIAN.  ALCOHOL seemingly dulled social and performance ANXIETY while also bringing out a more EXTREME (and frankly EMBARRASSING) version of each of the bandmates.  such was being YOUNG.

interestingly, this early 1990s era also predates MODERN widespread internet-enabled TELECOMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY by at least a decade, so you get the PALPABLE feeling that these YOUNG MUSICIANS felt like they were out to sea on an adventure with nothing to document such but the film itself.  my family moved to AFRICA in late 1995 and calling friends stateside was an EXPENSIVE and incredibly TRICKY thing.  this was all well before EMAILING, TEXTING, FACETIMING, POSTING, DM-ING, SKYPING, ZOOMING and all that.  it felt initially like i was deserted on an island.  i can only imagine what being an INTERNATIONAL TOURING MUSICIAN for the first time must have felt like during that period.  everything is NOVEL, EXHILARATING and UNKNOWN.  touring now is different since SOCIAL MEDIA makes everyone OMNIPRESENT and APPROACHABLE everywhere, all the time.

​obviously, the ALCOHOL backfired further down the line as the COXON / DAMON ALBARN creative relationship was ultimately STRAINED for a number of years because of the dual accumulated toll of MISCOMMUNICATION and INSECURITY that was masked through DRINKING.  COXON himself describes how the bottle was able to numb his DEEP ANXIETY and drowning sense of DEPRESSION, which gave excuse for the EVER-CURIOUS ALBARN to seek other artistic collaborations and projects (i.e. GORILLAZ, THE GOOD THE BAD AND THE QUEEN, ROCKET JUICE & THE MOON, etc).  what is COMPELLING about STARSHAPED is the ability to watch those dynamics organically metastasize seemingly in REAL-TIME.

STARSHAPED is not the most ENGROSSING or WELL-EDITED documentary, but that is also its charm.  it was obviously a product meant to cash-in on the ascending popularity of both BLUR and the emerging BRITPOP movement writ large.  you very much get to witness a band coming into their own and arguably project themselves for the last time with MINIMAL ARTIFICE.  that would soon change as the band grew in popularity and the downside of FAME and its pressure caught up.

parody by nacrowe

there is a whole litany of SUCCESSFUL second acts in MODERN MUSIC HISTORY, especially of the SOLO ACT variety coming off a massively INFLUENTIAL and commercially LUCRATIVE group project, but i am hard pressed to think of another ROCK N ROLL example other than NOEL GALLAGHER who has been able to match (if not succeed) the quality of output of his former band, i.e. OASIS.  JOHN LENNON's post-BEATLES output was rather SPOTTY, albeit with some spellbindingly TRANSCENDENT highlights.  dont get me started on the embarrassment that is PAUL MCCARTNEY.  the caliber of company i can come up with are SEMINAL SOLO ARTISTS like MORRISSEY (THE SMITHS), IGGY POP (THE STOOGES), OZZY OSBOURNE (BLACK SABBATH), NEIL YOUNG (BUFFALO SPRINGFIELD, CSN & Y) and LOU REED (THE VELVET UNDERGROUND).

what is INTRIGUING about that list is that arguably those ARTISTS were the stars of their former groups.  yes they all had FORMIDABLE and LEGENDARY COLLABORATORS and CO-SONGWRITERS with the likes of JOHNNY MARR (THE SMITHS), JAMES WILLIAMSON and the ASHTON BROTHERS (THE STOOGES), TONY IOMMI (BLACK SABBATH), STEPHEN STILLS (BUFFALO SPRINGFIELD, CSN & Y) and JOHN CALE (THE VELVET UNDERGROUND), but in contrast the case of NOEL found him to not be the star, but the sole SONGWRITER and LYRICIST [for the majority of OASIS' career] in CREATIVE and ARTISTIC support of his VOCALIST younger brother, LIAM. 

so in a very REAL sense, OASIS was NOEL and NOEL was OASIS.  cant say that about MORRISSEY, POP, OSBOURNE, YOUNG or REED.  or even LENNON or MCCARTNEY. or for that matter STING (THE POLICE), BRYAN FERRY (ROXY MUSIC), RAY DAVIES (THE KINKS) or ROBBIE ROBERTSON (THE BAND).

so when he went solo in 2009, NOEL effectively took the CREATIVE BRAINTRUST of OASIS with him, and the intervening years have seen that eye for QUALITY SONG-CRAFT expand into new SONIC TERRAIN with songs that juxtapose his penchant for MEMORABLE MELODIES with AMBIENT and ELECTRONIC TEXTURES as well as DANCE rhythms.  such excursions into DANCE CULTURE might seem on the face of it COUNTERINTUITIVE and in stark contrast to the traditional ROCK N ROLL ethos that OASIS represented to many an ALTERNATIVE ROCK and BRITPOP enthusiast, but you have to consider that his FORMATIVE years were spent at the HACIENDA in MANCHESTER during the peak years of the ACID HOUSE explosion of the late 1980s.  OASIS and NOEL were children of the MADCHESTER scene so such later EXPERIMENTATION with such is not really that odd when viewed in context.  what is COMPELLING is that those SONIC EXPERIMENTS lead to some QUALITY tracks such as "BLACK STAR DANCING," "BLUE MOON RISING," "THIS IS THE PLACE" and "SHE TAUGHT ME HOW TO FLY" that rank up with his best work.

and in essence that UNIQUE capacity to INNOVATE and continually EVOLVE his sound in a manner that builds on his FORMIDABLE strengths as a SONGWRITER is what makes NOEL so FASCINATING a CULTURAL FIGURE.  he is not dredging up the past or attempting to be something he was back in his 20s.  if anything, he is in the moment.  THIS MOMENT.  and i am forever looking forward to checking out his new material.

​embedded below is a recent DEER GOD RADIO episode on nonprofit internet radio station MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC that includes a playlist celebrating the solo work of the ICONIC BRITISH songwriter NOEL GALLAGHER.  enjoy!

the LEGENDARY BRITPOP group BLUR came on my radar the year before i became a teenager when my family visited a BRITISH great-uncle in HERTFORDSHIRE (an HISTORIC suburb just north of LONDON), each summer from 1996 through 1998.  at the time my family was stationed in NIGERIA of all places and doing our yearly shipment from ENGLAND made more sense then the UNITED STATES where im from.  this great-uncle was pretty cool as he assisted GEOFFREY DE HAVILLAND in developing fighter aircraft during WORLD WAR II as an aeronautics engineer and test pilot in HATFIELD where the aerodrome was located.  when i first went there in 1996 BRITPOP was likely past its peak, but BLUR still had enough cultural cache that when my father asked another BRITISH relative's college-aged son what albums students liked at the time, PARKLIFE (FOOD, 1994) and THE GREAT ESCAPE (FOOD, 1995) were the IMMEDIATE answers.  so there you go.

from the outside BLUR guitarist GRAHAM COXON always seemed a bit of a RELUCTANT (and more than a tad bit CONTRARIAN) public figure.  the few interviews i saw of him at the time always managed to find him seeming UNCOMFORTABLE and unable to drum up the amount of necessary enthusiasm youd expect from a SUCCESSFUL musician, notwithstanding being the guitarist in one of the premier BRITISH ALTERNATIVE ROCK bands of the decade.  it was a similar push-pull dynamic witnessed beforehand in KURT COBAIN whereby one is presented with this PHENOMENAL, GENERATIONALLY-TALENTED ENGLISH musician, whose work spoke for itself, yet he would come off MERCURIAL and rather INSCRUTABLE in interviews and media events.  no doubt having such CHARISMATIC and ATTENTION-SEEKING willing participants as BLUR frontman DAMON ALBARN and bassist ALEX JAMES helped shield him for years in REDUCTIVE BRITPOP related press articles, but for me COXON was always an INTRIGUING yet entirely UNKNOWABLE creative entity.

enter his recent INCREDIBLE recent memoir VERSE, CHORUS, MONSTER! (FABER & FABER, 2023) which details not only the trajectory of his career, but more COMPELLINGLY the parallel arc of his  PERSONAL NARRATIVE and his ongoing battle with ALCOHOLISM and the related ANXIETY and DEPRESSION which was enabled and brought on by years of EMOTIONAL NEGLECT.  for me, as much as i adore his music, it was this second thread that was the most POWERFUL aspect of his book.  i was very moved by the COURAGE it took to be so honest about such a TABOO subject as NEGLECT and how such affects one's SELF-IMAGE and insidiously hinders one's ability to establish LOVING, NURTURING relationships in later life as an adult.  it always seems that this subject of NEGLECT and the associated ANXIETY and DEPRESSION that comes with it too often gets DISCARDED in favor of some PERVERSELY IDEALIZED and OUTMODED conception of MASCULINITY.  especially in BRITISH CULTURE with its stiff upper lip and culturally INGRAINED "just get on with it" MENTALITY.  to be so OPEN and FRANK about an INTERNAL BATTLE with his own sense of SELF-WORTH and admittedly WARPED PERCEPTION of inter-personal dynamics was INSIGHTFUL, HELPFUL and quite effectively written.

i should not be surprised that the book was so WELL-CONCEIVED and EXECUTED, given the thought and sense of INTENSE INTERIORITY that marks not only his musical compositions and lyrical content throughout the decades, but also his deeply felt PERSONAL artwork (some of which is included in the book).  oftentimes his scribblings are QUICK, HASTILY-DEPICTED MONSTERS that border on the ABSURD but are seemingly EPHEMERAL manifestations of his EMOTIONAL LANDSCAPE.  no doubt they were a COPING MECHANISM throughout his career and PERSONAL LIFE.  its INTERESTING that these MONSTERS lose their edge at the close of the book as he enters a new phase of life with a new partner and a more DISTANCED and NUANCED PERCEPTIVE on his PUBLIC PERSONA and INDIVIDUAL IDENTITY shaped through experience.

i dont mean to glean over the INTRIGUING aspects of his UPBRINGING abroad and in the ESSEX town of COLCHESTER, attending GOLDSMITHS COLLEGE or the rise of BLUR and his associated solo career with all its INTERESTING explorations of GARAGE and TRADITIONAL BRITISH FOLK MUSIC.  there are NOTEWORTHY tidbits galore, including the following:

it is INTERESTING that there has always been mention by BLUR in various media profiles, including their 2010 reunion documentary THERE IS NO DISTANCE LEFT TO RUN (review linked HERE), that bassist ALEX JAMES played his instrument specifically as if he wanted to be in DURAN DURAN. its just ODD and FUNNY that unexpectedly it would be COXON that would actually be in DURAN DURAN as he wrote and played with the group for their recent FUTURE PAST (BMG, 2021) cycle in the wake of guitarist ANDY TAYLOR's leave of absence due to a late-stage prostate cancer diagnosis.

and there is plenty more of that, but it is just that in the context of this book those types of details are unimportant.  in fact they are rather secondary or maybe even tertiary in prominence relative to the deep PERSONAL TOLL GRAHAM experienced and the EMOTIONAL / PSYCHOLOGICAL dynamics that triggered by his raised PUBLIC PROFILE, which undoubtedly served as an accelerant that exacerbated his DIMINISHED feelings of SELF-WORTH throughout his career.  and thus the SELF-MEDICATION through alcohol.  the fact that he was able to navigate those UNSTEADY waters intact is REMARKABLE because, needless to say, there have been lives lost and psyches irreparably WARPED by the ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY throughout the years. 

maybe his RELUCTANCE to fully participate and buy-in to the FALSE REALITY that is the MUSIC PRESS, as mentioned before, served him well in the end.  it is hard to say.

VERSE, CHORUS, MONSTER! is a THOUGHTFUL and INTIMATE look at the INTERNAL DYNAMICS of one of the most creative musicians recent memory.  definitely worth checking out even if BRITPOP, ALTERNATIVE ROCK or INDIE ROCK is not your cup of tea.

i always felt like BERNARD BUTLER belonged to this REVERED but strangely UNDER-APPRECIATED and UNDERVALUED lineage of BRITISH GUITARISTS and SONGWRITERS that includes everyone from fellow BRITPOP peers in GRAHAM COXON (BLUR), RUSSELL SENIOR (PULP) and GAZ COOMBES (SUPERGRASS) to past BRITISH INVASION heroes in DAVE DAVIES (THE KINKS) and BRIAN JONES (THE ROLLING STONES) not to mention other SEMINAL ENGLISH figures in ED O'BRIEN (RADIOHEAD), MICK RONSON (DAVID BOWIE), BOZ BOORER (MORRISSEY, THE POLECATS), GLEN MATLOCK (THE SEX PISTOLS), HANK MARVIN (THE SHADOWS), KEITH LEVENE (PUBLIC IMAGE LIMITED), VINI REILLY (THE DURUTTI COLUMN), ANDY GILL (GANG OF FOUR) and even JOHNNY MARR (THE SMITHS).  all of these MUSICIANS were part of artistically SUCCESSFUL acts from different eras and were CELEBRATED for their SINGULAR contributions, yet somehow still managed to have PUBLIC PERSONAS that remained firmly in the background.
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BUTLER of course came to CULTURAL PROMINENCE in the 1990s as a member of the BRITPOP band SUEDE where he added SUBTLE yet INTRICATE guitar textures that saw people compare him often to the likes of JOHNNY MARR, his childhood hero.  in the years since he left the band he has amassed quite the REMARKABLE catalogue of ARTISTS he's either produced or collaborated with including the likes of DUFFY, PET SHOP BOYS, AIMEE MANN, BERT JANSCH, TRICKY, NENEH CHERRY and THE LIBERTINES.  at this point he is a revered BRITISH ALTERNATIVE ROCK ELDER STATESMEN whose creative work, both past and current, is very much worth checking out.  especially his solo work.

parody by nacrowe

check out HERE this recent streaming video episode of DEER GOD RADIO celebrating the solo work of the generationally GIFTED BRITISH singer-songwriter and former OASIS guitarist NOEL GALLAGHER!
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​​past episodes of DEER GOD RADIO are available here at the DEER GOD website as well as in the MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC archives.

and if you haven't done so already get the FREE PHONE APP for IOS/ANDROID and enjoy listening to MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC 24/7 at your convenience!

as a music fan its always INTRIGUING to learn about the behind-the-scenes inner-workings and machinations of CONSEQUENTIAL operators like PRODUCERS, MANAGERS, ENGINEERS and even ROADIES.  in his engaging memoir LUNCH WITH THE WILD FRONTIERS: A HISTORY OF BRITPOP AND EXCESS IN 13 1/2 CHAPTERS (JAWBONE PRESS, 2019), you are introduced to the world of IMAGINATIVE media manipulations and greasy pole climbing that is PUBLIC RELATIONS through PHILL (now JANE) SAVIDGE of the noted now-DEFUNCT firm of SAVAGE & BEST.  at the height of the BRITPOP movement in the 1990s, this PUBLIC RELATIONS firm was at the center of the BRITISH YOUTH CULTURE having represented heavy-hitters of the period including SUEDE, PULP, ELASTICA and THE VERVE among many others.  LUNCH WITH THE WILD FRONTIERS is basically a guided tour through the period and how he was able to adroitly manipulate PRESS COVERAGE and keep his clients and their new projects square in the BRITISH public's notoriously FICKLE focus and attention. 

so in essence this book is really about the fine art of BULLSHITTING.

SAVIDGE seems to be such a PRETERNATURAL talent at the art of NETWORKING and HYPE-BUILDING that his memoir showcases him in the same room serving the interests of everyone from DAVE STEWART (EURYTHMICS), KEITH ALLEN and ANDREW LLOYD WEBER to PAUL ALLEN, DAMIEN HIRST, A. R. RAHMAN, JARVIS COCKER and even LOU REED.  its all very INCREDIBLE and FASCINATING, but you get the sense throughout that SAVIDGE is a very USEFUL instrument for effectuating a DESIRABLE outcome, be it PRESS about a nightclub or a new band in a very specific BRITISH periodical.  to that end he is singularly focused and uniquely poised to perpetually create what we now refer to in the digital era as "content."  the dude was a constant producer of CONTENT that effectuated BENEFICIAL outcomes for his clients and provided unique access as a gatekeeper to a new generation of innovators pushing culture.   long-term though, it is never made clear how said ATTENTION benefited everyone.  seems like a never-ending hamster wheel of DRUGS, LIES and HYPE.  plus with the never satiated public consumption of said CONTENT, there is always the threat of being overtaken and replaced by newer, younger, hipper artists and individuals involved in ever more DESIRABLE and DEBAUCHED situation.  it seems in retrospect that the cheque written by SAVAGE & BEST was sadly delivered to the following generation of subsequent artists to pay up.  some with UNFORTUNATE results.

even though this memoir chronologically doesnt overlap with the likes of AMY WINEHOUSE or PETE DOHERTY, it was never that far from my attention the darker aspects of chasing down and falling into this type of RABBIT HOLE.  despite all of the GLAMOUR and DETACHED AFFECTION related to PRESS COVERAGE, you also get the sense that one's IDENTITY and PUBLIC PERSONA is what is at stake and being bartered over in the process.  some get LOST.

what is so COMPELLING about this book is how little i learned about SAVIDGE as an individual away from his MANIPULATIONS in the ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY.  he is a complete CYPHER.  it is probably what made him such a great PUBLIC RELATIONS agent.

LUNCH WITH THE WILD FRONTIERS is definitely an INTERESTING book with a UNIQUE perspective on the BRITISH MUSIC INDUSTRY during the BRITPOP period.  definitely worth checking out.

ELASTICA's eponymous debut album ELASTICA (DGC, 1995) was the GREATEST record put out during the BRITPOP era.  end stop.  the album exudes a LYRICAL CONFIDENCE and SONIC SOPHISTICATION that was seemingly presented to the world from the outset as a committed and FULLY-FORMED musical statement.  taking influence most notably from POST PUNK bands like WIRE and THE STRANGLERS, main songwriter JUSTINE FRISCHMANN was the master of refashioning ANGULAR GUITAR PASSAGES and ODD TIME SIGNATURES into DEVASTATINGLY EFFECTIVE sonic hooks that separated their sound from their BRITPOP and ALTERNATIVE ROCK brethren.  being a SINGULAR recording for the ages, there are no weak tracks on the album, but NOTEWORTHY songs include "BLUE," "STUTTER," "2:1," "CONNECTION," "INDIAN SONG," "ANNIE," "LINE UP," "NEVER HERE" and my personal favorite, "WAKING UP."  i know i just named nine tracks (and to be honest there are another two id add come to think of it), but its that kind of TRANSCENDENT album.

my introduction to ELASTICA was hearing their STELLAR single "CONNECTION" on 106.7 FM KROQ during my late elementary school years in SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA.  at the time i had no idea who the band was, or really anything about BRITPOP, but that indelible opening synth lick (courtesy of DAMON ALBARN of all things) with that ICONIC "eeeewwww-wahhhhhh" vocal intro was something absolutely seared into my adolescent FASCINATION and was a part of the soundtrack of my years going to traveling soccer and basketball matches throughout ORANGE, RIVERSIDE, LOS ANGELES and SAN DIEGO COUNTIES in my youth. 

its funny, because i didnt actually discover ELASTICA by name until my senior year of high school when i found their debut and put the dots together on that "CONNECTION" single.  i was stunned by how consistent ELASTICA was with its memorable SLINKY BASS-LINES (a la JEAN-JACQUES BURNEL and PETER HOOK) and SNAPPY VOCALS sung with ATTITUDE and a SNARL.  that record was one of the key discoveries from my senior year of high school which i spent largely alone after being moved from the MIDDLE EAST to a unwitting relative in SACRAMENTO shortly after 9/11.  other groups i discovered during this period included THE BREEDERS, LOVE AND ROCKETS, MASSIVE ATTACK, SLOWDIVE, FUGAZI, APHEX TWIN and THE CRAMPS.  it was a horrible year but in that regard it was quite PRODUCTIVE.

why ELASTICA is not a bigger name in the history of ALTERNATIVE ROCK still baffles me.  usually FRISCHMANN only gets mentioned because of her past relationships with DAMON ALBARN (or BLUR) and BRETT ANDERSON (of SUEDE) which is being SEXIST and does her a total disservice.  it should be the other way around, that those two dudes once dated arguably the BEST songwriter of their generation.  it could be that the band dissolved after another INCREDIBLE record due to cliche tropes of INFIGHTING and UNHEALTHY and ultimately DESTRUCTIVE narcotic habits.  maybe, i dont know.  it still stuns me that ELASTICA isnt more widely CELEBRATED.  so go check out their debut album.  seriously, its worth it.

THE STONE ROSES: MADE OF STONE (WARP FILMS, 2013) documentary is a INTRIGUING cultural artifact of sorts as it presents an insider's view of the LEGENDARY MANCHESTER ALTERNATIVE ROCK band's reunion in the early 2010s after nearly 15 years apart.  in the history of BRITISH music,  THE STONE ROSES were a bit of a TRANSITIONAL band between INDIE scene of the 1980s and what would become BRITPOP, especially as it relates to fellow MANCUNIANS in OASIS.  LIAM GALLAGHER's brief cameo backstage at the first reunion finds him adamantly attesting that THE STONE ROSES are the greatest MANCHESTER band ever (which is saying something given that THE SMITHS, BUZZCOCKS, JOY DIVISION / NEW ORDER and THE FALL are from the northern city as well).  their initial fall is the stuff of ROCK AND ROLL cliche, given that fighting their label and then management inevitably manifested in them turning on each other as well during the recording of their second album.  for a brief SHINING moment in the early 1990s, especially their CELEBRATED gig at SPIKE ISLAND, the band was on top of the BRITISH music world and critical darling abroad in AMERICA.  they basically set the table for OASIS, no question about it.

for me the most interesting part of this documentary is not the capstone 2012 performance footage of the band at HEATON PARK in MANCHESTER (mirroring their SPIKE ISLAND gig), but rather the more INTIMATE coverage of their initial rehearsals at remote home in WARRINGTON.  it was during this rehearsal footage that you very much got a sense of the MUSICAL CONNECTION between the four players with all the unspoken nods, looks and grins that come with long embedded musical cues that manifest themselves physically and psychically with past compositions played to perfection in the present.  the ENERGY is palpable.  its that special ALCHEMY that only GIFTED musicians with a strong musical bond and chemistry bring to the table, which for the listener is nothing less than pure MAGIC.  case in point is their rehearsal performance of "WATERFALLS."  watching it you could feel their MUTUAL EXCITEMENT and ELATION. 

i like to view that core SPARK as the central feature of this documentary.  seeing how it ebbs and flows when outsiders and hangers-on and even technical difficulties come into the picture, such as their disastrous warm-up gig in AMSTERDAM when the drummer departed the gig pre-encore.  this mirrored his similarly SPONTANEOUS departure from the band more than a decade before, spurring their demise as a band and creative entity.  such would ultimately be the case a few years later when the band split again.  i feel that just like JANE'S ADDICTION, these long stretches of indefinite hiatuses only make the inevitable reunion that much more POTENT and SPECIAL.   my hope is that they do so with some shows stateside next go around. 

they are definitely a SEMINAL band well worth checking out.  IAN BROWN is a CHARISMATIC, ICONIC frontman and a BRITISH original.  here's hoping they figure it all out again.

half a decade ago NOISEY had an INCREDIBLE series of interview videos moderated by THE QUIETUS founding editor JOHN DORAN (who also writes for THE GUARDIAN, THEWIRE , VICE and METAL HAMMER and creates programming for the BBC) called THE BRITISH MASTERS that got at the heart of what made a certain cadre of LEGENDARY ENGLISH musicians and songwriters of varying genres so IMPACTFUL and EFFECTIVE.  included in the mix were participants like TRICKY (MASSIVE ATTACK), JOHNNY MARR (THE SMITHS), COSEY FANNI TUTTI (THROBBING GRISTLE), JOHN LYDON (SEX PISTOLS, PUBLIC IMAGE LIMITED), MARK E SMITH (THE FALL), ROOTS MANUVA, PAUL SIMONON (THE CLASH), BRYAN FERRY (ROXY MUSIC), DAMON ALBARN (BLUR, GORILLAZ), NEIL TENNANT (PET SHOP BOYS), VIV ALBERTINE (THE SLITS), GARY NUMAN (TUBEWAY ARMY), LIAM GALLAGHER (OASIS), GOLDIE and BRETT ANDERSON (SUEDE) among others.

my sense is that there is a certain mix of PAROCHIALISM at play in BRITAIN whereby it is SMALL and DISCONNECTED enough from nearby EUROPE to cultivate an INDEPENDENT arts scene without much outside influence.  conversely and completely counterintuitively ENGLAND's recent past as a colonial power allows it to have a DIVERSE cultural population that manifests in organically UNIQUE cultural products that reflect such.  just a look at the guests chosen for this series one is confronted with a myriad of sub-genres including PUNK ROCK, HIP HOP, INDUSTRIAL MUSIC, SYNTH POP, POST PUNK, BRITPOP, DRUM & BASS and TRIP HOP.  each represents a specific community, lifestyle with an attendant set of values that renders all of them uniquely BRITISH.

the cultural references utilized are now a bit dated, but THE BRITISH MASTERS still very much holds up and is well worth investigation.  definitely worth checking out.

in less than two short years itll be three decades since my family permanently left SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA for whats been an INSANE journey that has led me to live in several countries across five continents before resettling on the east coast of the UNITED STATES in recent years.  ive been back out west a few times, enough to know that whatever ties i had to ORANGE COUNTY and the greater LOS ANGELES area are now pretty DISTANT and MINUSCULE, but one thing i still hold on to is the EXPERIENCE of listening to the radio while in early elementary school.  specifically the nationally INFLUENTIAL ALTERNATIVE ROCK powerhouse that is 106.7FM KROQ.

i have a DISTINCT MEMORY of listening to KROQ and hearing bands like SOUNDGARDEN, LIVING COLOUR, MORRISSEY, THE B-52's, PEARL JAM, JANE'S ADDICTION, U2, TEARS FOR FEARS, NIRVANA, THE CURE, STONE TEMPLE PILOTS, ELECTRONIC, 4 NON BLONDES, DURAN DURAN, R.E.M. and ALICE IN CHAINS on car trips to and from school and regional sporting events with my dad as a kid.  at this point that MEMORY is like a security blanket and one reason i probably view radio as an almost SACROSANCT institution.

embedded below are live performances of bands that have played the WEENIE ROAST, ALMOST ACOUSTIC CHRISTMAS or their recent SOUND SPACE events.  all of it was recorded well after my time in LOS ANGELES but squarely showcases the continued influence of that station.  it is all definitely worth checking out.

the ENGLISH ALTERNATIVE ROCK band SUEDE was one of the FLAGSHIP acts of a mid-1990s movement known as BRITPOP that was a reaction to the relative cultural hegemony of the BRITISH music industry by AMERICAN GRUNGE acts like NIRVANA for the first half of the decade.  along with BLUR, PULP, ELASTICA, SLEEPER and OASIS, SUEDE was part of a loose effort to reestablish BRITISH ROCK AND ROLL for a new generation of listeners.

whats interesting is how those acts initially borrowed from previous generations of ENGLISH music, most prominently the BRITISH INVASION and POST PUNK.  its all a bit of a UNIQUE recipe, and SUEDE no doubt borrowed from both of those traditions, but arguably 1970s GLAM ROCK as typified by T. REX, SLADE, SWEET and DAVID BOWIE was also a major influence.  especially on their eponymous debut album SUEDE (NUDE, 1993) and its STANDOUT singles in "ANIMAL NITRATE," "SO YOUNG," "METAL MICKEY," "THE DROWNERS" as well as tracks like "PANTOMINE HORSE" and "SLEEPING PILLS."

SUEDE is fronted by former architecture student BRETT ANDERSON, whose high falsetto and slim figure made him the poster child for a new updated ANDROGYNY at the beginning of the decade.  the songs themselves with their CLOAKED references to DRUGS and DETAILED CHARACTER STUDIES no doubt positioned him, along with BLUR's DAMON ALBARN and PULP's JARVIS COCKER, as particularly LITERARY-MINDED and in the lyrical songwriting tradition of THE KINKS' RAY DAVIES, THE WHO's PETE TOWNSEND and even THE SMITHS' MORRISSEY.  both of these are in opposition to the more LADDISH and outright OAFISH presentation of OASIS' LIAM GALLAGHER as well as the more PSYCHEDELIC and FREE ASSOCIATION lyrical perspective of his brother NOEL.

my personal favorite thing about their debut SUEDE, is the INCREDIBLE guitar playing of BERNARD BUTLER, who along with BLUR's GRAHAM COXON, is arguably the proper 90s heir to the 80s GUITAR WIZARDRY and INTELLIGENT POP song craft that is THE SMITHS' JOHNNY MARR, of whom both are devout acolytes.  for people that cannot get past ANDERSON's voice or BRASH STAGE PERSONA, i have heard nothing but praise of BUTLER and the incredibly articulated ARPEGGIATED TEXTURES found throughout these songs on SUEDE.  it makes sense that after his departure from SUEDE later in the decade he became an in-demand songwriting collaborator and production maestro, again a la MARR.

when i personally look back at the BRITPOP movement, the most BRITISH sounding group to my yankee ears by far is SUEDE.  its both their references and their presentation that mark them as uniquely ENGLISH in nature, even in comparison to their cohort of bands from the same period.  on some level those other bands seemed to be more directly influenced by the AMERICAN ALTERNATIVE ROCK scene that wained in influence throughout the decade after the untimely passing of KURT COBAIN.  BLUR (specifically COXON) adopted the noisier, combustible elements of AMERICAN INDIE ROCK (a la PAVEMENT) and OASIS' NOEL GALLAGHER was an equal opportunity raider of the great ROCK AND ROLL songbook, yankees included.  arguably only PULP and their adoption of WORKING-CLASS DANCE culture preserved their ENGLISHNESS throughout the decade in a manner similar to SUEDE by raiding and taking influence from BRITISH cultural traditions.

regardless, SUEDE is a CELEBRATED album (it won the PRESTIGIOUS MERCURY PRIZE in 1993) and arguably one of the key achievements of the BRITPOP movement full stop.  it is most definitely worth checking out if you are unfamiliar with its CHARMS.

throughout her recent memoir FINGERS CROSSED: HOW MUSIC SAVED ME FROM SUCCESS (NINE EIGHT PUBLISHING, 2022), LUSH front-woman and co-songwriter MIKI BERENYI presents a HARROWING personal narrative that frames her career as a CELEBRATED SHOEGAZE icon as one of survival.  by definition, the BRITISH SHOEGAZE movement was  dreamed up by a cadre of SUPPORTIVE, like-minded musicians that created HAZY, INTROSPECTIVE aural landscapes that seemingly washed over their audience into a mantra-like state of ecstasy.  at least that is how i feel when revisiting noteworthy bands from period like SLOWDIVE, CATHERINE WHEEL and MY BLOODY VALENTINE.  with LUSH and BERENYI in particular i was just startled by the deep well of TRAUMA, ANXIETY and SUFFERING that rooted her identity and was exorcised through their music.  i had always considered their music as DELICATE, EPHEMERAL and optimistically BOUYANT.

without diving deep into the details, BERENYI had a DIFFICULT childhood mired by the psychological and physical traumas of DIVORCE, growing up BIRACIAL (HUNGARIAN/JAPANESE) to non-native parents in ENGLAND and repeated SEXUAL ABUSE at the hand of her grandmother.  that whole section of the book is amongst the most BRUTAL and TRAGIC i have come across in any memoir by a musician.  it reminded me of a book i read over a decade ago called NIGHT FALLS FAST: UNDERSTANDING SUICIDE (VINTAGE, 2000) by KAY REDFIELD JAMISON of JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY which at the heart of it was about trauma.  long story short, for those that experience childhood sexual trauma longterm effects include asexuality as well as chronic PROMISCUITY.  both are about the need for physical CONTROL and COMFORT.  this phenomena was explored pretty explicitly in the GREGG ARAKI's film MYSTERIOUS SKIN (DESPERATE PICTURES, 2004).  so it came as no surprise that BERENYI throughout he years of fame was caught in that cycle.  she had been effectively abandoned by her parents who parked her in private schools while they pursued their careers elsewhere.

what i found so intriguing about FINGERS CROSSED was her ability given such trauma to endure a career as a public entertainer with all the slings and arrows that come with it.  especially as a female musician during a musical era (BRITPOP) in ENGLAND that lionized LAD CULTURE and MISOGYNY as a lazy past time akin to football.  i dont know how navigating those waters and the messages by sent about her status werent internalized and calcified into a negative self image.  i just get the sense that BERENYI has an intestinal fortitude beyond us normal mortal beings.  especially as she got older with the gender DOUBLE-STANDARDS at play, the whole charade feels downright MASOCHISTIC in nature.

i did appreciate her description of the INTERNAL dynamics between her bandmates, especially the CONTENTIOUS creative interplay with gifted songwriter EMMA ANDERSON, and the relationship of the band with the greater SHOEGAZE and 4AD RECORDS scene, but to me the central gambit of this memoir was BERENYI's struggle to secure LOVE, AFFECTION, CONNECTION and a sense of FAMILY, however IMPERFECT.  LUSH obviously seemed to be one attempt at such.  its nice to know that she found such in her CHILDREN and a STABLE relationship with a SUPPORTIVE partner.  fingers crossed.

this was one of the better written memoirs ive come across in recent years and wholeheartedly recommend it even if you are not interested in SHOEGAZE, INDIE ROCK, BRITPOP or ALTERNATIVE ROCK.  its a startlingly COMPELLING story about SURVIVAL in the face of UNSPEAKABLE TRAUMA.

its always cool to learn about the INSPIRATION for ART.  longtime BRITISH music periodical NME on their youtube channel has for several years had an ongoing video series called SONG STORIES in which they have celebrated musicians explain the initial spark and CREATIVE PROCESS that brought about notable tracks.  past participants include JOHNNY MARR (THE SMITHS), PETER HOOK (JOY DIVISION), DAVE GROHL (FOO FIGHTERS), TWO DOOR CINEMA CLUB, BRETT ANDERSON (SUEDE), PHOENIX, OLI SYKES (BRING ME THE HORIZON), IAN MCCULLOCH (ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN), JOEY SANTIAGO & DAVID LOVERING (THE PIXIES), JIMMY EAT WORLD, GAVIN ROSSDALE (BUSH),  ROYAL BLOOD, BOBBY GILLESPIE (PRIMAL SCREAM) and COURTNEY BARNETT among many others.

while i understand that MUSIC, LITERATURE and ART all have unique narratives that brought about their CREATION, the SOLIPSISTIC truth of the matter is that their longevity is how such became intertwined in the countless personal narratives of individuals the world over.   for me music is the ultimate time transportation vehicle as i can listen to a STRANGLERS song and immediately be back in my parents old dilapidated HONDA ACCORD being driven to a weekend soccer match in the early 1990s.  the POWER OF MUSIC is not in the CREATOR but in the LISTENER, who effectively completes the circuit.

although as a fan of art i still love getting to know how songs were constructed and what value they imparted or exorcised on the part of the SONGWRITER.  endlessly INTRIGUING.  NME's SONG STORIES is definitely worth further investigation.  highly recommended.

in the fall of 1996 my family moved to NIGERIA and one interesting aspect of my father's job was that the company required that employee's go on vacation.  it was probably due to the stressful nature of the work they were doing and the relative isolating experience that living in AFRICA was at that point.   this was pre-internet and my family lived on a compound outside LAGOS.  regardless one of the first trips we went on was to FRANCE where we met with a friend of the family.  back in the day this friend of my father's from college, who is now a retired but globally recognized volcanologist, introduced him to bands like THE STRANGLERS and THE SMITHS so it goes without saying that his opinion on cultural matters always held some weight.  i remember at around thirteen when i met him and his son in PARIS, the big record they were into at that moment was I SHOULD COCO (PARLOPHONE, 1995), the debut by OXFORD BRITPOP upstarts SUPERGRASS.  so of course i knew on sight this had to be good.

what i love about I SHOULD COCO tracks like "ALRIGHT," "I'D LIKE TO KNOW," "LOSE IT," "CAUGHT BY THE FUZZ," "LENNY," and "MANSIZE ROOSTER" is that MANIC, CONTAGIOUS, PROPULSIVE energy.  that mindset is the hear of what makes ROCK N ROLL at its core so great.  that feeling of being led off the edge of a cliff, tumbling over as if the song is on the verge of escaping itself at terminal velocity.  it is hard to describe.  its a balance between sheer FEROCITY and a PLAYFUL sense of looseness, a swing.  THE ROLLING STONES had it.  THE STOOGES had it.  THE NEW YORK DOLLS had it.  later THE STROKES definitely had it.  that ENERGY is all over this album and separates it from more traditionally-minded BRITPOP contemporaries in OASIS and the more self-consciously experimental in ELASTICA, SUEDE, BLUR and PULP.

there is also a sense of nostalgic TUNEFULNESS about this record, with piano chord progressions that almost harken back to victorian-era MUSIC HALL stage numbers, especially on tracks like "ALRIGHT" and "MANSIZE ROOSTER."  this AWARENESS, CAPACITY and PREOCCUPATION to re-contextualize BRITISH music history to a new audience is reminiscent of a prominent lineage of ENGLISH songwriters like RAY DAVIES (THE KINKS), JOHN LENNON (THE BEATLES) and PETE TOWNSEND (THE WHO) of the BRITISH INVASION bands of the 1960s only a generation before.  my MUSIC THEATER chops are nonexistent, but i can swear on those two tracks that there are certain sections played in WALTZ-timing.

and that deft balance between thoughtfully constructed compositions that have fun with the past and FERAL, UNHINGED barn-burners is what make SUPERGRASS and this record so much fun.  definitely recommended and required listening in my opinion.