tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8499949614093219266.post7911795359358669785..comments2024-03-25T07:54:13.970+00:00Comments on Left and to the Back: Huggy Bear - Taking the Rough With The Smooch23 Daveshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06341570374606412042noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8499949614093219266.post-56675432161392229602008-08-13T13:09:00.000+01:002008-08-13T13:09:00.000+01:00Now you're asking - for what it's worth, I think S...Now you're asking - for what it's worth, I think Super Furry Animals, Neon Neon, Misty's Big Adventure, The Go! Team, The Bees, Von Sudenfed and The Fall have all released great albums, and behind them there's a long list of <I>good</I> albums which don't quite make the grade from people like Jarvis Cocker and Art Brut.<BR/><BR/>I get the impression that the focus is slowly drifting off the album as a coherent concept or package, though - a modern phenomenon I don't know if I like very much. There's also the issue of some of the better live bands just not having money to spend on creating a decent album, which is frustrating.23 Daveshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06341570374606412042noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8499949614093219266.post-42101804202396166132008-08-13T12:35:00.000+01:002008-08-13T12:35:00.000+01:00Yeah, I did mean the stuff that's currently co...Yeah, I did mean the stuff that's currently considered indie by the mainstream, there certainly have been some great albums that have been utterly ignored by the public in the last few years.<BR/>What really bugs me is the likes of Scouting for Girls & The Hoosiers being called indie, when it's the lowest type of mor tosh.<BR/>That said, most of my favourite albums of the last few years have been American, and I'm struggling to think of UK bands that have released truly great albums. What am I forgetting?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8499949614093219266.post-59383105847770711732008-08-12T08:13:00.000+01:002008-08-12T08:13:00.000+01:00I'd take issue with that as well, actually - I don...I'd take issue with that as well, actually - I don't think that the last few years have been the appalling trough in quality some people make out, it's been more a case of good material struggling to get mainstream recognition. I find myself gritting my teeth that brilliant albums don't sell more than a couple of thousand copies much more than I get frustrated that nothing's happening...<BR/><BR/>Although if we're talking about the Top 40, then yes, I'll take Ace of Base over The Wombats and their ilk any day.23 Daveshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06341570374606412042noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8499949614093219266.post-30863657879865607822008-08-11T23:19:00.000+01:002008-08-11T23:19:00.000+01:00I'm actually rather a fan of 1993 as it was th...I'm actually rather a fan of 1993 as it was the year I started DJ-ing, and so many tracks of that year have become seminal moments for me as a result.<BR/>I would agree that the UK music scene was a little stale, but there was a lot to love for me:<BR/>the earnest pre-Tubthumping Chumbawamba, who balanced worthiness with decent tunes for a single, cracking album; the slightly ahead of their time Senser; God Machines' Scenes From A Second Storey; Underworld's dubnobasswithmyheadman; and a hell of a lot of decent albums from the US, including two of my favourite albums of all time, The Afghan Whigs' Gentleman, and Liz Phair's Exile in Guyville (plus Star, Superjudge, Undertow, In On The Killtaker, Black Sunday, Siamese Dream, Enter The Wu-Tang - all albums I play to this day).<BR/><BR/>And, slightly more to the point, I loved Huggy Bear, having seen them support Sonic Youth & Pavement. My girlfriend's just recently got into them, and they do stand up pretty well now.<BR/>And Christ, no matter what you think of 1993, at least it was better than the last few years have been...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8499949614093219266.post-9596252388474121782008-08-11T08:45:00.000+01:002008-08-11T08:45:00.000+01:00"For Tomorrow" is indeed brilliant... and I will c..."For Tomorrow" is indeed brilliant... and I will concede that the Festive Fifty didn't always accurately reflect Peel's playlist.<BR/><BR/>It was definitely a year for things brewing, but I think you had to be in the know to pick up on a lot of that. As much as I loved "Caught By The Fuzz", I probably didn't realise that Supergrass were more than the next These Animal Men until I caught them live. <BR/><BR/>Also, if you do a quick scan on YouTube for Chart Show charts of 1993, you do get a sense of what was going on then - and the answer is, unfortunately, not a lot. We had Ace of Base, though...23 Daveshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06341570374606412042noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8499949614093219266.post-65840936627559852562008-08-10T23:41:00.000+01:002008-08-10T23:41:00.000+01:00I think the only gig I went to in 93 was Orbital/A...I think the only gig I went to in 93 was Orbital/Aphex Twin, so you're probably right. I like about half of the Festive 50 that year (just had a check). Most of it is sub-par Fall tracks, grunge and a smattering of what I've listed above, as well as some crusty-dance-pop-hiphop crossover crap. Have Peel listeners ever had any taste? 'Modern Life is Rubbish' is a great album! It's got 'For Tomorrow' for one... I think of 1993 as exciting because so much was BREWING. It was like year zero for so many little things.Paperback Touristhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07830033480538556303noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8499949614093219266.post-57014710290471619012008-08-10T23:31:00.000+01:002008-08-10T23:31:00.000+01:00I've had this argument before (although not with y...I've had this argument before (although not with you, admittedly). I will agree that whilst most of what you've listed above is worthy of attention, it was, by and large, a rather dull year for a whole number of reasons. A listen to John Peel's Festive Fifty of 1993 is a much more trying experience than it would be for most other broadcasts, and towards the end you even get to hear John Peel sounding fed up - at one point he says "I don't know if 1994 is going to be much better, you know" in weary tones.<BR/><BR/>It was a dud year for me personally, so perhaps that does colour my judgement a bit - but still, I maintain that the gig scene was a deathly dull thing to experience at this point, largely consisting of half-arsed bands playing to half-filled rooms. I also always thought "Modern Life Is Rubbish" was way over-rated, but that's another story...23 Daveshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06341570374606412042noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8499949614093219266.post-52647440766905155252008-08-10T23:30:00.000+01:002008-08-10T23:30:00.000+01:00Dust/Chemical Brothers begin remixing, Orbital 'br...Dust/Chemical Brothers begin remixing, Orbital 'brown album', Aphex Twin, Domino Records formed. I'm sure there's a thousand more.Paperback Touristhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07830033480538556303noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8499949614093219266.post-11187060806626943972008-08-10T23:15:00.000+01:002008-08-10T23:15:00.000+01:001993 off the top of my head: Bjork (adopted Englis...1993 off the top of my head: Bjork (adopted English) 'Debut', Tindersticks 1st, Auteurs 1st, Stereolab 'French Disko', PJ Harvey 'Rid of Me', Radiohead 'Creep', Saint Etienne 'So Tough', Supergrass formed, Blur 'Modern Life is Rubbish', Slowdive 'Slouvaki', Underworld ', 'Very' Pet Shop Boys (their greatest album), Pulp 'Lipgloss', Elastica 'Stutter', Suede's first three singles. Sounds alright to me.Paperback Touristhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07830033480538556303noreply@blogger.com