If you’re not aware, I work at a radio station called Spark Sunderland and have done for some years ever since I was in the middle of my undergrad in 2019. Right now, I do a show called Beautiful Ones, broadcasting an hour of Britpop every Saturday midday, but as of late I’ve also found myself presenting the Tuesday Breakfast show. This was while some of the staff, being uni students themselves, had gone back home for the summer hols.
And it’s an unusual situation for me. See, I’ve made it clear over the years here on A-Side Glance that my tastes in music do not correlate with today’s mainstream – Britpop, alt rock, Japanese acid jazz, goth gospel? Yeah, the chances of that lot even making it into the nosebleeds of the charts is slim to none. However, I do try to pride myself on being an open-minded guy; I’ll try anything once. And besides, the three hours of songs that have been playlisted haven’t been catered to me, they have been catered to the audience (One of the golden rules of radio is not to make the show ‘Me, me, me’, it should be ‘You, you, you’).
In any case, I want to start this entry by documenting some of the singles that I have truly enjoyed playing on Tuesday mornings these past couple of months:
Lewis Capaldi, Survive
I think I can be forgiven for liking Lewis Capaldi based on personality alone; he’s funny and he’s genuine. Good combination. But musically? He has veered dangerously close to Ed Sheeran levels of oversaturated, particularly when his debut album was released (I can tolerate Hold Me While You Wait, but in small doses). Yet for whatever reason I was watching his ill-fated Glastonbury performance back in 2023, which ultimately spawned this single.
And my God, what a comeback. The man takes his personal issues, grabs them by the collar and loudly belts out that he is going to bloody well live. Great performance. Feel free to put it on repeat, it’s still guaranteed to hit you in the feels no matter how much you prepare for it.
Blossoms, Perfect Me
An ode to the perfectionist, and all the doubts and needless desires of today’s society in its judgemental wisdom? I can wholeheartedly get behind this song, especially as it fires on all cylinders. It’s one of those ones that you just can’t help but dance to, or at the very least tap your knee and click your fingers. The production is also done by James Skelly of the Coral, one of the most underrated bands from the crop of 2000s indie bloomers, and you can tell in the song’s jauntiness (reminiscent of songs like Bill McCai and In The Morning).
On the cusp of cheesy but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. It sounds like a lot of fun was had making this record and I mean actual fun, not just painted smiles for the behind-the-scenes TikToks. I need to give Gary a look, it’s only half an hour after all.
Chappell Roan, The Subway
From what I’ve seen, there have been attempts to demonise Chappell Roan ever since she hit the big time, which I think is unfair – If she can back up her attitude with her songs without taking it to the point that she clearly enjoys the smell of her own farts, then fine. So far, I’d say she’s doing a good job. In fact, HOT TO GO! was something of a guilty pleasure of mine last year – It was catchy but didn’t want to make me get it out of my head by carving out my brain. The right kind of pop song.
Now this is being treated as the next best thing by Chappell and while HOT TO GO! is a cherry fun bop, The Subway is a much more well-rounded and fleshed out single. The vocals are superb, the dream pop vibes are especially my cup of tea and, like with Blossoms, fun is clearly being had here. Chappell is a born performer, and she assumes the role of the spurned lover haunted by the one that got away with ease. I can see why it’s a live favourite.
Also, the lyric “Well f*ck this, I’m moving to Saskatchewan”. Out of context, that is bloody hilarious. I want to use that in everyday conversation now.
Of course, on the flip side there have been these ones that I have had to play with gritted teeth:
Huntr/X et al., Golden
I cannot stand that falsetto, I swear cracks appear in the windows every time it gets played.
Justin Bieber, DAISIES
I grew up during a time when Baby was never off the radio, his name was used as a category for the lamer-than-lame on the video game Happy Wheels, and he couldn’t go five minutes without appearing in an orange prison jumpsuit. I am conditioned to hate Justin Bieber.
Alex Warren, Eternity
Seems like a nice bloke. Song just meanders, cut from the same cloth as Ordinary. Todd in the Shadows sums up the latter, and by extension Alex, better than I ever could:
Benson Boone, Beautiful Things
The modern day Song 2. Run from it, hide from it, it will always find you.
And then there was this…
Tame Impala, Loser
Oh dear me, is the sun setting on Tame Impala?
This song was better than End of Summer, but that doesn’t really say much. Indeed, Kevin Parker isn’t really saying much either. If you can’t decorate the song in interesting lyrics, then you can least spruce it up with some good melodies. Unfortunately, the psych pop has been replaced with a suitably grey house tune to fit the aesthetic of the upcoming album. Now more than ever, Tame Impala sounds like one bloke working alone to create music. McCartney and Foo Fighters gave the impression there was a whole band at work. Loser doesn’t.
I get that artists will want to re-invent themselves after a period of time. It’s natural to try new things. But this? This ain’t it. It’s an anti-passion project, ironic for a perfectionist like Kevin who I fear is about to release his Second Coming. Shame too, I was looking forward to it.
Yeah, I think a palette cleanser is in order after that lot. Here’s a song that I had on repeat for a spell:
David Bowie, Slow Burn
A few years ago on the radio, I trialled a feature called the Fine Wine List – Songs that have aged remarkably well as time goes on. I remember picking a David Bowie song then, 1997’s I’m Afraid of Americans. Felt it summed up the mood quite nicely post-January 6th. Then a few years later he goes and makes a song, nay an album, that is aging even more gracefully (not least because the art rock genre is more prolific now than industrial drum and bass).
Trust Bowie to come up with a song that exudes the depression and dread wrapped around the world today, and this was made in 2002! Dystopia creeps ever closer towards us. A slow burn indeed.
Now those are just singles. I figure it might be an idea to try and listen to an album by a modern day favourite. I’m sick of being an old man yelling at the clouds frankly, trying to get people to understand why they should listen to Pulp and Welly and what have you. I want to put myself on the other side of the playing field, I want to catch what’s being thrown and see if I can understand the appeal. (Saying that, as I scan the charts to see who may be worth having a look over, I see Radiohead are just about in the top 100 with Creep and Let Down?! Blimey, TikTok, threaten me with a good time why don’t you?).
With that in mind, I’ve booted up a random generator designed to pull out a famous band or artist, let’s see what I end up with.
Maroon 5
F*ck off, not happening.
JVKE
Who?
And do I pronounce it as Jake or Juke?
Stray Kids
I am not doing k-pop.
Huntr/X
…
Ed Sheeran
He’s changed a fair bit since I last saw him.
This was honest to goodness the picture the RNG used.
Laufey
Again, who?
You know what, I’ll come back to this in a bit, here are a few albums that I have sat down to listen to recently:
Suede, Antidepressants
I did not like this on first listen. Autofiction was the best album Suede have released since the 90s, so Antidepressants had a lot to live to. Yet, the production seemed lacking, the singles had left me feeling colder than warmer, I called Criminal Ways the modern day equivalent of Elephant Man. To dismiss a Suede album did not sit right with me. I mean, I know I’ve done that in the past with A New Morning, but this time I was in complete denial against myself. There was clearly something I was missing.
So I stopped. I concentrated. I didn’t necessarily force myself to like it, but appreciate it.
The ferocity of Autofiction is most definitely still present, it’s just being thrown at us from a different angle. Previously, I’d believed that things don’t truly get going until The Sound and the Summer but it’s really the title track where Suede start running and never look back. Brett’s showing no signs of age catching up to his voice. In fact, Life Is Endless, Life Is A Moment is one of his best performances ever. And production-wise? I still do feel like some tracks would sound better live than recorded, but Ed Buller is still working his magic and knitting the playlist together that you barely notice that we’re on a new song, particularly in the latter half.
It’s a very 2020s album, built upon the alienation which plagues a modern day human race suffocating under AI and infighting. It’s a bit of a risk for fifty-somethings like Suede to address a millennial/Gen Z problem but they manage to get away with it. Besides, in some ways, it’s their problem too and there’s not many bands around right now that can fully address it. As time goes on, I may appreciate Antidepressants more but for now? I don’t mind it. I’ll be sure to try it again soon.
Brett’s also gone on record saying that this is the middle part of a ‘black and white’ album trilogy, and that we can expect part three before the 2020s wrap up (Can only come too soon…). So we’ve had punk in Autofiction, we’ve had post-punk in Antidepressants. What comes third? Industrial metal? Suede meets Linkin Park? Time will tell.
Barbara, Barbara
This was released the same day as Antidepressants and I ended up preferring this, though to be honest that might be because the former had nine other Suede albums to be weighed up against, whereas this is Barbara’s debut.
I might have been disparaging of Paul McCartney’s constant forays into music hall when covering the Beatles, but here we have it weaved with the theatricality and wit of Neil Hannon (Someone they have had the pleasure of supporting, plus Paul Weller. If they like Barbara, then these chaps are clearly doing something right).
However, don’t write them off as a lovechild of the Divine Comedy at first glance. For a start, we have some ABBA in there, exhibit A being Master Narrative’s keyboards and xylophones. Here we have a band that sit side-by-side with Welly as they cast their eye over modern society, culture and politics, scrutinising the lot sitting in a wingback with a glass of sherry. Oh, and I have to mention that outro on A Perishing of Cherished Things. Mm-mm, that’s good eatin’.
Nostalgia is a reliable and overused tool, and I’ll be the first to admit that I indulge in it a little too much. But Barbara’s throwback sound is just too cosy to pass up. Stick it on your record player and have a little dance in your living room.
Björk, Post
After finding this in a record shop in the Old Town in Hastings, I knew this was going to be the logical next step in getting my head around Björk. Compared to Homogenic, it’s got a lot more flavour to it. Whilst both albums have an unsettling atmosphere, this one balances it by blending pop with a myriad of other genres – Jazz, dance, trip hop, it’s all here. It’s rare to find an album that sounds so 90s and yet so timeless.
All that being said, It’s Oh So Quiet was certainly a choice. It sticks out like a priest at a drag show, and I can understand Björk’s frustration at a cover being one of her most popular songs, from an album that does wonders to showcase her talents. Still, that was kind of the point, given that the LP itself was designed to be full of dizzying turns.
As for Björk herself? Bloody excellent. Her vocals are captivating; off-beat, off-kilter, you have no choice but to be drawn in and you are very much rewarded for doing so. Arguably, all eleven tracks are proof positive of this but my choices for standouts are Army of Me, Possibly Maybe and I Miss You.
Thoroughly enjoyed this, and I know I’ll be listening to it again and again before long.
Now, as for a modern day album…?
No, you know what, I can’t bring myself to do it right now. I could cheese it by just looking at Gary or People Watching, which I’m safely guessing I will like. But I want to take a risk with someone who I usually wouldn’t give a moment’s thought.
Next time, I’m going to hold my feet to the fire. I will listen to a Taylor Swift album. This can only end well…
For the record, I do keep a playlist on Spotify which I sporadically update whenever I hear or play a song that makes me think ‘Huh. The music industry ain’t quite sterilised yet it seems’. Or if I find a song from days past that I typically wouldn’t listen to. It’s just below. See you in October.
A-Side Glance 