Mark Hollis – 1955-2019

Article for www.nomoreworkhorse.com

https://nomoreworkhorse.com/2019/02/26/mark-hollis-1955-2019/

Soundgarden - Ultramega OK

Soundgarden released their first full length album in 1988.  It's mainly unremarkable stuff, lots of Led Zeppelin-channelling metal with the Chris Cornell seeking (and finding) his voice over the top of it.  All Your Lies isn't a million miles off the kind of grunge Green River were playing around this time.  Mood for Trouble is more complex, evoking late period Zeppelin while incessant Mace is more akin to Dazed and Confused.

There are two standouts.  Opening track Flower is built on a low, grinding riff and rocks to good effect, its clattering Zep-y rhythm plots the way towards Spoonman amongst others.  The slow trudge of Beyond the Wheel gives Cornell the opportunity to show his range, from the opening foreboding growl to full-on, head-back roar over more grinding riffs.  They would get better than this but interesting to see where they started. 

E.B. The Younger – To Each His Own – Album Review

Review for www.nomoreworkhorse.com

https://nomoreworkhorse.com/2019/02/21/e-b-the-younger-to-each-his-own-album-review/

The Lemonheads – Varshons 2 – Album Review

Review for www.nomoreworkhorse.com

https://nomoreworkhorse.com/2019/02/14/the-lemonheads-varshons-2-album-review/

Bob Mould – Sunshine Rock – Album Review

Review for www.nomoreworkhorse.com

https://nomoreworkhorse.com/2019/02/08/bob-mould-sunshine-rock-album-review/

The Lemonheads - Academy, Dublin - 06/02/18 - Live Review

Review for www.nomoreworkhorse.com

https://nomoreworkhorse.com/2019/02/07/the-lemonheads-the-academy-live-review-06-02-18/

Yo La Tengo - Fakebook

Yo la Tengo released Fakebook in 1990, an album made up of a few originals and many covers, light years before social media.  The album has a very soft sound, right from the soothing country twang of Can't Forget.  Ira Kaplan sings in a soft, half whisper, bands like Belle and Sebastian may well have been listening and taking notes.  They fare best on their own material.  Barnaby, Hardly Working is revisited from its origin on President Yo La Tengo and recast as a low key strummer, with some great guitar work.  Elsewhere versions of Antonia's Griselda, Cat Stevens' Here Comes My Baby and The Flaming Groovies' You Tore Me Down are dangerously close to cheese.  

One of the strongest tracks is their own The Summer, a Georgia Hubley/Kaplan duet where they make an attempt at inventing a cool, alt-country feel.  The Hubley sung What Comes Next is in a similar vein and equally successful.  Another old Yo La Yengo song reworked, Did I Tell You channels the Velvet Underground third album sound pretty well.

So something of a flawed experiment, though it sees the band dial back the noise and invent the stripped down YLT sound.

The Lemonheads – It’s A Shame About Ray

Article for www.nomreworkhorse.com

https://nomoreworkhorse.com/2019/02/01/the-lemonheads-its-a-shame-about-ray/