Happy Birthday OK Computer

Radiohead's OK Computer was released on this day in 1997.  Sometimes considered the band's magnum opus, the Dark Side Of The Moon of it's generation, while others consider it the final act in Radiohead's guitar trilogy, the last time the band really "rawked".  

I was in my late teens and about to graduate from high school when OK Computer was released and, along with Foo Fighters' The Colour And The Shape and Longpigs' The Sun Is Often Out, it was the soundtrack of the summer of 1997.  

I saw Radiohead for the first time in concert that summer.  No one of their stature (both in coolness and actual record sales) came to Ottawa in those days.  That event is something I'm convinced I will be telling my children about when they discover Radiohead for themselves ("I remember seeing them in concert in the summer of '97...").  Teenage Fanclub were the opening band.  I couldn't tell you the setlist though, I was too busy... taking it all in.  I do remember I was to the right of the stage and that it was a wall of noise (I wouldn't have had it any other way).  

There was something about the way OK Computer sounded that was so enthralling.  It was guitar music sure(which you might remember was kind of popular in the 90s), but it was guitar music from another planet or another time.  Like something the Doctor had accidentally transported back in time inside the Tardis.  

While I've been a fan of Radiohead for many years, I can say without a second thought that OK Computer was the last Radiohead album I thoroughly enjoyed from front to back.  While I like most of their output since (except The King Of Limbs, where were the songs?), OK Computer continually transports me back to the summer of 1997 and because of that it will remain one of my favourite albums of all time.  

Have You Heard: TEMPLES - 'Colours To Life'

Kettering, England's Temples, haven't even released their debut album (that's expected in early 2014), however, along with TOY and what seems like most of the current Heavenly Recordings roster, they are leading the charge of the Psychedelic revival.   

The follow up single to 2012's brilliant 'Shelter Song/Prisms' 7" is 'Colours To Life'.  While the video again makes use of kaleidoscope effects and a live band performance, the song is a little more dreamy, all the while still making good use of Byrds-esque guitars and Bolan-esque vocals.  Check it out below.

Retro Revisit: Verve at Camden Town Hall - 1992

Check out The Verve (when they were known simply as Verve) at a pre A Storm In Heaven gig on October 23rd, 1992 in all their shoegaze psychedelic grandeur.  

Have You Heard: PEACE - 'Lovesick'

Birmingham, England's Peace released their debut album In Love back in mid-March (an album review will follow, I swear).  It is, so far, one of my favourite albums of 2013 and is a brilliant debut from the young band.

The third single (fourth if you count Record Store Day release 'California Daze') from In Love is 'Lovesick', easily the catchiest song in the fold.  The video appears to be a loose continuation of the video for debut single 'Wraith'.  In any event, the song is a candy coated slice of 90's Britpop perfection dropped smack into the present.

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Who The F#%k Are: The Strypes

The Strypes are an Irish rhythm and blues quartet formed in 2011.  After a few tweaks to their line up, the band released an EP entitled Young Gifted & Blue in 2012, which raised their profile significantly.  Dave Grohl, Sir Elton John, Paul Weller and Noel Gallagher are all fans.  In fact, the band are signed to John's management company.  Did I mention that the average age of the band is sixteen years old?  

The band are currently working on a debut album with highly-acclaimed record producer Chris Thomas (whose credits include The Beatles, Sex Pistols, Inxs and Pulp).  In the meantime, their debut single 'Blue Collar Jane' is available on iTunes and you can watch the video below.  

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Who The F#%k Are: Big Skies

Berlin based four-piece, Big Skies describe themselves as "psychedelic Britpop" (a term that immediately piqued my interest).  Formed by lifelong friends James Cubitt (vocals/guitar), Adam Neal (bass/vocals) and Jack Wharton (guitar/vocals) in late 2011, the trio left the claustrophobic London scene for the more artistically satisfying confines of Berlin where they met Canadian drummer Alexander Cumming.  

While they list influences such as The Jesus and Mary Chain and The Cure, there are also echoes of Going Blank Again-era Ride and, of course, the mid-90s Britpop explosion.

You could say the sky's the limit (too predictable?) for this up-and-coming band.  They have just played their biggest gig to date, opening for Palma Violets.  As of this writing, Big Skies only have three songs available on their Soundcloud page, my favourite being 'Stay Alive', which you can hear below.  Here's hoping for more.

bigskiesofficial.com

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Album Review: SUEDE - BLOODSPORTS

Most times when a band with a substantial back catalogue claim their new album is "their best yet" or a cross between two of their most well received efforts, it usually turns out to be either not the case at all or an overhyped mess.  Suede's "comeback" album Bloodsports finds the band picking up where they left off circa 1996's Coming Up.  In essence, this is the follow up that Head Music just wasn't.

Bloodsports opens with a trifecta of songs ('Barriers', 'Snowblind', and first single 'It Starts And Ends With You') that are better than anything on 2002's A New Morning.  Clearly, it wasn't only the fans who had a bad taste left in their mouths by that release.  'Sabotage' is soaked in gothic glamour and 'Hit Me' is a glam pop rocker.  'Sometimes I Feel I'll Float Away' taps into the spirit of 1992's b-side 'To The Birds'.

Bloodsports isn't perfect.  It does come close, were it not for a couple of ballads ('Always' and 'Faultlines') that end the album with a whimper rather than the bang it begins with.  That said, Bloodsports is a great return to form.  Here's hoping for more!

Standout tracks: 'It Starts And Ends With You', 'Hit Me' and 'Sometimes I Feel I'll Float Away'