(Sort of) New to NA: Rachael Wood

Full disclaimer: Rachael is not technically "New to NA", in that she's been David Gedge's lead guitarist in The Wedding Present since some time in 2023. As such, I've seen her live multiple times, and have increasingly admired her chops. This, though, is her first solo album: It's Not The End Of The World. To quote Rachael:

"The songs jump between bright indie riffs, surfy guitar lines, noisy bursts of energy, and quieter moments of reflection. They're rooted in the experience of feeling a bit lost, searching for purpose, and trying to understand yourself when things don't turn out the way you thought they would."

I'd also add that the album's consistent and accessible sound is sympathetically produced by Colin Walker, but then he is Rachael's husband, so I guess he really ought to get it right. As for the title, Rachael adds:

"The title is a tongue-in-cheek take on the phrase, "It's not the end of the world." It can be comforting, irritating, or impossible to believe, depending on what you're going through. That tension between hope and frustration sits at the heart of the album."

Her guitar skills are not in doubt, of course, but having only ever heard her sing Wedding Present backing vocals, I was intrigued to see how Rachael would handle lead duties on her own work. After a good few listens I've been wracking my brain for comparators, and can only come up with Rachael sounding like someone put K.D. Lang, Tracey Thorn, PJ Harvey and Dido in a pot and gave them a stir, then left them to simmer. That probably doesn't do Rachael justice but, for whatever reason - too hot? too tired? too Friday? - I'm really struggling for words today. Anyway, I rather like this, and feel it might be a grower - see what you think.

New to NA: Ruby-Jean Clunie

It's too hot for working from home. I have the old nursery thermometer from when Amusements Minor was a baby in the corner of the spare bedroom I laughingly call an office. It tells me that, even this late in the afternoon, it is 29°C. That's 84 in old money! But however hot it is, it's hot enough for a song called Wilted to be appropriate.

The Man Of Cheese and I had an evening in the smoke last week, ostensibly to see the thinking man's Smiths' tribute act The Smyths at the Half Moon in Putney. But also to have a long-overdue catch-up, sink a few ales¹, put the world to rights and debate life. Which we duly did, and had a reliably excellent time in so-doing.

The support act for The Smyths was a young singer-songwriter type called Ruby-Jean Clunie, who performed a mix of covers (including Radiohead) and original compositions to an appreciative Half Moon audience. I was a bit concerned, at first, by a slight tendency to over-emote in her vocals. You know the way X-factor and BGT contenders do, to somehow convey that they are more genuine than their fellow contestants because, you know, they're really feeling it? All imagining that they are somehow about to deliver a new level of emotional heft to The Star-Spangled Banner in some far-flung US sports field? You can't blame them, it's what they think is expected; I just find it a bit false. Fortunately, as Ruby-Jean got into her set (and her own material) this tendency softened and almost entirely disappeared. By the end of her allotted time on stage, she had won me and TMOC over completely.

During The Smyth's set, Ruby-Jean, a friend and a woman I presume to be Ruby-Jean's mum, stood right in front of us, dancing along. Ruby-Jean seemed to know all the words to all the Smiths songs. I take this to be a good thing, especially in one so young. It feels very early in her career, and some of her songs on Spotify have a raw, lo-fi, demo quality, so I hope there is more to come. It's a competitive place, of course, and Spotify is full of similar types, but I wish Ruby-Jean well and hope she goes far.

As we headed back to our crashpad hotel, TMOC and I stumbled upon a pub in which a pub-rock three-piece covers band were setting up, and suddenly the early night turned into a late one. I have no idea what that band were called, so I can't namecheck them, or the DJ who played a crowd-pleasing set straight after, but they were all pretty effective. Reader, there was singing along, there were strangers putting their arms around us and, though I use the word very loosely, there may even have been some dancing...

1. Okay, more than a few ales. And possibly more than a few vodkas too, especially during the late-night pub band and DJ sets...

New to NA: Mouth Ulcers

Bandcamp is usually a good source of inspiration when bereft of blogging ideas. Within two minutes of logging in today, I'd found Mouth Ulcers. I'm not sure about the name, but the London four-piece put an intriguing spin on Interpol-lite (so Joy Division-lite-lite, I guess). Check out the Hooky bassline on Silent Pictures.

And then there's the Heart and Soul percussion on Satisfy.

Ones to watch, maybe. Still not sure about the name though...

New to NA: The Rare Occasions

Another band that Amusements Minor has brought to my attention, as he continues his never-ending journey into Spotify. The Rare Occasions are an LA-based, New England-bred indie rock band known for their explosive garage rock anthems with catchy vocal harmonies. They formed in Boston in 2012 and, since then, have toured nationally, won the John Lennon Songwriting Contest, and released a vast catalog of music online. I know all this to be true, because I've just copied and pasted it from their website.

The song I heard Amusements Minor humming along to is this, Notion. I find it very listenable, even if the vocalist sounds like he comes from up north, rather than LA. I'm also intrigued by the mini-film video. What do you reckon?

I should add that whilst this band is new to me, that video has had 46 million views and counting on YouTube. Where have I been?

New to NA: Floodlights

I came to this song via a recommendation from The Robster that was delivered as an end-of-year pick at the excellent No Badger Required. And they say blogging is dead.

Anyway, I haven't been able to stop playing The Light Won't Shine Forever since. It's how I think Fontaines DC would sound if they came from Melbourne instead of Dublin; that sounds intriguing, doesn't it? And it builds... it builds and builds.

The whole album from whence this comes, Underneath, is good, but this is the absolute standout for me.

The light won't shine forever
But it is now

New to NA: The Royston Club

The Royston Club are not from the Hertfordshire market town of the same name. In fact, the four-piece are from Wrexham, and have been plying their indie guitar trade since 2019. During that time they've recorded two albums and a whole slew of singles and EPs. Here's a track from each album, starting with Cariad from 2023's Songs for the Spine and then Missed the Boat (Jumped in the Sea) from 2021's Shaking Hips and Crashing Cars.

Okay, so there's nothing especially original here... but what they're doing, they're doing very well: it's an excellent noise, isn't it? I hear some Wedding Present-esque guitars in that second track too.

Lots for us all to explore at their website and YouTube channel, in other words.

New to NA: The Drums

As ever, I'm behind the curve. The Drums formed in New York in 2008, shed members until only singer Jonny was left by 2016 and have basically been his one-man band since then.

This is a live run-through of their commercial highpoint, Money. I say highpoint because it sold enough to be certified Silver in the UK... but didn't chart. Did get to #15 in Australia though, so there is that.

I hear a songwriter who grew up on a diet of Morrissey/Marr. How about you?

New to NA: Squid

According to their Wikipedia page, Squid are a Windmill scene band, which is a new one on me (because I am just too middle-aged, provincial and parochial, and not down enough with the kids, certainly not down enough to know about the "blend of experimental rock and post-punk, featuring erratic, spoken vocals" that grew out of Brixton's Windmill pub (apparently)).

So is it art rock? Maybe not. Math rock? Definitely not. When pushed, on a recent episode of the Adam Buxton podcast, the band settled for just "rock". I don't know about that either. I hear elements of The Blue Aeroplanes, occasional glimpses of Talking Heads, and lots of complexity. And I'm enjoying playing catch-up with their back catalogue.

At least ... I think I'm enjoying it. How about you?

You can learn more about the way the Squid swims at squidband.uk

New to NA: Cardinals

Heard Masquerade by Cork six-piece Cardinals on the radio earlier in the week, and spent most of its three minutes thinking "This is good, but who does it remind me of?"

No sooner had it finished than Jo Whiley was saying, "Shades of Pavement, anyone?" and she's exactly right. Guess that's why she's a national radio DJ with a seven-figure audience and I'm blogging to about eight people on a good day.

New to NA: Amelia Coburn

Paul Weller recommended this track to Jo Whiley and she, in turn, recommended it to me. Full disclosure, I'm not special, she recommended it to everyone listening to her evening show on Radio 2 last week.

I'd not heard much of anything from Amelia Coburn before, but I do rather like this. There's something about her voice that makes me think she should be singing outside Edward Woodward's bedroom, banging on his door. But enough of such digressions: here's When The Tide Rolls In. Good, isn't it?

New to NA: Sad Sells

Sad Sells are a six-piece band from Manchester about whom I know very little. I heard a version of Don't Feel Sad on 6 Music at the weekend, and something chimed with me - perhaps the "I don't feel much, but I don't feel sad" refrain - so I investigated a little deeper. They have a YouTube channel, Soundcloud and other stuff, of course. Guy Garvey was quick to make Smiths comparisons but I think that's lazy on his part - just because they have an M postcode and some jangly guitar sounds. But aside from the fact that they are not the sons and heirs of Morrissey and Marr, I think they are making a half-decent noise. See what you think.

New to NA: Greentea Peng

I heard this on 6 Music the other morning. The opening guitar motif caught my ear because it was vaguely reminiscent of The Changing Man by Paul Weller (itself more than vaguely reminiscent of 10538 Overture by ELO). But, after that guitar intro, the rest of the song is very different, all lo-fi shuffle and heard-through-a-club-wall sonics, married with a vocal that calls someone else to mind that I can't quite put my finger, for the moment. Imagine Erykah Badu, maybe, if she'd spent her formative years in post-Millennium Dalston rather than 80s Dallas.

Anyway, I know nothing else about Greentea Peng that can't be gleaned from her Wikipedia entry, whence comes the knowledge that Greentea is a "neo soul" artiste, and that "peng" is slang for attractive. I have seldom felt older or more parochial but never mind that, because what I do know is this: whilst One Foot is distinctly outside the Venn diagram of my normal musical tastes, I quite like it. It's borderline hypnotic in places, I think. What do you reckon?

I like the video too, it feels like it was shot on someone's iPhone without permission, guerilla-style. Or at least has been deliberately made to look that way. Next time you see someone with headphones on, singing aloud on the tube, look around, you could be in a music video...

New to NA: KONGOS

"Is it possible that we two, you and I, have grown so old and so inflexible that we have outlived our usefulness?"

So says Spock to Kirk, at the tail-end of Star Trek VI. I would say the same thing, were it not to imply a degree of flexibility and usefulness in the first place. Because I am basically a parochial musical dinosaur who likes what he likes and dismisses anything else, often contemptuously.

But I try, sometimes. Really, I do.

Take today's track - it's hardly new, since it was released in 2012, but it's new to me, courtesy of Amusements Minor's Spotify playlist. KONGOS (their capitalisation) are four brothers from South Africa, relocated to Texas. Come With Me Now remains their biggest hit, and at various times has been picked up for commercial use by WWE, Strongbow, The Grand Tour, The Expendables 3 and, bizarrely, as the theme music for the Australian version of I'm A Celebrity ... but don't hold that against it. It's been everywhere, basically, for a decade, but is still somehow new to me.

Speaking of me... I think the song as a whole is alright. But the middle eight, when it slows down and turns from a bluegrass stomper to something altogether more refined, well I really rather like that. It reminds me of A-ha, that middle eight (and in a good way, before you start).

Anyway, here it is.

New to NA: English Teacher

The World's Biggest Paving Slab is getting a lot of airplay on the inestimable 6 Music at the moment. Me, I know nothing about the band, English Teacher, other than I don't think that's an especially good name in these days of "what happens if you Google them?" But what do I know? Well, what I do know is that I really rather like this song. And also, check out the excellent lyrics - lots of fun to be had for the indie spotter here, I think, with some of these references.

I am the world’s biggest paving slab
But no one can walk over me
I am the Pendle Witches, John Simm
And I am Lee Ingleby
I am the Bank of Dave, Golden Postbox
And the festival of R&B
I’m not the terrorist of Talbot Street
But I have apocalyptic dreams

You should see my armoury
I am the world’s biggest paving slab
So watch your fucking feet

I am the world’s biggest paving slab
But I sit here quietly
No one ever looks down at the ground
Yeah, no one ever notices me
I wish I were born a stone
And made Wycoller my home
Haunting with Charlotte Bronte
I’m not the terrorist of Talbot street
But I think that ruins have beauty

You should see my armoury
You should walk all over me
I am the world’s biggest paving slab
And the world’s smallest celebrity

Great video too, isn't it?

New to NA: Marseille

I can't remember how or where I stumbled upon this track by Marseille. I don't know much (anything) about the band either, other than what I can hear, which is that they grew up listening to their parents' Roses, Bluetones and La's albums, and inherited not only those influences but their influences' influences too.

What I can tell you is that I rather like this, and you might too.

From what I can see Marseille have neither a Bandcamp nor Soundcloud presence, but they do have this handy Linktree should you, like me, want to know more.

New to NA... and the worst band name of all time?

I received a mailshot from a local gig venue today. One of the bands "coming soon", apparently, are Jealous Nostril, which almost made me spit my tea. Surely this is a candidate for worst band name of all time?

Anyway, terrible moniker aside, it seems that Jealous Nostril (stop laughing at the back) comprise Johnny Borrell of Razorlight on guitar, Jack Flanagan of The Mystery Jets on bass and Ellis D of, erm (consults Internet), Strange Cages on drums.

Here's a sample of what they are churning out.

Which is neither spectacular nor terrible. Other tracks on their YouTube channel suggest high Borrellage and a drum sound that doesn't seem to vary much? Or perhaps I am being uncharitable. It has been known.

Jealous Nostril though? I'd love to know the etymology of that. Suggestions in the comments please for even worse band names. There must be plenty, right?

New to NA: BC Camplight

I can't remember when or where I heard it, but I rather like this, from Manchester's BC Camplight. You might too. It's from his forthcoming album and is winningly entitled The Last Rotation of Earth. As you might expect, given that title, it feels very end-of-days, with a wonky piano line, an off-kilter middle eight, some scratchy guitar lines late on, and downtrodden lyrics that even seem to reference a Tesco garage - dark days indeed.

New to NA ... somehow

I went to a party on Saturday, a friend's 50th. They had a DJ, which was a nice surprise, and early in the evening he was playing mostly soul and reggae at a pretty modest volume. Later he would up the ante, playing floor-fillers specifically aimed at the age of the attendees, but early on he was playing what he liked. And it was good.

At some point he played this, and I had to go up and ask him what it was. I was surprised at the answer, not because it's atypical but because I couldn't believe I hadn't heard it before. But there you go, that's what happened. So I'm sure you'll all know and love this slice of rootsy, ska-inflected rocksteady brilliance already, but I'm still getting used to it. And on this utterly shit Monday morning, I need something good. Maybe you do too, so here's Funky Kingston by Toots & The Maytals.

More new to NA: The Mountain Goats

Another fortuitous Bandcamp find, this is Training Montage by The Mountain Goats, from their new album Bleed Out:

Listen to the lyrics and it's pretty clear what sort of training montage the band have in mind...

New to NA: The Waeve

Following on from yesterday's Graham Coxon post, here's the first fruit of his new endeavour: The Waeve sees Graham team up with Rosie Elinor Dougall, in much the same way that other guitar hero Bernard Butler recently teamed up with Jessie Buckley. But that's where the similarity ends, if Something Pretty is anything to go by. It's lyrically and rhythmically interesting, and also quite catchy, I reckon...