Author Archive
June 6, 2020 by Simon Sweetman
Bat For Lashes: The Boys of Summer (Live at EartH, London, 2019)
Bat For Lashes The Boys of Summer (ep) Bat For Lashes I’ve long been a fan of covers that go deep beyond anything resembling a ‘novelty factor’; covers where the artist (always a gifted songwriter of course) takes apart a classic track and rebuild it, not to make it better but simply to better understand […]
June 5, 2020 by Simon Sweetman
Poem: Haploid Sells
poets start off writing about the world but really only tell the reader all about themselves… then when they focus in on themselves that’s when they’re able to say something about the world
June 5, 2020 by Simon Sweetman
Sweetman Podcast # 215: Karen O’Leary
Welcome to episode 215 of Sweetman Podcast with support from our sponsors – T Leaf T and Yeastie Boys . Now – as you probably know, as well as the usual platforms (this site, soundcloud, iTunes/Apple) you can now get to Sweetman Podcast on Spotify – follow it there and have it saved in your […]
June 4, 2020 by Simon Sweetman
Dark Divinity: Messianic (ep)
Dark Divinity Messianic (ep) Trench Records Look, I’m such a fairweather fan when it comes to anything within a formaldehyde and methanol-soaked rag’s reach of something that even vaguely once resembled death metal so you’ll forgive me if this is not the review you’re looking for. I can only speak to liking this with all […]
June 4, 2020 by Simon Sweetman
Stubs # 254 – Grizzly Bear, Wellington, 2018
The first time I saw Grizzly Bear was in 2012 and it was quite good – I liked the band (enough) and in particular the album of the time. And there was a secret thrill about getting in because the newspaper had to pay for me to get in since the promoter had decided on […]
June 4, 2020 by Simon Sweetman
Poem: I’m No Oil Painting Of Course – Nor Am I Willing To Be. I Like Hanging Around In Art Galleries But Not For THAT Long!
In the movie about Chess Records* the role of Etta James was played by Beyoncé.. Look, it ain’t gonna be me that shits on Queen B. She has a fine-enough set of pipes and plenty to recommend her beyond that. But when I first heard – and saw Miss Etta James she was locked in […]
June 3, 2020 by Simon Sweetman
The Vinyl Countdown # 114
Daryl Hall & John Oates, Along The Red Ledge (1978) The early/mid 70s saw the Hall & Oates duo create some fantastic blue-eyed soul, not all of it ‘took’ until a bit later…the first few albums went almost unnoticed until a minor hit became nearly a major and on the back of that there was […]
June 3, 2020 by Simon Sweetman
Shit That’s Good! Crap Albums I Love # 30 – The King, “Gravelands”
The King, Gravelands, 1998 Actually his real name is James Brown – something pretty funny about a white Irishman named James Brown who makes a crust by impersonating someone else; not only just someone else – but Elvis (“the King”): A white singer who made his name and based his act on sounding as black […]
June 3, 2020 by Simon Sweetman
V/A: Martin Freeman and Eddie Piller Present ‘Soul On The Corner’
Various Artists: Martin Freeman and Eddie Piller Present ‘Soul On The Corner’ Acid Jazz Records It’s easy to be a bit cynical about celebrity-endorsed compilations and – for that matter – non-soundtracking compilations altogether. And this ticks both boxes! But this is totally fantastic and there’s real love and care here, and a track-record too…
June 2, 2020 by Simon Sweetman
Poem: You Can’t Lose What You Never Had
Muddy Waters couldn’t read or write, didn’t stop him re-writing the way music works – he’s there in folklore, painting the walls outside the Chess studio; later making new blues with streaks of his own blood to colour outside the lines
June 2, 2020 by Simon Sweetman
The Vinyl Countdown # 115
The Shirelles, The Single Collection (2015) I don’t know where or when I first heard The Shirelles – one of the bands you find out about after you hear the songs; you just sort of know them forever without ever really knowing about them…or maybe it’s the other way even, you know about them without […]
June 2, 2020 by Simon Sweetman