Nite Songs

  So here we go then. It took a lot of head-scratching, a lot of re-listening to albums that I'd reviewed months ago and at least ten rewrites but I'm happy to present the Nite Songs Top 50 Albums of 2021. Enjoy! *** 50.      DESPERATE JOURNALIST - "Maximum Sorrow" Desperate Journalist's fourth album sees them on good form with plenty of the same swooping dream-pop epics that recall the Cocteau Twins at their most ethereal as well as a few unexpected diversions into other waters that provide a welcome change of pace when it's needed. One of those groups who definitely deserve to be much better known than they  are. *** 49.      LUKE HAINES - "Setting The Dogs On The Post-Punk Postman" Setting The Dogs On The Post-Punk Postman   sees Haines on typically acerbic form whether he's skewering his targets or writing sinister whimsical odes to failed historical regimes. He's also on good form musically here veering from gentle folk through atonal po...

  It’s good to see the Scaramanga Six returning to the fray. Now into their third decade as a band and on to their tenth album, they're a group who are sometimes brilliant, sometimes bewildering but never anything less than a fascinating listen. And in Worthless Music  they may just have served up one of their strongest offerings for some time. Kicking in with the lurching current single Big Ideas and scathing lyrics like "I'll be bringing you back down to earth and you'll be thanking me as you fall" , it's clear that the band are not in a compromising mood here by any standards. The panic adrenalin rush of An Error Occurred , another former single, is followed by the equally frenetic Decade With No Name  which spirals through like an out of control rollercoaster ride. You may find yourself needing to catch your breath afterwards and thankfully Boy  provides a drop in tempo, a sinister five minute epic which has a definite hint of Lodger  era Bowie about it. ...

  Well, as with last year, we're doing a Christmas Special for the Singles Bar. Although disappointingly given that we had to add a whole extra section on to the column last month to accommodate all the festive stuff, this year the pickings have been a bit slimmer. Still, we've stocked up on the mulled wine so pour yourself a glass and let's see what's turned up in Santa's sack this time around. Starting with some non-festive stuff first though in the form of the Kut   and their new single Animo (🌕🌕🌕🌗🌑) marking their return to the fray after a couple of years away. A chugging slice of pop-punk, this is a decent effort only let down slightly by the use of vocoder'd vocals on the chorus which is a bit painful on the ears. Not bad overall though and hopefully the second album will be along soon. We've been anticipating  the Scaramanga Six 's new album Worthless Music  for a while now and a review should be incoming any day now but in the meantime, Big ...

Autumn’s here, the leaves are falling and the Singles Bar is open for business and having what can best be described as a mass clearout with no less than three parts to this month! Come in from the rain and cold and let's get you served up with something to take the edge off the chill... Kicking us off this month,  Brat Coven are a four-piece from Glasgow with a self-titled EP (🌕🌕🌕🌕🌗) who sound like some righteous collision between Dream Nails and the Runaways with the ferocious anti-dick pic culture snarl of Not Your Girl  being a particular highlight. The frenetic Ugly  is similarly raging against societal norms before the lurching  Ninety Seven  captures the creeping paranoia most women feel walking home alone at night. A very impressive first salvo - I'd say that this lot are well worth keeping an eye on.  Bandcamp Link Liverpudlians  She Drew The Gun  are one of those bands I've heard of on band bills without actually hearing any materia...

  So here we are again. The autumn is rolling in although given that as I write this it's 25 degrees up here in Yorkshire, clearly no-one told the supreme being. Guess we'd better grab some cold ones, head out on to the terrace and see what aural delights the month has waiting for us then... A couple of covers to kick us off this month, both courtesy of Screaming Crow Records' Action Jukebox series. First up,  The Dirty Denims  take on the Kiss classic Rock 'n' Roll All Night  (🌕🌕🌕🌗🌑) and turn in a respectable version although it was always gonna have its work cut out matching the peerless original. The fact that they're a Donnas style female fronted band at least gives this version a slightly different twist (hey hang on, didn't the Donnas cover Rock 'n' Roll All Night  themselves back in the day? :checks notes: No, turns out that was Strutter . Carry on) The original track Better Believe It  on the flipside is actually the better tune here, so...