Review: 'Loose Fit' isn't always the first song name that springs to mind when thinking about the Happy Mondays, but the immediately identifiable opiate guitar riff is up there with the band's most memorable and infectious. A highlight of the group's third album, Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches, the track was already dancefloor ready before this pack of re-dos arrived on the scene. We're glad it did, though. Greg Wilson and Che Wilson open the scoring, keeping things thoroughly Manchester and acid-tinged, it's a trip through the blue lights and sweat of a warehouse at 2AM. The Grid's EOE Edit and subsequent Remix take the tempo down and the atmosphere deeper, almost druggier if that could humanly be possible given the wider context here. Topped off with a post-club overture in the form of the epic downbeat Perfecto version, and you might want to stick it in the shopping cart now.
Review: A veritable time capsule of a bygone era that now seems enviably innocent - fallout of Thatcherite politics, economic crises, and wars in the Middle East aside. Perhaps not too dissimilar from today, then, irrespective of your personal feelings towards Happy Mondays the baggy Mancunian swagger-ers did contribute one of the most distinctive voices to the Madchester and indie-acid crossover era, and one that oozed an air of disassociation from mainstream politics of the day. Adding to the sense of this being a period piece, Balearic Beats comprises four remixes of Ryder et al's original work, three of which from one of the leading figures in the dominant narrative about house music arriving in the UK - Paul Oakenfold. The tracks are low-slung, hypnotic, and have an atmosphere that's as thick as the air on a Mediterranean evening.
Make Me Smile (Come Up & See Me) (Rehearsal instrumental) (4:08)
Review: To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Steve Harley's iconic hit 'Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)', Chrysalis Records is serving it up on a limited 7" for Record Store Day. The single features the original version backed with a previously unreleased recording from Apple Studios, which offers a different perspective and nice twist on the original. 'Make Me Smile' was a UK chart-topper in 1975 and has sold over 1.5 million copies and is thought to have inspired more than 120 cover versions from artists like Duran Duran and Erasure. However, you can't beat the original, which is a glam-pop classic that continues to get love across generations.
Review: Mayer Hawthorne's debut release hears a faithful reissue via Stones Throw. 'Just Ain't Gonna Work Out' was first released in 2008 as the first forerunner to the LP A Strange Arrangement, which was released the following year. Housed on a distinctively oblong, heart-shaped, red 7", the star track hears Hawthorne segue uncertainly from serenade to breakup song, and we're treated to his trademark croaky falsetto too; too nice to pass up. B-sider 'When I Said Goodbye' is a haunting soul reminiscence, giving barbershop harmonies laid down by a ghostly troupe, amid talk of shattered wills and wistful post-breakup apologies.
Review: Heartworms are brand new outfit releasing under Speedy Wunderground - one of the few contemporary imprints giving fresh faces a fighting chance. Their debut EP 'A Comforting Notion' embeds the dystopian vision of one Jojo Orme into our minds - the frontwoman is a grandiose performer, giving tired tropes of delicate female bandleaders a run for its money through means like gritty post-punk and dark synth instrumentation, and a macabre sense of humour. The band's name references a heart-defecting parasite that is commonly found in dogs and is spread through mosquito bites - but don't worry, this EP will make your heart feel nothing but joy (permitting, at least, that you're a fan of bleak music!)
Review: Melbourne's Highschool (Luke Scott, Rory Trobbiani) continue to ride the wave of nostalgic post-punk, following an aesthetic pattern that has defined their work at least since 2020's initial run of singles - theirs is singular in its embrace of lo-fi and an unusual mixing approach, through which the lyrical content only barely pokes through a half-remembered smog (we love it). Now, 'Accelerator' comes as their first mini-album/EP, their second diversion via PIAS; the five-tracker meditates on everything from melancholic summer months ('August 19') to fantasy recollections ('She Took You To Narnia') to UFO religions ('Heaven's Gate'), nailing something between the washed-out but no less festival-ready riffs of Beach House and the laconic edge of Double Virgo.
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