During our kitchen exploits this week, we've both been really taken by the debut album from Manchester's Ist Ist. I've missed these guys up to now and have rightly kicked myself quite hard for that. I reckon some of you might already be aware of them, not least because they are exactly the sort of band that Swiss Adam and Walter would feature, so apologies if they already have. But if Ist Ist have eluded you as well, then within the first few seconds of this track you'll know immediately who they model themselves on, what with their Ian Curtis-style vocals and the Hooky-esque bass sound. Flippin' good though.
Ron and Russel Mael have been in the industry for 52 years. 52! As Sparks they've created some of the wittiest, catchiest and most intelligent pop music you'll have heard in those five decades. They've just released their 24th studio album - they've clearly still got it and totally deserve the resurgence of commercial success they're currently enjoying. The guitars have been brought a bit more to the fore on this one, and even if the record is perhaps a couple of tracks too long, there's plenty of gems to enjoy. And they still sound quintessentially Sparks!
The homemade playlist of the week comes from Ride. No need to write about them, the dilemma is what track to post. I puzzled over it for a while - an old classic? One of the really good new ones? An obscure lost gem? But in the end, there's only one track that really rises to the occasion every time, one of my 50 songs to take to my grave, the gargantuan beast that is Leave Them All Behind. I found this superb live performance at the KEXP studios a couple of years back. Andy Bell's guitar sounds enormous, even though he never looks like he can be arsed.
I shan't promise there'll be more as I honestly don't know if there will. But I'm not saying there won't be either...
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