Andrew Neal

#5DebutAlbums8589
Bog-Shed - Step On It
I was obsessed with this band from the first time I saw them (28/08/85 at Preston Caribbean Club). I wish Let Them Eat Bog-Shed qualified for this chart but, even though badly produced, their full-length debut is still a contender

ALBUM REVIEW – SQUEEZE: TRIXIES Chris Difford is one of pop’s greatest storytelling lyricists. Classics like the kitchen sink drama ‘Up The Junction’ (a rare song in which the title makes its solitary appearance in the final line) a...

"Squeeze bring these long-forgotten demos to life with pizzazz."
@andrewneal66.bsky.social reviews Trixies by #Squeeze
www.silentradio.co.uk/03/06/album-...

#topfive #aotm
congratulations - Join Hands
Altin Gun - Garip
Bibi Club - Amaro
Yamila - Noor
Aquakultre - 1783

BOOK REVIEW: PENNY KILEY – ATYPICAL GIRL: PUNK ROCK, LIVERPOOL AND TRYING TO BE NORMAL The Liverpool punk and post-punk scene centring around legendary club Eric’s has been celebrated in a number of books. Performers whose names are indelibly linked with the venue have offered memorable...

"A joy to read."
@andrewneal66.bsky.social reviews Atypical Girl by
@pennykiley.bsky.social
www.silentradio.co.uk/03/02/book-r...

Andrew Bird with the Britten Sinfonia at the Barbican last night was absolutely divine.

The XX was the only choice of mine that I thought would qualify so it was pleasing to see Clap Your Hands Say Yeah get through as well. And for my vote helping Trembling Bells to obtain that all important number 99 position!

Hi Rich
My #5debutalbums0509 are
1. Emma Pollock - Watch the Fireworks
2. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - s/t
3. Field Music - s/t
4. Trembling Bells - Carbeth
5. The XX - s/t

Interesting to read this 1935 Sinclair Lewis novel in which a fascist dictator is elected President of the USA. Startling to see little details that parallel contemporary events.

ALBUM REVIEW – THE DELINES: THE SET UP Willy Vlautin is a master world builder. Over the course of half a dozen albums with The Delines, he has created the equivalent of an intricate portmanteau movie with recurring themes and characters m...

"It is storytelling at its finest, the characters are often betrayed by their actions but retain the listener’s sympathies. The musical arrangements... give ‘The Set Up’ a magnificently cinematic scope.
@andrewneal66.bsky.social reviews #Delines
www.silentradio.co.uk/02/23/album-...

ALBUM REVIEW – BIBI CLUB: AMARO There is a strong thread of death running through Quebec duo Bibi Club’s third album. Rather than a self-indulgent, goth teenage wallowing in mortality, it is a heartfelt response to the passing of tw...

"Musically, it takes from darkwave, freak folk, avant pop, electronic and baroque music to produce a tapestry of sounds that are emotional and have a slightly twisted beauty."
@andrewneal66.bsky.social reviews Bibi Club's Amaro:
www.silentradio.co.uk/02/22/album-...

#5DebutAlbums0509
Self titled debut from band who would prove to be the most consistently excellent group of the following 20 years. At this stage, their sound was a mix of post-punk's shifting energy with baroque pop.

ALBUM REVIEW – ALTIN GUN: GARIP Altın Gün translates from Turkish as “Golden Day.” The Amsterdam-based band provide an impressive example in how to evolve a sound over the course of a career. Starting off as a predominantly Turkish ...

"Their music has always been colourful but this sees them operating with an even wider palette. ‘Garip’ is their best album yet."
@andrewneal66.bsky.social reviews the new album from Altın Gün
www.silentradio.co.uk/02/16/album-...

#5DebutAlbums0509
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - s/t
Terrible name, great record.

#5DebutAlbums0509
Trembling Bells - Carbeth
An epic but experimental debut & a great introduction to the spiralling vocals of Lavinia Blackwall.

#5DebutAlbums0509
My sadness over The Delgados splitting up was eased by this. An entire album with their best vocalist singing. Great lyrics & melodies too. A definite for my top five.

Fascinated by the Netflix documentary, Queen of Chess, about Judit Polgar, long-running number one player who even beat Garry Kasparov. Bonus music buff fans for the film's use of music by Girls At Our Best & Delta 5 to accompany sexist comments by male players.

RIP the mighty Ebo Taylor.

This is absolutely my bag.

Thanks as always for compiling the results Rich. Four qualifiers this time. While VU & Nick Drake were safe bets, I'm pleased to see Silver Apples making the cut.

#topfives January albums of the month
Clementine March - Powder Keg
Julianna Barwick & Mary Lattimore - Tragic Magic
Yin Yin - Spirit Adapter
Plantoid - Flare
Tyler Ballgame - For The First Time, Again

Hi Rich. My #5debutalbums50s60s choices are:
1. Silver Apples s/t
2. Velvet Underground - VU & Nico
3. Nick Drake - Five Leaves Left
4. Captain Beefheart - Safe As Milk
5. Os Mutantes s/t

ALBUM REVIEW – JD MEATYARD: THE MISSION The touring link between John Donaldson and Half Man Half Biscuit is one of the least likely, long lasting musical connections. It began back in the early 1990s when the recently reformed Biscuits sup...

"anyone listening to ‘The Mission’ will come away with a clear idea of John Donaldson’s political views, as well as his cultural heroes and what makes him tick emotionally."
@andrewneal66.bsky.social reviews JD Meatyard's The Mission:
www.silentradio.co.uk/02/04/album-...

ALBUM REVIEW – YAMILA: NOOR It is curious how some instruments are considered to be earthy and human whereas others are thought of as mechanical. Yamila’s album, ‘Noor’, juxtaposes two instruments that fall into opposing categor...

"Yamila makes cello and electronics seem natural bedfellows, a combination of light and shade, fire and ice, beauty and terror."
@andrewneal66.bsky.social reviews Yamila's Noor.
www.silentradio.co.uk/02/04/album-...

SINGLE REVIEW – PIPPA BLUNDELL: BIG BEAR The new standalone single from Pippa Blundell is a fine example of how to capture an atmosphere. It was written in a crowded artists’ house on the Isle of Skye during Storm Floris in the midst of a th...

"it is all deeply contemplative and touching, a piece of understated loveliness."

@andrewneal66.bsky.social reviews the new single from Pippa Blundell
www.silentradio.co.uk/02/03/single...

ALBUM REVIEW – CONGRATULATIONS: JOIN HANDS It is unfortunate that congratulations share their name with one of the most irritating songs of all time, Cliff Richard’s 1968 Eurovision entry, the type of lowest common denominator earworm with whi...

"an absolute blast, 37 minutes of concentrated energy. It is a colourful record, full of manic creativity."
@andrewneal66.bsky.social reviews congratulations Join Hands
@bellaunion.bsky.social
www.silentradio.co.uk/02/02/album-...

Thanks for posting this Nick. I'd never heard it before & it is a delightful, uproarious oddity.

ALBUM REVIEW – AQUAKULTRE: 1783 1783 marked the end of the American War of Independence. It also saw the exodus of 3,000 so-called Black Loyalists who had fought for the British in exchange for land and freedom but were now sailing ...

"The music draws on 20th Century black music heritage with great sophistication and versatility, sharing the spirit of mighty predecessors like Curtis Mayfield and Stevie Wonder."
@andrewneal66.bsky.social reviews 1783 by
@aquakultre.bsky.social
www.silentradio.co.uk/01/29/album-...

ALBUM REVIEW – BEVERLY GLENN-COPELAND: LAUGHTER IN SUMMER Anyone looking for a heart-warming documentary would be advised to watch the 2019 film ‘Keyboard Fantasies: The Beverly Glenn-Copeland Story’. It tells a remarkable life story incorporating becoming o...

"There is a rare selfless generosity of spirit to the words, a revolutionary kindness that should be an essential part of navigating an increasingly unjust and strife-riven world."
@andrewneal66.bsky.social reviews Beverly Glenn-Copeland's Laughter In Summer
www.silentradio.co.uk/01/26/album-...

Hi Rich. My #5DebutAlbums9094 picks are:
1. Trumans Water - Of Thick Tum
2. Pavement - Slanted & Enchanted
3. Arson Garden - Under Towers
4. Polvo - Cor-Crane Secret
5. Levellers 5 - Springtime
Bubblers - Tindersticks, Portishead, PJ Harvey, Breeders, That Dog

#5DebutAlbums9094
Lambchop - I Hope You're Sitting Down
Following on from Tindersticks, another introspective record with a wide range of instrumentation which expanded my horizons. Revisited it today for the first time in years & it sounds great.