Mixtape Volume II Side A

Hello nineties lovers,

To try and counter-act glasto fury I thought I'd best update you with this week's britpop offerings. I officially start my sparkly new job tomorrow and cannot wait, but I'll have these tunes to comfort myself upon joining the Rat Race. And no, I couldn't include that song because unfortunately it is in no way a nineties song.

Oh and Wednesday is dedicated to Olliver Billenness who has just got married to the love of my life - Rosie nee Gommon. Have a wonderful honeymoon kids.


Enjoy!

Monday - echobelly; great things
Tuesday - kenickie; punka
Wednesday - ash; a life less ordinary
Thursday - supergrass; richard III
Friday - elastica; all nighter

Over and out, A x

Mixtape Side Two - Week Beginning 27th September

Hello Nineties fans, as promised, your second weekly dose of essential tracks that you shouldn't start your day without.

Monday - "Alright" - Cast
Tuesday - "Get a Move on" - Mr Scruff
Wednesday - "Don't Look Back" - Teenage Fanclub
Thursday - "Stripper Vicar" - Mansun
Friday - "Once Around the Block" - Badly Drawn Boy

This week's dedication goes to all those working hard at mundane jobs after Uni. At least we're employed eh?!

Over and Out, A x

C is for Cast

C is for Cast. And incidentally, C also stands for Crap. Witty eh?

v - to throw or hurl; or incidentally, a really terrible Liverpudlian Britpop band...

So bad, it can’t even be called Dad-rock. In fact, if I implied that my Dad listened to Cast, I would certainly get a clip round the ear. As I was researching for this piece, I heard that Cast in fact reformed and are now due to tour this November. It brought a shiver to my spine.

Cast were of course formed from the ashes of two earlier acts, Shack and The La’s, and comprised of John Power, Peter Wilkinson, Liam Tyson, and Keith O’Neill. They bothered the charts during the mid-90s, and despite my aforementioned hatred of this group, they were actually pretty successful with their first album “All Change”, a high seller for Polydor, and achieved subsequent success with "Mother Nature Calls" and "Magic Hour".

You'd recognise the band from their hits, "Guiding Star", "Fine Time", "Walkaway" and "Alright" (not "There She Goes", that was a Las one..), most probably from wedding discos or lift music. It seems the band hit an ideal market for their back catalog of bland and repetitive dirge in providing non-offensive background noise.

The comeback must be a relief for Cast's most active member - John Power, who since the original split has been wandering from door to door offering Scouse renditions of old folk numbers*. I was unlucky enough to catch him back in 2005 at the Godiva Festival in Cov, where he performed a few old Las/Cast combos on a lonely stage against the backdrop of two thousand disinterested Datsuns fans, who were trying to get a good spot for the headliners. So now at least he has some friends to face the world with again once more.

Of course people will buy the tickets - 30something blokes with a Weller cut, a Fred Perry polo and a Madchester attitude (..despite working in Sales at a reputable insurance firm). And then they'll be doing the little festivals next year, coming back as retro "heroes". With another "best of" or heaven forbid, another album with "new material" on the way too. Well no thank you. Stay out of the Midlands ta.

My advice for Cast? Release a Karaoke album, cash in big time and then retire to Alicante. Its the most humane thing for you.

Until next time 90s fans, A x

*evidence of this activity has not yet surfaced.But its probably true. Please don't sue.

Mixtape Side One - Week Beginning 20th Sep

Hello nineties lovers,

Starting a new weekly feature, which I'll hopefully keep more up to date than the A-Z of britpop ( C is coming soon guys, just keep holding on...)

Here are a few tunes to get you through the working week;

Monday; Lowgold, "Counterfeit"
Tuesday; Longpigs, "Jesus Christ"
Wednesday; Deus, "Little Arithmetic"
Thursday; Gene, "How Much for Love"
Friday; Shed Seven, "She Left Me on Friday"

Next installment to follow next Sunday. Make sure you check out Shed Seven's tour plans; the last track is in dedication to their homecoming show last Friday at the new Fibbers. Good to see Rick Whitter alive and well and belting out the Shed's anthems.

Over and out, A x

Seafood – a summer delight, best served chilled.

Seafood. I'm talking about a band, not my dinner.

I have a love-hate relationship with last fm - it cuts out all the hard work of trawling through the latest bands, but at the same time recommends utter detritus which frankly, does nothing more than offend. And since I’ve “scrobbled” my life away, I'm ever conscious that my 43 plays of "When Doves Cry" is there for the whole world to witness and judge. These feelings aside, last fm has helped me to discover one of the most underrated Britpop bands around. And for this, I am most grateful.

They're called Seafood and they are chuffing ace. Formed around 1996 in the depths of London, this snazzy group draw influence from Sonic Youth, The Lemonheads and arguably the more angsty Pavement era, and have undergone similar line up changes themselves.

As far as I'm aware they are still going, with their last release of "Paper Crown King" in 2006, but in my opinion their hey-day is shown in singles - "Easy Path", "This is Not an Exit" and "Led by Bison". Their sound is typically strained male vocals, a durge bass line and clean guitar riffs - which dare I say, is bordering on shogaze.

If you're looking for more direct comparisons - Seafood are the British pre-cursors to the likes of Jimmy Eat World, and sound like a more ballsy Lowgold - and have so much more to offer. Seafood have touring links with other British underdogs such as Jetplane Landing, and Britpop veterans Kenicke, futher confirming their cult-esque credibility.

If you like what you've heard, check out "Easy Path" as your first play - a chirpy tale of infidelity and apologies. If you like those tunes, then in true last fm style I'm recommending that you check out Kill Kenada and listen to some proper classic Idlewild (Captain EP, Hope is Important).

Good summer listening. Get it on.

B is for Bernard Butler

Greetings music-lovers, apologies for this taking so long! Here we go with 'B'!

B is for Bernard Butler - the more attractive half of Suede.

If you think of Britpop, then one or two bands immediately come to the mind - and its guaranteed that one of them will be the disjointed, volatile and frankly, aesthetically unusual collective that is Suede.

This episode in our A-Z has become even more poignant in the face of recent news that Suede played a reunion gig for the Teenage Cancer Trust, and especially as our pal Bernard was not asked to join in. I don't think he was particularly fussed, but it serves an insight into how there has always been animosity between Bernard and Brett.

I'm sure reams could be written about the trials and tribulations of Suede, but this post is about one man only. The success story of Bernard in his life after that eponymous band.

Post-Suede he went solo with two massively successful records - "Friends and Lovers" and "People Move On"; then onto form one half of the duo "McAlmont and Butler" in 1995; repairing the rift with Brett to form the Tears in 1995 to make the album "Here Come the Tears".

Aside from being championed as one of the best guitarists of his generation, and a solo artist in his own right, he has developed a serious reputation for being one mean record producer. He's worked with the likes of Duffy, The Cribs, The Libertines, the bloke from James, Pretenders, Black Kids and the View. Big names. Not necessarily to my taste or yours, but the guy must have made some serious dollar. Recently Butler has worked with K-Nash, and more impressively has lent his expertise on the Fyfe Dangerfield solo album, which we can all agree is an absolute triumph.

In all honesty, Suede nor Bernard are really my cup of Chai. I never liked that foppish look, and I've never really got into their music. BUT. I cannot deny that Butler's work is nothing short of a masterpiece; to give it a try, I'd start with his solo stuff to get a feel for his angle. Then if you're feeling brave, the McAlmont stuff would be the next step. The Tears are generally accessible but only produced one record, so save that one for a treat.

Despite my apathy towards the bloke, Butler is in this list because of his legacy. Unlike the majority of Britpop acts, his work has stood the test of time and he's not only gone on to inspire future bands, but to actively shape the way music should sound. And that sound is good.

So there you go. The Man, the Myth, the Legend - Bernard Butler ladies and gentlemen.

Brand New to Your Sunday Evenings

Hello lovers,

From Sunday 25th November, there's a new sound that you should be 'diggin"

University Radio York is being hijacked 9-1o-pm by your very own resident 90s savvy siren to play all the hits from the golden decade laced with bias and hilarity. My co-pilot is none other than the irreplaceable Russel Brown - an actual veteran of the 90s. Respect.

So tune in every Sunday from 9pm, 1350am on campus, at ury.org.uk or through the itunes college radio whatsit.

You're going to love it.

alice x