Some years ago, I had to make a choice between vinyl and CDs, and I chose the ugly sister. I don't own any records anymore and I gave my turntable to Ben. The image at the top of this blog is therefore a falsehood... but CDs are far less photogenic, aren't they? I miss the crackle and the hypnotic revolution of a turntable, but life is all about sacrifices, isn't it? Plus, the price of vinyl these days is ridiculous, so my bank balance thanks me for my decision.
Happy New Year, anyway. I figured I'd take some time this week to mention a few bands that I'm interested in hearing more from in 2024. It seems we live in rather an exciting time for music. There appears to be a surge of new guitar bands - every time I visit the tube of you, it recommends me five new acts I've never heard of, and usually they're all worthy of a little further investigation. How many of them will make enough money to still be doing their thing in 12 months time is anybody's guess, but it's clearly indicative of a swing back towards the kind of music I dig in the tastes of young people. They should be encouraged in this, as we've had far too many years of unlistenable bilge (to an old man's ears, at least).
I mentioned English Teacher last week, but I wanted to feature them again today as they're one of the bands I'm most excited about in 2024. Now they've signed to Island Records, their debut album is promised for early in the year, and though the latest single is a rather low key affair, I'm still intrigued to hear where they go next...
My Fat Pony are from London and remind me of early Supergrass. Or, as their bandcamp page tells us...
My Fat Pony weave melodic guitar, bouncing trumpet, intricate bass, and relentless drums - all backing witty, culturally referential lyricism.
They first caught my attention with a song dedicated to the Chinese action movie director responsible for Hard Boiled and Face/Off...
...and then they sealed the deal with a song that sounded like it could have been written by Steve Coogan's Paul Calf character and released in 1979...
Finally for today: Divorce. Another weird "indie" band who have just signed to a major label, and I do hope that won't change them. Their latest releases show them building up to a big release next year...
The song which got me most excited about this band is the one below. I'm calling it my record of the year, even though it was released at the tail end of 2022. It's still the one track I listened to more than any other over the last 12 months.
