singer | songwriter | musician | writer
In which the blogger raves about one of his favourite albums, Twilight by The Handsome Family, in the hope that he’ll encourage more people to hear it. Snow White Diner I like Janice Forsyth on BBC Radio Scotland. Not only has she given my songs airplay, but one evening in 2001, I was stopped in … Read moreThe Handsome Family – Twilight
One of those Facebook memes came to me – your favourite albums. I had to bypass the Incredible String Band, the Beatles and King Crimson and pick these two double albums, the ones I consistently most enjoy listening to – Rogue’s Gallery and Son of Rogue’s Gallery. What’s Rogue’s Gallery? A double album, released in … Read moreRogue’s Gallery – three centuries of musical glory
The other week I wrote about Gabriel Yacoub and his band Malicorne. I forgot to mention one of my favourite Malicorne songs – the story of a gruesome murder carried out by a student – at his mother’s request, no less. It’s called L’Écolier Assassin and comes from their album Almanach. I loved this song … Read moreLovely melodies and gruesome murders – don’t you love folk music?
Gabriel Yacoub is probably the Richard Thompson of the French music scene, from his first album with his then-wife Marie in 1975 to the recent reunion of his folk-rock-prog band Malicorne. Here’s a short introduction to his work. Across a crowded market I was in Paris, my first time abroad with my girlfriend, in the … Read moreGabriel Yacoub – raconteur extraordinaire
I sat four rows from the front. The front line of the band was three full drumkits. The set list was largely drawn from a period of the band’s history that hadn’t greatly interested me before. I had earplugs in, but I took them out after three pieces. After two hours I thought this was … Read moreKing Crimson: love letters and hot dates
Last May I decamped with a bunch of musician friends to a ski lodge in the Highlands for a weekend of recording and jamming. The last song of the weekend was at about 2 o’clock on the Monday morning. To the few still up, I quietly sang Momus’s Bishonen. I’d known the song for years … Read moreMomus in the 90s: the Tender Pervert