Readers Choice Playlist (Sept 2018)

September 2018 saw Janglepophub feature 122 tracks on our album reviews / #dailyjanglepop series on our various social media sites. These covered a vast array of janglepop nuanced tracks from the 980/00/10's.

The Top 20 (see below) is decided purely by the 7 day engagement rates of the janglepophub readership on our various social media sites including blog link clicks.

EP Review - EP by National Carpet (2006) (Self Released)

I once watched a documentary on one of the 17 squillion channels that our cable TV subscription provides. This in itself was quite an achievement as it meant that I had somehow wrestled the TV remote from the clutches of either my kids or wife, thus sparing me from cartoons and other assorted juvenile enticements, as well as the sort of reality TV shows that sees 'Pets win Houses' or chronicles the highly 'interesting' shenanigans of young people getting drunk, swearing a lot and eventually revealing high sex drives with assorted partners, who they eventually marry and quickly divorce...repeat on loop.

Album Review - Ringleaders of the Tormentors by Morrissey (Attack)

After over two decades of trying to persuade anyone who would listen that he lives a veritable monk-like, celibate existence, in which flighty, fluffy concepts such as love were ill-conceived notions of the common-man and sexual lust the mere constraints of those unable to intellectually conquer our more basic instincts, Morrissey finally has his Doris Day meets Hugh Hefner moment in this album, as he accepts love and lust into his life. It is a bizarre volte-face as the Pope of Mope turns into an inconceivable 'Love God' right before our ears.

Reader Choice Playlist (July 2018)

July 2018 saw Janglepophub feature 151 tracks on our album reviews / #dailyjanglepop series on our various social media sites. These covered a vast array of janglepop nuanced tracks from the 1960's - 2018.

The top 20 (see below) is decided purely by the 7 day engagement rates of the janglepophub readership on our Facebook, and Twitter sites and on the blog links clicks (highest to lowest). 

Readers Choice Playlist (June 2018)

June 2018 saw Janglepophub feature 106 tracks on our album reviews / #dailyjanglepop on our various social media sites. These covered a vast array of janglepop nuanced tracks from the 1960's - 2018.

The top 20 (see below) is decided purely by the 7 day engagement rates of the janglepophub readership on our Facebook, and Twitter sites and on the blog links clicks (highest to lowest).

Album Review - Getaway by The Clean (2001) (Merge Records)

I emigrated to South Africa from the UK over a decade ago and manage to get 'home' to see family friends a couple of times of year. After giving my mum a cuddle, one of the first things I tend to do is to walk down to my local pub to re-acquaint myself with being a 'local'.

Album Review - The City and Horses - I Don't Want To Dream (2009) (White Shoe Records)

As a lad I was good at football (or soccer as those for whom the word football is just too long prefer to call it). I was captain of my school and played for my district and county (province or state) teams. Virtue of this I was something of 'the man' (top jock) in my school and readily accepted the plaudits and benefits that came with it. This basically entailed having more female attention than my 'challenging' looks and personality would naturally deserve.

Album Review: Life After Ridge by TWIG (2008) Plastilina Records)

I have a high pressure job. Despite the fact that so many of my peers and colleagues who are exposed to a similar level of boardroom stress have suffered some sort of mental breakdown over the years ranging from mild anxiety disorders and bouts of depression to several instances of actual suicide. I manage to avoid this by being able to relax. 

Readers Choice Playlist (May 2018)

mAY 2018 saw Janglepophub feature 121 tracks on our album reviews / #dailyjanglepop on our various social media sites. These covered a vast array of janglepop nuanced tracks from the 1960's - 2018.

The top 20 (see below) is decided purely by the 7 day engagement rates of the janglepophub readership on our Facebook, and Twitter sites and on the blog links clicks (highest to lowest).

Readers Choice Playlists (April 2018)

April 2018 saw Janglepophub feature 133 tracks on our album reviews / #dailyjanglepop features on our various social media sites. These covered a vast array of janglepop nuanced tracks from the 1960's - 2018.

The top 20 is decided purely by the 7 day engagement rates of the janglepophub readership on our Facebook, and Twitter sites and on the blog links clicks (highest to lowest).

Album Review - You are the Quarry - By Morrissey (2004) (Attack Records)

Morrissey proclaimed in numerous pre-release promotional interviews that this was definitely his 'best ever' album, stating that it had absolutely nothing to with any of his previous works - it was 'completely different'. As such I was expecting a release as revealing and innovative as it was marvelous, affording us an insight into exactly what state of mind our beloved icon was now in and just how he had been bearing up in his seven years of self imposed exile in Los Angeles.

Readers Choice Playlist (March 2018)

March 2018 saw Janglepophub feature 173 tracks on our album reviews / #dailyjanglepop features on our various social media sites. These covered a vast array of janglepop nuanced tracks from the 1960's - 2018.

The top 20 is decided purely by the 7 day engagement rates of the janglepophub readership on our Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and on the blog links (highest to lowest).

Album Review - Bright Yellow Bright Orange by The Go-betweens (2003) (Trifekta Records)

After a 12 year hiatus, phase II of The Go-Betweens started with the The Friends of Rachel Worth album (2000). At the time this album was slightly denigrated from two perspectives. Initially a large number of music snobs, who could not actually recall their late 1980's heyday, presumed that they would be a 'quirkfest' reflecting bands such as Pavement and Belle & Sebastian who had declared themselves devotees.

Readers Choice Playlist (February 2018)

February 2018 saw janglepophub feature 129 tracks on our album reviews / #dailyjanglepop features on our various social media sites. These covered a vast array of janglepop nuanced tracks from the 1960's - 2018, including releases from unsigned acts that are denoted in yellow.

The top 20 is decided purely by the 7 day engagement rates of the janglepophub readership on our Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and on the blog links (highest to lowest).

Readers Choice Playlist (January 2018)

January 2018 saw janglepophub feature 75 tracks in our album reviews / #dailyjanglepop features on our various social media sites. These covered a vast array of janglepop nuanced tracks from the 1960's - 2018, including releases from unsigned acts that are denoted in yellow.

The top 20 is decided purely by the 7 day engagement post rates of the janglepophub readership on our Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and on the blog links (highest to lowest).

The remaining 55 'other featured tracks' are listed purely in alphabetical order.

Album Review: Martin Newell's Jumble Sale by The Cleaners from Venus (2017) (Self Released)

As a young soccer coach many moons ago, I coached a teenager who was so incredibly talented that he inadvertently exuded arrogance. If he played in a match,  he invariably excelled no matter what the level of opposition he encountered. He later went onto to play in the Premiership and always retained that air of complete control. His arrogance was backed had its foundation in genuine ability.

Martin Newell reminded me of my former sporting charge, when, during a promotional interview for this compilation, he declared...

...At the risk of sounding arrogant, it also demonstrates to a lot of clowns who are supposed to be good songwriters, that I leave better songs in my demo heap than most of them can come up with as as best-shot.

Album Review: International Breeze by Postal Blue (2004) (Shelflife Records)

Twee pop fans love this album. Adorned in polka-dot cardigans, anxiously slicking strands of hair  behind their ears, they contemplate the beautiful melancholy whilst mentally apologizing for having the temerity to tag it as twee in various on-line review sites.

This need for 'twee ownership' has probably seen numerous tracks being recorded to cassette mix tapes (a tweester format of choice) before being posted to the love interest who lives in the next street, who will call the sender 'cute' assigning them strictly to the 'friend zone', as they wonder what this 'cassette thing' is?!

Album Review: So Far by the The Orange Peels (2000) (spinART Records)

Remember 'that kid' at school who was perfect. Not for them the covering of school books with old discarded wallpaper as daddy's PA would laminate them, thus helping to ensure that consistent academic success was achieved without the need for genuine contemplation.

Not for 'that kid' coming off a muddy soccer field on a winters morning, legs purple with cold, snot pouring mouth bound, caked in three quarters of the field, with a sending off, an own goal and parental disappointment as the main reminders of the match. Oh no, 'that kid' usually came off the pitch shoulder high as supporters and team-mates celebrated his hat-trick that ensured a win that masked your ignominy.

As for mud? Simply not 'that kids' problem. His return to the dressing room rarely warranted a shower, although he had one, complete with raspberry shower gel, because he was so damned perfect!

EP Review: The Babe Rainbow (EP) by The Babe Rainbow (2015) (Label: Flightless Records)

The Babe Rainbow are a three piece on the same Australian, psych loving label (Flightless Records) that popularized King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard to whom they are often lazily compared. In my opinion, The Babe Rainbow's version of psyche is far more melodic, spaced out, quirky and ultimately more appealing than the somewhat cleaner KGATLW sound.

In fact they could be considered the professional 'weird psyche band'. Assigning weird band member names (Blue Spirit, Kool Breeze and Arrow), ensuring promotional videos contain at least one dancing Jesus and slathering slick layers of wah wah to twanging guitars to create a romantic, summer vibe that is completely alien to the strange Monty Python-esque lyrics (see Secret Enchanted Brocolli Forest below). It all adds up to a mess, but a fantastic, interesting mess that is kept together by some beautiful lead guitar work..