THIS IS A JOURNEY INTO SOUND

So. As i'd said in a previous post, a few bands towards the end of 2001 opened the floodgates for a tidal wave of vibrant and exciting new rock bands, influenced by late 60's garage rock, punk, post-punk and indie. And fuck me, did it feel good to hear them! Although there had always been a handful of records that i liked most years, this was the first time that i felt part of something new and important, and it set the tone for the next few years. And it also set me on a path to discovering some more of the older music that had influenced the current crop. There was a slew of great singles this year, but it was more about the album for me. I listened to The Strokes' Is This It again recently, for the first time in years, and it took me right back to a time when the airwaves, music tv channels, and music press were full of these new bands week after week. One band, whose dark and moody look and sound caught my attention, had actually released their first album in spring 200

11th March, 2002 marked the beginning of a new national radio station, the first in 32 years. BBC 6 Music was the first of the BBC's digital stations to be launched as part of the gradual switch over from analogue broadcasting. But it was far more than that. 6music was a station with a different attitude. Not only was it dedicated to playing a broad spectrum of alternative music from punk to indie to soul to jazz to trip-hop to electronica and dance, from the past and present, but the presenters were people who were genuinely passionate about the records they played, and were given far more free reign than usual. Amongst the presenters were several musicians: Suggs, Bruce Dickinson, Brinsley Forde. The rest of them were well known music writers and seasoned DJ's such as Stuart Maconie, Janice Long, Bob Harris, Liz Kershaw, and the guy who would open the station at 7am, Phill Jupitus, who had spent many years as a punk poet, compere, DJ on LBC, comedian, tv personality and well

Before the "garage rock" revival began mid-2001, the sort of alternative bands who were successful were of the very ordinary variety: the tedious, meat-and-potatoes rock of Stereophonics, the whiny, insipid, piss-thin indie of Travis, and the equally whiny indie of Colplay. Introspective lyrics, easy on the ear melodies, and absolutely no balls. Words like "worthy", "crafted", "real music" were bandied about. In other words, boring. Where was the passion? The rebellious rock'n'roll spirit? Tucked between their legs in pursuit of a wider audience no doubt, writing songs that would get played on Radio's 1 and 2, music that would appeal to the older audience as well as indie-oriented students and teens. I'm not suggesting that every song should be packed with power chords and feedback - there's nothing wrong with quieter songs and introspective lyrics per se, but it can still be done with some passion and soul. Travis had actuall

The last few years for me have generally seen a decline in new music - this has been a recurring theme on this blog! - in my listening and buying habits, and a tendency to lapse into nostalgia. That has partly been down to a busier life and less available funds, and partly due to my feeling that there is very little out there worth listening to. But the last 12 months have proved me wrong, with at least a dozen new acts and releases having excited me. I'm still scouring the second hand shops for old vinyl, and digging out personal favourites from my existing collection, but i'm also finding myself being a bit more discerning: albums that i have hung onto in the belief that i will eventually like them or get around to playing have been given away: that My Bloody Valentine EP compliation that i bought back in 2013 and never played all the way through - gone. The first Doves album that has, for me, just 4 or 5 decent songs: the Patti Smith best of that i've played a couple of

Towards the end of 2001, a grassroots rock revival was under way. Bands influenced by classic guitar music -  blues, sixties garage rock, punk, post-punk, indie, psychedelia and art rock - with style, attitude, and character, started to attract the attention of the mainstream and - most importantly - the hearts and minds of the nations youth. Some of them had been around for a few years, slowly building up a following: some were newly formed and in place to catch the zeitgeist. There had already been a few disparate bands and acts from the fringes who'd done quite well for themselves already in the previous few months - Muse, Feeder, Starsailor, and the ball-less drippy likes of Travis and fucking Coldplay,  plus the Skate Punk and emerging Nu-Metal genres from the US - but these new bands were much more, well, cool.  The majority of them took a back to basics approach, with simple, raw production and less showy musicianship. Some of them didn't even bother with a bass player.

Since i started buying Vinyl again, i've become a regular visitor to charity shops and second hand stores. There's nothing i like more than having a good dig through whatever 45's, LPs, and CDs people have given away, and feeling that thrill of finding an old favourite, perhaps something i used to have in my collection years ago or never got around to buying. I visit second hand record shops too, but those occasions are dedicated trips that can last at least 2 or 3 hours! Nipping into one of the several charity shops in my town whilst on a lunch break or on my way home from work is something i do at least once a week, and costs a lot less - i can pick up a 7" for as little as 50p. Usually i find myself rooting through endless easy listening compilations or godawful pop fluff from the '70's, and there are times i come away empty handed. But the occasions i chance across a real gem or curio make up for it. Today i popped into one of my regular haunts, a place cal