a(nother) blast from the past: Misfit City lives again
inlay for a long-dead cassette, designed by the estimable Marko Nardini
As mentioned before, in a previous life I had a band called Empty Vessels. It started off as a duo with – hard as it seems to believe now – a heavy but mildewed drum n bass influence. What can I say… we were young, we were foolish, and guitar-based music seemed even deader than it does at present.
Anyway, it was a short-lived but intense period which we moved away from – inevitably, with hindsight – to become a very guitar-chord-based, oafish art rock trio; and even to make a tiny commercial dent. But at the time I speak of, we met a… polarized response. Some people loved us, some absolutely hated us; I just got off on the ructions, being a kid at the time. Very rarely, we’d get an insightful review from someone who might not’ve gone for the music, but appreciated what we were trying to do.
Such a review appeared on a literate and thoughtful site called Misfit City, which has been inactive for quite a while but recently started up again. Here’s the re-issued and updated article on EVs circa 2000…
It’s true what they say: be it ever so obscure, you never can escape your own past. But in this case, there’s nothing to run away from, and maybe something to be proud of. See if you agree.
more press & BBC session news
Here’s another write-up for Hard Science from is this music? Good again: I’m a punk poet prepared to push the boat out, it sez. Damn right.
The BBC Introducing: South session takes place next Sunday, 24th June – more details as soon as I have them (probably tomorrow).
GLOW IN THE DARK album: first press coverage/BBC gig
Here’s a nice write-up for the upcoming album at indiebandsblog.com …
And here’s one at withguitars.com
Appreciated, as ever. Live, the gigs are gradually pencilling in, circling like corner-of-the eye spectres… Also, just been offered a BBC radio session, so more news on that soon.
God Is In The TV reviews Hard Science, 10th May
Good ink…
Here’s a review of forthcoming single Hard Science on God Is In The TV’s site.
It’s a good one: “If these two avant-pop tracks are anything to go by then the album should be, at the least, intriguing.”
Read the article, listen to the tracks when they’re released at the end of this very month, and see if you agree. (In fact, Hard Science can be heard on the Bandcamp player at the top of this page. If you like, you can watch the video, too.)
[sic] Magazine reviews This Mucky Age
A positive write-up for This Mucky Age from individualist journo Indie Dad. It’s on the [sic] Magazine site here.
(Seem to recall he quite liked Episodes when it was first released in 2008, too – did I mention it’s just been re-issued by any chance…?)
A review’s always appreciated – even more when it’s favourable. So far, I’ve been very lucky.
This Mucky Age reviewed
This Mucky Age gets an interesting write-up from Peter Kemp’s music blog here:
http://peterkempsrecordreviews.blogspot.com/2012/02/matt-finucane-this-mucky-age.html
It’s pretty shrewd; but then it’s a great review so I would say that, wouldn’t I? (He’s bang-on about the imaginary scenario of Degenerate Son, which seems to have puzzled some people.)
Anyway, check out Peter’s blog – I’m in very good company.
Nightshift reviews Hands Up
Oxford music magazine Nightshift has a review of Hands Up in its December 2011 issue: link to pdf here.
It’s filed under “demos”, but you can’t have everything: in a previous life, I grew up in Oxford and played in various crap 80s-charity-shop-leather-jacket-schoolboy-weirdo bands, so this is quite gratifying. Nice write-up, too. Ah, those dear dead days – I couldn’t carry on like that anymore, it’d kill me… and I’ve got an album to finish. Happy Xmas!
album reviewed
Nothing like positive coverage to make an egomaniac’s day worthwhile
There’s a good write-up for the album in this month’s BN1 Magazine. It’s not online yet, but can be found in print around Brighton. I’m a pirate and a rascal, apparently – also a devil may care rebel. Naturally, this is very gratifying. Favourable comments on the music, too.
A few more reviews (that I’m aware of) should appear soon, but this’ll do nicely for now.
[EDIT – the review can now be read on the More Press page. All copyright BN1 Magazine, all effrontery mine.]
the single: reviewed
Hello. My name’s Matt, and I’m weeping milky tears of joy…
Here’s the first coverage of my first single, Wet Dream Disaster, in Brighton Source magazine:
http://www.brightonsource.co.uk/reviews/55-reviews/1640-critic-february–
(It’s a little way down the page – I’ll archive it in full in the PRESS section presently.)
They’ve picked up on the spunk motif, which is misleading – it’s not really about bodily fluids, but why let that get in the way of a catchy title? My younger self, striving away in the musical hinterlands so pious, serious and right-on, would be elaborately and self-righteously horrified. But I’ve kept faith with my creative hopes in one important respect: no compromise. None.
Good review, too.
(EDIT: If you’re reading this in 2021 – or any year with a “2” in the middle – I can only salute your completism: I’ve just deleted the single as a separate item, so it can now only be heard on the album. It’s been a while and the back catalogue’s getting a bit out of hand… Still not keen on compromise, mind.)
