Monolith Cocktail Blog

BRIAN ‘BORDELLO’ SHEA’S REVIEWS ROUNDUP – INSTANT REACTIONS.

Cult favourite, anointed as the “king of no-fi”, Brian ‘Bordello’ Shea continues to contribute to the Monolith Cocktail in 2025 with his idiosyncratic irascible and aphorisms, his unique take on the music we send him each month to review. An artist in his own right, part of the family band The Bordellos for an age but releasing music sporadically under his own name and various guises, his latest release, a split contribution with Dee “Persian” Claw and The Neon Kittens, is due out on the 21st February, released by Cruel Nature Records.

Cindy ‘Saw It All Demos’
Album (Paisley Shirt Records)

The title of this album does not lie. It is indeed Demo’s and released on a cassette, and is a pretty nifty little album. Seven songs mostly recorded in a bedroom, and which we all know is one of the three best things one can do in a bedroom. There is a beautiful warmth and tenderness about these seven tracks; softly strummed guitar, hushed vocals, simple keyboard and percussion – apart from track 7 “The Violins”, which features the full band in a simply charming little indie pop number but doesn’t actually feature a violin at all, It’s still my favourite track on this album as I’m always a sucker for some velvety like guitar. Once again, another fine release from the wonderful Paisley Shirt Records label.

Divorce ‘Pill’
Single

I like this. It’s experimental. It’s catchy. It’s quirky and funky, all the things one wants from pop singles. It has a quite beautiful slow melancholy piano solo part which I can picture Yoko Ono opening curtains to in a large white room. And can I offer higher praise than that…I don’t think I can. 

Duckie Mr Poetry ‘Miami Vice’
Single

Now, there are two reasons I like this track, and I will be honest, I’m in no way an expert on hip hop or rap and very rarely write about it, but this is rather good. It’s short, it is funky, there is plenty of hop in the hip and plenty of hip in the hop. Plus it also mentions Guinness in the lyrics and I have never come across another Hip Hop track that mentions that fine Irish brew in its lyrics: you don’t get NWA mentioning it, they are too busy fucking the police.

Expose ‘ETC’
Album (Quindi) 24^th January 2024

Discordant Jabberwocky noise explosion erupts from the mouths of Sonic Youth’s long lost ill-mannered cousins, who sprout melodious pop misadventure whilst listening to the greatest guitar hits from the last 50 years on a vintage Ronco cassette and amp, surfing to pass the time of day and attract yearning looks from passing strangers who long to be the band. Do I like this? Of course! It is frivolous, it is fun, it is what rock n roll should sound like. It is both experimental and pure pop for now people. It is sexy. It is noisy. It has the appeal of cutting off a sticking out tongue from an annoying clown and cello taping it to a rocket ship so it can lick the stars.

Gentles ‘Gentles’
Album (Metal Postcard Records)

There is nothing gentle about Gentles. They are in fact a slam bam refuge of post punk disgust, an angular riff of ferocious quantity and quality part Fall part Swell Maps part Syd Barrett Pink Floyd after downing a gallon of turps. Yes, there is a subtle 60s guitar vibe that the band themselves probably have not noticed lurking underneath their arrogant angst. 

Gentles are everything it means to be young angry and free to do whatever they want: if they can be bothered getting around to it.

Ike Goldman ‘Newt And Lovers/ Bowling Green’
Single

This double-sided A-side single is rather ace. Imagine if you will re-found unreleased tracks from The Beach Boys circa Smile…need I say more. If the answer is yes, you have no right reading the Monolith Cocktail as we all know late 60s Beach Boys is as perfect as it gets, and music obviously influenced by the late 60s Beach Boys done with such love and warmth is also as pretty much darned perfect as you get. Why is Ike Goldman not a household musical name? He should be.

The Neon Sea ‘As I Wonder’
Single

I like this. It has a nice early Stone Roses type jangle, and melody wise reminiscent of Blur in one of their melancholy moments: sweet, sad and mournful wrapped in a warm wash of guitar serendipity. A lovely single.

Penrose Web ‘It’s…The Penrose Web EP’
EP(Gare du Nord)

This EP is the debut release from The Penrose Web and it is rather spiffing in a good old early 80s Garage Rock way; an EP that takes me back to the days of visiting London to take in the great garage rock scene, days of the Bigfoot and the club on Camden Lock – whatever it was called – and myself and my girlfriend at the time having to share a taxi with a dodgy French man back to the Hotel because we missed the last train. The magic of music and the magic of the Penrose Web and the memories they inspire. This EP is really rather good indeed…I hope they do an album.

Lucy Philips Arts Foundation ‘I’m Not A Fucking Metronome’
Compilation Album

I’m Not A Fucking Metronome is a rather excellent compilation album to raise money for the Lucy Philips Arts Foundation, which is a foundation started in memory of Lucy Philips who was drummer and a regular face around the Leicester arts scene who sadly, suddenly, passed away in May of 2024. All money raised will help support Leicester creatives.

This Comp is actually a bit of a rarity as all 12 tracks are rather very good indeed. And I can imagine all the tracks appearing on the much missed and never replaced John Peel show: from the punk/post-punk opener by Boilers “Looking Good” – a song written by Lucy herself – through to the beautiful psych folk-tinged ballad “Heroes/Villains “by Chris Cottis Allan and the short sharp all wrapped up in one and half minuets pure punk of the excellently named Potato Legends.

As I have said, an album where all 12 bands need congratulating in adding 12 really wonderful slices of alternative pop/punk/rock to a great album and a fine cause.

Uri Rubin ‘The Way You Are’
Album

The Way You Are is what you call a grower, an album that sneaks up on you and gently wraps its arms around you and gently rocks you into submission with its lyrical tales of life and love. Uri Rubin has a lovely relaxing laidback vocal styling, part Smog, part Leonard Cohen and part Lambchop. He really does have a quite lovely voice, which he uses to good effect on these well written songs; songs that don’t stand out individually – they are not made to be radio smashes – but flow into each other to offer you 45 minutes or so of pure escape.