Monolith Cocktail Blog

Brian ‘Bordello’ Shea’s Reviews Roundup – Instant Reactions. All entries in alphabetical order.

Nash Albert ‘Kingdom Of Love’
Album – 6^th June 2025

Now then my dearies what do we have here…well, an album by Nash Albert, an artist I admit I’d never come across before, and his third album called “Kingdom Of Love”. It sounds to me like the kind of album that would have been released in the 1980’s by a major label pretending it was an indie. It has a mixture of 80’s rock bombast with a slight tinge of goth and folk and psychedelic goodness and AOR pop. And all in all an enjoyable listen for an album that could have been released anytime in the last 40 years.

Armstrong ‘Handicrafts’
Album – 1^st June 2025

Armstrong (or Julian Pitt) as I have mentioned so many times in my past reviews of his work has a God given gift for melody that is rather quite a rare and marvellous thing, and one that really deserves to be heard by more people and hopefully these 43 songs that make up this double CD comp of his  wonderful gift for melody will go some way to putting that right. For we have 43 slices of home recorded sunshine pop, from the Housemartins meets Joe Meek Pop Splendour of “Sunday Walking” to the seventies Bacharach and David late tv shine of “Cosmos World” fed through the mind of Brian Wilson circa “The Beach Boys Love You” sessions.

So many aural delights: “The Wonderful Sweetest Girl” is a fine 4 track wonder of lo-fi post punk jangle pop and “Yesterdays Over” is a rather sweet piano ballad worthy of the Zombies, or the mid to late sixties magic of the Hollies or the Smiths like “Let’s Be Decisive”. I could honestly just go on and on listing the tracks and writing about how beautiful and wonderful they all are, so instead of doing that I just advise you buy the CD, and you will not be disappointed.

Dragged up ‘Blakes Tape/ Clachan Dubh’
Single

Ah, more indie guitar rock to tempt me with. I admit, I get sent way too much indie guitar rock to listen to, but when it is as fun and as well done as this I really do not mind. What we have here are two tracks of sublime indie chuggery: is chuggery a word? And if so, have I spelt it right? Anyway, Dragged Up do it all very well and hopefully will find themselves on the BBC6 music playlists and maybe even one day finding themselves guesting on Jools Holland (if so, please kick him in the groin for me), as I find the distant whispers of the mainstream calling their name.

Half Naked Shrunken Heads ‘Let’s Build A Boy’
EP – (Metal Postcard Records) 16^th May 2025

Metal Postcard Records is becoming the record label to go to if you require some discordant post punk in your life. Not only do they offer us the Neon Kittens, The Salem Trials and the Legless Crabs but now their latest band of jagged angular post punk the wonderfully named Half Naked Shrunken Heads. This their debut ep is four tracks of Public Image Ltd /Bow Wow Wow extravaganza, experimental mixture of punk, dub and rather fetching kicking your heals downtown filthy art filled rock ‘n’ roll…. yes, another gem. One day Cherry Red Records are going to release a series of box sets of Metal Postcard releases and people will marvel how they never heard it first time around.

Heavenly ‘Portland Town’
Single – Digital Release 6^th June 2025

The first new single from Heavenly in 20 years, and a fine single it is as well, all charming indie guitar strum and melody filled harmony bliss. A beautiful ode to Portland Town, a song that captures and enraptures and makes me want to pop on a plane with my guitar and busk away till my heart is content. A lovely summer single.

Majken ‘A Siren’
Single – (Sing A Song Fighter) 12^th June 2025

“A Siren” is a rather beautiful atmospheric unusual ballad filled with rising sunsets and falling dew drop, a journey into the life and minds of a wistful muse. For Majken has a rare and sweet musical talent that emits warmth and tenderness.

Novelistme ‘Fabulous Nonsense’
Album – 10^th June 2025

I like this album. Novelistme is obviously a talented songwriter and musician, and “Fabulous Nonsense” is a fine album made up of good songs and some fine melodies and some great guitar riffs; an album that will appeal to all lovers of indie rock legends GBV and Graham Coxan’s solo recordings. But  there is a something that I have to mention, that I find the production and sound of the album just a little to clean and clinical for my tastes, and lacking a little warmth; the same problem I have with XTC, which is my problem and not Novelistme, and is the only thing that is stopping me loving the album, but really is a good listen. 

Swansea Sound ‘Oasis V Blur’
Single – 6^th June 2025

Oasis Or Blur, now that is a question that really needs to be answered even after all these years. Obviously, I am well known for my hatred of Oasis, so Blur is the obvious answer, and this lovely blast of indie is good fun with its Fall like riffage and radio friendly melody. If I was on jukebox Jury I would be holding up the Hit card…. I would probably be wrong, but it’s all good fun.

The Twirlies ‘Think That I Am In Love’
Single – (Café Superstar Recordings) 23^rd May 2025

This single is a rather beautiful summery pop song. The word charming was indeed invented to describe this charming slice of indie pop. The Twirlies could well be a band worthy of further investigation; any band that can remind me of both the Zombies and Belle and Sebastian doing a summer shimmer is indeed a band worthy of further investigation. I Think That I Am In Love with this single.

The Wants ‘Bastard’
Album (STTT) 13^th June 2025

There is something quite Go Betweens-ish about The Wants, but a more experimental Go Betweens, a more jagged angrier experimental colder sounding Go Betweens. I think it might be the Grant McLennan-like vocals. Although I could be completely wrong about this. If so, please ignore my opening sentence. It might be because my wife is listening to the Go Betweens in the other room and there might be a cross contamination of musical genius.

Anyway, I like this gang of post punk musical miscreants. They have a lovely 80’s psychedelic undercurrent to their sound that combines with the coldness of their post punk energy, and the whole album is an enjoyable emulsion into darkness and angular sadness. A fine album.

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