I was a youth in the 1990s, and my album collection got a bit stuck around the Stone Roses and Charlatans. Help.
Ah, the Stone Roses! The Doctor lined up Waterfall last Sunday on her radio show, because there’s a wonderful new album by a Kenyan singer called Ayub Ogada, replete with birds and miscellaneous animal noises, and one track from it reminds her of the famous Waterfall guitar riff – have a listen to Ogada’s Kodhi and see if you can hear the resemblance.
Hearing the Stone Roses again was like bumping into an old friend. In fact, it’s well worth hiding away your favourites for a few years, just for that feeling of sheer delight when you dust them down and say hello again. Your ears pick up on new things: the production, the warm bass, the sweetness of the melodies. The Stone Roses sounded rather wonderful.
Ayub Ogada might be a little less mainstream than these 90s artists, but many current guitar/indie bands are mixing up or channelling the musical styles of other cultures: try the recent Volcan by Frànçois & The Atlas Mountains, with its African instrumentation; and the super-funky The Talking Fish, by Ibibio Sound Machine. There are also new releases by Vampire Weekend and The Very Best to check out: it’s interesting to watch the world shrink as musicians nod to each other’s heritage.
But for 21st-century bands closer to the guitar-drenched troupes of the 90s (which, by the by, are making a comeback: Nirvana is huge with 11-year-olds), go for Surf City’s One Too Many Things, from a brand new Fire record. Or, for a more laid-back feel, there’s the new Sufjan Stevens album Carrie & Lowell, while This Is The Kit have a gorgeous new album, Bashed Out (released on Brassland), with glimmering vocals and storytelling from Kate Stables of Winchester. Happy listening.
• Post your questions to Cerys below.
