I sometimes think that there is just too much music in the world.
I subscribe to the old adage that variety is the spice of life but occasionally it feels like some things are extraneous. One such record that falls into this category is Think before You Speak by Good Shoes.
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Click here to email your reportOn paper, there is no real reason that I shouldn't like the Londoners' debut offering. It even starts promisingly with the opening one-two of Nazanin and previous single Photos on My Wall. Third track Morden paints a bleak picture of the band's local area (a Superdrug and a KFC…a skinhead coming at you with a knife) but has a fairly irresistible chorus grafted onto its jerky guitars. However, it was around this time that I started to realise my main problem with this LP - if I want angular guitar pop, I have The Futureheads; if I fancy a bit of social observation to boot, Arctic Monkeys do the job.
I can't help but think that they are the right band at the wrong time. If Good Shoes had emerged a couple of years ago I would probably find their upbeat quirky pop a more engaging prospect. Sadly, arriving in the wake of the aforementioned bands and a thousand others renders them largely unnecessary. They are surplus to requirements in a music scene that reached bursting point long ago.
During the sessions for the upcoming Stereophonics album, frontman Kelly Jones found time to record his first solo record. Released digitally in January, Only the Names Have Been Changed hits the shelves in physical form this week. I am of the opinion that Stereophonics never managed to match the quality of their debut Word Gets Around and each subsequent release has seen them go more off the boil. Imagine my surprise to find that this LP is the best thing that Jones has put his name to in years.
A concept album featuring ten songs with girl's names, this record finds Jones in stripped down, moody form. A series of dark tales involving murder, infidelity and unique payment methods offered to taxi drivers, each track finds Jones' raspy voice accompanied only by stark electric guitar or occasional strings. The songs benefit greatly from the barren settings with Katie, Jayne and Jean being particular highlights.
