#dubstar

[fangomusic]

Nine Albums: Female Britpop

Elastica, Elastica Sleeper, The It Girl Echobelly, On Lush, Lovelife Catatonia, Way Beyond Blue Kenickie, At The Club Dubstar, Disgraceful The Popguns, LoveJunky Republica, Republica

[th3-0bjectivist]

     Sometimes I’ll post a tune by a band I don’t particularly care for because they have a single song that is outstanding. This is one of those times, dear listener. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t dislike Dubstar, I just think their overall catalog is as boring as granola. I’m not talking about the kind of granola that’s infused with berries, chocolate, and tons of sugar. No. I’m talking plain old healthy granola infused with just a little honey to slightly enhance the flavor. If you like their albums more power to you because there’s certainly nothing wrong with them in the vocal, lyrical, instrumental, or compositional departments. Their music is quite good, I’m just personally not that into it. That said, this week I gave myself the Herculean task of perusing through their catalog to find something to post, and after nearly falling asleep several times, Stars from 1995’s Disgraceful chimed in and energized me like a splash of cold water to the face in an arid desert. This is a good example of a combined band’s talents taken to its absolute zenith. This song is all about escapism and they provide it for the listener with a hybridized style of rock, dance and trip-hop that are blended JUST ENOUGH to make this track a thing of real ethereal beauty. Founded in Newcastle upon Tyne, England this Brit-pop act certainly did have a run of semi-success during their time together, especially early on. They’re also one of the very few bands I know of that took a nearly two-decade hiatus (2000-2018) only to come back and try their hand at making music together again. Although I’m not a fan of the albums or the group, I still must give this tune respect for being the single work of staggering genius that it is. So next time you want to make out with your significant other, date or partner under the stars… go out far away from the city, put this baby on repeat, look up, and enjoy! Oh, I nearly forgot, the band Lacuna Coil did a gothic metal variation of this song, it’s worth a listen, and you can find it here. 

Circa the mid 90′s, image credit: https://sandimental.livejournal.com/103023.html

[pear-pies]

Rockin’ On Magazine / May 1996

Dubstar / Photo by Andy Willsher

[adultalternative]

Today's theme for albums/artists not on Spotify is groups and solo albums. I haven’t listened to these albums recently, so this post is more a reaction to none of these being on streaming than an assessment on the albums themselves. Asterisks near their names means multiple albums are missing.

Dawn Robinson- Dawn- The En Vogue soloist has an album made in 2014 up on Spotify, but for some reason, a solo debut from 2002 is missing.

En Vogue- Soul Flower- This En Vogue album seems to be as remembered as their Christmas album by fans, yet only one is on streaming. AllMusic snippets suggest that this is a more mature album than Funky Divas and Born to Sing, but I still enjoyed it a lot more than EV3's entirety. I hope with En Vogue's new album out this year, their streaming situation gets fixed.

James Iha- Let it Come Down- (One of?) The only sane people from the Smashing Pumpkins had an album released in 1998. While everyone went electronic and dark (Which I loved) that year, James Iha went Joanne. That this album isn't really talked about anywhere may or may not have to do with quality, promotional issues, or uglier truths that plague the music industry today as much as they did in 1998, but with a 2012 reissue and a 20th anniversary, this should be on streaming at least.

Basehead*- I haven't listened to any of these albums yet on Youtube, but Basehead definitely has me interested in them from their concept alone. Alternative hip hop meets alternative rock? Songs about lots of different topics? I'm sold!

Waterlillies- Envoluptuousity- I don't really know them and they still have a second album on Spotify that I haven't listened to, but apparently they have dark early 90's dance music. What more needs to be said?

The Other Two*- How do I know that the way I listen to music has changed drastically since high school? I didn't know until this week that there was a woman in New Order. I didn't know until August-ish that there was a side project called Electronic (I always saw them in Related Albums in All Music for stuff I did know). If it helps, I didn't know Paul Buchanan on Jessie Ware's new album was a member of the Blue Nile until reading AllMusic yesterday, so... yeah. So you can imagine that I didn't know about these albums until this week either. I don't have any comments on them, but I'm very curious as to what kind of record deals they or James Iha got which prevent them from being on streaming in the 2010s.

Curve*- I've probably known Curve the longest from anyone I've mentioned here because of... TV Tropes' Garbage page. Apparently Curve and Garbage (Or their fans) have a one sided rivalry with each other? A quick search says that Toni likes Garbage but considers them "poppier". I don't know if that was supposed to be an elitist dog whistle, but yeah. Curve's middle/later two albums are on Spotify, but my Gregg Araki, Halloween, and Shoegaze playlists need more Curve!

My Bloody Valentine- mbv- Okay, if they released this decade, then there's definitely not some kind of conspiracy as to why they're missing from Spotify. But I Googled it quickly and I found out that the band might not be pretentious snobs forcing 13 year olds to travel 2 hours for a vinyl, but they might not be in a position to have it on streaming because they self-released? That's what people on Reddit suggested, at least.

Dubstar*- Another 90's electronic English group not on Spotify. If I could trade some of the present Britpop groups in favor for Dubstar, I probably would. On the bright side, one Britpop band who used to not be on Spotify, Echobelly, finally came on.

Suede*- I don't really know if I'm missing Suede. I don't really like Britpop, or the biggest alternative rock 90's guy bands. They have some stuff on Spotify through the name 'The London Suede', bUt I've never bothered listening to it. One of the only songs that they do have on Spotify that I do like? The single 'Trash' that was on the Nowhere soundtrack. Usually seeing either 'Britpop' or 'Glam Rock' as a descriptor leaves me apprehensive, but 'Trash' should be up there with most Smashing Pumpkins or Garbage singles... or at least 'Alright' by Supergrass in memorability.

[pear-pies]

Rockin’ On Magazine - January, 1996  

[pear-pies]

Melody Maker magazine - February 17, 1996    

[pear-pies]

Rockin’ On Magazine - January, 1996  

[pear-pies]

Melody Maker magazine - January 31, 1998