All Killer, No Thriller. (Sorry Jacko!)

chrisweeks1020
Sep 7
10 min read

Updated: Sep 14

Starring

Andy Bell, Dean Wareham, Geologist, Goodbye Wudaokou, Martha Rose, Obi, Saint Etienne

The Front Runners

Anything Of Us : Goodbye Wudaokou

Every now and again an album comes out that you want to wave in strangers’ faces and beg them to give it a listen. ‘Anything Of Us’ is one of those albums.

Goodbye Wudaokou is Matt Mills. He cites all the right influences from the UK and the USA including, but not limited to, shoegaze, Field Mice, New Order, Nada Surf and Sonic Youth. It’s true you can hear all those in his songs. The strength of this album, though, is that he sounds independent of them too. He’s taken the fuzzy, jagged, alternative sound of the 90s and mixed in some of the best honeycomb melodies you’ll hear anywhere.

They may emerge slowly and unrefined from the heart of songs like ‘Glimmers’, but when they hit you it’s the hit of a song moving into your unwritten list of songs that define your taste in music. Around three and a half minutes into ‘Never Left’ there’s a note sequence that triggers the hard swallowing and blinking-back-tears eyes of magic pop. These are truly immersive songs. Let them surround you and experience a born again baptism into pop.

Highlights come along with the regularity and frequency of Wikipedia’s fund-raising messages. Just as you’ve settled into ‘Eternal Flow / Suzhou Flowers’ the energy rush of the second part takes you somewhere new and full of excited anticipation for what’s to come. ‘Loop Back To Us’ captures the feelings that, perhaps, Indiana Jones had on discovering an uncared for, believed lost, artefact that reveals a work of wonder beneath the dirt and dust. I loved the quiet backing vocals from Desiree Xu and my only regret was that they felt underused and I would have loved to have heard more of them.

No, that’s not quite my only regret. I also regret that the euphoria I suspect Matt Mills felt on creating something brilliant, may have been tempered by a crushing fear that only a few people will hear it. Prove that fear is to be groundless.

Taster Track : Glimmers

Close To Close : Martha Rose

From time to time there are artists that join the multitude of acts clamouring for your attention and, inexplicably and unforgivably, don't receive the acclaim they deserve. Martha Rose is one of them.

She’s an English multi instrumentalist, based in Berlin, releasing synth pop that is dripping with the promise of the pioneers while sounding fresh and different today. I should confess that I’ve had this on my list of records to listen to since May 2024 but, better late than never.

Her stall is set with the opening song. ‘Gateway Drug’. It has the saddest, simplest but sweetest melody ,and a vocal that expresses unspoken thoughts. No song on this album outstays its welcome. With ten songs in 32 minutes, uncluttered by bleeps, glitches and other artificial effects, they’re direct and concise. There’s no need for a sprawling, lingering fade out to fill space.

Berlin influences are heard in the cleanliness of the sound of a song like ‘The Same Feeling’. Tunefulness and melody is recruited in the service of atmosphere. ‘Bleu’ is all French, low key but deeply felt emotion that’s loaded with the aural equivalent of meaningful glances.

There’s variety in the mix of songs, but all remain true to her principles. ‘Heart Still Beats For U’ is the poppiest song here. You can tell from the spelling that it’s a bid for pop mainstream, a little bit of lite dancefloor music. It doesn’t strike a false note in the context of the whole album though. ‘September’ with its rural flute is what you might expect if Nick Drake had been a synth pop artist. She breaks away from her synth led music on ‘Chin Up’, switching to guitar in homage to the subdued indie of, say, Allo Darlin’.

Though the content is melancholy, it’s a heart warming album simply for providing evidence that quality, electronic, beat free pop can still be found. It\s a minor gem that doesn’t shout its merits, but quietly wriggles its way into your heart.

Taster Track : Gateway Drug

Wolves - Obi

In 2002 Obi released ‘The Magic Land of Radio’, an airy collection of pop perfection. I loved it. In 2004 they released ‘Diceman Lopez’ full of darker, appealingly creepy pop. I loved that too.

And then they disappeared as if they never were. They’re the only band who have triggered in me a sense of loss. Every now and then I’d spend time trying to track them down to no avail. In my head they became the Holy Grail, the embodiment of pure and flawless folk pop. A few days ago, stumbling through Spotify playlists to find something that fitted the moment, ‘Wolves’ appeared there on screen. A disbelieving double take later and that sense of excited anticipation last felt as a teenager investing all their pocket money in a new LP, rushed over me again. Of course, the reality of this album couldn’t match the trembling hype I invested in the prospect of new Obi music. It is, however, a very good album by any other standards.

Their music remains a successful marriage that combines a kind of Wickerman folk with interludes filled with the charm, simplicity and sincerity of innocence. ‘House of Cards’ is the best entry point, lulling you into a state that allows you to receive both aspects of their music. The strangled blues of ‘Dead Casino’ and the sticky, sinister vibe to ‘None Come Close’ that’s like the beginnings of a fever dream showcase their darker side. ‘Neighbourhood Song’, ‘To The Stars’ and ‘Ghosts and Engineers’ highlight the gorgeous melodies of their softer side. In the light of the silence that appeared to follow, ‘Ghosts and Engineers’ is a superbly elegiac closing track.

Memory inevitably simplifies the past. I’d remembered the split between dark and light, but forgotten just how cinematic their songs were. ‘Empire’ reminded me that their songs were prepared and constructed as carefully as any film.

Damian Katkhuda’s vocals are key to the different tones in the songs. They often sound as if they are barely clinging on to avoid catastrophic failure. At other times though they sound blissfully content with the simpler things of life, providing the sweet beauty to offset the ugliness all around.

‘Wolves’, it turns out, is not a new album. It was written in 2008 but unreleased. This year finally rights that wrong. It’s a collection that should never have been ignored.

Taster Track : To The Stars (but also be sure to listen to ‘Neighbourhood Song’ and ‘Empire’)

What happened next? It seems that Obi hid in plain sight. Damian Katkhuda released several solo albums and formed the Mostar Diving Club to be the main outlet for his music. Last May, they released ‘Beautiful Forever’. Watch this space.

International : Saint Etienne

Paul Weller announced that the Jam were no more as they released the glorious ‘Beat Surrender’. David Bowie was able to plan ‘Dark Star’ around the knowledge that his death was imminent. Both ended on a note of their choosing. Saint Etienne have also followed that path, following the announcement that ‘International’ would be their final album. The pressure’s on but they’ve made the perfect goodbye.

Starting with the euphoric punch of ‘Glad’ we’re entering a bright and heady memorial to the pop they’ve made better than anyone else. It’s a masterstroke how lines that are a key part of their songs leap out and hit you as a testimony to their whole career.

“This life has had its high points” (‘Dancing Heart’, - I’ll second that emotion!)

“You gave me sweet melodies” (‘Sweet Melodies’ and you’re not kidding.)

The whole of ‘The Last Time’ brings an emotional surge of impending loss mixed with achingly sweet memories of just how good they were, particularly in its occasional but blubbing sax.

This record serves as the final student union club night at the end of three or four of the happiest years of your life.

The thing is, Saint Etienne have never, ever forgotten the glory and power of the three and a half minute pop song. That’s all you need. Songs such as ‘Save It For A Rainy Day’ get to the heart of floor filling club pop. They’re an injection that paints the grey of suburbia technicolour. They’re having fun, lots of fun, letting their hair down in celebration. It’s for them as much as for us.

On ‘International’ they’ve applied their magpie tendencies to their own past. Sarah Cracknell retains the feeling of confiding in the listeners. Try ‘Brand New Me’ for that. That’s a collaboration with Confidence Man, but they also retain one foot in past pop on ‘The Go Betweens’, a collaboration with Nick Heyward. It’s always been their skill to flip happy clubbing into classic pop as if flipping the switch to tune into a different pre-set radio station. Forget the forays into ambient cleverness. This is an album with laugh out loud delighted recognition built into the house piano of ‘He’s Gone’ and the sweet sadness of ‘Fade’.

Saint Etienne have gone out on a high, and not even the Beatles managed that. I, for one, am very, very happy they’ve given themselves the memorial they deserve.

Taster Track : All of them. (Oh alright ‘The Last Time’ is the fitting eulogy to their career.)

The Chasing Pack

Pinball Wanderer : Andy Bell

They must be tired of being mistaken for each other but, to be clear, this is the Andy Bell of GLOK, Ride and Oasis. It’s not a new record from Andy Bell of Erasure.

Simply listing those names helps to prepare you for the music. From the deep electronica of his solo project. GLOK, through the shimmering shoegaze of Ride to the rock and roll energy of Oasis, it’s all here in one form or another. Throw in a substantial splash of The Stone Roses and Can and you can anticipate a free wheeling ride through music that feels it is of the future, but makes good use of its past legacy.

This is the mature work of a man comfortable in his musical skin but still happy to try on others. There are times when you feel he’s aiming for something hypnotic, but is too excited by all the possibilities that could evolve separately to impose the necessary rigidity and discipline on his playing too often. That’s the case with ‘Music Concrete’. It’s built around a loose bass groove but can’t resist flickers and shards of light magic that develop into a spectacular firework display. That said, ‘Space Station Mantra’ is as good an example of hypnotic trance as you’ll find anywhere.

It’s easy to suspect that he has an electronic heart beating at the core of all his music. Even the guitars that give ‘Panic Attack’ its propulsive energy sound electronic. The flute on ‘Pinball Wanderer’ is a lovely touch, adding a lighter, happy go lucky feel to help balance the album. ‘Apple Green UFO’ contains the essence of the album. It’s a no hold bars exposition of all that’s good in the mix. ‘I’m In Love…’ is an excellent cover of the great Passions song, and it’s the right version for this album. (Have a listen to the 7’38 GLOK remix of it for something else that’s a bit special too.)

Andy Bell is revealed here as a musician who remains as excited by the possibilities of rock as he was when he started out over 35 years ago.

Taster Track : Panic Attack

That’s The Price of Loving Me : Dean Wareham

Dean Wareham delivers a warning laced with menace on his latest record. It’s a quietly compelling set of songs.

On songs such as ‘You Were The Ones I Had To Betray’ and ‘That’s The Price Of Loving Me’ he takes the concept of ‘I Am What I Am’ to a new level. There’s no regret, apology, shame or guilt trapped in these songs. They’re almost callous in their refusal to acknowledge wrong or hurt. They reflect a set of values, delivered in a chillingly matter of fact way.

Dean Wareham offers a different view of the world. You could describe something like ‘Dear Betty Baby’ as folk, but it seems deeper than that. It’s more akin to the Romantic spirit of Coleridge’s ‘Ancient Mariner’. Some of the images in the lyrics are spectacular but threatening. Try this from ‘The Cloud Is Coming’ - itself, an ominous title.

“German shepherds from Mexico, coming down by parachute’

It’s unlikely that this, and other images could be woven into a story with a happy ending!

That’s all well and good, but how does it work as an album? Very well, as it happens. ‘You Were The Ones I Had To Betray’ is one of the songs of 2025. ‘Mystery Guest’ epitomises the album’s tone of weary resignation, but the sadness of the G-U-E-S-T alphabet is delicious and you won’t want to miss a note or word of it. In its deliberate refusal to dress up hard truths, ‘New World Julie’ is reminiscent of Lou Reed at his most sparse and beautiful.

Some may think that the strong consistency of tone is a flaw, and it’s true that only ‘The Price Of Loving Me’ and ‘Reich der Traume’ have a fuller, almost lounge sound. I’d disagree though - no one expects a modern housing development to make an appearance in Portmeirion!

Dean Wareham gives you his world view as he sees it, with no excuses. We’re lucky that he presents it in such wonderful songs!

Taster Track : You Were The Ones I Had To Betray

A Shaw Deal - Geologist

Disturbing and disturbed, this is experimental and alternative, and nowhere near the border with the mainstream.

I hope you’re never in a situation where this music would be a suitable soundtrack. This is the sound of the feelings generated by Quatermass or Dr Who at their most frightening. Hiding behind the settee won’t help you.

How to describe it? Mutant would be a good place to start. ‘Ripper Called’, to take one of many examples, is distorted and twisted like the victim of a horror film. New sounds arrive. It’s almost impossible to think that you may have heard them on an album before. To put it mildly, they sound unfriendly but they’re also endlessly fascinating. This is compelling, like watching something horrible unfold while you’re powerless to stop it. On that level it’s an appropriate soundtrack for some of our times, given the horrors playing out in Gaza and Kyiv.

Stay calm though. This experience lasts for just 28 minutes. That’s 28 minutes that remind you that music has power and is a form of art that can cause you to feel, for good or ill. Like watching a tumultuous scene from above, it becomes possible to discern patterns, if not actual tunes, amongst the irregular beats and the glorious mass and mess of drones, weird sounds and effects.

This is less a collection of separate pieces and more a single work as the tracks bleed into each other. ‘Knuckles To Nostrils’ is the closest you’ll find to a tune. It’s relative though, Australia looks close to New Zealand on the map, but they’re still separated by a thousand miles.

This is an album full of ugly music, but it’s also an excellent demonstration of how music can stimulate powerful feelings.

Taster Track : Knuckles To Nostrils