Cornershop
Posted by: Kevin-W on 10 July 2004
The 'Shop's new single, "Topknot" (out 27th july) is getting heavy rotation on BBC Radio London and is an absolute corker.
Hearing it again last night prompted me to get out Handcream For A Generation and When I Was Born For The 7th Time, both of which are superb (and sounding great on vinyl).
There's something utterly English about them: their grumpiness, the wryness and dryness, the barbed social comment, their consistent, determined, Fall-like ploughing of their own musical furrow.
I also think their use of music from the Indian sub-continent, disco, funk, reggae, indie, country, etc, creates a fascinating musical stew which perfectly reflects what might be called "multi-cultural Britain". In addition, their use of ethnic or underground musics is ratheer more convincing than, say, Blur's oft-lauded efforts. Nothing wrong with Blur, of course, but I imagine Cornershop are a bit too edgy/prole-y for the middle-aged middle-class males who seem to write about music these days; and young people (ie the ones writing for the non-Q/Mojo/Word/broadsheet) axis are either deaf or obsessed with ringtones, and therefore have no real opinions on music.
Anyone else fond of Cornershop (or their funky offshoot Clinton?)
Kevin (listening to The Now Show on BBC Radio 4)
Hearing it again last night prompted me to get out Handcream For A Generation and When I Was Born For The 7th Time, both of which are superb (and sounding great on vinyl).
There's something utterly English about them: their grumpiness, the wryness and dryness, the barbed social comment, their consistent, determined, Fall-like ploughing of their own musical furrow.
I also think their use of music from the Indian sub-continent, disco, funk, reggae, indie, country, etc, creates a fascinating musical stew which perfectly reflects what might be called "multi-cultural Britain". In addition, their use of ethnic or underground musics is ratheer more convincing than, say, Blur's oft-lauded efforts. Nothing wrong with Blur, of course, but I imagine Cornershop are a bit too edgy/prole-y for the middle-aged middle-class males who seem to write about music these days; and young people (ie the ones writing for the non-Q/Mojo/Word/broadsheet) axis are either deaf or obsessed with ringtones, and therefore have no real opinions on music.
Anyone else fond of Cornershop (or their funky offshoot Clinton?)
Kevin (listening to The Now Show on BBC Radio 4)