(Vinyl Love is a series of posts that quite simply lists, describes, and displays the pieces in my growing vinyl collection. You can bet that each record was given a spin during the drafting of each corresponding post.)
Artist: The Clientele Album Title: The violet hour Year released: 2003 Year reissued: 2025 Details: standard black
The skinny: Here’s one that’s been on my vinyl wish list for a very, very long time, perhaps even from day one of my collecting vinyl in earnest. “The Violet hour” was my introduction to London-based dream pop outfit The Clientele and to say I was obsessed with its gauzy sound for the larger part of the 2000s would be putting it mildly. I’ve been intently following the group ever since and every single one of their long players has found a place on my record shelves, all but this one… until now. As I wrote when the song featured below appeared on my Best tunes of 2003 list, the original recordings had been thought to have been lost, which was why this was the only album in their discography that hadn’t seen a recent vinyl reissue. When it was located, incidentally in the year of the album’s 20th anniversary, I was hopeful that this reissue would finally see the light. And now, two years later, here it is and I wasted no time in procuring a copy. It’s a thing of beauty.
Ever since pioneering shoegaze rock band, Ride, called it quits rather spectacularly back in 1995, I’d been firmly planted in camp Mark Gardener in terms of following the post-breakup careers of the two warring principal songwriters and driving forces behind the band. I’d always preferred his voice and with the exception of “Vapour trail“, enjoyed far more the songs he led with Ride. I always thought he’d do greater things. Who knew the opposite would turn out to be true?
Sure, Gardener was the first of the two to record and release a solo album by a long shot. However, Bell seemed to get back on the horse quicker, forming Hurricane #1 in 1996, a band of whom I’ve still only heard a few tracks but who released a couple of reasonably successful albums before breaking up a few years later*. Shortly after that, he was recruited by the Gallagher brothers to replace founding Oasis member Guigsy, a job for which he had to quickly learn the bass. He stuck with them until their rude implosion a decade later** and stayed on with Liam for a couple of albums under the Beady Eye moniker. Fans (and readers of this blog) will know that Ride successfully reunited just over ten years ago and not only toured but have released three amazing new albums that build beautifully on their legacy. There’s also been a host of other collaborations and projects that I know little about or only heard tell of so I won’t list them, but know Mr Bell has been quite active indeed.
And in the midst of all this productivity, Andy Bell has been writing, recording and tinkering with songs, a step away from all of these projects, refining and honing sounds, lyrics and melodies. Apparently, “The view from halfway down” became something more than just a ragtag collection of song snippets shortly after David Bowie’s death, this event lighting a fire under Bell’s comfy chair. As a debut solo album, it works perfectly, recognizable enough as Andy Bell but different enough to set it apart from his other projects. And, yeah, some excellent tracks here.
“If you’re searching for meaning
Or a secret worth revealing
And you’re missing the feeling
Of connection, a reflection back from above
You’re ready to ride the first wave of love”
“Love comes in waves” is the opening number and the lead single from the album, a clarion call, a demand for attention. It’s frenetic jangling guitars repeating and not giving up, pounding it in to you, dancing up and down your spine. Meanwhile, the drums just chug along, breathless and immovable, like the unbreakable ocean that he’s comparing with love. A thing of beauty that creates a space that I would definitely want to revisit again and again, sometimes dancing, sometime just being.
*Hurricane #1 was re-formed by cofounder Alex Lowe without Bell and really, the rest of the original lineup in 2014.
**Of course, he was asked to join them on their wildly successful reunion tour this past summer/fall as well.
For the rest of the Best tunes of 2020 list, click here.
Artist: No Joy When: October 1st, 2025 Where: The 27 Club, Ottawa Context: No Joy is an act that I’ve been waiting to see for well over a decade. Indeed, I had planned to see them in 2015 when they were touring in support of their third album, “More faithful”, and they were hitting a now-defunct local spot that was even more intimate than Wednesday night’s venue*. I purchased the ticket for this latest show back in August, right after I realized that the Oasis show I was supposed to see was not in the cards, that disappointment making me even more determined to not miss No Joy a second time. When I first heard of them, they were a full band but nowadays, the project is mostly the work of Jasamine White-Gluz. For the tour, she has brought Tara McLeod and Liam O’Neill along to bring even more noise. And man, was it loud**. It was a sound that was palpable and filled with texture. Jasamine and Tara shredding away (and I mean SHREDDING) at their guitars and Liam hammering away at the drums. It was a relatively short set and ended early, which suited these aging bones just fine, but it was a fine selection of tunes and included many of my favourites from “Wait to pleasure”, “Motherhood”, and the new one, “Bugland”. I went home buzzing and quite satisfied. Point of reference song: “Bugland”
Jasamine White-Gluz (aka No Joy)Tara McLeod helping out on guitarsLiam O’Neill taking care of the beatsJasamine playing for effectLiam doing his thingTara shreddingJasamine taking a water break
*Why I missed that show is too embarrassing to recount.
My (life in) music lists 