W/e 21/03/25 - Edwyn Collins, Courting, Slow Readers Club, Throwing Muses, Madness

An overall set of scores that are slap bang in the middle and the difference between our happy and sad faces was just half a point. No great movers or shakers on the charts.

Courting are our winners though, and improve on both their previous albums (who remembered we had done 2 before?!). They also have our TOTW.

Mark has his first 😀 of the year. Sam, despite his 8.5 for Slow Readers, still ends up with the ☹️.

Madness sit comfortably in the top half of the classics, next to Inspiral Carpets and Saint Etienne.

Andy

Edwyn Collins - Not bad but some of this was a tough listen, while still recognisably his voice it felt like something had gone wrong and I had to check if he’d had another stroke. Decent enough in the main 6

Courting - This was ok but seemed a bit all over the place style wise. Added to the brevity (too short) it had the feel of a demo where they were just working stuff out. When they knock out an indie rocker they’re at their best 6.5

Slow Readers Club - More of the kind of power indie we’re very familiar with. Got a White Lies vibe with a slightly worse vocalist. Not too shabby although they do go disappointingly bland on Boy So Blue which sounds like they’re trying to nail down that sweet Coldplay support slot 6

Throwing Muses - Indie rock royalty alert. Kristin Hersh’s super recognisable voice carries this one with its sparse guitar work it could have come from their heyday. Very good 7.5

TotW- You’re Clouds by Throwing Muses

Madness - Hard to believe a bunch of scruffy Camden teens could knock out a song like My Girl, much less an absolute skankathon of a debut album. Littered with classics, great choice 8.5

Guy

Edwyn Collins – Some pleasant tunes on this but nothing that really got me excited. - 6

Courting – I thought this was an improvement on their last album. Seemed to have a greater degree of sophistication and variety to their sound and was all a bit more polished. Extra points for the brevity. – 7.5

Slow Readers Club – Andy completely stole my review. Sounds like a cross between White Lies (coincidence that one of the song titles is called ‘Little White Lies’) and Editors. It wasn’t quite as good as either sadly but since I enjoy both their sounds it was a good listen still. Although Boy so Blue could be Chris Martin et al for sure. Was visualising the phone lights swaying in the stadium to that one… - 7

Throwing Muses – All very ethereal but it was a little pedestrian for me. Could have done with a bit more grunt and variety. Great gravelly voice though – 6.8

TotW- Pause at You - Courting

Madness – What a brilliant album this is. One of the first bands I really got into. I played this album so much back in the day. Bed and Breakfast Man is one of my favourite tracks of all time and it’s packed with so many other bangers too. - 9

Sam

Edwyn Collins : dullsville.. no ta. 4.5

Courting : decent slice of angsty indie rock. Actually felt it could have been longer . Bit disjointed at times tho so a 7

Slow Readers ; I thought everyone would love it ! It’s a beautifully made and produced instant Indie classic . 8.5

Throwing Muses : I’ve seen K Hersh live and it was better than this boring , slightly annoying nonsense. 5

ToTW ; Animals by Slow Readers Club .

Madness : Released in the same year as Cool for Cats by Squeeze and I can see a few similarities. Whip smart lyrics , social commentary, and so much fun . What a fantastic debut . 8.9

Phil

Edwyn Collins 6

His voice has recovered some of its zip but let’s not pretend this is business as usual. But it’s not terrible. There are some good songs here, decently arranged, and he can just about still hold a tune. Better than you might have expected.

Courting 6.5

An odd record. The first two tracks whet the appetite and the band deliver in spades on track 3, the terrific Pause on you. Then disappointingly they fail to build on that track’s strengths and drift into, I’m sorry to say it, indie landfill territory. A shame.

Slow Readers Club 5

Widescreen indie, custom-built for stadiums. As such, the sort of music that causes my flesh to creep. See? There it goes!

Throwing Muses 7.5

I’m not sure why this album is going out under the Throwing Muses name. I can hear scarcely hear any trace of Narcizo or Georges, unless they’ve both taken up the cello. But no matter – Kristin Hersh is one of my go-to artists and this is a definite improvement on 2023’s Clear pond road.

TOTW Throwing Muses – You’re clouds

Classic

Madness 6.5

I was never much of a fan of 2 Tone at the time and although some of the hits from Madness’ debut still sound fresh the whole album doesn’t tickle my fancy. I did quite enjoy the skarification of Swan Lake, mind.

Simon

Edwyn Collins: anyone with Rip It Up and A Girl Like You in their repertoire has cemented their status as a great songwriter and whilst there are occasional flashes of his old self here overall it didn't really capture my attention. 6

Courting: it's an improvement from what I remember of their last album, although still a bit of a mixed bag overall - Stealth Rollback has a crunchy industrial feel but Eleven Sent (This Time) is definitely landfill fodder. More of the former, please. 6.5

Slow Readers Club: very much in that White Lies/Future Islands space, although it's pretty unimaginative and lacks much spark or bite so doesn't have anything in particular to recommend it. 5.5

Throwing Muses: haven't listened to TM for a long time but great to hear that Kirsten Hersh remains as defiantly singular as ever - this really couldn't be anyone else, a beguiling, off-kilter mix of acoustic guitar, cello and Hersh's distinctive voice. Lovely stuff. 7.5

Madness: not a band I would normally listen to but enjoyed this - difficult to believe it's not far off being half a century old. Good fun. 8

Erol

Edwin Collins - his voice is not what it used to be. Overall, decent enough and some nice arrangements but nothing to write home about. 6.3

Courting - they need to find a direction and stick with it. Sadly, this was all over the place and, as others have rightly said, it verges on indie landfill. 5.5

Slow Readers Club - Foals meets Everything Everything. Uplifting, panoramic indie. Best album of the week by a country mile. 8.5

Throwing Muses - the combination of acoustic guitar and cello is atmospheric and engaging. It reminds me of Damien Rice. There’s some decent stuff here (eg Libretto) and it has a haunting quality, but her voice is a tad annoying. 6.5

TOTW - Know this I am, Slow Readers Club

Madness - the hits still sound great but I never really warmed to their cheeky chappy style that features on much of the rest of the album. 7

Jim

Edwyn Collins 6

Not really my thang, but it has a captivating, relaxing quality to it .

Courting 7.5

I think they are finding their feet and when it works, it really works. There is a driving bass that helps it rise above the indie/JJ landfill site and flies towards my strasse, and there’s a couple that Bloc Party would be proud of: Likely Place… for one, which nearly took my TOTW. Their live set on just the debut was really good, so adding a few from this will mean it’s bouncing a fair bit more.

Slow Readers Club 7

A new one for me, was surprised to see they been around for 15 years. The opener is promising, and throughout the album there are a few crackers, with snippets of White Lies, plenty of James and the odd Courteeners (not so much Coldplay imho). But there is a lot of filler in between. I did give the debut a spin as well, and it’s also decent, perhaps half a point up on this. Would check them out at a fest.

Throwing Muses 5

It was OK, a little downbeat if memory recalls – I’ve almost forgotten the Monday listen it got.

TOTW: Slow Readers Club - Pirouette

Madness 8.5

The opening trio are simply brilliant, and there’s a handful of other crackers throughout. One of those albums where the classic stand out sooo much, the less familiar album tracks feel quite a fair few steps back. Still, it took a lot of self-control not to strut some stuff whilst listening to this on a morning walk !

Justin

Edwyn Collins - bit down beat but actually found it all quite soothing and easy to listen to. 6.8

Courting - I thought this was a bit disappointing as I really liked the previous album and thought they were great live. This seemed a bit toned down although a few tracks hit the spot. 6.7

Slow Readers Club - as previously mentioned a step-down from Editors and White Lies but still worth a listen 7

Throwing Muses - bit boring 5

TOTW. Puppets - Slow Readers Club

Madness - first three tracks are great but then a bit silly and childish. 7

Mark

Edwyn Collins - some of this was lovely, with flashes of the old brilliance. Such a shame that distinctive baritone has suffered from his injury, the vocals are a bit hit and miss unfortunately, but the songwriting is still great, another to add to our melancholy middle aged collection - 7.5

Courting - liked this a lot and with it being a nice manageable length I played it loads this week. Could do without the discordant drum machine track they seem to include as standard on every album, but the rest of it was all killer, some fantastic Strokes / Cribs angular indie rock, and a bit of Car Seat Headrest in the song-of-two-parts Lust For Life - 7.5

Slow Readers Club - a bit gloomy and over earnest but still some decent moody indie synth - 6

Throwing Muses - gritty woozy alt rock, still sounding vital, lacking in 'biggies' but I guess that's far from her priority these days - 6.5

TOTW - Pause At You by Courting

Annette

Edwyn Collins: 5.5

Courting: 7.5

Slow readers club: 7

Throwing Muses: 6.5

TOTW: Courting- Pause at you.

Classic: Madness - 7

Matt

Edwyn Collins: 6.5

Courting: 7.2

Slow Readers Club: 6.8

Throwing Muses: 6

TOTW: Knowledge, Edwyn Collins

Classic: Madness - 9

Adam

Edwyn Collins

Found this a little bit of a chore in places but some good soaring vocals and guitar with a healthy dose of melancholy throughout. 5

Courting

Fun eclectic mix of indie rock tracks. First two tunes throw you off from what’s to come later which is a solid outing all round. Also, perfectly compact at 25 mins!. 8

The Slow Readers

Agree with the white lies comparison. Nuff said - right up my Strasse all round. 7

Throwing Muses

More melancholy guitars and strings but enjoyed this more than Edwyn. Can hear that 90s origin story coming through. 7

TOTW - Throwing Muses - Albatross

Madness

Just a huge amount of fun to listen through. Lots of stuff I hadn’t heard (bloody long list!) but another one that’s part of the British cultural furniture. 8