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[review archive | robots on the web | mail us]
The paper Robots.. have full versions of the interviews on the web and stacks of reviews that were either only on the web for a short time or not at all. Order one from 47 George Nuttall Close, Cambridge, CB4 1YE, UK. Cheques (Sterling only please) should be made payable to J. Thomas.
NOW YOU CAN SUBSCRIBE
for just £3.50 ($8 overseas) you'll get three issues of robots delivered to your door still hot from the presses.
BUT THAT'S NOT ALL!!!
In addition, you get a shiny Young Person's RoboCard. Wow.
Issue 7: Solex, Michael J. Hex, The Butterflies of Love, Parlour Talk (£1 + SAE/$3)
Issue 6: Radio Never Say Die, Bloco Vomit, By Coastal Cafe, Johnny Domino, G-Force and Seiji (£1 + SAE/$3)
Issue 5: San Lorenzo, David Rovics, Spraydog, Gulliver, Savoy Grand, Fuzz Townshend and the second part of Why Start a Label? (£1 + SAE/$3)
Issue 4: Mark Stewart (Pop Group), Pop Off Tuesday, Freed Unit, Curtis Bay, Cuban Boys, Warser Gate and Why Start a Label? with Che, Organ, WIAIWYA, Beggars etc etc (SOLD OUT)
Issue 3: Servotron, Steve Mack (That Petrol Emotion), Isan, Interpreters, The Family Way, Big Block 454 (SOLD OUT)
Issue 2: Cable, Attica Blues, John Sims, Slow Smile, Long Fin Killie (SOLD OUT)
Issue 1: Stiff Little Fingers, Gold Blade, Lig, Donkey (SOLD OUT)
There's a decent chance of getting back-issues from these nice people:
Muuna Takeena #6:
The cover of this excellent British zine is a photo of what appears to be a group of Russian code-breakers in the 1920s next to a big 1970s speaking toy robot. In a very real, yet completely strange way, this photo explains exactly what the zine is about. The layout is scrappy, printed-out and stuck-on over computer catalogue style, and is perfect for the subject matter: music which is generally lo-fi in attitude, yet technically advanced in instrumentation...The writing is quirky but comfy, and the choice of music is impeccable. Editor Jimmy Possession says he'll cover any kind of music as long as it's got "..a bit of edge." Mission accomplished, Jimboy! One of those zines that revitalises my love of music in a very real way. Mission accomplished.
Blind Youth:
Best issue so far. Essential reviews of indie singles, demos, alternative stuff, all genres of music but seems to have a healthy soft-spot for drone-rock types John Sims, Tortoise etc. This issue's interviewees are Servotron, The Family Way, ISAN, Big Black 454, Steve Mack and The Interpreters. You must buy a copy now. Jim was also one of the first people to play Teenage Bomb on national radio (if the SRN counts as national radio, which I believe it does? or did).
The Fly:
A simple layout belies the depth of music therein - everyone from Peel favourites The Cuban Boys to Mercury Rev gets a shout. Plenty of enthusiastic prose and links to zillion similar sites. Tasty.
Stamped Addressed Envelope 2:
Picked this up from Organ on the off chance...and I was really impressed with it...the reviews are of anything from dance stuff (or electronica) to lo-fi pop. They are written in such a way that really makes you want to check out the stuff being reviewed.
Boa:
A collection of interviews and reviews that at first glance isn't remarkable (maybe it's the layout, maybe it's the presence of some blondes off the telly (one is definitely Anthea Turner) plastered all over it) but after the inital flick-through is over and the real juicy reading begins reveals itself to be quite a journal. Jimmy's reviews and interviews are excellent: concise and in-depth at the same time. He also wins me over with a track-by-track account of the amazing Pop Off Tuesday LP. This time round he devotes a lot of space to his "Why start a label" feature, in which he asks tons of labels the same 4 questions: the answers make for very interesting reading from the cliched "I thought it was a cool thing to do" to the amusing (Guided Missile deliberately and Org by desperately trying to be punk and individual) to the thoughtful. (Gayle)
Record Collector 235:
a no-particular-order rundown on an array of output from all sorts of artists. Anything from Jungle Bros. to Mercury Rev by way of Moby gets the treatment, along with a host of lesser-knowns. Talking of which, there are interviews with and features on Warser Gate, Pop Off Tuesday, Mark Stewart and Curtis Bay. Don't look at me. Add to that a dip into the world of fanzines, an answer to the question "why start a label?" and multiple mini-pics of Anthea Turnip and Zoe Bollock and this is an unconvential slant on the fanzine format.
Having just discovered RAEB in issue 3, it is now time to buy the other 2 issues. Not only is the cover incredibly sexy, but the content is totally fab too. Interviews include Servotron, The Family Way, Isan, The Interpreters, Big Block 454, Splendid and Steve Mack! With a huge selection of record reviews ranging around every possible spectrum of music and written with great style. Everybody should a) buy this fanzine and b) send Jimmy Possession loads of money for being such a dude.
Aquamarine 19:
The emphasis is on obscure music but not in a snobbish way. Jim seems to have a preference for anything experimental, uncommercial or avant garde, and these descriptions span across various genres---the more adventurous side of dance and the more adventurous side of indie (I mean indie in its true sense, before the word lost all meaning) get written about with equal enthusiasm. I'm impressed at the wide musical knowledge displayed here---a pleasant change from many of today's ziners who only know about either teen punk or famous indie stuff.
a classic cut'n'paste job in A5 format with hundreds of small but beautifully formed reviews scattered in an orderly fashion throughout its pages.
another current favourite hereabouts is Jimmy Possession's Robots and Electronic Brains, a traditional-looking cut'n'paste A5 zine now up to no. 4 which is notable for that rare commodity amongst zine writers, the finely-tuned turn of phrase. Jimmy's reviews are always interesting and informative as well as being well-written and his interviews and features are an ever-reliable indicator of cool in addition to being an entertaining read.
Editor Jimmy Possession is an inspiration to us all, a wise and good writer with ears ever open for new sounds and experiences: it's sometimes difficult to pin down any consistent theme through the mag -- from punk to pop to avante garde, it's all grist to the mill -- but to my mind that can only be a good thing...well worth a quid
Go on, send for a copy today...
Jimmy Possession, Robots and Electronic Brains, 47 George Nuttall Close, Cambridge, CB4 1YE, England.
