"Tracey Thorn’s new solo album, Love And Its Opposite, is a quietly extraordinary record, eschewing the fireworks of grand passion to explore the niggles and neuroses bubbling below the surface of many long-term relationships." I talk to Thorn about her ace new album here.
There’s some wonderful YouTube footage of Kris Kristofferson receiving a gong at the 1970 Country Music Association awards. He lopes on stage with his hair covering his shoulders and his trousers hanging from his hips, scratching his head and grinning at an audience of bow-ties and comb-overs who gasp and giggle at this upstart hippie freak. He’s monosyllabic, but the message to the Nashville establishment is clear: welcome to the future. We’re going to start doing things a little differently around here.A couple of pieces appearing in the Herald this week. One an interview with Craig Finn of the mighty Hold Steady, who have got themselves back on course with Heaven Is Whenever; and another with Harper Simon, son of Paul, who has made one of the year-to-date’s most elegant and engaging albums.
You can’t fault her dedication. A couple of years ago Sumner, who performs as I Blame Coco, posted a song on YouTube called "My Name Is A Stain", in which she sang: ‘Forget my dad, you need to hear my band!’ It now embarrasses her slightly – “I don’t regret it because it records a moment of time, I just don’t listen to it” – but she stands by the message.
