Interview with Author Martin Millar

Martin Millar is a Scottish novelist who has lived in London since around the age of 20, after finishing library college and moving there with his then girlfriend. He has remained there ever since, and in fact hasn't left the city in many years, since he developed recurring problems with agoraphobia.

His first book, Milk, Sulphate and Alby Starvation, was published in 1987, and gained immediate support from the weekly music press and monthly style magazines, which, at that time, was a relatively unusual method for a new author to be introduced to the public. Martin even wrote some live music reviews for the NME around that time, before deciding it wasn't for him.

I read his first book immediately on publication, and have been following his career ever since. His books are always a pleasure to read: immediately engaging, funny and entertaining. There have been many occasions over the years when he's seemed to be on the brink of a major commercial breakthrough, but circumstances have conspired to prevent it, either through bad luck (eg the UK division of a film production company being shut down by the main company after his film script had been 'greenlit'), or other projects simply being lost in tv and film 'development hell'.

He continues to produce good work though, and has just published his latest book, Supercute Futures (published August 30th). If we include his novelisation of the film Tank Girl, the graphic novel Lux and Alby Sign On and Save the Universe (with the main characters from his first 2 books), and his adaptation of Jane Austen's Emma for the theatre (in collaboration with the actress Doon Mackichan), this is his 16th book.

He also writes the Thraxas series of fantasy books under the name Martin Scott. The first book won the World Fantasy Award in 2000. 10 Thraxas books have been published so far, with an 11th in progress.

Martin with his World Fantasy Award.

He has had consistent critical acclaim from the start, had his books translated into several languages, and sold film rights many times. None of this has translated into huge sales, even though I continue to believe his work has mass appeal. He's my 16 year old daughter's favourite writer, and my dad (in his 80s) has enjoyed his work too. A former work colleague, who was a serious literature fan (refused to ever watch film adaptations of any of her favourite books, for fear of having them spoiled; favourite book - Gabriel Garcia Marquez's One Hundred Years of Solitude), said Martin's Lux the Poet was one of her favourite books.

So, I was happy when Martin agreed to being interviewed (by email) - which is new territory for this blog. He was also kind enough to send me an advance PDF copy of his new book, Supercute Futures, to allow me to ask questions related to that.

The interview is copied below. I sent Martin a lot of questions, to give him a choice of which to answer. He has answered most of them. Of the unanswered questions, I have deleted some, but left some others which may illuminate parts of what is being discussed, or provide some more general information.

At what age did you start writing fiction? And when was your first attempt at writing a book?

I used to write long essays in school, compositions as they were called at the time. We were given a subject to write a story about, and mine were always longer than they needed to be. I think I wrote my first full length novel when I was 21. That was no good, and neither was the next one. I first wrote something decent when I was about 25, though it took a long time to get it published.

Do you write every day?

Yes, I've written every day for many years. However, I don't write as much now as I used to. I'm slower to complete things.

Your first book, Milk, Sulphate and Alby Starvation, was published in 1987, but when did you actually write it, and do you have any stories about the difficulties of finding a publisher for your first book as an unknown novelist?

I wrote it in 1983-4, on a typewriter that had a broken carriage return, so it wasn't a very convenient process. I was working as a clerk at the time, and writing in the evening. It didn't take me long to write, just over a month. I had a lot of energy then.

I was fortunate in finding a literary agent who liked it. I'd sent it to her at random after finding her name in the Writer's and Artists Yearbook. At that time, I had never met any writers, or any person in the literary world. Nor had anyone at school or at home ever encouraged me to write. It was not something that was on the agenda. It took the agent three years to find a publisher. I think it must have been rejected by every publisher in Britain. None of them were interested at all, until 4th Estate appeared on the scene.

Your first publisher was 4^th Estate, at a time when they were a very small company. Your book was amongst the first 3 or 4 fiction books they published. As I recall, your book was their biggest seller amongst those first titles? What did it feel like achieving that success?

I felt great to be published but in terms of sales, it wasn't really a success. Maybe a success in small publisher terms, but nothing that any major publisher would have been excited about.

Once published, you seemed to achieve a fairly immediate level of success, but my impression was that it wasn’t the traditional route. Your early champions were more the weekly music press and monthly style magazines like The Face and Arena – who presumably recognised something which had genuinely emerged from youth/ rock culture. A refreshing change from books by Oxbridge Eng Lit graduates, with no experience of living in a squat. Did that feel ground breaking at the time?

My first reviews were in music papers and style magazines. I appreciated them at the time. But this is too long ago for me to feel anything about now.

Trainspotting wasn’t published until 1993. Does it feel like you paved the way for Irvine Welsh to an extent?

Don’t know. No answer.

Do you have other outlets for writing, aside from your books?

I've written several film scripts. With no success so far, though I did once sell a screenplay which was greenlit and made it quite a long way through development before the company pulled the plug. That's quite a normal thing to happen, but it was a disappointment at the time. Also, I wrote a serial on my website for a while, that was good for including things that didn't fit in anywhere else.

I know you have written some short stories. A couple for Skin Two magazine? Was there one for The Big Issue? Perhaps others I don’t know about? Some used to be on your website, but don’t seem to be there now? Are there enough to compile into a book?

I did write short stories for various small magazines. Nine or ten, I think. I don't like any of them enough to publish them. Like much of my earlier work, they just weren't that good. I don't hold any of my early writing in much regard. I should have learned to write better before I was published. The Skin Two stories were probably the best.

How did your association with Skin Two magazine begin? And is it a continuing association?

There was no real association, I just wrote two stories for them. It happened because a friend of mine became a commissioning editor there. She asked me to write something and I was interested in the idea of something set in the fetish world. I had a good idea for a different sort of take on fetish. I didn't quite manage to encapsulate it in these two stories, but I did in the novel, Kink Me Honey.

Presumably it’s that association which eventually led to your Kink Me Honey book. Is that a lifestyle you have any experience of?

I have little experience of the lifestyle but I have been to fetish clubs, when I was younger. I liked them.

In Kink Me Honey you managed to write a book about the world of fetish and kinky sex which isn’t remotely sordid, and is actually rather sweet. I have read your blog about writing the book, so I know that was part of your intention, and, as you said:  ‘I wanted to avoid two very common cliches, or tropes, that often appear in writings about fetish. One of these being angst, the other coercion.’ That’s quite an achievement. Do you know if the book reached the intended audience? And who were the intended audience? Anything else you can tell us about, either your motivation in writing the book, or what sort of reception it got?

I did feel I had something to say about the fetish world, largely that a lot of people get on with their kink very cheerfully together. They don't feel guilt, misery or angst about it. They enjoy it, and, providing they can find a partner - not always easy - successfully incorporate it into their lives. Fetish fiction and fetish pornography does seem to rely very heavily on notions of people being punished and abused against their will. I kind of understand why fetish pornography might be that way, but the real fetish world is not like that. It's generally consensual couples, and if someone's getting punished, it's normally because they enjoy it, or at least enjoy something that they get from the experience. So it seemed to me at fetish clubs, anyway, and so it also seemed during my research, which was quite extensive for Kink Me Honey. Virtually everything in the book had a basis in reality, the result of me delving deep into the history of BDSM on the internet. The old newsgroups and forums were a huge mine of experiences and information. More so than the fetish sites of today, which don't seem to have as much about people's everyday experience of their fetish lives.

I was pleased with the way the book turned out. It did say what I wanted to say. Also, I thought it was entertaining. Also, it had a lot of sex, not something I've written much about in detail before.  However, the book wasn't particularly successful so no, I don't think it did find its intended audience. I did think I had something worthwhile to say about the fetish world, but I’m not sure if anyone else agreed with me. I was disappointed it wasn't more successful.  There again these days, books don't disappear, they hang around on Amazon, and it does still sell in small quantities. Perhaps one day it will reach more of an audience.

Your books have a lot of strong female characters. Is that a deliberate campaign to be supportive of women, or is that just how you view women in general?

There's no thought behind that. It's not deliberate. The characters just come out whatever way they come out. I'm not very good at planning things in advance and characters and events just seem to come out they way they come out while I'm writing. However, during my life, I do seem to have had many more female friends than male friends, so perhaps that has something to do with it.

And should we balance your good intentions against the fact most of your female characters are gorgeous, with fabulous hair?

Yes, that's probably a failing of mine. I have no excuse.

In comparison, most of your male characters are flawed in some way. Other than those who are actually villainous, they’re generally decent, loyal to their friends, brave if required, but perhaps also arrogant, vain, pompous, hypochondriac, or an incorrigible drunk. Again, are you deliberately portraying men in this way, or is that simply how you see them?

You're giving me too much credit for thinking things through. I really have no agenda in writing, other than to be entertaining. So I don't give much thought to how the characters ought to be. In fact, I don't go out of my way to write realistic characters. More often, I think, the characters reflect the magic realism of the books, and are the way they are in the reality set out in the book, not necessarily in the way they might be in real life.

Another reason for the flawed characters, both male and female, might be that they're humorous. My books always do contain humour, rooted in characters actions. I don't tend to make anyone too villainous, they're more likely to be well-meaning, just incompetent, incomplete, and probably out of their depth. In general, I sympathise with most characters in my books.

You often have prominent male characters who are perhaps a bit feckless, clumsy, lacking in self-confidence or whatever. Usually essentially nice, honest, loyal to their friends, decent human beings though. Albie; Lux/ Luxos; Daniel in Lonely Werewolf Girl; Ark in Kink Me Honey; Martin in Suzy, Led Zeppelin And Me etc Are those the closest to having yourself as a character in your books?

Alby was like me, because that was my first book, and it's not unusual for an author to put himself or herself into their first book. I haven't done that since then. I don't generally appear in my books. Well, some people would say that an author always appears in their books. That would be another way of looking at it. But I don't consciously put myself there. Suzy, Led Zeppelin and Me would be an exception, as that was a deliberately autobiographical novel, with the young me as the central character. However, even he was changed to suit the plot, it wasn't a straight autobiography, it was all re-arranged to make it into a novel. Lux/Luxos is very unlike me; Lux was sort of the opposite to Alby. Incidentally, in The Goddess of Buttercups and Daisies, I retrospectively saved Lux, who'd met a sad fate in Lux The Poet.  There is no character resembling me in the world of Lonely Werewolf Girl, or at least, there's not meant to be.

    Thraxas Questions

With Thraxas, The Guardian said you had ‘invented a new genre: pulp fantasy noir’. However, Locus magazine described Thraxas as ‘an entertaining addition to the fantasy PI bookshelf’. Which is it: is Thraxas unique, or are there other private investigators in the fantasy genre?

My assumptions about the concept of Thraxas are that it’s Raymond Chandler’s Philip Marlowe in Ancient Greece, with added elves, wizards and orcs, and, in Makri, a teenage Red Sonja as an accomplice. Is that accurate, or was the derivation more complicated than that?

My original thought was of a private detective in the world of Lord of the Rings. Obviously, I hadn't thought that through properly. In fact, I didn't give it enough thought at all, and simply imagined I could steal all of Tolkien's character types. But this wasn't really such a good idea, and as I was writing the first book the society did change into something more like an ancient Greece or Rome, with the addition of magic.

The detective element would be based solidly on Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett. Thraxas was originally meant to be more hard-boiled, rather more noir than it is. But it became funnier as I was writing it, for some reason. Thraxas and Makri turned into something of a comedy double act. I hadn't intended that, but I liked it when it happened.  It remains humourous, I hope. Makri does probably owe something to Red Sonja. Thraxas isn't really based on anyone else. He is something of a Falstaff-like figure, being a drunkard, glutton and braggart, but unlike Falstaff, he's actually brave, and prepared to do the right thing when necessary.

The first Thraxas book won the World Fantasy Award in 2000. Considering some of the books which have been runners up for that prize (Philip Pullman’s The Amber Spyglass in 2001; Neil Gaiman’s American Gods in 2002; books by Stephen King, Bret Easton Ellis, George R. R. Martin etc), and other winners (Susanna Clark; Haruki Murakami; David Mitchell etc), did you appreciate how much of a big deal that was at the time? Debut novel (as Martin Scott anyway) by an unknown writer.

Were you aware of the World Fantasy Award giving your career a boost?

I was aware of it being a big deal. I was delighted to win the award. However, it didn't really give my career much of a boost. Neither my publisher in Britain nor the publisher in the US were any good at promoting me. It was an opportunity wasted. I remember it took them about a year after the award to get the books published in the USA, which was ridiculous, and helped waste any momentum the books might have had.  These days, I continue the series myself, and it does have its own momentum. The books sell, and I get a fair amount of correspondence about Thraxas.

You’re working on book 11. When can we expect to see that? And, can Thraxas continue indefinitely, or do you have a conclusion in mind?

For some reason I can't explain, Thraxas book eleven has taken me a long time to write. Much longer than before. It's not exactly writer's block, more just inexplicably slow progress. However, it should be ready soon.  Definitely within the next six months.

Drug use in Thraxas. Does that reflect anything from the combined influences which have merged to create Thraxas, or is it taken more from your own experiences living in South London?

I think the drug use in Thraxas really grew from the fact that Thraxas drinks so much alcohol. Really, I needed some other things to balance that. I couldn't have every character drunk all the time. Also, with other main characters being expert fighters and expert sorcerers, their drug problems do help to give them flaws, and make them more interesting than they might otherwise be. Thraxas's drinking makes him funny in the books, which is unlike real life, where drinking doesn't really make you funny at all.

Simulation Bleed

You’re planning to publish Simulation Bleed in book form. Will it be just as it is on your website, or have you adapted it to be more suitable to book form?

I'm planning to publish it just as it was, without revision. It will work as a book, more or less. Having been written as a serial there are some loose ends and a few inconsistencies, but on re-reading it, it still hangs together well. And with the continually shifting realities, some inconsistencies don't really matter that much.

Considering it was published in weekly episodes, was the way it was written significantly different than your other books? Basically, did you make it up as you went along, or was plot development conceived from the start?

Yes, I more or less made it up as I went along. I had a vague idea of what was happening but it often occurred that I was rushing against a deadline. Though the only real deadline was the one I'd set myself, to do it every week. Before writing it, I had two reference points to hang the serial on, two things I had personal experience of. Those were all the punk gigs I saw in London when young, and therapy I'd attended later in life, for anxiety and agoraphobia. Punk gigs and therapy, these were the two starting points for Simulation Bleed.

What does ‘Simulation Bleed’ mean, and why have you used that as the title?

The possibility that we are living in a simulation, and that other simulations might seep into ours.

 Rainith the Red is your first fairy character since Heather and Morag in The Good Fairies of New York. Where did the original inspiration come from to use fairies? And are you on a mission to reimagine fairies away from their twee image?

I don't think I thought about fairies much as a child. My interest came later, I remember wanting to write about fairies after seeing a Flower Fairy picture book. That itself might be considered twee, though that would be unfair to Cicely Mary Barker, who was a very good artist. (I still like her fairy pictures.) Cicely Mary Barker's fairy pictures are mentioned in Supercute Futures.

Did you personally attend any of the seminal punk gigs depicted in the story?

Yes, though I don't think there are that many gigs actually mentioned in the book, perhaps not as many as I intended when I started the serial. One of my ideas when starting Simulation Bleed was to write about these punk gigs, from my own memories. In the book there's a description of an X-Ray Spex gig from very early in their career, at a small pub in Putney, before they'd recorded anything. (supported by the Killjoys, whose singer was Kevin Rowland.) I was at that gig. It was great, and I was very affected by it. I was so close to the band, there was so much energy, it was quite unlike the rock bands I'd seen before while I was at school. Like many other people at the time, it changed my views on music overnight, and, also like others at the time, the do-it-yourself ethic of the punk movement, led by the Sex Pistols, had a very big effect on me. In particularly it taught me to rely on my own talent and my own ideas, without looking to others for approval. I've never forgotten that.

Other gigs I remember mentioning in the book - Raped, which I still remember mainly because it was hard to believe any band could choose such a bad name for themselves. (They put out a good EP, not that that excuses the name. Although, as described in Simulation Bleed, Raped did have a coterie of enthusiastic and quite glamorous female fans.) That gig was at the Moonlight Club but I can't remember why I ended up there.

Delta 5 - slightly post punk, another good gig, and they were a good band too, still have their early singles tucked away in a box somewhere.

Dr Feelgood - I saw them too, but due to the time-scale of the book, the pub gig as described was at an earlier period than the times I saw them.

Rainith in Simulation Bleed talks about seeing the Buzzcocks at the Marquee, supported by The Fall. I was at that gig, early in both bands careers. Rainith likes Joy Division too, who I saw play in London, before their first LP came out. They were strikingly good for a band I'd never heard before.

The Damned at the Roxy - No, I wasn't at that gig, though, as described in Simulation Bleed, Led Zeppelin were in the audience. I have plenty of other good memories of gigs around that time too, like The Clash, The Damned, Gang of Four, The Mekons, The Adverts, The Slits, The Prefects, Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Raincoats, and plenty more, all in their earliest incarnations, but I didn't get round to putting them all in Simulation Bleed.

Which do you prefer: punk rock or glam rock?

That's a difficult question. Punk rock had a profound effect on me at the time, which glam didn't. But in later years I've undoubtedly listened to more glam. I very often listen to Bowie, Slade, T Rex and The Sweet, and associated acts like Mott the Hoople.

In the (highly complimentary) Guardian review of The Goddess of Buttercups and Daisies, the reviewer welcomed the book as the first ‘proper “Martin Millar novel”’ for several years, and was slightly dismissive of your ‘genre novels’: Thraxas, and the Lonely Werewolf Girl books. Have you found this to be a common attitude towards Lonely Werewolf Girl in particular? (Thraxas was marketed as fantasy from the start, so that’s more understandable.)

Guardian review of The Goddess of Buttercups and Daisies here.

I'm not reviewed that often, for any of my books. Really, I have no feelings about this. My werewolf books did reach quite a large audience, and did well for me. I was pleased with the world I created in them. I don't know if that would make reviewers dismissive of them or not. I really don't know if genre novels are looked down on by reviewers. I wouldn't care either way. It's good to be reviewed, but not being reviewed is not the end of the world, particularly in today's world. It's possible to make people aware of your own work, with or without other people's help.

Lonely Werewolf Girl

Most of your books have some element of magic/ fantasy/ gods and goddesses/ ghosts etc, which has presumably always been viewed as ‘magical realism’, and therefore acceptable within a literary novel. Do you view the Lonely Werewolf Girl/ Kalix books as genre fiction or ‘proper Martin Millar novels’?

Do you intend to continue the Kalix (Lonely Werewolf Girl) books at some point in the future?

I would like to, but I have other things to write. I'm not certain if I'll write a fourth book.

How do sales of your ‘genre’ books and ‘proper’ books compare? Are they appealing to a different audience, or do the people who buy them think they’re all ‘proper Martin Millar novels’?

The genre books sold more. My most popular novel, in terms of saes, was The Good Fairies of New York. After that, the werewolf books have been most popular. However, I don't think my audience would regard these genre books as very different from my other books. I think they all probably have the same sort of voice.

 Favourite character(s) from the Lonely Werewolf Girl books, and why?

I like Kalix because she's so messed up. Despite her problems, she has a lot of determination, and I admire that.

 A few years ago, when Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer announced their production company had signed a development deal with HBO, Lonely Werewolf Girl was one of the planned projects listed in the announcement. Has that deal lapsed, or could it still happen? 

That is still under option and could happen.

Anna Paquin wanted to play the part of Thrix, Kalix’s fashion designer sister, as I recall?

At least they know about your work in Hollywood.

The page on your website listing early inspirations for your writing is a great mix of high and low culture: Sex Pistols to Cicero and Aristophanes; Buffy The Vampire Slayer to Jane Austen and P.G. Wodehouse. Do you make any distinction between high and low culture, or are they all just things you like, and equally important as inspirations?

They all seem to merge together. Difficult to know what to say about the differences between high culture and low culture. All things filter through as influences; some temporary, some permanent. The Sex Pistols energy and self-belief, Jane Austen's beautiful prose, P G Wodehouse's genius for comedy, the elegance and brilliance of the Ancient Greeks, the great companionship and story-telling of Buffy, the sharp observation of Clueless, the long Celtic traditions of the fairy world - I absorb parts of my interests, and they emerge in different ways, and it would be hard to make any sort of distinction between what comes from things that might be referred to as high culture, and what might be referred to as low culture.

Has there been any tv show since Buffy you have liked as much? How important was that as an influence for you?

I can't remember any TV I liked as much. Not nearly as much. However, I don't spend a lot of time watching TV, I never binge watch anything and sometimes even with programmes I like, I struggle to get through them. It's the same with films, I see very few films these days.

The only other programme I can recall having great affection for would be the anime Ghost in the Shell. There have been various incarnations of this - the original film, a long anime series, another film, and a prequel series. I'm always fascinated by it. I particularly love Major Motoko Kusanagi. There was a more recent live action Hollywood movie, I thought that was OK, it wasn't great. Scarlett Johansson did make a good Major.

Buffy was an influence on me, it led directly to me writing Lonely Werewolf Girl. I wasn't looking to copy anything from the TV series but I was attempting to write something with a similar tone.

At one time you were an avid collection of Marvel comics. Do you still retain that interest to any extent, or has it been overtaken by your interest in manga and anime? And, am I right in thinking you don’t like the Marvel films? Any exceptions to that?

I did love Marvel comics when I was younger, but I lost interest later. Maybe I just got too old. Back then I would have loved all the films but not now. I couldn't even venture an opinion on how good they are, I don't watch them. I'm just not attracted to the American superhero idea.  Though I did see Guardians of the Galaxy, I enjoyed that. I do prefer manga and anime, I watch quite a lot of that. As well as Ghost in the Shell, Cowboy Bebop was a big favourite. Things I can recall watching or reading more recently would include Psycho-Pass, Claymore, Blame, Bungo Stray Dogs, Lucky Star, K-ON, and Shakugan no Shana (of which Vex in Lonely Werewolf Girl is a fan) I tend to pick these at random, there is so much manga and anime I could never have a comprehensive knowledge of it.

Music has been a big influence for you, especially Led Zeppelin, punk rock, glam rock, Runaways etc – all of whom have featured prominently in your work. What is your current favourite music? Anything modern?

Well…only if modern is a relative term. The most modern thing I'd feel any real affection for would probably be Radiohead's OK Computer, so that's 1998, not very modern. I do hear songs I like these days, there are good bands, but being older it's difficult to really feel the same sort of visceral attraction you feel when you're young. I still vividly remember the Led Zeppelin gig I saw at school, and the effect it had on me. Likewise with the punk gigs I talked about in Simulation Bleed. It all has such an effect on you when you're young, it probably can't be replicated when you get older.

You have a deceptively simple, immediately engaging writing style, which has often been compared to Kurt Vonnegut (an acknowledged early influence). From memory, I think there is some description of that writing process in the modern day sections of Suzy, Led Zeppelin And Me (?): basically, taking a lot of stuff out, and changing big words to simple words. Does it take a lot of work to simplify your prose, or have you become better at writing like that on the first draft?

I have worked to simplify my prose style, to clarify it, to make it read simply and easily. I like the effect of this, though it's not universally popular.

Your literary influences are mainly quite old (Ancient Greece; Shakespeare; Jane Austen; P. G. Wodehouse; Raymond Chandler?), with Kurt Vonnegut the most recent acknowledged inspiration. Do you like any modern writers?

You were an early adopter of computer games, and continue to play them now. What type of games do you prefer? Current favourites? They’re probably featured most prominently in Simulation Bleed, which has a lengthy sequence set inside a game, but have they influenced your work more widely than that?

Yes, I am quite a keen gamer. I'm not sure that they've influenced my writing that much, but some things do seep through. In Supercute Futures, the two protagonists run through radioactive tunnels underground, and while writing that I did have in mind the radioactive tunnels in Fallout 3 and 4. I'd like to set more writing in the gaming world, though as it's been quite well covered already, I would need to think how to do it in an original manner.

Other games I've enjoyed recently - Nier Automata, Final Fantasy 15, and the Witness. Game I was very disappointed with, Mass Effect Andromeda.

Supercute Futures

What led to your ideas for this book?

It's hard to say exactly what leads to the ideas for a book. There are influences, but influences won't write a book. The main part comes from my own imagination. That's what Supercute Futures mainly is, my own imagination. For a long time I've wanted to write something that reflects the pleasure I've received from manga and anime, and this partly does that. There are things that have influenced it, for instance the extraordinarily Kawaii outfits of some young people on Twitter, the Fallout video games, and Ghost in the Shell. And there is always Neuromancer. Such a good book, re-reading that in recent years it holds up really well. Like other things I've written, Supercute Futures had a few false starts but then, having found the right tone for the first few pages, it flowed quite easily from there.

The concept of ‘kawaii’ seems like something which would have a niche appeal in the U.K., and also be aimed at a very young audience. Are those assumptions correct, or is it more popular than I suspect?

Kawaii seems to be well known these days. There is, for instance a kawaii shop in Covent Garden. I’m not certain how popular it is in Britain. I did notice that the recent British space mission to land on a comet did use a very cute logo, which seemed to be directly copying the sort of cute logos used by Japanese businesses and institutions.

Do you think this book will appeal to your audience, or do you expect anyone who likes your work will happily go along with whatever you choose to write about?

I can't say. I've never known what would be popular. I've never tried to write anything because I thought it would be popular.  I might be fortunate to have managed to get as many books published as I have.

More than any of your other books, this one includes a number of zeitgeisty subjects and inspirations: AI, virtual reality, extreme body enhancements, manga, anime, computer hacking, hostile corporate takeovers, YouTube stars who have become phenomenally successful. It’s like a mash up of Snow Crash, Ready Player One, The Big Short, and Pokémon. Is this an attempt to reach a wider audience, or do you not think in terms of marketing, growing audience share etc when planning a new book?

Like most of my books, it concerns friendship. Friendship is important in my writing. The main things in Supercute Futures is the relationship between Mox and Mitsu. If it coincides with the zeitgeist, well - that might be good or bad. Actually, I could see that being a negative. Artists might well be better off going against the zeitgeist. But never mind, it either sells or it doesn't, people like it or they don’t. I'd rather write something that was popular but if I don't, I won't be upset. (as for Snow Crash, Ready Player One, The Big Short, and Pokémon, I haven't read any of these, or played Pokémon. Though I do know what they are) My knowledge of current, modern literature is always very bad. I almost never manage to read anything recent. I've always rather shied away from modern literature, not wanting to be influenced by it.

Perhaps you should be doing appearances at all the Comic-Cons to promote it?

You’ve suffered from agoraphobia to varying extents for many years now. To what extent is that affecting you at the moment?

It's better than it used to be, though it hasn't entirely gone away. I have no problems with being outside, and making short journeys. Longer journeys can still be a problem. The anxiety which was associated with it has mostly gone too. It was all quite a strange and unpleasant experience. Career-wise, it's been a little inconvenient. There have been some events I've been unable to travel to. But it's not like I get invited to a lot of literary festivals anyway, so it probably hasn't made that much difference.

 Since attending literary festivals, making appearances at book shops for readings and signings etc, are amongst the main promotional tools for the modern writer, your inability, or unwillingness, to do that to any great extent must have been very detrimental to the progress of your career. Do you get a lot of pressure from your agent and publisher to do public appearances? Is there any chance you may find a way to do it in future? (i.e. further afield than occasional appearances at small literary events near your home in London)

When was the last time you travelled outside of London?

Quite a few years. My parents both moved to England, and when both of them fell sick, I did have some difficulties visiting them in hospital, because I found traveling difficult. So that wasn't great.

You spent time in New York researching The Good Fairies of New York. As I recall, you stayed in an apartment which belonged to The Mekons? What did you do while you were there? Would you do something like that again, given the opportunity?

That was around 1991. I walked around the city, I took notes, I saw that there were readings at the Knitting Factory so I went and asked if I could read there. I did, and it went well, and I got asked to read again, and I also read on some university radio station, and I had a brief affair with a New York poet, and I met some friendly people around St Mark's place, and then I came home and wrote The Good Fairies of New York. Actually, I probably hadn't done enough research to actually write a book set in New York, but then again, novelists can always fake things, there's no need to be fanatical about your research. All in all, it was a good trip.

I don’t really see myself doing something like that again. I've had problems travelling for a while now. Also, I'm older now, and comfy at home. I like to play my PlayStation in the morning and then write. And then have a nap, and then write some more.

I read once that Kurt Vonnegut used to plan the plots for his novels on rolls of wallpaper. Also, I recently saw a picture of what Joseph Heller did to plan the plot for Catch 22 (which looks like a big, handwritten version of an Excel spreadsheet). Do you have a technique for planning the plots of your books?

Joseph Heller's handwritten outline for Catch 22 here.

I'm very haphazard. It's a fault, I could do with planning better. Sometimes failing to plan properly has caused me problems. Though it has also happened to me that planning things in advance killed them, somehow. Even thinking about things too much in advance can have an adverse effect. Or affect. I've never been able to remember the difference between 'affect' and 'effect' and I expect I never will.

Too much planning is a bit like talking about your work while you're engaged in it. You shouldn't talk about it. It will dissipate your energy. I'm dubious about all writing groups where people talk about their writing. Just keep it to yourself, and do it. Don't talk about it till it's finished.

From the start you’ve had regular issues with publishers saying they don’t know how to market your work, since it doesn’t fit neatly into any genre. Do you find that the publishing industry remains conservative, and is reluctant to take many risks?

No, I wouldn't say that. I've done reasonably well with publishers over the course of my career. There have been some problems, but I expect most authors have problems at some time. I've managed to find publishers to publish my books, so I've no complaints. Piatkus have published my werewolf books, and The Goddess of Buttercups and Daisies, and now Supercute Futures, so I'd say they've done well for me.

Surely Kurt Vonnegut demonstrated years ago that modern writers should feel free to incorporate elements of science fiction, fantasy, horror, anything they like into their books without having the appeal narrowed down into a specific genre. If Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World, Orwell’s 1984, Edgar Allan Poe or Jane Austen were publishing today, would they be marketed exclusively towards fans of science fiction/ horror/ romance?

The Lonely Werewolf Girl books are really no different than your other books. Longer, more characters, perhaps more complicated plots. Many of the characters happen to be werewolves, but they’re far from being traditional horror. Despite that, did they attract a different audience? How well did they sell in comparison with your other books?

They've been quite popular. The Good Fairies of New York is my bestselling book, and the werewolf books next after that. They did bring me something of a new audience, and quite an enthusiastic one. There were some translations into other languages too, which is always good.

You seem to have become an enthusiastic football fan. Is that relatively recent, or has the interest always been there, and just grown in recent years? What you write about generally emerges, eventually, from your interests and obsessions. Is there any chance your passion for football could lead to something too?

I did like football when I was young in Scotland, without being fanatical about it. Most kids used to play football in those days. I completely lost interest as a teenager, when music took over. I had no interest for quite a long time but unexpectedly I got sucked back into it in England. Same as happened with a lot of people, around the time of Italia 90. Football gradually changed from something which had not been of much interest to millions of people, to a national obsession, with the advent of the Premier League. My 25 years of supporting of Arsenal has brought me some happiness and probably more unhappiness. It does give me something to complain about, which is always welcome.

But no, I can't see myself writing about it. I can't extract any glamour from football.

2017 Music: Q3 Review

A notable theme this quarter is musicians who continue to produce compelling work long past the vitality of youth normally viewed as the most creatively productive years in the world of pop and rock.

In the past, the expected pattern, at least for any significant band, was either to make a classic debut album (Television; The Strokes; Violent Femmes; Jesus & Mary Chain; Stone Roses), then spend the rest of their career attempting to recapture that lightning-in-a-bottle moment. Or put out a couple of decent albums, get it right on the 3rd one, following which the law of diminishing returns kicks in.

Perhaps jazz, blues, folk and country artists could continue to maintain the standard, and occasionally surprise, well past state pension age, but rock'n'roll was the music of youth, energy and rebellion, made by young dudes who 'don't wanna stay alive, when you're 25'.

But now we have Nick Cave, recently turned 60, who put out one of the greatest albums of his career ('Skeleton Tree') last year, and is currently on tour, playing to larger audiences than ever to massive acclaim from all sides. (We were at the Glasgow gig. Cave and the Bad Seeds on magnificent form.) We have artists like Sun Kil Moon, Bill Callahan, King Creosote, Stephin Merritt (Magnetic Fields and more), who have been working for 20 or 30 years, and show no sign of their muse deserting them.

It used to be common for critics to declare that 'rock is dead'. Nobody says that any more, probably because it's universally recognised that the time when pop and rock was the soundtrack to teen rebellion has long gone. Anyone still trying to do that is just pretending, playing to an audience equally keen to recapture a glorious past.

It's just all music now, the cultural significance diminished. Some people are really good at it, and can sustain a lifelong career. Others continue to produce their best work propelled by youthful energy and passion, and whatever magic can still happen in the relatively short term amongst a group of friends who form a band. 

The remaining legacy, after the Exploding Plastic Inevitable shock waves of pop music have receded, is the perception amongst serious critical commentators and arts industry decision makers (obviously a very small proportion of the music listening public) that all pop and rock is just trashy, disposable, and ultimately worthless art for kids. All of it, from The Cheeky Girls to Aphex Twin, to be judged by the same criteria. It's the kind of thinking which results in only a microscopic percentage of arts funding for music going towards supporting 'popular' music, even though, the likes of Ed Sheeran and Adele aside, the industry remains in crisis, with small live venues and record shops continuing to close down, and grassroots musicians struggling to function. 

Just after this year's Edinburgh Festival, in a column written by the Glasgow Herald Arts Editor, he mentioned that figures within the Festival community had queried whether P J Harvey, Jarvis Cocker, and the Magnetic Fields - who all performed during this year's festival - merited a place in the festival programme. Aside from the fact that these are 3 artists who have long ago moved beyond any status as mere pop stars, this in the year after a pop singer was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature?

Attitudes and perceptions need to change.
What would Nick Cave have to say if someone told him his music wasn't fit to stand alongside other forms of entertainment at an arts festival? He would be right.

Here's some music I've been listening to recently:-

ALBUMS

Arcade Fire - Everything Now. Arcade Fire are responsible for one of my favourite family memories. It was 2005 and Arcade Fire were on Top of the Pops, with one of those rare music tv performances where the passion and energy of the band seared from the studio, across the airwaves, and blasted into your living room. It was totally arresting. Daughter, then age 3, spontaneously danced madly around the room throughout. Son, then age 9, yelled along with the chorus.
If you need reminding why Arcade Fire had such an impact from the start, check the TOTP performance here.

But this is 12 years later, and 'Everything Now' is Arcade Fire's 5th album. Marketing for the band's albums positions them as an event, and a grand statement, every time. If it then turns out to be just another Arcade Fire album it will inevitably be seen as an anticlimax, and any fevered anticipation amongst fans and critics will diminish for each subsequent release.

On reviews aggregator website Metacritic, 'Everything Now' has an average Metascore of 66, barely scraping into the 'generally favourable reviews' category. In comparison, the 4 previous albums all scored  80 and above ('Funeral' scored 90). Opinions range from 'a triumph' to 'a disaster'. Here are excerpts from some sample reviews:-

• The Independent: "Departures in sound are often unwelcome when we're already so happy with where a beloved band are, but, in this case, their experiments are a complete success."
• NME: "The Canadian art-rockers are bigger, bolder and more fearful of the future than ever on their colossal fifth album." "Thankfully, after the ambitious-but-uneven ‘Reflektor’ (2013), ‘Everything Now’ marks an emphatic return to those lofty standards."
• The 405: "Everything Now isn’t so much a misstep as a faceplant, hitting every wrong note with the same precision they hit every right one on Funeral. It’s a compositional mess, somehow both gratuitously moralising and morally repugnant, duller than watching already-dry paint."

Personally I've been drawn to play the album a lot less than others during recent months, and am almost surprised to find that I enjoy it each time I do. Perhaps my excitement about the band would return if I went to a live show, since I have no doubt they still deliver. Certainly the stronger tracks here ('Everything Now', 'Signs Of Life', 'Creature Comfort') will only add to the peaks in an Arcade Fire performance.
'Chemistry', with some uncharacteristic ska rhythms, seems fairly throwaway to me, though The Independent describes it as 'one of the albums finest gems'. The fast, thrashy, repetitive 'Infinite Content' (immediately followed by a leisurely country cover of the same song, under the title 'Infinite_Content') also seem, at present, like minor works in Arcade Fire's repertoire. Ditto 'Good God Damn', before a partial recovery with 'Put Your Money On Me'.

So, a few highs, and some more insipid moments. But, given the wide range of conflicting opinions, the only approach is to disregard what everyone says and decide for yourself whether you like it or not.

Declan McKenna - What Do You Think About The Car? So how good do you have to be to grab attention as a teen pop prodigy? As good as Jake Bugg's 1st album? As good as Lorde, Roddy Frame, Little Stevie Wonder?

Declan McKenna, still only 18 time at time of writing (his birthday is 24th December), won the Glastonbury Festival's Emerging Talent Competition in 2015. Since then he's put out some singles, all of which have been good, and a couple ('Brazil' and 'Isombard') very good, and now followed with an album - which includes all of the singles.

In the wake of Ed Sheeran, there has been a flood of British singer/ songwriters, whether folk, pop, indie or r&b, whether influenced most by Ed himself, Laura Marling, Charlie XCX or anyone else. I've been indifferent to most of them, but Declan McKenna grabbed my attention with 2 great singles - which have remained favourites since I first heard them. It's a good album, even the track which includes 'The Kids' in the title, and I'm still paying attention.

HAIM - Something To Tell You. Slight backlash against HAIM from certain quarters for basically doing the same things they were praised for first time round. What did everyone like most about them first time round? That they were a lot of fun to have around, played everywhere relentlessly, made friends with everyone, and gave good Twitter? Or because they were great musicians who could turn out a faultless, updated recreation of '70's Fleetwood Mac-style soft rock? (they've apparently had enough of the standard Fleetwood Mac comparisons, and insist they have more modern influences, including R&B, despite growing up with their parents' record collection, and extensive apprenticeship playing in their parents' band)

Whoever decides these things must have declared a few years ago that Fleetwood Mac were cool again, perhaps for the first time since Peter Green was the singer. Same thing happened with ELO (maybe after The Delgados covered 'Mr. Blue Sky'?). Some critics may have reconsidered, and decided they actually still prefer Hüsker Dü to Fleetwood Mac after all, and thus a minor HAIM backlash.

It's still a good album, immaculately played and produced, perhaps a little glossier than the first one, but with enough strong tracks to be worth your attention if you liked the first one, or just liked that sort of music first time round. But otherwise, get used to it. It seems certain that HAIM will still be doing this for decades to come.

Lana Del Rey - Lust For Life. Though 'Video Games' was immediately obvious as a classic track, and I basically like the sound, I realise that I have avoided repeated plays of Lana Del Rey's previous albums. They're all very long (an hour plus), have a lot of tracks, and drift by in a narcotic haze which isn't suited to every mood. When the time of night matches the languid mood, we're probably either watching the next episode of the current box set, or asleep because it's a school night.

Although the longest to date (72 minutes), and at least as lush and soporific as ever, this has been played quite regularly. Not as often as the new Waxahatchee, but a lot more than previous LDR albums. Individual tracks are standing out more than before (this may be my fault for not giving the other albums the attention they're due), tunes more appealing, arrangements luxuriously engulfing. Guest artists appear on some tracks, which adds to the variation, especially those with rappers A$AP Rocky and Playboi Carti. (A$AP Rocky is on 2 tracks. Stevie Nicks and Sean Lennon also guest.)

There's no shortage of slow and dreamy pop or r&b for anyone seeking that mood, but LDR remains a one off, and this is one of her best works.

Peter Perrett - How The West Was Won. In February 2014, the NME published a list of 'The 500 greatest songs of all time', compiled from nominations by as many past and current NME writers as they were able to contact. 'Another Girl, Another Planet', by The Only Ones, was number 414. The usual complaints about overlooked songs inevitably dominated the letters page in subsequent weeks, though the only one I remember (which was actually published) challenging the choice of No. 1 track (Nirvana's 'Smells Like Teen Spirit') was someone saying the honour should have gone to The Only Ones. The answer was something to the effect that The Only Ones didn't have the same cultural impact as Nirvana. There were no musical reasons cited for Nirvana's dominant position above The Only Ones.

Proclaiming 'Another Girl, Another Planet' as the greatest record ever made is not an absurd assertion. I have encountered other people who think exactly that, and it's certainly in the running. I still have a vivid memory of walking into Bruce's Records in Union Street, Glasgow, presumably in 1978, to hear it blasting out and it sounding absolutely thrilling. Played loud, the impact hasn't diminished.

The track has remained Only Ones' singer/ guitarist/ songwriter Peter Perrett's most widely recognised song ever since, and has presumably sustained him through the decades of drug abuse, ill health and obscurity into which he lapsed a few years later.

The band reformed in 2007, which got some attention, though it seemed largely fuelled by The Libertines' publicly declared admiration (Perrett guested with the band). They appeared on Later...with Jools Holland in April 2008, but, although the band sounded fine, Perret looked frail, hidden beneath dark glasses and what was presumably a wig. 
Watch the performance here.

That Perrett has re-emerged with a new solo album, in terms of being unexpected, seems on a par with Syd Barrett, after decades as a near mythical creature, having returned to an active musical career prior to his death. That it's one of the best albums of the year, with Perrett's talents seemingly undiminished, seems miraculous.

Although 'Another Girl, Another Planet' has been a staple of any definitive punk/ new wave compilation, like other bands who were accepted into the gang just because they happened to start producing non-prog pop/ rock music at the right time (The Police, Squeeze, XTC, and, arguably, The Stranglers; bands which would still have formed and been essentially the same even if the Ramones and Sex Pistols had never existed), The Only Ones weren't remotely punk rock. Perrett was older than most of the punk bands (a few months older than Joe Strummer even; he's now 65). They made no attempt to look like punks and, though capable of being energetic, the sound was more sophisticated than the average 2-chord stampede. Drummer Mike Kellie had been a member of prog-blues band Spooky Tooth, who had initially formed in 1967. Bass player Alan Mair had been a founding member of The Beatstalkers ('the Scottish Beatles'), who had formed in 1962. I expect they were amused to find themselves viewed as punk rockers.

Although it's unclear whether The Only Ones have officially broken up again or not, Perrett worked with his sons (who have their own band, Strangefruit) to record the album, and play on the current tour.
For decades, Perrett should have been a warning to us all. That he should now be an inspiration seems like one of the best things to happen all year.

Rat Boy - SCUM. Now 21, Rat Boy (Jordan Cardy) has been writing, recording and performing for a few years, so started out as another teen prodigy aspiring pop star. Obvious comparisons are to Jamie T, The Clash and The Streets, though perhaps that's just how it comes out when young English white boys try to be rappers.

Like many rap albums, this is way too long (25 tracks on the deluxe edition, and almost an hour long), and includes 'skits', which never seems like a good idea. But it's brash, fun, full of energy, ideas and great tunes. Exactly what pop music should be like. That it so often isn't any more must surely be a result of someone allowing business people to take charge again.
My 15 year old daughter's friends are fans. Rat Boy makes it look like fun to be a pop star again, and that is the best kind of inspiration for the next generation, just a few years younger than he is.

Waxahatchee - Out In The Storm. 4th solo album from Katie Crutchfield, working under the name of Waxahatchee. From the home recorded debut 'American Weekend', each album has seemed like a leap forward in confidence and maturing talent, and album 4 only seems like a smaller leap because of the speed at which her capabilities asserted themselves - though it was evident from the start that she was something special.

Immediately one of my albums of the year.

Grizzly Bear - Painted Ruins. Initially a solo project for songwriter Ed Droste, Grizzly Bear have existed since 2002, and this is the 5th album, following after the longest break between albums so far (previous album 'Shields' was 2012). After the critical peaks of 'Veckatimest' and 'Shields', taking more time over the next steps almost seems like the traditional pattern. Solo projects and moving house; two of the band remain in New York, the other two have moved to L.A..

Having never attended a Grizzly Bear live show, I find it hard to envision who their fan base is. What sort of music is this? Prog folk? For fans of complicated song structures and vocal arrangements? People who like Animal Collective, Fleet Foxes, Joanna Newsom, alt-j, Wild Beasts? Serious music for serious people? Music to view modern art by?

I have been returning to this album more than some of the previous ones though. It's not exactly their pop album, but 'Mourning Sound' may be the closest they've come to an indie disco floor filler, and the rest of it does a lot more than waft prettily by. In the past they may have been easy to admire but hard to love, but I am starting to warm to them.

Alvvays - Antisocialites. Although 'Archie, Marry Me' from their 2014 debut album remains a favourite, the prospect of a new album didn't seem like cause for great excitement. Did I want to be listening to '80's bands like The Primitives or Shop Assistants, from the era of twee, in 2017? But this is a great pop album, which makes that basic template sound contemporary, and reminds that The Primitives and Shop Assistants were great pop bands too.

Angelo De Augustine - Swim Inside The Moon. Another theme this quarter: American singer/songwriters who would have been right at home in the early '70's.
2nd album from the 24 year old L.A. resident, allegedly recorded in his home bathroom, because he liked the 'eccentricities' of the sound he got there, and released on Sufjan Stevens' Asthmatic Kitty label. There is a demo quality to the sound: unhurried melodies with delicately picked acoustic guitar and whispered, barely-there vocals. It is reminiscent of Stevens' folkier work at times (it was recorded before they met), but in terms of melodic structures and vocal sound, Elliott Smith is more often a closer comparison. The album is a quiet gem, and is far from being a weak imitation of anyone it's been compared to. At 9 tracks, and 28 minutes, it's over all too soon. If the delicate charm isn't overwhelmed in a proper studio, great things can be expected.

Iron & Wine - Beast Epic. 8th album - not counting live albums and EPs - from Sam Beam, since debut 'The Creek Drank the Cradle' in 2002, and following 2 collaboration albums with other people: 2015's 'Sing Into My Mouth', a covers album with Band of Horses' Ben Bridwell, and 2016's 'Love Letter for Fire' with Jesca Hoop.
'Beast Epic' has been hailed as something of a return to form, which revisits the sound which first brought him attention with his perfectly formed debut. In truth though, the quality has barely dipped throughout his career, and this stands alongside anything he has recorded.

LCD Soundsystem - American Dream. If LCD Soundsystem going on to make great records and have a successful career rather than just quietly fading after startling, still hilarious, debut single 'Losing My Edge' in 2002 wasn't impressive enough, after 10 years and a series of critically acclaimed albums, they were a rare example of a band who went out on a high, with a final performance at Madison Square Gardens in April 2011 - as preserved in the documentary film 'Shut Up and Play the Hits'.

Their reformation in 2015 initially seemed a little disappointing in light of the good taste and integrity shown during the first part of their career. How many bands reform and make records as good as those which made their name? It took Pixies 10 years after reforming before they issued another album. The Stone Roses reformed in 2011, but have only released 2 singles since then. The Libertines are more prolific, and released an album in 2015, the year after reforming. Although a decent effort, it's not a match for their earlier work. No doubt they're all making more money than they ever did though.

Band leader James Murphy is now 47, and had a lengthy career in music even before forming the band. He actually seems to have learned something during that time. Paunchy, grey-haired and unshaven, he's far from the archetypal rock star, but perhaps archetypal rock stars - Jagger, Steven Tyler, Rod Stewart; all skinny legs, satin and scarves - seem like relics now, and it's perfectly fine to have front men who look like Guy Garvey from Elbow or Matt Berninger from The National. If the elegantly wasted, Keith Richard archetype finally belongs to another era, that's a good thing.

First impressions of the album:-

Track one, 'Oh Baby', is reminiscent of early Suicide, quieter songs like 'Dream Baby Dream', or 'Cheree', with access to an expensive studio.

The rest of the album initially seemed too glossy, and some of the wit may have been sacrificed, but closer acquaintance reveals it to be the work of an artist in even more complete control of his material than ever before. However calculated it may be, it's going to sound awesome blasting out of the best sound systems in the world's finest stadium venues. Flying in the face of historical precedent, LCD Soundsystem return and somehow move up to a new level.

The National - Sleep Well Beast. Formed in 1999, The National have had just about the most dignified, slow-burn career of any band ever, culminating in their previous album, 2013's 'Trouble Will Find Me', being nominated for Best Alternative Music Album at the Grammy Awards. Average scores on Metacritic have been consistent since 2005's 'Alligator', ranging from 82 to 86. 'Sleep Well Beast' scores 85.)

Matt Berninger and Scott Devendorf met at university in 1991, and soon formed a band with other friends, which lasted for 5 years. Scott's brother Bryan, and the Dessner brothers, Aaron and Bryce, had been childhood friends who also played together in several bands over the years. Since joining together as The National, the lineup has remained unchanged, seemingly a model of maturity and stability, no egos to cater to, no tantrums. Extracurricular musical activities by all members never seem to threaten the main band.

The National have established an identifiable sound, so the only criticisms of the new album, other than some songs being weaker than others, have been that it just sounds like The National. Supporters of the band, including most critics, have identified many developments, albeit subtle, not least in the lyrics, now co-written by Berninger's wife, Carin Besser, a former fiction editor at The New Yorker.

As Kitty Empire wrote in her Guardian review, The National have become "one of the most nuanced 21st-century iterations of what used to be known as “college rock”". It's probably not for fans of Skrillex or Bring Me The Horizon, or any young people who might view them as old and boring (though my son, recently turned 21 and as musically inquisitive as could be hoped for, has been a fan for years), but for the rest of us, this is another great National album, and I'm not going to spend time trying to identify and highlight any minor faults or variation in quality.

Superfood - Bambino. Superfood are one of those bands which seemed to appear in the wake of the likes of Palma Violets, Peace and WU LYF, who emerged late-noughties or early this decade in what was then portrayed as one of the last, valiant, coordinated attempts to make British indie rock cool again for the first time since Britpop (see also Splashh, Swim Deep, Spector, Temples).

Occasional breakthrough acts aside, such as The Vaccines or Wolf Alice, it seems that something like Britpop may never happen again, and it's down to the strength of character and creative drive of the also-rans how long they're willing to battle to break beyond mid-level recognition.

Superfood, now a two-piece, are having a fair stab at doing that. Bambino has received much better reviews than 2014 debut Don't Say That, which was viewed as being a reasonable recreation of Britpop. Hearty congrats to them for not going psych, though they have gone funk, which has long been another desperate resort for scoundrel musicians seeking success. There's a lot more to it than that though, since the album also includes touches of ska, dub, trip hop, and psych too. Proper post-modernist pop then, with a lazy, summery feel. Think maybe 'Groovin', by The Young Rascals https://youtu.be/OA4N5BNMjew
Except British, and in 2017 not 1967.
Unfortunately they didn't get the timing right for summer, since it wasn't released until September. Next year's festivals then?

Rostam - Half-Light. Rostam Batmanglij announced in January 2016 that he was leaving Vampire Weekend, and since then, in his solo recordings, production work, and collaborative projects, it has become increasingly evident what a vital role he played in his original band. As they appeared on Spotify, his singles, starting with 'Wood' (originally released as an mp3 in 2011, but re-recorded and commercially released in 2016), and collaborations with other people, including Ra Ra Riot, Hamilton Leithauser and RAC, have been highlights of the past 18 months or so, and I've been keenly anticipating the album throughout much of this year. It doesn't disappoint.

Reviews have mostly been extremely positive, acknowledging his critical role in Vampire Weekend, and recognising his potential, though NME an UNCUT, while noting these points, tended towards fainter praise for the actual album. UNCUT described it as a 'curiously underwhelming proposition', and complained about 'his unfeasibly Christmassy production'. This last comment initially seemed odd, but it's a fair assertion, since there are choral moments which would fit right into Songs of Praise, and flourishes in the arrangements suited to old b&w Christmas films like Miracle on 34th Street. Though, blended amongst a huge array of musical styles and references, the Christmassy and hymnal moments just add to the often joyous mood. They're equally as welcome as the nods to ska, highlife, and other world musics.

My wife commented that the album often reminds her of Paul Simon's Graceland, and, once that notion is implanted, I begin to hear echoes of that album throughout. 'Don't Let It Get To You' could be a recently uncovered track from the Graceland recording sessions (the percussion sound especially), and the integration of ska/ bluebeat into 'Rudy' also seems like the same sort of musically inquisitive trick Paul Simon would once have tried. I'm sure Ladysmith Black Mambazo would be open to an approach to contribute to the next album.

I have few complaints about the album. Maybe the heavily synthesised vocal on 'Hold You' (feat. Angel Deradoorian), since it's an effect which has already been overused by Lambchop and Dirty Projectors during the last year. Still a lovely melody though, on an album stuffed with great tunes. It does sound very much like a studio construction, but from someone so thoroughly in control of their materials, that's not something to object to.

Having now watched a live performance of several songs, and interview, recorded for Seattle radio station KEXP, Rostam comes over as too modest and self-effacing to be a full scale pop star, which is likely to restrict the level of his success, but with his gift for melody and ingenious arrangements he's going to remain a vital part of modern music for years to come.

Here's a wonderful live version of 'Wood', with a string quartet, recorded for KEXP:-
https://youtu.be/ioYYLkurgSQ

Hiss Golden Messenger - Hallelujah Anyhow. Arriving slightly less than a year after the previous album, 'Heart Like a Levee', M C Taylor, who basically is Hiss Golden Messenger, continues a prolific streak, with no dip in quality. The sound remains a distinctive blend of country blues, r&b, gospel, swamp rock and more, positioned between Van Morrison and J.J. Cale. Taylor is no copyist though, that's just the company he deserves to be ranked alongside. 

Like many of the more interesting solo artists, his musical career began in a hardcore punk band, before moving through indie rock and developing into the fully realised sound he has today. I do find it odd that, in 2017, I'm listening to the sort of mellow music which would have fitted right into the early '70's, of the sort which inspired Eric Clapton's solo career, but it's of such a high standard you just have to accept it (is it cool? don't know, don't care). Like Will Oldham, Bill Callahan, and Mark Kozelek of Sun Kil Moon, you get the impression he can sustain this forever.

TRACKS

Lucy Rose - Floral Dresses (feat. The Staves). Heard this on Spotify long before Something's Changing, 2nd solo album from the former Bombay Bicycle Club backing singer, was released, and was immediately taken by the ghostly melody and spare performance. It could be from the '60's, or even earlier, harking back to the sort of music which influenced Joan Baez or Judy Collins. The first review of the album I read, in UNCUT, was moderately dismissive, describing it as  "another collection of lilting, lulling Joni Mitchell pastiches pitched largely between winsome and the twee", so I never got around to checking the whole album, but this is still something to make you stop and enjoy a quiet moment.

Bee Gees - I Started A Joke; Massachesetts. After years of indifference, decided that I quite like some pre-Saturday Night Fever Bee Gees after all. These are from 1968 and 1967 respectively, and do sound dated, but they are basically good songs, and the unfashionable string arrangements are part of the appeal.

Though indisputably one of the longest surviving and biggest selling music acts of all time (active since 1958, according to Wikipedia), with their harmonies and classic songwriting styles, the Bee Gees could never compete with their '60's peers in terms of innovation and experimentation. The Beatles, Beach Boys and Byrds were moving at light speed, inventing new genres several times per album, and with an appetite and curiosity to seek inspiration from every source. You're probably not going to hear the influence of John Cage, Timothy Leary or William Burroughs on any Bee Gees album. 

I'm still not going to check any albums, but I'm a little more open to listening to individual songs. Possibly 'First Of May' next. They're not remotely cool, and more likely to be a choice as theme of the evening on The X Factor than the subject of a tribute album by the current indie elite, but they did know how to write a decent tune.

TV performance of 'I Started A Joke' from 1968 or so, with even more OTT coiffured hair than usual: https://youtu.be/fkG4oIPT7tU

The Beat - Mirror In The Bathroom. Originally a hit in 1980. Heard this on the car radio and it sounded better than I remembered. Been playing it ever since and it still sounds great.