HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYBODY!!! In our first podcast of 2026 we start almost where we left off by looking at another album from the mid-90s but this one is seen and heard through a VERY different lens. Seen by many (and wrongly) as a bit of a one-hit wonder, Leicester's Cornershop started off their album careers with this collection of ditties which at some points feel a little disjointed but leads us as reviewers down a lot of paths. What were they trying to do? Could we see where they were going? How much of this was the band and how much was down to John Robb...? The album incorporates a number of genres which skirt along the edges of punk, psychedelia, prog, Britpop fringed with south Asian influences. One interesting caveat to this album is that many, many MANY rears later the band revisited this album renamed "Hold On It's Easy" which also created more questions than answers! Before we start though, we make a small brief allusion to the ESC 250 *yawn* as well as certain Dutchman's new material! To fully immerse yourself in the Albumble podcast, listen to the album yourselves (Hold On It Hurts AND Hold On It's Easy are on Spotify and possibly other places too) then listen to our appraisal. Remember to get in touch by tweeting us via @albumble and tell us what you think of Go West’s work and whether you agree with our views !!

Ann and Marcus review the songs in the 2025 edition of Junior Eurovision!

Ann and Marcus review the songs in the 2025 edition of Junior Eurovision!

Ann and Marcus review the songs in the 2025 edition of Junior Eurovision!

Ann and Marcus review the songs in the 2025 edition of Junior Eurovision!

In our final podcast of 2025 we look at a tricky album from the mid-90s which leaves us with rather more questions than answers regarding its release. On the plus side, its reason for being chosen for the podcast gives us a chance to share an interesting anecdote with you! We look into “Indian Summer” by Go West – an album released 5 years after their previous one AND containing a song which was a major hit 2 years previously. Without giving too much away there is an eerie imbalance in this album which leaves us… well you’ll have to listen and find out! Peter Cox and Richard Drummie – who also co-wrote the majority of their output – started off as a pop-dance-rock outfit. However, by the end of the 80s their popularity had waned as the UK and US record buying public’s appetite veered towards the widening choice of dance from Europe and the vast array of pop personalities from the likes of PWL. All this and more pushed Go West's rather safe (nay bland) music to the fringes of the charts. This, seemingly twinned with their desire to be seen as a band with song writing and vocal nous, created this album which leans more into the Adult Contemporary/Blue-eyed soul sphere. Is this change of tact too much? Too little? Too late? Or does it leave them falling between two stools? To fully immerse yourself in the Albumble podcast, listen to the album yourselves (Indian Summer is on Spotify and possibly other places too) then listen to our appraisal. Remember to get in touch by tweeting us via @albumble and tell us what you think of Go West’s work and whether you agree with our views !!

In this month's offering we analyse one album in order to review a whole slew of albums under the PWL umbrella. "F.L.M" was the only studio album by the duo Mel & Kim and was almost entirely produced and written by (Mike) Stock (Matt) Aitken and (Pete) Waterman whose signature pop/dance/electronic sound can be heard through many a UK chart act in the 80s and 90s. The Appleby sisters were one of the few duos/groups in the PWL stable that stood out from the mainly solo crowd and, although their tenure as a pop act was incredibly short, they left behind a striking aural and visual legacy. Kim went on to have a few solo hits in the early part of the 90's, but it does make one wonder what *might* have happened if they had continued as a duo for even just a few more years. This said, we note that the Mel & Kim back catalogue has not really been touched on or covered very much but we come up with exactly the right platform to do it! To fully immerse yourself in the Albumble podcast, listen to the album yourselves (F.L.M. is on Spotify and possibly other places too) then listen to our appraisal. Remember to get in touch by tweeting us via @albumble and tell us what you think of Mel & Kim's work and whether you agree with our views !!

Hello and welcome back to ALBUMBLE and as you might hear we may be sounding a *little* different to normal! In this pod we look at a very recent UK number one album - but by a band very few people may have actually heard of! This northern band seems to have a dedicated and stalwart fan base which was able to vote with their feet - or should that be purchase with a few clicks - enough copies of this album to make it top the charts. The K's are, as Ann would describe 'Wools' - meaning that they come rom the area betwixt the metropolises of Liverpool and Manchester and it seems like the musical legacies of both conurbations (as well as many more further afield) has influenced their music. In terms of song writing the lyrics seem rather personal and the boys are not afraid to lift the lid on their own particular worries including physical and mental health situations. In 'Pretty On The Internet', the boys seem to linger not too far from the indie-pop songs from their first album but dip their toes into some slightly different genres. To fully immerse yourself in the Albumble podcast, listen to the album yourselves (Pretty On The Internet is on Spotify and possibly other places too) then listen to our appraisal. Remember to get in touch by tweeting us via @albumble and tell us what you think of The K's work and whether you agree with our views !!

Hello and welcome back to ALBUMBLE! Apologies for the wait for this episode to come out but we do profusely apologise and go through why we waited before doing the podcast properly! In this pod we turn back the clock to a time - before both of us were actually born - where musical tastes and technology we in flux. Although the EPs run was extremely finite, it has been re-released on a couple of occasions to celebrate this records status as being one of the first 'punk' releases. Without giving way too many spoilers about our views, I think it is safe to say that the recording is rather ramshackle, whihich in itself gives the record a rather edgy tone which might seem immediate to one but amateur to another. The Buzzcocks themselves (including Devoto who left the band) went on to hone their sound and the next year produced hits like "What Do I Get?" and the evergreen "Ever Fallen in Love (With Someone You Shouldn't've)" Everyone - and every sound - needs to start somewhere!!!! To fully immerse yourself in the Albumble podcast, listen to the album yourselves (Spiral Scratch is on Spotify and possibly other places too) then listen to our appraisal. Remember to get in touch by tweeting us via @albumble and tell us what you think of The Buzzcocks' work and whether you agree with our views !!

In a strange turn of events, Andy - not Ann - chose an album with Eurovision connotations, furthermore with Liverpool Eurovision connections. Stef Caers AKA Gustaph could well be described as the Nico Hulkenberg of Belgian pop: almost 20 years after their first foray into showbusiness they finally got the success they deserved. The album uses the catapult of the Eurovision hit to explore the wider corners of the dance/pop genre with a generous dollop of  LGBTQIA+ storytelling on  top.  Discussions also look into which people and songs possibly influenced the song writing, possible reasons for the track order and the superb clarity of Gustaph's vocals. Listen out also for bonus Eurovision stats as well as some Belgian pop collab wish lists ! Our news round-up is bypassed this week as there was so much news last week we were newsed out! To fully immerse yourself in the Albumble podcast, listen to the album yourselves (Look At Us Now is on Spotify and possibly other places too) then listen to our appraisal. Remember to get in touch by tweeting us via @albumble and tell us what you think of Gustaph's work and whether you agree with our views !!

It was Ann's choice of album this time and we delve into the back catalogue of a band that was lightly weaved into the fabric of 80s - and 70s and 90s - music but has never truly received the plaudits they deserve. In this iteration we see the band evolve from communist punkers to slick funk samplers. During the episode we talk (not in much detail as we would be here for weeks) about how, on the surface, this album seems like a radio friendly slice of sturdy funk-pop but below the surface there are philosophical statements galore. There are also some interesting points to be made abut Green's unique voice and how, on some of the tracks, it is complemented by the clever use backing vocals to the point its almost a duet. Our news round-up is compact although we do have a bit of fun regarding the Glastonbury 'news'. To fully immerse yourself in the Albumble podcast, listen to the album yourselves (Cupid & Psyche 85 is on Spotify and possibly other places too) then listen to our appraisal. Remember to get in touch by tweeting us via @albumble and tell us what you think of Scritti Politti's work and whether you agree with our views !!

Welcome back to a more modern episode of ALBUMBLE. We look back to the late 2000's and a bit of American indie pop rock with more than a shake of Britishness on the top. Black Kids hailed from Jacksonville, Florida and the band's multi-ethnic and mixed-gender make up seemed to give their music a unique edge and viewpoint culminating in this album which was the band's second release. The album has a definite sound, without feeling too samey - although we feel some themes and ideas could have been pushed through little bit more. We discuss the "British Feel" of the production, what might have been the band's purposeful (or accidental) musical inspirations as well as putting forward theories as to why the singles were the singles and why some of the said singles did not fare very well when they really should have! Also, big apologies for the technical glitches but we tried (within the time constraints) to give you a decent podcast with what we had left AND what we could remember ! To fully immerse yourself in the ALBUMBLE podcast, listen to the album yourselves (Partie Traumatic is on Spotify and possibly other places too) then listen to our appraisal. Remember to get in touch by tweeting us via @albumble and tell us what you think of Black Kids and if you agree with our views !!

To start off this second series we delve into the world of The Monkees!

Welcome back to the final Shite Or Alright for 2025!We start off this last - and hopefully exciting - episode by noticing if the similarity between seemingly disparate jingles may actually be by design. Ann also dumps the idea of Eurovision Tariffs because the EBU might be able to get some extra funding and expertise by appearing on a certain BBC business show... Once we have our final show winner we look at all six heat winners and decide who is our "champion of champions" who will surely - almost definitely - will not be winning in Eurovision this year. We hope you have enjoyed this Eurovision specials. We will be back bright-eyed and bushy tailed with the regular bi-monthly ALBUMBLE shows in June by reviewing "Headquarters" by The Monkees !  SHOW SIX - MONOGRAMMED COMMODE Australia, Ireland, Montenegro, San Marino, Spain and Ukraine Not even Blümchen... A performance they believe in Just wish it went somewhereNever knew Jimbo and the Jet Set were so popularIt *should* be a shoo-inNot serving subtlety

Welcome back to episode 5 of Shite Or Alright 2025!Andy starts the podcast by revealing he has some kind of Eurovision malaise but don’t worry he has a belated Belgium-related fix to relieve it. We swiftly begin the judging with a lot of explaining to do as it has ended up being a rather loaded episode!!!!  So here we go! SHOW 5 - THE YEAR OF THE PLINTH Albania, France, Lithuania, Malta, Netherlands & Serbia He does all the film voiceovers It's good - but it's not rightUnder the auspices of Dr Evil When are Liechtenstein doing Eurovision?This was everything from Novelty Island - apart from Graham ListerA rollover vote?

Welcome back to Shite Or Alright for 2025!We start the podcast by considering how good Gilles de Coster, the Belgian host of “De Mol”, is at keeping secrets and a convincing straight face but that is all after relating the Monty Hall problem to why USB ports are so random… We eventually get onto the job at hand and judge some Eurovision songs… with some rather surprising results!!!!  So here we go! SHOW 4 - DANCERS AND CYCLISTS CAN'T SING Cyprus, Greece, Germany, Luxembourg, Portugal & Slovenia Ammonite contempowaft Greater than the sum of its partsIf Duncan Laurence could write a songClean Bandit from TemuDoesn't have a leg to stand on... unfortunately"Three riddles have I....!"

Welcome back to Shite Or Alright for 2025!We start by wondering of the recent rise in talk about 'tariffs' could be leveraged in Eurovision and think about the categories of Eurovision tropes that could be incentivised and sanctioned so the entrance fee for the contest could be slightly negotiated. After that we judge 6 of this year's crop from 0 to 5 and find a show winner! So here we go! SHOW 3 - AN EXPLANATION OF URINAL CAKES Austria, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Sweden, & United Kingdom  A till from the Grace BrothersThey can no longer afford trousersIs there a culture of Panto...?Dear Finland - your problemDo Polish people want to watch things about Henry VIII?Normal Collier processing

Welcome back to Shite Or Alright for 2025!We talk about why we didn't really see Nemo coming for the win last year (I blame trains) but that 's after we start with a brief sojourn into reaction videos - and not just Eurovision ones - before Andy and Ann give their views on each song & performance giving them a score from 0 to 5. So here we go! SHOW 2 - SWEEP FOR ESC 2026 Armenia, Finland, Iceland, Italy, Latvia & Norway "Swashbuckle" graphicsA fan of Blue PeterEnya... on drugsShoving fags in his faceA niche to carve outThe Quantum Leap Soundtrack 

The Shite Or Alright Eurovision song reviews are back for another year!

In this last episode before a Eurovision break we review a brand new album!!! This is Antony Szmierek's second album although it has been four years since their debut effort. He has been on the scene making waves not in the form of releases but more in the form of live shows and tours. Former teacher Szmierek takes us for a ride (not like that!) to the world of the service station and is able to pull apart, visualise, imagine and dissect who is there, why are they here and what will happen next. The album itself is a bit of a rollercoaster ride as life, its meaning and its weight upon us is explained to and fought against on a peripheral and personal level. There is also a short discussion about how this spoken word artist is similar and very different to previous ALBUMBLE subject Scroobius Pip. In April our airwaves will be full of Eurovision news - more about that in the pod. Our news round up is (once again) mostly full of Joost news! Even though the next ALBUMBLE podcast won't be out for a little while, we still reveal which album we'll be looking at in the next ALBUMBLE show which should be out on the 1st May. To fully immerse yourself in the Albumble podcast, listen to the album yourselves (Service Station at the End of the Universe  is on Spotify and possibly other places too) then listen to our appraisal. Remember to get in touch by tweeting us via @albumble and tell us what you think of Antony Szmierek's work and whether you agree with our views !!