Skip to main content

mR. hYDE'S wILD rIDE – Piney Gir


Year Released: 2015

Label: Damaged Goods Records / Greyday Records

Year Bought: 2024

Piney Gir is an American singer/songwriter who has lived in London for many a year. She's been in the backing bands of Noel Gallagher and Gaz Coombes, and over the years has produced one hell of a back catalogue.

'mR. hYDE'S wILD rIDE' is her sixth album, and fully embraces Piney's chameleonic tendencies.

A student of 60s beat pop, the influence of the Beatles is writ large over the album. Opener 'Gold Rules' has a great chorus melody, and the sense of joy embodied in the song runs through much of the record.

The second half of the album has some more experimentation with instruments and production, meaning you never really know what's coming.

'Mouse of a Ghost' has Graham Coxon level of guitar buzzing going on, while 'Yai Yai' starts off subdued before building into a real garage-indie stomper.

I know Piney a little bit so can't really give an impartial rating, but I will say that I've only become aware of her music recently and honestly, there is so much fantastic stuff. She is prolific, is a fantastic musician and works with great people. Discovering her music has been like finding a treasure box of pop gems.

You should definitely check her out.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Eye To The Telescope – KT Tunstall

Year Released: 2004 Label: Relentless Year Bought: No Idea I'm not sure why I have this record. I have no record of buying it. I've never listened to it. But then I do own two Dido albums so it's not exactly out of character of me to have it. I've always thought KT Tunstall was a pretty cool person. She's clearly talented. But this album, I just can't really connect with it. There's some good tunes on here. 'Black Horse and the Cherry Tree' is great, as is 'Suddenly I See'. 'Another Place To Fall' hints at some darker tones, and 'Under The Weather' builds nicely. But overall it's just all a bit safe. I vaguely remember reading an interview with Tunstall a few years after this came out in which she said the original mix was a lot more rough and bluesy, but the label wanted it more polished. You can definitely hear how this album could have been scuffed up. 'Stopping The Love' is a good example of that. It's a mi...

Coming Up – Suede

  Year Released: 1996 Label: Nude Year Bought: 2011 I know lots of people love this album, and it has got some great songs on it, but I just can't love it. It's too trebly, too thin, too cold. It kicks off with 'Trash', which is an absolutely brilliant tune with fantastic lyrics. Brett is at his absolute best here, with talk of "nowhere towns" and "cellophane sounds", and being the "litter on the breeze". I love it. But, alas we go from one of Suede's best songs to one of their worst. 'Filmstar' feels incredibly lazy. The riff is nothing, and as for the lyrics:  Filmstar propping up the bar driving in a car it looks so easy Filmstar propping up the bar driving in a car tonight These are Noel Gallagher-on-an-incredibly-bad-day lyrics.  I hate the riff, I hate the chorus, I hate the lyrics. I hate how shiny it is. It's lazy ... which is the title of the next song. This tune sees the first use on the album of the "here the...

NME Awards 2004 - Various Artists

  Released: 2004 Label: NME When I bought: 2004 In ye olde days before streaming, and even YouTube, it wasn't possible to hear within a matter of moments pretty much every song ever released. Therefore, compilations like this by the NME actually had a degree of value. Take 'Paperbag Writer' by Radiohead, a b-side from 'There There', the lead single from 2003's Hail to the Thief. I bought the album but not the single, so I'd never heard this tune. It's a brilliant track, with its electronic shuffle beat and muffled vocals making it sound like a left over from Kid A, or the starting point for Thom Yorke's debut solo album which would be released the following year. Likewise, 'See You Soon' by Coldplay. A true delight from a 1999 EP, with delicate guitar playing, scarce production, and honest vocal delivery. It's a reminder that once upon a time Chris Martin et al were able to operate with that oft-neglected trait: restraint. As a snapshot o...