New Music: Western/Martian Skyline

           

           

The Church have announced their 28th studio album — a stat that would close out most careers and is, for this lot, simply Thursday. Lacuna lands October 30 via Cooking Vinyl, and shares the lead single "Western"; Steve Kilbey has said the title came straight from the setting, a nod to a childhood spent absorbing TV. It also arrives paired with second track "Martian Skyline", the pair following on from last year's "Sacred Echoes (Part Two)." Kilbey calls the album “intense, forlorn, and exultant” — as tidy a summary as any for a band still finding new corners inside their own sound: jangling guitars, atmospheric post-punk, dream-pop haze. 

New Music: My Whole World

           

Kings of Leon have announced their 10th studio album, O My Beloved, due November 6 through Love Tap Records and Virgin Music. The band has also shared their first new single, "My Whole World," along with an accompanying music video, the track is like a return to their southern roots, a warm ballad to all those we love and lost, video Director Kasey McGrath, shot the band playing altogheter inside a living room alongside footage images of the band members with their relatives back in the day before the stardom. 

New Music: Fade To Grey

           

Midge Ure has just announced the compilation “Chapters: The Best Of” on 13 November 2026 via Chrysalis Records. The collection gathers his 1980s hits and key album tracks in new 2026 stereo mixes, alongside first-time studio recordings of two songs long associated with his career. "Chapters: The Best Of" follows Ure's recent studio album "A Man Of Two Worlds" and brings together his solo catalogue with material connected to Visage and Thin Lizzy. For the first time, Ure has recorded new studio versions of Visage's "Fade To Grey" and Phil Lynott's "Yellow Pearl," a song he originally co-wrote. The first single is actually "Fade To Grey" in a new fresh version of this 80's hit classic.

Rocktrospectiva: The Experimental "Dopadromo" Turns 30

Released on 17 September 17 1996, "Dopadromo" was the third album by the Argentine band Babasónicos. It was considered their most experimental release due to the melting pot of styles it showcased—ranging from psychedelic sounds to heavy metal and indie rock, and even venturing into bossa nova. The album spawned the singles "El Medium", "Perfume Casino", "¡Viva Satana!", & "Su Ciervo."

Back in the day, the band employed a concept so compelling that it cemented their standing in the Ibero-American scene, positioning them as standard-bearers for the experimental rock emerging from Argentina. Both the themes and the sound represented a significant step forward—largely thanks to the production work of Andrew Weiss, fresh from producing the indie band Ween. His influence was palpable; the band finally achieved a professional sound, perfectly suiting distinctive tracks like "Gronchótica," "Cybernecia," "Coyarama," "Calmática," "Su Ciervo," and the curious "Perfume Casino."

It was a powerful album, rich in soundscapes that—far from being frightening—commanded attention. The record traversed genres including psychedelia, lounge, bossa nova, heavy metal, indie rock, and even a foray into hip-hop, all seasoned with electronic music. This was no accident; the band had already been experimenting with their "Trance Zomba" sound. Furthermore, a generational shift was underway in Argentine rock, bringing a wave of innovative acts, and "Dopadromo" naturally drew inspiration from that environment.

Despite this evolution, the band never lost its underground essence. This allowed them the freedom to incorporate a sonic aesthetic that might not have worked for others; remaining outside the mainstream and free from industry constraints gave them the unique identity and style for which they would become known. The lyrics referenced B-movies and musicals, showcasing the wide array of phrases and terms characteristic of Dárgelos’s writing. Four singles were released from the album, starting with "Viva Satana"—a curious track featuring string arrangements and a rock sound that foreshadowed the direction their music would take in later years. The song tells a story honoring the famous Tura Satana, the Japanese-American actress who starred in the cult classic "Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!" ...inspired by B-movie director Russ Meyer. Next came "El Médium," a track blending indie rock and electronica with an equally bizarre video; according to Dárgelos, they had wanted to film it during the F1 Grand Prix in Argentina, but that didn't work out, so they shot it elsewhere while keeping the car theme. Then came the raucous "Su Ciervo"—one of the strangest and most curious songs the band ever released, and one of the first to get significant airplay on MTV Latin America. Yet, if that was surprising, the look on our faces when the band released "Perfume Casino" was something else entirely: a refined, carefully crafted Bossa-style track. Even in the video, the band looked elegant, paying close attention to every chord, with a well-groomed Dárgelos singing in the style of 1970s vocalists—a video as peculiar as the song itself was at the time.

Critics praised the album which became a benchmark not only for the band but for the new wave of Argentine rock; they carved out a space for themselves in the scene and gradually rose in fame and recognition. The album is undoubtedly essential to the band's sonic catalog and fundamental to understanding their nature.

Dopadromo Track List:

1. Zumba

2. El Médium

3. Cybernecia

4. Safari Vixen

5. Viva Satana

6. Perfume Casino

7. Calmática

8. Coyarama

9. Su Majestad

10. Pesadilla Biónica Del Perro Biónico

11. Gronchótica

12. Su Ciervo

Rocktrospectiva: The Epic And Magnificent "Use Your Illusion II" Turns 35

Released on 17 September 1991, "Use Your Illusion II" was the 4th., studio album by the US rock band Guns N' Roses released on the same day as its counterpart and it was considered the more melancholic, reflective, somber, and dark counterpart to the previous album—thanks to tracks like "Estranged" and "Breakdown"—with many regarding it as the darkest record in their discography. The album spawned the singles "You Could Be Mine", "Knockin' On Heaven's Door", "Yesterdays", "Civil War" & "Estranged", 

Just like its counterpart, this was also a massive seller worldwide, the album holds its own against its counterpart, featuring equally iconic singles such as "You Could Be Mine"—the band's third most successful single, which appeared on the "Terminator 2" soundtrack that same year. However, this album marked the final collaboration with Izzy Stradlin and Steven Adler: Stradlin left due to differences with Axl Rose, while Adler departed because he could not overcome his drug addiction (though he did record the drums for "Civil War," the last track released featuring the full original lineup).

The album was regarded as a turning point for the band. It included tracks released earlier that addressed topics like violence and run-ins with the law—such as the incredible "Civil War," which was already known to audiences from its 1990 release, as well as the Bob Dylan cover "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" (from the same period) and "Get In The Ring." In fact, while the first twin album contained songs written prior to "Appetite for Destruction", this one featured material composed after that album's release. As previously mentioned, "Civil War" and "Knockin' On Heaven's Door" debuted at the 1990 Farm Aid concert; by the middle of that year, they were receiving heavy airplay in Guatemala—alongside the Dylan cover featured on the "Days of Thunder" soundtrack. On this album, they appear as the B-sides to "You Could Be Mine," making this side feel particularly cohesive in terms of its tracklist. Other standout tracks include "So Fine," a ballad dedicated to Johnny Thunders, and "Get In The Ring," which takes aim at critics, career enemies, and the music industry itself. We must also highlight the singles "Yesterdays"—a power ballad—and the epic "Estranged," which was accompanied by a music video just as epic as the song itself.

The album received positive reviews and was considered more serious and ambitious than its twin counterpart. To this day—thanks to its sound, ambition, musical prowess, lyrics, and production—it is regarded as one of the best albums released in the 90s. I would even go so far as to say it was the group's last truly great release, as subsequent years brought internal strife and the long, drawn-out conflict between Rose and the other band members. Yet, thirty years ago, the band was at the top of its game—in its prime—cementing its omnipresence for years to come, despite the odds and the rising tide of alternative music.

Use Your Illusion II Track List:

1. Civil War

2. 14 Years

3. Yesterdays

4. Knockin' On Heaven's Door

5. Get In The Ring

6. Shotgun Blues

7. Breakdown

8. Pretty Tied Up

9. Locomotive

10. So Fine

11. Estranged

12. You Could Be Mine

13. Don't Cry

14. My World.

Rocktrospectiva: The Epic And Magnificent "Use Your Illusion I" Turns 35

Released on 17 September 17 1991, "Use Your Illusion I" was the third studio album—and the first of a pair of twin albums—by the US rock band Guns N' Roses. It was their second most successful release and propelled the band to global fame at a time when glam metal and heavy metal were beginning to fade; for them, however, the opposite occurred, as the record revitalized their career. The album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and achieved massive success in several countries such as Argentina, Canada, the UK, Germany, and Japan, the album spawned the singles "Don't Cry", "November Rain" & "Live And Let Die."

The album featured singles that become iconic, a bunch of timeless anthems—such as the epic "November Rain"—as well as another epic track, "Don't Cry," which remains popular to this day. The record showcased a shift in their sound without abandoning their hard rock roots; the band incorporated elements of blues, classical music, punk rock, and, of course, heavy metal. This departure from the glam metal trend helped them avoid the obscurity that befell many famous "hair bands" of the era. Another significant change was the arrival of drummer Matt Sorum, who replaced Steven Adler after the latter was unable to overcome his drug addiction. 

It is interesting because many of the tracks here were written during their early years; "Don't Cry," "November Rain," "The Garden," "Bad Obsession," and "Back Off Bitch" all belong to that batch. There was also a cover of Paul McCartney's "Live and Let Die"—which was released as a single—and the epic "November Rain," which, along with "Coma," is one of the album's longest tracks. The songs have intriguing backstories, such as "Right Next Door to Hell"—referenced in the "Don't Cry" music video—which stemmed from an argument between Axl Rose and a neighbor at whom he threw a bottle. Then come "Dust N' Bones," featuring talk-box guitar; "Perfect Crime"; "You Ain't the First," which uses acoustic slide guitar; "Bad Obsession," about the drug problems that plagued the band before they found fame; "Back Off Bitch," one of the oldest tracks (rumored to have been played even before the Appetite for Destruction era); and the curious "Double Talkin' Jive," the story behind which involves Izzy Stradlin finding a severed head and a gun in a dumpster near the studio.

The final tracks were "Garden of Eden," written during rehearsals during a long stint in Chicago; "Don't Damn Me," created in response to the controversy surrounding their explicit lyrics—a song that has never been performed live; "Bad Apples," another track composed over a long period; "Dead Horse," featuring Axl Rose on acoustic guitar; and finally, the intriguing "Coma," which Rose said was written following a personal experience where he took a bottle of pills and ended up in the hospital.

As for the cover art, it is simply a detail from Raphael's fresco "The School of Athens", adapted by the famous artist Mark Kostabi (the artist was also referenced in the "Miami Vice" episode "The Lost Madonna" during the show's final season); this contrasts with the story often told that, when pieced together, they formed a... ...upside-down crucifix—which, as you can see, was nothing more than a lie. The album was released a week before the wave of alternative music records, but its high quality secured a special place for these two albums, which were released separately rather than as a single double album. It was a massive hit in these parts, too; radio stations played the singles constantly, and distributors couldn't keep up with the demand for the albums themselves.

Use Your Illusion I Track List:

1. Right Next Door To Hell
2. Dust N' Bones
3. Live And Let Die
4. Don't Cry
5. Perfect Crime
6. You Ain't The First
7. Bad Obsession
8. Back Off Bitch
9. Double Talkin' Jive
10. November Rain
11. The Garden
12. Garden Of Eden
13. Don't Damn Me
14. Bad Apples
15. Dead Horse
16. Coma

New Music: My Madness

           

David Byrne has released an updated edition of Who Is the Sky? in celebration of its recent one-year anniversary that includes four new tracks—including a new single "My Madness," which arrives with a vibrant music video. Describing this particular song as one of his personal favorites, Byrne shared what it’s all about: The singer imagines their ‘madness’ as a separate entity from themselves, one that they come to love, understand and respect. There’s a reconciliation.

In Memoriam: The Legendary French Singer "Catherine Ringer" Has Died Aged 68

Catherine Ringer has died at 68 after a battle with cancer. A defining figure in French rock and half of the iconic duo Les Rita Mitsouko alongside Fred Chichin, the singer leaves behind more than four decades of music, from Marcia Baïla to C’est comme ça, and a prolific solo career. 

French chanson is in mourning this Tuesday, September 15, 2026: Catherine Ringer has died at the age of 68 after a cancer battle, her children announced to AFP. A singer, songwriter, musician and actress, the artist born in Suresnes in 1957 will remain inseparable from the Rita Mitsouko, the band she founded with Fred Chichin in the early 1980s. Together, they left a lasting imprint on French songs and rock with their quirky world and hits such as Marcia Baïla, C’est comme ça, Andy and Les Histoires d’A.

Born on October 18, 1957, in Suresnes, in the Hauts-de-Seine region, Catherine Ringer grew up in an artistic milieu. Long before she became one of the most recognizable voices in French music, she explored several disciplines and gravitated toward theatre, dance, and music.

The turning point in her career arrives in 1979, when she meets guitarist Fred Chichin at a performance. From their artistic and personal chemistry will emerge the Rita Mitsouko, a name now inseparable from the French rock scene of the 1980s.

After their first single, Don't Forget The Nite, in 1981, the duo released their debut album, Rita Mitsouko, in 1984. The real breakout came a few months later with Marcia Baïla. Released as a single in 1985, Marcia Baïla pays tribute to Argentine dancer and choreographer Marcia Moretto, who died of cancer. With its blend of rock, pop and Latin-influenced rhythms, the track immediately established the duo’s distinctive universe.

The group’s success is substantial, helping to firmly embed the Rita Mitsouko in the French music landscape. Their meticulously crafted video also contributes to shaping the band’s colorful, offbeat aesthetic. But Catherine Ringer and Fred Chichin aren’t stopping at this first hit.

In 1986, The No Comprendo was released, produced by Tony Visconti, famed for his work with David Bowie. The album features several tracks that will stand the test of time: Andy, Les Histoires d'A and above all C'est comme ça.

With a instantly recognizable voice, expressive facial expressions, distinctive gestures and often extravagant outfits, Catherine Ringer has become one of the most idiosyncratic figures on the French music scene.

The albums come in quick succession and confirm the duo’s ability to navigate rock, pop, funk, and electronic music. Marc et Robert, released in 1988, notably features a collaboration with the American group Sparks on Singing in the Shower. It also includes Le Petit Train, a song with a deliberately catchy melody that nonetheless tackles deportation.

In 1993, Système D gave birth to Y'a d'la haine. They would go on to release Cool Frénésie in 2000, La Femme Trombone in 2002, and then Variéty, the duo’s final studio album. Catherine Ringer also pursues other collaborations. She notably duets with Marc Lavoine on Qu'est-ce que t'es belle, another memorable track in her discography.

Rita Mitsouko's story was jolted by a major upheaval in November 2007, with the death of Fred Chichin from cancer. Catherine Ringer nevertheless continues on her artistic path. She builds a solo career and releases in 2011 her first solo album, Ring n' Roll. This new chapter notably earns her the title of Female Artist of the Year at the 2012 Victoires de la Musique.

She subsequently publishes Chroniques et Fantaisies in 2017 and, in the meantime, keeps the Rita Mitsouko repertoire alive on stage.

Her career has spanned more than four decades, and Catherine Ringer has never lost what makes her unique: a theatrical voice that can move from tenderness to a scream, a visibly physical stage presence, and a musical universe that refuses to be confined to a single genre.

With the death of Catherine Ringer at 68 after battling cancer, one of the most distinctive figures in French music has passed away. From the early days of the Parisian alternative scene to the enormous success of the Rita Mitsouko, and then to her solo career, Catherine Ringer helped bring a decidedly different aesthetic into French popular culture.

Decades after their release, Marcia Baïla, C'est comme ça, Andy, Les Histoires d'A, Le Petit Train or Y'a d'la haine continue to keep this heritage alive.

Rocktrospectiva: The Underrated "Tin Machine II" Turns 35

Released on 2 September 1991 "Tin Machine II" was the second and final studio album by the Anglo-American rock band Tin Machine. The band, composed of David Bowie, Reeves Gabrels on guitar and brothers Tony Fox and Hunt Sales on bass and drums, respectively, recorded it in Sydney, Australia, in late 1989 at the conclusion of the Tin Machine Tour. After Bowie completed his solo Sound+Vision Tour in late 1990, recording resumed in Los Angeles, California, until March 1991. The production was handled by Tin Machine and Tim Palmer, who produced their debut studio album (1989), with additional production by Hugh Padgham on "One Shot". While the album musically retains a hard rock sound, the songs are more melodic compared to its predecessor, with lyrics focusing on love. The album spawned three singles "You Belong In Rock 'n Roll", "Baby Universal" & "One Shot".

The cover artwork features four Greek Kouroi and was controversial in the US due to the statues' genitalia. Tin Machine II received mostly mixed reviews from music critics, with many highlighting individual tracks but considering the project as a whole mediocre. Some recognised it as an improvement over Tin Machine. The album peaked at number 23 in the UK and number 126 in the US. 

Tin Machine was formed in 1988 by David Bowie, who was at an artistic low point and looking to revitalise his career. The completed lineup included American guitarist Reeves Gabrels and brothers Tony Fox and Hunt Sales on bass and drums, respectively; Kevin Armstrong acted as an additional guitarist. The band recorded their eponymous debut album in late 1988 with the producer Tim Palmer. Despite a clash in personalities between the Sales brothers and Gabrels, the sessions were extremely productive, with over 35 songs recorded in six weeks. The album's tracks were recorded raw and live with few overdubs to capture the energy of Tin Machine, resulting in a hard rock sound with lyrics discussing world issues and love.

The band were responded to with mixed reviews from critics. When promoting Tin Machine, Bowie made it clear to interviewers that the band were a democratic unit, their first album was released in May 1989, Tin Machine was met with mixed reviews and sold well at first but declined quickly. Some reviewers later noted that Tin Machine were exploring styles of grunge and alternative rock before those styles became popular.

Recording for Tin Machine II began in September 1989 in Sydney, Australia, where the band spent three weeks recording new material. They maintained the lineup of Tin Machine, with Armstrong as an additional guitarist. Tin Machine played an impromptu show at a small Sydney venue on 4 November 1989 before taking a rest in January 1990 as Bowie conducted his solo Sound+Vision Tour. The tour concluded in September 1990, after which Bowie announced his split with EMI. According to Pegg, EMI were continuously expecting another success equivalent of Let's Dance (1983) and became fed up with Bowie's uncommercial work as part of Tin Machine to the point where they refused to market another Tin Machine record, leading Bowie to depart. At the time, EMI were undertaking a reissue campaign with the American label Rykodisc of Bowie's back catalogue, which remained unaffected by the split.

In March 1991, Tin Machine signed with Victory Music, a newly formed record label created by the JVC corporation, with worldwide distribution by London Records and PolyGram. The same month, the band reconvened at A&M Studios in Los Angeles, California, to record three new tracks. The label requested a radio-friendly hit so Hugh Padgham, Bowie's co-producer for Tonight (1984), was hired to oversee work on the song "One Shot". Padgham told the biographer David Buckley that he was not a fan of Tin Machine's prior work, stating it "sounded like a mad bunch of people". Upon working with them, he praised Gabrels' guitar contributions but called the Sales brothers "basically mad". Tim Palmer, who produced their debut album, was brought back to produce and mix Tin Machine II.

Some tracks originated from the sessions for Tin Machine. Bowie and Gabrels had begun working on "Shopping for Girls" in August 1988 before the sessions began, while "If There Is Something", a Roxy Music cover, was the second song the band recorded after "Heaven's in Here". Bowie stated: "We were so exhausted that we didn't have it in us to write another song, so we used an old song to show how we as a band would approach someone else's material." The song was then shelved and placed on Tin Machine II, with Bowie saying "we pulled it out to see how it sounded. We really got off on it." 

About the music and lyrics, Reeves Gabrels considered the music of Tin Machine II to be "as aggressive as [its predecessor]", but found the songs more melodic. He told Rolling Stone in 1991: "Last time, we were screaming at the world. This time, I think, they're all love songs in a strange kind of way." The author James E. Perone agreed, calling the tracks more accessible than the debut, featuring more conventional hard rock sounds and less "incessant gloom". Nevertheless, Dave Thompson felt the band continued their "loud and rambunctious" sound, while the lyrics were "forthright and confrontational". 

Bill Wyman from Entertainment Weekly noted the presence of blues, hard rock, art rock and schmaltz, some compares "You Belong In Rock n' Roll" to his work with the Spiders from Mars and the music of "Amlapura" to the folk rock on Bowie's 1969 album Space Oddity, although notes that the lyrics, which describe "images of dead children", are a lot darker than the material of that era.

Gabrels used greater experimentation on guitar for Tin Machine II, including the use of a vibrator on some tracks. He later stated that at the time, he was deeply into Nine Inch Nails' album Pretty Hate Machine (1989) and was looking for an industrial edge to his own guitar work for the album. Ultimately (after recording track after track of guitar noise), he found a "shard of guitar noise" that he liked and used it on "Shopping for Girls", a song about child prostitution in Thailand. Buckley notes that as a way to show the band to be a "democratic unit", Hunt Sales took lead vocals on two tracks, "Stateside" and "Sorry", the latter of which he wrote by himself. "Goodbye Mr. Ed" is lyrically a farewell to the title character of the television series Mister Ed, who was a talking horse. Perone compares the song's musical style to the 1970s work of the Jam and the 1960s work of the Who.

The cover artwork was created by Edward Bell, who previously created the artwork for Bowie's 1980 album Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps). It depicts four Kouroi—Greek statues dating to the sixth century BC—that represent individuals who lack identity, which Pegg believes encapsulates the "ethos" of Tin Machine. The British cover showed the statues' genitalia, but for the American release of Tin Machine II, the genitalia were airbrushed out. Bowie commented, "Only in America ... [...] Even Canada has the original cover!" He teased the idea of allowing US album-buyers to send away to Victory Music for the genitalia that were struck from their version of the cover, but the label balked. He said: "then [the fans] could paste them back on. But the label freaked out at the idea. Sending genitals through the mail is a serious offense."

Tin Machine supported the album with the seven-month It's My Life Tour, which started in October 1991 and concluded in February 1992. They recorded one show for fans on 1 September 1991 at the Los Angeles airport which was taped for broadcast in the US as part of the ABC In Concert series, aired on 6 September.

The album was met with mixed reviews from music critics on release, some praising individual tracks such as "If There Was Something", "You Belong in Rock 'n' Roll" and "Shopping for Girls", but that was it, but in a more favourable review, called the majority of the tracks in the album as "passable bordering on dull", definitely their second album was a truer collaboration for the band due to the more varied songwriting. In the years to come, late 1990s, some critics have suggested that the album was "unjustly" harshly reviewed at the time of its release. This was echoed by Tony Horkins of International Musician magazine, who initially hypothesised that "maybe, like the rest of Bowie's career, it'll all make a lot more sense in a few years time".

 

Tin Machine II Track List: 

 

1. Baby Universal

2. One Shot

3. You Belong In Rock n' Roll

4. If There Is Something

5. Amlapura

6. Betty Wrong

7. You Can't Talk

8. Stateside

9. Shopping For Girls

10. A Big Hurt

11. Sorry

12. Goodbye Mr. Ed

13. Hammerhead (instrumental hidden track) 

Rocktrospectiva: The Wonderful And Abrassive Beauty "Coming Up" Turns 30

Released on 2 September 1996 "Coming Up" was the third album by English alternative rock band Suede. It was the band's first album since the departure of guitarist Bernard Butler, who was replaced by Richard Oakes. Also added to the band was keyboardist (and Simon Gilbert's cousin) Neil Codling. The album was a commercial and critical success, Coming Up was the second by the band to reach no. 1 on the UK Albums Chart, producing five top ten singles "Trash", "Beautiful Ones", "Filmstar", "Lazy" & "Saturday Night" the album received a favourable reception at home and in the US. Coming Up was the album that introduced Suede to a worldwide audience, in places such as Europe, Canada and Asia.

After the departure of guitarist Bernard Butler and the lack of commercial success with Dog Man Star and its singles, Suede were being somewhat dismissed by the British music press with Oasis, Blur and Pulp taking the limelight. Determined to bring Suede back into the mainstream, frontman Brett Anderson decided that the sound of the new album would be the complete opposite of Dog Man Star. "I think the next album will be quite simple, actually. I'd really like to write a straightforward pop album. Just ten hits." The guitarist to replace Butler was the 17-year-old Richard Oakes, who beat 500 other applicants for the role. Instead of applying for the job like everyone else, Oakes was auditioned on the strength of an impromptu demo tape he sent to the Suede fan club. Despite Oakes' smooth integration into his new role and the band's rejuvenated spirit, Anderson was tired of touring and was keen to get back in the studio with his new songwriting partner. He recalled: "it was becoming really not much fun touring an album that wasn't made by the band." At the time Suede were fatigued with being on tour, which was reflected in the B-side, "Have You Ever Been This Low".

After some hesitation over who was going to produce the album, the band decided to continue with long-time producer Ed Buller due to their strong working relationship over the years. Other candidates the band considered were Flood and Brian Eno, however they could not fit the band into their schedules. Buller had in fact welcomed a parting of the ways due to the fractious relationship between the band members during the recording of the last album. However, in friendly discussions with Anderson, Buller found that his ideas about a possible new Suede direction tallied almost exactly with the band's own: to write less complex, more immediate songs; to use heavier drum sounds, play fewer guitar solos and only employ string sections on a couple of songs such as "She" and "The Chemistry Between Us." 

The album was recorded between December 1995 and June 1996 at various locations. To prepare for its recording, the band had immersed themselves in T. Rex's 1972 album The Slider and its successor, Tanx; as Buller stated that his aspiration was to make "The Slider for the Nineties." T. Rex became the blueprint of the recording process, as the band spent a month at The Town House just working on drums. 

Buller explained how the recording process worked: "Basically, what we did, is that every track started with acoustic guitar, bongos, tambourine and Brett [Anderson], so it all started life pretty much the same way that Marc Bolan recorded all of his stuff originally." Bass player Mat Osman recalls how Buller was keen on making the album simple. "He was really keen on using all those devices: the big repeated end, the handclaps, the straightforward chorus, make it big and obvious." In an interview on the eve of the album's release, Anderson stated: "I wanted it to be a complete turnover from the last album, which was very dark and dank ... I wanted it to be communicative and understandable." Two songs which made it onto Coming Up had already been written in the early days of Suede. "Lazy" and "By the Sea" were two of Anderson's own compositions. "By the Sea" was actually written when Suede were recording their first album, which is why the song's opening line is similar to "So Young". Unlike the tense and chaotic recording of Dog Man Star, which according to Anderson was mostly written "by post", in a shift-like format, the new material was far more celebratory in both its development and execution.

As opposed to the previous album which followed a stringent pattern of Butler composing music for Anderson's lyrics, Coming Up was a more collaborative project. Anderson stated: "Coming Up was more of a meritocracy – if something was good enough, it didn't matter what the source was." Songs such as "By the Sea" and "She" required the use of keyboards. Faced with the problem as to how to play them live, Suede recruited Simon Gilbert's cousin Neil Codling, who made his debut at a fan-club gig in January 1996. Buller has stated that the reason why the album has a much better sound than the previous albums is that he had minimal involvement in the mixing process, mixing only two songs. 

Buller credits much of the album's success to Dave Bascombe, who mixed the majority of the songs. According to Buller, having an outside observer mix the record with "fresh ears" enhances the overall production quality. Bascombe's input on "Trash" was crucial, as it was his idea to speed up the vocals. One of Suede's popular B-sides "Young Men" was left off the album, as Buller felt it was "too dark" and not as "poppy [and] in your face" as other songs on the record. 

The musical sound of Coming Up is more accessible than previous album Dog Man Star. Its singles were much more successful than those of their second LP, while the lyrical content concerns the band's disaffection at the mid-90s hedonistic, celebrity-obsessed culture; "Beautiful Ones" and "She" are caricatures of British yuppies, celebrities and heroin-chic models. "Beautiful Ones" was originally titled "Dead Leg" after Osman threatened to give Oakes a dead leg if he was unable to write a top ten single. According to Anderson, "The Chemistry Between Us" is about "the emptiness of it all", when it comes to taking drugs with strangers who have no common ground other than being high on drugs. The main refrain of the song is "Class A, Class B, is that the only chemistry between us

Reviews were generally positive and seemed to respect Suede's new poppy and direct sound and considered the new album as if Dog Man Star was Diamond Dogs, then this was Suede's Ziggy Stardust – extravagant, steeped in glam and unashamedly poppy, others called the album as a wondrous pop album, simultaneously immediate and full of scope, a lovely, charming mix of absolute beauty and the thrillingly awkward."

 

Coming Up Track List:  

 

1. Trash

2. Filmstar

3. Lazy

4. By The Sea

5. She

6. Beautiful Ones

7. Starcrazy

8. Picnic By The Motorway

9. The Chemistry Between Us

10. Saturday Night