"Don't disillusion me... I've only got record shops left"
Other Bands:
Just a list of some bands I like, Some cut of the same cloth as Novak, others not. Sorry about any broken links, but that's the internet for you.
If you're looking for information about groups and other releated stuff try the British Moremusic site.
Or the old standby of the Ulimate Band List, Bit bloated with adverts, but is does what is says on the tin!
Add N to (X): Kraftwerk attempted to create the perfect Mensch-Maschine by hard work, co-existance with high tec/mechano/bio systems, and err.. cycling. Add N to (X) succeeded by shagging the toaster! Talking about which, the 'Metal Fingers Inside My body' Video is available via My Very Little Add N to (x) Shrine , Please be aware, that although it is only an animated video, it has a rather adult Content. Please do not download if this may offend you.
Alex Harvey: Vambo may be feeling a bit peaky at the moment, but there will always be a place in my heart for SAHB
Alphane Moon/Our Glassie Azoth: Noisy, yet beautiful Welsh sound scapes
Appliance: Great repetitive rockers. Possibly better on 10" than live...
Arab Strap: First album was superb, singles great. Second album, verstigial music and the lyrics consisted of more whining about not getting/getting the wrong type of sex/drugs/attention than the entire series of 'Sex in the City'. Ghasty, but the B-side of the new 'Lucky Piere' single is the only song I've heard in a dream. Return to form!
Avrocar Another Birmingham experimental pop group. Don't sound especially like Novak, but if you appreciate the finer things in life...
Azure Plane: Just how many singles can one group produce!
B*witched: I know, I should "Get a loife!", But I still like 'em!
Bis: Shouty (screechy?) Power pop at its best.
Betty Boo: The one girl Spice Girl. I still miss her! Where are you baby?
The Bristols: A modern London based Girl fronted 60's pop group sound. Sounds like a 'orrible concept, But I love them! You just can't quite believe "I'm not a bad girl..." If anyone knows anything about them, please do tell me at the address on the main page
Broadcast: Fellow Birmingham sonic explorer types
James Brown: Life doesn't get any better than listening to 'Sex Machine', 'Funky President' or many, many more!
Can: All colour is bad, Or something!
George Clinton/Parliment/Funkadelic: Rockstastic early stuff, boppy later. What is Soul?
Creeping Jenny: On the evidence of 3 songs, they appear to be somewhere between Pram and Novak. Does anyone out there know any more about this mysterious band?
Electroscope: More woodwind that you can shake a flute at.
Emerson, Lake and Palmer: Uncool? yep, pompous? certainly, overblown? Of course! Rubbish? Possibly. Liking the most unfashionable (but once hip!) group in rock as the utltimate rejection of 'cooler than thou'? The best excuse I can think of! Challange the Orthodoxy! Ridicule is nothing to be scared of! Some terrible record though...
Faust: The most far out (and therefore most interesting?) of the 'Classic' Krautrock groups?
The Freed Unit: Eclectic mix of warm bleeps, psychadelic rock and accoustic guitar strums, but not all at the same time. Chuck them in a skip with Prolapse, the last ones standing win the prize of the best Leicester group!
Gang of Four: The best thing to come out of Leeds, certainly the University anyway....
Godspeed you Black Emporor!: Possibly the most 'Prog' of the mydrad 'Post rock' groups, thats not an insult by the way! Nice line in cheeky samples of loony (US) Americans talking about their guns, from these Canadian types!
GNAC:
P.J. Harvey: Ever brilliant. But somehow I still feel let down by the eye-brow plucking.
ISAN: Wonderful warm bleeps. You simply must read the 'Kitchen' Link on this page!
Jessamine: On Kranky, nuff said!
Joy Division: Goes without saying, bonus marks if you spotted where the quote at the top of the page came from.
Kenickie: Slampt sell outs? Media whores with no punters? Populist without being popular? All that and more.. But I still have a soft spot for 'em! If anyones interested, Novak were apparently spotted at a london Rosita Gig.
Kraftwerk: The most important group ever? The Beatles®, Hah!
Kredler: Together with Other German groups such as To Roco Rot, Pole, Tarwater, and most of the other stuff on Kitty Yo records, show the amazing music coming out of Germany. 'Dance' based music that you don't dance to, or maybe thats just me..
Killing Joke: Chugga-Chugga punk-Rock? Who then sold out? Don't forget the brilliant disco bass lines and vocal melodies hidden in the dense and orginal guitars and drums. Who then sold out. I was absolutly mad on this lot for years, the new albums are in many ways as good as ever, heck, I even like the mid to late eighties mainstream stuff!
Komeda: Swedish popsters. "Rock me on the rug, c'mon baby, I need a hug!" I can add nothing to that!
Labradford: Cold drone-tastic! But the're moving more into a fuller, fatter sound in recent times. Which some may prefer.
Low: The Mormon depressives certainly float my boat!
Lung Leg: Daft name for the Scottish popsters, lust for leg! News just In, they've Split! Darn!!
Mogwai: Hmmm, nice! But keep that Stuart Brathwaites mouth shut in interviews.
Magnetaphone: Scary noisy keyboard monsters.Birmingham based, have been know to play on the same bill as Novak.
Neu!: Arguably the best of the Stereolab clones ;-)
Novak: yes I know, not that one! This lot are American, their idea of Space Rock may not be the same as mine, but they seem like a nice set of boys, check 'em out!
Piano Magic: Don't sound like Sparkey, but still magic! (sorry)
Pink Floyd: Bit of cheat this one, as they are really several groups under the one name; Syd's psydellic posters and freak outs, the music architecture of Echoes, and the powerful lyrics of the Roger Waters years, and the latest guitar hero of Gilmour's Floyd. I've like all of the stages at various times, And Syd Barrott's unique solo work as well!
Pole: The best group in the 'The ants scraping inside your head noise & Bass' Scene. More experimention going on in one of his tracks than many of the 'post rock' groups put into a whole album.
Pram: The Gods of the Birmingham scene. "The Best Pram Site In the World...Ever!"© appears to have gone missing, hopefully it'll come back
Prolapse: They sound better "than your bottom falling out of your bottom". See also 'The Freed Unit'
Public Image Limited: The best group that had John Lydon in it, best for a couple of years anyway...
Pulp: Mainstream group of the '90s?
Quickspace (neé Supersport): Have taken Novak under their wing. The Q'spacers themselves have move on from their early Stereolab/Neu! influences, into something a lot more interesting.
Shallow: Hmm, from the very little I've heard of this American Pop-combo, I would say they were the closest to an American Novak, appart from Mercury Rev of course (He-He!) I must hear some more!
Bobby Singer: Austrian pop minx! Eurotastic!
Slint: Quite simply if you like more that 3 of the other groups on this list, you simply must listen to some Slint. Sorry if I'm preaching to the converted here, but they are one of the best groups in the history of America.
Smog: I'm not sure why I like Smog so much more, than say Palace, but I just do!
Soft Cell: Loverly pop tunes with some of the nastiest most poisonous lyrics ever, nice one!
Stars of the Lid: Taking the drone to new extremes!
Stereolab: Personally I prefered them when they were trying to be 70's and German, not 60's and French.
The Third Eye Foundation: The first album broke boundries I never knew excisted. He's pulled back a little from the edge recently, but I'll never forget the impact of 'Sleep'. Still always worth a listen.
Tin Foil Star: Hard to descibe stuff (!) from Belgium, even loved his Gary Numan's Cry the Clock Said, sound a-like track!
To Rococo Rot: The best paladromic group, ever? Well, other than A-ha ;-) In the own words of Stefan S. "It's based on translucent simplicity and understatment, yet is increadably powerful and enchancing at the same time", Couldn't have put it better myself!
Tortoise: Changed the course of music in the mid '90s, invented Post Rock and now slowly turning into full on Jazz-rock ensemble, I just can't bring myself to look anymore!
Tom Waits: One of the few artist who got better with age.
Winsor For the Derby: Ambient, and nosiy, and apparently no longer with us.
Jah Wobble: Bass thunderings from the man they call Mr.Wobble
MORE GROUPS (and opinated rubbish) TO FOLLOW:
I Recommend the use of Vinyl whenever possible
I advise Thorens Turntables, second hand bargains, 95% as good as Linn, third the price. And without the sexist marketing too!
Nice sites for Quad, Lowther and Leak can be found there. In my limited experience of up-market Hi-fi suggests, in terms of sound quality, Valves=Good, Transistors=Bad.