I grew up with Britpop and grunge.

But just like I fell in love with Nirvana or Soundgarden right away, my relationship with the music from the British Isles was troublesome at best.

In fact, by 1996, I was ready to forget about it. As great as those happy, or sometimes plain simplistic songs might have seem, they had none of what I value in rock - darkness, grit, despair...

Then, one day, a review of Strangelove's second album, Love and Other Demons, turned everything I knew about Britpop upside down. The author compare the music to exorcising personal demons. He spoke of guitar noise, the grit and dirt of a distorted amp, a musical ritual...

I knew I had to hear it. And once I did, it was all that and more.

I found my Britpop.

In this issue, I tell you more about Strangelove's album and other similarly dark Britpop records. For there are many.

Also in the issue: The upcoming album by Pallas, Ray Russell's new release, two amazing prog folk records from Argentina, new folk album from Sam Sweeney and Grace Smith, two new tape transfers from HDTT, and quite a lot more.

As always, I do hope that you'll find some new records worth hearing here.

Pawel

PS. To paraphrase one of my absolute favourites, Grateful Dead: Who are you? Where are you? And what do you listen to? I'd love to know you, so hit reply...