Updated April 2011.
Unkle Bob are set to release their new single, Satellite on Mother City Records. The song has been lifted from the band’s new album Shockwaves, the follow up to the critically lauded Sugar and Spite, a record that made the band something of a cult phenomenon in the US; their songs have since sound-tracked countless US teen dramas (spawning well over 100,000 downloads in the process) whilst the song Swans featured in the climax to a Greys Anatomy storyline and inspired literally hundreds of college kids to make their own Swans videos. You can see some of their efforts (as well as a selection of tantalising Unkle Bob ephemera) on an EPK (below)
According to Q Magazine, Satellite “may sound sweet – the glorious, lavishly layered harmonies could fell an ox – but it’s actually a minefield of lyrical barbs.” Indeed it includes the chorus “Who do you think you are?/You’re not a star/You’re just a Satellite” and features honey-tongued main-man Rick Webster embracing self-doubt like a long-lost friend. Produced by James guitarist/Sugar and Spite producer Saul Davies, the song questions Unkle Bob’s own place in the pop firmament, perhaps suggesting that many of the band’s contemporaries are as subject to the same kind of gravitational pull as the rest of us.
Unkle Bob are Rick Webster (vocals, guitar), Stuart Cartwright (vocals, guitar, banjo, mandolin), Ron Yeadon (keyboards, percussion), Chloe Treacher (bass) and Chris Hardwick (drums). Genuinely loved (and a well-kept secret like Teenage Fanclub and early REM) they’re naturally one of the most gorgeous and uplifting bands on the planet. Q magazine suggested that Sugar and Spite was “reminiscent of early REM – really very lovely indeed” whilst MOJO noted that it was “warm-melancholic as Prefab Sprout or icy-isolated as Radiohead” and that the band hurled themselves “from reflection to ripped-up despair in a moment.” The Times allowed that we shouldn’t “be surprised if this Glasgow-born quintet are still selling albums 20 years from now because they have a deadly weapon in their armoury; great songs.”
More praise for Unkle Bob:
“A bittersweet album full of lovely pop tunes.” The Sunday Times
“Rick Webster is a master of the lovelorn, desperate lyric.” The Times.
“A folk group for the Coldplay Generation.” WORD
“FAB. Just imagine fellow Scots Teenage Fanclub doing full-tilt hypnotic Neil Young-style razor rock.” The Mirror.
(written by Phill Savidge)
2010
Q Review
Daily Record Review
| 2007 |
| 2006 |
Unkle Bob are set to release their new single, the effortlessly flawless pop masterpiece Satellite on Mother City Records. The song has been lifted from the band’s new album Shockwaves, the follow up to the critically lauded Sugar and Spite, a record that made the band something of a cult phenomenon in the US; their songs have since sound-tracked countless US teen dramas (spawning well over 100,000 downloads in the process) whilst the song Swans featured in the climax to a Greys Anatomy storyline and inspired literally hundreds of college kids to make their own Swans videos. You can see some of their efforts (as well as a selection of tantalising Unkle Bob ephemera) on an EPK accessible here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYCiU_106D8
According to Q Magazine, Satellite “may sound sweet – the glorious, lavishly layered harmonies could fell an ox – but it’s actually a minefield of lyrical barbs.” Indeed it includes the chorus “Who do you think you are?/You’re not a star/You’re just a Satellite” and features honey-tongued main-man Rick Webster embracing self-doubt like a long-lost friend. Produced by James guitarist/Sugar and Spite producer Saul Davies, the song questions Unkle Bob’s own place in the pop firmament, perhaps suggesting that many of the band’s contemporaries are as subject to the same kind of gravitational pull as the rest of us. The Satellite package will also include three more tracks taken from Shockwaves – In My Head, Giving It All Away, Ships On The Shoreline.
Unkle Bob are Rick Webster (vocals, guitar), Stuart Cartwright (vocals, guitar, banjo, mandolin), Ron Yeadon (keyboards, percussion), Chloe Treacher (bass) and Nick Foot (drums). Genuinely loved (and a well-kept secret like Teenage Fanclub and early REM) they’re naturally one of the most gorgeous and uplifting bands on the planet. Q magazine suggested that Sugar and Spite was “reminiscent of early REM – really very lovely indeed” whilst MOJO noted that it was “warm-melancholic as Prefab Sprout or icy-isolated as Radiohead” and that the band hurled themselves “from reflection to ripped-up despair in a moment.” The Times allowed that we shouldn’t “be surprised if this Glasgow-born quintet are still selling albums 20 years from now because they have a deadly weapon in their armoury; great songs.”
More praise for Unkle Bob:
“A bittersweet album full of lovely pop tunes.” The Sunday Times
“Rick Webster is a master of the lovelorn, desperate lyric.” The Times.
“A folk group for the Coldplay Generation.” WORD
“FAB. Just imagine fellow Scots Teenage Fanclub doing full-tilt hypnotic Neil Young-style razor rock.” The Mirror.
