Jasmine Minks
We Make Our Own History
Watch out world - the Jasmine Minks are back, urgent and resurgent, all tooled up and ready to rage against the machine with a barrage of life, love and poetry! Released in partnership by the twin hipster flash mob of Last Night From Glasgow and Spinout Nuggets, 'We Make Our Own History' is the Creation Records legends' first studio album since 'Popartglory' in 2001. Sure, they're older and maybe a bit wiser. But anyone familiar with the Minks' catalogue will immediately recognise the classic songwriting, the timeless guitar pop, the punk-mod attack - always shot through with a rich emotional intensity. In truth they've never really been away, having played the occasional show in the last couple of decades, while last year lead man Jim Shepherd finally released his first solo LP to great acclaim. Possessed of what is surely one of the indie world's most soulful voices, Shepherd is now back with his boys, and this album is closer in spirit to the Minks' much loved debut full-length LP (known to fans as the 'Blue Album') than anything else they've ever done. Although Adam Sanderson is not in the band at the moment, this is still the Jasmine Minks of old with Tom Reid taking a much more upfront role in vocals with his sonorous baritone while stalwarts Wattie Duncan and Martin Keena supply supreme Minkness. With The Television Personalities' Dave Musker back in the fold and longtime associate Chris Narayan adding fuel to the fire, the mature Minks sound as full of energy as they did when they were in their teens. This is the Jasmine Minks of 'Cold Heart,' of 'Where The Traffic Goes' or 'Cut Me Deep.' It's powerful, psychedelic in parts, passionate and poppy. Pure Jasmine Minks, in other words, and an album to be cherished.