Something Stirred Within Me

In the most recent Toronto Star books section I reviewed Simon Reynolds’ postpunk history Rip It Up and Start Again – the review’s here. (Filed two or three months ago and published this week, but hey, sometime’s that’s the way it goes.) It’s something of a music theme over at Star books this week, with reviews also of books about the Pixies, the Flaming Lips, and Impulse Records. Check the full lineup here.

This classic Orange Juice single gave Reynolds his title, and the Shop Assistants crossed my ears again recently and seem fairly musically simpatico with Edwyn Collins et al, so what the hell.

• Orange Juice, “Rip It Up”
• Shop Assistants, “I Don’t Want to Be Friends with You”

Buy an Orange Juice comp here (in the U.K.) and the Shop Assistants’ Will Anything Happen nowhere, from what I can tell, which is really too bad.