Only 13 tracks this week as there's quite a few long ones.
Slime City - Less Jools More Top Of The Pops
Existential nerd rock, they call it. They're from Glasgow and this single came out on Friday.
Gnod - Uncle Frank Says Turn It Down
The Salford collective return with the new LP Chapel Perilous.
Boobs Of Doom - Thor's Womb
This is the radio edit as the full version of the single lasts for 41 (forty-one) minutes.
Art Brut - Wham! Bang! Pow! Let's Rock Out!
The joyous return of Art Brut. Their first album in seven years is due out in autumn and this is the first track taken from it.
The Shakers - Get Me Down
Taking the DIY ethic to extremes, this is the first track the South Londoners have done entirely on their own - recording, producing and releasing.
The Nightingales - Chaff
A track taken from the forthcoming album Perish The Thought.
Fat Earthers - Life's Political
This dates back from January. They're from the Isle of Wight and this is off their self-titled EP.
The Jjohns - Sewn
The first track for their new label, Modern Sky.
Silent Forum - How I Faked The Moon Landing
From Cardiff, this came out on Friday as part of Libertino Records' singles club.
Marbled Eye - New Crease
These are from Oakland in California and this is off the EP Promo Tape 2018 that came out in April.
Nervous Twitch - You Promised Me The World
Leeds punk trio. Flippin' love 'em. This is the second single off the LP I Won't Hide.
Mokri - Labyrinth
The third single taken from the LP Total Love.
Föllakzoid - Feuerzeug
And to finish, 9 minutes of Chilean krautrock off the 2015 album III.
Youtube:
Soundcloud:
Not about next week, so we'll resume in a fortnight.
It's all about the final track this week. Consider the first 12 tracks as a preamble.
Imaginary People - Summerstock
An unmistakeably New York sound. Off the LP Dead Letterbox, which is a great title, which came out in summer.
The Chills - America Says Hello
Another one from the first Chills album in 15 years, Silver Bullets.
Featured Album Art Brut - Formed A Band Art Brut - Modern Art
Our featured LP this week is Art Brut's debut long-player Bang Bang Rock & Roll. It came out in 2005 and introduced us to a totally unique band. Just brilliant.
Brando's Island - Auto Warfare
To Australia now, a band completely new to me. And blimey do they kick up a racket. An LP is due shortly. And they raise a fair point. Did we even have debate on shifting warfare to bunkers many thousands of miles away from battle?
Ghost Car - Be A Better Lady
Another track from their split LP with Summerisle, the Ghost Car bits which are now available as a self-titled EP.
The Migrant - Silence
Denmark now, and the new single from these psych-folk rockers. The album is Flood and it's out now.
Vertical Slump - Chanteuse
Comprising members of other bands, Shopping and Omi Palome for two, this is off the EP Ruined Value which came out last month.
Salary - Mini Moke
Back to Australia, Perth in fact, for this one. Out last week. Easy on the Autotune, eh?
Radar Men From The Moon - Deconstruction
Named for a 1952 B-movie, these are from Eindhoven. This is off the EP Subversive I which came out in October.
Featured Album Art Brut - Good Weekend
Another one from Bang Bang Rock & Roll. A gem.
Blank Realm - River Of Longing
Back Down Under again, this time to Brisbane for another track from the LP Illegals In Heaven, their fifth, which is out now.
David Bowie - Blackstar
And so here it is, the new single from Bowie. An epic ten-minuter from an LP of the same name which is due out in January, his 25th studio album. Spectacular. He's gone full Scott Walker, hasn't he?
Here's that on YouTube:
and Soundcloud:
Not in next week - football - so the next one will be the christmas special in a fortnight.
I'm really not with it. My prescription is playing havoc with my head, so this is rather phoned in this week. Indeed, I can only really provide you a list of tracks and minimal commentary. Bear with me - my head will straighten out in time.
St Etienne - DJ
Great star. I reckon I'd not get bored listening to Sara Cracknell reading the phone book.
Kill It Kid - I'll Be The First
Cruising - You Made Me Do That
Noisy, like we like it.
Cover Version Corner Hasil Adkins/Druggy Pizza - Chicken Walk
I was looking for something else by Druggy Pizza, found this and figured why not?
Art Brut - Emily Kane
Because why not
High Hazels - Misbehave
New, excellent, record of the week
Some Minor Noise - Deadhead
*bad word warning*
The Crookes - Yes, Yes, We're Magicians
From a while ago, but what the hey?
Post War Glamour Girls - Gustave
*another bad word warning*
The Field - No No (John Tejada remix)
One Degree of Separation Big In Japan - Nothing Special Frankie Goes To Hollywood - Two Tribes (Peel session)
Holly Johnson, innit
Kordian Trudny - Zdrada
He's from Katowice. The album is called Katowice. It's dead good. Sounds like Gary Numan.
Deleted Soul - Kumbacha
So much going on in here. Delightful.
Tourist - Together
Perfect closer.
Here's that on YouTube:
And Soundcloud:
I'll try to be more focused next week, but I'll still be on these meds so chances of that are slim. Ah well.
In the absence of any air time until January 7, I've put together a selection of some of my favourite tracks from 2013. It's not definitive, I'm not claiming any authority and neither is it in any particular order. It's simply 21 tracks I've enjoyed this last year.
I haven't only enjoyed 21 tracks all year, obviously, but I had to stop somewhere and that just happens to be the number at which I stopped. Anyway, here you go:
Listen, enjoy, share if you like. Tell me what I'm missing, if you really want.
Merry festivities.
A full 100 minutes of the show tonight due to a combination of poor planning and unforeseen circumstances. Oh well, an opportunity to work through that ever-growing backlog.
Ruen Brothers - Walk Like A Man John: Sounding like they're from 1960s Tennessee or something, these lads are very much au courant and from sunny Scunthorpe. They are Henry and Rupert Ruen and that's their debut single.
Disclosure - When A Fire Starts To Burn John: Another pair of brothers, this time from Surrey. Guy and Howard Lawrence are Disclosure and they're very much the new big thing. Their debut album 'Settle' came out two weeks ago and went straight to number one.
Bat For Lashes and Toy - The Bride John: Take two of our favourite bands, mix together and tell them to make a record with Jefferson Airplane overtones and this is what you get. Carolyn: That does sound a lot like White Rabbit. I liked the start and the end, but it went a bit strange in the middle. John: No idea if it's anything other than this one-off, but I hope it is. Marvellous stuff.
Cover Version Corner Inspiral Carpets/Carter USM - This Is How It Feels John: From the Carpets' debut album 'Life' from all the way back in 1990. Carter had it on the B-side of After The Watershed a year later. Carolyn: All I know about Carter is the rugby tackle on Phillip Schofield. John: After The Watershed was what they played immediately before that incident.
Hooded Fang - Ode To Subterranea John: We're awaiting a new album from these. 'Gravez' - with a Z, inevitably - is it and is due soon. A bit of good old San Francisco psychedelia from Toronto.
Money - Bluebell Fields John: A new band, these are a four-piece from Manchester and this is their debut release. They've just signed to Bella Union records and the finishing touches to an album are being applied sort of now. That's awfully relaxing. Carolyn: I'll say. Nearly dozing off, here.
Virals - Wax Work John: Something a bit livelier then. Virals is Shaun Henscher from Worcester and that's available as a free download right now.
Tame Impala - Apocalypse Dreams John: We've played a few tracks off the hit album 'Lonerism' and this is the latest. Top notch.
Jagwar Ma - Man I Need John: And another Aussie band with a smash on their hands. This is the Sydney duo's (Tame Impala are from Perth) latest release from the album 'Howlin''.
One Degree of Separation The Durutti Column - Sketch For Summer Neon Neon - Hammer And Sickle John: That's the second single from Neon Neon's second album 'Praxis Makes Perfect' which is a concept album about Giangiacomo Feltrinelli, the subversive publisher and left-wing agitator during the Years Of Lead - the 1960s to '80s in Italy, a time marked by tit-for-tat political assassinations and complete political turmoil. Before that, The Durutti Column from back in 1980 off the debut album 'The Return Of The Durutti Column'. They were named after Buenaventura Durutti, Spanish anarchist who was active pre- and during the Civil War. Carolyn: Wow. Not just a music show, this... John: That Durutti Column album - on Factory - was notable also for coming in a sandpaper sleeve, an homage to Situationist writer Guy Debord whose 'Mémoires' did likewise, in order that other books on the shelf are destroyed every time you take it out. Not the only time Factory did something daft with a record cover - the Blue Monday 12", for instance, which famously cost more to produce than it was sold for.
Liars - I Saw You From The Lifeboat John: This is off the forthcoming album 'Synth's Not Dead' and boy am I glad it's not. Carolyn: I didn't like it. John: I appreciate it's an opinion-divider. Personally, in an era when a lot of music is made with computers, there's still room for the Sinclair ZX Spectrum.
Art Brut - We Make Pop Music John: I'm not a fan of bands putting new material on 'best of...' albums, but I'll let them off. That's off the new album 'Art Brut Top Of The Pops' and is an anthem to misanthropy. Misanthem?
Fuck Buttons - The Red Wing John: Always exciting to get new stuff from these, a Bristol duo comprising Benjamin John Power and Andrew Hung. This is off the forthcoming album 'Slow Focus'.
Temples - Colours To Life John: Bringing a bit of psychedelia to Kettering, this is their second single and comes out on June 24, so you're bang up to date with it.
Mount Kimbie - So Many Times, So Many Ways John: From the album 'Cold Spring Fault Less Youth' which came out a few weeks ago, I really like that. All floaty and light and... ahhhh....
Outfit - I Want What's Best John: A new band, a Liverpool five-piece. This is their first single off the album 'Performance' which is out in August.
The Juan Maclean - You Are My Destiny John: John Maclean from Rhode Island performs as The Juan Maclean. I don't know. Carolyn: To differentiate from the main protagonist of the Die Hard films? Could disappoint a lot of people if they're expecting someone in a vest. John: That's been doing the rounds for a while and is part of the massive backlog I'm getting to clear out today.
Kurt Vile - Air Bud John: Let's end on a summery one. Again, it's been around a wee while, off the album 'Wakin' On A Pretty Daze'.
Another Bank Holiday last week meant another week off for us, but we're back and we brought some thumping tunes.
Kraftwerk - Radioaktivität John: The original of this was out in 1975, off the album also called 'Radioaktivität', but this version is from 1991's 'The Mix', an album of remixes of their bigger hits. It started as an homage to the discovery and power of nuclear energy, but as time went on became more and more anti-nuke. I'll put both on the playlist for comparison's sake. I think I prefer them in German. Carolyn: More authentic maybe? John: Perhaps. Just a bit more exotic. We play that as our cat died last week and it was her favourite song. Carolyn: Well, she liked the flashing lights. John: Basically the same thing. Either way, she was transfixed by it and we both miss her.
Brannigan Dobson: August 2000-May 2013
Rex The Dog - Do You Feel What I Feel John: Bloomin' love that, I've been listening to this most of the week. Carolyn: Heavily influenced by Donna Summer, I'd say. Like all of it. John: Think you're being a bit harsh. Rex The Dog is Jake Williams from Brighton and this came out last week.
Public Service Broadcasting - Inform Educate Entertain John: Finally, the album came out last week and we've got our hands on it. This is the title track and is a bit of a sampler for the rest of the album, so if you like this, you're quids in. Carolyn: We do, and we're off to see them at the Leadmill next week.
Cover Version Corner The Cure/Art Brut - Catch John: I think the Art Brut version is where Eddie Falco finally just gave up pretending to have some singing ability, but they're about so much more than that. We play that as there's a new greatest hits album out - 'Art Brut Top Of The Pops' - which this features on. It first appeared on an NME album of Cure covers, 'Pictures Of You', in 2009. The original was on 'Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me' from 1987.
Musa Okwonga - Heavyweight John: Some spoken word from poet/sports writer/journalist/author/broadcaster/polymath Musa Okwonga, subtitled 'A Love Letter To London'. I think a lot of that applies to the rest of Britain as well. Carolyn: Yes, possibly. And it's not a town. It's a city. A mega-city.
The Fall - Sir William Wray John: Out today, the 30th studio album by The Fall. It's called 'Re-Mit' and this is the first single off it which came out at the back end of last month for record store day. As noisy and belligerent as ever.
Razmataz Lorry Excitement - China Town (Razmataz Lorry Excitement remix) John: To Newcastle now and also out today, this is off an EP of remixes of China Town. The original came out in December last year on the album 'If It Takes Me All Night'. Carolyn: Sounds very '90s. I can see me dancing to this in the Plaza. John: Not that there's anything wrong with that.
One Degree of Separation Aphex Twin - Analogue Bubblebath 1 Cocteau Twins - Pearly Dewdrops' Drop John: The Cocteaus from Grangemouth, that's from 1984. Aphex Twin is Richard James from Limerick and that's off the 'Didgeridoo' EP from 1992. Carolyn: The link being twins then? John: Yes, but not quite. They're all called twins without being twins. There's four of them in the Cocteaus, for starters. Carolyn: And they're not related.
Keel Her - Riot Grrrl John: How many people are playing on that record, d'you reckon? Carolyn: One. John: Dammit. That's Rose Keeler-Shaeffeler from Brighton.
(We have subsequently been told that there were three people playing on that track)
Gladkazuka - El Untitled John: A big hello to the nation of Colombia. These are from Medellin and it's off an EP on Cómeme records which I'll be keeping an eye on in future.
The Crookes - Bear's Blood John: From Sheffield, this is their new single which comes out on May 21, so you're bang up to date with it.
And that's your lot. Gladkazuka and PSB aren't on the YouTube playlist we've put together, but there are links to find those tracks elsewhere.
The usual mix of new and old, a football theme later on, but we start with an old favourite.
Len - Steal My Sunshine John: From way back in 1999, that. Their only hit, from the album 'You Can't Stop The Bum Rush'. Carolyn: Takes us both back a bit, there. And why are we playing that? John: Well for two days last week, it felt like spring. And then someone nicked the sun and it's freezing now.
British Sea Power - Machineries Of Joy John: New from these, from the forthcoming album also called 'Machineries Of Joy' which is out on April 1 and I really like that.
B>E>A>K - Night Owls John: A Sunderland supergroup, that's a paean to a popular nightspot in the town. Carolyn: Are there enough bands to form a supergroup? John: There are members of Field Music, Futureheads, Lake Poets, Lorry... That's available as a free download from their bandcamp page.
Cover Version Corner Lykke Li/Triggerfinger - I Follow Rivers John: A pan-European cover version corner. Triggerfinger are from Antwerp and that was a non-album single that then cropped up on a 'B-sides/various' compilation last year. It's a bit of a cheat on the first one as it's the Magician Mix of Lykke Li's 2011 single off the album 'Wounded Rhymes'.
High Hazels - French Rue John: I've been after this for a while. From Sheffield, which might be why I'm drawing parallels with Richard Hawley. Carolyn: Yeah, it's got a bit of a Sheffield sound.
Public Service Broadcasting - Signal 30 John: Favourites of ours, this is off the forthcoming album 'Educate, Entertain' which I am very much looking forward to. Carolyn: Yes, very much like these. I think it only works with American and received pronunciation in a 1950s style. I don't think a modern public information film would work. John: And perhaps Chris Huhne could have done to listen to the original films about 10 years ago.
The Besnard Lakes - People Of The Sticks John: From Montreal, the driving force behind these is husband and wife Jake Lasek and Olga Goreas. That's off the album 'Until In Excess, Imperceptible UFO' which is out on the 2nd of April. Carolyn: There's something about that I didn't like. Something underneath that made me think about swimming underwater.
One Degree of Separation Art Brut - St Pauli The Fall - Theme From Sparta FC #2 John: 26 shows and this is the first time we've played The Fall. That's slacking. That came out in 2004, off the album 'The Real New Fall LP, Formerly Country On The Click'. Art Brut are one of those bands that cling to silly names - Eddie Argos, Freddie Feedback and suchlike - and that was off their second album 'It's A Bit Complicated' from 2007. Carolyn: And the link? John: European football clubs. St Pauli are from Hamburg while Sparta FC... Well it could be Rotterdam or Prague, I suppose. Carolyn: It's a bit tenuous. You just wanted to play those records, didn't you? John: I wanted to play Art Brut, then went looking for a link elsewhere and, like I say, it's high time we played The Fall.
Toy - My Heart Skips A Beat John: Another band we've played a few times. That's the new single from the debut album 'Toy' which really is something. Such a variety on there, from poppy tracks like Lose My Way, through this which is just damned pleasant to the 10-minute epic that is Kopter. It really is very good indeed. Carolyn: Yes, we like those a lot. That's just a lovely track.
Haight Ashbury - Blow Your Mind John: Another one I've been after for a while. These are from Glasgow, but named after the area of San Francisco, and it's off the album 'Perhaps?', their third, which is out in May. Psych-folk, I think they call it. Carolyn: Oh, that's a genre is it? I'd have filed it under 'nice'. John: Well, it's got folk elements and a bit of a '60s/'70s San Francisco hippy vibe, hasn't it?
Lapalux - Guuurl John: Lapalux is Stuart Howard from Essex and that's 'Guuurl', with three Us. Carolyn: Another daft spelling... I don't particularly like that, the distortion effects. John: That's what sets it apart for me. You'll like the album title, I think: 'Nostalchic'. Carolyn: Yeah, alright. I'll let him off.
Mogwai - Modern John: To finish, the new one from Glasgow favourites Mogwai. From the forthcoming album 'Les Revenants' which, as you don't need me to tell you, is French for ghosts. Carolyn: I was just about to... John: Nothing too much new there. The usual cinematic qualities, which is no bad thing.
