3 June 2014

Another trip round rock's back-roads. Tuck in.


Beta Band - Round The Bend
A glorious cacophony. Almost skiffle-like. That's off their self-titled debut album from 1999.

Frikstailers - Crop Circles
If I have a criticism of this, it's that it's not long enough. Hopefully there are some extended remixes I've yet to hear, but that is fabulous. Pronounced 'freak stylers', apparently, they're Rafa Caivano and Lisandro Sona from Buenos Aires.

Parquet Courts - Black And White
You know by now what you're getting from Parquet Courts. They've got that lo-fi slacker rock thing down pat and here's another slice from the new album Sunbathing Animal, out today.

Cover Version Corner
Killing Joke/Eagulls - Requiem
Not a particularly different version from Eagulls, but certainly faster and more energetic, as is their wont. They're from Leeds and that was the B-side to the single Nerve Endings which we've had on the show previously. Before that, Killing Joke from their self-titled 1980 album.

The Baggios - Sem Condição
This is just great. Off an EP called Sina which came out last autumn. They're from Sao Cristovao in Brazil.

Pains Of Being Pure At Heart - Until The Sun Explodes
Again, you know what you're getting with these and the new album, Days Of Abandon, is no different. Not that there's anything wrong with that. A delight.

The Death Of Pop - Whenever
This is terrific. Another new band to me, a4-piece from Bournemouth on the Art Is Hard label. This is off an EP called Fifths and I look forward to hearing more from them.

One Degree of Separation
Iggy Pop - I'm Bored
Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band - I'm Bored
What could possibly link these two records? Of course it's just the title. The reasons for the boredom are very different though. Iggy seems upset with the trappings of fame, whereas the Bonzos are bored in a very mundane British way. Two good records though, which is the main point. The Bonzos from their 1967 debut album Gorilla, Iggy from 1979's New Values.

Retroject - Herculean Julian
From Doncaster, these are pretty damn good. Another track from their Murky Windows EP for you for no other reason than because.

Maximo Park - Random Regrets
This was their release for Record Store Day in April which I'm only just getting round to playing. Worth the wait.

Clean Bandit ft Sharna Bass - Extraordinary
When I was collating tracks for the show, I chucked this in thinking it's alright, maybe it'll grow on me. Now I realise it hasn't at all. I gave it a chance, but no, not for me.

Fresh Snow - Saturation Complete
Make yourself a cuppa and sit back, this will take a while. 12 minutes, in fact, but totally worth it. This is over a year old, but I've only now had the foresight to plan in such a long record. Utterly fantastic.

Here's that on YouTube:



And Soundcloud:


No show next week - I'm on holiday. Back in a fortnight.

7 January 2014

New year, a new you. Well, a new voice for me anyway. Sounding more like Howlin' Wolf after a heavy night on the whiskey and cigars (i.e. I had a bit of a sore throat), it's more tunes and less chat which probably suits the majority.

Pixies - Blue-Eyed Hexe
New from Pixies. Following up last year's EP1 comes the startlingly imaginatively named EP2. EP3 will follow in April and who knows, maybe they'll not change bassist for that one. That role is beginning to resemble that of Spinal Tap's drummer.

Maximo Park - Leave This Island
I'm a fan and the prospect of the forthcoming 'Too Much Information', due out on February 3, is exciting. This is just gorgeous.

Africa Express ft. Ghostpoet and Doucoura - Season Change
One of last year's more interesting projects was Africa Express, something Damon Albarn is involved in. This features Malian drum band Doucoura and the lyrical stylings of Ghostpoet. Lovely stuff.

Cover Version Corner
Kaiser Chiefs/Bonzo Dog Doodah Band - I Predict A Riot
Gloriously silly stuff from the Bonzos from whom it is always a pleasure to hear. That's off the 2007 reunion album 'Pour L'Amour Des Chiens - for the love of dog - albeit very sadly without Vivian Stanshall. Before that, of course the Kaiser Chiefs from their 2005 debut 'Employment'. Lots of woah-woah-woahs and la-la-las which have become their slightly tedious trademark.

Prefab Sprout - The Best Jewel Thief In The World
Another curio that largely by-passed me at the time was the album 'Crimson/Red' - a reference to Mark Rothko it says here - which came out last year. It's pretty much just Paddy McAloon these days, but none the worse for that. Not sure about the synthesised harmonica though.

Stupid Robots - Nightshift
Bryan Drummond from Dunblane is Stupid Robots and this is off 'The Rural Electrification Administration', which is easy for you to say. Delightful.



The War On Drugs - Red Eyes
A couple of records off the Secretly Canadian label now. First, Philadelphia's The War On Drugs. That's off 'Lost In The Dream' which comes out on March 18, when it will hopefully be less crappy weather than tonight.

Damien Jurado - Silver Timothy
He's from Seattle and 'Brothers And Sisters Of The Eternal Son' is out in a couple of weeks time. Kind of a bossa nova feel to that in places.

One Degree Of Separation
Gil Scott Heron - Johannesburg
Latin Quarter - No Rope As Long As Time
Of course the big story while we were on our break was the sad death of Nelson Mandela, so here are two records with an anti-apartheid message. First, and I can't believe we've not played anything by him before, Gil Scott Heron and Brian Jackson from the 1976 album 'From South Africa To South Carolina' and then Latin Quarter from 'Modern Times' which came out in 1985.

Holy Ghost! - Okay (a/jus/ted remix)
The album 'Dynamics' came out in September last year, but this track passed me by. A wonderful remix from Justin Strauss and Teddy Stuart.

East India Youth - Dripping Down
William Doyle is East India Youth and 'Total Strife Forever' is out next week. I did go looking for a different track for this week, but this one got in the way and stuck in my head. I'm sure I'll be playing more of young Master Doyle in the future.

I Break Horses - Denial
To Sweden now. These are from Stockholm and this came out last summer. Again, I question how I missed it at the time.

Colour Of Bone - Keep It That Way
Also from last summer, apparently these feature a lad who starred in Whitechapel. Which I've not seen, but remains one for trivia fans.

Donna Summer - I Feel Love
One chap who did have a good 2013 and something of a career revival, thanks in part to Daft Punk, was Giorgio Moroder. Here's where it started, back in 1977.

Iron Galaxy - The Attendant Army Of Rats
And we close with a dreamy slice of electronica. Iron Galaxy is Adam Hodgins from Montreal and this is off and EP called 'Things We Lost Along The Way' which is another one from last summer that I missed.

More next week when I hope to be able to talk in something other than a gravelly whisper.

Meantime, here's that on YouTube except for the Stupid Robots track which is above:

26 November 2013

Eyes down for a full house...

Dum Dum Girls - Lost Boys And Girls Club
From LA and off an album called 'Too True' which comes out early next year. I can see this being a reasonable hit. And good luck to them.

B Negao e Seletores De Frequencia - Essa E Pra Tocar No Baile (Chernobyl Atomic mix)
More adventures of my trip into Brazilian music with next years World Cup in mind. No idea what they're on about. Apologies to any Portuguese speakers if it offends, but I reckon that's a cracker.

Kagoule - Adjust The Way
Something a bit closer to home. These are from Nottingham and this is available as a free download.

Cover Version Corner
SOS Band - Just Be Good To Me
Beats International - Dub Be Good To Me
That Beats International record still sounds so good. From 1990, would you believe, and of course it was Norman Cook's first post-Housemartins project. Amazing how much the addition of a Clash sample transforms it from the original which now does sound rather dated. That's off an album called 'On The Rise' from 1983.

Maximo Park - Brain Cells
New stuff from these is always a treat. This is the first single from the forthcoming album 'Too Much Information' which is due out early in the new year. Can't believe we're already talking about next year...

Lazyboy - Pica Disco
Time for a Tuesday banger. Lazyboy are Dan Carey and Radio 1's Rod Da Bank. That's a cracking tune. Out now on Sunday Best records.

Silver Arm - Steady Like A Vein
A new single from these. It's not normally the sort of stuff I go for, but there's an undeniable energy about it all that draws me in.

One Degree of Separation
Hey, Rube! - Bali Hai
Dino Lenny vs The Housemartins - Change The World (Dub mix)
Your link here is Hull, the beautiful and cultured city of Hull. The naming of the place as the 2017 Capital of Culture was easy to scoff at, which is why so many did, I presume. Hence why I put this 12-track playlist of Hull music up the other day and these are two favourites from that. The Hey, Rube! track is off last year's 'Can You Hear Me Mutha?' album, while the second is old favourites the Housemartins being mashed up in a rub-a-dub stylee by Italian DJ Dino Lenny.

Grandaddy - AM 180
Time for a couple more. First this, from 1997's 'Under The Western Freeway' album and which you may know from Charlie Brooker's TV shows.

Giorgio Moroder - The Chase
Throwing forward to Phil Brook's Down Tempo show which follows us, this from the Oscar-winning soundtrack to Midnight Express back in 1978.

And that'll do you. You can listen to these via a combination of the power of YouTube or via our Soundcloud page. Not all are on both, but you know what you're doing with a computer - you'll work it out.

19 November 2012

Maximo Park - The National Health
John: From the album of the same name that came out earlier this year

Gang Of Four - To Hell With Poverty
John: From Leeds, that was them railing against a previous age of austerity and worth another listen now.
Carolyn: Am I detecting a theme?
John: A little bit. A lot of things got me angry in the week.

Camper Van Beethoven - Take The Skinheads Bowling
John: But here's a solution to all the problems - just go bowling
Carolyn: With your knees?
John: Yes, last time I went, I was laid up for a week.

Cover Version Corner
Edith Piaf - Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien
Half Man Half Biscuit featuring Margi Clarke - No Regrets
John: Unmistakably Edith Piaf first, then the greatest band in the world singing it in English. Can't believe it's taken me so long to play them.
Carolyn: Yes, I know you like them.
John: They are the greatest band in the world. That's a non-album track from 1991.


Paws - Sore Tummy
John: This has been doing the rounds for a bit and I've finally got my hands on it. It's their first single from the album Cokefloat which is out about now.

Belly - Feed The Tree
John: From back in 1993, off their debut album Star. They kind of got lost in that glut of 1990s, female-fronted indie bands like Elastica, Sleeper and Echobelly, but worth digging out.
Carolyn: Is she singing 'take your hat off' or 'take your head off'?

DJ Shadow - Midnight In A Perfect World
John: From his debut album Endtroducing, which I discovered isn't easy to say out loud.

Toy - Make It Mine
John: We've played these a few times before, including the ten-minute epic Kopter. This is a little more laid back, but also off their debut album which is also called Toy.

Unknown Mortal Orchestra - Swim And Sleep (Like A Shark)
John: A US/NZ project based in Portland, Oregon. This is off their forthcoming second album, II, which is out in February.
Carolyn: So we're bang up to date then?
John: And our next track is from 1987...
Carolyn: Ah.

One Degree Of Separation
Echo And The Bunnymen - Lips Like Sugar
The KLF - 3am Eternal
John: The KLF with a rave classic from the early '90s, one of Bill Drummond's many and varied projects. Your link here is that Echo and the Bunnymen released their early stuff on Drummond's label, Zoo, which he ran with Dave Balfe. That was Lips Like Sugar from their fifth album, called Echo And The Bunnymen. They did four thinking up original names and then got to five and phoned it in. Pfft.

Friends - Va Fan Gör Du
John: Bright, poppy, short. They're from Brooklyn and I like that 1970s hand-clap vibe.
Carolyn: Yeah, it has a sort of playground feel.
John: The title, I believe, is Swedish for 'what the hell do you want?'

Tegan and Sara - I'm Not Your Hero
John: Identical twin sisters from Calgary, that's off the album Heart Throb which is out in January. I like that a lot - it reminds me of something, but I can't think what.
Carolyn: It does sound familiar.
John: I'll just have to listen to it more, which wouldn't be a chore as I really like it.

Cheatahs - The Swan
John: From their debut EP, Sans, which was out last month.

Here's your YouTube playlist.

20 August 2012

Small Faces - Tin Soldier

B-52s - Roam

Richard Hawley - Down In The Woods
John: Bit of a departure for the venerable Mr Hawley
Carolyn: I don't know him
John: He's Sheffield royalty!

Divine Comedy - Commuter Love

Crystal Castles - Celestica

St Etienne - I've Got Your Music
John: A new album for St Etienne is always a special thing. More power to their elbow

Beach House - Lazuli

Ry Cooder - No Banker Left Behind
John: A good old-fashioned protest song

Electronic - Getting Away With It
Carolyn: I chose this one!

Cover Version Corner
The Kinks - David Watts
The Jam - David Watts
John: Not too different to each other, but it's like the Kinks are lamenting a lost time where the Jam are actively fighting against it

Tame Impala - Elephant
John: If T-Rex were still around, they'd sound like this

Kaiser Chiefs - Love's Not A Competition
Carolyn: That doesn't sound like a Kaiser Chiefs record. I like it

Maximo Park - Hips And Lips
John: There aren't enough bands that sing in their own accent
Carolyn: The Proclaimers.... Yeah, you're right

Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs - Garden

Justice - Civilization
John: With a 'z', not misspelled

The Shins - It's Only Life

The Cramps - Human Fly
Carolyn: What the hell was that?
John: Great isn't it


And here's your YouTube playlist.