31 March 2015

Couple of really exciting things tonight.

Everything Everything - Distant Past
I still don't know about these. The singles off the last album were good, but the rest of it, not so much. But this I kind of like despite myself. The new LP is Get To Heaven, out in June.

The Raveonettes - Kill!
To Denmark and last summer's album Pe'ahi from which singles are still coming from. Good stuff, that.

Therapy? - Still Hurts
A new album, their fourteenth studio LP, from these and it's back to basics. Having gone a bit conceptual in the interim, it's back to what made them great. Their best since Troublegum? Possibly. Disquiet came out last week.

Cover Version Corner
Depeche Mode/Johnny Marr - I Feel You
Johnny Marr rocked Holmfirth last Thursday and this is his new single which he played there. Before that, can it really be 22 years since Songs Of Faith And Devotion? Apparently so.

Drakkar Band - Bang Chhub Thveu Khos Hoeuy
No I won't try pronouncing the track title. And Google's Khmer to English translator isn't giving me anything. Anyway... The Drakkar Band were quite the thing in the early 1970s, fusing Western influences with the best of Khmer music to create something pretty special. Drakkar 74 was launched as a run of 20,000 cassettes which went quickly, prompting two further runs of 20,000 more. 1975 turned Cambodia upside down and part of the Khmer Rouge's cultural vandalism - though perhaps not their worst crime - accounted for most of those. Some remained, however, and a four-year project by Metal Postcards records saw it remastered from whatever they could find. It is an absolute wonder. The 12" was a run of 500 only, but you can get it as a digital release. I recommend that you do.

Crybabycry - Spin City
Bringing it back local now, the title track from the new EP of one of our favourites from round here.

East India Youth - Turn Away
William Doyle from Bournemouth is East India Youth and this is just lovely in so many respects. Culture Of Volume is out next week.

Lux Lisbon - Keep Me Wild
This four-piece met at Nottingham Uni and are now based out of that London. They sound a bit like the Killers, but if the Killers had ever followed an idea through to completion. There's some intelligent writing, musically and lyrically on the EP Get Some Scars which you can get as a free download now.

Kassassin Street - To Be Young
I don't know a lot about these other than they're from Portsmouth and named for a Portsmouth street. Oh, and that I like this a lot.

Du Dauphine - Thieves
Another track from the local five-piece's self-titled EP which is out now. Probably my favourite from it.

One Degree of Separation
Komputer - Valentina
Public Service Broadcasting - Valentina
Two different tellings of the tale of Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman in space. A bit more literal from Komputer, off their 1997 album The World Of Tomorrow, and certainly more obviously Kraftwerk-influenced. PSB's new album is The Race For Space and it's a wonder. Fascinating period of modern history.

Bona Dish - Challenge
Maybe I should start a lost 45 section. This dates from the early '80s and can be found on a compilation called the Zaragoza Tapes: 1981-1982. They were from Hertfordshire and this track is probably still relevant now.

Motorama - Dispersed Energy
This could be Joy Division if you close your eyes tightly enough. But it's not post-industrial Manchester, it's modern-day Rostov-on-Don. Poverty is the new album which came out in January.

Leftfield - Universal Everything
New! And fantastic! Leftfield is a solo project these days, Neil Barnes going it alone without Paul Daley. A new album, Alternative Light Source, is due for release in June.

Here's all that on YouTube:



And Soundcloud:



See you next week.

10 December 2013

More of what's good for what ails you. Listen round, listen round...

Junior Murvin - Apartheid
Not that I'm conflating the global importance of the two men, but I play this in marking two sad deaths in the week. Most of Junior Murvin's back-catalogue has been overlooked after his death just over a week ago, purely to reduce his output to Police And Thieves. That's unfair as there was much more to the man that that. And obviously, it's about a racially divided South Africa.

The Flaming Lips - Peace Sword
Written for the film Enders Game which came out in October. In fact, they wrote a whole EP for it, but this was the only one that was picked up. Everyone's a critic...

The Shall I Say Quois ft CTMF - It's Hard To Be Happy
What a joy this is. Their debut EP is 'Shall I Say Quoi?' and is out now. CTMF are Wild Billy Chyldish's band from which more in future shows.

Cover Version Corner
Julian Cope/Death Cab For Cutie - World Shut Your Mouth
Not hugely different versions, but Death Cab have put their own stamp on it. Moreover, it's good to see someone as influenced by Julian Cope as I am. It was a non-album single from 2007 for Death Cab. The original is off 'Saint Julian' from 1987.

Courtney Barnett - History Eraser
I like it when people sing in their own accent. Ms Barnett is from Melbourne, Australia, and that's off an EP called 'How To Carve A Carrot Into A Rose'. Of course. Also, bonus points for the mellotron.

Nimi Dovrat - For Fun
Our first Israeli artist, this came out in May and is available as a free download. It reminds me of something. What, though?

The Wharves - Thick Syrup
An all-female 3-piece from London, this is new on a split single on Soft Power records and is out now.

Motorama - Winter At Night
To Russia now. These are from Rostov-on-Don and it's their new single.

One Degree of Separation
Rod Stewart - Maggie May
David Rotheray - Maggie's Song
It's only when you listen to these back-to-back that you realise just how nasty the lyrics to Maggie May actually are. I mean, I like the song, but the sentiments within are really quite horrible. Maggie's Song is off David Rotheray's, ex of the Beautiful South, new album 'Answer Ballads'. It's a really good idea pulled off with great style, 'answering' famous records like Roxanne, Jolene, Sylvia's Mother. Maggie's Song is a big two fingers up to Rod.

Likely Lads - Irreverence
A new band to me, from my home town of York. Nice, jaunty stuff. I fear they'll forever be likened to Shed 7 and I'm not convinced that's a good thing.

Pixies - Another Toe In The Ocean
Brilliant. Another track off 'EP1'. They've lost another bassist called Kim since then as well. Careless.

Solomon Grey - Firechild
Wonderful. Solomon Grey isn't a person, this a duo and this came out on the 18th of last month.

The Orielles - Truth Be Told
These are from Halifax and used to be called The Oreohs. I'm guessing that H didn't save them from the copyright police... Anyway, jolly pleasant stuff and I'll be keeping an eye out from them in future.

Grimes - Circumambient 
And we finish with another track from last year's smash album 'Visions' from Claire Boucher, aka Grimes. I don't care what anyone says, I like her stuff. And it throws forward nicely to Phil Brook's Down Tempo show that follows us.

Here's all of that via a combination of YouTube:


and Soundcloud:


Enjoy that, won't you.
Next week, our last show of the year, so you know what that means; Christmas Special. All the tracks you won't hear when out shopping. This was last year's. Any suggestions? Hit us up below the line or badger me on Twitter.

5 November 2012

Back after a week off and we start with a public service announcement...

Public Service Broadcasting - Everest
John: The new one from this intriguing project, this is out next Monday.
Carolyn: We've had them before. They've basically ripped it from Charley Says...



Rhye - The Fall
John: Details on these are sketchy. They're LA-based, but European in origin and that's all I've got on them.
Carolyn: How enigmatic

Cover Version Corner
Marvin Gaye/The Slits - Heard It Through The Grapevine
Carolyn: This is what Cover Version Corner is about - where they're completely different.
John: Well that is what we're trying to do here. The Slits, their debut single from 1979 from the album Cut and, of course, Marvin Gaye from 1969 off the album of the same name.

Two Door Cinema Club - Sun
John: The new single from these, out on the 23rd of this month.
Carolyn: Another one we've had before. It's good, that.

Elbow - Whisper Grass
John: From the new album Dead In The Boot, designed (it says here) to be listened to as an album.
Carolyn: Rather than piecemeal, as is the modern way with downloading individual tracks.

Manic Street Preachers - Your Love Alone Is Not Enough
John: With Nina Persson from The Cardigans on guest vocals. From the 2007 album Send Away The Tigers, but we play that because it's 20 years since their debut with Generation Terrorists.
Carolyn: I feel old.
John: There's loads of things like that. It's 20 years since Reservoir Dogs, for instance.
Carolyn: I think when it's 20 years since Pulp Fiction, I'll really feel old as it's the first film we went to see together.

Lianne La Havas - Forget
John: From her debut album Is Your Love Big Enough? which, scandalously, didn't win the Mercury Prize. Neither did our favourite, Django Django, or the sentimental option of Richard Hawley. Instead, it was the one album on the list I didn't like.
Carolyn: You were not happy about that. But, Alt-J, Leeds University, bit of a local connection?
John: I just don't like it. I realise I might be in a minority, but that's what makes the world go round.

One Degree Of Separation
Wedding Present - Don't Take Me Home Until I'm Drunk
The Ukrainians - Cherez Richku, Cherez Hai
Carolyn: Well I wasn't expecting that. Normally, the two records in this section are quite similar... Go on then, what is it?
John: Two Leeds bands. First, the Wedding Present, from their seventh album El Rey out in 2008. That was followed by The Ukrainians, a modernised Ukrainian folk band formed by Weddoes guitarist Peter Solowka as he tried to get in touch with his Ukrainian roots. The title means 'across the river, through the wood' and is from the album also called The Ukrainians.

El Perro Del Mar - Hold Off The Dawn
John: Back to Scandinavian singers here. El Perro del Mar - Sea Dog, I suppose - the name under which Sarah Assbring performs. She's from Gothenburg which is...
Carolyn: ...somewhere I've been. Lovely city. The people are really friendly.

Motorama - To The South
John: To Russia now. It's a cosmopolitan show tonight. These are from Rostov-on-Don and that's all I've got on these.

Dark Horses - Alone
John: And to finish, the new one from their debut album Black Music which was released last Monday. So much more I wanted to put in tonight - maybe next week.

Here's your YouTube playlist.