30 June 2015

Hello again. I think this is one of the best shows I've had the pleasure of putting together. Dive in and enjoy.

Mourning Birds - The Last Thing (I Need)
Kent's leading rockers with their new single - a bit of an epic by their standards - from their debut, eponymous album which came out yesterday.

Nightingales - Gales Doc
New stuff from old bands is a bit of a thing at the moment. From the album Mind Over Matter comes this knowing, self-referential mockumentary which also takes a poke at modern documentary structure, which frankly deserves it. The album is great. Go listen when you're done here.

Girls Names - Reticence
This is ace. From Belfast, the album Arms Around A Vision is due in October.

Cover Version Corner
The Vogues/Julian Cope - Five O'Clock World
My Nation Underground is atypical Cope. It's over-produced and Copey himself was so clearly unhappy with it that he went off and put out two lo-fi, stripped back albums - Droolian and Skellington - while it was still in production. But he still managed to make an updated version of The Vogues' classic.

Musa Okwonga - Ring The Bells
A new single from the London poet now based in Berlin. The beats mate nicely with his voice - complementary and neither overpowering nor underwhelming. A top effort.

Seazoo - Martyn And Jayne
Good things are coming out of Wales right now. These are from Wrexham and the EP Car Deborah - no, me neither - is out now.

Heartless Bastards - Gates Of Dawn
A total misnomer of a band name given how pleasant that is. They're from Austin in Texas and the album Restless Ones is out next month.

Frontwards - Speechless
To Leeds now and Sad Sack Records have put out a compilation, as they do from time to time, showcasing their bands. I Was A Teenage Sad Sack is the title and this is on it.

Numbers Are Futile - Monster
Based in Edinburgh, but originating from all over the place, there's a very Middle Eastern influence to that. Really rather delightful. Sunlight On Black Horizon is the album and it came out last month.

Repo Man - Static Excess Strobe Effect
Obviously influenced by the same Alex Cox films that I was as a kid. These are from Bristol and the album Minesweeping is out now.

One Degree of Separation
BEAK> - The Meader
<KAEB - When We Fall
Also from Bristol, BEAK> have made a split EP with their own alter egos <KAEB. See what they did there? It's something we've seen elsewhere - Sauna Youth swap instruments and become Monotony, for example - and allegedly allows them to explore sounds outwith their usual oeuvre. Fair enough. Works for me.

Drewford Alabama - Time Is On Your Side (ft Bnann)
Jamie Morrison is Drewford Alabama and this is out in three weeks time.

Doomsquad - Apocalypso
That's a great name for a single. Doomsquad are sibling trio Trevor, Jaclyn and Allie Bulmas from Toronto. This appears on Pageantry Suite which is out now.

Joi - Asian Vibes
A new retrospective of Joi's work is out now, the early stuff with both Haroon and Farook Shamsher and, after Haroon's sad death in 1999, Farook's solo work. Joi Sound System is what you're looking for here.

Here's that on YouTube:



and Souncloud:



and we'll do it again next week.

17 February 2015

Back to it. Despite having this terrible cold coming on. I put myself out for you lot.

Mourning Birds - Leave Me Alone
We like these and have played a bit. Finally, there's an album due, coming in spring. Looking forward to it.

The Voyeurs - Train To Minsk
Formerly Charlie Boyer and The Voyeurs, new name, new direction. This is the second single from the forthcoming album Rhubarb Rhubarb. Incidentally, it's the Wakefield Rhubarb Festival this weekend.

Hooton Tennis Club - Jasper
New band from Liverpool, this being their debut single. It's had plenty of airplay, but that's not a reason to not play it.

One Degree of Separation
Lloyd Price/Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds - Stagger Lee
Not the original from Lloyd Price, but certainly the one that popularised it. It's an old traditional song about a wild west murder played in the '50s style by Price which made it to number one. Nick Cave turned it into more of a murder ballad.

Gang Of Four ft Alison Mosshart - England's In My Bones
They are back and as important and relevant as ever. This track from the new LP What Happens Next features Alison Mosshart of The Kills on vocals and there are other collaborations on the album.

Garden Of Elks - This Morning We Are Astronauts
I like that a lot - it's different. They're from Glasgow and the album A Distorted Sigh is due in spring.

Lusts - Temptation
Brothers Andy and James Stone from Leicester are Lusts. This is due out on March 2. Plenty going on in here to keep us interested.

No/No - Hardcore
To Milwaukee now and an EP called Drag that came out last October. Fits in well with the previous track.

Makee - Tone
From a self-titled EP which came out last November, this is a lovely, dreamy slice of Australian electronica.

Yokan System - Klee
And now to Tokyo for something out of the ordinary. This came out a week ago.

One Degree of Separation
John Cooper Clarke - Thirty Six Hours
Joy Division - Transmission
Of course the Joy Division, from 1979 that and still a brilliant record. Before that, opening for them here as he opened for them then, the bard of Salford, John Cooper Clarke. That's off his 1980 album Snap, Crackle And Bop.

Hot Chip - Huarache Lights
New stuff from these, the first single from the new album Why Make Sense? which comes out in May. Something a little darker, moodier than usual.

Kalabrese - Makelovedisco
Swiss trance now, from back in 2008. Lovely stuff.

Real Lies - North Circular
And to finish, some prose-style rap from that there London. This came out last July, but I was clearly sleeping on the job as I've only just come across it. Late night Friday vibes to close the show.

Here's that on YouTube:



and Soundcloud:


Not in next week - more football - so see you in a fortnight.

13 May 2014

Stuff from the '40s, '60s, '70s, '80s, '90s and the usual new and recent releases. Not that I've anything against the '50s or 2000s, you understand.

The Vacant Lots - Mad Mary Jones
From Burlington in Vermont, their debut album is due out in July. Departure. Keep your eyes peeled.

Echo and the Bunnymen - Lovers On The Run
Sounds very much like an Echo and the Bunnymen record which, incidentally, is high praise. This is the first release from their first album in 5 years, Meteorites, which has yet to have a release date announced.

Wild Smiles - Fool For You
This is a month old now, the debut single from these which is jolly good. Already looking forward to more.

Cover Version Corner
New York Dolls/Sonic Youth - Personality Crisis
One at the front of the punk wave that was beginning to swell, then 20 years later, some others at the lead of what became known as grunge. 1973 it was when the New York Dolls released that. In 1993, it was on the B-side of Sugar Kane.

The Shocking Blue - Send Me A Postcard
From 1968, that, but something that I think a lot of contemporary bands would like to sound like. Very Jefferson Airplane too.

Chain and The Gang - Crime Don't Pay
Off an album called Minimum Rock And Roll which sounds very interesting indeed. Experimental, like.

The Moody Blues - Question
Because why not. That's from the 1970 album A Question Of Balance.

Drive - Curfew
Their only hit, from 1993. It's notable for featuring Melanie Blatt on vocals and that the hook was then used in a bigger hit - Pump Up The Volume.

One Degree of Separation
Francis Bebey - The Coffee Cola Song
Ella Fitzgerald - Black Coffee
Any excuse for an Ella Fitzgerald record. Obviously your theme is coffee. Black Coffee was recorded in 1948 and still sounds fabulous. Before that, Francis Bebey from Cameroon and a track from the 1982 album Pygmy Love Song.

Eight Rounds Rapid - Dostoyevsky
Finally got my hands on their debut album last week. It's great. Harking back to the pub rock tradition, albeit with a bit more polish, it's half an hour of pure, unadulterated joy. Lossleader is the title. Available now.

Mourning Birds - Breathe
Played these a few times now and this is their new single. Energetic stuff as always.

Julianna Barwick - Meet You At Midnight
This came out in March and it's no wonder it passed me by as it slides effortlessly by. Very cinematic too.

Glimpse - L.E.D.
Chris Spero is the producer behind this. It's off an EP called Baretta and while it's box-fresh dance music, it also harks back to earlier days of the movement. Perhaps a bit less has become more.

Here's that on YouTube:



And Soundcloud:



Back next week.

1 April 2014

Back after a football-interrupted week.

Wilko Johnson and Roger Daltrey - Keep It To Myself
Glorious. Good old-fashioned blues-rock. And why not? Going Back Home is the album, out now.

††† - The Epilogue
Or Crosses, to you and me. That came out last November.

Fear Of Men - Luna
New stuff from Brighton. The album is Doom and is out on the 22nd of April.

Cover Version Corner
Jefferson Airplane/The Damned - White Rabbit
Still bonkers. That was a non-album single for The Damned in 1980, punkifying the psychedelia of 1967 and the Surrealistic Pillow album.

The War On Drugs - Lost In The Dream
The second single and title track from the album which came out last month. It's full of great stuff like that.

Kigo - Dress
Absolutely sensational. From Brisbane comes this tribute to the shoegaze scene of the early '90s. That is just brilliant. The EP is called Chance and it's superb.

Mourning Birds - Eve Of The Isle
Their second single and the third and easily the longest track we've played by them on the show. The others were about 90 seconds - this a mighty two-and-a-half minutes. More please.

I, Ludicrous - Fabulous
The show is back-loaded with older stuff today, starting with this. From their debut album It's Like Everything Else from 1987.

One Degree of Separation
Muddy Waters - Mississippi Delta Blues
The Standells - Dirty Water
Muddy Waters - Dirty Water. You see? Course you do. First, McKinley Morganfield from 1948 and then some classic garage rock from 1966 and easily their biggest hit. Totally misread by many Bostonians, it's more complaining about the state of the rivers, but was quickly adopted by sporting franchises there.

The Chambers Brothers - Time Has Come Today (part 1)
Just five minutes, not the full eleven and some. Their biggest hit, from 1968 and the album The Time Has Come.

Pains Of Being Pure At Heart - Simple And Sure
Love 'em. Off the forthcoming album Days Of Abandon.

Retroject - Sourbridge
Another track from the Murky Window EP. Keep 'em coming, lads.

Shit Robot ft Reggie Watts - We Got A Love
Excellent Chicago-style house from Dublin's Marcus Lambkin.

Ed Harcourt - Come Into My Dreamland
And to finish on a wind-down, a slice of relaxatory music from the Time Of Dust album that came out in January.

There's this on YouTube:



And Soundcloud:



More next week

29 October 2013

Nights drawing in, so curl up with us for an hour. Some shoe-gazing in Cover Version Corner and a controversy-laden One Degree...

Cults - I Can Hardly Make You Mine
Carolyn: That reminds me of a lot of things, none of which I can think of off the top of my head.
John: Quite. Good though. Catchy, like. That's the lead track off the album 'Static' which came out last week.

Drenge - Nothing
John: We've not played these for a bit, so let's put that right. the album, 'Drenge', is a triumph and shows what you can do with an attitude, some drums and a guitar. More power to their elbow.
Carolyn: Especially the drummer.

Marmozets - Move Shake Hide
John: And now something noisy from Bingley. That's out on November 18 on Roadrunner Records.

Cover Version Corner
Ride/Trespassers William - Vapour Trail
John: Trespassers William get their unusual name from Winnie The Pooh. Something about a broken sign saying 'Trespassers Will' that Piglet says is the sign for his uncle's place and his full name is Trespassers William. Anyway, that is off the 2003 album 'Different Stars'. Before that, the original show-gazers from Oxford, Ride, from back in 1991. A record I am indebted to the man who is now my brother in-law for introducing me to. That's on an album called 'Nowhere'.

Gesaffelstein - Hate Or Glory
John: We've had this chap on before. Mike Lévy from Lyon is Gesaffelstein and this is off the album 'Aleph' which is out next Monday.

The Michael Ainsley Band - Choose your Friends Wisely
John: We played these last week and it seemed to go down well, so here's another track from the album 'Devil's In The Detail'. They're from Wakefield and I very much like the cut of their jib.


Paul McGladdery - Lush Green Leaves
John: A singer/songwriter from Oldham, he's got a lot of tunes up on Soundcloud. There's quite a variety in there and this is my pick of what I've heard. His voice has an almost Ian Curtis-y feel in places of that. Worth checking out.
Carolyn: Do they get lush green leaves in Oldham?
John: I think they all blew over this side of the hills over the weekend.


Tigercub - Mother
Carolyn: Are they supposed to sound that much like Nirvana?
John: Suffice to say that I think they draw heavily on the '90s grunge thing for inspiration. They're from Brighton and that's off their debut EP.

DJ Yoda - Chop Suey
John: Been meaning to play more of this guy's stuff for a while. He's Duncan Beiny from London and this is off last year's album, also called 'Chop Suey'. I guess it serves as something of a manifesto - take a bunch of other stuff, chop it all up and come up with something new.

One Degree of Separation
Carter USM - Bloodsport For All
The Tom Robinson Band - (Sing If You're) Glad To Be Gay
John: Tom Robinson there, from the 'Rising Free' live EP back in 1978. Before that, from 1991's excellent '30 Something' album, Carter USM. Your link is that both were banned by the BBC. Carter were banned as their song about racism and bullying in the armed forces came out around the time of the first Gulf War and Glad To Be Gay fell foul of rules about promoting homosexuality. Instead, the BBC charts played a different track off the EP, 'Don't Take No For An Answer'. I'd like to think we've moved on as a society in the last 35 years.

Mourning Birds - The Last Thing (I Need)
John: The second track we've played by these and they've still not hit four minutes of airtime. Compact and bijou, I think you call it.


The Wytches - Beehive Queen
John: I've been after playing this for ages and finally got round to it. They're from Brighton and this came out in June. They're on tour with Future Of The Left whose latest album, I'm assured, has just been dispatched in my direction.
Carolyn: So we'll be having something off that next week?
John: Highly likely.

Lou Reed - Perfect Day
John: With the sad passing of Lou Reed on Sunday, we've got to end on one of his. What a legacy he leaves behind.

Here's most of the wrapped up on YouTube. There's a fair few that aren't, but they're either linked to or embedded among the text above. You know what you're doing with a computer - you'll find it.
We're taking a break next week. Back in a fortnight.

8 October 2013

More goodies from musics rich tapestry.

The Evens - All These Governors
Quite apposite for the shutdown of the US government. "When things should work but don't work, that's the work of all these governors". That's from 2005 from their debut album, 'The Evens'.

Drugstore - El President
Featuring Thom Yorke on vocals, that's from the 1998 album 'White Magic For Lovers'. I play it for two reasons. One, it's a paean to Salvador Allende, the democratically elected Chilean Marxist who was overthrown in a US-backed coup just over 40 years ago and also as it's on a new 'Best Of...' album out soon.

Mourning Birds - Oh Yeh
Why take 10 minutes to say what you can fit into 105 seconds? Another one of those bands I came across via the magic of twitter. A deliberately vague 3-piece from Kent, they say, and this is their debut single.

Cover Version Corner
Faine Jade/MGMT - Introspection
That's MGMT's new single from the new album, their third, also called 'MGMT'. That came out on September 17. They've really put their stamp on it. Before that, the original from 1968's 'Introspection: A Faine Jade Recital'. A proper upstate New York hippy anthem.



The Magic of Mr Adrian Flanagan - I Don't Wanna Be Nice
It was National Poetry Day last week and of the many things was this oddity from the man behind show favourites the Eccentronic Research Council. It's a reworking of the John Cooper Clarke poem in his own, inimitable style and dates from 2009.


Silver Arm - Mind The Falcons
Another band  using social media to get out there, we have played their new single - Dead Tongues - before and it seemed to go down quite well, so I asked if there anything else they had. This is their previous single and is what I've come to expect from them.

Yuck - Middle Sea
Their debut album, 'Glow and Behold', came out on September 30 and this, the first single off it, got a lot of airplay a while ago prior to release. No reason not to play it again. Pleasingly jaunty stuff.

Daniel Avery - Drone Logic
Love that. Seven-and-a-half minutes of bliss. The debut album, also called 'Drone Logic', came out yesterday.

Atari Teenage Riot - Collapse Of History
I wasn't familiar with these until a week ago or so, but the name spiked my interest so I went to find out more. They're from Berlin and this was out last year on the album 'Is This Hyperreal?'

One Degree of Separation
Dobie Gray - Out On The Floor
Al Wilson - The Snake
On the back of Paul Mason's excellent BBC mini-documentary on the subject, it's a Northern Soul special here. All spins and drops in the studio while these are on. If you were putting together a primer on the topic, these would be up near the top of the list. First, Dobie Gray from 1975 and second Al Wilson from 1968. Glorious.

Wolf Alice - She
A London 5-piece with a debut EP, called 'Blush', coming out on November 7 and this is my pick from that record.


Gary Numan - I Am Dust
Yes, that Gary Numan. His 20th studio album is out next week and this is the lead track from it. It's called 'Splinter (Songs From A Broken Mind)' and he's been doing stuff like this for quite some time. Elements of past hits, but all utterly up-to-date.

Sabres Of Paradise - Wilmot
From the 1994 album 'Haunted Dance Hall'. They'd largely passed me by at the time, which is odd as this is the sort of stuff I was listening to back then. Fortunately, I still enjoy it today.

Cinematic Orchestra - Flite
Winding down into the Down Tempo show that follows, now. From back in 2002, off the album 'Every Day'. And... relax.

All that's cobbled together in a YouTube playlist here apart from the ones that aren't which are above. Back next week with more of the same.