21 April 2015

Here we go again...

Bad//Dreems - Cuffed And Collated
From Adelaide and about to make their debut in Britain, this is their new single. Sounds like it ought to remind me of something, but I don't know what.

Faith No More - Superhero
They are back. 18 years since their last album, Sol Invictus is the new one. Out on May 18, this is the second single taken from it.

Courtney Barnett - Pedestrian At Best
This has been around a while now, but I think she's brilliant so you're getting it anyway. The album is the marvellously titled Sometimes I Sit And Think And Sometimes I Just Sit.

Cover Version Corner
The Clash/The Sex Patels - Armagideon Time
An insight into my mind. A band doing bhangra versions of punk classics? Yes. And they're called the Sex Patels? Hell yes. And the album is called Never Mind the Bollywoods... Here's The Sex Patels? Shut up and take my money. The Clash version isn't the original - it is a cover of a Willi Williams track - but was the B side to London Calling.

Outfit - New Air
How to follow a critically acclaimed debut album? Well this isn't a bad start. The new one is out in June and is titled Slowness.

Slug - Cockeyed Rabbit Wrapped In Plastic
Best single title? Could be. Fronted by former Field Music bassist Ian Black, the album, Ripe, is inventive and interesting and really bloody good. Out now.

Sarah Cracknell - On The Swings
Pure heaven. She can do no wrong in my eyes. Her second solo album is due out soon. Red Kite.

Picturebox - Ruth Bakes A Cake
Quirky. This is on an album called The Garden Path which came out in February.

Garden Of Elks - Tomorrow We Are Astronauts
This is ace. They're Scottish and the LP A Distorted Sigh is out now.

The Sums - It's You
To Liverpool now and the new album here is Start At The Finish. They're Peter 'Digsy' Deary's latest outfit.

One Degree of Separation
Heaven 17 - Temptation
New Order - Temptation
Not a tough one today, but any excuse to play that New Order track. I'm fairly sure I don't even like the Heaven 17 one.

The Underground Youth - Morning Sun
This goes back a few years, to 2010 and the album Sadovaya. Still good though.

Moon Duo - Slow Down Low
A delight. Off the album Shadow Of The Sun which came out in February.

Super Besse - J'ai Rien A Foutre De Mon Visage
And finally to Belarus. I think these are ace. This came out in November, their last single to date. More please.

Here that on YouTube:



and Soundcloud:



See you next week.

8 July 2014

Loaded up on prescription meds, I've rather phoned this one in. Bear with me.

Molly Bloom - All Pressure
Punk-folk, they call it. Which seems fair. They're from Ramsbottom and this is the title track from their new LP which is out now.

Christian Fitness - Soft Power Itches
Another one available to stream from Andy Falkous's new project as he seeks to crowdfund the resources to be able to complete an album. Fingers crossed. He's always worth listening to.

H Grimace - Cavepainter
Another one on house favourite label Art is Hard. Top stuff as ever.

Cover Version Corner
Neil Young/The Horn The Hunt - Heart Of Gold
A super version from Leeds outfit The Horn The Hunt, which is what we want from this section. That was on the B side of their single Starless which came out in March. Before that, from the 1971 album Harvest, of course it was Neil Young.

Tythe - The Light feat. Rachel Dadd
Julian Peck is Tythe and that's super. From his debut album And Also With You which is out now.

Dena - Games
Don't think we've had a Bulgarian artist on before, so consider that box checked. Denitza Todorova is Dena and her debut album, Flash, came out in March.

Superfood - Right On Satellite
I'm reliably informed that these are being spoken very highly of in the music press. Good for them. It's an enjoyable ditty and is released on the 28th of this month.

The History Of Apple Pie - Shake
Intriguing name, lovely track. This will be on their new album, as yet without a name, which will be out later in the year.

Big Deal - Always Boys
Because it's always boys with guitars. Far too much of that around. Off the EP Sakura which is out next week.

Manflu - James Chance Coronary
Noisy, like we like it. From the Joys Of Life LP which is out next week.

One Degree of Separation
New Order - True Faith
Electronic - Disappointed
Probably done this link before, but what the hey. From Electronic's second album, Songs From The Cool World in 1992, the supergroup which included New Order's Bernard Sumner. Before that, from Substance which came out in 1987.

Watermät - Bullit
Don't know a huge amount about the artist, but that's got summer floor-filler written all over it. From the album Bullit which came out in March.

Fran Seven - Time For
Dutchman Mikel Hoogland records as Fran Seven. This is off his EP Ripples In Time which came out last week.

Soft As Snow - Black Birds
From Norway, but based in London, their debut EP Glass Body comes out on the 21st of this month. Delightful stuff.

That'll do you. Hopefully I'll be a bit more compos mentis next week.

Here's that on Soundcloud:


and YouTube:

6 May 2014

Bit of a South American theme this week. And Canada for some reason. Anyway, tuck in...

Dandy Warhols - Every Day Should Be A Holiday
If that's the policy they're standing on, they get my vote. I could have slept all day today given half a chance. More Bank Holidays please. That's from 1997 - crikey - off the album ...The Dandy Warhols Come Down'.

Archie Bronson Outfit - We Are Floating
From Bath, but based out of London now. That's really quite excellent. It's off the album Wild Crush which is out in a fortnight.

Sulfurica Billi - Facada Na Costa
The first of tonight's Brazilian tracks, some furious blues-rock from Sao Luis in the north-east corner of the country. That was on an EP which came out last month.

Cover Version Corner
Kraftwerk - Die Roboter
Rotfront - The Robots
That was different. Rotfront are an interesting band. Based in Berlin, but made up of many nationalities, they blend traditional folk from Ukraine and Hungary, mix in a bit of Yiddish folk with the klezmer as well, and more modern styles and create something quite unique. Before that, of course Kraftwerk, off 1978's Mensch Maschine album.

St Vincent - Prince Johnny
Always inventive, never boring. This is the latest single from the album St Vincent which came out in February. Delightful.

Pink Mountaintops - Ambulance City
Echoing Neu! and others, that's right up my street. They're from Vancouver and have just released their first album in five years. Get Back is the title and it's out now.

Feist - My Moon, My Man
To the other side of Canada now, to Nova Scotia. Leslie Feist has a terrific voice. That's from 2007 and the album The Reminder.

Lorelle Meets The Obsolete - What's Holding You?
Mexico now for some old-school shoegaze. The sort of stuff I spent my later school years listening to and clearly an influence here. That's off Chambers which came out in February.

One Degree of Separation
New Order - Bizarre Love Triangle
Beta Band - Squares
Nothing too taxing here. Polygons. Splendid, down tempo stuff from the Beta Band. That's off Hot Shots II from 2001. Before that, there's no mistaking New Order. From the 1986 album Brotherhood.

The Baggios - Candangos Bar
Back to Brazil for some more blues-infused rock. These are from Sao Cristovao in the east of the country. The track dates back a couple of years. Utterly splendid.

Tack>>Head - Ticking Time Bomb
Here's something that takes me back. 1989, this came out in, off the album Friendly As A Hand Grenade. It's a little dated, but the techniques that were being explored at the time still very relevant today. There was always a tendency in the early days of sampling to cram as many in as possible. This is perhaps where people began to realise that less is more.

The Fall - Cyber Insekt
Perhaps this should be a new feature section; The Obligatory Fall Record. Off the 2000 album, The Unutterable. Terrific stuff as always.

Gil Scott Heron -Lady Day And John Coltrane
Sublime stuff from 1971 and the album Pieces Of A Man. Influential to the day he died, and beyond for that matter.

Shit Robot - Take 'Em Up
And to ease into Phil Brook and the Down Tempo show, something from an album he leant me a while ago. From The Cradle To The Rave is that album. It came out in 2010 and this is very much the pick.

Here's all that on YouTube:


Back next week with more.

18 March 2014

Back once again, this week with a slightly Scandinavian feel. Let's crack on.

The Fall - The War Against Intelligence
The first Fall track I ever heard and been a fan ever since. From the 1991 album 'Shift-Work'.

Liars - Mess On A Mission
Love this so much. So much going on there. From the new album 'Mess' which is out next Monday.

Howlin' Wolf - Smokestack Lightnin'
Because why not. Chester Burnett was his name and this is off his debut album from back in 1959 called 'Moanin' In The Moonlight'. Lots of apostrophes...

Cover Version Corner
New Order/Flunk - Blue Monday
Flunk are from Oslo and that's off their 2002 album 'For Sleepyheads Only'. Before that, they don't need an introduction. So I won't give them one. The Flunk version is one of those that I heard in the pub and identified by the wonder of Shazam. Ain't modern technology wonderful?

Todd Terje - Delorean Dynamite
Staying in Norway, Terje Olsen is from Mjøndalen. He's released plenty of stuff, but his first long-player is due out in April. 'It's Album Time'. Great name.

Lust For Youth - Another Day
To Sweden now and Hannes Norvide's Lust For Youth. This is one of those I've had hanging around for ages and now finally got chance to play. It came out on the album 'Perfect View' last summer.

One Degree of Separation
Underworld - Dark And Long
Propellerheads - Take California
First, from 1994, a terrific track from Underworld, followed by one from four years later by Propellerheads. The link is in the album titles. 'dubnobasswithmyheadman' is the Underworld one - a brilliant piece of work, still - and the Propellerheads with 'decksanddrumsandrockandroll'.

Silkken Laumann - Giving You Up
Fast becoming one of my favourite contemporary bands, I've played quite a few tracks from the album 'Not Forever Enough'. Because it's great.

Boards Of Canada - Happy Cycling
If I want to relax, this is my go to record. It's just great the way it develops. It was a bonus track on 'Music Has The Right To Children' from 1998 and I will never tire of it.

No show next week - blame Middlesbrough for that - so back in a fortnight.
In the meantime, here's that on YouTube:


And Soundcloud:


See you in two weeks

3 September 2012

After a week off for the August Bank Holiday, we were back and this time with proper notes and running order.

Hot Chip - How Do You Do?

Polica - Wandering Star

Everything Everything - Photoshop Handsome
Carolyn: That's different. In a good way

The xx - VCR
John: They've a new album out, but this is off the first one

New Order - Bizarre Love Triangle
John: From 1986, that
Carolyn: And still sounds fresh, if very obviously New Order

The Youth Anxiety - The Double Image
John: Available on a free download. I know the drummer's dad

Cover Version Corner
Neil Young/St Etienne - Only Love Can Break Your Heart

Air - Seven Stars
John: From the album Voyage Dans La Lune which is a re-imagining, as I believe they have it these days, of the score to the film of that name by the Lumiere Brothers

Richard Hawley - Seek It

Cornershop feat Bubbley Kaur - Topknot
John: If you only know Cornershop from the Fatboy Slim remix of Brimful Of Asha, it might surprise you. This is them getting back in touch with their Punjabi roots with a previously unrecorded singer

Stealing Sheep - Genevieve

Headless Heroes - The North Wind Blew South

Here's your YouTube playlist.