5 July 2016

Hello again.

Joey Fourr - My Dolphins
Quirky. Off the album Fourr To The Floorr which came out in April.

Bugeye - Never Let You Go
I hate the term rrriot grrrl, but this apparently fits the bill. It's the title track off an EP out later this month.

Fur Blend - Taco Bell
Bit of psycho-krauty type rock from Leeds. The EP Serotonin came out in May.

Featured album: Sonny - Better Late Than Never
Save Me
Friendly Fire
I've been doing some open mic around Huddersfield with my band John Thomas and whenever Sonny walks in with his guitar your heart both soars and sinks. Sinks because you might have to follow him, soars because he's bloody great. This 2010 album is still about on bandcamp to download for however much you'd like to pay. I suggest you do.

Teenage Fanclub - I'm In Love
Yay! It's new Teenage Fanclub stuff! Their 11th studio LP is called Here and is out in September and this is the first single from it.

Lessons - Tempest
A different class of synth-driven pop-rock from Helsinki. The title track off a new EP.

Hey Colossus - Hop The Railings
This came out at the back end of last year, but I'm only getting to grips with it now. Radio Static High is the album.

Unstable Journey - Clear Lines
More from Leeds, this came out in May on the LP Beast Market.

Cwtch - I Drove To The River
House favourite Dementio13's occasional side-project returns. Here, Paul Foster and vocalist Marie Craven produce a delicious slice of laid-back electronica.

Featured album: Sonny - Better Late Than Never

Something In The Water

Seriously good. Don't know why he's kicking about open mic nights with the likes of us.

Vince Clarke & Paul Hartnoll - Better Have A Drink To Think

Electronica pioneers combine with a new album, 2Square, out this Friday.

Squarepusher - Midi Sans Frontieres
Another star of the electronic scene, this is Tom Jenkinson's riposte to Brexit. Available for nowt from his website.

Saint James - Opposite
London producer about whom I know little.

Here's your YouTube:



and your Soundcloud:



and bandcamp:



and we go again next Tuesday.

7 June 2016

Last day of my summer holidays. And it almost feels like I planned this out.

The Spills - Floyd
Starting off with a few tracks I've had waiting for a while, The Spills are from Wakefield and their second LP, which this comes from, came out last autumn.

Vertical Slump - Chanteuse
Another one from last autumn, this is off an EP called Ruined Value.

Fews - The Zoo
This has been around as a single for a while now, but the album - Means - only came out late last month. They're Swedish, but based in London now.

Featured album: Teenage Fanclub - Grand Prix
Sparky's Dream
Neil Jung
One of the great LPs to come from these isles. Don't take my word for it. Twice in national surveys - in the Observer in 2004 and Q in 2000 - this has been ranked as the 72nd greatest British LP of all time. It was the Bellshill quartet's 5th album, released in 1995. And it still sounds great.

Ashley Reaks - Billy Goat Hill
Time to get a bit.... experimental for the next few tracks. And experiments either work or don't, so I appreciate some of the next 20 minutes or so won't be for everyone. What you must agree on though is that the title of Ashley Reaks's new LP is quite spectacular: If I Hadn't Become An Artist And A Musician I Would Have Been A Serial Killer Or Killed Myself.

Biscuit Mouth - The Sea Son, Caspian
Possibly not quite as out there as Reaks's work, but definitely not mainstream, is this from Derby. Doing It Right And Doing It Well is out as of last Friday.

Yak - Smile
I've been aware of Yak for a while, so it was something of a surprise to learn that Plastic People which came out two weeks ago is in fact their debut release. Clearly they've been honing their craft for some time.

Loose Meat - Daisy Chain
We played a track by these off their self-titled debut LP last week, liked it, so are doing so again.

Man Of Moon - Sign
From Edinburgh, this is off the EP Medicine which is out on Friday.

Featured album: Teenage Fanclub - Grand Prix

Mellow Doubt

Another track from Grand Prix, an album which you should go and listen to right after you've finished listening to us.

The Avalanches - Frankie Sinatra

Taking it electronic now, and here's something. It was 16 years ago that Melbourne's Avalanches released their debut LP Since I Left You. Now comes a follow-up, Wildflower. Exciting.

K.O.I.S.T.E.R - Dots

Seattle producer Jake Koistinen is K.O.I.S.T.E.R. I came across this arsing around on Soundcloud. It was research!

Not Waving - 24

A new act on acclaimed dance label Diagonal are these from London. The LP is Animals and it came out in February.

Kid606 - Born Slippy/Audion/Plastikman/Matrixmann

A curio from Venezuelan producer Miguel Trost De Pedro, aka Kid606. Just something he was messing about with, apparently, but it sure works for me.

Here's yer YouTube:

and yer Soundcloud:



and Bandcamp:



That should see you through to next week.

23 December 2014 - Christmas special

Our 100th show! Wooo... And also our third christmas spectacular. A bumper crop this year.

Wild Billy Childish and The Musicians Of The British Empire - Poundland Christmas
2008 was when capitalism fell and was propped up on the backs of the people at the bottom of that particular pyramid scheme. That's when this was recorded and it's as relevant now as then. Thatcher's Children is the album and there's new stuff from Childish coming soon, both with his band CTMF and in collaboration with the Wave Pictures. Both are keenly anticipated round these parts.

The Fall - Jingle Bell Rock
The traditional Fall festive cover version. This is off a Peel session from 1994. Unmistakeable.

Broken Down Lorry - All I Want For Christmas Is A Bit Of Peace And Quiet
Twitter is, contrary to popular opinion, a wonderful thing. I put a plea out for new and unsigned to send me their christmas records and one that came back was this. Recorded around 2010 for no particular reason. Key change!

Eels - Christmas Is Going To The Dogs
Originally recorded in 2000, you can find this on Useless Trinkets... a collection of B-sides, rarities and previously unreleased stuff which came out in 2008.

Slow Club - Christmas TV
To Sheffield and this lovely number dates from 2009 and the Christmas Thanks For Nothing EP. Just a lovely record.

Teenage Fanclub - Christmas Eve
You can't beat Teenage Fanclub. Indeed, I've been a fan since I was a teenager. This is on a compilation done by XFM for the Big Issue which came out in 2000 called It's A Cool Cool Christmas.

Alton Ellis and The Lipsticks - Merry Merry Christmas
The legendary Trojan Christmas Album has many gems on it and this is no exception. The album is just wonderful and gets such an airing round ours that christmas without ska just isn't a real christmas.

Bootsy Collins - Diss Christmiss
And now to funk it all up. From the 2006 album Christmas Is 4 Real. I play those last two to reflect how christmas is celebrated in other parts of the world where it isn't grey, miserable and damp. Just a totally different mindset.

Lullaby For The Working Class - The Utilitarian Christmas Jingle
This really paints a Dickensian - maybe even Hogarthian - image of christmas past. I don't know too much about it other than they're from Lincoln, Nebraska and it came out in 1998.

Los Campesinos! - The Trains Don't Run It's Christmas Day
The Crookes - You're Just Like Christmas
Two new releases for this christmas and two of my favourites - I'm holding my favourite back until later in the show. The Crookes are from Sheffield and that's very jolly while Cardiff's Los Campesinos! do something different. It's quite like I see the season. It can be boring, you do the same things year after year, it can be fraught and tetchy, but you know what? I wouldn't change it for anything.

The Kinks - Father Christmas
A traditional story of a department store Santa getting mugged. From 1977 and made an appearance on the 1978 reissue of the album Misfits.

Tomorrow's World - I Don't Intend To Spend Christmas Without You
We've played these a few times before, it's Jean-Benoit Dunckel, erstwhile of Air, and Lou Hayter from New Young Pony Club. This is from 2009 and the Cherry Red Records compilation Christmas Cocktails.

Broken Record - My Beer-Drunk Soul Is Sadder Than All The Dead Christmas Trees In The World
Hell of a title. Hell of a tune as well to be fair. This is brand spanking new from the Edinburgh outfit.

Matt Bouvier - Santa Give Me Something To Live For
To Sweden now, Malmo in fact, and another brand new record. This starts horribly, but that doesn't last for long before it gets going. Out now on a Small Bear Records compilation.

Clinic - Christmas
The B-side to the 2002 single Come Into Our Room, that's a jolly pleasant tune.

Christ. - Making A Snow Angel
Straight out of the Boards Of Canada envelope, Christ. is Scotsman Christopher Horne and that's off the 2007 album Blue Shift Emissions.

Mike Harding - Christmas 1914
From 1977, but in this centenary year even more poignant. Just what did happen that christmas may never be truly known, but the accepted tale certainly has an air of the myth about it. Anyway, top record.

DJ Yoda - 5-Minute Christmas Mini-Mix
The star of Huddersfield's Festival of Light earlier this month, here's him doing his thing with christmas clips and samples back in 2010.

John MOuse - When A Child Is Born
This is the christmas record of this very christmas time. Bloody brilliant. His album The Death Of John MOuse was one of the highlights of the year and this caps off 2014 nicely. Absolutely love it. The right balance of bitter and light.

Half Man Half Biscuit - All I Want For Christmas Is A Dukla Prague Away Kit
Got to finish with this one, as is now traditional. From 1986 and the EP Trumpton Riots, an all-time classic.

Here's that on YouTube:



and a tiny bit of it on Soundcloud:


So there we are. 100 shows. Raise of the bat, acknowledge the crowd on all four sides before digging back in. The 90s were nervous, but we got there. Now, nothing silly for a few overs and get focus back.
Merry christmas to you all. Back for one more time in 2014 next week.

9 September 2014

No live session this week, so back to the tried and trusted format of great records.

The Fall - Fibre Book Troll
Always exciting to hear new stuff from The Fall. This is just great. About abuse on social media, if you didn't quite get it. This is available on a compilation from Modeselektor. Volume 3.

Mazes - Salford
From a band from Salford to a track called Salford. They're from London though. From the album Wooden Aquarium which came out yesterday. Bit of a Kings Of Leon feel to it, but with more about it to lift above that level.

Tomorrows Tulips - Glued To You
Dreamy. This is off When which comes out on October 7. It threatens to take off at several points during the record, but always remains reserved. I like that.

Cover Version Corner
Teenage Fanclub/Nai Harvest - Ain't That Enough
You can't go too far wrong covering a Teenage Fanclub track. Did they ever make a bad tune? The original is off 1997's Songs From Northern Britain - which it remains at the moment. Nai Harvest are from Sheffield and that came out in March on Art Is Hard.

Zero 7 - Simple Science
About as poppy as I get, but this is the 12" version which I much prefer. All seven-and-three-quarter minutes of it. Gives it more time to develop than the cut-down radio edit.

Total Control - Flesh War
I sat through this trying to work out what it reminded me of. I think it's Sisters Of Mercy. A bit. That's not necessarily a bad thing, by the way. They're from Melbourne and that's off the album Typical System which came out in June.

Peaking Lights - Breakdown
A husband and wife duo from San Francisco, this slice of joy is on Cosmic Logic which is out on October 7.

Riot !n Magenta - Breaking Down
Our first foray to Singapore, which calls to mind an old joke to which the punchline is "well he was no Dean Martin". Anyway, that's the first of three tracks from last year which somehow slipped through the net. This is on an EP called Cloud.

Gap Dream - Shine Your Love
From Cleveland, Ohio this drew me in with those chords at the top that reminded me of Wendy Carlos and her Switched-On Bach. This is on an album called Shine Your Light, again from last year.

Bill Callahan - Ride My Arrow
Joyous. This is off last year's Dream River album of which there is a totally dub version that came out earlier this year. I genuinely don't know which I prefer.

One Degree of Separation
Breakwater - Release The Beast
Daft Punk - Robot Rock
Not too tricky this week - it's sampling, the latter of which does a lot of with the first. That Breakwater track is from 1980 and the album Splashdown. The Daft Punk one is from 2001's smaash hit Discovery.

Ought - Habit
From Montreal and the album More Than Any Other Day. Another one that reminds me of something I can't bring to mind. Maybe it doesn't. Bloody good though.

warrenpeace ft Natasha Fox - Indoor Voice
Another one from the quite brilliant album SDR007 and probably the last one I can play on a family station. Great vocals.

Aphex Twin - minipops 67 [120:2] (source field mix)
Here's exciting. The first album from Richard D James in 13 years. Syro is the title and this is the first track released from it. Immediately recognisable as an Aphex Twin track and no less bad for that.

Here's most of that on YouTube:


and most of it on Soundcloud:


Not back next week - football again - but the week after.

20 May 2014

In which I break my Sisters Of Mercy duck...

Morrissey - World Peace Is None Of Your Business
Always nice to hear from Morrissey. This is off a new album of the same name due out on July 15. While he may raise some salient points, I'm not sure he's thought things through. If there are things that require change, I'm not sure that disenfranchising yourself from the process - denying yourself the one vehicle you have at your disposal - is a great way to go about it. We do have elections on Thursday. The Europeans are PR and your vote will count. Do get out and use it if you can, hoof out the extremists we got lumped with last time, on the back of pitiful turnout, and let's be grown up about all this, eh?

The Modern - Industry
This was their debut single from back in 2005 and I'd pretty much forgotten it until I heard it last week. I still like it. No idea if they're even still going.

Movie -Ads
Is that a bit of Devo I can hear in there? Either way, I like it. Something a little different to anything else out there. It's out on Skelly Records and if you're trying to find it, probably best to start there than enter 'movie ads' in Ask Jeeves or whatever your favourite search engine is.

Cover Version Corner
Binary Finary - 1998
Peace - 1998 (Delicious)
First, a trance classic from, unsurprisingly, 1998. They also did a more flowery version a year later. Originality being their strong point, that was called 1999, but I'm not sure it was strictly needed. Second, a version with guitars and lyrics from Birmingham band Peace off their debut EP Delicious. Completely different in almost every way.

Kitten Pyramid - Uh Oh
These are new to me, from Burton on Trent. This came out late last year and I like it a lot. There's plenty going on and doesn't sound too much like anything else. One to keep an eye on.

Bed Rugs - Wave
We've played these before. They're from Belgium and this is another one from late last year.

Lemon Jelly - The Shouty Track
Because it's warm and sunny and Lemon Jelly works on warm, sunny days. This is not in the usual laid-back vein, though. Off the album '64-'95 from 1998.

One Degree of Separation
Teenage Fanclub - What You Do To Me
Sisters Of Mercy - This Corrosion
I warned you about Sisters Of Mercy. They were (are?) from Leeds. That's off the album Floodland from 1987. Before that, the ever-lovely Teenage Fanclub. What a splendid band they are. That's off Bandwagonesque from 1991. The link is that they both appeared on the rather splendid soundtrack to the film The World's End which I finally got round to seeing last week. Gloriously silly.

Aim - Cold Water Music
Take it down a notch from Sisters Of Mercy with this, the title track from Aim's 1999 album. Aim is Andrew Turner from Barrow.

Psychemagik - Black Noir Schwarz
I've been after this for a while. It came out in February, but I've only just got my hands on it. Consider that your Tuesday night banger.

Jamie xx - Girl
I have an inherent suspicion of people who refer to themselves by the name of the band that they're in. This is Jamie Smith of the xx with a rather lovely down tempo track. Quite different to the stripped back style of the xx, it shows there's more to him than that.

Mr Scruff ft Denis Jones - Render Me
A new album from Mr Scruff landed yesterday. Friendly Bacteria is the title and it's steering away from the sampling and beats to something more melodic and with vocals too. It's still bloody good though. This is the first release from it. Bang on.

Here's all that on YouTube:



Back with more next week. Enjoy the Bank Holiday.