26 April 2016

Hello again.

Riz MC - Englistan
Actor, poet, polymath Riz Ahmed has a new collection out, of which this is the title track. Available as a pay-what-you-like download. Excellent stuff.

Ukepunk - Girl Across The Road
Ukulele and punk - what's not to love? There is a new EP, From The North, but this is taken from the 2014 LP Punk Police.

The Wave Pictures - Slick Black River From The Rain
From last year's A Season In Hull LP. Love em to bits and they play The Parish next month.

Featured album: Stereolab - Transient Random-Noise Bursts With Announcements
Analogue Rock
Lock-Groove Lullaby
1993 saw Stereolab move up into the big leagues and Transient Random-Noise Bursts With Announcements was their first on the majors. Unmistakeable and unmatched.

The Julie Ruin - I Decide
Kathleen Hanna, ex of Bikini Kill, fronts this relatively new band. The new LP Hit Reset is out in July.

Seize The Chair - Secret Sister
New single from the boisterous Sheffield bunch.

The World - Managerial Material
The title track from their new EP which came out on April 1. Double sax, dub guitar. Amazing. From Oakland, CA.

City Yelps - Now
Lo-fi from Leeds, this is off their forthcoming debut LP.

The Blinders - 84
From Donny, but now playing out of Manchester, this is off their debut EP Hidden Horror Dance. The aim, they say, is to be in your face all the time. I'll leave that to you.

Tibet - I'll Put You In My Pocket
'60s inspired rock from their debut EP Fridge.

Featured album
Stereolab - Tone Burst
The opening track from Transient Random-Noise Bursts With Announcements.

The Ramisko Maki Maki Rocking Horse - And We Will Dance
That's a hell of a name. Ray McCartney is the Ramisko Maki Maki Rocking Horse and last summer's LP was Possessed By The Gods Of Cowbell Oblongata.

Sean Grant and The Wolfgang - Brother
From Northants, off the EP 7 Deadly 7 which is out on May 6.

The Antikaroshi - The Only Witness
Krautrock from Germany - aptly - from their fourth LP, the catchily titled 11 Songs Mostly Written And Played On Wednesday Evenings By A Band Called The Antikaroshi.

Laurence Made Me Cry - Mneme II (Dementio13 remix)
Jo Whitby, aka Laurence Made Me Cry, released the EP Titan's Daughters earlier this month and it's been given the remix treatment. One of them by house favourite Dementio13.

Gerry And The Pacemakers - You'll Never Walk Alone
Dedicated to the tireless seekers of justice. 27 years and maybe now those families can start to grieve.

Here's that on YouTube:



and Soundcloud:



Same time next week? Cool.

22 March 2016

That was a longer break than expected, for a variety of reasons. Anyway, what it means is that I've got a massive backlog, so I'm putting the featured album on hold for a couple of weeks while I whittle it down a bit. So let's catch up with what's been tickling my ears these last few weeks.

Asian Dub Foundation - Blade Ragga
Another one from last year's More Signal More Noise LP and a track for which a video was released a couple of weeks ago. Instrumental, this is everything that underpins what ADF do with added flute.

The Cravats - Jingo Bells
Familiar theme. Old band, long hiatus, back on the scene. Redditch's Cravats return with their first release in 10 years - second in 30 - an ageing punks talk state of the nation. Fortunately, they're still quite good.

Bad Mood - May 2nd
T'other end of the youth spectrum, but also clearly unhappy with the state of things. This is the Liverpool band's debut single, out on Friday.

Nai Harvest - Just Like You
A new one from these, off a double-A single which I believe is out now. Sheffield continuing to churn out top acts.

Eagulls - My Life In Rewind
Another from the forthcoming second album from these. We now have a title too. Following their acclaimed debut 'Eagulls', comes Ullages. See what they did there. They're from Leeds, by the way.

Future Of The Left - If AT&T Drank Tea, What Would BP Do?
Another teaser from the forthcoming The Peace And Truce Of The Future Of The Left which I cannot wait for. But must. Obviously. Because that's how time works.

Life - Popular Music
Hull next. Another boot in the balls of anyone scoffing at it's UK Capital Of Culture nod. This is great stuff. Came out back end of January.

Super Besse - Nasilie
Easily the best thing to come out of Belarus since Vasil Kiriyenka. No, flippancy aside, I bloody love these. Like a post-Soviet Joy Division. This is the new single. It means 'violence' and it came out last month.

Beak> - Timeshare
To Bristol and the side project of Portishead's Geoff Barrow who have put together the soundtrack for the film Couple In A Hole.

Tehnoloogiline Päike - Remember Me
Estonia now, which I think is breaking new ground for us. Either way, delightful, floaty electronica with a French influence from their LP Technological Sun which came out at the back end of February.

Wire - Nocturnal Koreans
The title track from their new EP, this surpasses recent releases by a long way. It might be the best thing they've ever done, or I might be getting carried away. Either way, I love it.

Oh, The Guilt - White Car
More Bristolians. This is their debut single and it's out in May. It's that relentless, driving guitar that reminds me of a couple of things I can't quite put my finger on. Like it.

Sad Culture - Raspberry Ooze
Another track from the latest Art Is Hard Records singles club. This time, subscribe and you get a pin badge and a download code, which is a nice touch. Anyway, these are from London and it's pure, sunshiney pop with that little ska edge which lifts it beyond it's contemporaries.

Replica Jesus - Everything Rots
Derby now. Loud, raucous and excellent. This actually came out last September, so lord knows where it's been hiding. Great stuff.

Seize the Chair - Knew You'd Never Been There
Back to Sheffield for this. And that's all I really know other than I like it a lot. Sort of slacker-rock, just a level above lo-fi.

Solar Bears - Gravity Calling
And we finish with more electronica, this time from Irish duo John Kowalski and Rian Trench. The LP is called Advancements and came out last Friday. Very Boards of Canada.

Here's that on YouTube:



and Soundcloud:



and I'll clear some more of this backlog next week.