18 March 2013

An extra half hour today, you lucky people. Instrumentals, prog and prog instrumentals all on today's agenda.

Future Of The Left - Failed Olympic Bid
John: Great track, great video. From the album 'The Plot Against Common Sense' which came out late in 2011. Obviously railing against the nonsense of some of the companies that sponsored the Olympics and the abandonment of large swathes of the country so that London can prosper.
Carolyn: Yeah, I got the McDonalds bit. Other burger chains are available.


John Grant - Sensitive New Age Guy
John: We played the title track to the album 'Pale Green Ghosts' a few weeks ago and it's still the best thing I've heard this year. This is another track off the album which came out last week. The ex-Czars man from Denver is now based in Reykjavik and the album is quite brilliant.

Neon Neon - Mid-Century Modern Nightmare
John: New one from these, this is off the album 'Praxis Makes Perfect' which is out on April 29. Gloriously 8-bit.
Carolyn: Like the computer games of our youth. Manic Miner... And under two minutes. Very retro.

Cover Version Corner
George Martin/Van Der Graaf Generator - Theme One
John: Originally made as a theme for Radio 1 back in 1967. Manchester prog rockers Van Der Graaf Generator recorded that in 1972 and it's off the album 'Pawn Hearts'. That's just one of a number of covers - I could have gone for Schizo Fun Addict, Cozy Powell...
Carolyn: The instrumental possibly gives you even more freedom to put your own stamp on things. Is there a kazoo version?
John: Something to do over Easter, perhaps.

Phoenix - Entertainment
John: That's jaunty. From Versailles, that's off the album 'Bankrupt!' - with an exclamation point - which is out on April 5.
Carolyn: Very jaunty indeed. I liked that.

Ultraista - Smalltalk
John: That's the new single from these which comes out on the 31st off the album 'Ultraista'. That's Nigel Godrich's - Radiohead's long-time producer - project.
Carolyn: Who is on vocals?
John: I don't know. Good though, ain't it. Works well with the melodies to create something quite beautiful.

Yacht - Second Summer
John: This came out last December. We've played these before; they're based in Portland, Oregon.
Carolyn: That's really good.

Younghusband - Dromes
John: That's how you end a record...
Carolyn: I liked it up to that point.
John: The new single is 'Comets Crossed' from the album of the same name which this also comes from. Worth keeping an eye on these in the future.
Carolyn: As long as they learn to end a track.

The Avalanches - Frontier Psychiatrist
John: One purely for Carolyn.
Carolyn: What happened to Dexter? I got caught up in the narrative. Really like it though.
John: Those samples are from the John Waters film 'Polyester'. The track was The Avalanches' biggest hit and came out in 2000 from the album 'Since I Left You'.

One Degree of Separation
The Stranglers - Waltzinblack
Jean-Jacques Burnel - Waltz In Blue
John: I promised you more instrumentals. And a double link for a bonus. First was The Stranglers from the 1981 album 'The Gospel According To The Men In Black', their fifth. Then you heard Jean-Jacques Burnel - bassist in The Stranglers with a track from the soundtrack to the 2005 film 'Gankutsuou'. And you've got the waltz link there as well. Burnel studied history at what was then Huddersfield Poly back in the day.
Carolyn: Our alma mater. Good to have a local element.
John: Ain't no glory like reflected glory.

Wooden Shjips - Black Smoke Rise
John: I've been after playing these for ages. Wooden Shjips, with a J...
Carolyn: I... Why?
John: That's a couple of years old now. They're from San Francisco and the album is 'West'. We've played a lot of things like Toy and Hookworms over the weeks and months and these came a bit before, maybe a gateway to those early Can and Neu! records for the newer generation.

Wire - Love Bends
John: The 13th studio album from the London post-punk veterans is 'Change Becomes Us' and it's out on March 25.

Royksopp - Happy Up Here
John: And happy down here in our bunker. I like that a lot - very uplifting.
Carolyn: Yes, jolly pleasant indeed.
John: They're from Tromso in Norway and that's off the 2009 album 'Junior'.

Sparks - This Town Ain't Big Enough For The Both Of Us
John: I promised you more prog as well, so have some Sparks. From the 1974 album 'Kimono My House'. I don't know.
Carolyn: I guess prog puns were different back then.
John: I realised a few weeks ago that I'm now of an age where I get Sparks. It's worrying.

Woody Guthrie - Worried Man Blues
John: I've been meaning to play some Woody for ages. It's a traditional old song which he recorded in 1940. He's a bit of a hero.
Carolyn: And it's good to play some different things.

Wolf People - All Returns
John: Psych-folk, I think they call it. The new album is 'Fain' and comes out on April 30. They're based in London. And Bedford, and North Yorkshire.

Willy Mason - I Got Gold
John: A modern twist on country, which is good. That's off the album 'Carry On' which came out late last year and I've just not got round to playing. I like that track - the rest of the album... Not so much.

Teenage Fanclub - Baby Lee
John: Purely selfish. I adore that track. From the 2010 album Shadows.
Carolyn: No, it can't be selfish when you share something that nice. That's a beautiful record.

And here's all that in a YouTube playlist.

18 February 2013

On today's agenda, new stuff by old bands, new stuff by new bands and old stuff by old bands, stuff from Cuba, stuff from Heckmondwike.

Sparks - Amateur Hour
John: From 1974 and the album 'Kimono My House'. No, me neither. Sparks are Ron, the scary one, and Russell Mael and we'll have another sibling combo later. We have an hour, but we'll try to be a bit more than amateur about it.

Orchestral Manouvres In The Dark - Metroland
John: Now one of the new ones by old ones. We're on very familiar territory here.
Carolyn: Yeah, we are. But then if it works... And that does.
John: From the new album 'English Electric' which is out on April 8.

!!! - Slyd
John: New stuff from another old band. That's !!! - chkchkchk, by common consent - and it's bassy, funky and I flippin' love it.
Carolyn: They're called what?
John: From the album 'Thr!!!er' which is out imminently. Who knows how they're pronouncing that.

Cover Version Corner
Buzzcocks/Nouvelle Vague - Ever Fallen In Love (With Someone You  Shouldn't've)
John: Nouvelle Vague a French outfit who solely do covers in the bossa nova style. We'll probably come back to them in future as they're a rich source of material. That's off the 2006 album 'Bande A Part'. The Buzzcocks, of course, Bolton's finest. That's from 1978.

Tom Tom Club - Downtown Rockers
John: Another old band putting new stuff out, that came out last September off an album of the same name. It's an homage to that whole CBGB's New York scene. They also namecheck Talking Heads - is that a hint of reconciliation?

Lemon Jelly - Ramblin' Man
John: Apropos of nothing other than it's a good record, here, have 7 minutes of Lemon Jelly.
Carolyn: I like some of the stuff with spoken word on. That sounds really.... what's the word?
John: Dreamlike?
Carolyn: Yes, I think so.
John: That's from 2002 and the album 'Lost Horizons'. And at one stretch, the letters of the places spells out 'Bagpuss sees all things'. Y'know... Because.



Ghost Capsules - Inside
John: Remember Bomb The Bass?
Carolyn: Bomb DA Bass, surely?
John: Yeah, well it's him, Tim Simenon. Now based in Vienna and working with some musicians he toured with while he was Bomb The Bass.
Carolyn: Da Bass. Bomb Da Bass...

One Degree of Separation
Ry Cooder - The 90 And The 9/Buena Vista Social Club - Hasta Siempre Comandante
John: Ry Cooder, still angry. That's off last year's 'Election Special' album. Back in 1996, he and Nick Gold went to Cuba to record local musicians. The result was a load of musicians playing under the Buena Vista Social Club banner. That track is a paean to Che Guevara.

Tegan and Sara - Closer
John: Well I promised you more siblings. Tegan and Sara are identical twins from Calgary and that's off 'Heartthrob' which came out last month. Big bouncy tunes and a massive '80s vibe which I like.
Carolyn: I could tell by the way you were singing along.

Spectrals - Peppermint
John: Spectrals is 21-year old Louis Jones from Heckmondwike. Big things are expected and this ain't bad. He's certainly got the tunes, with that big old jangly guitar in a Richard Hawley stylee, but I don't think he's found his voice yet.
Carolyn: That'll develop though.
John: Oh yes, and it's a great start. We'll certainly be keeping an eye out.

Swim Deep - The Sea
John: Another new band, a 4-piece from Birmingham. Close your eyes and that could be The Charlatans.
Carolyn: Now you say that... I was wondering who it reminded me of. Another one to look out for in future.

Special bonus website-only feature
Mmoss - War Sux
John: A 10-minute slab of krautrock indulgence from New Hampshire. Just at that length, I don't know when I'm ever going to be able to squeeze it into an hour-long show.
Carolyn: I like most of it, but then at about 7 minutes, I lose it. There's a section that's actually really annoying, which is a shame.
John: Off last year's album 'Only Children'.

Hat-tip to chums Lawrie and Ryan who suggested a few tracks this week.

And here's all that wrapped up in a YouTube playlist.