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.

23 February 2016

Me again.

Soda - Blonde On Blonde
A debut long player from these who come from Gainesville, Florida. Without A Head is the title and it came out last month. It's out on Dull Tools which is run by Andrew Savage of Parquet Courts and it certainly fits that sort of template.

Drug Pizza - No Reaction
Staying with American lo-fi, this time from New York. This is off the new EP due out next month titled Return To Content Mountain.

Peat Moss - Red Velvet Records
Although formed in 1987, this is just their third LP. Moustache Vending Machine - great title - was recorded over five years. No rush lads.

Featured album: Therapy? - Babyteeth
Meat Abstract
Innocent X
Their debut consisted of two mini-albums, the first of which was Babyteeth. Released in July 1991, I was hooked instantly. And finally, I go see them play live this Friday in Sheffield. Meat Abstract is the first track. The use of samples was unusual, but helped it stand out. The track names too - both of these named for pieces of art by Helen Chadwick and Francis Bacon respectively. And they're still going strong and the world is better place because of that.

Yeti Lane - Good Words Gone
Some psych-rock from Paris. Ben Pleng and Charlie B are Yeti Lane and this is from their third album, L'Aurore, which is out on March 4.

Deny All Robots - Knife Games
Fuzzy guitars abound on this. They're from Lichfield and this, their latest single, came out on January 1.

The Haiduks - Diamond Drop
To Canada now for something from a while back but having just been re-issued by Burger Records. 1968 is the name of the album.

Cavern Of Anti-Matter - Melody In High Feedback Tones
These have been around a while and though there have been a couple of 12" releases, they describe 'beats/innovation trex' as their first album "proper". Tim Gane and Joe Dilworth of Stereolab and Holger Zapf make up CoAM while several guests crop up on the LP. This could be Neu! if you didn't know. That is A Good Thing.

Aesop Rock - Rings
A new LP from Portland rapper Ian Bavitz, his first in nearly four years. The Impossible Kid is out on April 29 and if this is representative of the rest of it, it'll be brilliant. This is astonishingly good.

Featured album
Therapy? - Dancin' With Manson
The closer of Babyteeth and possibly still my favourite track of all that they've ever done. Anthony Hopkins is on the sample here.

Acid Arab - Hafla
More from Paris now. Guido Minisky and Hervé Carvalho make up Acid Arab and the EP Djazirat El Maghreb came out last October. Very Muslimgauze.

Thin Films - Mantis
It's been eleven years since Dan McRae released his debut LP Eskimo, but this is a portent of things to come. It's lovely.

David Bowie - Love Is Lost (Hello Steve Reich Mix)
Just the five minute edit, not the full 630 seconds. This is from the LP The Next Day Extra which came out in 2013, an album of remixes of tracks from his penultimate album. LCD Soundsystem's James Murphy is on the mixing duties for this one.

Here's that on Youtube:



and Soundcloud:



Not in next week and it's football the week after, so I'll be back in three weeks.

16 February 2016

Urgh, gross. As in, this is my 144th show.

The King Blues - Off With Their Heads
Three and a half years on, they've reformed and have lots to be angry about. This is the title track from the new LP due out on the 26th.

Penny Mob - War On The Streets
Don't know much about these, but they're from Coatbridge although now based in that there London. And they make cracking tunes.

Syd.31 - Hate
Angry Mancunian thrash punk. The EP Drowning In Air came out last December.

Featured album(ish)
Viola Beach - Boys That Sing/Cherry Vimto
Awful news at the weekend as Warrington indie-poppers Viola Beach were involved in a car crash in Sweden on their first overseas tour. All were killed. So instead of a normal featured album, I'm playing some of their tracks by way of small tribute.

Future Of The Left - The Limits Of Battleships
A taster off the forthcoming LP, due April 8, which is titled The Peace And Truce Of... Can not wait.

My-Ra Superstar - Pig Skull
A new one on me and another to add to the growing list of exciting South Wales stuff. This is from a while ago, off the 2014 album What Separates Us From The Beasts. Their latest one, Some Of These Objects Are Cursed, came out last October. And who doesn't love long album titles?

Nine Tons - No Go
Self-styled 'shautrock' band from Tyneside, this is off their debut album No Frills which came out last month.

Teleman - Dusseldorf
Another track taken from the forthcoming second LP Brilliant Sanity. Wonderful stuff.

Phobophobes - No Flavour
We played an old one of theirs last week, so let's bring it bang up to date. This is the new single. Their live shows are getting rave reviews too.

Shonen Knife - Jump Into The New World
35 years and still going strong. The new LP, their 19th, is called Adventure and comes out in March. What a treat it is to be alive at the same time as these.

Featured album(ish)
Viola Beach - Swings And Waterslides
It's just all so terribly sad. This is the latest single which has made it into the top 40 after a bit of a social media campaign.

Larusso - Fever
Proving there's more to Utah than Mormonism, this is the Salt Lake City band's new single, following up the 2014 album Life In Static.

Ulrika Spacek - I Don't Know
This is amazing. Krautrock lives on. These are from Berlin and it's off their debut album, The Album Paranoia.

Yeyey - Wild Things
Ben Shepard is Yeyey, alumnus of numerous acts but most known for Uzi And Ari. The new album is The Vision and it's sublime.

Applescal - Leone Highway
House favourite producer Pascal Terstappen is back with an EP also called Leone Highway on the highly impressive Atomnation label. It came out last month and will be spinning for a while yet.

Here's that on YouTube:



and Soundcloud:



Doing owt next week? Great, I'll see you back here.

9 February 2016

Hello again.

Eagulls - Lemontrees
Leeds band returning with a new track off their forthcoming second album. Plaintive, Smiths-esque vocals adorn darkly punkish guitars.

Ten Benson - Rock Cottage
An oldie from the London swamp-rockers for no real reason. It's off the 2000 album Hiss which is pretty good fun.

Half Japanese - That Is That
A new album, their fifteenth studio LP, Perfect came out at the back end of last month and sees them in typical form. Art punk, they call it, which seems fair enough.

Featured Album
Primal Scream - Movin' On Up
Primal Scream - Shine Like Stars
Primal Scream truly landed with Screamadelica. Their first two LPs were not commercial hits, but the grounding from those all came together on their third. That and it's timing. In 1991, it crossed the gap between indie and acid house. I hate to use the term zeitgeist, but... well it is apt.

Malcolm Middleton - You And I
Lovely stuff from a grossly underrated artist. The new LP is Summer Of '13 and was made with producer Miaoux Miaoux, which might explain the more electronic aspect. Record of the week.

Phobophobes - Advertise Your Life
Grungey, grimy and passed me by initially. This came out last May and it's terrific. They're from Peckham and I'll be making sure I don't miss out in future.

Desert Mountain Tribe - Runway
More London-based rock as a debut album is lined up for release in March.

The Baggios - Adios Baggio
Easily my favourite Brazilian blues-rock outfit. This is a bonus track off the 2013 album Sina and I'm playing it because I like it and for no other reason.

Fuzzy Vox - Distracted
While you expect French acts to be all ethereal and electronic a la Daft Punk, Air, M83 and so on, here are some Parisians playing some good old-fashioned garage rock. No Landing Plan is out on the 26th of this month.

Melt Yourself Down - Dot To Dot
The title track of the new LP from the avant-garde jazz funk combo which came out last month. They do make a glorious racket.

Featured Album
Primal Scream - Come Together
The longest track off Screamadelica, a real late-night come-down track. Beats the track of the same name by The Beatles into a cocked hat.

The Country Dark - Demon In Bambi Lee
To Finland now, and a band clearly influenced by Nick Cave and that whole murder ballad thing. Hypnic Jerk is the name of their third LP which this is the lead track from. Out now. Go get it.

Manuka Honeys - Let It Go
A new single from Brighton band Manuka Honeys - great name, incidentally. You'd be forgiven for thinking it was Kurt Cobain on vocals.

Burnt Palms - Last Time
Classic Californian slacker rock. The LP Back On My Wall came out last week.

Sweet Baboo - Blowing Up My Mind
Stephen Black returns with a new EP. Titled Dennis, it's out on February 26 and features this cover of an old Northern Soul classic. And it comes with a video of chopped together public information films.

Here's that on YouTube:



and Soundcloud:



And we'll see what next week brings up.

2 February 2016

Right, back to it after those couple of weeks when everything went off. I shan't bore you with it.

Birdskulls - Clawing At The Door
Noisy. These are from Brighton and the debut album is Trickle.

OhBoy! - The Carrot And The Stick
From Northampton and signed to Alcopop! Records, this came out on January 22. You can get it as a single and t-shirt package, inventively. Perky, but that ending just isn't working for me.

PJ Harvey - The Wheel
She's back. A ninth studio album, The Hope Six Demolition Project, is coming in April. This is classic Polly Jane.

Featured Album
The Long Ryders - Looking For Lewis And Clark
The Long Ryders - State Of My Union
An overdue retrospective of the alt-country rockers active in the mid- to late-80s. A four-disc compilation, Final Wild Songs, is out on Cherry Red as of last week. Worth checking out. Looking For Lewis And Clark in particular is still a cracking record.

USA Nails - They'd Name An Age
Released back in November on the LP No Pleasure, this is ace. Grungy, grimy goodness.

Joe Bone and The Dark Vibes - The Exorcist
To Glasgow next and ex-Coffins front man Bone with his latest project release an EP called Four Shades Of Dark. Nick Cave-esque, it's dark and gothic and great. This track also features the suitably biblical vocals of The Very Rev D Wayne Love of Alabama 3.

gharials - Maschera
Don't know much about these. They're from St Helens and this is really cool. And that's it.

Anchorsong - Expo
Absolutely love this. Japanese producer Masaaki Yoshida is Anchorsong, albeit now based in Europe. That bass...

Portishead - Magic Doors
Because why not. From the imaginatively titled third album, Third, back in 2008. Still great.

Featured Album
The Long Ryders - Gunslinger Man
Another one you can find on Final Wild Songs which is simply bloody great fun.

Lenzman - Golden Age feat Steo
I don't play enough drum and bass. It's more laid back than most of that genre. It's the title track from a 6-track mini-album that came out a few weeks ago on Metalheadz.

Underworld - I Exhale
Exciting new stuff from Underworld and back on some sort of form after Karl Hyde's Eno collaboration which I didn't get. They sound like The Fall here. Barbara Barbara, We Face A Shining Future is the new LP, due March.

Vessels - 4AM
Delicious late-night wind-down/chill-out stuff from the Leeds electronica merchants. Dilate is the LP, out on April 1. No kidding.

Here's that on YouTube:



and Soundcloud:



and providing nothing goes wrong, I'll be back in a week.

19 January 2016 - the one that didn't go out

I wasn't in on the 19th as I was full of cold and my voice wasn't up to it. I won't be in tomorrow, the 26th, either. As such, by the time next week comes round this will be hopelessly out of date and I'm already building up a backlog of tracks for the next show which I could do with working through. So I'm not doing this one on the radio, only here.


The Wave Pictures - Slick Black River From The Rain
Anything new from these is welcome. The new LP is A Season In Hull and is out next month. Looking forward to hearing more from it.

Field Music - Disappointed
Are these ever anything other than excellent? It's the sheer consistency which impresses. This is the second track taken from Commontime, out of February 5.

Jesse Malin - Sorrow
The album The Fine Art Of Self Destruction has been reissued following its initial release in 2003. Still sounds pretty good to me.

Featured album
David Bowie - Lazarus
David Bowie - Dollar Days
What else could it be? It's been a week now and it's still baffling how we didn't see it coming given the songs on Blackstar. It's a terrific album anyway, but after Bowie's death it takes on a whole new outlook. It's a masterpiece. The master innovator, refusing to be pigeonholed to the last. So long, Starman.

Soronprfbs - I Love You All
From the soundtrack of the film Frank, this features Michael Fassbender on vocals. Joyous.

Ringo Deathstarr - Guilt
What a great name. Shoegaze isn't dead, at least not in Austin, Texas. The album is Pure Mood and it came out last November.

Shields - Alive
These are from Newcastle and their debut album How Can We Fix This? is out next month. Pretty good, if you ask me.

exmagician - Job Done
A duo from Belfast, their debut LP is out in March on Bella Union, titled Scan The Blue. Elements of psych and shoegaze makes for a decent sound.

Throwing Snow - Clasp
One I've had on the backlog for a while. This came out in July. If I was struggling for an excuse, I'd say it had a more winter feel to it, but I just hadn't got round to it.

Featured album
David Bowie - I Can't Give Everything Away
The last track on Blackstar. Very much a goodbye, one would say with the assistance of hindsight.

Ummagma - Lama (Malcolm Holmes OMD mix)
Electro-pop from the Ukrainaian/Canadian duo given a club feel by Malcolm Holmes. The original track was on the EP Frequency which came out last month.

Ophiuco - Pneumatic Psycho Bodhidharma
Extraordinary. These Italian trip-hoppers released Hybrid last month. Extraordinary is the only word I can find for it, in a good way.

Here's that on YouTube:



and Soundcloud:



Normal service to resume in February with a bit of luck.

5 January 2016

A new year, apparently. A new you, possibly. A new format, definitely not.

Those Unfortunates - Letter Writing Man
A new single from the Londoners in advance of their forthcoming debut LP. It's good too, whiffs of HMHB, I, Ludicrous and others.

Samh - Nomad
Local lad Sam and his band here. Find them gigging around and about - they're well worth it. Folk-rock, I think you call it.

Pulco - Brunswick
Another taster track from the album Farmyard & Library which is due this year some time.

Featured album
Belle & Sebastian - Nobody's Empire
Belle & Sebastian - Enter Sylvia Plath
This week we feature Girls In Peacetime Want To Dance which came out last year. Highly acclaimed, it's undoubtedly one of the albums of 2015. A bit more dancey than usual, but not lacking the expert songwriting we're so familiar with.

Still Parade - 07:41
The latest from the ever-excellent Art Is Hard records is this dreamfunk stuff from Berlin. Just let it wash over you.

Blooms - Waves
A new band from Manchester, but not making the sort of sound you'd normally associate with the city. More of a surf sound, this. Could catch on.

Those Foreign Kids - Ry Gos
From Haarlem in the Netherlands, Ry Gos is apparently an ode to Ryan Gosling. This will appear on the forthcoming LP Oh, Nothing.

Super Besse - Holod
Another track from 63610 which is superb. You should get it.

Featured album
Belle & Sebastian - The Party Line
The first single from Girls In Peacetime Want To Dance which came out in advance of the album. And is bloody great.

Shitwife - Hand Banana
Noisy as hell and terrific fun. This is off Big Lad which came out last summer.

Night Dials - Waiting At Your Door
A new single from these London-based garage/psych rockers. Lo-fi goodness.

Andrew Weatherall - The Confidence Man
From one of Britain's foremost musical innovators, this is the first single from the new LP Convenanza, his first full solo album since 2009. Pencil it in for the end-of-year reviews already. The album is out next month.

Here's that on YouTube:



and Soundcloud:



Football takes precedence next week, so back in a fortnight.