17 December 2012 - the Christmas special (postponed)

John isn't well. As such, we had to cancel our Christmas special we had scheduled for the 17th. This is particularly annoying, as John had put loads of work into it, even going and buying props as well as spending an age compiling some festive treats. Instead, valued reader, you get first look at what would have been played had leaving the house for a couple of hours seemed like a good idea.

The Fall - Hark, The Herald Angels
I love The Fall. Their continued existence is a minor miracle in itself. This is off a 1994 Peel session.

Half Man Half Biscuit - It's Cliched To Be Cynical At Christmas
The greatest band in the world, themselves no stranger to the chippy and cynical, give the likes of me a lesson that it's not cool to sneer at this time of year. This is from the 2000 album Trouble Over Bridgwater.

Pomplamoose - Always In The Season
An interesting bunch, these are from Corte Madera in California and this is from the 2010 EP Christmas In Space.

Belle and Sebastian - Are You Coming Over For Christmas?
The Glasgow aesthetes with their 2007 festive single

Tim Minchin - White Wine In The Sun
The Australian poet/comedian/everything else with his admittedly sentimental paean to the Christmases of the ex-pat. Released as a single in 2009.

Sufjan Stevens - That Was The Worst Christmas Ever
Yeah, OK, not the cheeriest of lyrics or anything, but it's a lovely tune and fits the theme. This was on 2006's Songs For Christmas.

Jethro Tull - A Christmas Song
Getting our folk on with a slating of the inherent hypocrisy this time of year brings out. As relevant now as it was in 1976 when this was released on the EP Ring Out, Solstice Bells.

The Sonics - Don't Believe In Christmas
105 seconds of old school garage. From the 1965 compilation Merry Christmas which came out on the Etiquette label.

Thurl Ravenscroft - The Grinch Song
The theme from the 1966 animated film How The Grinch Stole Christmas. Ravenscroft was originally uncredited for his performance. The film (spoiler alert) shows the indefatigability of the spirit of man which The Grinch finally comes to see. So it's a heart-warming Christmas tale, right?

The Pretenders - 2000 Miles
Just about the only one of the usual suspects I can abide. This acoustic version is particularly delightful.

Wedding Present and Simone White - Holly Jolly Hollywood
Ah, Mr Gedge. Gone all Hollywood on us, eh? From the 2008 EP of the same name.

Ramones - Merry Christmas (I Don't Want To Fight Tonight)
A 1987 offering from the New Yorkers, and no, let's not fight this year eh?

Cocteau Twins - Frosty The Snowman
The question you have to ask is why wouldn't some Scottish art-poppers cover Frosty The Snowman? This is from the EP Snow released in 1993.

Eels - Everything's Gonna Be Cool This Christmas
And unless the Mayans were right, it probably will be. From "B-sides and Rarities" which came out in 2005.

I Break Horses - Winter Beats
Possibly not even a Christmas record in the grander scheme, but it has the word 'winter' in the title and I like it, so I'm having it. I Break Horses are Maria Linden and Fredrik Balck from Stockholm and this is off the album Hearts which came out last August.

The Leisure Society - Last Of The Melting Snow
From Brighton, this is off the 2009 album The Sleeper.

Shonen Knife - Sweet Christmas
Osaka's finest all-girl pop-punk outfit, they've done loads of Christmas songs. This one's about making a cake and was released as a single in 2011.

Half Man Half Biscuit - All I Want For Christmas Is A Dukla Prague Away Kit
I couldn't do Christmas without this, could I? From 1986's EP Trumpton Riots and subsequently on the re-issue of their debut album Back In The DHSS.


So disappointed we couldn't do this last night, but... well, y'know. And it was going to be our last show for a while too. We're not back on air until January 7 now as we, in line with all the major European leagues except England, take our winter break.
Merry Christmas to all our readers and listeners.

Here your YouTube playlist with a couple of extras on the end. Merry Christmas!

10 December 2012

The Dave Brubeck Quartet - Take Five
John: We don't play enough jazz on this show, so let's put that right. The unmistakeable tones of Dave Brubeck who died last week aged 91, that's from 1959.

Haim - Don't Save Me
John: Three sisters - Este, Danielle and Alana - from LA, that's from the album Forever which came out last week.
Carolyn: That's a big '80s vibe right there.

Temples - Shelter Song
John: While this has a big '60s feel to it, much in the way Tame Impala and Django Django do.
Carolyn: Are we just repeating things now?
John: Well, I guess the first things you hear are your parents record collection and it leaves an impression.

Cover Version Corner
Jacques Brel/Scott Walker - Jackie
John: A proper foot-stomper that. Scott Walker, one of the Walker Brothers who were neither brothers nor called Walker - he's Noel Engel - in a Trade Descriptions nightmare. That's from the imaginatively titled second album Scott 2 back in 1967. Brel's original is a year earlier and you find pretty much everything he recorded has been covered by someone. Walker has a new album out - Bish Bosch - and he sounds as good as ever.

The Raveonettes - The Enemy
John: From Copenhagen, that's off the new album Observator.

Suzi Chunk - No Stone Unturned
John: More '60s stylings, that could pass for Dusty Springfield. She's from Teesside and that's off Girl From The Neck Down.

Paco Zambrano Y Su Combo - Meshkalina
John: Originally recorded in 1969, that's on a new release from Tiger's Milk records which is a label specialising in hard-to-find Latin records.
Carolyn: Sounds pretty much your sort of thing.
John: It is, yeah. They're from Peru.

Yeasayer - Reagan's Skeleton
John: From Brooklyn, that's off the album Fragrant World, but what does it sound like?
Carolyn: The Beloved - Sweet Harmony.





One Degree Of Separation
Pugwash - Take Me Away
The Divine Comedy - I Like
John: One of the great songwriters of the age, that's a joyful one from the Divine Comedy. Off the 2010 album Bang Goes The Knighthood. Before that was Pugwash from 2008 and the album Eleven Modern Antiquities. Tommy Walsh from Pugwash and Neil Hannon collaborated on the seminal cricket concept album under the guise of The Duckworth Lewis Method.
Carolyn: Not Tommy Walsh from those DIY shows?
John: No. You know, it's not unheard of that people can have the same name as someone else.

Ultraista - Bad Insect
John: From the album Ultraista which is out now.

Talulah Gosh - Beatnik Boy
John: We play that as Elizabeth Price, formerly of Talulah Gosh, won the Turner Prizer this week for her video installation The Woolworth's Choir Of 1979. That's from 1986.

Swiss Lips - In The Water
John: Not got much on these. They're from Manchester is about it.

Website bonus tracks that we didn't play for time reasons:
Gorillaz - On Melancholy Hill
Richard Hell and The Voidoids - Blank Generation
LCD Soundsystem - All My Friends
Section 25 - Looking From A Hilltop

Christmas special next week. Meanwhile, here's your YouTube playlist.

3 December 2012

Packed the box for tonight and didn't get anywhere near playing it all.

Mystery Jets - Saviour (The Hale Bop)
John: New one from these off the album Radlands which was out earlier this year

Boards of Canada - Dawn Chorus
John: Seeing as the Bank of England is about to be run by a Canadian
Carolyn: Didn't like that at all
John: Ten years old, off 2002's Geogaddi

Foals - Inhaler
John: New one from these off Holy Fire which comes out in February. Bit of a harder edge to previous stuff.

Cover Version Corner
Paul Revere and the Raiders/Modern Rocketry - (I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone
John: There are dozens of covers of this. We could have chosen the Sex Pistols, Minor Threat, Johnny Thunders, The Farm... Instead, we went for Modern Rocketry's 12" mix on the basis this is supposed to show two totally different interpretations. That was from 1983, Paul Revere from 1966.

Tame Impala - Mind Mischief
John: New from these off the album Lonerism
Carolyn: Really like that. We've had a few from these before haven't we?
John: We have. One of the albums of the year

The Damned - New Rose
John: Their debut single from 1976. They played Leeds last week and stormed it.

Delphic - Baiya
John: It went a bit '80s in the middle there.
Carolyn: It started a bit '80s and stayed there. Not that there's anything wrong with that
John: That's off the album Collections which comes out in January

Majestyy - The Notion
John: With two Ys, that's available as a free download from their Soundcloud page

One Degree of Separation
Martin Rossiter - Drop Anchor
Gene - Haunted By You
John: The Gene track is from 1995 and their debut album Olympian. They were notable for being a bit Smiths-esque
Carolyn: A bit? Very.
John: Martin Rossiter took a long sabbatical and is back with this single which is off the album The Defenestration Of St Martin which came out last week and is a sublime piece of song writing

Nathan Fake - Paean
John: Off the album Steam Days, that's out sort of now-ish. I think

Seasick Steve - Don't Know Why She Loves Me But She Do
John: Love that. If that hasn't got your foot tapping, something's wrong.
Carolyn: Mine was going
John: He's 71 (to the best of anyone's knowledge) is Steven Gene Wold and makes a lot of his own instruments. I've seen him play a single-string contraption, guitars made from hubcaps, cigar boxes... That's off last year's album Can't Teach An Old Dog New Tricks


Miike Snow - Paddling Out
John: With two Is
Caarolyyn: I'm going to start spelling my name with two As and two Ys
John: Miike Snow is Christian Karlsson and Pontus Winnberg from Stockholm and that's from 2010's album Happy To You

Bonus website extras:
Stuff in the box we didn't get round to playing on a time/total disorganisation basis...

Friendly Fires - Jump In The Pool
Fuckpony - Real Love Is Forever
Stereolab - French Disko
Underworld - Scribble
Justice - DVNO
The Specials - Enjoy Yourself
"I'm Terry and I'm going to enjoy myself first"

And here's your YouTube playlist.