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Wednesday 25 September 2013

24 September 2013

Back after a week off and with some catching up to do.

Public Service Broadcasting - Night Mail
The new single from these off the acclaimed album 'Inform - Educate - Entertain' which if you haven't got yet, you really should sort out. Timely stuff, too. 'Letters for the rich, letters for the poor' goes the line in the poem WH Auden wrote for the film that's used here, also called Night Mail. Don't get too used to that if the sell-off happens.
We went to see these at Holmfirth a couple of weeks back. Brilliant. Again.

Suicide Dolphin Bombers - Made In China
This is a couple of years old, but I only heard it for the first time last week. Owen Morris, producer of Oasis's early albums among much else, is behind them.

Zero 7 - On My Own
A London two-piece with Danny Pratt guesting on vocals. That single was out in August and is just lovely.

Cover Version Corner
Joy Division/Therapy? - Isolation
I can't believe that's the first Joy Division record we've played. That is quite a bleak song, and yet Therapy? somehow manage to convey that bleakness slightly better than Joy Division. The original is from 1980 and was on the album 'Closer'. Therapy?'s was off 1994's 'Troublegum'.

Eccentronic Research Council - Maxine's Dream
We have the word curious in the show title and we promise you curios. After the album '1612 Overture', Sheffield's ERC are back working with Maxine Peake and the first thing we've heard off the forthcoming long-player is this tribute to the BBC Radiophonic Workshop and the work of Delia Derbyshire. Magnificent.


Mazes - Hayfever Wristband
That reminds me of about half a dozen different things, none of which I can immediately bring to mind. The album 'Better Ghosts' is coming soon and should be worth seeking out if this is a decent indicator of what's on it.

Moodoïd - Je Suis La Montagne
Right out of the Air sort of envelope, it shouldn't surprise you that these are Parisian. The EP, also called 'Moodoïd', came out on the 9th of this month. Mind the umlaut if you're looking for it.

Eagulls - Nerve Endings
A bit closer to home now - these are from Leeds and this is brand, spanking new. It's off an EP also called 'Nerve Endings' which comes out next Monday, the 30th of September. Loud, brash, great.

One Degree of Separation
Talking Heads - Right Start
David Byrne - Dance On Vaseline
Not a huge leap here. In fact, I won't even patronise you by going over it. The first of those two doesn't get a lot of air-time. It's off 1980's 'Remain In Light' album. The second is one of those that will always remain in my top so-many records of all time. It's off the album 'Feelings' which came out in 1997. It feels so much older than that, probably because I'm so familiar with it. Again, I can't believe we've not had either of these before given my affection for Talking Heads and the work of David Byrne more generally. What have I been playing at?

Council Tax Band - The Bigger The Budget
A band I came across thanks to the power of Twitter and finally there's a track I can play on a family show. They're from Bedford and bill themselves as 'two guitars, synth, drums and shouting'. Fine by me. Also, if there's a better name for a band than that - other than perhaps 'Fern Britton's Gastric Band' which, to the best of my knowledge, doesn't actually exist - I don't want to know about it.


Incubus - Aqueous Transmission
We'll end with a track to throw forward to the show that follows, Down Tempo with Phil Brook. These are from California and it comes off the 2001 album 'Morning View'. Soothing.

Annoyed I couldn't get new tracks from Four Tet and Razmataz Lorry Excitement in there this week. I'll hold them over for the next show. Meanwhile, the tracks we did play are on this here YouTube playlist apart from the ERC and Council Tax Band tracks which are above.

Tuesday 10 September 2013

10 September 2013

Bit of a German theme this week, quite by accident, but we kick off this week's show with something more Gallic.

Melanie Pain - Black Widow
John: That's Pain as in French for bread and she used to sing with Nouvelle Vague. This is off her album 'Bye-Bye Manchester' which came out last year.

Joanna Gruesome - Sugar Crush
John: A five-piece from Cardiff, that's of their debut album 'Weird Sister' which is out today, so you're bang up to date with it.

Wedding Present - Two Bridges
John: New stuff from these! Be excited! They released this last week on their YouTube channel. No word on whether this is a portent for a new album as yet, but we wait with breath duly bated.

Cover Version Corner
John Kongos - He's Gonna Step On You Again
Happy Mondays - Step On
John: One of those where the cover has surpassed the original in many ways. From 1990 that and the album 'Thrills, Pills and Bellyaches', it made it to number five in the charts. Before that, John Kongos from back in 1971. He's from Johannesburg and that made it to number four. Easily his biggest hit.
Carolyn: So it actually did better than the Mondays even though it's - arguably - less well known.
John: He's still recording, apparently. That track is in the Guinness Book of Records as it was the first record to use a sample.
Carolyn: In 1971? Wow.

Roosevelt - Elliot
John: One of the German tracks I promised. Roosevelt is an artist from Koln and other than that, I don't know much about him.
Carolyn: International man of mystery, eh? Are you sure he's doing it right?
John: Well, people are in this game for different ends. Anyway, I really like that. It's off an EP also called 'Elliot' which is out now and follows his debut album of last year which we played something off.

Applescal and Ryan Davies - Creatures
John: We played a track from Applescal, Amsterdam producer Pascal Terstappen that is, a while ago - Spring And Life - which went down really well. Now he's teamed up with Ryan Davies from Germany and produced an EP called 'Creatures' from which this is the lead track.
Carolyn: Sort of dreamy, late-night stuff.


Artichoke Heart Souffle - Don't Forget About Me
John: That's jaunty isn't it.
Carolyn: Very! I like it though.
John: They're a brother and sister act - Brad and Stacy Michaelson from LA - and that's off 'Treble And Bass' which is out now.
Carolyn: I'll be checking that out.

One Degree of Separation
Mr Scruff - Jazz Potato
Hot Chip - Over And Over
John: One of Hot Chip's better known ones, that's from back in 2004 off the album 'Coming On Strong'. Before that, Mr Scruff - Andy Carthy from Macclesfield - from 1997's self-titled album. Potato. Chip. I think you get it...

Seams - Rilo
John: One last German one - sort of. Seams is James Welsh - born in Britain, but based in Berlin - and that comes off the album 'Quarters' which comes out next Monday, the 16th.

Cloud Control - Scar
John: New single from the New South Wales band. This is getting airplay everywhere, but I don't mind giving it a spin too. That's off 'Dream Cave' which was out last month.

And that'll do us for this week. All that's wrapped up in a YouTube playlist here apart from the Applescal and Ryan Davies track which you can find above. We're off next week, bumped for live football commentary, so we're back in a fortnight.

Tuesday 3 September 2013

3 September 2013

We're on Tuesdays now, so not exactly kicking any weeks off. We'll sort that out shortly, but meantime, here's what went out.

Mary Epworth - September
John: Short and sweet to kick us off. That's the new single from Bishop Stortford's Miss Epworth and jolly good it is too.


Franz Ferdinand - Treason Animal
John: The new album, which came out a week ago, from these is 'Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Actions' and largely as you'd expect. This stood out for me for it's Joy Division-esque intro and bassline.

Mos Def ft Slick Rick - Auditorium
John: Mos Def has become one of the leading critics of America's foreign policy, to the point where he volunteered to be waterboarded in order to allow people to see for themselves whether it was torture or not. This, off 2009's album 'The Ecstatic' is about the war on terror and it feels like an important time to bring such matters up.

Cover Version Corner
Arcade Fire/Tears For Fears - Ready To Start
John: Tears For Fears are back! The two have put their acrimonious split behind them and started recording again. They say that having heard their stuff re-used and sampled all over the place while they've been away, they fancied doing something with an existing record. Arcade Fire plus a bit of drum 'n' bass is what we get. The original is off 2010's 'The Suburbs' and Arcade Fire have a new album, 'Reflektor', out soon.

The Dials - Rose Marie
John: New from these, this is off a forthcoming, as-yet untitled album which is due out on October 1. They'd better get a name soon. I'd have thought the artwork would have to be signed off shortly. Very Inspiral Carpetsy organ.
Carolyn (stepping into the room for the first time): Which is probably why you like it.

Belle and Sebastian - Your Cover's Blown (Miaoux Miaoux remix)
John: New but old but new. The new album is 'The Third Eye Centre' and consists of remixes, B-sides, unreleased goodies and what have you. I like the way it's almost like two songs in one.

Broken Arm - Guilty Conscience
John: Noisy and from Leeds, that's from an EP called 'Life Is Short' which comes out on October 14.
Carolyn: Yes, that came on pretty loud and quick. Apologies if it woke anyone else up.


One Degree of Separation
Melt Banana - Shield For Your Eyes, A Beast In The Well Of Your Hand
Melt Yourself Down - Camel
John: Melt Yourself Down are, I'm told, quite the live treat. Saxophones, brass, noise, general chaos. That's off their self-titled album that came out a while ago. Before that, Tokyo's Melt Banana off their 2003 album 'Cell-Scape'.
Carolyn: Melt? Is that it? Are you just phoning these in now?
John: It's a link. Of sorts.
Carolyn: I'm sure you used to put more effort in.

Black Yaya - Paint A Smile On Me
John: And we finish with this jaunty number from David Ivar from Paris off the album 'Eerie Themes and Tales Of Revenge'.

Here's all them via the magic of YouTube, apart from the Mary Epworth and Broken Arm tracks which are above.
Now, what to call the show...?