25 February 2014

Another Tuesday, so let's see what's in the box this week.

Outfit - Everything All The Time
What a way to start. That's lovely from one of the hottest bands around. The album 'Performance' is out now, but this is from an EP called 'Another Night's Dreams Reach Earth Again' which came out in 2012.

Pastel Colours - She Can't Decide
Another one from the Art Is Hard stable from down in the West Country.

Howling Bells - Slowburn
To Australia now, and the first release from Howling Bells in three years. This came out last week.

Cover Version Corner
Nirvana/Patti Smith - Smells Like Teen Spirit
That's what this section is all about. Completely different versions. Smith has turned it into something completely separate from the original.

Applescal - Give Me A Moabit
Pascal Terstappen is Applescal, a show favourite. This is new and off an Atomnation compilation.

Titeknots - Wordy
This passed me by on it's release last autumn, but I'm so glad I've caught up with it now. A very late-90s Balearic feel to it.

The Strypes - Hard To Say No
To Ireland now and these lads from County Cavan off an EP called '4-Track Mind'. A bit Bloc Party in feel, but certainly different enough to help it stand out in a crowded marketplace.

Retrojet - Murky Window
I don't think we've had a band from Doncaster on before, but that's been remedied now. The title track off a new EP, I really like that. Nice use of brass.

One Degree Of Separation
Tom Lehrer - The Elements
Lemon Jelly - Elements
Time listening to Lemon Jelly is always spent. We must have played every track off 'Lost Horizons' now. Before that, satirist, humorist, mathematician, polymath Tom Lehrer. Recorded in 1959 it includes all the elements up to Nobelium. There have been many more found since then and it wouldn't scan now.

Dust - 1515
Out this month on a Sisterjam compilation called 'Bushwick Is Melting volume 1'. On the back of this, very much looking forward to volume 2.

Ashley Beedle ft Earl Zinger -  Ghost Dancers
I've been after this for ages and finally got my hands on it. This came out last October and it's been on my list since then. Worth the wait.

Lee Bannon - Prime/Decent
Another one I've been waiting a long time to acquire. This is off the album 'Alternate/Endings' which came out last month. It's a belter.

Pins - Waiting For The End
An all-girl band from Manchester, the album 'Girls Like Us' came out last month. Perky, punky, bang on.

Colourmusic - Dreamgirl '82
And to end, from the forthcoming album 'May You Marry Rich', is this utter delight. It is pretty much everything I want from a record.

Here's that on a combination of YouTube:



and Soundcloud:



Back next week with more, after a refreshing mini-break.

18 February 2014

A week off last week (for some) due to live football taking over the airwaves, so lots to catch up on this week.

Malachai - I Deserve To No
Fusing Asian influences to create a thoroughly modern record. Malachai are a 2-piece from Bristol and that's off 'Beyond Ugly' which is out on March 31.

Neneh Cherry - Everything
It's been ages since we had a solo effort from Neneh Cherry. With Four Tet in the producers chair, she's created something a bit special. First time I heard this track, it took me a couple of minutes to get into it, but glad I stuck with it. The album is 'Blank Project' and it's out next week.

The Bohicas - Swarm
Some good old-fashioned rock and roll. These are from Essex and that's out now on a double-A single.

Cover Version Corner
Bronski Beat/Heavyball - Smalltown Boy
That's what we want to achieve with this section. Heavyball take a thoroughly familiar track and give it a whole new spin in their ska-influenced fashion. Lovely stuff. Before them, of course it was Bronski Beat, from 1984 and from the album 'The Age Of Consent'.

Cheatahs - Geographic
The long-awaited, self-titled album is out now. I like this track a lot, but I've not yet had chance to peruse the rest of the record. Fingers crossed.

Au Revoir Simone - More Than
From Brooklyn, that is quite lovely. I missed the album at the time - 'Move In Spectrums' came out last autumn - so I'm just getting to it now.

Flyying Colours - Wavygravy
To Australia now. These are from Melbourne and this, their debut single, is out on April 12. There a pun in being two Ys, but I'm not sure what it is.

The Crookes - Play Dumb
I like these. From Sheffield - named for a Sheffield suburb - the much-anticipated album 'Soapbox' is due out on April 14.

One Degree of Separation
The Stranglers - Toiler On The Sea
A Flock Of Seagulls - I Ran
Any excuse to play The Stranglers. One of my favourites of theirs, off the 'Black and White' album of 1978 and followed by some classic '80s electro-pop from a band who took their name from a line in Toiler On The Sea. That track is taken from their debut, self-titled album from 1981.

Tropical Contact - Bagsy Shotgun
Local band who I like a lot. This didn't make their EP which is out now, but that doesn't mean it's terrible.

Illum Sphere - Sleeprunner
Ryan Hunn is Illum Spehere and this is from 'Ghosts Of Then And Now' which came out last week. Mean, dark, moody. Like it.

Black Submarine - Here So Rain
Formerly Black Ships - don't know what happened there - these are from Liverpool. 'New Shores' is the album which came out two weeks ago.

Beats For Beginners - Baby What's Your Sound
Something I only heard last week, but came out in 2007. 'Lazer Beams For Eyes' is the EP. Sounds every bit as current as anything else in the same vain I've heard lately.

Phantogram - Nothing but Trouble
We finish with the lead track from the new album 'Voices' which is out today. A frankly stunning track from an album which is a superior work of art.

Here's all that via the magic of YouTube:


and Soundcloud:


Back next week.

4 February 2014

More of the usual for your listening pleasure.

Heavyball - Black Eye Friday
Out last Friday, this is the new one from these Nottingham lads now based out of London. Terrific stuff. More please.

Container - Glaze
This fair blew my socks off when I first heard it. Stunning stuff from Ren Schofield off the new EP 'Adhesive'.

Toy - It's Been So Long
Been a while since we played these. Off their second album 'Join The Dots', it's another winner.

Cover Version Corner
Chris Isaak/London Grammar - Wicked Game
London Grammar were last year's big thing, but largely by-passed me. She's got a hell of a voice. The original before that from 1990 and the album 'Heart-Shaped World'.

Deadwall - Eyes-White-Shut
We saw these supporting Hookworms at Hebden Trades Club and this track, off the new album 'Bukimi No Tani', really made my ears prick up. The album is great and it's out as of yesterday. The unusual name comes from a book by roboticist Masahiro Mori in which he espouses the theory that we shouldn't make robots to human-like. Presumably that's how Skynet starts.



Balthazar - Leipzig
To Belgium now. These had a lovely album out last year called 'Rats'. This is a new single, out now.

Mogwai - Remurdered
A new album, 'Rave Tapes', is out now and ticks all the Mogwai boxes.

One Degree of Separation
Half Man Half Biscuit - Paradise Lost (You're The Reason Why)
Calvin Party - 8 Days
Label-mates and regular touring compadres is your link. The venerable Probe Plus put out both of these bands and Calvin Party are regular support for HMHB. The Biscuits are playing Holmfirth in April. Bit of luck, so will Calvin Party.

Pete Seeger - Rye Whiskey
The news of Pete Seeger's death came too late for last week's show. I could have picked out anything from his back-catalogue, but this old Scottish drinking song stands out. Off the 1954 album 'Frontier Ballads'.

Eight Rounds Rapid - Talent
That's traduced a popular TV show. It's a fair point. Britain has lots of talent, but most of us don't. New single from these. I think they're ace.

Smog - In The Pines
I should probably have put this after Pete Seeger. It's another old song, done here by Bill Callahan in 2005, most famously recorded by Leadbelly back in the day. It's had various names, various lyrics, various numbers of verses, but this is lovely. Gives the impression of a stream babbling by. Off Smog's 'A River Ain't Too Much Love' album.

Pizzicato Five - Baby Love Child
To Japan, now. These are from Hokkaido and this came out in 1991 on the 'Last Year's Girl' album. It's been used in many films and TV shows; Futurama and the Adam Curtis documentary All Watched Over By Machines Of Loving Grace for two.

TCTS - Lose Control
Tuesday night banger. Sam O'Neill from Manchester is TCTS and that's off an EP called 'These Heights'.

The Fall - Hey! Luciani
And to finish, The Fall. A song about the conspiracy theories surrounding the death of Pope John Paul I after just 33 days in office. That's from 1986 and couldn't possibly be any other band.

Here's a YouTube playlist, missing Deadwall:


And a bit less of it all on Soundcloud: