30 December 2014

Everyone else is doing end-of-year lists and it'd be appropriate to do a best of 2014 thing this week. But I did that already and in the last two weeks since a normal show, there's been loads of good stuff put out, so normal service it is.

The Skints - The Cost Of Living Is Killing Me
From last March and from London, off an EP called Short Change. Pretty much the battleground for the general election.

Ex Hex - Don't Wanna Lose
Rips was their debut LP which came out in October. They're an all-girl three-piece from Washington DC.

Blossoms - Blow
New stuff out of Manchester. This is their debut single which you can get from iTunes.

Cover Version Corner
Ride/The Divine Comedy - Vapour Trail
Not hugely different versions, though it's a different sound for Neil Hannon than normal. his version pops up on the B-side of the 1999 single The Pop Star's Fear Of The Pollen Count. Before that, a shoegaze classic from the 1991 album Nowhere and excitement as to them reforming.

The Daintees - October Song
New stuff from Newcastle where Martin George Stephenson is back with his badn The Daintees. Haunted Highways is the new album and it came out on the 21st.

Emmy The Great - Swimming Pool
Ooh, that voice. Emma Lee Moss is Emmy The Great and her new EP is S.

Milo's Planes - Lost Talent
Bristol now, and a taster for a forthcoming album. I got nothing apart from that.

The Lucid Dream - Unchained
From Carlisle, this is the second single from their forthcoming second album.

Pemuda Setampat - Sebuah Pemuda
All I know about this is that it's Indonesian dub. And you know that can't be bad.

Sleater-Kinney - Bury Our Friends
Their first album in 10 years comes out next month. No Cities To Love is the title. Splendid stuff and welcome back.

One Degree of Separation
Martha And The Muffins - Echo Beach
Anguish Sandwich - Guangzhou Romance Musical Instruments Co
That was Martha and The Muffins' only UK top 40 single, reaching number 10 in 1980. After that, 46 was as high as they got. After that, a track from the album An Actual Thing which came out in November and is available on bandcamp. They're from Northampton. And I won't insult you by pointing out the link.

Aidan Moffatt - The World Around Us
Ex of Arab Strap and with a collection of previously unreleased material to share. Called Vagrants_09_14 - Vagrants given these tracks were previously homeless and the rest to do with it's release - it's bloody good.

Muslimgauze - 100 Great Turks
Bryn Jones was Muslimgauze. At the time of his death in 1999, he'd released over 60 albums and since then, that number is well on the way to having doubled as he left behind vast volumes of work which is now curated by his nephew. This is off a new EP called Deceiver vol 3 & 4. The original Deceiver came out in 1996, but it's still so fresh. This is just a fantastic track.

Lone - Life Time Loop
Nottingham's Matt Cutler is Lone and this very Boards Of Canada track is a follow-up to the 2014 album Reality Testing. Lovely.

Here's that on YouTube:



and Soundcloud:



Back next week.

Best of 2014

If you're not aware, I also do some stuff over at In Bed With Maradona. There's some cross-over, inevitably, but any stuff I like that's... shall we say 'not exactly radio-friendly' tends to end up there.
Anyway, as part of that, the editor said a few weeks ago, 'why not make a playlist of your 50 favourite tracks of the year?' So I did. On Spotify. It's not in any particular order - not a chart or anything.
It's here, in this link. Go listen at your leisure.

The thing is, however, that not everything I wanted to put on it lives on Spotify. So here are the things that should be on that list but aren't.

23 December 2014 - Christmas special

Our 100th show! Wooo... And also our third christmas spectacular. A bumper crop this year.

Wild Billy Childish and The Musicians Of The British Empire - Poundland Christmas
2008 was when capitalism fell and was propped up on the backs of the people at the bottom of that particular pyramid scheme. That's when this was recorded and it's as relevant now as then. Thatcher's Children is the album and there's new stuff from Childish coming soon, both with his band CTMF and in collaboration with the Wave Pictures. Both are keenly anticipated round these parts.

The Fall - Jingle Bell Rock
The traditional Fall festive cover version. This is off a Peel session from 1994. Unmistakeable.

Broken Down Lorry - All I Want For Christmas Is A Bit Of Peace And Quiet
Twitter is, contrary to popular opinion, a wonderful thing. I put a plea out for new and unsigned to send me their christmas records and one that came back was this. Recorded around 2010 for no particular reason. Key change!

Eels - Christmas Is Going To The Dogs
Originally recorded in 2000, you can find this on Useless Trinkets... a collection of B-sides, rarities and previously unreleased stuff which came out in 2008.

Slow Club - Christmas TV
To Sheffield and this lovely number dates from 2009 and the Christmas Thanks For Nothing EP. Just a lovely record.

Teenage Fanclub - Christmas Eve
You can't beat Teenage Fanclub. Indeed, I've been a fan since I was a teenager. This is on a compilation done by XFM for the Big Issue which came out in 2000 called It's A Cool Cool Christmas.

Alton Ellis and The Lipsticks - Merry Merry Christmas
The legendary Trojan Christmas Album has many gems on it and this is no exception. The album is just wonderful and gets such an airing round ours that christmas without ska just isn't a real christmas.

Bootsy Collins - Diss Christmiss
And now to funk it all up. From the 2006 album Christmas Is 4 Real. I play those last two to reflect how christmas is celebrated in other parts of the world where it isn't grey, miserable and damp. Just a totally different mindset.

Lullaby For The Working Class - The Utilitarian Christmas Jingle
This really paints a Dickensian - maybe even Hogarthian - image of christmas past. I don't know too much about it other than they're from Lincoln, Nebraska and it came out in 1998.

Los Campesinos! - The Trains Don't Run It's Christmas Day
The Crookes - You're Just Like Christmas
Two new releases for this christmas and two of my favourites - I'm holding my favourite back until later in the show. The Crookes are from Sheffield and that's very jolly while Cardiff's Los Campesinos! do something different. It's quite like I see the season. It can be boring, you do the same things year after year, it can be fraught and tetchy, but you know what? I wouldn't change it for anything.

The Kinks - Father Christmas
A traditional story of a department store Santa getting mugged. From 1977 and made an appearance on the 1978 reissue of the album Misfits.

Tomorrow's World - I Don't Intend To Spend Christmas Without You
We've played these a few times before, it's Jean-Benoit Dunckel, erstwhile of Air, and Lou Hayter from New Young Pony Club. This is from 2009 and the Cherry Red Records compilation Christmas Cocktails.

Broken Record - My Beer-Drunk Soul Is Sadder Than All The Dead Christmas Trees In The World
Hell of a title. Hell of a tune as well to be fair. This is brand spanking new from the Edinburgh outfit.

Matt Bouvier - Santa Give Me Something To Live For
To Sweden now, Malmo in fact, and another brand new record. This starts horribly, but that doesn't last for long before it gets going. Out now on a Small Bear Records compilation.

Clinic - Christmas
The B-side to the 2002 single Come Into Our Room, that's a jolly pleasant tune.

Christ. - Making A Snow Angel
Straight out of the Boards Of Canada envelope, Christ. is Scotsman Christopher Horne and that's off the 2007 album Blue Shift Emissions.

Mike Harding - Christmas 1914
From 1977, but in this centenary year even more poignant. Just what did happen that christmas may never be truly known, but the accepted tale certainly has an air of the myth about it. Anyway, top record.

DJ Yoda - 5-Minute Christmas Mini-Mix
The star of Huddersfield's Festival of Light earlier this month, here's him doing his thing with christmas clips and samples back in 2010.

John MOuse - When A Child Is Born
This is the christmas record of this very christmas time. Bloody brilliant. His album The Death Of John MOuse was one of the highlights of the year and this caps off 2014 nicely. Absolutely love it. The right balance of bitter and light.

Half Man Half Biscuit - All I Want For Christmas Is A Dukla Prague Away Kit
Got to finish with this one, as is now traditional. From 1986 and the EP Trumpton Riots, an all-time classic.

Here's that on YouTube:



and a tiny bit of it on Soundcloud:


So there we are. 100 shows. Raise of the bat, acknowledge the crowd on all four sides before digging back in. The 90s were nervous, but we got there. Now, nothing silly for a few overs and get focus back.
Merry christmas to you all. Back for one more time in 2014 next week.

16 December 2014

It's that time again.

Knuckle - Bad Brains
Local boys done good, from one of the EPs of the year, This Week's Been Hell. You really must get this.

Quarterbacks - Center
Don't like the name, but love the track. From their forthcoming debut LP, due mid-February.

Wireheads - Five Grand
To Adelaide now, and another debut album, this time from last May. The Late Great Wireheads.

Cover Version Corner
The Bonzo Dog Doodah Band/The Blue Giant Zeta Puppies - I'm The Urban Spaceman
Ah, what a great record. The Bonzos biggest hit and off their best selling album Tadpoles. The Blue Giant Zeta Puppies remain something of a mystery, but have brought it bang up to date.

Kagoule - Gush
To Nottingham now. It's been a decent year for Kagoule with well-received EPs. 2015 sees them release a highly-anticipated album. Expecting big things.

Male Bonding - A Kick To The Face
New single from these and a new album to follow. Have some of that.

Black Lips - Boys In The Wood
Underneath The Rainbow came out in March. A blend of blues and country. A bit Black Keys, but not so samey that it gets lost.

Viet Cong - Continental Shelf
Another highly-anticipated album from a band we expect to hear a lot about in 2015. From Calgary, they will draw comparisons to Arcade Fire with the Canadian thing and Interpol, but again have enough about them for those comparisons to fall a bit wide of the mark.

Mega Emotion - Uncomfortable
To Norwich and a new single from a band we've featured several times already. This is due a release on cassette on January 15 on Post/Pop.

Lovers Open Fire - Tracer
These are from Wrexham - lots of good stuff coming out of Wales at the moment - and the album is Live Dinner Theatre which came out in March. Sold out as a physical item, you can get a download from their bandcamp page.

One Degree of Separation
The Jesus and Mary Chain - Sometimes Always
Primal Scream - Come Together
I've done this link before - Bobby Gillespie - but what the hey. Possibly my favourite J&MC track from 1994's Stoned And Dethroned. That's the full 10 minute version of Come Together, largely because I can and the radio edit is rubbish. From Screamdelica of course which despite being 23 years old still sounds fresh.

R Seiliog - Velcro For Vortex
Robin Edwards records as R Seiliog and the album In Hz is full of these soundscapes. He's Welsh too. Told you.

Spectres - Sea Of Trees
A debut album is due next year on Sonic Cathedral. That could be Can. It goes a bit experimental in the middle, but it's none the worse for that. If this is anything to go by, the album should be a belter.

ABC - All Of My Heart
A shameless '80s indulgence. Indeed, does it get more '80s than this? Doubtful, but still a belting tune.

YouTube bits:


Soundcloud bits:



Christmas special and show number 100 next week.

9 December 2014

Not feeling so great, so more tunes and less waffle. Relief for us all there.

The Blue Giant Zeta Puppies - The Wild Ride of Ichabod Crane
If you're going to a play a zingy intrumental, do it up top I always reckon. Off a compilation from Garage Punk records called Garage Monsters that came out in 2012. I must do an all-instrumental show one day.

CTMF - It's So Hard To Be Happy
From the forthcoming album Acorn Man, which is sure to be good.

The Invisible Band - Circles
A great piece of songwriting from this trans-Northern outfit. The new EP is called Never Thought About It and you can stream it on Soundcloud.

Cover Version Corner
The Clash/Tijuana No! - Spanish Bombs
I've been learning a bit about the Spanish Civil War lately. Anyway, the Clash from London Calling in 1979, then a Mexican band from Tijuana with their version from 1994's Transgresores De La Lay. Offenders Act to you and me.

Julian Casablancas + The Voidz - Where No Eagles Fly
Him from out of The Strokes with a side project. Bit mainstream for me, perhaps, but I quite like it. I think.

Faerground Accidents - We Hate The Same Things
Looking forward to big things from these in 2015. Remember where you heard them first. This is the flip side from the double-A with the sublime Back In Town.

Baby Strange - VVV
New single from these. I know it's out now, I know they're from Glasgow and that's it.

Memory In Plant - This Love
To Tel Aviv now. An Epic Triumph is the album which came out in August.

Firestations - French Caves
Also out in August on the long player Never Closer which came out on Waltz Time records.

Lee Negin - Just Saying...
Been after playing this for ages. Lee Negin is from San Francisco but now based in South Korea. This is off the album The Chhez Chronicles vol V which came out in July. It's an absolute joy.

One Degree of Separation
The Cure - A Forest
Haunted House - Lost In A Forest
Haunted House are a collaboration between Lianne Hall and Paul Hartnoll who now presumably has a lot of time on his hands. That's their debut single. Before that, from the 1980 album Seventeen Seconds.

Jonnie Common - Better Man
Another one I've been waiting for a while to get hold of, this is brilliant. Reminiscent of Arab Strap, this is off the wonderful album Trapped In Amber. Go get it.

The Soundcarriers - Boiling Point
Another one from their album Entropicalia which will be sure to be bothering those end-of-year lists. Terrific.

Jane Weaver - Argent
The former Kill Laura singer is back with a new album called The Silver Globe. Lovely psych-type vibes and a Stereolab-ish feel to it all. Just lovely.

Here's some of that on YouTube:



And some of it on Soundcloud:


More next week.

2 December 2014

December already? Blimey. Rapidly closing in on a hundred shows as well. Anyway, let's get this done, eh?

Not Right - Lead Role
I don't like the term 'riot grrrl', but hey ho. Very punk anyway. I get a slight hint that it's something to do with a lack of gender balance in media representation. Off a Tuff Enuff compilation called I Know Why The Caged Grrrl Sings.

Robb Johnson - Know Your Place
More folk, but making similar points, and off his album Us And Them which came out in July.

Fat White Family - Is It Raining In Your Mouth?
New single from these. And why not? Great stuff.

Cover Version Corner
The Four Seasons/The Fall - Walk Like A Man
A live version from the Fall, recorded 10 years ago - or put in Fall years about 13 different line-ups. Before that, from 1963 and the album Big Girls Don't Cry And 12 Others.

Slum Of Legs - Razorblade The Tape
From an album of the same name, these are a 6-piece from Brighton. Really good stuff.

India Mill - Caribesque
To Darwen in Lancashire now. Under Every Sky is the album.

Ought - Pill
Continuing west, a long way west, to Montreal. Once More With Feeling is the EP which came out in October.

Caught In The Wake Forever - The Passing
Fraser McGowan from Paisley is Caught In The Wake Forever and this is on an EP called Evidence Of Fractures.

Cut Hands - The Claw
That is quite stunning. William Bennett from Edinburgh is Cut Hands and this is off the album Festival of The Dead.

Tuff Love - Slammer
From Edinburgh to Glasgow for this one. The EP is called Junk. Really good, in my fifty records of the year.

One Degree of Separation
The Stranglers - Four Horsemen
Aphrodite's Child - Four Horsemen
Obvious connection. The latter I've played before on the show and I don't normally do repeats. On this occasion, no problem as it's just a great record. Off the 1972 album 666. Before that, and a bit proggy in it's own way, from the album The Gospel According To The Meninblack which came out in 1981.

Boothroyd - NYC
There are a lot of good ideas here, but the whole is a bit disjointed. File under curio. The EP is Idle Hours.

Ghost Culture - Giudecca
After stumbling over pronouncing it a few times... James Greenwood is from London and the album Ghost Culture is out in January. Reminds me of early Human League among other things.

Giorgio Moroder - 74 Is The New 24
I'm substantially more pleased that the Daft Punk collaboration spawned a renaissance for Moroder than, for example, Nile Rodgers. Disco really ain't my thing. Anyway, this doesn't sound like anyone else and that's absolutely fine. The album, of the same name, is due early next year.

YouTube highlights:



And Soundcloud:


Back next week for more.