Tuesday 30 November 2010

Lulu Rouge



In the current climate if feels only fitting to feature some Scandinavian electronic music.

Lulu Rouge have featured here before in their guise as remixers and very good remixers they are too. Check out Fat Berri's electronic blog here for an extensive source of Lulu Rouge edits. I especially love their edit of Aaliyah's Try again and A Day In The Life.

But here I'm focusing on their output as artists in their own right. In 2008 Dj T.O.M. and Buda, two well respected producers and djs got together recorded and released a criminally overlooked album, Bless You with the aid of their friend and collaborator Trentemoller.

The album is full of whispered vocals, down tempo beats and a laid back sometimes haunting atmosphere,  the sort of thing to listen to late at night with a bottle of red wine.

Do yourself a favour and get your hands on a copy of this album while you still can.

Lulu Rouge - Bless You

Lulu Rouge -Melankoli (The Crooked Spoke Remix)

Why Did It All Go So Bland, Jenny?



New kid on the blog, Scott over at Spools Paradise has a piece about Jenny and Johnny's performance at Oran Mor at the weekend.

I have to confess that I have given the Jenny and Johnny album a half arsed listen and dismissed it as more of the same lightweight MOR that the final Rilo Kiley and second Jenny Lewis offering were. I think that I will have to give it another listen but I feel that my initial view will stand as that last time I saw her live she had her Bo on tour with her and I think they did a couple of numbers which would have been early versions of stuff from this album. I was bored stiff that night by the bland performance.

Which really pissed me off, as on the previous 3 occasions that I had seen her she was brilliant and captivating. Granted one was with the Watson Twins in Mono which was astounding and the other two were with Rilo Kiley which were equally as special. Once as support to Bright Eyes in the debating hall of The Glasgow University Union and the other in their own right at the Wah Wah Hut. But on all occasions there was something special in her performance that made for truly memorable gigs which was all the more evident by it's complete absence at the QMU.

One other thought, why are there so many anally retentive music bores blogging in the West of Scotland?

Here are a couple of tracks featuring Jenny before she went bland.

Rilo Kiley - Spectacular Views 

Jenny Lewis & The Watson Twins - Born Secular

Monday 29 November 2010

It's Just Our Way



I came across this record on the Fat City website the other week and after listening to the first 30 seconds decided it had to be purchased.

Para has been described as the South West's answer to Cut Chemist. He started off djing and producing Hip Hop mixtapes. He joined the Breakin Bread stable in 2007 where he has released a series of 7" singles and a brilliantly named mix cd called "Smack My Pitch Up".

It's Just Our Way features the vocals of long time collaborator Caitlin and is a refreshing piece of modern funk with an infectious breakbeat in the back ground. I think that this may be right up Simon and Mondo's street.

I will be exploring the other offerings from Breakin Bread and you can too here.

Para - It's Just Our Way

Darker My Love



The first time I heard of Darker My Love was in spring 2006, when Mark Smith either sacked his band mid way through their American Tour or the band members decided they had had enough of his tyrannical ways and left of their own accord depending on who you believe. Anyway Smith was left without a band to finish the tour and enlisted the talents of some American musicians who,  ever since have been referred to as the "Dudes" by Smith and fans alike. Amongst the Dudes were Tim Presley and Rob Barbato who had their own band, Darker My Love. The Dudes would go on to tour with Smith during the rest of 2006 and 2007 and write and record the album Reformation TLC.

Darker My Love are described as a psychedelic indie band and indeed there is much in there sound that harks back to garage bands of the Bay Area of the late 60s. They  formed in 2004 and to date they have released 3 studio albums and a live album recorded at the Silverlake club in Los Angeles which finishes with a blistering version of Can's Mother Sky.

The track posted comes from the second album "2" which is the better of the first two albums, I don't know what the third sounds like as I haven't got round to getting a copy yet.

Darker My Love - Two Ways Out

Sunday 28 November 2010

Every One Loves A Cover . . . Right?



And this one is a belter.

Time Is On My Side was originally recorded by Kai Winding and his orchestra in 1964.

This recording by Irma Thomas was released on Imperial in 1964, the same year as the Rolling Stones covered the song. Irma's voice is just the right side of manic and the production is magnificent.

Irma Thomas - Time Is On My Side.

Something To Warm Us Up




With all the snow around and sub zero temperatures , I prescribe sitting down with the Candi Staton Honest Jons compilation and a mug of hot Ribena.

Candi Staton - In The Ghetto

Saturday 27 November 2010

Infinity



It appears that The xx are not only the band to remix to death but to cover. I have noticed a few covers of their tracks from the ridiculous, OMDs version of VCR, so bland that if it was a colour it would be beige. To the sublime cover of Infinity by Jonquil.

This comes from a split 7" with Various Production, who also tackle Infinity. A single well worth tracking down

Jonquil - Infinity

Friday 26 November 2010

This Week's Tipple



Every day I spend my time drinking wine.

Up here in darkest Lanarkshire Wine means only one thing. Just like ginger or juice actually means Irn Bru, when men of a certain age say "I'm off for a bottle of wine " they mean, tonic of course, not a St Emilion Grand Cru.

Cheers

Python Lee Jackson - In A Broken Dream

It's Friday . . Let's Dance



Here is another new release for your delight.

Regis and James Ruskin team up as O/V/R to release this pulsating slab of techno on clear vinyl on the Blueprint label.

Not much more to say than that, except the other two tracks on the twelve are a bit different but just as good a this.

O/V/R - Post-Traumatic Son

Thursday 25 November 2010

Touched By The Hand Of God IX



I was going to keep this for tomorrow but it doesn't really feel like a Friday tune to me.

Weatherall seems to be going through a rather productive period at the moment.

Here is a very recent remix of a Trentemoller track which can be found on side 2 of the 12". The other 3 mixes are just as good as the Weatherall and well worth the price of the vinyl.

As this is a current release, this track will be here for a very short period. so as Janis would say "get it while you can".

Trentemoller - silver surfer, ghost rider go!!! (andrew weatherall prinz mix)

Wednesday 24 November 2010

Rain



Today's track comes from a much overlooked album, Dust by Muggs which was released 1n 2003.

Muggs is Lawrence Muggerud, aka DJ Muggs as he will be better known to most, the DJ and beat maker with Cypress Hill. For his first solo attempt Muggs decided to move away from hip-hop in a sort of indie rock direction. Herin lies the problem, in my opinion, it is not as guitar based as it needs to be to appeal to the indie rock fraternity but it doesn't have enough skewed beats to appeal to the headz.

I love the way the album goes from a song like Rain, a sort of country rock track tsomething like Tears, all breathy female vocals and beats.

Muggs also enlisted the help of Everlast, the main man from The House Of Pain, Gregg Duli, Josh Todd and Amy Trujillo to provide the vocals on the album.

I think that Muggs was trying to follow in the footsteps of Mezzanine era Massive Attack and Tricky with the claustrophobic dark feel of this album.

Worth a listen.


Muggs - Rain

Rome Wasn't Built In A Day, Again

It appears that the cd I tried to upload was one of those encrypted things they made a few years back and therefore wouldn't upload to the database. But with a bit of jiggery pokery I have managed to upload it so for all of those who downloaded nothing, sorry, this should be okay but.

Morcheeba - Rome Wasn't Built In A Day

Tuesday 23 November 2010

DMCA At It Again



It seems that it is all about the money for Jessie J after all.

I found 4 emails from Blogger and one from Boxnet. about copyright infringement today in relation to the recent posting on Jessie J's appearance on Later, which was nice.

Anyway here's something by the Circle Jerks that made me smile today when it came on the iPod while driving up the road from Manchester.

I fucking hate the M60!

The Circle Jerks  - When The Shit Hits The Fan

Monday 22 November 2010

Rome Wasn't Built In A Day



Over the past week both JC and Ctel have blogged about the indiepop band Dubstar. Although I was never a fan of the band it got me raking through the cd racks and cupboard trying to find a track that years ago I argued with L was by them only to be proven wrong, a very rare occasion in this house I should add.

But after about an hour scouring the racks I was no further forward, then L came in and remembered straight away, Rome Wasn't Built In A Day by Morcheeba.

I still find it hard to believe  that this out and out pop song is by them. My previous experience of the band was through two early twelves, Trigger Hippie and Tape Loop which were very firmly in the "Trip Hop" genre.

Rome Wasn't Built In A Day was released in 1999, four years after the Dubstar album and reached the giddy heights of number 34 in the UK charts, a fact of which I would not have been aware of at the time as by this then I had almost lost interest in the charts.  It's a rather good piece of pop music.

Morcheeba - Rome Wasn't Built In A Day

Sunday 21 November 2010

Run



Snow Patrol are a band that I have mixed emotions about. There are tracks on their breakthrough album the Final Straw that I love, well 2, Run and Grazed Knees but the rest of their output just washes over me. I have listened to the Final Straw, the previous two albums and the one after quite a few times under the premise, that if I like two tracks surely I will like others but no, nothing,  it does absolutely nothing for me.

I have bumped into Gary Lightbody a couple of times in The Wah Wah Hut  and a throughly nice guy he seems to be which makes me want to like his music but I just can't.

Anyway, today's post is a pretty miserable but brilliant cover of Run, a song that I think is very very good,  by Shetland islander, Astrid Williamson.

Williamson, used to be in the band Goya Dress with Terry DiCastro and Simon Pearson. When the band dissolved Williamson embarked on a solo career while the other two went on to join David Gedge in Cinerama.

Her cover of Run was the b-side of her 2004 single Reach which came out on a rather cracking picture disc featuring the painting, The One by Mary Jane Ansell.


Astrid Williamson - Run 

Saturday 20 November 2010

Kimble



Here's a track originally recorded in the Black Ark in Kingston Jamaica and re-interpreted in Maida Vale.

Quite beautiful in a warped kind of  way.

The Fall - Kimble

Friday 19 November 2010

Gin Time



 Have a good weekend people.

Champion Jack Dupree - Big Leg Emma's 

It's Friday . . . Let's Dance



This has probably been posted on a hundred sites already, but then again you can never get enough of something when it's as good as this, oh and it also fits in nicely with the soulful vibe of the week.

I can't remember the first time I heard That's The Way Love is but I'm pretty sure that it stopped me in my tracks and I probably cried, I was quite an emotional fellow back in 1989.

The combination of Byron Stingly's vocals and Marshall Jefferson's production makes something that is as close to perfection as any House track ever got.

Ten City - That's The Way Love Is (Underground mix)

Thursday 18 November 2010

Wednesday 17 November 2010

"From The Pages Of The Neville Brothers Songbook"



Shall we stick with the soul for a while?

Over at The Ghost Of Electricity, Mr H posted a wonderful track by Bettye Swann. Whenever Bettye's name is mention I think of one certain song which she covers incredibly well, however I think that I still prefer this version by Aaron Neville who was first to record Tell It Like It Is in 1966.

Aaron Neville & The Neville Brothers - Tell It Like It Is 

Tuesday 16 November 2010

Something A Bit Spiritual



The first time I heard this track was when I went over to the dark side and spent some time in the Modern room at a Togetherness Weekender. Well after about 50 hours of nearly non stop northern a bit of a change was in order.

Imagine my surprise when sometime later while reading, I heard the very same song coming from the TV when L was watching Ally McBeal.

Al Green - Keep On Pushing Love

You've Been Cheatin'



I've had Move On Up running through my head all day.

So here is a cut by the great Curtis Mayfield in an earlier guise, as a member of The Impressions. You've Been Cheatin was released on the ABC Paramount label in 1966.

Just perfect.

The Impressions - You've Been Cheatin'

Monday 15 November 2010

You Can Have Him



Christ, a 04:30 rise on a Monday morning to go to Luton, not the best scheduling I have done recently.

Here's a jaunty little number to start the week.

Carmel - You Can Have Him

Sunday 14 November 2010

Stay With Me



When watching later last week and Holland doing his "boogie woogie pish" to misquote MES I was reminded of the time that I saw Holland and his Big Band live at the Edinburgh festival 14 years ago now.

Two years previously  Holland had played 10 nights at the Queen's Hall but on this occasion he was playing the Playhouse, possible one of the worst venues in the world for seeing any band as it is all seated and the stewards take great relish, or did then,  in making people sit down.

Anyway, Holland's big band were rather good, better than I expected to be honest, as "boogie woogie pish" is not really my bag. Usually he had Ruby Turner singing with him but on the occasion when I saw him it was Sam Brown, of Stop fame belting out the tunes and she wasn't half bad until she started to sing the Lorraine Ellison classic Stay With Me, one of my favourite soul sides ever and she gave one of the best vocal performances I have ever had the pleasure to hear live. I got so many shivers down the back of my spine it felt like I was being electrocuted, it was absolutely wonderful. Although after asking L about it, she says that she can't remember it but I am sure that I haven't imagined it.

Here is a track from the live album recorded by the Orchestra during the Queen's Hall shows in 1994 and Lorraine Ellison's superb version of Stay With Me.  As far as I know, there is no recording of Sam Brown's version, although there is a rather good version by Ruby Turner recorded at Ronnie Scott's.

Jools Holland - Dr Jazz

Lorraine Ellison - Stay With Me

Saturday 13 November 2010

Friday 12 November 2010

It's Friday . . . Let's Dance




It has been a bloody long week, what with one thing and another and before I can draw a veil over it I have a 7 hour round trip to Aberdeen and back today. I'm not sure whether to take the car or hire a boat with the amount of rain that has fell over the last few days.

What I need and suspect that many more will also require is a bit of loud, happy,  four to the floor house music which says nothing more than let's have a good time.

Staxx - Joy

Thursday 11 November 2010

Wednesday 10 November 2010

I Just Can't Put My Finger On Who This Reminds Me Of.



There is nothing earth shattering about this song. It was never likely to set the heather on fire and the lyrics are a bit crap but for some reason I love it all the same.

It comes from Linda Reid's debut and up to this point,  only album. On which she is ably assisted by her big brothers and their former band mate.

Sister Vanilla - Totp

Tuesday 9 November 2010

Nothing To Say



I'm a bit at a loss for words at the moment.

So in the meantime here is a rather good tune by The Broken Family Band.

The Broken Family Band - Give And Take.

One thought, somebody should kidnap George Bush fly him half way round the world and "waterboard" him, see how he fucking likes it. We could maybe get the truth about what happened with all those hanging chads in Florida all those years ago.

Sunday 7 November 2010

Misguided Angel




It must have been early in 1988 when I first heard the Cowboy Junkies, I remember that it was definately on the saturday afternoon show on Radio One hosted by Roger Scott. He played this absolutely beautiful laid back version of what was at that time my favourite song, Sweet Jane.  I remember hanging on to the end of the track and hoping  to catch who this was by, no listen again option then.

For the next few weeks I searched for The Trinity Session in every record shop I visited but to no avail. Eventually the albumslipped from the front of my mind and I stopped searching for it probably focusing on From Across The Kitchen Table again.

A couple of months later I was through in Edinburgh staying with a friend for the weekend. We had been out on the Friday night and spent a fortune as you do in the Capital. While walking along Princes Street on the Saturday afternoon with my head bursting I decided to go into HMV for a wee swatch at the shelves. While having a rake about I came across The Trinity Sessions by the Cowboy Junkies on import, which kind of put me in a predicament. I was suppossed to be going out that evening but if I bought this album I would not have enough money to go out, I was pretty skint at the time. I think I must have stood for a good couple of minutes working out what to do.

Twenty minutes later I was standing in M's flat in Dean Village explaining that I would not be going out later as I had just bought this album that I really had to have. This was greeted with "fine, I'll just got out by myself then!".

I ended up having a very pleasant evening on my own listening to The Trinity Session, munching on a haggis supper washed down with a couple of cans of Red Stripe and a spliff or two for afters.

Funnily enough, M never asked me to come through again to stay and we sort of lost touch not long after.

Cowboy Junkies - Misguided Angel

Saturday 6 November 2010

Imaginary Spy Movie Soundtrack pt 6



This, you will probably be relieved to read is the last in this short seriees. I know absolutely nothing about the artist or track other than it comes from Mystic Brew a Fat City compilation bought a while ago. From the first time I played this track I thought that it would fit in quite nicely to the soundtrack to a Spy movie.

Guliano Sorghini - Strait Jacket

Friday 5 November 2010

It's Friday . . . Let's Dance



Yesterday when I should have been concentrating on the protocol for a new study that I am getting involved in, I was thinking of what track I was going to post today which would be a dance track but would also fit in to this week's kind of theme.

Not as easy as I thought it was going to be. By the time I got on my sleazyjet flight from Luton back to civilisation I had just about discounted everything that I had that had a dance floor friendly beat and had the most tenous of links or feel for the theme.

Life In Mono went out the window as being too obvious as it did sample the soundtrack to an actual spy movie. The Black Dog remixes of the Bullitt theme were thrown out as well mainly due to being a bit crap if the truth be known and don't do the original justice. Other things such as LA Yellow 357 didn't have a look in as I didn't have time to sit down listen to the album and then rip the best track.

One band kept popping into my mind but again it was because they had covered a Bond theme and had collaborated with Dame Shirl into the bargain and therefor a bit obvious but what the hell. So I decided to go with them and their homage to spy movies.

Tomorrow I will remember about ten less obvious but better tracks I could have chosen. But I will be too busy reviewing the protocol that I should have known all about after yesterday's meeting to let it bother me.

So here for your delectation on a Friday is some Big Beat buffoonery courtesy of the Propellerheads.

Propellerheads - Spybreak (the long one)

Thursday 4 November 2010

Imaginary Spy Movie Soundtrack pt 4




This would be have to be the soundtrack to some In Like Flint type malarkey.

The Girls From Uncle - Agent For Love

Imaginary Spy Movie Soundtrack pt 3



How about a little spy themed northern soul to add to the list of tracks on our movie soundtrack.

Here is Chuck Jackson, better known for his version of Burt Bacharach's Any Day Now (my personal favourite) with his attempt at the spy genre.

Chuck Jackson - The Silencer

Wednesday 3 November 2010

Imaginary Spy Movie Soundtrack pt 2



The second track in this short series comes courtesy of  Hammond organ supremo James Taylor and his quartet.

Taylor is well known for his covers of 60's sound track themes. Mission Impossible, Alfie and the Goldfinger themes amongst others were all covered on the Quartet's first album.

It is probably cheating to include "The Spiral Staircase" in this feature as it appears on the JTQ's second long player, "The Money Spyder" which is already the soundtrack to an imaginery film. but it's my series and I make the rules so have included it.

James Taylor Quartet -  The Spiral Staircase

Tuesday 2 November 2010

Imaginary Spy Movie Soundtrack pt 1



I had quite forgotten all about this single until it popped up on the Ipod the other day, which is quite strange as this is the track that I flogged to death from the album Memoirs At The End Of The World.

The Postmarks are from Florida and have released three albums since there formation in 2006. The second of which,  By The Numbers contains 12 tracks, all of which have a number from 1-12 in the title and were released on the corresponding month in 2008. A bit quirky but the version of Five Years is a really good cover of a Bowie song unlike Sister Crayon's recent murdering of The Bewlay Brothers on the split 7" with Warpaint's Ashes to Ashes.

No One Said This Would Be Easy came out  in February this year and was the second track to be released as a single/download from the album Memoirs At The End Of The World.  It invokes images of a young Michael Caine in his Harry Palmer role chasing some shady Eastern European goon around the streets of London and has got me thinking of a theme for a short series of posts of tunes which could have been included in 60's spy movies.

The Postmarks - No One Said This Would Be Easy

Monday 1 November 2010

Thirteen Years Ago Today



Thirteen years ago this very day I woke up shitting myself,  had a pint and a couple of Balvenie 15 year olds, went down to the registry office made it all official and then attended  one of the best parties I've ever been at.

This one's for L,  for putting up with the best Victor Meldrew impersonator in the world for nearly twenty years and also the mission creep of the vinyl in the "dinning room".

Frank Sinatra - All The Way