Tuesday 31 December 2019

Out With The Old . . .



Health and happiness to everyone of you for the coming year and beyond.

I will try and post more regularly and be less half arsed about what I post too.

Jimi Hendrix - Little Drummer Boy/Silent Night/Auld Lang Syne

Wednesday 25 December 2019

Merry Christmas



I hope you all received what you deserved from Santa this morning.

Have a great day.

The Housemartins - Caravan of Love

Monday 23 December 2019

Monday's Long Christmassy Song



A bit late today, didn't get round to producing this post last night as I was trying to watch all of the Star Wars films prior to seeing the final one today.

Swiss Adam has posted tracks by Lindstrom the Norwegian producer in the past but I don't think that he has featured his epic reinterpretation of Little Drummer Boy before. This is not the kind of thing that you will play on a regular basis but if you have had your fill of the all the standard Christmas musical fayre this just might fit the bill. Sit back with a glass of egg nog or a pot of tea and let this 42 minute marathon inveigle itself into your consciousness. Stick with it, it is worth it.

Lindstrom - Little Drummer Boy


Friday 20 December 2019

The Tracks Of My Year



It has been a very good, if somewhat expensive year on the music front. This year has seen me move even further towards psych and kraut influenced sounds of which there have been plenty. As ever a certain A.Weatherall makes an appearance and is the only person to have featured in every round up in the 10 years that this blog has been trying to force what in my arrogant opinion are the best tracks of the year,  however this is the first year that he has been responsible for the top tune. I must have played his remix of Edge of Wonder at least 50 times and it still never fails to make me smile. However, if the Sault track had been released as a 7" it would probably have taken the top spot as it would have been flogged to death, if there was a tune of 2019 that warranted a release in that form at it was Let Me Go. I was lucky enough to get the last copy of the Jarv Is 12" one Saturday in July on one of my regular visits to Monorail.

There have been loads of those songs that have grabbed me this year but at the time of writing these are the ones from the notebook where I jot down songs that really make an impression on me. There will be a couple of glaring omissions as usual but that's just life.

1. Silver Apples - Edge of Wonder (Andrew Weatherall mix)
2. Sault - Let Me Go
3. Unloved - Boy & Girl
4. Glok - Dissident
5. L'Epee - Une Lune Etrange
6. Kate Tempest - People's Faces
7. Mattiel - Keep The Change
8. Jarv is - Must I Evolve
9. Chemical Brothers - Out Of Control (21 minutes of madness)
10. Karen O & Dangermouse - Lux Prima (full version)
11. Utopia Strong - Brain Surgeons 3
12. Cowgirl In Sweden - Blood Runs Cold
13. Les Big Byrd - Sno Golum
14.[Retreat] - Come With Us
15. Lo-Five - Life Without Fear
16. W.H. Lung - Simpatico People
17. Dallas Acid - The Spiral Arm
18. Self Esteem - The Best
19. Dream Division - Quantum Rip
20. Moon Duo - Lost Heads
21. Kungens Man - Man Med Medel
22. Four Tet - Anna Painting
23. Jenny Lewis - Hollywood Lawn
24. The Regrettes - California Friends
25. Post Human - Over The Great Red Eye
26. K.H. - Only Human
27. [Retreat] - One One One
28. Sendelica - Windmill (Chocolate Orb dubbed mix)
29. Black Doldrums - T-W-R-T-N-D-H (Broken Light mix)
30. Nick Waterhouse - Song For Winners
31. Sunray - Music For The Dream Machine - phase II (original mix)
32.Scott Fraser - Together More
33. The Action - Follow Me
34. The Cult of Free Love -  Substance 2
35. Richard Fearless - Acid Angels
36. Moon Goose - The Mysterious Coffins of Arthur's Seat
37.Hannah Peel - The Moon In All It's Splendour
38. Psychic Lemon - Dark Matter
39. Meursault - Beaten
40.The Liminanas - Non, Non, Rien Na Change
















Thursday 19 December 2019

Don't Let Him Waste Your Time



All this talk of trying to get that Jarvis Cocker track to number one for Christmas, a sentiment and action that I heartily recommend even though I usually don't approve of this kind of thing, it's Christmas for fuck sake, lets try not be cynical for a wee while at least but what's the point of covering up or trying to hide the shit we are in at present. . . ,

Well it got me thinking of Nancy Sinatra and one of the songs that Jarvis wrote for her, Don't Let Him Waste Your Time  and was included in the self titled album from 2004, which is a great album even the song written by Bonzo is tolerable. Jarvis later included a version of the song on his own first solo album.

Nancy Sinatra - Don't Let Him Waste Your Time

Wednesday 18 December 2019

I Can't Stand It



This fine piece of 70's funk has been posted before but it was over five years ago and I feel it could do with another airing.

I know absolutely nothing about Brenda George other than what I have gleaned from Discogs and a couple of soul site and that doesn't amount to very much. Brenda released three singles between 1971 and the following year. I Can't Stand It was the flip side of the first of these 45s, What You See Is What You Get released on the Kent label in 1971 and for me is the strongest of the tracks. My copy is the re-release that came out on BGP in 2010.

Brenda George - I Can't Stand It (I Can't Take No More)

Tuesday 17 December 2019

Albums of the Year

I have bought far too many albums this year, quite a few if truth be told I will rarely play but at the time I believed were essential purchases. There were quite a few more that I was severely tempted by but resisted including all but two of the Stereolab reissues. While talking about reissues, one that I hummed and hawed about including in my top ten was I Trawl The Megahertz, an absolute treasure of an album that would have been high up the list.  But it is a re-release even though this time it is under the Prefab Sprout moniker and not as when originally released a Paddy McAloon record. Another couple of  records that would have been included I have no doubt if they had been released  and purchased earlier in the year would have been Chef by Kungens Man and the Spiral Arm by Dallas Acid which have not been played enough yet to push out any of the ones on the list.

So here we go



10. Unloved - Heartbreak

The second album from David Holmes' collaboration with Keefus Ciancia and Jade Vincent bring us more soulful cinemascope tunes that conjour up visions of 60s psychedelia, twisted girl group sounds and coolness. Both and Girl is a song that I have been unable to get out of my head ever since I first heard it, it is such a beautifully sad song that does feel really familiar.





9. Cowgirl In Sweden

Another album that harks back to the late 60s, taking it's name from  Lee Hazlewood's 1970 album Cowboys In Sweden and including a cover of a song by psychedelic folk band The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band. This album led me to Manchester's Whyte Horses, a revelation to these ears who those in the know say made this record and from there to the Justin Velor album released back in 2012 and well worth checking out. The Cowgirl In Sweden album is one for lazy summer days or sitting on a dank December night dreaming of warm, lazy summer days.

Cowgirl In Sweden - Welcome Home




8. Lo-Five - Geography of The Abyss

A gorgeous album which is apparently an exploration of advanced states of consciousness and shifts in perception. It is something that is best listened to as a whole but also works as individual tracks. It reminds me of the work of Jon Hopkins. It is also beautifully packaged and can be purchased from one time blogger, Colin Morrison's excellent Castles In Space label.





7. L'eppe - Diabolique

Does Anton Newcombe ever sleep? What with touring, producing for other people and releasing albums every year as part of the Brian Jonestown Massacre, he still finds time to start up a side project with Emmanuelle Seigner and the Liminanas. More 60s psych influences here with added drone.





6. The Utopia Strong - The Utopia Strong

I never thought I would ever be listening to an album recorded by Steve Davis, yes that Steve Davis. I knew that after snooker he had turned to the decks and had become a techno dj which had been a surprise as I thought that he was a bit of a Northern Soul man. But part of a trio making modern kosmiche, nah,  no way. But yes and incredibly good experimental 70s German influenced music it is too and once again wonderfully packaged.



5. Nick Waterhouse - Nick Waterhouse

On album number four Nick Waterhouse gives us more music for men in sharp suits and women in minidresses grooving in smokey dim light after hours clubs. If it ain't broke. . . don't fuck about with it.







4. Glok - Dissident

Balearic, techno krautrock from the guitarist in Ride?  Fuck off!

No, listen, it is absolutely magic

About as likely as a 6 times snooker world champion playing modular synths.





3. [Retreat] - Retreat

Collaboration by Lyndon Scarfe from The Black Lamps and Sam Horton another resident off Barnsley who have teamed up to make an album that on listening to the first track you think is just going to be another of those ambient things that take bits of dialogue from space missions and drench them with synth sounds to create a "soundscape" but fuck me no, it twists and turns from "Yorkshire's answer to MES" ranting over a pounding beat through distorted brass, foreboding synths and culminating in a track to accompany some cataclysmic event. This is what Twitter is for, finding musicians that are making amazing music that would otherwise have passed me by. Well that and Momentum and fascist baiting.






2. Dream Division - Transcend

More music to soundtrack a nightmare. This time a John Carpenteresque Sci-Fi Horror. More analogue synths and psychedelic sounds from the Polyphonic Youth label.





1. Karen O & Danger Mouse - Lux Prima

I can't put my finger on just why I like this album more than anything else I have bought this year I just know that I do. The production is immaculate as you would expect, the album as a whole has a dreamy feel to it and flits from the almost symphonic title track through the disco like Turn The Light to the cinematic end title sounds of Nox Lumina, taking in hip hop beats here and four to the floor northern stomping there and garage guitars for good measure.




Tune in on Saturday for the Tracks of My Year, if you are remotely interested.

Monday 16 December 2019

Monday's Long Song



Back in 2007 Will Carruthers made two cds available by mail order that consisted of outtakes and rehearsals of early Spiritualized recordings. On the communication regarding the Blue and Blue compilation he stated

"This will be the last of these
I feel that it hurts nobody
It is very limited, and I guess, is of specific interest to a small, but loyal following, only a percentage of who will actually buy it.
You, presumably want to hear it, and I, finally make a little return on the 
work that I put into these songs all those years ago,
I really enjoyed listening to this cd and it brought back some of the good times that I had whilst being involved with thee making of this music
I hope you find something you like.
If you could bear not to make these freely available to share for a month or so, you might give me the opportunity to flee the country before i am crushed like a bug by some monolithic organisation
Thank You
Will Carruthers"

Here from the first Spiritualized rehersal is a version of Sometimes which appeared on the final Spacemen 3 album recurring

Spiritualized - Sometimes (rehearsal)

Thursday 12 December 2019

Tuesday 10 December 2019

Gold!Frankinsense!FR!



I absolutely adore this tune and always have since I first heard it, over a decade ago now. And it gives me a glow and a big grin comes across my coupon after I've dug the single out off the boxes in the cupboard on the half landing put it on the turntable and Leo wanders around the house singing this but it also causes an ache in my heart for obvious reasons.

Make tiny changes and hopefully a rather large one on Thursday. Here's hoping.

Frightened Rabbit - It's Christmas So We'll Stop (Choir)


Monday 9 December 2019

Monday's Long Song



Most probably the only song recorded to namecheck a Scottish referee, well until somebody records "Who's The Mason In The Black?" anyway but that doesn't actually put a name to one, although I know a few people who could list many that they suspect but I digress. Mogwai did not only record a song about a referee but a an official who it appeared to me had a great dislike for my team, a failing that he passed down to his first born, although I think the son is just pish and incompetent rather than having an agenda although I could be wrong. 

For the first two days of my honeymoon I was left to my own devices, Lynn having caught a pretty bad case of food poisoning from calamari on the evening of our arrival in Barcelona. The first day between running back to the hotel every couple of hours to check on her I spent most of my time and a wee bit of our money wandering about the record shops of the city of which at the time there were plenty. On the second day I decided to seek out and maker a pilgrimage to Camp Nou as I knew that Lynn would not be in the slightest bit interested in going there once she had recovered. When I eventually found it I discovered that on the Wednesday night there was a Champions League game against Dynamo Kiev. I thought that this would be a great introduction to football for Lynn, who at the time had never been to a football match and duly handed over about a third of our remaining holiday funds on two tickets for the game.

I wouldn't say Lynn was ecstatic at the prospect when I returned to the hotel and told her where we would be going on a couple of nights time but she didn't explode either which I took as a good sign although was probably due to the after effects of the recent food poisoning.

So on the Wednesday night we arrived at the stadium and climbed and climbed and climbed up to near the very top of the stadium behind one goal and sat down. When the announcer after listing the teams that night got to the officials I nearly chocked on my beer as we were informed that the referee for the evening was one Hugh Dallas from Scotland! Was there no hiding place from the man from Bonkle.

The score I hear you ask, what was the score? Sadly this was not a classic Barcelona line-up under the management of Louis van Gaal  and they were gubbed  0 - 4, with up and coming Andre Shevchenko netting a hattrick. 

Lynn has yet to attend another football match. Every time I suggest accompanying me and Leo to The Penny Cabs Stadium she just laughs for some reason.

Mogwai - Hugh Dallas 

Friday 6 December 2019

It's Friday . . . Let's Dance

Here's a repost of a repost. I really want to get the Friday posts back up and running but just haven't found the inspiration yet, so I thought I would post a selection of previous ones and see if that gets me going.

Today's posting is a re-post from the very early days of the blog April 2009 as I haven't had a chance to think of anything for today, Back then it  wasn't a It's Friday  . .  Let's Dance post .

Have a good weekend people.

By 1990 the acid house party was well and truly over what with the adverse publicity, the hounding of promoters and the fact that every single seemed to come with an acid house remix, stick a couple of wobbly 303 sounds on your record and you were sorted.

Dance music, however was going from strength to strength. It seemed to be fragmenting into dozens of sub genres,a new one created every week or so, this record responsible for one of those. Then there was indie dance, dance music that the NME and thousands of students could identify with as it still had guitars. Every white rock band seemed to name drop influential dance producers and state in interviews that there had always been a dance element to their music or some such shit.

I first heard Testone in the early hours one Sunday morning. When it was dropped, I remember that it stopped me in my tracks, one of those "what the fuck is that!" moments, as I hadn't heard anything quite like before. If my memory serves me right (which is debatable, as a lot of the details around this period are hazy) I wasn't the only one, I think that half of the club were motionless with a mixture of bafflement and awe on their faces, Bleep Techno had been born.

All of Sunday and for much of the next week I couldn't get the track out of my head and would go on and on about this amazing tune that I had heard to anyone that would listen, I really am quite a boring git. When I eventually got hold of the track and played it to a couple of friends all they could say is "is that it?". As I've said before some people just didn't get it.

Testone was released on the Sheffield based label Warp, in my view the most influential and innovative of all the UK techno labels. It was a collaboration between Richard H Kirk of Cabaret Voltaire and DJ Parrot and took their name from the title of a 70s Curtis Mayfield album.

Sweet Exorcist - Testone

I have also included the video for the track below which was directed by Jarvis Cocker, no less.

Wednesday 4 December 2019

First Date



This track from the American soul singer and actress from Havre De Grace, Maryland was included on the double Big City Soul compilation released on the excellent Goldmine Soul Supply label. A lovely mid tempo piece of sophisticated 60s soul. First date was pencilled in for inclusion in a subsequently unissued lp on Wand.

Nella Dodds - First Date 

Tuesday 3 December 2019

[Retreat]



There has been a lot of new music floating about recently that has grabbed not least from an old blogger's label, Castles In Space, more of which later in the week. But today we will have a look at a collaboration between Lydon Scarfe from The Black Lamps and his friend Sam Horton,  It has been described as an ambient album but it is oh so much more. I think that Memorial Device's quote on Twitter from Big Patty "from now on music has to sound like a building coming down or forget it" is pretty apt. You can buy the download of the album for three quid and the cd for £8 from here. A purchase you will not regret. I guarantee.


Monday 2 December 2019

Monday's Long Song



Today's track is a bit different from those that have graced this slot over the past few months. Will I Ever Be Inside You is the title track of the second album by Paul Quinn and The Independent Group and something of a lost classic. The band consisted of some of the great and the good of Scottish music, with members of Aztec Camera, The Commotions, The Bluebells, Del Amitri,  Postcard label boss Alan Horne and of course in Quinn himself the voice of Bourgie Bourgie. And what a voice it is, lush deep and hugely melancholic. Although Will I Ever does not quite reach the heights of Stupid Thing it is a song that should be known and recognised a lot more widely than it is. The whole album is ripe for re-release, in my opinion anyway.

Paul Quinn and The Independent Group - Will I Ever Be Inside You