I prefer their early stuff

Daniel Balavoine - "Vivre ou Survivre"

2008-02-02T20:34:00.000Z

Pete's traveling blog.

2008-01-30T10:24:00.000Z

My friend Pete is off traveling through America at this very moment. He started off in New York and has migrated south to New Orleans for Mardi Gras, documenting his journey along the way. I've found myself glued to his adventures, checking the blog everyday for new episodes. Maybe it's because he's a friend, maybe it's because Pete rips a good yarn, and maybe it's because I'd kill to be exploring American cities with nothing to govern me except my own free will. I enjoy little more than meandering through a new city, following my instincts and seeing where I end up. That and I really miss New York.

So as I get older and more settled (?) it's like i'm following the travels of the adventurous loner in my head. The difference is my loner is governed by worry and Pete's is a lot tougher (and a little more ginger) than I will ever be.

So here's the blog.

And here's an mp3 for Pete:
Led Zeppelin - 'Ramble On' Buy

Rise Above.

2008-01-17T23:14:00.000Z

Well I just got back from playing in Brighton with my band. The now customary 4 people attended. It went well though and my synth player's debut was flawless as far as I could tell. I'm getting used to blocking out the disappointment at the crap turn out. I won't let it bother me. I've been watching lots of footage of 80s hardcore punks and (parts of) their attitude is great. The whole idea of doing music for yourself and being happy with it being a great form of expression. DIY near-legend Ian Mackaye (Minor Threat, Fugazi, Dischord record label etc) talks about not needing to be validated by being signed to a major label, or whatever your goal is that would need to make you feel 'real'. I can't say i'm fully capable of subscribing to it, but I think it's a really healthy outlook.

Here's some great 80s american hardcore and an awesome Fugazi track.

Mp3:

Minor Threat - 'In My Eyes' Buy

Bad Brains - 'Pay to Cum' Buy

Fugazi - 'Bed For the Scraping' Buy

Words of wisdom from Ian Mackaye (Minor Threat/Fugazi).

2007-12-22T22:52:00.000Z

Ace Germlin Deerhoof remix.

2007-09-17T23:23:00.000+01:00

Scottish headfuck programmer/DJ/16-bit glitch-punk type Germlin has done a great remix of Deerhoof's 'Rrrrrrright' (from 'The Runners Four'). It's available with a bunch of other free stuff from their website.

Mp3:
'Rrrrrrright: germlin remix' - Deerhoof.

Now i'm not normally into Math Rock but...

2007-09-17T00:40:00.000+01:00

I was invited to see Japanese math rock wizards LITE in Brighton the other night, and had to turn down the offer due to the ever nagging money drought. I'd not heard them but had a sneaking suspicion I'd be blown away when I checked them out and rue the day I neglected them. I was right.

Maybe it's because I have a soft spot for anything Japanese or maybe it's just because they're really good (and so scarily tight it's untrue) but I'm sold.

Here's some live video:

Jazz's deformed cousin.

2007-09-07T16:08:00.000+01:00

It was the sale of the century

2007-08-11T22:43:00.000+01:00

Spurred on by serving Louise Wener from Britpop's own Sleeper at work the other day, I've been revisiting the era with a strange sense of nostalgia. Strange because at the time I didn't really like Britpop. I was into Green Day and the Foo Fighters.

Here's an episodic YouTube edit of the Britpop documentary 'Live Forever: The Rise and Fall of Britpop'. It looks pretty good.

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

Part 7

Part 8

Part 9

Travis Morrison back on form!

2007-07-31T18:37:00.000+01:00

Well blow me if Dismemberment Plan leader Travis' new stuff isn't pretty fucking good. He's streaming the entire new Travis Morrison Hellfighters album 'All Y'all' on his website. It even sounds quite a bit likee the glorious 'Plan themselves. All post-punk guitars, quirky synths, time changes and soaring breakdowns. Importantly the lyrics are also much sharper than the previous solo album.

Check out the free download of 'As We Proceed' on his site for evidence of the exciting return.

Clor man's new project

2007-06-21T00:23:00.000+01:00

Barry from Clor (RIP) is back, now under the guise of Barringtone. From early signs on the MySpace player it doesn't sound dramatically different from the blueprints set out by Clor. Fast intricate guitar passages, electro beats, effortless charm. Very exciting. No mp3s to share as yet but check out the Barringtone MySpace page for some tasters.

'Plan reunion gigs footage.

2007-06-14T21:34:00.000+01:00

I've been scouring YouTube for videos of the previously reported J Robbins Benefit gigs for which The Dismemberment Plan temporarily came out of retirement. Most of the footage is really bad but there's a few that communicate a portion of the excitement that must have bounced around those sweaty walls with gay abound.

'Face of the Earth'

'The Other Side' (mainly because of the awesome drumming)

'Spider in the Snow' (full song)

Nick Cave/Grinderman... again, sorry.

2007-06-14T19:59:00.000+01:00

Just because I finally bought the Grinderman album and I really like it.

Mp3:
Grinderman - 'When My Love Comes Down' (for a very limited time)

Buy 'Grinderman' here.

Fast and bulbous...

2007-06-12T14:23:00.000+01:00

I recently started exploring Captain Beefheart in a bigger way than I had previously thought necessary. I'd been sat down and made to listen carefully to career defining 'Troutmask Replica' in its entirety a few years back. It scared me. Obviously it was quite an achievement, but what a headfuck.

Anyway I heard the Beefheart album 'Clear Spot' the other day at work and really enjoyed it. It comes a little after 'Troutmask...' in the period when Beefheart was veering a touch closer to the middle of the road in his ramshackle backfiring psychedelic dune buggy. The song that really got me was 'Her Eyes Are A Blue Million Miles' which must be one of his most pretty moments. You might recognise it from the Big Lebowski soundtrack.

Mp3:
Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band - 'Her Eyes Are A Blue Million Miles'
Buy 'Clear Spot/The Sunshine Kid' here.

I also found a great old BBC documentary about him called 'The Artist Formerly Known As Captain Beefheart' which someone has kindly put up on Google Video. It's narrated by John Peel and hearing his voice instantly filled me with a cosy nostalgia.

Part 1:

Part 2:

Part 3:

John & Beverly Martyn

2007-06-09T20:39:00.002+01:00

On thursday night we counted every single piece of the 106,000 bits of stock in the shop I work in. Mind-numbing tedium that sent most of us into a bizzarre state somewhere between manic and zombie. We wired my colleague's iPod into the stereo to sooth our aching heads but the strange mix of 60s psychedelic folk and Scott Walker merely added a surreal edge to our hypnotic states.

Anyway, this song was appeared and really stuck with me. It's by folk legend John Martyn and his then wife Beverly from 1970's 'Road to Ruin', the second of two albums they put out together.

Mp3:
John & Beverly Martyn - 'Auntie Aviator'

Buy 'Road to Ruin here.

Ahem...

2007-06-05T01:04:00.001+01:00

The Cribs

2007-06-04T20:58:00.000+01:00

I heard this song on friday when the DJ played it just before my soundcheck. My buddy and I instantly thought 'Ooh Sonic Youthy'. Turns out it's The Cribs from Wakefield BUT with Lee Ranaldo (SY guitarist) guesting with a spoken word vocal. It reminded me a bit of Popular by Nada Surf, only darker and more raucous. I've hardly stopped listening to it since. The new album 'Men's needs, women's needs, whatever...' is dead good too. Produced by Alex Kapranos no less, but don't let it put you off...

Mp3:
The Cribs - 'Be Safe' (expired)

Buy their new album here.

Their website.

1991: The Year Punk Broke.

2007-05-27T22:32:00.000+01:00

'1991: The Year Punk Broke' is a documentary by Dave Markey that follows Sonic Youth, Nirvana, Dinosaur Jr and a load of other bands on tour together. I can't find anywhere you can buy it yet but some kind soul has posted it on Google Video. Some of the key characters come across better than others in this (i'm not too sure how much I like Thurston Moore...) but there's some awesome live footage of really important bands from an era i'm pretty obsessed with.

Some YouTube magic...

2007-05-27T21:20:00.000+01:00

Stevie Wonder playing an amazing drum solo back in the day (not sure of the year):

The Cramps live at Napa State Mental Hospital from 1978. Proper 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest' stuff, who the fuck thought it was a good idea?

Video for My Bloody Valentine - 'You Made Me Realise' from 1988:

Enablers playing at a squat in Paris. Shitty sound/vision but what I wouldn't give to have been there.

Alamaailman Vasarat

2007-05-25T00:14:00.000+01:00

It's later than it should be, I have a cold and i'm struggling to think straight, but aiding me towards a gentle restful sleep is the gypsy-jazz-metal-klezmer-punk-cabaret of Finland's Alamaailman Vasarat (Hammers of the Underworld). I'm so happy bands like this exist, let alone have 4 amazingly produced albums out. Somewhere out there are open-minded people who are willing to FUND this stuff! They claim the music they play has its roots in the traditional music of their own continent, Vasaraasia. Oh and that's not guitars you hear it's two distorted cellos...

Mp3:
Alamaailman Vasarat - 'Luiden Valossa, Naapurin Talossa'

You can buy their new album Maahan here.

Official Alamaailman Vasarat Site

Nick Cave

2007-05-09T21:01:00.000+01:00

To celebrate recently seeing Nick Cave walking down into a basement flat at the end of my road in Brighton (I nearly crashed my bike, apparently he lives near me), and today's purchase of 'Your Funeral... My Trial' on vinyl here's some Bad Seeds type stuff.

First up the scene where the Bad Seeds play 'The Carny' and 'From Her to Eternity' in Wim Wenders awesome film 'Wings of Desire'. Columbo's in it too, he can really fucking act ya know.

Buy Wings of Desire here.

And here's an Mp3 of the super spooky 'The Carny' from the previously mentioned 'Your Funeral... My Trial', which started life as two 12" EPs ('Your Funeral' and 'My Trial').

Mp3:
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - 'The Carny'.

Buy 'Your Funeral... My Trial' here.

And finally, a clip of Cave being interviewed by Australian comedians Roy & HG, in the 80s. Bizarre.

Find part 2 here.

I'm back!

2007-05-04T21:56:00.000+01:00

I'm reconnected as of yesterday, my 25th fucking birthday. Loads of stuff has happened over the last month, but for now here's a clip of the reunited Rage Against the Machine at the recent Coachella festival. This must have been very exciting!

P.S. There are billions more clips of this gig to search through on YouTube.

I'm still here...

2007-04-19T15:48:00.000+01:00

I just have no internet. I just moved house again so bear with me and we'll be back on track as soon as I can wire myself in again.

Cheerio,
A Painter.

God only knows...

2007-04-06T20:04:00.000+01:00

Yesterday my girlfriend Gemma survived a very nasty car crash. Her little car and its rainbow stickers no longer exist, but miraculously she only has cuts, bruises and "minor women's whiplash". I'm not going to go too gooey but it was one of those events that makes you truly grateful for what you have. I don't know what I'd do without her and I'm eternally thankful to whichever universal force was responsible for sparing her, be it God, Allah, gravity or even Ford.

For me, there's only one song suitable for moments such as these.

Mp3:
The Beach Boys - 'God Only Knows'
Buy 'Pet Sounds'

Jarvis Cocker

2007-04-04T11:50:00.000+01:00

Back in 1995 I was far too busy listening to Green Day and Foo Fighters to attempt to understand the likes of Pulp. Where were the big riffs and pounding drums? Why did they not sound American? I'd go as far as to say I hated them, from the moment I first heard Common People. But i suppose it was like my musical equivalent of a first homosexual crush. There was something there that I really liked but I didn't understand, and didn't want to like, so I hated it.

Eventually I grew up and realised I was missing out on something by being so narrow-minded. I soon understood that Jarvis' lyrics were some of the best I'd ever heard and his charisma and charm would long outshine many of his Britpop contemporaries.

Pitchfork recently interviewed Cocker here, and I suppose that's what has sparked my renewed interest. I'm not too sure about the interviewer but Jarvis says some really interesting stuff, especially about whether music still matters. A theme which he explores more fully in this article (with help from folks like Nick Cave, journalist Paul Morley and er...Beth Orton) from when he was asked to guest edit the Observer's music supplement.

Here's a video of Pulp's Glastonbury '95 zeitgeist performance that is mentioned in the Pitchfork interview.

And here's a less common selection from 'Different Class' of the same year (I love the 'Thriller'-esque spoken breakdown in the middle).

Mp3:
Pulp - 'I Spy'
Buy it

Pancake Mountain

2007-04-03T13:45:00.000+01:00

Whilst 'eStalking' Deerhoof on YouTube I came came across this bizarre clip of the band playing with a load of little kids and weird dressed up characters dancing around them. I had to find out where the hell it came from.

Turns out it's from a this amazing cable access programme from Washington DC called Pancake Mountain. It seems to be a kids programme started by a bunch of music fans that every week has indie bands performing and interacting with the show's characters and audience. Amazing idea. It's had tons of famous/indie-famous people on it including The Arcade Fire, Bright Eyes, The Flaming Lips, Shonen Knife, and Henry Rollins (pictured above rehearsing his lines with a puppet sheep for their big argument scene). Here's a little introduction to the show.

Unfortunately I don't think any satellite channels show it over here yet but you can buy DVDs from their store.

Cheval de Frise

2007-04-01T22:30:00.000+01:00

Many of my blogs are beginning to start in quite a similar fashion. I hear some band I know nothing about, get over-excited and post stuff with little or no information on the musicians involved. Well guess what, I've done it again.

I have a small excuse, they're french and don't appear to have much written about them in english. Cheval de Frise are a duo from Bordeaux comprising of Thomas Bonvalet on nylon string acoustic guitar (albeit amplified) and Vincent Beysselance on drums. It's essentially a kind of math rock but don't let that put you off. Whereas similarly designed bands like Hella can lack harmony and emotion, relying on fireworks to impress; Cheval de Frise bring in elements of classical and jazz tonality from a heavily french palette. They seem to be born from a very different pool of aesthetics than that of their art-punk contemporaries. There are even Spanish folk/classical guitar influences in there that remind me of guys like Brazilian composer Villa-Lobos.

Below is a slightly subdued example of their music.

Mp3:
Cheval de Frise - 'I'
Buy it

Check out the drumming at the end of this clip (but please watch it all!):

Random stuff...

2007-03-25T19:08:00.000+01:00

The B-52s

Lately i've had some strange stuff stuck in my head, so I thought I'd share.

First up, Rock Lobster, by a fledgling B-52s. Awesome psychobilly new wave surf rock from 1978. Listen out for the bit about the matching towels and the noise the narwal makes. This was long before they appeared in The Flintstones: The Movie as the BC-52s or collaborated with R.E. fucking M. on Shiny Happy People.

Mp3:
The B-52s - 'Rock Lobster'.
Buy it.

Slim Whitman

Next, for some reason I've been singing this a lot. Dunno why because I haven't even heard it for a while. It's used on the soundtrack for Rob Zombie's 'House of 1000 Corpses' and it's got some pretty tasteful yodelling in it.

Mp3:
Slim Whitman - 'I Remember You'.
Buy it.

The Shipping Forecast

And finally, I've taken to listening to Radio 4 to go to sleep and for some reason it always tends to be exactly when the night-time shipping forecast is starting (about 12:45am in case you're interested). It's relaxing on so many levels. The soothing voice of the BBC presenter reading a coded list of conditions at sea that I don't have to deal with as I'm tucked up in my squishy cocoon. The nostalgic associations from my parents listening to in the mornings and my dad telling me what it all means. And last but not least the incredibly kitsch light classical music which ushers it in, which can't have changed in 30 years. After some considerable hunting I found it. Hope you find it as comforting as I do.

Mp3:
Ronald Binge (great name) - 'Sailing By'

A little bit about Jeffrey Lewis

2007-03-19T15:11:00.000Z

I had a bit of read about Jeffrey Lewis. Turns out he write's and performs with his brother Jack and hangs out with other Anti-folks like Kimya Dawson and her moldy buddy Adam Green. He's had a couple of albums out on Rough Trade with some great titles ('The Last Time I Did Acid I Went Insane' and 'It's The Ones Who've Cracked That The Light Shines Through'). He's also produced his own comics which look all suitably chock full of pop culture and sharp observations.

Here's the song from the video in the previous post.

Mp3:
Jeffrey and Jack Lewis - 'Williamsburg Will Oldham Horror'

Buy his stuff here.

I know nothing about Jeffrey Lewis...

2007-03-13T00:34:00.000Z

...but I love this. And know a few of my friends will too.

OO-EE-OOOOH I look just like Biffy Holly...

2007-03-12T20:06:00.000Z

I came across/hunted down this awesome cover of Buddy Holly (by Weezer for those too young to remember). It's a completely different song really, but rules nevertheless. Biffy Clyro have a new album out pretty soon but i'd recommend checking out Infinity Land if you're new to their math/post-hardcore/post-grunge wonderland. It's probably their most well rounded album so far.

Mp3:
Biffy Clyro - 'Buddy Holly'

Buy Infinity Land here.

And Biffy are incredible live so go see 'em. They are unbelievably tight. Here's a little taster (many apologies for the topless hairy scotsman, I assume he was hot, okay?):

For Mario fans.

2007-03-07T19:05:00.001Z

I found this on the Plan B forum. Huuuuge round of applause for he that done found it.

The 'lost' Travis Morrison interview

2007-03-06T22:40:00.000Z

A couple of years ago, I briefly did a bit of writing for a webzine in Manchester. I'd just reviewed Travis Morrison's (singer/guitarist of The Dismemberment Plan) relatively weak solo album and thought I'd try and wangle an email interview out of the guy.

It worked, only the webzine shut down so I never got to publish it. So, in celebration of the impending 'Plan reunion gigs, here it is:

From 7th February 2005

Was there any one person or band that you would describe as a musical hero or heroes during your formative years?

Probably The Beatles. They could do anything.

Can you recall a specific turning point in your life where you realised you wanted to be a musician?

Well... hard to say. I always wanted to be an artist, and a writer. Music is a great place to write and also do other things. I did want to make movies too, I think cinema is the ultimate art form, but music is more social. It seems like you'd really have to be a megalomaniac berzerker to get a movie done. I'm a megalomaniac, for sure, but laid back.

Does being a solo artist feel natural yet or do you still feel maybe a bit naked?

Naked, definitely. It's hard. It's all on me. It's all my responsibility. It kind of always was anyways, but now it's really out there for anyone to bash if they want. But it feels good, as I grow into it.

The general outlook on ‘Travistan’ seems more contented than some of the themes you sang about in Dismemberment Plan. Would you say this reflects the life of Travis Morrison at the moment?

Interesting you say that, as a lot of people found it very discontented and withdrawn. But yeah, I'm having the time of my life.

Are there any plans to release ‘Travistan’ in England or to maybe play a few dates over here?

I wish, but I can't find a label.

As a songwriter what would you say to the school of thought that ‘it’s all been done before’ and ‘there’s nowhere left to go’?

Of course that's all true. But it's never been done YOUR WAY.

Is there a particular point in your musical output that you are most proud of?

Naw. Just hanging in there and trying every day is what I'm most proud of.

Ohmygodohmygodohmygod! The Plan reforming!

2007-03-03T23:43:00.000Z

I nearly crapped myself when I read here that the Dismemberment Plan, a band I gush regularly about to anyone who'll listen, are temporarily reforming. It's just for 2 gigs for a benefit for Jawbox mainfella J Robbins' son at the moment but one can live in hope. The gigs are, of course, in Washington and sold out in minutes. Gay.

They even played at my home venue, Exeter Cavern back in 2001 and I didn't find out til months later!

"I know Lord, i got to see The Cure and Iggy Pop and Dinosaur Jr and Sonic Youth but please, one more favour... for old time's sake?"

Enjoy this understated anthem for anyone else in their mid-twenties currently wondering "where the fuck is my life going?"

Mp3:
Dismemberment Plan - 'Spider in the Snow'

Buy it here.

I actually quite like it!?

2007-03-02T23:40:00.001Z

Robert Smith on Good Morning Britain.

2007-03-02T23:20:00.000Z

The Hardest Rocking Songs I Know - Vol. 2

2007-02-22T21:59:00.000Z

Here's an excellent example of title perfectly matching song. I think it might even count as onomatopoeia. Catch these guys live if you can, they're LOOUUD.

Mp3:
Clutch - 'Pure Rock Fury'

Buy Pure Rock Fury here.

Visit their website.

I miss you my Valentine.

2007-02-15T21:38:00.000Z

During my absence I've been working my little fingers to the bone selling Valentine's cards to angry businessmen who plainly see the thing as a frightful bore and don't deserve the company of anything with a soul. I then spent the night in question on my own unable to reach my young lady by tellingphone and cursed the fat fuck who miserably tossed two cards at me managing to hide the frontal hemisphere of his flabby chops for the entire transaction.

I still haven't been able to speak to my sweetheart and I miss her. So here's as good an excuse as ever to post some of my own music. So, my sweet, this one's for you.

Duke Raoul - 'Enjoy the Silence' (Depeche Mode cover)

I also just posted a new song on the Duke Raoul MySpace which I wrote for the same young girl.

Feeling pretty thirsty in the Sorry Dog.

2007-02-01T23:09:00.000Z

I haven't posted for a bit but this song sums up my evening so here ya go.

Mp3:
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - 'Thirsty Dog'

Buy it here.

Fuck me! Rage are reforming!

2007-01-22T18:37:00.000Z

According to this 'ere Drowned in Sound article, Rage Against the Machine are reforming and headling the Coachella festival. I don't think i'm happy about this. More news when I'm party to it.

Here's a beast from my easy favourite RATM album 'Evil Empire'.

Mp3:
Rage Against the Machine - 'Bulls On Parade'

Buy it here.

Sugarcube

2007-01-21T10:35:00.000Z

For me, this is one of those songs that encapsulate a moment in your life. When I first heard it I played it over again and again and I doubt I could ever become sick of it. Yo La Tengo have largely passed me by until quite recently but I remember the awesome video for this from way back. It's pretty far back in the mix so I suppose I just didn't notice it. Prophetic having the Gene Simmons guy teaching them to rock, long before any of those series were made. And I can't help but think that Jack Black's posse took more than a little guidance from this clip.

Anyway the song's got a great sludgy slacker pop feel with washy guitars and great lyrics.

Mp3:
Yo La Tengo - 'Sugarcube'.

Buy it here.

The Hardest Rocking Songs I Know - Vol. 1

2007-01-18T21:57:00.001Z

In the first of a series (if I remember to keep on with it, see 'Coming to the end of an album - Part 1' and lack of subsequent parts) I present you with some huge songs that never fail to get me flailing round my flat and seething with more energy than is healthy.

To kick off, an awesome track by Fu Manchu from the interim beefed up EP of the same name that they released after King of the Road. It benefits from rougher production and incredible live energy that the last couple of albums lacked.

Fu Manchu - Eatin' Dust (indirect link).

John Smith

2007-01-11T22:35:00.000Z

While I was at Uni in Liverpool I had the good fortune to be friends with some stunning musicians. John Smith is one of them. Originally from just across the River Exe from me, it was great to see him find his niche and then nail it harder than anyone shall nail again. He plays acoustic guitar percussively, chordally, melodically and maniacally whilst producing a voice that can veer dramatically from gravelly to floating in the space of a single phrase.

He's doing pretty well now, supporting John Martyn on his UK tours, being featured on Radio 2, and generally putting my achievements to shame. But he's ace and deserves it. Here's a video of John playing his song 'Winter' live at the Summer Pops festival in Liverpool last year:

Click here to buy his brilliant album "The Fox and the Monk".

John Smith's MySpace.

More Deerhoof

2007-01-07T22:26:00.000Z

I haven't been this obsessed by a band in ages. I've just been automatically flicking to my Deerhoof playlist everytime I even think about listening to music. I've barely listened to anything else since I started to "get" them. I'm suddenly so much more excited about writing music and keen to start another band (after playing solo for about a year). It's again blown open what I thought a group of musicians was capable of. They create a world I want to inhabit.

Well, my hosting is on the blink but there's a couple of awesome new tracks from Deerhoof's upcoming album 'Friend Opportunity' on Neiles Blog. May I particularly recommend The Perfect Me, which reunites us with our dear friend 'The Big Riff' nestling in the middle of the song. The album's out on the 23rd of January and can be pre-ordered here.

Also here's a video with loads of intimate live Deerhoof stuff from the Burn My Eye mail order music TV thingame. Click here for the ram file (it's a streamer).

And, excusing the madcap camera technique, here's a cool YouTube shaped clip:

I'll leave you with this amazing spacey jazz post rock track (available free from their press page) from the last album, 'Runners Four' .

Mp3:
Deerhoof - "Running Thoughts"

Charlotte Hatherley

2007-01-04T21:21:00.000Z

This is an unpopular choice in my flat. My girlfriend (alongside every girl who once wished they were the Girl From Mars that Tim Wheeler still loved) hates Charlotte Hatherley for ruining Ash. Frankly I think Ash ruined Ash when they started writing crap songs. And the fact that she left the band a good while ago doesn't seem to change a thing?

Anyway, she released a solo album last year which, from the few tracks I know, was pretty good. Some really nice guitar work and great vocal hooks. Wasn't all amazing (especially lyrically), but proved she wasn't without her own genuine talent.

She's due a new LP out soon and new single 'Behave' makes me fee all funny inside. Again the lyrics still aren't amazing but the guitars and hooks are fantastic. It sounds really unusual for these times with a really slinky bounce to the thing. I'm also glad that her singing is now less cute bubblegum and more Esthero. I particularly dig the middle breakdown. Fuckin lush, Bay.

I won't post the Mp3 because it's a single and that's not really fair but have a listen to the video below (try to avoid it's gaze though as it's pretty cheesy and kinda ruins the song):

Buy it here

Visit her website.

Deerhoof

2006-12-30T21:00:00.000Z

I can't understand how I didn't get into Deerhoof long ago. I'd heard them gushed about all over the shop but must have sampled the wrong songs or sumting. Anyway, my girlfriend Gem suggested we check them out at ATP and despite cack sound we were soon enchanted.

They manage to get away with being great technical musicians without for a second coming across indulgent. Drummer Greg Saunier is classically trained but you'd never guess it. The Deerhoof sound is just so raw and energetic that it hides any showy virtuosity. Impossible to pin-point too. No two songs are the same. There is a common aesthetic but there are bastardised elements of rock n roll, post rock, post punk, jazz, etc etc and on and on until you reach the sun.

Basically, crazy Japanese girly vocals, firecracker drumming, super innovative guitars, and synth flourishes. That's the closest I can get. The best thing is that they give away so much free stuff. On their site there are links to loads of cool stuff, especially this free mp3 sample site (with tons more than just Deerhoof).

Mp3:
Deerhoof - Wrong Time Capsule (free EP version)

Buy some Deerhoof here.

Friday On My Mind

2006-12-19T19:51:00.000Z

This song seems particularly appropriate now that i'm working full time right over Christmas and New Year. It's a cracking old song with some great guitar lines. The Easybeats were one of the first Australian bands to have an International hit and this was the song that did it. Bowie later covered it on Pinups, but I won't post it. It's a bit wrong.

Mp3:
Easybeats - Friday On My Mind

Buy it here.

Dinosaur Jr at ATP

2006-12-16T22:39:00.000Z

It's been a little while since my last confession. I just started full time work at Paperchase and it has raped my personal time. We came straight back from All Tomorrow's Parties and I leapt straight into the bowels of a stationer's stockroom.

However I had been fuelled by the roar of J Mascis' earth shattering amp wall the previous friday night. The ringing in my ears dulling the Paperchase playlist and the smash of fancy baubles. I have never before witnessed such an awesome guitar sound. And the sight of an old stoner wookie ripping into a Jazzmaster will stay with me forever.

Here's a short clip of 'Feel the Pain' (the first CD single I ever owned) taken by my girlfriend. Somehow her tiny camera managed to cope with the volume.

And for those of you who don't know the song:

Mp3:
Dinosaur Jr - 'Feel The Pain'

Buy it here.

ATP!!!

2006-12-07T17:17:00.002Z

Just a quickie because me n m'lady are packing for All Tomorrow's Parties and i'm really quite excited. Mum says it's just mmmagical!

So i'm actually going to get to see Sonic Youth and Dinosaur Jr before the whole world melts into the sea. Not to mention IGGY FUCKING POP!!! I can't believe it. I'll brag about the whole ordeal next week but for now here's a great little understated nugget from SY's latest album Rather Ripped.

Mp3:
Sonic Youth - Reena

Buy it here.

Dr Gonzo on film.

2006-12-03T23:03:00.000Z

I often trawl YouTube in the hope that one day someone will post some decent footage of a youngish Hunter S Thompson. Finally, today, I found some.

Thompson has been a hero for a while now. I even bastardised his alterego 'Raoul Duke' for my own band name. I don't particularly condone the heavy drug usage or relate to him in any real way, but I strongly envy the way he threw himself into the situations he documented, often stearing them out of control. To let go like that and be taken in any direction by the slightest urge must generate an incredible wave of freedom.

If you haven't read Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas you can buy it very cheap now (£0.01 as I write this). I recommend it to anyone whether I think they'll like it or not.

This clip seems to be an edited version of an 80s episode of Omnibus just before they made the first Thompson movie with Bill Murray (not as good as Terry Gilliam's film but Murray gives good Hunter).

And so as not to deviate from the whole music vibe of this blog here's a little treat for fans of Fear and Loathing.

Brewer & Shipley

Mp3:
Brewer & Shipley - One Toke Over the Line

Buy it here.

Mandatory Christmas Post

2006-12-02T17:58:00.000Z

It seems I'm legally obliged to put together a Christmas post seeing as it's now technically December. So here it is (Merry Christmas). I heard this first track on the fantastic Not Your Usual Bollocks podcast what must be about a year ago. It's great on it's own, but when it becomes apparent that it's actually a really subtle Christmas cover it becomes even better. I'm not too familiar with Nathan Fake but I hope to be in the near future. This little electronica/shoegaze gem was available from his site but I hear the album is very good too.

Mp3:
Nathan Fake - 'Silent Night'

Buy his debut album here.

And if that isn't your bag, the wonderful Zombina and the Skeletones have just released a free Christmas EP via their Zombina Army MySpace page. Free artwork and everything. How many bands are that generous and hardworking?

Personally I prefer last year's (?) festive giveaway which I don't think you can buy so I'm going to post it. If any Skeletones can inform me otherwise I'll remove it, but it's so good it needs to be heard.

Mp3:
Zombina & the Skeletones - Transylvanian Xmas.

You can buy their albums and loads of high camp merchandise from their website.

Funeral Song

2006-11-28T11:45:00.000Z

I think I've already made it known to those closest to me that I want 'Life On Mars' by David Bowie played at my funeral. But I just want to set it in stone. It brings me close to tears on it's own ayway so if the buggers aren't crying at the beginning...

The song is really touching, yet so pompous that it would be quite funny, and so grandiose that I always want to stand up and applaud at the end. If the congregation want to follow suit I'd be more than happy to believe they're actually honouring me.

It's so interlinked with my memories from childhood that it's an obvious choice really. It's been a presence at various poignant moments during my timid existence so it only seems fitting that it should show me out the door. Plus people often say that my dad and I look like Bowie...

Other possible choices have included:

'Gloomy Sunday' - Billie Holiday (it'd just be cruel)
'I Wanna Go Where the People Go' - The Wildhearts (when I was 16, if only for the line "I wanna be where the cunts like me are buried six feet underground")
'Green Grass' - Tom Waits (I haven't known it for long enough and I think it might have been bagsied already. Boyg?)

So which musical gem do YOUUUUU want as the credits roll?

Mp3:
David Bowie - 'Life On Mars'

Buy it here

Nick Cave and chums is... Grinderman

2006-11-27T18:55:00.000Z

Nick Cave seems to have gone into the studio with some other ramshackle folks and recorded an album. From early previews it sounds somewhere between The Birthday Party and The Stooges. Personally I find this all pretty fucking exciting.

I'm not completely clued in yet but the record should be out on March the 5th next year and they're playing at ATP next april. Look here for more info.

Mp3:

Grinderman - 'No Pussy Blues'

Buy Nick Cave here.

Just humour me.

2006-11-23T14:11:00.000Z

Okay I know Lil Chris stands for the worst kind of premeditated hit machine, and he is basically a complete joke, but for what it is it's brilliant. As a tongue cheek parody of new wave pop for teeny indie younglings it's spot on. Catchy as fuck too.

For those who managed to avoid his reality TV discovery go here and find out more.

Yes his voice is mighty annoying but it's basically like a prepubescent Jello Biafra (don't hit me). It's completely loaded wth hooks too. I'd much prefer to hear more clever pop pastiche like this than another mind numbing Gang of Four tribute act under the guise of "serious" music.

I'm not being ironic or trying to prove how open minded I am, I genuinely think this is good. It even gives a subtle nod to The Buzzcocks' 'Ever Fallen In Love'. Have a look, the video's more of the same well observed post-modernism.

Eve of Destruction

2006-11-21T19:47:00.000Z

I heard this song on some radio programme about sixties charts. It stood out a mile from the other two dimensional pop (albeit really good pop) that shared the count down of whichever week it was in 1965. The venom in the lyrics and the anger in the voice gave it an almost anachronistic quality. There are a couple of other versions of the song but it was Barry McGuire's version that was hit me that night (i'm pretty sure that's him in the hippy dress with the baby).

I'm not usually that interested by protest songs, many come across as preachy or painfully naive, but I really like 'Eve of Destruction'. Many of the lyrics directly translate to these sketchy times, but it's the growl that delivers them that really makes the record. It's almost funny at some points but I think that just makes it endearing. The Dickies did a pretty cool version of it too.

Mp3s:

Barry McGuire - 'Eve of Destruction'

Dickies - 'Eve of Destruction'

Heading South for the winter...

2006-11-18T20:56:00.000Z

I'm back online! After an epic day journeying across, back and then down through England we were greeted in Brighton (Hove, actually) by a stolen phone and a smashed van window (separate incidents). Since then I've been waiting patiently by the door for a Mr Alberto Tiscali to send me a new modem. I was slightly depressed to finally discover how few pertinent emails were awaiting my attention but meh...

Anyway, now that I've left Manchester I thought I should list a few things I miss about the place:

1 My hombre Sam (you too Ben, but I'm gonna see you more... and Marc and Pete, sorry I didn't get to say goodbye)
2 Surly service at Night & Day
3 The tower of the Palace Hotel where Satan himself spends his summers
4 Coffee at Oklahoma
5 The Richard Goodall Gallery

There are more, but I'll get back to you. Now I've never been into many Manchester bands (yes, even The Smiths, Stone Roses and Joy Division) which I know is a pretty big indie faux pas, but I thought I'd post something which I do love from the rainy city. I wish I'd got to this riff first. Dead simple and dead good.

Mp3:

I Am Kloot - 'Over My Shoulder'

Buy it here.

Please excuse the uncomfortable silence...

2006-10-28T15:00:00.000+01:00

I'm in the middle of moving to Brighton so i'm packing up my life and getting my head in gear. Be back soon though, with a sunny disposition and some hemp sandals...

Here's another Duke Raoul mp3 to keep ya going.

Mp3:
Duke Raoul - 'Too Tired To Struggle'.

Coming to the end of an album - Part 1

2006-10-19T12:36:00.000+01:00

When I was in my early teens and I was starting realise how much music meant to me, I used to find the end few tracks of an album increasingly depressing. Regardless of the mood of the songs it would leave me feeling slightly empty, or perhaps more accurately, lonely. I'm an only child and was (partially involuntarily) quite a loner. I spent much more time playing guitar and absorbing myself in music than in the company of other kids. I'm not moaning about it, but it's true. So when I reached the final stretch of an album, I suppose I knew the world I had wrapped myself in for the last 9 or so tracks was coming to an end, and I would be left on my own until the next CD/cassette.

Of course it didn't help with records like Nevermind or Superunknown that end on a particularly melancholy note ('Something in the Way' and 'Like Suicide' respectively). But even stuff like Smashing Pumpkins' Siamese Dream (that drifts out on the soothing 'Luna') or The Offspring's Smash (that basically never strays from the style/themes of the rest of the record) had a similar effect.

Maybe I became more at ease with the world outside of music, or it was the fact that I learnt to enjoy melancholia, but either way I grew out of it. Perhaps if we didn't live in a world of shuffling iPods on endless repeat I would still feel the same. I dunno. But I do know I definitely wasn't the only socially uncomfortable teenager who immersed himself in music instead of dealing with the outside world. So now's your chance to come forward...

Your twopenneth:
Did you also have similar feelings about the end of albums. Or do you have any other bizarre quirks attached to the music you listen to? Please comment and i'll answer stuff in part 2.

Mp3:
In the meantime, does this stir any emotions?
Nirvana - 'Something in the Way' (expired)

Buy it here (like you didn't buy it years ago).

More Annuals

2006-10-17T19:20:00.000+01:00

Well I got to know a bit more about these guys and there's not too much that's mindbendingly interesting, but a couple of things have come to light:

a) They're even bloody younger than I thought. Singer/songwriter Adam Baker is only TWENTY years old.

b) Their album is more diverse than I had imagined. It is rammed almost to beyond saturation point with ideas and production type stuff.

c) It seems this band has an enormous buzz around them. So buy the album soon and clasp it to your heart before it gets used on an episode of The O.C. and you can by their fucking ringtones.

Here's another mp3:
Annuals - 'Carry Around'

Buy it here.

Their MySpace.

Clor

2006-10-16T15:56:00.000+01:00

I mentioned Clor a couple of posts back and I think it's about time I stuck up a bit of a sample.

Clor are now sadly no more. They lasted one self-titled album and a couple of singles/EPs. The first time I heard of them I had just missed them soundchecking at Liverpool Zanzibar. My own band was due to play before them later that night. Everybody in the venue; the promoters, the other bands, Andy the sound guy (best/nicest live engineer i've ever come across) were all completely awestruck by the spectacle they had just witnessed. From a soundcheck. Unfortunately though, when people gush at me about bands I tend to become super cynical, so I was apprehensive.

After our set, Clor singer/guitarist Barry came and paid us compliments and was generally really nice, then went to set up. I hadn't prepared myself for what I was about to see. From what i'd been told I expected some slightly cheesy band doing their best to shoehorn electronica into rock music. Or maybe some jeans and a fringe yelping to a disco beat. Either way, I was completely wrong.

It became one of those occasions when, out of the blue, a whole new angle on music is suddenly unveiled for you. When you were just getting jaded by it's lack of invention and you experience something that makes you feel stupid for ever doubting it. I couldn't control my grinning muscles as the band tore through my preconceptions with a knowing smile and ball of sound. Pop tunes, sardonic lyrics, intricate guitar lines, electro beats, synth spurts. Guitar music and electro intertwined like they'd never been apart, and not a haircut in sight. It completely changed my image of what a band could be. So when my own band disintegrated and became just me, it made me feel like absolutely anything was still possible.

Apparently it was good old 'musical differences' that drove the two key members (Barry Dobbin and Luke Smith) of Clor apart. I'm sad that i'll never see them live again, the sound was never quite replicated on record. But it's good to know their output could never be tarnished by weaker follow-ups or collaborations with Bono, and we can only be grateful for that.

Mp3:
Clor - 'Tough Love' (amazing b-side to the Love & Pain single).

Buy their album here.

Annuals

2006-10-12T00:51:00.000+01:00

Wow. I literally heard this for the first time about ten minutes ago (thanks to the amazing Kinky Origami blog) but I had to post it. This has to be one of the best opening tracks to an album I have ever heard. I hate hyperbole, but I was literally open mouthed... i've probably built it up too much but please check it out anyway.

I don't know much about Annuals except that they're from North Carolina and they're all painfully young. It's basically really adventurous indie, post rock, electronic, guitar stuff. Not sure really, er...

You can buy their Be He Me album from their label website and i'll hopefully be posting more when I know a bit more about them.

Mp3:
Annuals - 'Brother' (expired)

Enablers

2006-10-10T11:00:00.000+01:00

It bothers me, but I don't really like most poetry. And I don't like being left cold by an artistic medium that so many devote so much to. One that's very close to being lyrics or prose but just doesn't affect me in the same way.

And then I came across Enablers. Vocalist Pete Simonelli's poems portray a seedy world of misfits and degenerates. My kind of stuff. Like Paul Auster reading Kerouac to Hunter S Thompson. Even alone they capture an enormous spectrum of emotion and energy. So add this to a smokey cloud of emotive post rock and the product is incredible.

The ebb and flow of the slightly ramshackle musical arrangements echoes the lyrics and serves to heighten their power. Overall though, it is Simonelli's voice and impassioned delivery that makes Enablers truly special. He has just the kind of smoke scarred, jaded, bar room drawl that could add weight to a train timetable.

The end effect surrounds and absorbs you into the world they inhabit. The tales of gambling and lust and jazz and pain. The chiming guitars before the cacophonic explosions of rhythm and distortion. I don't know if this still counts as poetry, i'm not here to argue that, it's irrelevant. Enablers need to be heard.

Mp3s:
Enablers - 'Sudden Inspection'
Enablers - 'Pauly's Days In Cinema'

You can buy their albums from their label site.

Clouds

2006-10-09T13:23:00.000+01:00

I stumbled across these fuzzy rock n roll wizards by some beautiful twist of fate. My day immediately burst into life.

Clouds call themselves 'Party Grunge', which i think is pretty damn close. It's definitely similar to stuff like Clutch, early Fu Manchu and Queens of the Stone Age but it's all just so nasty and raw. Hopefully they won't get pasteurized when they inevitably get signed up.

The demos on their myspace page were recorded live by Steven Brodsky outta Cave In and I think these guys might be the ones stealing all the energy and life from mainstream music. They've been hoarding it all somewhere in Boston, and now it's being stuffed down the sore throats of their incredible songs.

Happy days...

Mp3s:
'Guardian's Eyes'
'New Amnesia'

Clouds myspace page.

Field Music

2006-10-09T00:01:00.000+01:00

I walked through the doors of Night & Day to meet my housemate, and as I removed the headphones that were piping Field Music into my elated ears, I began to grumble that we'd mis-timed our visit and some band was soundchecking early and would interrupt my coffee. But it was okay, because, it was, er... Field Music. Soundchecking.

Fuck me, I didn't know, and I don't have a ticket, or any money, and I'd have to go on my own... but it's Field Music and I've always wanted to see how the hell they pull it off live.

I went. They pull it off live.

I love this band. They're so much more exciting than most of the stuff this historically brillliant country has to offer at the moment. Clor are finished, and these guys are left in charge of the really fucking clever (but not smug), guitar pop magic tricks for the forseable future.

But many of the morons behind me aren't even watching?! Ridiculous. The band are also visibly aggrevated by the lack of attention; and what with some fairly heavy technical issues, and the fact that the entire thing's being filmed, it makes it all the more satisfying to watch them overcome it all and play with the kind of quality and charm most bands could never hope to achieve.

Their great new single 'In Context' is out on Monday.

In Context Video:

Mp3:
Field Music- 'You're So Pretty'

Buy it here

Duke Raoul

2006-10-07T21:46:00.000+01:00

This was a test post but why not download 'The Local News' by Duke Raoul or check them out at their Myspace page :

Mp3:
Duke Raoul- 'The Local News'