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Number 8 2011 - Deaf Havana - Fools and Worthless Liars

2012-01-09T14:46:00.002Z

8 Deaf Havana – Fools and Worthless Liars

These is not my normal cup of tea at all (not that I drink tea). Heard the single "I am a bore mostly" on Radio One (not that I listen to Radio One). I was hooked but the Kurt Cobain and Morrissey lyric and bought the LP. It is great. If I was 20 years younger this would be the soundtrack to my life. The lyrics have a gritty edge to them a mixture of self loathing, boredom and regret.

This is great version of the single.

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Number Nine 2011 - SBTRKT

2012-01-09T14:34:00.003Z

Number Nine 2011

SBTRKT - SBTRKT

The debut LP from Londoner Aaron Jermone SBTRKT is a masterpiece of modern electronic soul and dance music. Paced like the perfect DJ set this debut is full of promise. A bright new dawn for UK electronica.

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Number Ten 2011 - Tom Waits

2012-01-09T14:30:00.002Z

Number 10 2011

Tom Waits – Bad As Me

Great to have Tom Waits back with a LP that mixed parts of his post Swordfish output with aspects of his early work. Full of hard won wisdom, melancholy, melody and bile.This track New Years Eve sounds like the prefect companion piece to the Pogues and Kirsty MacColl's Fairy tale of New York.

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My Favourite Songs Under Two Minutes in Length

2011-10-25T16:54:00.002+01:00

I found this page, Ten Best Indie Songs Under Two Minutes via a friend ‘s Facebook page and its started me thinking. What are my favourite songs that clock in at under two minutes. I found myself drifting back through my record collection looking for songs that I love that a short. The vast number although very brief clocked in at over two minutes. Below is my list of ten songs that last under two minutes. I have gone on the length of the official released studio versions of the songs.

Broken Harp – PJ Harvey (1.59)

Big Black – La Dopa (1.41)

Vic Chesnutt – Super Tuesday (1.26)

Pixies – Something Against You (1.47)

Billy Bragg – Lovers Town Revisited (1.19)

The Smiths – Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want (1.50)

Jesus and Mary Chain – Taste of Cindy (1.39)

Tom Waits - Johnsburg, Illinois (1.34)

American Music Club – Bad Liquor (1.59)

Scott Walker – 30^th Century Man (1.29)

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Remembering September 11th - Wordless Music Orchestra (Free Download)

2011-09-16T11:53:00.006+01:00

Go and download this amazing free concert by the Wordless Music Orchestra at the great NPR. I have listened to it three times already this week and its gets more amazing each time I listen."...Led by the dynamic conductor Ryan McAdams, New York's Wordless Music Orchestra performed four works centered on the idea of loss and remembrance. The program featured the world premiere of Maxim Moston's orchestration of an arresting work by William Basinski, The Disintegration Loops.

The concert also included three pieces for string quartet: Ingram Marshall's Fog Tropes II, Osvaldo Golijov's Tenebrae and Alfred Schnittke's Collected Songs Where Every Verse Is Filled With Grief, passionately and movingly performed by violinists Keats Dieffenbach and Caroline Shaw, violist Nadia Sirota and cellist Clarice Jensen...."

It free for a week from here:

http://www.npr.org/blogs/deceptivecadence/2011/09/07/140265002/remembering-september-11-a-live-concert-webcast-from-the-temple-of-dendur

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Jamie XX Mix - Fact Magazine

2011-09-12T14:51:00.003+01:00

Jamie XX wonderful new mix for FACT magazine. Mix 282 is the blissful mix of dusk bound garage. The FACT magazine ends with a great closing paragraph.

"...Jamie’s FACT mix, a dusk-lit garage and house session featuring Elgato, Dark Sky and a bunch of stuff we’ve never heard before, though alternate versions of a couple of well-known Jamie xx remixes appear to be present. Naturally, there’s no tracklist supplied...."

The link to the article is here -

http://www.factmag.com/2011/09/12/fact-mix-282-jamie-xx/

The mix can be downloaded from Soundcloud.

http://mp3.factmagazine.co.uk.s3.amazonaws.com/FACT%20mix%20282%20-%20Jamie%20xx.mp3

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Billy Bragg - Never By The Sun

2011-07-14T09:56:00.004+01:00

The wonderful Billy Bragg tune Never By The Sun has been released as a free download via the Billy Bragg website.

This is the official press release:

"Billy Bragg’s brand new song ‘Never Buy The Sun’ takes aim at the whole sorry story of News International’s systemic failure to understand that there are limits to legitimate news gathering. Billy concludes that neither press, police nor politicians come out of this scandal looking good. Only the people of Liverpool can hold their heads high.

Their refusal to buy The Sun in the wake of that paper’s unfounded accusation that Liverpool FC supporters robbed the dead victims of the Hillsborough Disaster in 1989 shows that not only do the scousers have principles, but they are also determined to hold onto them in an often cynical world.

Written last Friday, first performed on Saturday, a video clip posted on Sunday, recorded on Monday, mixed on Tuesday and made available as a free download today, Wednesday, Billy Bragg’s new song ‘Never Buy The Sun’ could hardly be more urgent.

In the wake of the announcement that Rupert Murdoch had decided to close the News of the World, Bragg put pen to paper after spending the day driving north listening all the way to discussions about the ramifications of the phone hacking revelations.

After writing the song in his hotel room, Bragg polished the song enough to debut it during his set at Garforth Festival. The rapturous response that he got convinced him to post a video of himself performing the song in the dressing room of the festival, which, after 48 hours, had notched up over 20,000 views.

Back home in Dorset on Monday, as the allegations against News International spread to include The Sun and The Sunday Times, Bragg gathered some musician friends together in a Weymouth studio to record the song for immediate download from his site. Mixed on Tuesday afternoon, the track is available now as a free download from billybragg.co.uk.

Commenting on the speed of the process, from creation to release, Bragg said ‘ During the Miner’s Strike in 1984, I wrote a song about the struggle called ‘Between the Wars’. By the time I got into the studio to record the song, the strike was eight months old and, when the record finally got into the shops in February, the strike was over.”

Although the digitisation of music has had negative effects on the music industry, it has made the process of recording and distributing material much simpler and faster. If like Billy, you’re the writer of songs that try to offer a different perspective on the big issues of the day, the turnaround time helps add to the topicality.

Bragg, who is appearing at the Tolpuddle Martyrs Trade Union Festival in Dorset next Sunday 17th July, said “Over the past few years, any expression of social solidarity has been scorned – from the new activism of the climate camps and UK Uncut to the more traditional campaigns of the unions – but by sticking to their guns, the people of Liverpool have been vindicated in their principled stand against News International.”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE office@braggcentral.com"

You can download it from direct from here

http://www.billybragg.co.uk/sun.php

You can also join the Get Billy Bragg to Number one group on Facebook.

Second Hand Culture - My New Site

2011-07-12T16:07:00.002+01:00

Hello all have launched a new site that attempts to cover all the stuff I buy second hand. Its called Secondhand Culture and I have done the first two post on Kate Bush's The Kick Inside and Alexander Pope's Selected Poetry.

I have always loved buying stuff second hand and so many of my music discoveries are via second hand records. I can clearly remember buying a my vinyl copy of Closer by Joy Division from a secondhand record shop in Deptford Southeast London. From the market in Deptford were my Dad had a stall selling collectibles I bought a four tapes by The Cure.

I used to buy old jukebox 7" singles from the local News Agents in Herbert Road. I can remember being thrilled when I found a copy of Louise by The Human League.

I have never really stopped buying stuff secondhand and the blog is a homage to that.

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Never Buy the Sun - Billy Bragg

2011-07-12T15:57:00.002+01:00

Billy Bragg proving once again that Folk Music isn't something that is just exists in dusty text books and crackling old vinyl records. This is Billy's response to the current issue with News Corp, The News of The World and The Sun. This as written and performed before the news about The Sun hacking Gordon Brown's son's medical records.

If you wonder why Scousers Never By the Sun - Visit Here

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Belong - Common Era Review

2011-05-06T15:38:00.002+01:00

Belong – Common Era (Kranky)

Back in 2006 the duo of Turk Dietrich and Michael Jones otherwise known as Belong released the beautiful drifting October Language. It was a dark heavy maze of gauzy guitar static and throbbing base tones. It was an ambient guitar suite of the highest order. Between October Language and Common Era they issued the Colorloss EP in 2008 since then things have been silent. The Colorloss EP can be seen as the bridge between the swirling noise of the first record and warped shoegaze of Common Era. It’s cracked cover versions pointing towards a broader interpretation of the notion of the song.

Common Era takes the fractured elements of October Language whirlpool of guitar haze and expands upon it with the use of drums and vocals. This shift in the bands sonic template has provoked something of a backlash in the blogosphere. Reading some of the reaction you would think that they have released a pure pop record in the vein of Lady Ga Ga or heaven forbid The Killers. The reality is somewhat different.

Opener Come See is anchored by a snare drum and guitar buzz that is equal part The Velvet Underground and My Bloody Valentine. The vocals are mixed so low that they become another element in the soundscape rather than the focus of the track. A Walk sounds like The Cure circa 17 Seconds heard through an underwater dream. Dark pop hues, muddy, smudged by reverb and dislocated guitars. The dry bassline on Prefect Life locks in with the insidious drum pattern and floating vocal lines as they float over the washes of guitar noise and blissed out hum. Keep Still is close to the sound world that Belong so brilliantly realised on Music Language. The heavily treated guitars provide waves of sound that melt into each other like hot lava meeting water. They crackle, drizzle, spilit apart and reform in different shapes.

The music on Common Era seems to slip through the gaps, spin in the spaces, collapse back into itself. The broken rhythms of the closing Very Careful, the cheap drum machine low in the mix, sounds like 80’s synth pop decaying in endless space. Attempting to capture the essence of Common Era is like trying to engrave smoke. Just clasp the headphones on and listen to the bliss.

belong 'perfect life' by kranky

Tony Heywood ©

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Spotify London Playlist

2011-04-26T09:10:00.006+01:00

London via Spotify

I have pulled together a collection of my favorite songs about London in a Spotify play list. Its covers London from many different view points and musical styles. I was born and raised in Plumstead, Southeast London and lived in London until I was 19 and went to University.

Powis Square is the Market Square in Woolwich were I spent my teenage years buying vinyl records so its a good place to start.

This is the track listing.

Powis Square - Ry Cooder

London - Third Eye Blind

I Love London - Crystal Fighters

South London Boroughs - Burial

Duke of Earlsfield - The Sabres Of Paradise

The Battle Of All Saints Road - Big Audio Dynamite

Upper Clapton Dance - Professor Green

Bow E3 - Wiley

Imagine - Dissie Rascal

Bidc-In-Hamm Palace (12’) - Peter Tosh

Cockney Translation - Smiley Culture

London Town - Light Of The World

South Of The River - Mica Paris

London Belongs To Me - Saint Etienne

Stagger - Underworld

West End Girls (7” Mix) - Pet Shop Boys

Waterloo Sunset - The Kinks

London Calling - The Clash

The Only Uving Boy In New Cross - Carter The USM

For Tomorrow - Blur

Towers Of London (Edit) - XTC

West One (Shine On Me) - The Ruts

London, Can You Wait - Gene

London - The Smiths

Tower Of London - ABC

Sights And Sounds Of London Town - Richard Thompson

Missing You - Christy Moore

We Are London - Madness

The Greater London Radio - Heftner

A Rainy Night In Soho - The Pogues

It covers songs about London, about living in London and those with geographical locations in the titles and lyrics.

This is the link to the playlist - London

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Billy Bragg - I Wanna Be a Cosmonaut (Record Shop Day)

2011-04-18T08:07:00.002+01:00

Billy Bragg performing the old Riff Raff song I Wanna Be a Cosmonaut live at Bridport Music on Record Store Day April 14th 2011.

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International Record Story Day 2011

2011-04-14T20:58:00.002+01:00

It is that wonderful time of year again to get down to your local Indie record store and splash some cash on limited editions and lovely rare vinyl records.

Here a list of the UK stores taking part.

http://recordstoreday.tuneportals.com/Venues?country=United%20Kingdom

Rhino Records are releasing some nice New Order, Joy Division and The Smiths vinyl in limited editions and on vinyl as well.

The full list is here:

http://www.rhino.co.uk/news,rhino-uk-celebrate-record-store-day-2011_98.htm

There is a number of stores putting live performances including Billy Bragg playing at his local store Bridport Music.

Rough Trade East in London will have Wild Beasts and The Soundtrack Of Our Lives playing acoustic sets, Piccadilly Records in Manchester has DJs providing a soundtrack to purchasing all afternoon and Jumbo Records in Leeds features bands like Erland & The Carnival and Ellen & The Escapades throughout the day.

There are also a wonderful limited Art of Noise LP and Into Battle EP, Big Star's Third on vinyl, Rolling Stones, Hendrix and Lady Gaga are all releasing product as well. Get involved and spend some cash.

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Kode 9 and Spaceape - Black Sun (Hyperdub)

2011-03-25T14:31:00.004Z

Great news from Hyperdub that Kode9 and Spaceape are teaming up again to release a new LP titled Black Sun on the 18th April in the UK. It got a great review in this months Wire and I can't wait for the release.

Nice review here as well on Spoon Feed - Kode 9 and Space Ape Black Sun Review

This is the full track listing. The cover art is beautiful, its one of the things that Hyperdub always seem to get right.

Nice interview with them at Big Shot - Kode 9 and Spaceape Interview

In the interview Spaceape outlines the way he approached writing the material for the LP.

"...During the recording of the album I had some serious health problems and this is reflected in some of the tracks. As a writer you take inspiration from many places with your own life being one of the main sources. But I wanted to turn my experiences into something less personal and more oblique, more open. We decided to write a fictional story about life under a black sun using elements of my experience to create this imagined world, a place that breathed a different atmosphere; had different rules; politics; desires; religions; a different light to our own. This was a way of linking all the tracks and shows how the many different characters and stories could inhabit the same space...."

This is the full track listing. The cover art is beautiful, its one of the things that Hyperdub always seem to get right.

1. "Black Smoke" [ft. Cha Cha]
2. "Promises"
3. "Bullet Against Bone"
4. "Green Sun"
5. "The Cure" [ft. Cha Cha]
6. "Hole in the Sky"
7. "Otherman"
8. "Love Is the Drug" [ft. Cha Cha]
9. "Black Sun (Partial Eclipse Mix)"
10. "Neon Red Sign" [ft. Cha Cha]
11. "Am I"
12. "Kryon" [ft. Flying Lotus]

You can here the single version of Black Sun via Spotify - Kode9 – Black Sun/2 Far Gone

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Mark Eitzel The Thorn in My Side is Gone Live SXSW

2011-03-22T13:18:00.002Z

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Brilliant version of the American Music Club track - The Thorn in My Side is Gone from the San Francisco LP. Mark Eiztel is is wonderful voice, the piano playing by Marc Capelle is great. Its good to see him have use of a grand piano and not the piano synth he played in Bristol last year. Getting Mark to give up the guitar and just sing has proved to be inspired. The man has a golden voice full of red wine hurt and experience. He is a soul singer if I have ever heard one!

Thanks to Ben Londa of Exit Productions for filming and uploading this.

Headphone Commute - Pleq Podcast

2011-03-22T12:46:00.003Z

Pleq has recorded an amazing mix for the great Headphone Commute. The mix is complied from a selection of his own tracks and remixes and is a beautifully beguiling way to spend 50 minutes.

The tracks are fully of fragile piano notes, warm electronic fuzz and a lovely sense of space and time. You feel like you are inside the electronic dreams of Erik Satie. Do composers dream of electronic bleeps?

This is the full track listing:

1. Pleq – Good Night (offthesky Remix)
2. Pleq – Good Night (Go-qualia Lucid Dreamin Non Rem Sleep Mix)
3. Pleq – Swell Bliss (Downtempo Edition)
4. Pleq – Black Dog (feat. hiiro-tent)
5. Pleq – Good Night (Lauki Remix)
6. Pleq + Nebulo – Code Inconnu
7. Pleq – The Ribbon (Nebulo Remix)
8. Pleq – Dark Bullet From The Abyss
9. Pleq – Metamorphosis Pt. 1
10. Pleq – Raindrop (Spyweirdos Remix)
11. Segue – Blue Wind I [Pleq RMX]
12. Pleq & Anna Rose Carter – A Mirror Sitting

The mix can be downloaded or streamed directly from the headphone commute website.

Pleq Headphone Commute Mix

They also have an interview with him about his new LP which I am now off to purchase on the basis of the podcast.

http://reviews.headphonecommute.com/2010/12/24/two-and-a-half-questions-with-pleq/

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New Burial, Four Tet and Tom Yorke Track

2011-03-16T12:12:00.003Z

Tom Yorke, Burial and Four Tet have teamed up for a one off 12" Vinyl Single the tracks are called "Ego" and "Mirror" and will be released on Four Tet's own record label Text.

The tracks are embedded to a player on the Pitchfolk website.

http://pitchfork.com/news/41892-hear-one-of-the-thom-yorkefour-tetburial-collaborations/

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Burial and Four Tet Track - Moth/Wolf Club

2011-03-16T12:08:00.002Z

Video for Burial and Four Tet Track Moth/Wolf Club.

This is what Stereogum said about the track

"Kieran Hebden, aka Four Tet, is all about collaboration, so it’s not a surprise that he teamed with shadowy English dubstep crossover Burial, aka William Bevan. The results, “Moth” and “Wolf Cub,” arrive in a black sleeve and pressed onto a slab of 12″ vinyl with a black label. The lack of information’s a nice touch in this day and age of over-information,...."

http://stereogum.com/67532/new_burial_four_tet_moth_wolf_cub/mp3s/

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Mark Eitzel & American Music Club South by South West 2011

2011-03-11T09:19:00.006Z

The great Mark Eitzel is playing a number of shows at South by South West in 2011 as solo and American Music Club.

The details can be found on his blog here - Mark Eitzel South by South West

He is playing as part of the Merge Records show case and a number of other public/free events.

Friday night Merge showcase and Saturday night showcase are both wristband/badge-only, as they are official SXSW events. All others below are free to the public. Most of the shows are Mark Eitzel, Marc Capelle and Vudi.

Weds 3/16
AnSo Party @ Spiderhouse - Mark plays 1-1:30pm
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=126420674098574

Weds 3/16
Noise Pop @ Red Eyed Fly - Mark plays 5:15-6pm
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=102370176509669

Thurs 3/17
Joe Raaen Party @ Cheers Shot Bar Deck - Mark plays 3:45

Thurs 3/17
Music By The Slice @ Home Slice - Mark/AMC plays 5:50-6:20pm
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=200620243282963

Fri 3/18
Merge Showcase @ The Parish - AMC plays at 10pm
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=193197650710070

Sat 3/19
Yard Dog Party @ Yard Dog Gallery - Mark plays 1:30-2pm
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=154459411274327

Sat 3/19
Showcase @ St. David's Bethel Hall - Mark plays at 10pm
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=102677506478529

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Hype Williams Hounds of Hate Mix Tape

2011-02-28T14:39:00.003Z

Another source of free Hype Williams music. This mix tape can be downloaded from Archive.org which is amazing resource for all kinds of free music from various sources and genres.

The tape is made up of two tracks

Hype Williams - II III B feat Hounds of Hate
(0:00 - 10:42)

Hounds of Hate - II III Eye feat Hype Williams
(10:43 - 20:40)

It can be downloaded directly here - Hype Williams - Hounds of Hate Mix Tape

The tracks blend the spoken word, heavy basslines and sweetly distorted vocals that form the central core of the bands sounds. Its likely Tricky's Maxinquaye heard through a broken radio at the bottom of an abandoned swimming pool. Lovely stuff in other words!

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Hype Williams - FACT Mix 216

2011-02-28T14:25:00.003Z

The ever wonderful FACT magazine have a great Hype Williams mix currently available for download via their website.

The mix Hype Williams Mix - FACT mix 216

The mix combines the various strains of music that feed into the groups own odd mix of 70s soft rock, 90s jungle, 80's synth pop and various strains of dub and reggae. They have also included a some of their own tracks.

The Berlin based duo are surrounded in mystery and may not even be a group in the conventional sense but some kind of long running art project. Either way is an interest mix of sources.

The full track listing is:

buju banton-shiloh
fleetwood mac-dragonfly
steely dan-only a fool would say that
augustus pablo-satta dub
beat happening-red head walking
blue jam-suicide with an escape clause
steely dan-razor boy
hype williams-farthing wood dub
steely dan-haitian divorce
so solid crew-intro
the fall-C.D Win Fall 2088 Ad
ryuichi sakamoto-ice
ruff sqwad-swish
bardeux-when we kiss
lenny bruce-”to” is a preposition,”come” is a verb
burzum-I heimr heljar
eddie okwedy-happy survival
steely dan-babylon sisters
jaheim-jahs seed
hype wiliams-businessline

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Lambchop's Kurt Wagner Plays A Tiny Desk Concert

2011-02-23T11:36:00.002Z

This is a wonderful little video of the peerless Kurt Wagner of Lampchop playing a desktop concert in Nashville. The gig was for the great NPR. There are a whole series of these videos covering artist from the likes of Vic Chesnutt and Great Lake Swimmers.

The set list is as follows:

"You're a Big Girl Now"

"National Talk Like a Pirate Day"

"I Believe in You"

Well worth spending the time to watch, listen and swoon.

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Hype Williams Gentile Dub Free Stream

2011-02-11T15:29:00.003Z

Free stream of mysterious Hype Williams track Gentile Dub from the Wire website.

The band seem to disappear behind a fuzzy hazy of half truth, disinformation and obscure releases.

Having taken part in the Wire Invisible Jukebox in February 2011 their profile seems to be on the rise.

"Opening theme to season 2 of The Animals Of Farthing Wood from the Bootleg Rescore DVD series by Dean Blunt and Inga Copeland.."

Hype Williams - Gentile Dub Stream

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Remix R.E.M. Collapse Into Now

2011-02-11T15:05:00.006Z

The chance to remix the new R.E.M. track "It Happened Today".

You can download the files in either AIFF or Garage Band format. This is producer Jake Knife Lee on the project.

"Right from the early stages of recording this song in New Orleans Michael wanted to share the files with people to hear their different ideas and versions. So here they are. I have bounced some tracks together to make it easier to download and use. We ended up with over a hundred tracks with all the percussion, brass, three pianos, celeste, glockenspiels, vibraphone, eight acoustic guitars, two drum kits, bass synths, banjo, mandolin, dulcimer, electric guitars, bass and all the voices. Enjoy, and be bold. Looking forward to hearing what you come up with..."

The remixes have been uploaded to this soundcloud page

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Guillaume Viltard - Running Away

2011-02-11T14:48:00.004Z

Lovely free recording from Guillaume Viltard.

"...Un Reve Nu is a new netlabel that specializes in experimental improvisational music. Their first album titled Running Awayfeatures eight tracks by Ivory Coast bassist Guillaume Viltard. These are solo efforts on the upright bass but there does appear to be some electronic effects on a few tracks. However the main attraction is Viltard's clear virtuosity in getting a wide range of emotion and sounds from this sometimes unwieldy instrument. Another interesting musical experiment that you will never hear from the commercial music concerns.."

Free Albums Galore.

http://unrevenu.free.fr/urn001.en.shtml

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The Smiths - Demos and Instrumentals Side Two

2011-01-28T13:02:00.002Z

This is my review of the second side of the demos, instrumental and studio outtakes from The Smiths.

The link to the original blog post that alerted me to the existence of the Demo’s LP is here:

http://thepowerofindependenttrucking.blogspot.com/2011/01/mastered-smiths-stereo-demos-outtakes.html

Ask (early demo take)

The song sounds almost complete even at this early stage in its development. There is noticeable less guitars on this version and the song kicks off with clever interplay between Andy Rouke’s bassline and Mike Joyce’s drums before the guitars chip in. Johnny Marr’s single guitar beautifully carves out the chord structure and the instrumental coda wonderfully played.

Is it Really So Strange (Studio recording)

Is it Really So Strange is another song that was only released in its Peel Session version. This time as the b-side of Sheila Take A Bow. The studio recording features some slightly different lyrics “I found a tiny tidy house..”, different phrasing from Morrissey and a less frantic pace. Part of Johnny Marr’s guitar work is close to the sound of the reverbed soaked effect of How Soon is Now. This phrasing is mixed fairly low in the mix but adds a touch of colour that is missing from the peel session version. I think I prefer this take.

Shoplifters of The World Unite (Instrumental)

This take of Shoplifters starts much darker and harder than the single version. The swampy guitars are given more room to breathe and the rhythm is much tighter. Mike Joyce’s drums have a great harsh kick that powers the song along. The guitar break is a little less focussed but still glorious. Lovely interplay between the guitars and bass in the coda as well. The only pity is that this lacks a guide vocal.

Shelia Take a Bow (John Porter Version)

A much more sparkling arrangement than the single. A electric sitar echo’s the bassline. This version is very T Rex with the slashing guitars and thumping glam beat. It stands out as a new sound for the band and I think it is a better version than the one released.

Girlfriend in a Coma (Early Take)

This is the track that seems to have been causing the biggest stir on the internet and blogs. The Smith’s playing reggae! I must admit my heart sunk as I thought of Ob La De Ob La Da. I should have had more faith! In truth to my ears the arrangement is much close to Ska than full on reggae. This makes sense when you think of Suedehead and the kind of music listened to by 1970’s skinheads. The guitar part is all chicken strach funk with a lilting beating and bouncing bassline. The song has always been my least favourite Smith’s single a trite throw away trifle. This version is miles better than the official version, its shows a band willing to attempt different sounds and it would have been great to see how the indie masses (myself included) would have greeted it release.

Death of Disco Dancer (1^st Take)

This early version of one of the highlights of Strangeways Here We Come lacks the haunting production of the released version but for a first take its frankly amazing. It is the sound of a band at the height of their powers with a musical understanding that allows the song to ebb and flow naturally. Morrissey vocal is pitched slightly differently and the vocal phrasing varies from the later version. There is also a prolonged whisling part in the mix. Is it Morrissey? The version extends out musically showcasing just how tight the band were at this point. To think it all fell apart so soon afterwards.

Paint a Vulgar Picture (Early Take)

The intro on this version sound strangely flat compared to the Strangeways version. Andy Rouke’s bassline is much higher in the mix carrying the melody. The guitars lack the punch and sparkle of the fully studio release. Slightly different lyrics as Morrissey sings “It’s too late to tell him, how great he really was..” in the first first and then in a later verse “..and they paint a vulgar picture of they way they say that you were..” and at the very end its repeated with a twist “ and they paint a vulgar picture of the way you really were”. So we know were the title came from now! Morrissey seems to tripping over the words as the arrangement hasn’t yet been nailed down.

Heavy Track (instrumental 1987)

An instrumental outtake from the Strangeways sessions. As the title suggests this is the band in much heavier territory. A really thumping backing tracking close to the indie metal sound of London than anything else the band recorded. It does seem to be more about the groove than melody at this point in its construction and isn’t as interesting as I Misses You. I assume it was included to signpost the sound the band might have been developing if they had continued post Strangeways.

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The Smiths - Unreleased Demos and Studio outtakes

2011-01-17T19:50:00.004Z

The Smiths - Instrumentals and Studio Outtakes

Part One

Slap me on the patio. What a great late Christmas present or early kick start to the New Year. Thanks to friend who pointed me towards the Power of Independent Trucking Blog I was able to download the stereo mix of Smith’s studio out-takes,demo's and instrumentals. The tracks first surfaced before Christmas on the Morrissey Solo Forum.

The link is here - http://www.morrissey-solo.com/article.pl?sid=10/12/21/1757207

Used to spending warm summer days indoors it was great to have these tracks to shed light on the song writing process and undoubted genius of The Smiths. The unreleased songs are a collection of demos, finished mixes and instrumentals that appear to have once been part of a rarities disc prepared by Warners as part of their management of The Smiths back catalogue. The disc was never issued which is a real shame. For a band as big as The Smiths there has been precious little in terms of bootlegs outside the aborted debut LP by Troy Tate and live shows. This feels like it has been sent from heaven. Well I Wonder what else is tucked away in the vaults?

Below I have outlined my take on the songs. I am no musicologist and have listened to them with reference back to the official releases and let me memory guide me. If you haven’t read Simon Goddard's book Song's That Saved Your Life it is worth seeking out a copy and cross referencing but I lost my copy years ago.

Reel Around the Fountain (Troy Tate Final Version.)

Lovely spidery light fingered opening to the track that is missing from version released on the debut LP. The sound is much sharper, less muddy and brighter than on the versions of the Troy Tate sessions than I have heard before. Morrissey is in fine voice and the bands trademark shimmer is present in the blend of electric and acoustic guitars and tight high wire bass placing. I would love to hear a fully master official release of the whole of the Troy Tate sessions. Some added extra acoustic riffs towards the end also add some additional lightness to the song.

Hand the Rocks The Cradle (John Porter Monitor Mix)

This is a much rougher sounding take on the song. It is a basic mix for the band and producer to work from, a step between a demo and the finished product. The tempo is faster than the final version that surfaced on The Smiths and Morrissey’s vocal is not as focussed or sharp. Mike Joyce adds far too many hi hats to the backing track. The official version is a much better take.

This Night has Opened My Eyes (Studio Recording)

A version of the track that was recorded for the bands 2nd Peel Session in September 1983 and later appeared on Hatful of Hollow. The band had however recorded a full studio version that was never released. The studio version doesn’t differ greatly from the Peel session version. Some wordless vocalising from Morrissey in the mid-section of the song and a slightly different outro are the clear differences but there is nothing here of great interest.

Rusholme Ruffians (First Take – John Porter)

A much longer version than that released on Meat is Murder this first version of Rusholme Ruffians is dominated by Andy Joyce’s bassline that anchors the song as Johnny Marr riffs around the edges. Morrissey’s vocal is wonderfully ragged and aching. It shifts between his lower register and that keening falsetto that has sadly disappeared from his vocals now. The lyrics seem to be tumbling out of him and there are slight variations in his phrasing compared to the final released version. The phrasing around “parachutes” is completely different and rather lovely. The coda is completely different and this is well worth a listen.

I Misses You (Instrumental)

I Misses You is a completely unreleased instrumental from the Meat Is Murder sessions. A trademark set of mournful chords, sparkling guitars riffs and an impossibly tight rhythm section mark this out as another gem on this collection. It shows how sure the band was of their genius at the time that this could just disappear for years. It is the type backing that most mid 80’s indie bands would have killed to produce. Wonder if Morrissey ever penned lyrics for it?

There Is a Light That Never Goes Out (Early Version)

There Is a Light That Never Goes Out is one of my favourite Smith’s tracks. This take is a very early version. Even at this point that trademark bass line was in place along with the vocal melody and lyric. The rhythm track lacks the urgency of the released version and Johnny Marr’s acoustic guitar seems to power the track compared to the one on The Queen is Dead. There is also the added lyric that gave the song its name but was omitted from the official release. Morrissey sings quite beautifully “There is a light in her eyes, and it never goes out..”

The Queen is Dead ( Full Version)

The legendary full length of the title track from The Queen is Dead. This is album version with added venom and more guitars! Clocking in at 7.30 it is over a minute longer than the official versions and the extended coda seems to contain most of the extra blast. Johnny Marr’s guitar gets more furious, dirtier and harder. The piano part is slightly more extended and the funk is located more clearly. I can’t see why this was the version released it is amazing.

Frankly, Mister Shankly (Trumpet Version)

Another completely finished version that was omitted from The Queen is Dead. This Steven Street mix is more of a curiosity than anything else. This version has a very odd trumpet line and lacks the bite and focus of the official release. I am not surprised at all that this was re-recorded and this version hidden away.

I will listen through to the remaining tracks and post my thoughts later this week.

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Stand of Oaks - Help Press Vinyl Copy

2011-01-16T21:15:00.004Z

On the wonderful Swollen Fox there is a post about Timothy Showalter, a.k.a. Strand of Oaks looking to raise enough cash to press up some vinyl copies of Pope Killdragon. It’s a beautiful collection of songs and a vinyl copy would be heaven. Worth seeing if you can help out?

Lots of different packages for the funding including demo's, t-shirts, copies of the vinyl and even a show in your home for $500!

http://theswollenfox.com/help-strand-of-oaks-press-vinyl-copy-of-pope-killdragon/

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/331280306/help-fund-strand-of-oaks-pope-killdragon-vinyl-rel

Looks like he has raised the cash which is great!

Bjork - Live Will Tear Us Apart (Karaoke Version)

2011-01-14T20:45:00.003Z

Have been missing my fix of Bjork and was pleased to be pointed towards this video of her doing a Karaoke version of Joy Division Love Will Tear As Apart for her three day karaoke marathon for Icelandic Nature.

Nice list of Joy Division Cover Versions on Joydiv.org

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Strand of Oak - Pope Killdragon - Number 1 2010

2011-01-14T08:47:00.005Z

Pope Killdragon is a record that has wormed its way into my life. It has gotten under my skin and into my mind like no other release this year. Timothy Showalter has produced a collection that melds the loner folk of Bon Iver with some distinctly prog rock sounding keyboard fills. This odd mixture of sources and the stream of conscious lyrics are addictive.

Timothy Showalter for he is Stand of Oaks spent time before the records release living rough after his home had burnt down. However this isn’t a selection of songs full of misery and self-pity. The songs are crammed full of odd images, being Jesus’s Dad, drinking whiskey with JKF, children’s books about celibacy, 12 foot giants and resting actors murdering New York drug dealers. Not your standard singer songwriter fair then!

Bonfire sounds like a beautiful gentle reflective post apcoysle love ballad, Giants Despair is a blast of angry noise., the title track……

A record to get lost in side for weeks.

Stand of Oaks - Myspace Page http://www.myspace.com/strandofoaks

Pitchfork Review of Pope Killdragon

Strands of Oak - Sterling Video

Strand Of Oaks - Sterling - House Show from Erik Ljung on Vimeo.

The National - High Violet Number 2 2010

2011-01-14T08:16:00.003Z

The increasing momentum The National have been building since the release of Alligator and that further climbed with Boxer reached a tipping point with High Violet. They have perfected their strain of melancholy literate alt rock into something beautiful, blistering and full of ache. They appear to be one hit single away from leaping from a cult band into the league of Arcade Fire stadium fillers. That they have achieved this without compromising their wine soaked lonely outlook is testament to the high quality of the material and the soul they invest in each release. I think they are far too honest and unblinking to ever cross over. They offer no easy escape routes from the darkness, questions and doubt that informs their muse. Long may they keep on keeping on.

The National Home Page - http://www.americanmary.com/

The National - Anyone's Ghost (Live Uncut)

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PJ Harvey - Written on the Forehead

2011-01-10T16:01:00.003Z

Another track from the LP. Not sure of the history of the video looks more like a fan video but the song is beautiful. A haunting mix of the Blood and Fire sample and Polly's soft vocal tones and those synth string washes. I really can't wait for the LP! Roll on February.

Audio File from Soundclound

Written On The Forehead by pjharvey

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PJ Harvey Let England Shake Andrew Marr Show

2011-01-10T15:57:00.002Z

This is PJ Harvey performing Let England Shake live on the Andrew Marr show in the UK back in April 2010. The show is a politics round up on a Sunday morning and I am sure it must have come as a shock to the shows standard middle aged, middle class watches!

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PJ Harvey - Let England Shake

2011-01-10T15:45:00.003Z

Wonderful news PJ Harvey is back! Polly is releasing a new LP in 2011 titled Let England Shake and the reviews I have seen so far make me keen to hear it.

This is lifted from the Polly's website:

“We are very pleased to confirm that PJ Harvey’s eighth studio album Let England Shake is set to be released on the 14.02.2011 through Island Records.

Recorded in a 19th Century church in Dorset with long time collaborator Flood who co-produced the album with PJ Harvey, John Parish and Mick Harvey. Let England Shake was also mixed by Flood.

The album will be supported by a run of sold out live shows early next year, with dates in Brussels, Berlin, Paris, and Londons Troxy on February 27th and 28th. 2011 will also see Harvey return to the festival-stage, with more details to be announced.

PJ Harvey will perform with a live band which includes Mick Harvey, John Parish and Jean-Marc Butty.“

The LP is released on 14^th February. Looks like it will be a very bloody Valentine!

The track listing is as follows:

1. Let England Shake

2. The Last Living Rose

3. The Glorious Land

4. The Words That Maketh Murder

5. All & Everyone

6. On Battleship Hill

7. England

8. In The Dark Places

9. Bitter Branches

10. Hanging On The Wire

11. Written On The Forehead

12. The Colour Of The Earth

There is a great interview her with her on The Quietus

PJ Harvey - The Quietus Interview

You can listen to Written on The Forehead via The Guardian Website.

PJ Harvey – Written on the Forehead Stream

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Ikonika - Contact Love Want Have – Number 3 2010

2011-01-03T21:46:00.003Z

Sara Abdel-Hamid debut as Ikonika is a real beauty of a release. Fully of tight dubstep snap, soring synth lines and killer of kilter riffs. It is rhythmic, focussed, melodic, melancholy, elegiac, euphoric and alive. It is post garage come down mixed with funky beats and a graceful grasp of dynamics that elevates into a different place. The odd twist and turns in the productions make it a disconcerting but beautiful listen.

http://www.myspace.com/ikonika

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Twin Shadow - Forget Number 4 2010

2011-01-03T21:32:00.002Z

Twin Shadow is the alias of George Lewis Jr and his debut LP as Twin Shadow is a joy. A lo-fi mix of 80’s indie and synth pop filtered through the psyche of a lonely New Yorker. Imagine Prince if he had issues getting laid and listened to The Smiths, A Certain Ratio and Echo and The Bunnymen rather than 70’s funk and soul. The strength of the song writing results in an LP which rewards repeated listens. I can’t wait to hear what he does next.

http://twinshadow.net/

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Arcade Fire - The Suburbs Number 5 2010

2011-01-03T21:26:00.003Z

I seemed to be the only Arcade Fire fan that preferred the Neon Bible to Funeral. I was never that enthralled by the Canadians debut but loved the wide screen pulse of its follow up. The Suburbs sets somewhere between those two records. It is a beautiful blend of the home grown and the epic. The personal is crossed with a historical narrative that digs down into the mythology of 1970’s suburban angst.

That they might be about to become the biggest band in the world is testament to the strength of the song writing and their weave of weaving melodic gold from disparate strains. The bold and the beautiful.

http://www.arcadefire.com

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Band of Holy Joy - Paramour

2010-12-22T20:50:00.005Z

The Band of Holy Joy have been away from more than eight years. Johnny Brown and crew have always dealt in a heady brew of Tom Waits string drenched melancholy allied to a bruised and battered urban realism. A cross between Ken Loach and Marc Almond, Scott Walker and Walter Sickett. Moments of beauty hewn from the mundane, the night set aflame. The prosaic turned to poetry, coal into diamonds.

Paramour is as vital, sweeping, majestic and magical as ever. A real beauty has just passed through.

Band of Holy Joy

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Darkstar - North

2010-12-22T20:40:00.003Z

Darkstar – North

In a year that retro synth acts have been tipped for success in the UK charts Darkstar seem to have somehow slipped under the mainstream radar. Whilst the hollow fasclime synth pop of Hurts and Delphic has hovered up the press and airplay the more futurist sounds of Darkstar have gpne unheard. The band scraped the first version of the LP as it hadn’t capture the sound in their souls.

Maybe it’s because the band have mined the icy blast of pre Dare Human League. The sounds, beats and glitches in production mark the band out as one that is looking forward rather than backwards. The glistening melodies and Dusseldorf beats married to James Buttery papier-mâché soul vocals are a delight. The dark heart of the North laid bare.

Darkstar on hyberdub blog

Darkstar Mix on FACT

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Gaslight Anthem -American Slang Number 8

2010-12-20T20:53:00.003Z

Gaslight Anthem -American Slang

Brian Fallon and his cohorts returned with a short, sharp jolt of classic blue collar punk. The New Jersey band built on the solid foundations of The 59 Sound. It ten tracks full of the yearning shades of Springsteen’s heartland rock crossed with a punk sensibility. There was a shift in Fallon’s song writing with a rejection of the romanticism of youthfully nostalgia. This was replaced a hard won bitterness and maturity. The riffs were switchblade sharp and the heart was still tattooed large on the sleeves.

http://gaslightanthem.com/

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Lairs - Sisterworld - Number 9

2010-12-20T20:46:00.003Z

Lairs - Sisterworld

The third instalment from the every wonderful Liars. As with everything Lairs do clichés are inverted and convention force feed shattered glass cocktails. Relocating to LA the band produced another brash, strident blast of anger, disgust and feral energy. Looking for the heart and soul of the city Angus Andrew located a hollow neon ennui. Murder, drug addiction and the Hollywood sign. This was no holiday in the sun.

http://thesisterworld.com/

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The Books – The Way Out Number 10

2010-12-20T20:40:00.003Z

The Books – The Way Out

A welcome return for art rock New York duo the books. The Way Out was born out of the discovery of a set of self-help casettes in a junk shop. The source material is warped, looped, spliced and sampled to form a different set of meta narratives. The sunshine and flower hippyness turned into something darker and more revalationary. The taped sources are welded onto lobsided funk, anti-pop and throbbing electronica. A real revolution in the head.

http://www.thebooksmusic.com/

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Raime EP Review

2010-10-23T19:44:00.002+01:00

The debut release from Raime is an arty, post-dubstep treacle black delight. Details about ehe duo are as sparse as the bands fractured soundscapes. Released on Blackest Ever Black imprint the tracks embed themselves in your sub conscience like a nightmare of sleep on the nightbus home on a empty windswept winters night.

There is something in the nagging electronic minimalism that calls to mind early Cabaret Voltaire if they had been raised in Croydon and not Sheffield. Beautiful echoes of the instrumental interludes of the This Mortal Coil LPs on 4AD dubbed by the ghost of King Tubby ripple through the tracks.

Martin Hannetts use of space is something else that springs to mind, the artwork has shades of Peter Savilles work for Factory Records. However is completely unfair of me to reduce this to a series of dated musical references.

The EP is far from an exercise in tasteful post- modernism. With is thickets of sunlight vocal vapers, bone dry bass and heavy echo it is very 2010. The bass frequencies add a low end dread and a wonderful speaker buckling vibrancy to the sound. Let there be darkness.

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Buy the EP from boomkat

Download Blackest Ever Black Mix

FACT article about the EP

Blackest Ever Black Blog

New Order - Live Woolwich April 1987

2010-10-12T22:42:00.000+01:00

New Order - Live Woolwich London April 1987

This was the first time I ever saw New Order live and in my home town, well my part of London. It was a warm up gig I believe for a bigger date in London the following week.

I bought a copy of the gig on tape from a small ad in the back of the Melody Maker. My first proper gig and my first bootleg rolled into one. I lost the tape years ago and have been attempting to track in down online for ages.

At last I found a copy of it here :

http://forums.morrissey-solo.com/showthread.php?t=80620&highlight=Bizarre+Love+Triangle

Its a recording from the crowd and as I listened to the gig for the first time in best part of 20 years I could still remember the between song banter. Barney being rather cutting about South East London, the great ad lib in the middle of Face Up, the storming version of Temptation.

It was an great gig and New Order encored with a version of Atmosphere when they never did encores of played Joy Division songs.

To top it off they then played a rare Velvet Underground song "

Do The Ostrich" one of only seven times they played the song.

1 Ceremony
2 Paradise
3 Shellshock
4 Way of Life
5 Your Silent Face
6 Every Little Counts
7 Subculture
8 Face Up
9 Temptation
10 Bizarre Love Triangle
11 Sunrise
12 Atmosphere
13 Do The Ostrich

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Vic Chesnutt Live at Lee's Palace on 2009-11-07 Download

2010-10-01T16:42:00.002+01:00

A wonderful live performance by the wonderful and sadly missed Vic Chesnutt.

The whole show is available for download for archive.org.

http://www.archive.org/details/vicchesnutt2009-11-07

I have loved Vic Chesnutt since seeing play live at Moles Club in Bath on the Drunk Tour.

It was one of the most effecting and emotion gigs I have ever seen. I was hooked and have been ever since.

There is a great review of the gig that this recording is taken from here on the great blog Mechanical Forest of Sound:

Vic Chesnutt Live at Lee's Palace

This is great stripped back version of Supernatural one of my favourite songs of Vic's.

I really miss the man's music.

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Strand of Oaks - Daytrotter Session

2010-08-11T12:21:00.003+01:00

I have fallen in love with Stand of Oaks after down loading the wonderful Pope Killdragon from E Music. Stand of Oaks is the working title of Timothy Showalter based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The sound is wonderful blend of wired haunted folk with strange synth noises bubbling underneath. Think Bon Iver produced by 70's Brian Eno. It's a strange brew of fractured dreamscapes, half remember childrens stories and historical fantasy.

Get a free taste via the wonderful Daytrotter. They have a free Strand of Oaks session to download.

Enjoy
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Mercury Music Prize 2010 - Spotify Links

2010-07-20T14:19:00.005+01:00

Spotify Links for the Mercury Music Prize.

The Mercury Music Club shortlist for 2010 was announced in London today. I have done a quick search of Spotify and placed links to all the Mercury Music Prize 2010 LPs below.

Sad to see no King Midas Sound, Errors, Ikonkia or The Twilight Sad on the list.

My money would be on The XX but I seem to have lost my touch over the last two years and not got close to picking the winner since the Klaxons won in 2007.

The links below should open the LP in Spotify. The only missing one is Kit Downes and the link should go to their myspace page.

Biffy Clyro 'Only Revolutions' - Biffy Clyro – Only Revolutions
Villagers 'Becoming A Jackal - Villagers – Becoming A Jackal
'Corinne Bailey Rae 'The Sea' - Corinne Bailey Rae – The Sea
...Mumford & Sons ‘Sigh No More’ - Mumford & Sons – Sigh No More
Paul Weller 'Wake Up The Nation - Paul Weller – Wake Up The Nation
'Wild Beasts 'Two Dancers -Wild Beasts – Two Dancers
'Kit Downes Trio ‘Golden - http://www.myspace.com/kitsmusic
’Laura Marling 'I Speak Because I Can -Laura Marling – I Speak Because I Can
'Dizzee Rascal 'Tongue N’ Cheek - Dizzee Rascal – Tongue N' Cheek
'Foals 'Total Life Forever Foals – Total Life Forever
'I Am Kloot 'Sky At Night' - I Am Kloot – Sky At Night
The xx 'xx' - The xx – xx

Who would get your vote? Who do you think should be on the list? Plan B is the one that stands out as a glaring omission.

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King Midas Sound - FACT Mix 103

2010-07-20T12:25:00.004+01:00

The ever wonderful King Midas Sound have a mix archived over at King Midas Sound Fact at mixcloud.com.

The FACT magazine quote reads...

"This morning’s FACT mix takes the form of a very special session from King Midas Sound, the trio of Kevin ‘The Bug’ Martin, Roger Robinson and Hitomi.

All live edited, with special effects and additional vocals and commentary from the London trio, KMS’s FACT mix reads like a list of influences on their twilight Lovers Rock sound, featuring sweet reggae in Tanya Stephens and Gregory Isaacs, dusty shoegaze in My Bloody Valentine and A.R. Kane and modern favourites Burial and Little Dragon, plus tracks from Sade, Larry Heard and Scritti Politti, and material from King Midas’ forthcoming debut album, Waiting For You on Hyperdub....."

The mix track listing is as follows:

King Midas Sound - Sometimes (Waiting For You/Hyperdub)
Lovejoys - All I Can Say (Reggae Vibes/Wackies)
15/16/17 - The Weather (Magic Touch/DEB)
Burial - Night Bus (Burial/Hyperdub)
Little Dragon - Twice (Little Dragon/Peacefrog)
The Dynamics - 90% of me is you (Version Excursions/Points South)
Tanya Stephens - It's A Pity (Gangsta Blues/VP)
Jacob Miller - Baby I Love You So (Who Say Jah No Dread/Greensleeves)
Gregory Isaacs - I'm Alright (Cool Down/VP)
Wayne Jarrett - Live&Love (Horace Andy Meets Naggo Morris & Wayne Jarrett/Wackies)
Sade - Lovers Rock (Lovers Rock/Epic)
Rhythm & Sound ft Lovejoy - Best Friend (With the Artists/Burial Mix)
Larry Heard - Missing dub (Theo Parrish remix) (Missing You/Track Mode)
Vincent Gallo - Lonely (When/Warp)
A.R.Kane - Madonna is with child (69/Rough Trade)
Scritti Politti - Sweetest Girl (/Rough Trade)
Lloyd Chambers - Dry Your Tears (Firehouse Revolution/Pressure Sounds)
King Midas Sound - i Dub (Dub Heavy/Hyperdub)
Scientist ft Johnny Osbourne - In Your Eyes (Wins The World Cup/Greensleeves)
King Midas Sound - Outtaspace (Slow Motion mix) (Waiting For You/Hyperdub)
Japan - Ghosts (Tin Drum/Virgin)
Kevin Shields - Ikebana (Lost In Translation s/t/Emperor norton)
King Midas Sound - One Ting (Dabrye remix) (Cool Out/Hyperdub)
Oval - Do While (94diskont/Mille Plateaux)
Thomas Koner - Kanon (Isolationism/Virgin)
My Bloody Valentine - Touched (Loveless/creation)

Read more:http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=102426072&blogId=519595672#ixzz0uDm6vUyq

Fact Mix 103: King Midas Sound by Fact Mix Archive on Mixcloud

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FACT Magazine Mixes on Mix Cloud

2010-07-20T12:05:00.005+01:00

The wonderful FACT Magazine have archived a large number of their older mixes over at Mixcloud

The FACT mix archive is here Fact Mix Cloud.

The mixes include great selections from:

Andrew Weatherall - Fact Mix

XX - Fact Mix

Rustie - Fact Mix

Its well worth taking the time to explore the mixes and have a good listen to them.

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Free Music Podcast - From A Hilltop

2010-05-24T16:13:00.005+01:00

I have final started my podcasts. Its something I have been meaning to do for an age but have never found the time to do it. I have set up a new website for the free music podast.

This is my first attempt so be gentle with me!

The From a Hilltop podcast has the following track listing:

Smiletron – Vestige

MartyParty-TheXX-Infinity-Remix

Ko-cha –Forget Pressure

Braids - Lemonade

Why Do The Stars Twinkle - Hy Zaret

Nic Bommarito - Better Than Way Too Post-Rock

Focus Group we are coming to dance with you

Phosphorescent – Mermaid Parade

Dum dum girls –Jail la la

His Name is Alive – One Year (Minotaur Shock remix)

Kristen Hersh – Missippi Kite (demo)

Lambchop Daytrotter Session

2010-05-20T20:18:00.004+01:00

The wonderful Daytrotter have just uploaded a session from the peerless Lambchop. Kurt Wagner and Co deliver a beautiful set of songs played with their usual soulful restraint. It's unforgivable but I had forgotten what a wonder lyricist Kurt is and how amazingly expressive his vocals are. His voice in both senses of the word is a unique and precious gift that I am thankful that he shares with us.

The tracks are:

Buttons - Lambchop
Please Rise - Lambchop
Six O'Clock News - Lambchop
The Daily Growl - Lambchop

Lambchop - Daytrotter Session

Free Billy Bragg Tracks

2010-05-18T15:42:00.004+01:00

Billy Bragg seems to have everywhere lately. All over Twitter, Facebook, the radio and TV fighting the BNP in Barking and winning! Well done Mr Bragg.

He has also been working on Pressure Drop and he is giving away four free tracks from the play on his website. You just need to sign up to the site to get the link to download the tracks.

The four tracks are:

There Will Be a Reckoning - Billy Bragg
Tomorrow's Going To Be a Better Day - Billy Bragg
Same Again - Billy Bragg
Home - Billy Bragg

Visit his website to sign up and get the free tracks - Billy Bragg

Electric Ghost Music E Journal

2010-05-12T14:01:00.003+01:00

I wanted to highlight the wonderful Electric Ghost Music Journal. Its always a joy to read with some cool writers, great art work and good links that take you away to extra content. Fans of Americana, alt.country and roots rock will find it a treasure trove.

They are currently carrying articles on Sparklehorse, Daisy Chapman and The Duke and The King

Electric Ghost

New Reviews Jonsi, Magentic Fields, Los Campesions

2010-05-12T13:29:00.006+01:00

New Reviews online of Jonsi, Magnetic Fields and Los Campesions!

I have a some new reviews up online. Go and have a read if you have time.

Jonsi - Go @ Kev Chino

"You can hear the ghosts of The Flaming Lips and Mercury Rev’s fractured take on the cosmic American music flittered through Beck’s faulty laptop all over the songs, the spliced edits and soaring string sections all too commonplace. The songs aim for epic grandeur, but more often than not come off sounding bombastic......"

Magnetic Fields - Realism @ Music OMH

"Realism is his conscious, folky retort to Distortion's blistered speaker excess. The records were conceived as a pair, companion pieces, sharing artwork and Merritt's arch wit and elan. And Realism is no limp watercolour acoustic guitar record. The rules that governed the recording sessions where simple; nothing that need to be plugged in was allowed."

Los Campesinos - Romance Is Boring @ Music OMH

"The record is crammed full of their trademark bleakly humorous lyrics; lyrics that pick at love like it's a scab that needs a trip to the clinic to sort out. The lyrical obsessions are imparted over a template that has expanded on their trademark indie rumble...."

Weird Electronca Mix (Simon Reynold)

2010-04-22T09:30:00.005+01:00

Over on the ever wonderful Bliss Blog Simon Reynolds has pasted up a link to his great mix of Eldritchtronica and Wyrd Bliss Mixtape on Ponetone. Well worth a visit for a listen.

The track listing includes:

Belbury Poly
Mordant Music
Moon Wiring Club
Ariel Pink