happy new year

Tweet

And to celebrate here's an oldie but a goodie. 

grimes - 'genesis'

Tweet

This is from a live performance at the Pitchfork Music Festival from earlier this year. This woman will be massive next year after such a critically acclaimed debut album. Mark my words.

erasure - 'blue savannah (der deutsche mix i)'

Tweet

Count the number of Kraftwerk samples in this beautiful remix of the Erasure track! I lost count, but it's a fun way to spend a Boxing Day. I always maintained that Erasure never got the credit they deserved at times with their music and I believe this mix kind of makes that point so well. It stands the test of time  rather well too, I think.

the temptations show

Tweet

I should really go to bed but I keep finding music to listen to. This is the main reason tonight. a 20 minute long Temptations TV special. Just check out that live medley.

st. germain - 'rose rouge'

Tweet

I've said this before but when the French do music don't do mediocre music. It's either awful or subliminal, I don't think there's too much that falls into the halfway slot. With that in mind, it's not difficult to guess which category this house/jazz tune falls into. It's so good, I'm going to loop it for a while and enjoy the moment.

hammersmith gorillas

Tweet

This blog entry is an unusual one in as much as it's inspired by one particular photo that I really need to share it, it's so wonderful. I can't work out if it's really naff or really, really cool. I'm leaning towards the cool. Love it.

I don't know an awful lot about them and can't say I've heard their music before but after coming across that photo I've done a little bit of digging on the internet and discovered they were a proto-punk pub band from err....Hammersmith(!) with heavy influences from the Who and the Kinks and the wider mod culture, as can be seen in the fusion fashion of modernist tailoring and glam rock flares. Here they are with, from an initial bit of research, their biggest hit. It's a heavier, faster, more garage rock version of the Ray Davies song. I'm not sure why they didn't get picked up by the punk movement in the same way as Johnny and the Thunders. Perhaps it was the suedehead sideburns - punk always did prefer rockers to mods.

the o'jay's - 'backstabbers (tom moulton remix)'

Tweet

Remix this classic? I don't know about you but my first thought is why? It's gilding the lily and no mistake but this isn't a dodgy dubstep affair but he's kept very true to the essence of the original, given it a polish here, a new set of wheels there and one hell of a waxing and this absolute monster of a remix. I texted a mate of mine who knows his stuff (far more than me) and he tells me that Tim Moulton invented the 12". What a claim to fame.

jimmy reed - 'christmas present blues'

Tweet

As an antidote to those Christmas classics that have been done to death, here's a peach of a tune. What it makes it even cooler is the singer shares the same name as my Grandad, who was, still is and always will be the coolest man ever to have drawn breath.

unkle - 'eye for an eye backwards'

Tweet

The Josh Homme remix of what is possibly my favourite Unkle track and the accompanying video are compelling. Sadly, the sentiments of the song will always be relevant.

james brown - 'dancing in heaven soulful christmas'

Tweet

What a tune.

ólafur arnalds - 'day III: romance / day iv: allt varð hljótt'

Tweet

Morning! Let's take this Tuesday nice and slowly. This video features tracks 3 and 4 from Arnalds 'Found Tapes EP' and is the CD on in my bedroom stereo right now.

manic street preachers - 'australia'

Tweet

They've never been my favourite band, too often spent posturing, too many songs turning into lectures and far too much taking themselves too seriously but their 'Everything Must Go' album is fantastic whichever way you measure it. This is, in my opinion, them at their best when they let go of the politics  and just rock. The sentiment behind the song is about the band members trying to get as far away, mentally and physically, from their home in the Valleys and having to come to terms with the loss of their friend and band member, Richey Edwards.

cody chesnutt - 'till i meet thee (acoustic session)'

Tweet

Still on a blues-y vibe here's Cody Chesnutt with some interesting choice of headware. I can't make out if he's rock climbing or going to war. Probably the former, he's a lover not a fighter.

lightnin' hopkins - 'lonesome graveyard'

Tweet

After a morning spent listening to Dean Martin I'm dropping the mood slightly with this haunting Lightnin' Hopkins track. 

warpaint - 'beetles'

Tweet

If only the Beatles had written a song entitled 'Warpaint' I would have had some wonderful symmetry. I recall reading a few years back that a band named an album after John Cougar Mellencamp after he had given his then new album a title shared by another band, so it does happen occasionally.

 

This is a great song and I do hope that the all-girl group are planning a new assault on the music industry after their wonderful debut a year or two back.

 

 

dave brubeck 1920 - 2012

Tweet

It seems to be a particularly bad year for music legends dying. I'm quite sad to hear that Dave Brubeck has passed away aged 91 (it would have been his 92nd birthday tomorrow). With his 1959 album 'Time Out' he completely changed the jazz landscape and gave us one of the great jazz standards - 'Take Five'. I'm going to take the first track from that album, the equally loved 'Blue Rondo A La Turk' as my tribute to him. So long and thanks for the music.

cat power - 'nothin' but time'

Tweet

I must share this song with you, it popped up on my iPod on a long train journey home yesterday and was a real treat to listen to. It's one of those audience participation tunes at gigs and I suspect it features often at the end of her gigs. It has the bonus of Iggy Pop's dulcet tones too and more than a slight nod to Bowie's 'Heroes'. Others have compared the style to the Brian Jonestown Massacre and I can hear that too. Whatever the influence it's a damn good record so time for me to stop rabbiting on and let the music play.

crybaby - 'armies of darkness'

Tweet

I've posted about Bristol warbler Danny Coughlan before. I think I described him as the lyrical genius of Morrissey or Hawley with the voice or Orbison. This is one of the stand-out albums of the year for me and is a source of constant pleasure.

kidkanevil - 'basho basho remixed remixed'

Tweet

I picked this up randomly on Bandcamp recently. It's a remix album of Kidkanevil's Basho Basho and there's some pretty big names on the roster. Well worth a listen and proof, if ever any was needed that there are so many talented musicians out there.

hanne hukkelberg - 'a cheater's armoury'

Tweet

From her 2006 album Rykestraße 68 album, this is Norwegian musical prodigy Hanne Hukkelberg. Her music lies somewhere between jazz, pop and folk and none better exemplified than with one of her biggest hits. The video is well worth a look too, it has an Emilie Simon feel to it that I like.

ken2 - 'el condor pasa dub'

Tweet

When those crazy Japanese put their minds to creating great music,  I don't think they can be beat. Here's Ken2 giving the Simon and Garfunkel standard a big heavy dub reggae makeover for a monster hit.

eels - 'peach blossom'

Tweet

Oh Lordy. Here's the brand new video to the Eels latest track 'Peach Blossom' the first track released from the new album scheduled for next year. Go 'E'!

massive attack v burial - 'paradise circus'

Tweet

I've played the 4 Walls collaboration before but this needs to be mentioned too and is dedicated to someone very special.

prodigy - 'smack my bitch up (major lazer remix)'

Tweet

Take one dancefloor classic and give it to a top notch DJ to bring it bang up to date and here's the result. Hell yeah.

massive attack - 'black milk'

Tweet

I remember the first time I heard this mesmerising song with Elizabeth Fraser's ethereal contribution. It still blows me away.

nick cave and the bad seeds - 'we no who u r'

Tweet

This weekend has been incredibly painful after seeing Brighton lose 3-0 to our rivals Crystal Palace. I tell a lie, I saw it up to 2-0 and then left. This morning has been difficult for other reasons but I've been greatly cheered to see that Nick Cave has just released the first track on Youtube of his new album out in February/March. The song itself has a dreadful title "We No Who U R". I hate it when they do that. Weller did that too with the name of his last album too and I don't get it. It's like watching your dad dance. Not funny, not hip, not ironic.

The good news is that the song is beautiful. It's a classic Bad Seeds piano ballad complete with female backing singers. It was the kind of song that became the staple diet of his albums from Boatman's Call to Nocturama. Of late he has taken his mid-life crisis seriously with rockier Bad Seeds albums and the Grinderman spin-offs and so the piano ballads have been binned but this is a wonderful song and perfect to ease the pain of my troubled soul.

nosaj thing - 'eclipse/blue'

Tweet

It's a trippy little number that sounds like it's a mash-up of Radiohead remixes (this is a good thing) and features a wonderfully minimalist video by Daito Manabe. It's also the first single from their album 'Home' released in early 2013. One to look out for, for sure.

rhoda dakar - 'landlord'

Tweet

By all accounts Ms Dakar is one of the loveliest singers you could hope to meet. I'm glad because I've always had this idea that she's a cool cookie.

the pipettes - 'pull shapes'

Tweet

A great tune from 6 or 7 years ago by a Brighton band with more line-up changes than the Drifters. Why did they ever have to ruin a great concept with a career-change towards disco?

beach house - 'wild'

Tweet

Very nice although I think I need to watch the video again and then I might understand it.

jungle fire - 'comencemos (renegades of jazz remix)'

Tweet

The Saturday night get-your-groove-on continues with something a bit more laid back, a bit more grown up, a bit more the type of tune you could take home and introduce to your parents. Don't worry though, it's still as funky as a 3 week old pair of Bootsy Collins' underpants. The vibe is jazzy with a strong Latin accent and a horn section that rocks.

dj rhiannon ft. clinton sparks - 'nasty bitch (trap remix)'

Tweet

Two raunchy videos in one night? Fuck yeah! This is straight out of the Major Lazer school of dance tunes. It's a floorfiller, it's in your face and it's insanely catchy. Oh and it's NSFW....but you knew that already didn't you?

lovage - 'stroker ace'

Tweet

Some would probably say that it's a bit early in the evening for some laid back vocals over a trip hop drumbeat but I've long been of the opinion that any time of the day is the right time for great music. And if you throw a sultry female with a sexy French accent then that would be lovely too.

Let me just add as a postscript that this comes from the album 'Music to Make Love to Your Old Lady By'. Has there been a finer album title in the history of recorded sound?

para one ft. jaw - 'when the night'

Tweet

What better on a Saturday night than a dirty, funky tribute to late night chat lines complete with mostly undressed ladies fellating gherkins and bananas. I think you'll like this song but, as you can probably guess, the video is definitely NSFW. 

smith and mighty - 'bass is maternal'

Tweet

And I'm adding this, just because.

barry adamson and nick cave - 'sweetest embrace'

Tweet

After a bit of a drinking session with a good friend that I hadn't seen for a long time, we inevitably ended up watching Acid House. It's an acquired taste. This is part of the soundtrack, a dark tune for a very dark film.

isaac hayes - 'hyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalymistic'

Tweet

Taken from his 1969 super-smash 'Hot Buttered Soul' and produced by Stax co-owner, no mean musician himself Al Bell. Marvell Thomas (son of Rufus and brother of Carla) also had a major part in this. The song itself is longer than the title which takes some doing but the concept of the album was to explore some of the deeper reaches of soul music and there was a free-form feel to it making it feel almost a jazz piece.

depeche mode - 'useless (kruder and dorfmeister remix)'

Tweet

It's a classic, for sure.

michael mayer - 'lamusetwa'

Tweet

Every once in a while you hear a dance tune that makes your drop. This, the 2nd track from his new album 'Mantasy' is a case in point. Michael Mayer never ever disappoints.

xxyyxx - 'about you'

Tweet

It doesn't get more languid than this. Great tune, mind just don't put it on at a happy hardcore gig.

philip selway - 'a simple life'

Tweet

He shocked a fair few people when he released this solo album a year or two back. Drummers really shouldn't be this good with a guitar and microphone. The radiohead drummer's album is a beautifully constructed collection and has got nowhere near the recognition it deserves in my opinion. This is the third track from 'Familial', I hope he doesn't leave it too long before another.

soft cell - 'so (warm acid edit)'

Tweet

If you ever get a chance, have a listen to some Soft Cell B-sides and you'll find that they were often as good as the other "proper" side of the record. 

ike and tina turner - 'rock me baby'

Tweet

No denying the both of them had talent to spare.

pau casals - 'bach cello concerto no.1'

Tweet

Music is my passion and even more considering that I possess no musical ability whatsoever. I managed to just about play the bugle when I was in the 5th Worthing Boy's Brigade when I was a child but I was, frankly, rubbish even at that. I can't DJ and my singing voice is not pleasant. This talent void makes me appreciate those who have genuine abilities. 

My girlfriend introduced me to the music of her fellow Catalan Pau Casals, recently. A multi-instrumentalist, he found fame and fortune as one of the great cellists of the 20th century. I've listened to quite a few performances on Youtube now and there is, underneath the genius of his interpretations a lingering melancholia and it's not difficult to see why. He was a proud Catalan and fiercely outspoken against the Franco regime that killed so many of Casal's fellow countrymen and oppressed many more. His disgust of this oppression and the lack of response from other nations meant he was unable to return to his homeland after exile in the 1930s. The defiant speech "I Am A Catalan" given to the United Nations in 1971 when he was a very old man is an extremely moving spectacle and he delivers it with grace and dignity. 

Here he is in 1974 playing the famous Bach Cello Concerto number 1. 

As a footnote, his christian name was Pau, not Pablo as he was referred to in his lifetime. Pau is a Catalan name, Pablo is the Spanish equivalent. 

abi wade - 'heavy heart'

Tweet

One of the benefits of being up and about early is the feelgood factor of catching up with new music as you sit in a dimly lit room getting lighter and lighter with the sun rising on this cold morning. This has certainly lifted my spirits.

terry callier 1945 - 2012

Tweet

Another great that I never got to see in concert. I think I may have seen him at a festival a few years back but I never really liked festivals and lack of sleep and too much alcohol always made them forgettable experiences. Sorry about that Mr Callier, my fault entirely. Back to the great man and I'm proud to say that he was extremely well regarded over here in the UK and collaborated with British artists old and new who looked to him for inspiration again and again. Here he is with Beth Orton at the Jazz Cafe performing 'Dolphins'.  

I wouldn't be doing him justice if I didn't also add a track of him on his own. Here he is with a wonderfully tender "What Colour is Love?". I'd just like to point out that this is a live recording in 2005, over 30 years since he first wrote it and sounding as heartfelt, as fresh, as beautiful as when it was first performed.

giorgio moroder rarities

Tweet

Legendary pioneer and producer Giorgio Moroder has been busy uploading lots of his works onto Soundcloud. I've not worked my way through half of the output yet but I can attest to the quality. Here's the link. And I've picked this track to place on my blog. One of his earlier works that sounds dated but timeless, cheesy but cool as you like. It's the way he's always been and I think that's half the attraction and part of his genius.

micky baker - 'steam roller'

Tweet

I overdid it with buying CDs today I'm afraid to say. I can't help it, there's so much good music,old and new that I want to listen to. One album I bought that just leapt out at me was Hipshakers Vol 2. It's a collection of esoteric R&B, rock and roll and swing. It's the kind of music that Chess Records championed all those years ago but perhaps would have struggled to find a buying audience at the time. The second volume starts weakly with a track that, in my opinion, doesn't fit with the rest of the album. If you can see your way past that then you are in for a rare treat. I've got to say it's a spectacular collection and I'll be playing this often. I really am spoiled for choice for records to play but this instrumental will give you a flavour of the quality. It beats listening on the radio to Brighton struggle to play against Blackpool in the footie this afternoon. I'm a bad fan.

mark yela (frybread) - 'this, that and back. a soulful mix'

Tweet

I don't often go a bundle on mellow soul. I find it veers too near towards R&B for my liking - one of the few genres that I just don't get. This laid back mix, however, suits my mood extremely well after a stressful last 18 hours. I hope I sleep well tonight and this should help.

cisco adler - 'boom boom boom ft. g-eazy, don carlos'

Tweet

It's a brave man to take on a rap/reggae duet with someone as legendary as Don Carlos. Cisco Adler more than rises to the challenge and the result is this wonderful downtempo number that is very catchy.

trio - 'da da da'

Tweet

An 80s classic but given a Bollywood video makeover complete with dancing penguins and over-sized sunglasses. What's not to like?

Postscript - there's hundreds of these pop classics given the Bollywood treatment. I urge you to check them out.

scott walker's new album trailer

Tweet

The enigmatic Scott Walker has a new album pencilled for release shortly and his record company have  put up a fascinating trailer for it. He's definitely another one of those artists that I have on my "must see" list. The archetypal cat that walked by himself. So cool.

tim burgess - 'tobacco fields'

Tweet

This is possibly my favourite track of his new album and very poignant it is too. You can tell that this has Kurt Wagner writ large across this too. It's a beautiful ballad that just about works with Burgess's thin voice (see my previous review of the album for more comments) but I love the Leonard Cohen-esque touch with the backing singers taking the harmonies over a slow piano.  Talking of the piano it does, with the English accent to accompany it remind me of Spiritualised at their most melancholy. I'm not sure that Burgess has it within him to carry this off live but with a lot of post-production, it sounds fantastic. I'd be interested to hear Wagner's take on this song too.

the flaming lips with neon indian - 'is david bowie dying?'

Tweet

It's odd that when you witness history with your own eyes as with the Baumgartner jump this evening, it affects you in strange ways. I feel slightly euphoric and with that you hear and think of things slightly at a tangent to normal life. This is a case in point. The oddly beautiful new Flaming Lips album features this song which at first listen is almost impenetrable but with a bit of perseverance I'm now beginning to appreciate it. It reminds me of the David Lynch album last year in a lot of ways. The music is very of its time I think; disjointed and almost claustrophobic and normality struggling to be heard amidst the chaos. I do think Wayne Coyne is a genius but I'm now not sure whether I'd like to meet him. He seems to have something of the Roger Waters about him. And you know what they say...never meet your heroes.

cave painting - 'gator'

Tweet

From a Bowleg Basement session, we're playing the album right now and it's perfect music for a crisp Sunday morning.

one of those random tunes i accidentally stumble across

Tweet

That'll be this one. I was actually looking for any new videos by The Fall and ended with a song called 'The Fall' by Rhye, a band I have written about previously in this blog. It's quite a nice tune as it goes. It is a tad too middle of the road to get really excited about and it's extremely polished in production which has taken a little bit of the soul out of the tune. What really makes this song is the brilliant video accompanying it. I'm still not quite sure what the story is but it's a lovely way to spend a Saturday evening on the sofa.

m. ward - 'me and my shadow'

Tweet

I like this a lot. It's very subversive in both content and delivery and a lovely swipe at the way that empty vessels such as Justin Bieber and his impressionable fans are manipulated quite cynically. If you think folk music is fey or not kick-arse enough then prepare to be shocked and entertained in equal measure. It's kind of lo-fi, kind of Americana but there's a compelling piece of guitar work going on that takes this above and beyond that.  It's quite superb.

As a postscript, can I just add that I never understand when people, especially musicians, refer to themselves with initial first names. It seems a bit like talking in 3rd person.

lianne la havas - forget (mele remix)

Tweet

Oh my goodness. Just check out this huge bassline in this remix. It's so fat it ought to go on a diet. I think I'm just going to hit the replay button a few times on this beauty.

raphael saadiq - 'radio'

Tweet

It's so cool that people are still making music like this 60 years on from when Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley and Ike Turner pioneered this sound.

oxia feat. miss kittin - 'housewife (miss kittin's wipeout mix)'

Tweet

Last one from me for tonight and it's an absolute cracker. Miss Kittin doesn't do mundane.

boots electric - 'complexity'

Tweet

I know nothing about this band. The lead singer looks a bit Captain Beefheart and sounds a bit like Wayne Hussey. That'll do for me.

john lennon - 'well well well'

Tweet

I'm not his biggest fan, it must be said. I think he was a hypocrite who wore his roots as a badge of honour yet all the while living like some errant son of a tinpot Middle East dictatorship. He was, however, a brilliant musician and the world is a poorer place without people like him in it. He would have been 72 today. Such a shame he never lived to celebrate it.

radiohead - 'cuttooth'

Tweet

To coincide with their concert at the O2, here's what has widely been described as their best B side. Let's face it though, it's Radiohead so by most other bands it would be an A side.

el perro del mar - 'walk on by'

Tweet

You'd be forgiven for thinking the video comes from an era that gave us Dr Alban, Black Box and some of the worst excesses of Italian House but this is Swedish, it's a damn cool and poignant pop song and it's brand new. Oh, and it's not a cover either despite the familiar song title.

st germain - 'deep in it'

Tweet

Rather fatefully, I've discovered a wonderful new second hand music shop in Reading where I've just started a new job. So far I've limited myself to a couple of purchases, one of which is St Germain's first album 'Boulevard'. I've heard most of the tracks off it but this is the first time I've heard an entire album of his. It doesn't sound too dated bearing in mind just how "in" the whole Acid Jazz scene was back then. This is the first track and it's just the tight tempo for my mood. 

love - 'a house is not a motel'

Tweet

I seem to be on a post-hippy music trip tonight. This is one of the lesser played tracks from the legendary 'Forever Changes' album and one of my favourites. Arthur Lee never sounded better.

the flying burrito brothers - 'wild horses'

Tweet

I think it's very likely that Gram Parsons had a big hand in writing this Stones classic. It just sounds like a Gram Parsons song.

boris gardner - 'ghetto funk'

Tweet

It's hard to believe that a man capable of writing this could write such unbelievably awful music too. But it's true...the facts don't lie.

black motion - 'drums of kalawa'

Tweet

This is another of those hypnotic dance tracks that sound timeless even now. 

zebra katz (ft. njena reddd foxxx) – 'ima read'

Tweet

Definitely NSFW with lyrics that will genuinely shock. It's the minimalism of the song with the explicit violence of the lyrics that makes it all the more gobsmacking. This isn't for the faint-hearted.

rebekka karijord - 'use my body while it's still young'

Tweet

Scandinavian singer-songwriters seem to excel currently at powerful voices, infectiously atmospheric tunes with lots of drums and all without it becoming a cliche. Just check this tune out. 

temper trap - 'sweet disposition'

Tweet

Magnificent!

dr funkenpumpe - 'unlimited fiesta funk dub'

Tweet

It's Saturday early evening and you're having a few drinks with friends and getting ready to go out. What music do you play? Dr Funkenpumpe of course! It's about the best old school music to get you in the party mood and the fact that he doesn't have more hits on his Youtube channel is criminal. Click the link here to explore the wonderful world of funk, soul and disco as it should be played. 

pet shop boys - 'my head is spinning'

Tweet

I have no idea why but I feel that today needs to be marked as Pet Shop Boys Saturday. I'm working my way through their entire back catalogue. This is from the Very Relentless album.

nutty producer - 'midsummer evening'

Tweet

It's definitely not summer anymore let alone midsummer however I can't leave this chilled out little number alone tonight without sharing it. It's got a bit of a retro ska vibe to it with a wonderful trumpet interlude. It's the kind of tune that is guaranteed to get you bobbing your head along within seconds.

will oldham - '64 (john peel sessions)'

Tweet

Incorrectly introduced on the Peel show as 'Jolly Five' this is from August 2002 and is as bleak as it is beautiful. It pretty much describes a very large part of Oldham's songs and I say that with no intent to denigrate anything that Oldham has done. He's a genius.