I need to get active again with this blog so here are two tunes that I was listening to whilst on the way to work this morning. First off is Soley with her song 'Pretty Face' from the 'We Sink' album of a few years back. Seriously rated in her native Iceland and criminally under-rated elsewhere that album is never far from my CD player. And to follow that is a live version of the title track from the Eels latest studio album 'Wonderful, Glorious'. It took a few plays but the album grows on me with every listen.
30 April 2013
25 April 2013
steve mason - 'come to me'
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From one of my must-have albums of the year, here is one of Britain's best singer-songwriters. His behemoth of an album (20 tracks long) is a definite grower and almost a concept album at times.
11 April 2013
antonio paul - 'made in china'
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A few years old now but still as fresh and beautiful as when I first heard it. Why were they never bigger?
sophie watkins minimalstation 2013
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Here's a minimal techno set that I've been particularly taken with today. I wish I could DJ like this.
gregory isaacs - 'private beach party (harmony mix)'
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A very recent purchase was 'Necessary Mayhem Presents: Gregory Isaacs Remixed'. It's a stunning mix of Isaac's greatest hits by Curtis Lynch Jnr and the band roster reads like a who's who of reggae: Carlton Hines, Sly Dunbar, Dalton Brownie, Shabba Ranks, Josey Wales to name but a few. I can recommend it unreservedly and is a must-have for all fans of Gregory's rich, warm voice. Here's the classic 'Private Beach Party' but with added dub and tings.
10 April 2013
los campesinos! - 'i love you (but you're boring)'
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Hurrah! My favourite track from 'Welcome To The Beautiful South' has been covered by Los Campesinos! and a pretty darn good cover it is too. I've been singing along to it on loop all afternoon.
..."remember that fancy dress party when you went dressed as your mum"..."when I asked you for your hand I didn't mean that hand".... Now, those are fantastic lyrics in anyone's book.
beth orton - 'i, me, mine'
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I think most of my favourite Beatles songs were those penned by George Harrison. I like the exasperation in this tune - written around the time that Lennon and McCartney's egos were clashing constantly in the Let It Be sessions. I have the CD this cover is taken from a Mojo Magazine collection of Beatles covers and of course this is the wonderful Beth Orton.
polly scattergood - 'wanderlust'
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I'm a bit slow in blogging this, it's Ms Scattergood's new video to her track 'Wanderlust' and is from her new album due out in the summer. The tune is wonderfully 80s electro whereas the video is a classic endless loop affair and I'm extremely pleased to see how many hits it's had so far in the last week. More power to Polly's extremely talented elbow.
tyler, the creator - 'domo 23'
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They really don't give a proverbial flying.... do they? It's in your face, it's not suitable for work nor children but it's still a mighty fine record. One question though - what's a 'golf wang'?
css - 'hangover'
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It's been awhile since we've heard of these Brazilian nu-rave rockers but they're back and this is the first track released from their new album. It sounds a bit like M.I.A. remixed by Diplo so bouncy pop is the keyword here. It's good to see they're back in full effect.
09 April 2013
ub40 - 'one in ten dub'
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I guess this tune sums up the Thatcher years for me although the excellent suggestion comes from my brother. The song saddens me in lots of ways. It specifically references the 'invisible' ones who didn't prosper and is a very poignant reminder to politicians of every hue that they are not dealing in statistics but human lives.
As is so often the case, a certain tune has the ability to describe a feeling, an event or a particular place in history. One in Ten reminds me of when I was about 10 or 11 years old. I wish it didn't because the most vivid memories of that time aren't pleasant to recall. It's also a reminder of just how good UB40 were before they sold out so quickly and completely after the Present Arms album.
07 April 2013
06 April 2013
03 April 2013
the smiths - 'half a person'
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Inspired by my brother's excellent music tastes I'm posting this track which blew me away when I first heard it. Far be it for me to usurp Morrissey's songwriting talents but I've always thought the line "have you got a vacancy for a pub singer?" would have fitted rather than repeating the "backscrubber" line.
lovage - 'anger management'
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Reminiscent of 'Windmills of Your Mind' or even 'Theme from Love Story' the tune is an exquisitely retro piece that harks back to those quintessentially late 60s/early 70s love ballads but it's certainly not a cynically tacky affair. This oozes class and still manages to sound as cool as you like. Hope you enjoy it.
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