stornoway - 'gondwanaland'

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A lovely festive hit for you from the Oxford band. I came across this on the very excellent For Folk Sake Christmas album here and the album would make a lovely alternative Christmas stocking filler. Go on, buy the album and support real music.

r.e.m. - 'stand'

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My all-time favourite REM album is 'Green', the last album before they really broke through as a global band. That's not me getting all hipster and "I liked them before they were famous" - REM were already a well established band with a huge following - it's just that 'Out of Time' and 'Automatic For the People' were such phenomenally successful albums. 

I guess the reason I like 'Green' so much is the jangly guitars and the way the whole album worked so well together. The title gives a big clue as to the subject matter and rather than the po-faced sermonising that they were certainly guilty of later on, this album delivers with some brilliant tunes. None better in my opinion than 'Stand'.

ike and tina turner - 'chances are'

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This is undoubtedly my favourite Ike and Tina song. It doesn't have the energy of Proud Mary but it does ooze class. Just check out the hook that Ike maintains throughout. 

burial - 'rival dealer ep'

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Burial have announced their latest release and it's a 3-track EP just in time for Christmas. First hearing of this and I'm instantly hooked. There's a delicate almost sensual quality to the tunes. Here's track 2 'Hiders'. 

david lynch - 'we rolled together (yttling jazz remix)'

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Recognise the surname 'Yttling'? It's none other than Bjorn Yttling of Peter, Bjorn and John fame. You know who David Lynch is already. The man is an undisputed genius.

barrington levy - 'here i come (live on the old grey whistle test 1984)'

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Drummie Zeb on drums too. Does it get much better than this? I don't think so. 

josh white - 'black and evil blues'

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If there's a finer classic blues track than this, then I haven't heard it. Absolutely perfect.

navigators and freestyler - 'ruffneck'

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Way before Fatboy Slim, Groove Armada and all those others making ska/reggae/dance cross-overs there was this monster of a tune that was a kind of template. It's such a great tune and will definitely put a smile on your face whatever your mood.

wild ones - 'paia (my body remix)'

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This remix is a veritable road trip from west coast Portland's Wild Ones across the US to east coast Brooklyn's My Body who have created this trippy remix and a great little downtempo number to end the night's blogging. Night night.

grass is green - 'sammy so-sick'

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The new album 'Vacation Vinny' is out soon and Boston band Grass Is Green have released this ahead of the launch. Lots of influences to pick out and they're all good. Nirvana, Beck, Birdland, Pixies, maybe even a bit of XTC, late 80s REM. There's no denying there's something for everyone. I'm so pleased that people still make this kind of indie-rock. 

shangaan electro x dazed digital

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I wrote a piecce about Shangaan Electro back when I first started this blog 3 or 4 years ago or when ever it was. I  find the breakneck speed of the marimba quite hypnotic and bearing in mind the importance of dance it is a fascinating genre of new music. I came across this video by chance tonight and I'm so pleased to see the popularity of Shangaan Electro is still there and with that the orange boiler suits, wacky masks and some seriously funky bum-shaking.

mozart - 'einsam bin ich, meine liebe'

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He died 222 years ago today but his influence and music live on. This is a very short but inevitably beautiful, lesser known piece. 

lanterns on the lake - 'buffalo days'

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They have certainly beefed up their music from the ethereal folk of a few years ago when I first heard of Lanterns on the Lake. There's something quite epic, almost Mogwai-esque in this, their latest release. I love this kind of music, I really do.

eels - 'it's a motherfucker'

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In my opinion, one of the saddest songs ever written and a sentiment that we can all relate to. I'm not the biggest fan of swearing in songs but when applied sparingly and in context, it can add a whole new dimension to a tune. In particular, that feeling of emptiness in your life when someone that you loved has gone is a bastard for sure and swearing can be the only words that can fully describe the pain. This is a live version recorded in 2008 at the Basement.

david bowie - 'i'd rather be high (venetian mix [wasted edit])'

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This is on the limited edition 3 disc version of his latest album and apparently features on the Louis Vuitton advert and has now been given its own official video made of old war footage. For a David Bowie song it doesn't seem very imaginative. A cursory glance at the lyrics and post some extremely obvious stock war footage based on two of its lines. It doesn't do the song justice at all in my opinion and couldn't have taken longer than a day or two to create. I'm curious to know if Bowie has seen this yet and what his opinion of it is.

nick cave and the bad seeds - 'the higgs boson blues'

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Here's the new video to one of the better tracks from their 2013 album 'Push The Sky Away'. I don't know why but I just don't feel the love for this album. Even the title annoys me. Sorry Nick.

haim - 'forever (giorgio moroder remix)'

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Band of the moment Haim have had their smash hit 'Forever' remixed by disco grandmaster Moroder. I'm not convinced by the result though. It does sound a lot like the standard stuff that Gaydar might play although it does have its moments and a hell of a key change at the end.

pink floyd - 'pigs on the wing'

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39 years ago today, the inflatable pig tied to Battersea Power Station broke free and floated over Southern England and the English Channel. This is a solo version of part one. Great stuff.

joan as police woman - 'the classic'

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This is the title track from JAPW's 4th studio album and shows that she is still pushing boundaries ans still making fresh new music. More power to her elbow.

factory floor - 'turn it up (c2 remix)'

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Legendary Detroit techno producer Carl Craig has spun his magic on a Factory Floor track to give us this funky tune. Not bad, eh?

mogwai - 'the lord is out of control'

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Shoe-gazing doesn't get much better than this. I love the warmth of Mogwai tunes and this particular track, the latest from the Scottish band is hymnal, probably deliberately given the track title.