de-minimis: April 2015

30 April 2015

swervedriver - 'red queen arms race'

Their comeback album 'I Wasn't Born to Lose You' is a bit of a mixed bag in my opinion. The quality is consistently high but a few of the tracks sound a little safe, not what you'd expect from such a gritty shoegaze band such as this. I do like this track a lot though, it's classic Swervedriver with all the right elements in place for a very powerful few minutes.

matthew e. white - 'holy moly'

His 2015 album 'Fresh Blood' has thrown up some wonderful tunes, none more so than this.

29 April 2015

definition of sound - 'boom boom'

...and a quite simply brilliant track that samples the Moody Blues 'Go Now'. God, I love this track.

moody blues - 'go now'

One of those 60s classics that I know all the words to. Trust me, that's a huge list of tunes but this is a particular favourite.

roberta flack - 'killing me softly'

It's a classic.

27 April 2015

question mark and the mysterians - '96 tears'

The original and possibly the best version of this tune. Still as cool as you like too.

say lou lou - 'games for girls (feat. lindstrøm)'

A very radio-friendly affair with some exquisite mixing from Lindstrøm.

vakula - 'new sensations'

Wonderful techno. Just wonderful.

wolf colony - 'pleasure'

The second track off their new album that I've blogged and I really could have posted each and every single song on it, they're all that good.

dalton - 'new time'

I love the hook in this track - a lovely deep bass guitar sound reminiscent of The XX.

peaking lights - 'all the sun that shines'

Something mellow to ease us into Monday.

26 April 2015

sophie hunger - 'supermoon'

Not the greatest of days if I'm perfectly honest but this album is making things far more chilled.

25 April 2015

steve mason - 'all come down (acoustic version)'

It doesn't get much better than this. Great music to listen to as I twiddle my thumbs at home all ready for Brighton's last home game of the season.

24 April 2015

doctor flake - 'women in dub'

Some beautiful French trip-hop to finish the night, I think. This is quite excellent, seriously good in fact.

the leisure society - 'tall black cabins'

A great Brighton/London band is The Leisure Society. They've had to deal with one of those excruciating prefixes of "Britain's answer to...[insert US indie folk band]" but thankfully they look like shaking that off so that they can be assessed as an act by themselves. Their new album was released earlier this month and I would like to hear it at the earliest possible juncture because if it's anything like this track then it's a corker, for sure.

the chemical brothers - 'sometimes i feel so deserted'

It's their first release for something like 5 years and has all the hallmarks of being classic Chemical Brothers. There's a long intro, bring in the heavy bass, take the bass out, tease and tease and then the drop. Add a bit of acid house in the middle and take the bass out again...bigger tease and huge drop and key changes aplenty. It's a formula that works well for them. Actually, I do like the tune a lot.

23 April 2015

looper - 'mondo '77'

I've had this tune on loop (excuse the pun) for about 3 times now and it's the perfect accompaniment, headphones on as I read in bed. It's a bloody fantastic tune, that's what it is.

this is the kit - 'all in cahoots'

I've been waiting for a stream of this track to come online so I can blog it. It's up there as one of my favourite tracks of the year so far. Not too many tracks can give me goosebumps but this one knows all the buttons to press. Incredible tune.

westkust - 'swirl'

Oh my. My Bloody Valentine-esque guitars? Swedish? Dream-pop? Tick, tick, tick. Love, love, love this tune.

we are scientists - 'dumb luck'

We're all tired so let's chill out to something ethereal. This reminds me a bit of the Mamas and Papas singing Elliott Smith. Obviously - that never happened but it sounds like it.

elvis perkins - '& eveline'

I've blogged about him before but his 2015 album 'I Aubade' is quite something.

virginia wing - 'juniper'

It's not dream-pop but it's not shoegaze either. It's a warm, fuzzy kind of tune that is perfect for listening to on bright sunny afternoons. Shame I'm stuck in the office but at least the tune is lovely.

roy orbison - 'blue bayou'

The Big O was born this day in 1936. What a voice the man had. Just beautiful.

wire - 'harpooned'

The new self-titled album is a tremendous return from the punk survivors. They still play a mean guitar and have grown older gracefully but no less acerbic lyrically. It's great that bands such as Wire and The Fall are still finding fresh sounds even after all these years when so many younger bands have grown stale, bland or just bored.

22 April 2015

jacco gardner - 'find yourself'

Dutch multi-instrumentalist, Jacco Gardner, already has a few albums under his belt but the latest one, 'Hypnophobia' is his best yet in my opinion. It's a mixture of baroque, almost retro Syd Barrett style and then slightly edgier psychedelic pop. It's a little hard to describe and do it justice (as you can no doubt tell!) but it's well worth a tenner of anyone's money. I love the fact that young musicians feel brave enough to make this kind of music and eschew the more obvious for something a little more aurally interesting.

adna - 'silent shouts'

Her 2015 album 'Run, Lucifer' is really growing on me. She's quite the storyteller.

elvis depressedly - 'thou shalt not murder'

This song is about lost innocence and childhood apparently. It's one of those tunes that I think you need to listen to a fair few times to get your head fully around what they're getting because although it appears quite simple there's a fair bit bubbling under the surface. Oh, and there's a new album out too next month so watch this space for more.

james yorkston - 'the blues you sang'

It was a track from his 2014 album 'The Cellardyke Recording and Wassailing Society' but he also recorded a version for an EP especially for Record Store Day. He needs to be heard more, you know, he's an extremely talented musician.

the charlatans - 'let the good times be neverending'

Here's the new video taken from their Japanese leg of their current tour. I can't speak for Japan (or indeed speak Japanese!) but I can assure you the Worthing gig was amazing.

euzen - 'phobia'

They're a Danish band fronted by a Norwegian and have been around for a few years now. Musically, they've progressed from punk to power rock with electronic undertones. Their new album Metamorph is very interesting too and they've got lots of little bits and bobs in the tunes that certainly lift the album and the band from the usual crowd. Definitely one to check out in my opinion.

hulda - 'sail on'

Another great singer from the Faroe Islands, this time Hulda whose album Huldasound was released a couple of months back and if you like Scandinavian electro-pop then you'll love the album.

21 April 2015

passenger - 'darkest days'

Mike Rosenberg has released a whole load of new material, Whispers II with a follow-up to the original 2014 Whispers album. It's as introspective, intimate and erudite as he's ever been and definitely one for sitting down with headphones and having a proper listen to.

My albums of the year so far

I've tried to put this in order but undoubtedly my choice is skewed with what I have been listening to lately and that is probably why I have Gaslamp Killer at number 1 but it really is a quite amazing album. I can't stop listening to it. Ghostpoet is well deserving of the second slot with an album that, in my humble opinion, is a dead cert for a Mercury Prize nomination. In third place is Stealing Sheep. Their 2015 album 'Not Real' just begs you to hit the repeat button I could listen to it all day, every day. It's been a so-so year for music so far, in my opinion, with the good albums being very good but a lot of weak material out there too. Maybe it will pick up later in the year, we have of course Blur's comeback album out soon and available for streaming right now.

Probably the most noticeable absence from my list is Kendrick Lamarr. I get why the album is raved about so much but, sorry, it's just not for me. I've written before on this blog that it's a little too knowing, a little too self-congratulatory and the repetitions get right on my wick. Too many bad memories of Wyclef Jean in the Fugees. Another absentee is Bjork. Now I love Bjork, really love Bjork and her latest album is also her most personal so it should be up there as one of my favourites too. I just wish it had a killer tune on it and she sounds so sad, too sad. It's not comfortable listening.

The biggest disappointments of the year have undoubtedly been Belle and Sebastian with an over-produced, disco-inspired mess that ruins some all too infrequent great moments and the Waterboys who sound like a pub blues cover band with their comeback album. Purity Ring's 'Another Eternity' is an album that puzzles me. Critics rave about it but to my ears every tune sounds the same, vocoded and formulaic. And then there's that Prodigy album. Dear oh dear. I'm not sure they should have bothered. Did they actually bother or is their latest just the bits left over from previous albums that didn't make the cut? Godspeed! You Black Emperor wasn't what I was hoping either. The last track is them in their finest pomp but before that you have to get through a lot of post-rock guitar, the sort that Explosions in The Sky do so much better.

So here's my list:

1 The Gaslamp Killer - 'The Gaslamp Killer Experience Live in Los Angeles'

2 Ghostpoet - 'Shedding Skin'

3 Stealing Sheep - 'Not Real'

4 Father John Misty - 'I Love You, Honeybear'

5 The Districts - 'A Flourish and a Spoil'

6 Stornoway - 'Bonxie'

7 Marika Hackman - 'We Sleep At Last'

8 Monophonics - 'Sound of Sinning'

9 Sufjan Stevens - 'Carrie & Lowell'

10 This Is The Kit - 'Bashed Out'

11 Dan Mangan - 'Club Meds'

12 Courtney Barnett - 'Sometimes I Sit and Think and Sometimes I Just Sit'

13 Lonelady - 'Hinterland'

14 The Decemberists - 'What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World'

15 Krill - 'A Distant Fist Unclenching'

16 Moon King - 'Secret Life'

17 Nadine Shah - 'Fast Food'

18 Public Service Broadcasting - 'The Race For Space'

19 Showstar - 'Showstar'

20 The Wave Pictures - 'Great Big Flamingo Burning Moon'

And here's that Gaslamp Killer album

built to spill - 'when i'm blind'

Incredible to think that 'Untethered Moon' released today is in fact their 8th album. I'm hoping they get the success they deserve with this outing but if you're in any doubt as to their pedigree then check out this song that clocks in at well over 8 minutes long and most of that is guitar riffs. Great stuff!

echo lake - 'era'

This is the title track from their second album released in the middle of last month and if you like rich, full guitar-sounds and soaring vocals then this might well be up your street.

roots manuva - 'like a drum'

Produced by New York producer Machinehead, Roots Manuva has gone for a laid-back mood with this track. Unfortunately, I've only been able to find is a stop-start stream on Juno to embed on my blog and I can't be doing with that faffing about so if you want to listen to it on Soundcloud then head to the Noisey website here where they are streaming it in full.

helsinki - 'keys'

It's a side project from Drew McConnell, bass player in Babyshambles and much sought after session musician. Oh, and it's rather good!

duke garwood - 'white wine'

And from country folk to blues, another new track from the excellent Duke Garwood 2015 album 'Heavy Love'.

the lowest pair - 'smile and nod'

I do love a bit of traditional country folk music so when this tune popped up on my iPod this morning I was very pleased indeed, it's quite beautiful.

20 April 2015

monophonics - 'sound of sinning'

What a tune. Seriously - what a tune harking back to early 70s Harlem and the likes of Bobby Womack and Sly Stone. What a tune.

gaslamp killer - 'nissim'

Superb music.

callmekat - 'rolling'

A Danish singer who until now has passed me by but I randomly came across a few of her tracks at the weekend and was mightily impressed. This song was from last year.

father john misty - 'never been a woman'

This was apparently a Record Store Day exclusive but fortunately it's surfaced online and available for streaming.

the very best - 'let go'

There's a fantastic interview with Swedish/Malawian duo 'The Very Best on the Noisey website. They come across well as upbeat, thoughtful and passionate about their music and they go into detail of their new album . You can read it in full here.

blur - 'my terracotta heart'

Here's the next single off the upcoming new Blur album.

19 April 2015

torres - 'strange hellos'

Here's something a little punchy to end a rather bright and breezy weekend, it's the first track from American singer Torres' new album 'Sprinter' released early next month.

randy crawford - 'one day i'll fly away'

Lovely tune, even lovelier sentiment.

18 April 2015

mazzy star - 'fade into you'

I know I've blogged this tune before but it's one of my all-time favourite tunes and I'm in that kind of mood.

the preatures - 'is this how you feel?'

A summer day deserves a summer tune. A bright and breezy tune from a band that reminds me of Little Dragon.

they might be giants - 'good to be alive'

Long-time indie survivors have ploughed a very unique furrow for nigh on 25 years (or is it more?) and show no signs of growing stale or irrelevant. This is pop perfection.

ava luna - 'steve polyester'

Another Brooklyn band but this time big nods to Talking Heads and Blondie. Love this tune.

stranger cat - 'sirens'

A very impressive debut from Brooklyn duo Stranger Cat. I'm not so keen on the mangling of the singing voice - it sounds like they're hiding their light under an vocoder bushel, to mix up a metaphor but there's no denying the production is top notch and the tune is a real grower.

alina orlova - 'sailor'

I haven't heard much from Lithuanian singer Ms Orlova for a few years now and I'm very pleased to see she has a new album out right now. It's quite orchestral, more Joanna Newsom than Regina Spector but extremely listenable nonetheless. Great to see her back.

17 April 2015

jerry paper - 'halfway zen'

I like the unashamed quirkiness, the enthusiasm and the homemade feel to this track.

wild beasts - 'woebegone wanderers II'

This was previewed on Radio 1 last night, a brand new track from Wild Beast.

musicians' causes of premature death by genre

Okay, I'll admit it's a little morbid but fascinating in its own way. Dianna Theodora Kenny, a professor of psychology at Sydney University has studied the causes of death and average ages of death for musicians and subdivided by genre. You can read lots more about it here but particularly bad news if you're a rapper (homicide), blues singers (heart-related) and jazz (cancer).

scratch perverts 2015 mix series 4

A great mix from the ever-reliable Scratch Perverts. Follow the Soundcloud link here for the full track listing.

the hjelmeland - 'quererte'

Fantastic Norwegian singer Thea Hjelmeland treating us to a Spanish language tune from her new album 'Solar Plexus'.

16 April 2015

nick tohme - 'cojones (dj dextro remix)'

A lovely slice of tech house here.

nic hessler - '(please) don't break me'

This reminds me a lot of Conor Oberst, maybe a little more upbeat but very much the same ballpark musically and also talent-wise. Perfect sunny weather music.

mew - 'water slides (graham massey remix)'

808 State's Graham Massey has put his signature to this exquisite remix of 'Water Slides' by Danish veterans Mew. Minimalist, quirky and yet really listenable.

polar bear - 'don't let the feeling go'

Now, I'll admit that jazz isn't my thing. I don't profess to know too much about it and at times it sounds to me like it's disappearing up its own arse but when every once in a while I hear something that resonates with me and sounds just fantastic. Polar Bear, the British experimental jazz combo are just that: pushing boundaries whilst still keeping the essential requisites of a song - namely a tune to hang it on. This tune is just great.

awolnation - 'hollow moon (bad wolf)'

Good morning! Train disruptions today means that I work from and that means playing lots of music whilst I work. Every cloud and all that! This tune from dance/rock crossover band Awolnation should get you going.

15 April 2015

jesus and mary chain - 'april skies'

Just because it's a damn fine tune.

i'm from barcelona - 'violins'

Something Scandinavian, catchy and uplifting? Look no further.

courtney barnett - 'kim's caravan'

This new video to accompany her song is a bit intense.

kristin andreassen - 'azalea'

Beautiful Americana from the multi-talented Ms Andreassen.

seventy three - 'vapour'

Here's another random Bandcamp gem. I think they're Russian, their record label certainly is, but it's proven difficult getting firm information about the band. This particular track is pure trip-hop heaven.

foreign fields - 'in hiding'

Yet another wonderful Bandcamp discovery for me are this band from Wisconsin. It's very much in Sufjan Stevens/Avi Buffalo territory with quiet, melodic folk. They've a new album out too, also on their Bandcamp website, from which this tune is taken so if you like this then please do check their other stuff out.

julian cope - 'shrine of the black youth'

I like to think there's a dozen or so British musicians (Billy Childish, Mark E Smith, Genesis P Orridge, Mark Hollis, Kevin Rowland, David Bowie et al) who can be described as modern Renaissance men. The breadth of their music, the depth of their knowledge and their fearless pioneering marks them out as men who live for their art and define themselves through it. I'd add Julian Cope to that list for sure. He's highly opinionated but with good reason as he's a clever swine, to borrow a Morrissey lyric. and as such his opinions matter. His music even more so and here's a classic.

the william blakes - 'an element of life'

The William Blakes are an under-rated Danish band with their roots in psychedelic pop/rock. Their 2014 album 'Purple Ball' never made the major lists which was a great shame as it's a smashing album with lots of quirky lyrics and expert musicianship. This is one of my favourites from the album.

14 April 2015

josh rouse - 'coat for a pillow'

And here's something mellow to end a hard and frustrating day.

citizens! - 'I remember'

Keeping the French theme today here's an English band! Fear not, there is a big connection as they are signed to that fantastic French label Kitsune and they have a new album out this week. They are riding that 80s synth-pop nostalgia wave quite well and yet manage still to sound up-to-date and full-bodied.

english bop - 'dani's blues (it was beyond our control)'

English Bop is definitely channelling Marc Bolan here. I've only heard this, the first track from their hot-off-the-press new album but I'm already hooked.

ostyn - 'i like your brew'

More new French pop.

previously unreleased kurt cobain solo track now online

Here's a wonderful thing indeed, emerging from the recent Cobain documentary by his daughter.

nessi - 'rolling with the punches'

I must be in a pop music mood today because this tune has also grabbed me. Not France this time but Germany for some great electro-pop.

kid wise - 'forest'

Here's a new band from Toulouse with a fresh sound to them. It does support a theory I've long held that French pop is either great or rubbish, there's no middle ground. No prizes for guessing that I like this tune a lot.

13 April 2015

showstar - 'rumblings'

Not the greatest start to a Monday morning commuting-wise but I'm finally at work and had my first cup of tea of the day. This tune made the journey much more enjoyable.

12 April 2015

róisín murphy - 'evil eyes'

Great track from the comeback album from Moloko's lead lady.

this is the kit - 'bashed out'

Fans of Laura Marling, Beth Orton et al will love this song. Perfect sunny Sunday morning music.

11 April 2015

hall and oates - 'i can't go for that (no can do)'

If there's a finer tune for getting ready to go out on a Saturday night then I've yet to hear it. This is the business, no debate.

houndstooth - 'no news from home'

A great jangly-guitar band from Portland, Oregon and with big unashamed nods to Velvet Underground in their pomp. This is the title track from their new album out last month (I think). I've got to say, it's bloody impressive too - the whole album. It feels like a road movie of an album with an underlying theme of leaving and returning home again. There's so much to explore that you will need at least 3 or 4 listens even to start appreciating this long player. Like I said, bloody impressive stuff.

stornoway - 'the road you didn't take'

This is a very strong track to lead with as the first release from their new album 'Bronxie'. This particular tune is a little more 'traditional' Stornoway than some of the others but as with the general gist of the album it's more muscular, if that makes sense, than their previous outings and is an interesting new direction for this excellent English band.

pale blue - 'the math'

Pale Blue is a solo project from Mike Simonetti and features on his debut album 'The Past We Leave Behind', his first release after leaving the 'Italians Do It Better' label a while back. I was slightly worried that he would take a radical direction from his signature radio-friendly dance-floor smashes but as this track proves, my fears are completely unfounded. It's a great track, in fact.

diamond d - 'freestyle (yo, that's the shit)'

Classic hip-hop from 1992.

10 April 2015

happy mondays - 'step on'

This song is 25 years old today...and Shaun Ryder is still alive. Great news all round!

madonna and the roots - 'holiday'

Playing with just classroom instruments this is a brilliant version of one of her best songs.

...And there's cowbells. Lots of cowbells.

feargal sharkey - 'never never (acoustic version)'

I stumbled across this acoustic version of this 80s classic from The Assembly - the one-hit collaboration between Vince Clarke and Feargal Sharkey. Friday's don't get much better than this, you know.

emily barker - 'nostalgia'

A quite stunning solo version of Nostalgia that she played on her new Toerag Sessions album. I'm not even sure stunning even begins to describe this song.

moon king - 'roswell'

Oh my goodness, what a tune! Lots of lovely upbeat and energetic electro-pop but with indie female vocals. This is such a damn good song that I might just listen to it for the rest of the morning on loop. Another great Canadian band to look out for.

zero 7 - 'last light (feat. jose gonzalez)'

If you're in an introspective mood today then you could do a lot worse than have a listen to this Jose Gonzalez/Zero 7 collaboration from Zero 7's new EP. It appears that Zero 7 have gone back to their roots and the result is quite blissful.

09 April 2015

lord huron - 'way out there'

Another indie-folk band to sit up and take notice of. This time Lord Huron who are an LA-based outfit with a compelling new album 'Strange Trails'. I don't think the accompanying video to this tune is associated with the band but it's the only way I could find to stream this particular track. The video's quite nice anyway so no harm done.

tricky - the sun down remixes

I think my love affair with the music of Tricky is well-documented on here so imagine my delight when I read that the remixes to Sun Down are on Tricky's official Soundcloud page. Heavenly.

villagers - 'courage'

I think you'll like this, taken from the Irish indie-folk band's new album 'Darling Arithmetic'.

terror bird - 'a little rivalry (easy)'

I adored her 2014 album and she's back this year with an EP of equally simple yet intricate new wave pop. Seriously, this lady's back catalogue is an absolute joy.

stealing sheep - 'not real'

I first saw this band when they were supporting Sea of Bees in a small venue in Brighton and knew straight away that they were destined for big things. They've certainly put in the hours touring and promoting and their music gets better, fuller, more of a finished package.The new album is top quality and one for the end of year 'best of' lists, for sure.

summer heart - 'thinking of u'

Gothenburg is THE home of dream pop. On that, I think we can all agree and so it's a real joy for dream pop fans such as myself to see that Summer Heart have a new EP out right now. I could have happily blogged each and every one of the 5 tracks so I'll pick at random the first one for you.

08 April 2015

guitar slim green - 'shake em up'

I heard this on the radio last night and got to say, I was hooked from the opening bars. What a tune from 1970 with Johnny and Shuggy Otis guesting too.

billie holiday - 'more than you know (jazzeem's throwback remix)'

She would have been 100 years old yesterday. Her music, however, remains timeless as this remix proves.

glass candy - 'beatific'

Last nu-disco track of the day from me and I'll finish with another classic. I think I played their album to death a few years back.

laberge - 'we don't know'

Probably my all-time favourite nu-disco hit and mainly for the 60s pyjama/pool party dancing. Very nice!

dj cam feat. anggun - 'summer in paris (reflex remix)'

The weather is beautiful here today in Brighton so it behoves me to play a light, summery dance tune. Here's the legendary DJ Cam with a nu-disco number.

nadine shah - 'stealing cars'

Her new album certainly cements her position as one of the best upcoming British acts on the music scene at the moment. Not only an excellent solo album but also guest appearing on the quite recent brilliant Ghostpoet album - this is one act whose star is very much in the ascendancy.

the airborne toxic event - 'wrong'

It's slightly on the cheesy side but I think you're allowed to get away with that when it's unashamedly pop and this certainly is. Great stuff from the LA band.