tiffany - 'panic'

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Not just a collector's piece but actually a pretty interesting reworking of the Smiths song by none other than Tiffany....yes, that Tiffany. It sounds to me like a Depeche Mode backed track that Ridley Scott might use. I like it.

thievery corporation - 'vampires (afrolicious and rob garza remix)'

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Ahead of the release of his remixes album Rob Garza from Thievery Corporation has made available as download this funky little number. It's retained the North African soul of the tune but freshened it up and given it a new set of clothes. You can read more and download the track here.

bonobo -'cirrus'

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The awful, numb feeling after losing to Crystal Palace yesterday has made any attempts at listening to upbeat music futile. I think the key word here is down-tempo and this is what the new Bonobo album delivers by the bucket-load  It's quite ethereal and suits the mood perfectly.

leftside wobble - 'acid soul 10 mix'

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I was sent this by a friend and it could possibly be the best dance mix I've heard in years. Leftside Wobble is one half of Coldcut so this comes with a lot of pedigree and a guarantee of quality. That first track especially....it will have its own entry here soon, it is that good.

saint saviour - 'tightrope (all saints basement sessions)'

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I'm going to keep waxing lyrical about Saint Saviour until she achieves the rewards that she deserves. This will blow you away - it sounds like the best James Bond theme never made.

jackie opel - 'pictures of smoke'

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This is very apt right now in my house. I'm just preparing the Sunday roast in the kitchen but we've got the shisha pipe going and the air is full of apple tobacco smoke. This tune is a ska classic from right back to the beginning of the genre in the early 60s. What a tune.

owiny sigoma band - 'magret aloor'

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I have a serious contender for my album of the year. It's a superb work of art from the first right through to the last track. Best described (by me at least) as Kenyan 'Owiny' music meets psychedelic funk with a splash of techno. This is just one of the tracks but oh my goodness, just how good is this? Seriously....how good is this? Genius.

sweet tee - 'i got that feeling'

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I love the breaks in this very old school hip-hop classic. 24 years old and still as fresh as a daisy with a stripped back feel and samples to die for.

probably the most extreme music video you'll ever watch (NSFW)

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This video is very clever but it's not for the faint-hearted. Think 'Smack My Bitch Up' but more so. Needless to say it's not suitable for children, for watching at work or for the squeamish. 

hidden orchestra - 'spoken'

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I tried and failed to get my head around the Scott Walker albumwhilst wanderin around Poplar on my lunch break. I think I need to sit down with the lyrics in front of me and follow along with the songs. It's not the type of album you can zone out to with headphones on. The Hidden Orchestra however are made for the job and I've been enjoying their 'Archipelago' album for the past hour. The arrangements are lush, evocative and soaring as this track shows.

the xx - 'reunion'

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It must be something in the water...or maybe I'm just taking more effort when listening to music but XX's 'Coexist' album has been the soundtrack to my daily commute for a few days now and I've discovered all sorts of things hidden away within the album that I missed when first listening. If I carry on like this with my re-appraisal of 'difficult' recent releases I might just be ready soon to tackle Scott Walker's 'Bish Bosch', an album that has so far remained impenetrable to me.

12 alabama bands you should listen to now

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The very excellent Paste Magazine has a brilliant article about the Alabama music scene and in particular 12 bands that are doing the state proud. A lot of them seem to come from Birmingham and a lot are bluegrass/Americana/country oriented as you would expect but there's nothing stale about the sounds and you will have a very enjoyable few hours exploring these bands - all of which were new to me although there's a fair degree of musical pedigree there. Here's the link.

And this is my pick of the bunch. St Paul and the Broken Bones 'Sugar Dyed Honey Pants'. 

nick cave and the bad seeds - 'mermaids'

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I've been quite underwhelmed by the 'Push The Sky Away' album and it has quite upset me that I feel like this about the person I regard as my number one musical hero. I spoke to someone who managed to get tickets for the accompanying tour and they told me that there was a ferocity in the live performances missing from the studio album. Although this is one of his slower numbers this live recording of his latest single 'Mermaids' does reveal an additional spirit or even soul that lifts it from album filler to a quite romantic track. 

the temptations - 'ball of confusion'

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Inspired by listening recently to the Unkle track that sampled this classic I feel moved to play the original. What a tune.

street sign rap lyrics

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This is a clever concept. Jay Shells has taken his love of hip-hop literally to the streets and referenced the blocks, streets and corners name-checked in classic rap songs. 

depeche mode - 'welcome to my world (grubber remix)'

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It's taken a few listens but I think I'm finally getting their latest album. It sounded a bit dirge-like on first listen but it's actually more rocky laced with a lot of humour. In places it reminds me of those very heavy electro goth/industrial sounds of :wumpscut: and Marilyn Manson and in other places a more classic Depeche Mode  sub-ballad feel. If you're struggling with the album I'd recommend sticking with it because it is well worth it and if you already love it then play it some more! 

nick cave and the bad seeds - 'red right hand'

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This song still has all the venom in it that I heard when I first listened to it 20 odd years ago. "You're just a microscopic cog in his catastrophic plans.." Incredible.

apollo 440 - 'vanishing point'

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I've written about my love of Apollo 440's 'Electroglide in Blue' album before. It's a rarity in that there's absolutely no album fillers; every single track stands on its own as a work of art. This is a case in point.

sun city girls - 'el solo'

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I've written about this song before but finally it's been uploaded onto the web for us all to listen to. Enjoy. 

ursula 1000 - 'electric boogie (fort knox five remix)'

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Saturday nights are made for tracks this damn funky.

fun boy three - 'the lunatics have taken over the asylum'

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I feel like this whenever I look at the BBC news website. 

amen corner - 'if paradise is half as nice'

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This is how I feel about Brighton and Hove Albion. One of my favourite tunes to sing along to in the shower as well!

something old something new

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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.

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. 

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.

Sophie Watkins - minimalstation April 2013 by Minimalstation on Mixcloud

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. 

deltron 3030 - 'positive contact'

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Boo-Yaka!

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.

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.

elvis presley - '(marie's the name) his latest flame'

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Elvis is featuring rather prominently this morning in our house.

billy ocean - 'red light spell danger'

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Top, top tune.

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. 

junior boys -'hazel (ewan pearson remix)'

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I heard this on a very trippy mix album I bought recently. Perfect mood music whilst I work.

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.

visioneers - 'apache (battle dub)'

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Oh my goodness. What a wonderful version of the Incredible Bongo Band classic.

music to dance around the living room with your 10 year old son

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Hey Fattie Bum Bum by Carl Malcolm has been tried, tested and works a treat. 

meth dad - 'you'

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I think the secret to a great pop record is to keep it simple with an infectious hook, a sing-a-long chorus and a rousing finale. This is a case in point.

judy collins and leonard cohen - 'hey that's no way to say goodbye'

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There are big rumours today that Gus Poyet is off to manage Reading. I know that we've just beaten Crystal Palace 3-0 and that is a fantastic way to sign off as manager of Brighton but to Reading? That's no way to say goodbye, Gus.

planningtorock - 'misogyny drop dead'

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Taken from the EP with the same name this is a tune with a clear and angry agenda - and by that I mean that the lyrics and singing almost through gritted teeth make clear - if the very obvious song titles don't - what it is that irks Janine Rostron and I've got to say that I'm with her 100% of the way. I've railed before about sexism in the music industry but clearly the glass ceiling exists most aspects of life.  

eraas - 'crescent'

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Wow! Don't have nightmares after watching this. This is magnificently moody and very doom-laden.

barbarossa - 'where do we go love'

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The great man himself helped me out here. I picked up a copy of the Memory Laps EP from Rough Trade recently - a lovely accompaniment to the Bedrum Cassettes EP I already own and whilst working from home put it on for the first time. Of course they're all great tracks, the cover of Bon Iver's 'Stacks' being particularly good but I've had track 3 on loop all morning and as much as I kept looking, I couldn't find the track name but a tweet to the artist himself and I quickly had the answer. Apparently the new album will feature a new version of this but possibly under a different title. I can't wait to hear the new arrangement. 

john grant - 'sensitive new age guy'

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I like his new album a lot. It's a collaboration from those lovely chaps at Gus Gus so as you can imagine it's got quite an electronic pop feel to it and certainly development from the Queen of Denmark first album with its folk-twinged edges. The deluxe CD comes with some lovely remixes too that I might feature at a later date. Not the dubstep remix though. 

dj shepdog - 'dare man'

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A nice little Gorillaz 'Dare' mash-up coming up, it's coming up, it's coming up....

....it's there.

dub terminator feat ras stone - 'bad mind (jstar remix)'

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I picked up the new JStar 'Licensed Plates' album this week after spotting it on the shelf at Rough Trade, Brick Lane. That shop never fails to deliver, it's been a Santa's Grotto on so many occasions. The album isa collection of dub remixes - they're all relatively radio-friendly too which shows the talent of JStar. There's even a great remix of Madness 'Forever Young' on there and I'm impressed. They're not a band I'd ordinarily listen to but this remix is the business...as is this selection. 

It's helping to pass the time until tomorrow when Brighton play Crystal Palace at the Amex. I am so nervous about this game, it's making me physically sick. We'll lose of course, they always seem to beat us and I really don't want to go but I can't not go just in case Brighton batter Palace.  Six nil would be nice.

fun lovin' criminals - 'king of new york (cooley high remix)'

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Dubious sentiments but a solid party tune nonetheless. I guess it's all academic now but John Gotti was hardly Mandela by any stretch of the imagination.

origin unknown - 'valley of the shadows (tom james 2013 remix)'

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A much loved drum and bass classic given a rather tasteful remix. I'm glad to see there's not one hint of dubstep in this new edit.

princess mc - 'pump up the funk'

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Oh, I miss this old school style of hip-hop with funky beats and breaks, cheesy samples and proper scratching.

the best taiwanese/canadian rock'n'roller you'll hear today

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I have waxed lyrical about Dirty Beaches before but don't let the incongruity of the music and his birthplace fool you, this is no novelty act, Dirty Beaches is the real McCoy. I can't wait to see him next time he's over in the UK but until then I'll have to make do with his Bandcamp page (click here). The albums Badlands has been an ever-present on my playlist for some time and here's why:

and here's a live version of Sweet 17 from the SXSW festival. Beat that!

live from the paradise garage part 2

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Many thanks to David Campbell aka @discocampbell for these download links to the full documentary. Definitely one for the iPod on those long commutes. 

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

what makes ya dance?

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This track by Fort Knox Five. That's what.

sky saxon and the seeds - 'colorized bottles''

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I had never heard of the 'King of Garage Rock' prior to picking up a copy of the 2004 album Red Planet very recently. Sky Saxon, now dead, was lead singer with the Seeds and enjoyed moderate success over the years but the years before his death in 2009 saw a renewed interest after being name-checked by the likes of the Strokes and the White Stripes. How best to describe the music? Garage Rock fused with a Captain Beefheart /Frank Zappa humour. For a West Coast artist, the Red Planet album does have a British feel to it. Tracks such as 'Coming Home' are reminiscent of the Kinks whereas others remind me of the Fall or the Stranglers. I'm definitely going to search out more of their back catalogue on the strength of this album.

johnny cash - 'i shall not be moved'

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The agnostic in me has always been very envious of those with an absolute faith in a higher being. 

ray davies - 'i go to sleep'

Tweet I was thinking of posting the version by either Marion or Anika but have opted for the far more  lo-fi Ray Davies version. And off I go to sleep too. 

son of dave and martina topley-bird - 'devil take my soul'

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I was reminded of this tune on Craig Charles' excellent radio show this evening. I'm not usually a fan of electro blues but this really hits the spot. 

shirley & co - 'shame, shame, shame'

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I'm currently dancing around the kitchen with my 10 year old son to this song and absolutely no shame in that.

the adamski kid - 'je veux une cassette de bowie'

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I've conducted a quick voxpop of music fan friends of mine about just which 80s influence is the strongest in this simply excellent tune. I heard the Cure in the vocals, others heard PiL, Thompson Twins, Adam and the Ants, Toyah and of course Bowie. It's definitely got that big drum feel that a lot of 80s bands used to such good effect, together with the half singing/half proto-rap it could sit alongside any of the aforementioned quite comfortably. 

I was given the heads up on this tune from the multi-talented Suzie Zabrowska - ex-model, now photographer, painter, film-maker and most relevantly director of this video. You see, all I ask for is one creative talent but alas, all I can offer is an encyclopaedic knowledge of useless trivia and a knack for coming up with Brighton and Hove Albion football chants so I pretend to myself I'm creative vicariously through this blog. Ms Zabrowska and the Adamski Kid are genuinely talented and I am extremely jealous of them. I do really like this tune as do my music-loving friends. 

live from the paradise garage 1979

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This is bona fide dance music history. It's a 4 hour recording complete with a comprehensive introduction this and of course, about Larry Levan. To music historians or anyone interested in the development of dance music this is akin to finding the Dead Sea Scrolls. Do yourself a favourt and make sure you are settled in for the evening with a bottle of wine and give this a listen. 

syl johnson - 'is it because i am black?'

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This is an immense song. Please do take time to listen to it. It will be the best thing you hear all day.

lord huron - 'the man who lives forever'

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This is a new one to me but LA-based band Lord Huron released this single back in 2012. It's not a super-smash and it certainly doesn't break new ground but it's a nice indie tune with a lovely guitar sound to while away the lunchtime.

barnt - 'ariola'

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I meant to post this yesterday but I ended up playing Monopoly with my 2 children and clean forgot about it. It's taken from the new Ariola EP and is as slow a burner as any techno song could be. Well worth the wait though.

a tribe called quest - '1nce again (bit funk remix)'

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I had this brand new remix playing on my iPad whilst I had a shower this morning. It was definitely a cool way to start the day.

allah-las - 'no voodoo'

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I did a quick check and can't believe I haven't added anything by this band to the blog yet. I am a big fan of their 2012 eponymous, debut album with its trippy retro feel. The guitars twang, the singer drawls and the songs cruise along effortlessly. Definitely one to watch.

joy division - 'warsaw (dan le sac remix)'

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To misquote Adam West's mayor in Family Guy: "I love a good remix more than I love taffy, and I'm a man who loves his taffy". 

To me this now sounds like a mid-80s Fall track. Brilliant!

saint etienne - 'only love can break your heart'

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Some songs become so important to you that you get very protective and live in constant fear that a car commercial doesn't come along and steal its soul. The Foxbase Alpha album and in particular this track are so dear to me that I will probably have a copy of this with me when I depart this earth - in much the same way as the Egyptians took their most prized possessions. I know it's not the done thing but I prefer this cover to the original. I like to think of it as Neil Young writing the words and waiting for someone to nurture it and take it to places impossible to anticipate. You can add Bob Dylan to that list too.

I could...and have waxed lyrical about this song, that album many times and I will again but now I'm going to sit back and put it on loop a few times and sing along. There's worse ways to spend a Tuesday night by yourself.

althea and donna - 'make a truce'

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I bought their 'Uptown Ranking' album recently, expecting a lover's rock meets radio-friendly reggae type of sound. In fairness, all I'd heard was the title track and as lovely as it is, it could never be described as "deep". I was very pleasantly surprised to discover a very spiritual album, much heavier in dub and with a positive message. I didn't have them down as Rastafarians either so that was a double surprise. The third being that they wrote all the songs themselves (although carrying on the tradition of the time of borrowing riffs and hooks from other contemporary tunes). If there is a criticism it's that their youthful female voices sometimes lack the gravitas to give it the full whack. I would love hear them to take a crack at a few of the heavier tunes now they are older. All in all, it's a lovely album. 

calexico - 'sinner in the sea'

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The jury is still out on their new album 'Algiers' for me. It reminds me of later Crowded House and veers too often towards the middle of the road for my liking. I'm not accusing Crowded House of being middle of the road, mind. I just would prefer Calexico to sound a bit more Tex-Mex. I am doing them an injustice though as I have only given it a couple of listens so far and really need to get to grips with it properly. Here's a track from the aforementioned long player.

i am kloot - 'even the stars'

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I'm off to see I Am Kloot perform an acoustic set at St. Bartholomews' Church in Brighton tonight and I'm guessing that the new album will feature quite heavily. I hope this one gets played, it could be my favourite from the album. It's a slow-burner that builds into an anthemic singalong with plenty of orchestral input too.

cowboy junkies - 'blue moon'

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This is a beautiful version of the old classic and is dedicated to the ones I love. 

john mayall - 'somebody's acting like a child'

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It's difficult to believe that he's British, he's so totally part of the blues fabric and his name is, with a lot of justification, up there with the very best. I picked up his 'Blues From Laurel Canyon' album today and I am so glad I did. It's jaw-droppingly good and I'm going to make sure both my children listen to it too. I've made it my mission to introduce them to as much great music from as many genres as possible and the blues features very highly. We've done Johnson, Leadbelly, Howling Wolf, Big Mama Thornton, Peter Green and I can't wait until they get to hear this.  

s'express - 'hey music lover (spatial expansion mix)'

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Hey music lover. What a beautiful morning.

sonny and cher - 'and the beat goes on'

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I'm carrying on the funky 60s beat with this super cool classic.

dionne warwick - 'don't make over'

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I think I could listen to Ms Warwick's voice all day.

slade - 'everyday'

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I think people forget just how great this band were. This is magnificent by any measure.

what were the skies like, mr perry, when you were young?

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They were golden. This is a wonderful re-imagining of the Orb classic from the Orb/Lee Scratch Perry collaborative album recently.  It's just perfect for a Saturday, don't you think?

balmorhea - 'pilgrim'

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Balmorhea are an instrumentals-only guitar band from Austin, Texas. They can't be described as post-rock as they are far too minimal to have the crunching 15 minute guitar solos but then again too intricate to be described as ambient. Their influences draw heavily from classical as well as pop and experimental and if pushed I would bracket them alongside Sigur Ros or perhaps Godspeed You Black Emperor. This is the last track from their 2012 album, Stranger and is a sublime piece of musicianship.