reverend gary davis - 'death don't have no mercy'

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Sometimes he gets overlooked when other mid 20th century blues artists names are mentioned but he fully deserves to be included with the greats. This song seems appropriate in light of recent world news too.

emilie nicolas -'pstereo'

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I have some very good friends at the Chvrches gig at Somerset House tonight and they emailed me to ask if I'd heard of Norwegian singer, Emilie Nicolas, who is the support  act tonight. The answer was 'no' but since then I've rectified that and have enjoyed checking out her music. Her brand of power-rock is very Lykke Li, Fever Ray, Zola Jesus. I like her sound a lot.

avi buffalo - 'so what'

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The world needs more fey, jangly guitar pop. Here's a quick dose of the hard stuff.

gulp - 'vast space'

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The 405 website describes this as Super Furry Animals meets sultry songstress. I think that description is pretty much spot on and this album is going to be a sure fire summer hit - at least in my household. It's a perfect match for the weather and I'm eager to hear more of their music. 

*Makes note to pop down to Rough Trade East this week to buy album*

lydia ainsworth - 'psi'

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Oh, hello! This is right up my street. The first release from her debut album, also called 'PSI' comes Ms Ainsworth with a very radio-friendly tune. Soaring vocals and some very clever synth playing makes for a wonderful tune.

john grant mini-desk concert

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17 minutes and 20 seconds worth of John Grant performing a mini-concert at his desk. That's my lunchtime sorted!

the beta band - 'b+a'

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It doesn't get much better than this classic.

gui boratto - 'the joker'

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His 4th studio album, Abaporu, is due for release in September and ahead of that this is the first release from it. I think the new album is definitely on my most wanted list after listening to this techno cracker.

au pairs - 'headache for michelle'

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One of Britain's finest late 70s post-punk bands who combined razor-sharp wit with gold-edged lyrics and basslines that some more popular bands would have sold their souls for.

mogwai - 'letters to the metro'

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Not your usual shoe-gazer material from the sublime Mogwai but still as beautiful as ever. This is a bit of an oldie now, from their album 'Hardcore Will Never Die But You Will'. Is it really 4 years old already?

sharon van etten - 'our love'

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She doesn't do mediocre, not her tunes, not her videos. It's tunes like this that make me such a big Sharon Van Etten fan. This is the latest from her album 'Are We There'. 

ben watt - 'the levels (feat. david gilmour)'

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A true A-list collaboration here with Ben Watt on vocals and acoustic guitar and David Gilmour on - to be honest, I'm not sure what the instrument is called but it's kind of synthing and produces a pleasant melancholy wail. 

I'm really doing the tune a disservice with that opening line, apologies about that. It's a lovely folky tune that tells of memories and domesticity.

lykke li - 'gunshot (paul thomas saunders remix)'

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Now this is the kind of music that suits Lykke Li so much better than her more recent power ballads (I'm not including anything that she's done with David Lynch in that criticism - David Lynch is beyond reproach). This track, Gunshot, is still kind of a power ballad but it's got more of an 80s bass to it rather than the contemporary 'whomp the bass to eleven and heavy on the kettle drums'. I particularly like the synth on the chorus. I'd compare it ever so slightly to the Eurythmics around '85 but only in very small parts. Lykke Li doesn't do retro for retro's sake thankfully so this track has her mark all the way through it. 

Paul Thomas Saunders is a well-respected producer and musician and Brighton-based too, I see. Now that's really cool! His own album released earlier this year is well worth checking out too.

the who - 'love reign o'er me'

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Without a doubt, my all time favourite Who track. I take great pride that my hometown of Brighton plays such a large part in the movie Quadrophenia but large parts of the soundtrack leave me feeling somewhat detached. No such problem with this, the last (or is it penultimate track?) on the album. It's also perfect music for a rainy Sunday morning such as this. 

super furry animals - 'juxtapozed with u'

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It was the word Juxtaposed in my previous blog post that reminded me of this classic tune from the incomparable Super Furries. Pop music never sounded so good.

little dragons - 'pretty girls'

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Must be something in the air tonight. Another slightly disturbing video. This one juxtaposes zombies and beauty pageants. It's interesting that's for sure and I was paying so much attention to the video that I forgot about the music. It deserves a listen all by yourself so watch and then listen for double the pleasure.

wife - 'heart is a far light'

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There is something about melancholy music that I find irresistable. I've always found it quite soothing, even uplifting. This is a case in point. It reminds me in parts of that album by Hurts.  

triad god - 'so pay la'

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This won't be everybody's cup of tea but I think it's something quite wonderful, ethereal, dream-like and more than a little sad from London/Chinese artist Triad God. I'm not quite sure what the video is saying but it's hypnotic.

gus gus - 'obnoxiously sexual'

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This comes with a NSFW warning as there's a little bit of nudity. It's the new Gus Gus tune and there's no relenting in the quality even after all these years. Musically, it's nothing too out of the ordinary, another corking electro-pop tune. Understated, beautifully produced and a lovely crisp, clean feel to it. 

tommy ramone 1949 - 2014

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The last and arguably the sanest of the original line-up has died at the relatively young age of 62. So long Tommy and thanks for the music. Here's 'I Want To Be Your Boyfriend' on which he drummed and also wrote.

an absolute goldmine of live concert recordings re-mastered

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Big thanks to FACT mag website for the heads up on this Youtube channel with over 13,000 live performances re-mastered and with new videos being added all the time. Allman Brothers, Who, Blondie, Iggy Pop, Neil Young, Bob Marley, Springsteen, Teddy Pendergrass, Talking Heads....you name it they've got it. I think I've died and gone to heaven.

Just go here for the Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/musicvault

Here's Patti Smith at Capitol Theatre 1979 with the Springsteen-penned 'Because The Night'.

damian lazarus - 'neverending (m.a.n.d.y. & alexkid nonstop remix)'

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It's certainly hot enough here for some Ibiza-tinged techno so let's go for it. Full on techno.

ken2-dspecial - 'el condor pasa (e muria's cumbia version)'

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The world needs more Japanese reggae. I'm the very proud owner of the album 'Reality Bites' from which this comes from. Proper Saturday music and no mistake.

ian dury and the blockheads - 'what a waste'

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Just because it's a great tune.

bat for lashes - 'skin song'

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This comes courtesy of Pitchfork website. And to be honest, if I were to write the background to this song, I'd only be re-arranging their words so I'll cut the middleman and copy them here. And if you want to see the full article on their excellent website then please click here:

In 2015, an album will be released for a new project called Body of Songs. The LP takes a variety of artists and explores how medical science can inspire music—each track is about human anatomy. For an example, check out Natasha Khan's contribution, the Bat for Lashes track "Skin Song".

What about the tune itself though? It's downtempo and definitely one for those who like their songs to tell a story. It reminds me of the more serious early 80s Kate Bush album tunes but lacks a hook, or maybe the chorus is a little too ponderous. I can't quite put my finger on it but it's not doing it for me at the moment. I'll give it a few more tries over the weekend and see how I get on.

raze - 'break 4 love'

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Oh my! What a tune this was. Ah...the memories.

interpol - 'all the rage back home'

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I mentioned a little while back that they have a new album in the offing. Well....here's the lead track. It's classic Interpol! Great stuff.

jenny lewis - 'the voyager'

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I'm very pleased to read that she has a new album out, also called 'The Voyager' out at the end of the month and I'll definitely be looking out for it. Here's the title track and I wonder if the tempo of the song, slow, anthemic is a portent of the mood of the upcoming album.

tricky - 'nicotine love (feat francesca belmonte)'

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He's only gone and done it again. This is why I love Tricky so much (despite his live performance debacles). With a new album 'Adrian Thaws' out in September he's released the first track from it and it's a slow-boiling masterpiece. I love as well that he's never afraid to reveal himself in his music - the autobiographical album titles alone tell a story of a man still with unfinished business where his past is concerned. 

murlo's landscape mixtape

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I've been overwhelmed by this mixtape. It's just so beautiful. Murlo's his name. Remember it well.

roni size - 'made in korea'

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He's back! Mercury Prize winner Roni Size has a new album Takekontrol and this is the first track to be released from it. It's not so introspective as some of his previous albums, in fact it's pretty much full on. It's nice to hear him mixing it up a bit and the drop on this is a big drop indeed.

alt-j - 'left hand free'

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This has a great West Coast stoner feel to it and just builds and builds into something quite magical. If this isn't a summer smash hit then I don't know what will be.

sneaky tim - 'what's your function pt1 incl. villalobos & heiko mso rmx'

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It's sort of 3 snippets in one. It's also extremely catchy.

woodkid - the golden age (video teaser)

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Swindon's favourite adopted Frenchman is back with a video teaser to his new video out on 10th July. Excited? Not half!

memory tapes - 'yes i know'

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I've been neglecting this blog for a few weeks, apologies about that. Let me put things right with a superb tune that popped up randomly on my iPod this morning.

a tribe called quest - 'i left my wallet in el segundo'

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Got to get it, I got to get it...

a guy called gerald - 'voodoo ray'

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I met A Guy Called Gerald once at a squat in Whalley Range. Really nice chap. And he did make this monster tune.

ólafur arnalds - 'words of amber'

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I haven't blogged any of his music in a long time so let's rectify it with this from his latest album 'For Now I Am Winter' and as ever it's as sublime as it is beautiful.

shinehead - 'gimme no crack'

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From one of my favourite reggae albums of all time, this one's a real crowd pleaser too.

friday in the mix through the decades

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For my lunchtime mix I've gone for something from the 70s, 80s, 90s and finally the noughties. The Osmonds, KRS-1, Pressure Drop and Vampire Weekend. Not your usual gang of four, by any measure.

The Osmonds - 'Crazy Horses'

Boogie Down Productions - 'My Philosophy'

Pressure Drop - 'Freak Show'

Vampire Weekend - 'Walcott'

unkle - 'worship'

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The brand new release from Unkle with visuals by Warren Du Preez and Nick Thornton Jones. Very Sigur Ros, I'd say. It's more of a soundscape than his music of old but it's got that Unkle moodiness that lifts it above the competition into something ethereal and beautiful and foreboding.

burning hearts - 'modern times'

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Last one from me tonight and this is a band were a big tip from my brother. He's got good taste in music for sure. 

jamie xx - 'all under one roof raving'

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This has a load of great samples from one of my favourite art-house movies 'Fiorucci Made Me Hardcore' and just to prove the point, I blogged about it a fair few years ago here. I love the arrangements on this. Jamie XX has done really well with this.

strands of oak - 'jm'

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Ah! Proper old school heavy guitar riffs from Strands of Oak aka Timothy Showalter. Hailing from Philadelphia, he's been bubbling under for a few years but with a new album out 'HEAL', this could all change. Just check out the Floyd-like guitars on this baby. Great stuff.

we the wild - 'trampoline'

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Lots of pops and whistles in this one and it certainly appeals to the inner glitch hop geek within me. It's almost an R&B vibe but then the chorus is a very radio-friendly contemporary pop. Something for everyone, I guess. I think this is going to be a very big tune and rightly so. 

the juan maclean - 'a place called space'

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The new album's out on 19th September but ahead of that they've released the first track from that and it's a disco-tastic odyssey. It sounds extremely retro reminding me of all those space-themed Moroder or Sheila B late 70s/early 80s anthems. This particular track comes in at a whopping 8 minutes 20 seconds too so plenty of time to perfect those dancefloor shapes. In all seriousness, it's a simply brilliant tune.

fka twigs - 'two weeks'

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One word to describe this brand new masterpiece - 'epic'. Full credit to the production for keeping the tension high throughout on this quite brilliant track. Let me remind you that this so-talented lady is British too. I feel very proud saying that. What a talent.

razika - 'syndere i sommersol’

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Are you still looking for the perfect sound for the summer? If so, then look no further because I think I've found the tune for you. It's got everything you need and so much more - energy, a great tune, an instantly catchy chorus and a band that looks like they are having fun with the song. 

Razika are from Bergen, Norway. Where else but Scandinavia would you get such good pop music like this?

björk - 'mutual core (these new puritans remix)'

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There's nobody out there pushing as many musical boundaries as Björk. She should be declared a world heritage site all by herself.

elvis presley - 'love me'

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And backed by the incomparable Jordanaires. I bloody love Elvis.

eels - 'a swallow in the sun'

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Has Mark E ever made a bad record? I think not. This is an exquisitely beautiful tune from his latest album.

god damn right it's a beautiful day

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Uh-huh.

The Eels - 'Mr E's Beautiful Blues'

Air France - 'Collapsing At Your Doorstep'

Super Furry Animals - '(Drawing)  Rings Around The World'

mo-dettes - 'paint it black'

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I hadn't heard this in years and years until it popped up quite randomly on my iPod this morning. Hope you enjoy it.

tove stryke - 'even if i'm loud it doesn't mean i'm talking to you'

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After a three year hiatus, Swedish singer Tove Stryke is back with a kick-arse pop tune. It's sort of Annie meets Robyn. Loads of attitude, tons of fun and it's got an irresistibly catchy bass-line. Check it out if you need a little wake-up call before the big match tonight.

jimmy scott 1925 - 2014

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The legendary contralto jazz singer Jimmy Scott passed away on Thursday. his voice was unusually high for a man, a side effect of a rare genetic disorder. If you've never heard the man's voice then perhaps this cover of the Prince classic might give you an idea of the talent the man had. If you're still unsure then, well...he was Frank Sinatra's favourite singer. That will settle any doubts.

My goodness, this is a beautiful rendition. 

karen carpenter acapella

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I came across this fascinating article on dangerousminds.net about the beauty and clarity of Karen Carpenter's voice. It turns out there's a fair few acapella or near acapella versions of her hits where you can judge for yourself. The article is here but I've chosen one of my favourite Carpenters tunes - 'Top of the World'. Cheesy as you like and the beginning sounds like the theme tune to Postman Pat but at the same time so infectiously happy.

ltj bukem ' feel what you feel'

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He's always been associated with the more cerebral side of drum and bass, a reputation that's more than well deserved. I regard his 'Journey Inwards' album as one of my all-time favourites. Check this out.

sébastien tellier -'aller vers le soleil'

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If you're after a lazy summer pop tune then look no further than Sébastien Tellier's latest song. The video's something else too. 

leonard cohen - 'to love somebody'

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This is a bit of a find. It's a live cover of the Bee Gees classic by none other than Canada's Poet Laureate.

hundred waters - 'murmurs'

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It's not often that Florida and 'indie band' are said in the same sentence. Hundred Waters are here to help all of us struggling to think of a decent example. Actually 'decent' doesn't do them justice at all. They're frigging brilliant and this video directed by Allie Avinal Tsypin plays out like a modern suburban horror film. What's not to like?

shamir - 'sometimes a man'

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From the very acclaimed Northtown EP, Las Vegan Shamir takes us on a tour of the lesser known places of his hometown. Great tune, it's nigh on impossible to pigeon-hole in one or two words.

solar wolf - 'strawberries and cream'

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More than just a slight nod to Air's classic "How Does It Make You Feel?". I can hear copyright lawyers sharpening their pencils. It's a great track by Solar Wolf nonetheless.

tuesday morning in the mix

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What a beautiful day. Here's a few tracks that popped up randomly on my iPod this morning. In their own ways, each is a perfect gem.

Gonjasufi - 'Holidays' 

Sinead O'Connor - 'Ode To Billy Joe'

Wasaru - 'Our Memories'

architecture in helsinki - 'do the whirlwind'

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They're definitely not from Northern Europe despite the name-dropping in their title but the link's close enough for me because I love this band and in particular this tune. The video rocks too.

blood orange - 'you're not good enough'

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Prince and Michael Jackson fans will like the guitar hooks in this new tune from Blood Orange. Wonderfully retro and smooth as a Milk Tray advert. Nice.

kaja gunnufsen - 'au'

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Staying with the Nordic theme, here's the brand new track from Norwegian singer/songwriter Kaja Gunnufsen and a rather cool video to accompany it. She reminds me of Swedish Stina Nordenstam in parts which is obviously a very good thing! I'm going to keep an eye out for Kaja in the future. I hope she gets a lot of success. 

husky rescue - 'sound of love'

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Brighton and Hove Albion have announced their new manager last week and he's a Finn. That'll interest my brother who now lives in Finland! So...I was thinking of Finnish bands that I like and Husky Rescue are pretty near the top of the list for me. Their unique brand of electronic pop resonates with me every time I listen to them. This tune from their 'Ship of Light' album is a case in point.

marvin gaye - 'i heard it through the grapevine'

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The original and still the best.

interpol announce new album

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It's called 'El Pintor' and will be released on 8th September everywhere except the US who get it a day later. It was recorded in New York and mixed in London. Here's a short behind the scenes look at the making of the album.

nadus - 'sharpe james'

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How's this for mellow and cool?

caribou ' can't do without you'

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You've probably heard about this new Caribou tune from all the big online music sites. It's a superb track, no wonder everyone is raving about it.

pure x - 'sweet janine'

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I don't know a lot about this band so I've done a little bit of digging and discovered they're from Austin and play some lovely Southern swamp blues. This track's actually a cover from another artist completely new to me, late 70s singer/songwriter Eddie Rabbitt. It's a lovely way to sign off for the evening.

jj - 'all white everything'

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Just gorgeous. Regular readers of this blog will know full well, my love affair with this Copenhagen band. They can do no wrong in my eyes, they make just the most beautiful pop music and this new release just makes me love them a little bit more.

parquet courts - 'black and white'

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It's been out a little while but this is the video to accompany the song. Very retro it is too with various scenes from their Brooklyn manor. It suits the retro song which sounds very early new wave. They're going from strength to strength, they really are.

poliça - 'you don't own me'

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This is a superb cover of a lesser known Lesley Gore track. Better known for her 'It's My Party', this is a darker, more moody, less poppy number and this cover is given the full theatrical treatment and it works so well. I notice that Poliça are playing in Brighton at the end of the month. I must try to get to it.

You can listen to the track here.

honey smugglers - 'listen'

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A blast from the past.