É realmente uma bela terrinha… Não posso negar!

Mas o que gostaria de contemplar esta noite não é bem a terra do Tio Patinhas… ARG! Essa foi podre, mas podem levantar as mãos pro céu já que eu desisti de fazer stand-up comedy.

Enfim, o post é sobre bandas que, como diria uma amiga minha, afagam o coração, pelo menos o meu. Tipos: Franz Ferdinand, Belle & Sebastian, Camera Obscura e etc. Aliás, nem sei porque coloquei Belle & Sebatian aqui já que sempre acreditei que ela era canadense (pelo menos sempre me soou canadense).

Tá, não vou falar bem sobre essas bandas, mas sobre a última que anda colocando um risinho bonito no canto de minha boca. Camera Obscura. Eis a dita banda.

É nóis! Pode contar, tamu tudo aqui!

Não nego que uma de minhas maiores influências no mundo da música é minha amiga Seu Superego (ela é menina sim…). Essa pessoinha não faz parte do mundinho fabuloso da música, ainda, mas é expert em boa, vale salientar a palavra boa, música; ou melhor, é expert em músicas que venham a me agradar. E há alguns dias/meses ela me falou sobre uma banda cujo nome me soou familiar. Enfim, era tão familiar que eu já tinha visto um clipe e tudo.

O fato é que eu gostei, e gostei buuuuuuuuuuito (by Dani)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

E realmente o som do Camera Obscura me soou muito, mas muito familiar mesmo. Me lembrou algo tipo Belle & Sebastian…
Até que joguei no Google e encontrei a seguinte informação na Wikipédia: a vocalista era namorada do vocalista do Belle & Sebastian…

EeEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeeEEEEEEEEEeeEEE

Voilà!

Tipo que não cheguei a lugar algum com isso, mas, como diria um outro amigo meu, se você não ouviu Camera Obscura, ouva!!!!

Eu agarantxiu!

Joanna Newsom, the queen of 2006.

2006 was an outstanding year for music. If you disagree then you’re not my friend anymore.

I have elected to share my list from that year rather than 2005 for two reasons: 1) A strange and inadvertent hibernation I experienced in 2005 within the caves of Malaysia. 2) My recent obsession with one-upping everyone around me coupled with a strengthening of my basic arithmetic skills (2005 + 1 = 2006).

If I could do this again, of course, it’d look a lot different. Alas, my decade list will serve as an opportunity to rearrange albums based on sustained listening of old favorites and discoveries of new (also based on the unearthing of a hidden track on “Stadium Arcadium” that makes it the greatest album of 2006, if not the 21st century… just kidding).

1. The Decemberists – The Crane Wife
2. Joanna Newsom – Ys
3. The Knife – Silent Shout
4. Liars – Drum’s Not Dead
5. Band of Horses – Everything all the Time
6. Thom Yorke – The Eraser
7. Islands – Return to the Sea
8. Belle & Sebastian – The Life Pursuit
9. Sufjan Stevens – The Avalanche
10. The Strokes – First Impression of Earth

You had to be there, that’s the general feeling after watching the film marking 10 years of the All Tomorrow’s Parties festival. Either because the performances were so good that film could never fully capture the moment, such as Grinderman’s rampant 2007 set, or because eventually indifference settles in towards clips of strangers being drunk, performing covers of ‘Maps’ and making out during Seasick Steve and The Boredoms. Those are their festival stories, nobody else’s, and it’s not much different from being shown other people’s holiday photos.

This film, though, would be nothing without the fans – a collaborative effort, film by fans, artists and filmmakers has been cut together by director Jonathan Caouette, most thrillingly at the start of the film when various footage of two different performances of ‘Atlas’ by Battles build to a rowdy climax. Most of the clips are from 2004 onwards, since when the availability of relatively cheap cameras and phones and YouTube has made everyone a potential documentary maker.

ATP’s back story is covered briefly in a sequence where founder Barry Hogan watches himself being interviewed on The Culture Show. There are unanswered questions, such as how it stays sponsorship-free or how curators are chosen, but mini-manifestos from Jerry Garcia, Thurston Moore, Patti Smith and Iggy Pop certainly explain at least part of what ATP stands for – reclaiming rock & roll from big business and industry. It’s worth considering during the clips of chalets bustling with ad hoc ‘fan bands’, an idea that has since been co-opted for multinational brands’ for ad campaigns.

Audience and artists living, mingling and performing alongside each other (as Daniel Johnston, Lightning Bolt and Grizzly Bear are filmed doing) is a great part of ATP’s appeal, but it’s the action onstage that’s the most exciting here, such as a lush version of ‘The Boy With The Arab Strap’ by original festival curators Belle & Sebastian, and invigorating, intense performances by Yeah Yeah Yeahs; a ritualistic, chaotic Stooges; and furiously funky and lo-fi Gossip. Les Savy Fav, who performed at the film’s screening tour in October, bring the stage to the audience and together they sum up 10 years of ATP as good as anyone when they shout: “We were there when the world got great! We have to make it that way!” Originally written for High Voltage

Out: on DVD now

Grinderman – ‘No Pussy Blues’ (Live @ ATP 2007 with Bobby Gillespie)

The best album cover ever?

Last night on VH1 Europe they did a countdown of the top 25 albums of all time.  Prince made no. 3, and, inevitably, I guess, Thriller made no. 1.  But REM’s automatic for the people made no. 2.  What I found very weird about this, is that people since about the mid 90s have been intentionally forgetting that, between the period 1977-1995, ‘mainstream’ rock, or ‘establishment’ rock, was cosidered by the listening public to be entirely different from ‘alternative’ rock.  At least, that was the case in the US.  In britain, they always seemed to blur the line more, and ‘alternative’ acts often scored top 10 hits, which in the US happened much more infrequently.  But there was still a clear idea that alternative was alternative, and mainstream was mainstream.  And today, people realize this when shopping for music on Amazon:  i.e., “the killers” and DCFC are known to be ‘alternative,’ with ‘emo’ in the latter’s case being a subgenre of alternative:  and everyone has always known that Prince belongs in an entirely different category (of its own–file under ‘weird.’) 

So why are people conflating alternative and ‘pop’ music, to the point where I often hear people lump together alternative with ‘pop,’ so as to distinguish it from ‘R&B’ and ’Dance?’  To do so, I argue, is to entirely miss the point of the ‘altnertive’ movement.  In its heyday, every single person who listened to alternative was aware that it was ‘counter-cultural.’  In essence, alternative contiued the 1960s and 70s trend, which was anti-establishment, and went along with, in some form or another, the popular marxism of the day, which was highly suspicious of corporations, and thus, the record industry.  This of course, presupposes that its listeners have the mental apparatus to appreciate social complexity–to understand society as a system, and/or who are concerned to be articulate about their interation with the world.  Pop music proper, is therefore ‘for the masses,’, i.e., for the majority of people, who, unfortunately, do not have either the will or the IQ power to grapple with complex responses to their environment.  That’s why pop music, e.g. Elvis and Michael Jackson, is generally lyrically incredibly banal.  Both the 60s protest stuff, and, punk, and alternative, and now, things like emo, are thus distinguished by their more sophisticated lyrics.  So, what we are talking about here, then, is music for those who are fortunate enough to have the apparatus and desire to engage with lyrics.  Unfortunately, after 1995, lyrics went out of style (see below) and the entire culture’s level of articulateness, I would argue, has suffered since then.   

By the time that alternative came of age, however, I would argue that it had become much more personal.  While the 60s and 70s Woodstock stuff was decidedly public music – to be performed live, e.g., the doors–and often had impersonal lyrics (e.g. Bob Marley– cryin’ lion zion…. what the hey is that all about?), by the 80s, the goth movement brought music into the bedroom, i.e., into the personal minds of the listener.  Morrissey of course puts it best:  ’When I lay in awe on my bedroom floor,” etc. 

Many people put punk together with alternative, but I see a divergence from the beginning.  Groups like Joy Division and the Cure and Souxsie were always much more cerebral, sensitive, and appealed more to the introspective person, rather than punk, which was often so absurd as to be a simple testosterone fest, despite it’s often radical-marxist lyrics.  In short, I think that punk sucks, becasue though it was perhaps good that someone was doing it, i.e., being socially aware in their music, I believe that their methods, which were essentially violent and anarchist, are inherently self-defeating.  Thus I have never been drawn to it. 

Alternative, on the other hand, foregrounded the individal emotional and (crucially) intellectual response to the world, and thus, can be seen as a re-visioning of the eighteenth-century Cult of Sensibility, which was spearheaded by Goethe, and was then brought to fruition by authors such as Wordsworth, Coleridge, and Jane Austen, and Keats, who, for the first time in history, asserted that the experience of the individual (particularly of the sensitive individual) truly mattered.  The artist figure, the thinker, the solitary philosopher, was worth listening to, they argued, and this could be anyone–not simply the great.  This encouraged reading and thinking and sensitive people everywhere to stop being deferent to their social superiors, and to really take their own inner dialogue seriously.  This is arguably a very crucial step on the way towards mass democracy. 

And this is why I’m interested in alternative music, from the point of view of this site.  I belive that the 1970s and 80s saw a massive increase in the sensibilities of young thinking people–they grew up in households with more money, for one, and they had more opportunities to travel and to interact with other cultures than ever before.  And they had leisure, and many of them, in Britain and the US, studied the arts, even just in high school, this was done seriously, with an emphasis on text, on poetry and literature, and this encouraged many people once again to take this inner dialogue seriously.  Arguably, the 80s bedroom revolution was quite similar to the romantic revolution which emerged after the french revolution:  a public revolution went bust, and so artist figures, who had been so engaged and so inspired by the public’s prospects, now retreated into their own minds, and continued to hold the ideals of the revolution there, in their own private spheres, until such a time as they might once again find public times propitious for their goals of reform, and remaking. 

This is precisely what the 80s bedroom revolutionaries did, and more.  They saw that the 60s and 70s had failed in many ways to produce anything lasting and concrete, besides a welcome liberalization of society–which should not be underestimated.  But they saw instinctually (I did as a high schooler, and I know my alternative friends did), that the political aims of the hippie revolution were largely unfulfilled, swallowed up by the wave of conservativism brought about by reagan (and thatcher).  And so, we moved inward.  We still had ideals, we still cherished the idea of reform–very much so.  But we also began to realize, through introspecton, that our own selves really truly mattered:  our own emotions, thoughts, etc.  But what made the alternative age different from today, ‘the post alternative age,’ is that today’s emo people, I think, have grown up in an entirely self-serving society, which is almost devoid of the ideal of social reform.  In the 80s, there was still some of that public idealism left.  And it made us idealistic, in the best possible way.  We believed that, by reforming ourselves, we could reform the world, make it better.  (see this website–it’s basically proof that i’m still working in that mode). 

I believe that, after about 1995, these ideals basically died, in a big way, in popular culture, and what we’ve been left with is a culture devoid of public ideals.  It’s therefore all been about the desires of the individual, and thus, is essentially unsophisticated:  it’s all egotism.  Emo people are the intelligent version of the ‘gimme’ school.  But their lyrics are still essentially whining–with no underlying vision.  If you have no social dimension to what you do and think, it’s very difficult for this to be progressive–it is inherently centrifugal, I think.  And then, the less articulate version of this has been the triumph of hip hop, which, for reasons we’ll have to leave for elsewhere, has been almost entirely egotistical and self serving, especially after the few attempts in the 80s to make it political (in which case it was tied to the alternative music ethic– NWA and Public Enemy, e.g., did have much that was political in them–but after about ‘93, any impetus to put the political into music fell away, and hip hop returned to simple braggadocio, and glorification of violence, and domination of women–which, when one loses idealism, is all that’s left).

So, to put a time scale on it: i’d say

1950s:  rock invented, in US and britain.

1960s-early 70s:  protest rock– the first ‘alternative rock.’

1977-present.  Punk.  Angry marxist progressiveness.  Ultimately self-defeating.

1977-1995.  Golden Age of Alternative.  Lyrics were foregrounded, personal experience was foregrounded, but enough idealism remained from the 70s age of popular Marxism, that people genuinely wanted to make the world a better place.

1992- Grunge makes its debut.  Mixes alternative with testosterone rock.  Beginning of the end of alternative music.  After this, sensitive artists begin to avoid lyrics.

mid-1990s.  Age of ‘acid jazz’ ‘house’ – etc.  Club music draws the best and the brighest.  But it is a-lyrical, and so, essentially, the age of social engagement fizzles, quite rapidly.  And with it, idealism.  Idealistic music is no longer fashionable.  The only alternative bands who are still producing major albums are some of what we used to call B-quality bands:  i.e., Radiohead and Bjork.  They sucked compared with the giants of the alternative era, but their manneristic squeaking and shapeless music went well with the new anti-lyrical fashion, and so they became huge.

2000-present.  With internet, a great variety of musical styles, but, it’s still true that, when the lyric comes back into fashion, it is now almost entirely personal.  Political, social, progressive agendas are entirely out, and so the music never rises above the purely juvenile.  Whereas Morrissey and Ian Curtis’ poetry has the power of Wordsworth to engage us, and incite us, to think idealistically, the (admittedly good) lyrics of Death Cab for Cutie, or worse, the banal lyrics of the White Stripes, and the Yeah yeah yeahs, never rise above the purely personal of the high school student’s poetry:

‘yesterday i saw a couple/kissing by the train platform/they were so beautiful/i wondered where they were going.’

Etc.  This is drivel–because it’s purely of personal interest.  It has no idealism, thus, no universalism, and that is the essence of good poetry.

So, my argument, then, is that grunge killed alternative, and after that, we hear people talking of ‘rock being in the shitter’ (trent reznor, 1999–unfortunately his album of that year did nothing to rescue it–the inspiration had died–the age of idealism was largely over).  And until the culture once again recovers idealism, it will continue to stay in the shitter.  Read around on this site, and you’ll see how idealism and moving, real, gripping, engaging art have always been entirely intertwined with one another. 

Thus, all of the following albums, from 1977 to about the grunge era (let’s say 1995–though i do include some grunge), are filled with idealism, even if their lyrics do not explicitly sound that way at all.  And a few albums that come after this time have managed to keep some of that idealism, and so they are included here as well.  Even the industrial music which was a subgenre of alternative in the latter part of this period was not anything like ‘white zombie’ or ’tool’ which came later, and which are genuinely antisocial, antihumanist, and violent–and thus antidemocratic.  I would argue, then, that Skinny Puppy is highly idealistic and progressive, while Maynard what’s-his-name’s “Tool”, which dominated the 90s niche formerly held by bands like Skinny Puppy, replaced it with an entirely anti-idealistic, self-destructive, even psychotic atmosphere, which I argue, still holds the dominant position in our society today (see my post on violence condoning torture for more on this).   Ok, then without further ado (and knowing that we’ll have to discuss these choices at a future time):  here would be my top 25 alternative/industrial albums of all time (and it’s basically ridiculous to put them in order, I think):

Dead Can Dance-  Serpent’s Egg, or Spiritchaser; 10,000 Maniacs – Our Time in Eden; The Cure- The Top; Joy Division- Substance; New Order – Substance; Belle & Sebastian – Tigermilk; Depeche Mode – Violator; Pixies – Doolittle; Loreena McKennitt – The Visit; Smashing Pumpkins – Gish; Tori Amos – Little Earthquakes; The Smiths- Louder than Bombs; Magnetic Fields – 69 Love Songs; The National – The National; REM – Document or Automatic for the People; Skinny Puppy – Mind:  The Perpetual Intercourse; Cocteau Twins – Heaven or Las Vegas; Sundays – Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic; Ministry - Live:  In case you didn’t feel like showing up;  Moby – Play; St. Germain-St. Germain (a-lyrical, but idealistic); Coldplay – Rush of Blood to the Head; Death Cab for Cutie – Plans; Enya – Watermark; Sarah McLachlan – Fumbling Towards Ecstasy; Nine Inch Nails – Downward Spiral or Pretty Hate Machine.  Lisa Gerard – The Mirror Pool.

Ok, that’s 27.  But what most of these have in common, is that they are beautiful, sublime, epic, and/or highly idealistic.  They are not essentially violent (even Ministry-I’d argue), but essentially the opposite–egalitarian, democratic, progressive, empathetic.  They strive for the good, the beautiful, the just.  And so they receive the Platonist’s seal of approval.

I quite obviously love the twee, and therefore adore Belle and Sebastian. One aspect I particularly like (I shan’t count the ways or we’ll be here all night) is the infinite gentleness with which Stuart Murdoch sings extraordinarily cynical or nasty things. A few favourites:

You’re an actress / So says your resume / You’re made of card / You couldn’t act your way out of a paper bag – Dress Up In You

I gave myself to God / There was a pregnant pause before He said ‘okay’ – The State I Am In

Is he your husband? / Or just your boyfriend? / Is he the moron who’s been beating you and keeping you inside? / I’ve never done this kind of thing / But if I kill him now, well who’s going to miss him? – I Could Be Dreaming

If you’re going off to war / Then I wish you well but don’t be sore / If I cheer the other team / Because killing people’s not my scene – If You Find Yourself Caught in Love (on which see here, I don’t share its sentiments but it’s quite funny)

If you’re feeling sinister / Go off and see a minister / You’ll probably feel better if you stayed and played with yourself – If You’re Feeling Sinister

many people (including myself) have been wondering if stuart murdoch’s god help the girl project signaled the beginning of the end of belle and sebastian.  they have not been on tour or released a studio album since 2006, and it seemed as if there were no plans of either happening again.  until now.

i was reading the god help the girl newsletter when this caught my attention:

THE FILM

The script for the film is now also in a state of (near) completion (film scripts are never really ever finished) and things are moving slowly towards going into production. Most likely there will be a Belle and Sebastian record first during 2010, so filming should get properly underway in 2011.

most likely there will be a belle and sebastian record first during 2010.  i then checked the website for news, and was greeted with this picture:

this led me to the q&a section, where the following was posted as a response to a “will you ever tour again” type question:

A. You’ll see us next year I should imagine.

Stevie – 17/11/09

i really really hope this happens.

this led me to the q&a section, where the following was posted as a response to a “will you ever tour again” type question:

Depeche Mode – Wrong

The Cure – Wrong Number

Radiohead – I Might Be Wrong

Belle & Sebastian – Wrong Girl

Belle & Sebastian – The Boy Done Wrong Again

All of B&S’ album artwork has been redone with LEGOs, and the pictures are on their flickr…. God I love Belle & Sebastian…

But it doesn’t interest, the only things she wants to know is
How and why and when and where to go
How and why and when and where to follow

Le parole, che sono piuttosto semplici e piuttostamente belle.

Non voglio fare paragoni che sarebbero piuttosto stupidi, ma solo cogliere la triste occasione per suggerire una bella canzone, e magari dare spunti per una riflessione [anzi, nota mentale, presto tornerò con altri spunti musicali, di argomento analogo, di qualità simile]

La cronaca.

Cervello

Mohaha! Sucker! Jeg har slettes ingen invites til Voddler. Hadde jeg hatt, ville jeg beholdt alle selv og sett 5 filmer om gangen. Da jeg leste artikkelen hos Dagbladet i dag ble jeg glad. Dette er fremtiden! Om de får igang de støvrustne hjulene hos filmindustrien, må jo dette bli en suksess. Jeg skulle også tro at det blir klingende mynt i kassa. Hvem gidder å laste ned, når en med enkle trykk kan logge seg inn og streame de seriene og filmene en ønsker? ikke jeg ihvertfall. I stedet for å sitte og vente på på at “deadliest catch” skal starte om et kvarters tid, kunne jeg sett det for lengst. Til og med uten de superirriterende reklamepausene (Discovery reklamerer utrolig nok for deadliest catch i programpausene). Selvfølgelig må jo prisen på Voddler være innen rimelighetens grenser, så  i første omgang har jeg registrert meg. Tipper det kan ta god tid før en eventuell invitasjon kommer. Ved Crom! Dette må prøves ut. Skulle det fremdeles være noen der ute som enda ikke har tilgang til Spotify, så er det bare å si i fra i kommentarfeltet. Invitene hoper seg opp.

Belle & Sebastian er bra. Det sammme kan sies om Bob Dylan, men “I`m Not There” ble litt for sær for meg. Uansett er det en fin kombo.

C’était l’histoire d’une jeune femme fan des Smiths et de Bruce Springsteen, au point de nommer son chien… Bruce.

Au karaoké, elle veut chanter Born to run, hélas non disponible (bizarre, il est vrai que l’histoire se situe à Los Angeles), et se rabat sur un petit bijou de Nancy Sinatra, Sugar Town.

Cette jeune femme, c’est Summer, l’héroïne d’une comédie romantique américaine mineure mais attachante : (The 500 days of) Summer, sorti en France sous le titre 500 jours ensemble.

Summer est interprétée par la craquante Zooey Deschanel (rien que pour ses yeux, l’auteur de ce blog est prêt à aller voir n’importe quel navet !). Zooey Deschanel est non seulement une excellente comédienne (on n’a pas oublié son rôle de la grande soeur du héros dans Presque célèbre de Cameron Crowe), mais aussi une bonne chanteuse country rock, en solo ou dans le groupe She & Him avec le non moins excellent M Ward.

Pas étonnant donc que la version de Sugar town par Zooey (un prénom qui ravit les fans de J.D. Salinger) rafraîchisse celle, limite variétoc, de Nancy Sinatra. La voici ci-dessous.

Au demeurant, (The 500 days of) Summer mérite d’être vu, car ce film pose au moins quatre questions existentielles :

- l’amour existe-t-il vraiment, ou est-il une invention des marchands de cartes de Saint-Valentin et des scénaristes de films ?

- Dans un couple, faut-il ou non partager les mêmes goûts pour se sentir bien ensemble ?

- La pop anglaise triste des Smiths ou de Belle & Sebastian est-elle une cause de dépression ?

- Dans le monde réel, y a-t-il vraiment des filles qui s’appellent Summer (en dehors de Summer Phoenix hélas disparue des écrans depuis Esther Kahn d’Arnaud Desplechin) ou Autumn ?

Si vous avez des réponses à ces questions, ou des avis sur le film et sur Zooey Deschanel, n’hésitez pas à poster vos commentaires !

David (it's a New Zealand accent, by the way)

Listen: As we’ve seen throughout the Make A Difference campaign, people come to volunteering for a variety of personal reasons — family, free time, a personal cause. But how about a fund raising favor for a friend?

David Henderson came to Milwaukee SCORES to help out a friend, Associate Director of SCORES John Eggebrecht, securing some financial backing for a benefit soccer tournament from his employer Stark Investments. However, as he got a feel for what SCORES does, he couldn’t help but get more involved in more SCORES programming. He doesn’t play soccer, and he’s not much of a writer, but the kids drew him in. In this piece you can hear a healthy dose of the SCORES kids, including a breathtaking poem by Andres Garcia at the beginning (it actually won him a trip to the New York, where he read that poem for the New York Stock Exchange):

Something to notice in this piece — Andres’ entire soccer team has heard him read his poem multiple times and still hold him to the nickname “Nacho.” I really like that. The relationships they develop as SCORES team mates/writers are so unique.

And did you notice where the kids are playing soccer? It wasn’t a traditional soccer field — they were actually playing in a parking lot at Windlake Elementary School in Lincoln Village (our old friend). It was drizzling and the blacktop was a little slippery, but the kids were so happy just to be playing soccer. In fact, I’m not sure if you can tell the difference, but they were actually excited to talk on mic, which is very rare for middle school kids.

For more information on Milwaukee SCORES, visit their website. Also, if you’re interested in getting involved with Milwaukee SCORES, contact them for more information on volunteering.

Produced by: Adam Carr

On this day five years ago, John Peel was getting ready to present another episode of his radio show. Unfortunately, it would be his last as a heart attack would take his life a few weeks later while on a working holiday in Peru. He had been best known as a disc jockey and champion of the musical underdog on BBC radio. His Peel Sessions gave many bands their first chance of airplay and a load of them went on to have successful careers in the music business. Sadly, I never got to hear his shows as it was not possible for me to listen to BBC radio when he was around. Nevertheless, I’m grateful to him for giving a first chance to many bands that I count among my favourites. For example, he once announced on air that he was feeling a little peckish. A cheeky chappy from Essex heard this and he delivered a Biryani to the studio along with a copy of his demo! He was offered a session straight away and Billy Bragg has become a very respected songwriter with loads of albums under his belt

He gave The Undertones’ Teenage Kicks its first airing and then returned the needle to the start of the groove and played it a second time! The song became his favourite and would be played at his funeral. He was also a big football fan and had been present at Heysel Stadium in 1985 when dozens of football fans lost their lives. He stopped attending matches for a few years after that and was also upset by the Hillsborough tragedy in 1989. In 1991, he appeared as himself on the long-running BBC radio soap The Archers and was awarded the OBE in 1998. To tie in with Football & Music’s tribute to the great man, I’ve put together a mix of some of my favourite Peel sessions and songs by bands that Peelie championed

A Legend in His Time

Transmission – Joy Division

Bread And Butter – Ivor Cutler

I began this blog seven months ago and I must admit that I had no idea back then what shape it would take. I’m quite surprised that I’ve reached my hundredth post so soon. This means that I’ve posted an average of three times per week, even though I have sometime gone weeks where I haven’t posted at all. Most of my posts have been about music or gigs that I’ve attended or musicians I like. I’ve also posted a few times about current affairs, my travels, football and film. My two most popular posts have been Happy Birthday, Bruce! and It’s a Long Way to Tipperary. The reason for their popularity was that Expecting Rain (a Bob Dylan site) linked to these posts and brought in hundreds of extra visitors. Elbo.ws, the music blog aggregator, also brings in a few hundred hits every week. And I’m aware that I have a number of regular readers as well, so thank you all for your comments and for popping over here every week. Here are a few tunes to celebrate this century of posts

100 Not Out

A Century of Fakers – Belle & Sebastian

A Century Ends – David Gray

Dear Catastrophe Waitress moved along so quietly and slowly. The Life Pursuit pushes the tempo and even includes a wild electric guitar solo on “We Are the Sleepyheads.” Belle & Sebastian’s jangly folk style wakes up. By keeping the acoustic guitars to a minimum, they manage to invigorate their brand of Scottish indie pop. It never stales or becomes mired in sentiment. At times Belle & Sebastian sound like they’re trying out for a hip TV show or teen movie soundtrack, but I don’t think this is on purpose. Oft imitated, these guys refuse to be duplicated, even by themselves.

Rating: * * * * *

This show is all about love and sweet sounds. Why? Because, I’m in a sappy mood (due to the dream-boat/newly-acquired-fiance featured in the image below). Join me tonight on KRUI 89.7fm or online here.

1. Yo La Tengo, I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One (1997), Autumn Sweater
2. The American Analog Set, The Golden Band (1999), I Must Soon Quit The Scene
3. Belle & Sebastian, The Boy With The Arab Strap (1998), It Could Have Been a Brilliant Career
4. Beck, Guero (2005), Girl
5. R.E.M., Reckoning (1984), Harborcoat
6. Air Formation, Air Formation (2000), It Falls Away
7. Black Tambourine, Complete Recordings (2002 off of Slumberland), Can’t Explain
8. Beat Happening, Crashing through (2002), Cast a Shadow
9. Jane’s Addiction, Up from the Catacombs: The Best of Jane’s Addiction, Classic Girl (Originally on Ritual de lo Habitual released in 1990)
10. Built to Spill, Time Trap Sampler (included live tracks between 1994-2006, promo only), Car (Live Album Version)
11. Tears for Fears, 20th Century Masters, Sowing the Seeds of Love (This song released in 1989, The song reached #5 in the UK, #2 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and #1 on the US Modern Rock Tracks chart.)
12. Sugar, File Under: Easy Listening (1994), Your Favorite Thing
13. PJ Harvey, Dry (1992), Oh My Lover

14. The Jesus and Mary Chain, Stoned & Dethroned (1994), Never Saw It Coming
15. TV On the Radio, Dear Science (2008), Love Dog
16. Sebadoh, Smash Your Head on the Punk Rock (Sebadoh’s Sub Pop Debut released in 1992), Brand New Love

17. The Kinks, Kwyet Kinks, A Well Respected Man (Song was released in 1965)
18. Lou Reed, The Bells (1979), Looking for Love
19. Bob Dylan, The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan, Girl From the North Country (Request for David, Sam, and their little one on the way.)
20. Pavement, Wowee Zowee (1994), We Dance
21. The Tell-Tale Hearts, A Matter of Time: The Best of Ray Brandes, It’s Just a Matter of Time
22. Lyres, 12 Classic 45s, I Really Want You Right Now
23. The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion (1992), Feeling of Love
24. Mercury Rev, Deserter’s Songs (1998), Opus 40
25. Nouvelle Vague, Nouvelle Vague, Love Will Tear Us Apart

26. Lou Barlow, Goodnight Unknown, Take Advantage (Justin from Standing on the Verge brought this soon to be released track in, and it was GREAT!)
27. Ugly Casanova, Sharpen Your Teeth (2002), Hotcha Girls
28. The Moldy Peaches, The Moldy Peaches (2001), Anyone Else But You

A mixtape I made with turntables and a cassette deck. Click the photo to download for free. Hope you enjoy!