Ett sedvanligt välvadderat Groove-paket landade idag på dörrmattan, innehållande fyra nya skivor.

Claire and the Reasons – Arrow

Kapten Kid & det oändliga sommarlovet – Ingen lek

Joseph Arthur – Nuclear daydream

och sist men inte minst…

Josefina Sanner – Love case scenario

En första genomlyssning har genomförts under den alltmer febriga eftermiddagen, sedermera kvällen. Det är alltid en lättnad när det står klart att ingen av de fyra (det är alltid fyra per paket) skivorna är rent ut sagt dåliga. De tre-fyra efterföljande lyssningarna blir så oerhört mycket roligare och textkonstruerandet betydligt mindre ångestfyllt.

Utöver dessa, avsedda för Groove, finns ytterligare några recensioner som kommer hamna annorstädes. Kolla Musiklandet och Vertex under de närmsta dagarna så får ni veta vilka skivor det gäller. Ledtråd: Det rör sig om genomgående bra skivor.

Goodness, wasn’t 2002 a dire year for music? Still, there were some highlights, and doubtless a few gems I missed (as always, I can only include those albums I have and like).
* * *

Johnny Cash – American IV – The Man Comes Around

In 2005, Any Minor Dude had his first guitar lesson. The tutor, a session musician of some repute, asked the 10-year-old what he wanted to play, probably expecting to hear Green Day or Black Eyed Peas. Any Minor Dude responded: “Johnny Cash”. It had nothing to do with my influence; he had seen the wonderful video for Hurt on MTV, and became an instant fan. Soon after, he bought the Highwaymen CD (Cash’s supergroup with Jennings and Kristofferson) and polished up on older Cash music, even buying a live DVD. I suspect that Hurt, which features on The Man Comes Around, may have introduced many young people to the genius of Johnny Cash. It certainly established this album as the best known of the American recordings.

I don’t know whether it is the best of the series. When I hear it, I think it probably is, especially when I consider that this was released only three months before the man’s death, and so stands as a testament (in a prescient bit of sequencing, the traditional ballad Streets Of Laredo, with its theme of death, burial and redemption, closes the set). But when I hear the first or third American albums, I think whichever one I am listening to is the best. American IV has a few songs that did not need to be recorded, such as Personal Jesus and Bridge Over Troubled Water. But then there are those two extraordinary covers, Nine Inch Nail’s Hurt and Sting’s Hung My Head, which Cash entirely appropriates. Those two and the title track eclipse almost anything in this great Rick Rubin-produced series.
Johnny Cash – The Man Comes Around.mp3
Johnny Cash – Streets Of Laredo.mp3

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Rosie Thomas – When We Were Small

Few singers achieve such immediate intimacy with her listeners as Seattle’s Rosie Thomas, whose beautiful, vulnerable voice accompanies sweet acoustic melodies. Lovely though her songs may sound, her lyrics are in turn sardonic, sad and dark. On her debut album, childhood is a running thread, with what seem to be random old family recordings linking tracks. As all her subsequent albums (other than last year’s Christmas album), When We Were Small has a sense of deep yearning for absent contentment, fleeting moment of love to fill in long, lacerating periods of loss felt deeply. If that sounds boring, know that Thomas was signed by Jonathan Poneman of Sub Pop, the record label that made grunge, who had caught Rosie singing during her stand-up comedy gigs (what’s that about sad clowns?). This is an astonishing debut, and Rosie would get even better yet.
Rosie Thomas – Wedding Day.mp3

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Wilco – Yankee Hotel Foxtrot

My pick of song from this album will alert the Wilco fan which side of the group I prefer: the alt-country Wilco. There’s some of that on Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, which many seem to regard as a highpoint of ’00s music. Some Wilco purists may hate me for saying it, but my preference resides with this album’s 1999 predecessor, Summerteeth, or the undervalued Sky Blue Sky. On Yankee Hotel Foxtrot Wilco go experimental, with noise distortion and electronic innovations, which ordinarily are not my bag. Then what, the reader is entitled to demand, is Yankee Hotel Foxtrot doing on this list? Well, within the Wilco framework, it’s actually very good, and at times exhilarating as the musical dissonance accompanies the discord in the relationships Tweedy is singing about. It may not be my favourite Wilco album, but I’ll concede that it is the Wilco classic.
Wilco – Jesus, etc.mp3

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Ben Folds – Ben Folds Live

No artist I like ever comes to play where I live (other than Missy Higgins, whose gig I missed, and Counting Crows, whose tickets I couldn’t afford at the time); only megastars and superannuated irrelevancies fly in to fleece the South African consumer (a largely ignorant group of people who think that Coldplay is on the sharp end of the cutting edge). Happily, I had my fill of great concerts when I lived in London. But if I could invite one artist to tour South Africa, it would be Ben Folds, alone on strength of two DVDs and many bootlegs I have of Folds in concert — and this album.

It seems a strange decision for Folds to have recorded a solo live album only one album after having split the Ben Folds Five. So the tracklisting incorporates old BFF numbers (such as the astonishing Narcolepsy, Army, Best Imitation Of Myself, The Last Polka, Brick, and Song For The Dumped), which lose little through the absence of his rhythm section, and material from the solo debut, 2001’s Rockin’ The Suburbs, plus a rather good cover of Elton John’s Tiny Dancer. The set includes Folds’ two party pieces: directing the audience to provide backing orchestration to the very funny Army (“Well, I thought about the army; Dad said, ‘Son, you’re fucking high”) and spooky harmonies to Not The Same, the song about a friend who climbed up a tree during a party while on an acid trip and had become a born-again Christian by the time he came down.
Ben Folds – Army (live).mp3 (link fixed)

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Alexi Murdoch – Four Songs

Maybe I’m cheating by including an EP comprising, as the title suggest, only four songs by Murdoch, who is usually compared to Nick Drake, and reasonable so. But those four songs are excellent; why dilute things with mediocre filler tracks? Having said that, Murdoch’s full debut album, 2006’s Time Without Consequence, turned out to be a consistently fine effort with few fillers. That album featured re-recordings of three of the songs on the EP (and those three also appear in re-recorded form on the recently released Away We Go soundtrack, which also recycles a heap of tracks from Time Without Consequence). From the EP, the moody Orange Sky received a fair amount of exposure on several TV shows and soundtracks — which we must not scorn; the licensing fees from TV shows, soundtracks and commercials feed many excellent musicians.
Alexi Murdoch – Blue Mind.mp3

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Tift Merritt – Bramble Rose

Like soul music, country in the past decade or so has been molded and packaged to turn out generic, corporate slush headlined by the regrettable likes of Shania Twain, Carrie Underwood and Taylor Swift. For the most part, it’s pop that is unconvincingly dressed up as country. The cowboy-hatted diehards may have recourse to perennial Grammy nominees such as Tim McGraw and Alan Jackson, or the bluegrass offerings of Alison Krauss or, lately, Dolly Parton. But beneath the surface of commercial prosperity, country remains vibrant.

Tift Merritt is one of those who work from a rich, venerable tradition without being compromised by the dictates of commercialism. Merritt’s quiet, melodious debut is the most traditional country of her three albums, with slide guitars and the sensibilities of such legends of the genre as Emmylou Harris or Jessi Colter (and, on the rockier songs, Linda Ronstadt) much in evidence. Her second album veered towards bluegrass, and the third album is more accomplished, but this is a very creditable debut.
Tift Merrit – Diamond Shoes.mp3

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Joseph Arthur – Redemption’s Son

The Indie singer-songwriter has not produced anything I like since 2004’s Our Shadows Still Remain, but the trio of that album, 2000’s Come To Where I’m From and Redemption’s Son should sustain me in those times when I require a Joseph Arthur fix (actually, I’ve sequenced my favourite tracks from those albums on my iPod). Arthur’s strength resides in his introspective lyrics, much on this set of a Christian bent (of the Sufjan Stevens variety, I hasten to add. The man has his fill of inner conflicts). Musically, he is eclectic and experimental, which is certainly commendable and perhaps expected of a Peter Gabriel protégé, though I can do without the kitchen sink production of some tracks. And the album is a few songs too long. But when it hits the sweet spot, it’s gorgeous.
Joseph Arthur – Honey And The Moon.mp3

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Josh Rouse – Under Cold Blue Stars

I know a venerable music journalist who’ll fling all review albums by anyone called Josh or Joshua (or, indeed, Ben) across the floor. It’s safe to say that the man is not a great fan of the often misunderstood and unjustly maligned singer-songwriter label. Still, I have a feeling he’d like Josh Ritter, though I’m not quite sure whether he would take to Josh Rouse. Certainly the music of this Josh would not conform to his expectation of a guitar strumming singer-songwriter. He might be surprised to hear a musician who creates appealing, intelligent pop numbers, many of which would not have been out of place on early Prefab Sprout albums. Under Cold Blue Stars is a fine album; if it was all Rouse would ever record, I’d regard it as a favourite. It was, however, followed by two outstanding albums, 1972 and Nashville. This set can’t compete with those (but it’s better than the two albums that came after those). I’ve had trouble deciding which song to feature, which is a mark of how good an album this is.
Josh Rouse – Feeling No Pain.mp3 (link fixed)

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Iron & Wine – The Creek Drank The Cradle

Sam Beam, for he is Iron & Wine, recorded the songs on this album, another debut on Sub Pop, as demos at his Florida home on four-track, and it very much sounds like it. Beam’s almost whispered vocals accompany very pretty but not necessarily memorable melodies. But it’s not that kind of album (whereas the follow-up, 2004’s Our Endless Numbered Days, had a few of those); you put it on to be immersed by a soothing and ultimately engaging atmosphere, aided by some astutely ambiguous lyrics. The deficiencies in sound quality make sense when Beam borrows from old country and bluegrass, as he does on An Angry Blade and The Rooster Moans, which one might well mistake for some old, lost Appalachian recordings. Indeed, the aural imperfections add to the set’s intimacy.
Iron & Wine – Upward Over The Mountain.mp3

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Counting Crows – Hard Candy

The early ’00s suffered from nostalgia trips by people who grew up in the ’90s: Ben Folds Five devotees who refuse to accept the Ben Folds One, Weezer fans who want Pinkerton perpetually recycled (and, to be fair, the latest Weezer album is awful), and Counting Crows devotees who need to compare every new Crows album to August And Everything After. The latter group was hard on Hard Candy. It may not be the (rather overrated) debut’s equal, but it certainly is more upbeat — and Duritz finally stops going on about the heartbreaking Elisabeth. Admittedly, Hard Candy includes some filler material, but this is the age of WinAmp which allows the listener to re-sequence albums (if only to avoid the ghastly American Girls). If some of the album is frustratingly disappointing, the other half comprises some of Counting Crows’ finest moments. Holiday In Spain is gorgeous, even if the album version is rendered entirely redundant by the gorgeous live version on the New Amsterdam album, which was recorded on the Hard Candy tour. Counting Crows have referenced The Band throughout their career; here their heroes get a namecheck by way of noting Richard Manuel’s death (even if The Band’s late, bearded singer serves only as a MacGuffin to a reflection on a relationship).
Counting Crows – If I Could Give All My Love (Or Richard Manuel Is Dead).mp3

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More Albums of the Year

WORD

inane [i-neyn] adj. 1. lacking sense, significance, or ideas; silly: inane questions 2. empty; void ∞ n. 3. something that is empty or void, esp. the void of infinite space

BIRTHDAY

Confucious (551 BC), Ed Sullivan (1901), Max Schmeling (1905), Al Capp (1909), Brigitte Bardot (1934), Rod Roddy (1937), Ben E. King (1938), J.T. Walsh (1943), Steve Largent (1954), Janeane Garofalo (1964), Mira Sorvino (1967), Moon Unit Zappa (1967), Naomi Watts (1968), Joseph Arthur (1971), Bam Margera (1979), Ray Emery (1982), Hilary Duff (1987)

STANDPOINT

When it comes to the world of music, I’m in a bit of a shitty spot.

Because, you see, no matter what your particular music inclinations (and I’m sure they’re fantastic), there’s a 73% chance I feel different. Yes. It’s confusing. Let me clarify a bit.

For me, there are only three sects of music listeners out there.

“I don’t care if it’s cool, I just like that song.” – You’re someone who has uttered the previous statement about 9,233 times. You turn on the radio. You hear a song that begs you to drive faster, tap your foot and sing at the top of your lungs. The song ends. Some smooth DJ informs you that the last song was the newest release by Pink, Nickelback or some similarly dreadful source. For about three seconds, you wrestle with the following contradictory facts: (a) you’re relatively sure the artist is somewhat uncool, and (b) you just don’t care because it made you bounce around and sing. If bouncing around and singing in your car is important to you, you’ll likely choose the last option. And, hey, that’s more than all right. Just don’t go around offering up your opinion when the rest of us are talking about what constitutes good music. You’ve eliminated yourself as trustworthy. Sadly, you’re definitely part of the problem. Yes, you’re a fucking moron if you think the new Green Day album is “really good” just because everyone else is listening to it. You either suck at evaluating music or you just don’t care enough to be discerning. Either way, you’re someone who contributes to the MTV culture and that’s just not OK. Ever.

“Even if I’ve listened to a band for years, once I hear one of their songs during a TV commercial, I think they’re shit.” – OK, I get where you’re coming from. You’re an indie rock enthusiast with a chip on your shoulder. You’re absolutely right. But you’re also absolutely wrong. Unfortunately, the music you like is conveying ideals and beliefs that you own, that you share. And it’s not likely these ideals and beliefs have anything to do with “selling out” or being the song employed in the promo for the upcoming season of fucking “Grey’s Anatomy.” It sucks that millions of people (who’ve done nothing but turn on the TV) have discovered one of your favorites songs of the past three years, a song you found because you do the legwork, you’re constantly researching, looking for good music. You’re head’s up. But your head’s also up your ass if you can’t be happy for Vampire Weekend because the guys in that band, while they probably adore playing the smaller artsy venues in front of you and 100 other people, are looking for maximum exposure. And, while it sucks you gotta hear people you know to be moronic talk about how “it’s great when they curse at the beginning of ‘Oxford Comma,’” deal with it. You owe it to those who’ve brought you so many hours of listening pleasure. The main reason you suck is because you make others feel uncomfortable about their choices. And, hey, who the fuck are you?

“What in the good goddamn is wrong with you people?” – Here’s the group I’m in with most of the people I call friends. It takes work to be in this group. You have to constantly adjust your position. But in a quality way.  Most of you out there see things in black and white. And that’s worse than listening to Creed. The world ebbs and flows, and you gotta ebb and flow with it, brother. Just because an artist is making supremely shitty music right now, doesn’t mean it’s gonna be that way forever. People change. Attitudes get readjusted. We all eventually get shown the light. I’m of the personal unpopular opinion one of my favorite bands, R.E.M., will come back around one day and get back to some seriously good business. You probably disagree. That’s cool.  

Here’s the bottom line: Listen to music you like. It’s fine. But you need to understand, no matter which group you fall into, you’re never gonna be completely right. Unless you’re me. Sorry abour your luck.

QUOTATION

If you love somebody, let them go, for if they return, they were always yours. And if they don’t, they never were. ← Khalil Gibran

TUNE

In the spirit of my Standpoint, I offer “Sweet Pain.” A 90s song from a Blues Traveler, a band just about everyone’s deemed irrelevant. Listen to it. Do you feel what I can feel?

GALLIMAUFRY

→ I think Esquire sending someone who knows very little about pop culture to interview Gerard Butler had a great result. As a matter of fact, there’s not much Esquire can do that doesn’t meet with my immediate approval.

→ The LAPD is pretty fucking relentless. Just ask Roman Polanski, who’s been wanted by Los Angeles authorities for over 30 years. He was arrested this past Saturday night in Switzerland. Finally. Seriously, how in the world is the USA supposed to bring anyone to justice if it can’t bring down this guy? Top notch work, everyone. Now, how about you all get back to work on shit that really matters? Thanks.

→ Christ. Peter Forsberg wants back into the NHL. The team on the top of his wishlist? You guessed it, genius. My Philadelphia Flyers. Stay away, Peter. We’ve moved on.

Actuación de The Twilight Singers acompañados por Joseph Arthur no programa Jimmy Kimmer Live! do canle americano ABC, onde interpretan ‘Sublime’ (do seu EP A Stitch In Time de 2007 e ‘Forty Dollars’ (do seu último LP Powder Burns editado en 2006)

Some light reading:

Music Is Art: The Best Albums Of Summer 2009

Thanks Captain Obvious: Daytrotter Mixtape II

Hear Ya: The Deep Dark Woods, Live Session #55, featuring two new tracks

Tough Customer: Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros

And some tunes for your trouble – make sure you check out Concept: Bravery and the gorgeous Langhorne Slim number.

Antiques – Concept: Bravery

Born To Be Wild – Langhorne Slim

Fall On My Knees – Old Crow Medicine Show

Speed Of Light – Joseph Arthur

A Choppy Yet Sincere Apology – Riverboat Gamblers

Should there still be people who think of Google as t-shirt clad rebels against The Man, let them be disabused of their folly. Quite in contrast to the image Google seeks to portray, they are a corporate branch of The Man, not the Internet’s equivalent of cuddly mineral-water drinking Ashbury Haights hippies.

Among Google’s service is Blogger (with the blogspot.com addresses). Those who follow such things will know that Blogger indiscriminately deletes posts in response to (supposed) DMCA notices alleging copyright violation. Google will not tell which part of an offending post breached copyright, and I have come across cases where posts were deleted in supposed accordance with the DMCA, but did not feature copyrighted material. Google has every right to protect themselves from real threats of legal problems, but they seem to be doing more than that. The deletions are indiscriminate.

Presumable there is pressure from the music industry (or perhaps Google has a stake in the industry). If so, it is a shame that record companies fail to distinguish between blogs that upload the latest Madonna album before it is being released, and those that post mostly old and often out-of-print music. A blog of the latter nature was Whiteray’s excellent Echoes In The Wind, which last week was deleted in its entirety, without warning. I cannot see how the music industry is being crippled by a blogger sharing the obscure sixth track of Boz Scaggs’ 1969 album. But, of course, Whiteray has no idea what content produced complaints — if any — from copyright holder.

Echoes In The Wind: nuked by Blogger

In the last few weeks, I’ve had messages from members of two ‘70s groups, the Persuasions and the Flaming Ember, thanking me for posting their music. Circumstantial proof that some artists do support what blogs like mine and Whiteray’s and many others are doing. We hope to introduce readers to music we are passionate about, or make them aware of a relevance that may create interest. Much of that music is out of print or otherwise rare. We all hope that the interest we hopefully generate will animate some people to buy the albums. All of us are happy to take down music should the copyright holder ask (they needn’t even be polite). Few of us, if any, try to make money out of this blogging thing. There are no ads on this blog, there were none on Echoes In The Wind. We do invest much time and, I hope, talent for the love of the music.

So Echoes In The Wind has been nuked. An archive representing years of work is gone (though Whiteray has saved his drafts in Word documents). But there is some good news. As of tomorrow, Tuesday, Whiteray will be back, not on Blogger but on WordPress. Visit him in great numbers for a housewarming at http://niagaseohce.wordpress.com/

To celebrate, a few songs with appropriate titles. All fine songs. Buy the albums.

Joseph Arthur – Echo Park.mp3
A lovely, haunting ballad from Arthur’s excellent 2004 album Our Shadows Will Remain.

Jimmy Dludlu – Echoes From The Past.mp3
Great Afro-jazz track by the South African guitar virtuoso, from the classic 1997 album of the same name.

Tristan Prettyman – Echo2.mp3
Gorgeous track by a gorgeous singer in the folk-tinged pop mould with which Colbie Caillat has had deserved success lately.

Dar Williams – Echoes.mp3
Williams has recorded many albums; this song is from a favourite of those, 2005’s My Better Self.

Aquí tedes a terceiras parte do Especial NPA. Nesta ocasión temos outra tanda de videos bastante variados: dende os clásicos Alice Cooper, Lou Reed ou John Fogerty pasando polo maravilloso mundo de The Cramps, mártires como Jeff Buckley, rock 90’s da man de Hole, The Black Crowes ou Grant Lee Buffalo e moitos máis.

A disfrutar!

1. The Cramps – (1995)

2. Sparklehorse – ‘Hammering The Cramps’ (1996)

3. Alice Cooper – ‘Blow Me A Kiss’ (2000)

4. Rancid – ‘Ruby Soho’

5. Jeff Buckley – Grace (1995)

6. 16 Horsepower – ‘Haw’ (1997)

7. Beck – ‘Loser’ (1995)

8. Lou Reed – ‘Satellite Of Love’ (1996)

9. Grant Lee Buffalo – ‘Mockingbird’ (1994)

10. John Fogerty – ‘Proud Mary’ + ‘Joy Of My Life’ (1997)

11. The Black Crowes – ‘A Conspiracy’ (1994)

12. …And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead – ‘Mistakes And Regrets’

13. Fiona Apple – ‘Shadowboxer’

14. Hole – ‘Doll Parts’ (1995)

15. Nashville Pussy – ‘Snake Eyes/Go Motherfucker Go’

16. ZZ Top – ‘She’s Just Killing Me’ + ‘Vincent Price Blues’ (1996)

17. Joseph Arthur – ‘Daddy’s On Prozac’ (1997)

18. Chris Cornell – ‘Can’t Change Me’ (1999)

19. Rocket From The Crypt – ‘Born In 69′ (1996)

20. Mogwai – ‘Summer’ (1998)

Thanks to my friend LK, I was reminded of Joseph Arthur. I like this song of his in particular, though I have only heard a few of his songs from his many albums. I remember this one from the movie Saved!

Song Recommendations

If you like this song, I also suggest:

• Death Cab For Cutie
• Iron & Wine
• Regina Spektor

I also suggest the music genre:

• Singer-Songwriter

Click here for more info on Joseph Arthur – Come to Where I’m From – “In The Sun”.

The MP3 may be purchased here:

Joseph Arthur - Come to Where I'm From

if the colours were different, i guess it could look like a karate uniform. don’t know why i can’t get enough of this shirt though, it’s not even that comfy. the flower = i didn’t like the look on my face so decided to ‘artistically’ cover it up.

tried to do a spot of non-clothes shopping yesterday..ended up getting a new cozzie, black leather-look backpack, some canvas shoes and various cosmetic items to help me get ready for summer. must go back to T2 sometime soon and try out some of their flavours. we’re fast becoming tea addicts in our house, i think i counted 12 different varieties the other day.

today is gorgeous and sunny, so i’m gonna try and force some unsuspecting victims to come to the beach with me, even though there’ll probably be a southerly coming in by the time i get there. mwuahaha. it’s either that, or sitting around reading weekend papers and telling myself that it counts as research for my major project. the coming week is a big week though, so i need to get cracking asap.

(Learn more about Worth A Listen HERE.)

So, I always post female singer/songwriters. I keep forgetting the good ol’ boys. There are SO many awesome male singer/songwriters and indie musicians that I love. So, today is all about the men. This is sort of the male version of this Worth A Listen that I posted not too long ago.

I saved the best for last, Elliott Smith, may he rest in peace. The poor guy stabbed himself in the heart in 2003. Some speculate that he did not kill himself, but if they were familiar with Elliott, they would know he killed himself. He was one of the most depressed guys EVER. He not only battled with depression and alcoholism, but he was heavily addicted to hard drugs for a long time. I have no doubt that he took his own life.

Credit to all rightful owners for any video(s) and/or image(s) featured in this blog entry.

hey, look – its june 2009 & i haven’t made a mix-tape (disk? playlist?) in sometime.  i was killing time the other day so i threw together some shit that i’m loving at this moment – some of it is new, some of it old, some funky & filled with hooks – other tracks a lil’ quieter… but all good imho.  want a copy?  let me know… or better yet, show the bands some love & spend .99 on them, most of these tunes are on itunes.

baditude | spoon, harris + obernik

this was a huge dance floor jam last summer & it still amazes!  dave spoon, paul harris & vocalist sam obernik join forces for this instant classic.  we’ve used it a ton in runway shows & trust me, girls can walk the fuck out of this groove.  turn this baby up loud in the car, with the windows down.  

disco heaven | heloise & the savoir faire

what do you get when you mix “tina turner beyond the thunderdome era…diana ross central park 1983 era…and the french revolution”?   nyc’s club scene/fashion provocateur’s heloise + the savoir faire.  disco punk never sounded so fun.  debbie harry is swooning in her hair bleach even as we speak.  i’ve been addicted to their cd ‘trash, rats & microphones’ for about 6 months now, the full album never ceases to get me to jump around my apartment like a fool.  

heads will roll | yeah yeah yeahs

what new order started in 1983 with ‘blue monday’ evolves sweetly into the brand new yeah yeah yeahs track ‘heads will roll’ – it’s urgent, synth-y & pure dance floor sex.  the infectious groove get’s under your skin & sticks to your bones.  and based on their gig last week at minneapolis’ 1st ave, we finally have a proper heir to siouxsie’s throne.  throbbing, sexy, hard, soft, aggressive & vibrant.  all at the same time.

i was made for loving you | queen of japan

having absolutely nothing to do with japan (are a nebulous group of producers + catriona shaw on vox), queen of japan are a confusing lot.  they’ve made their underground name on remaking (reworking?  destroying?) well known tunes with an ear towards sleaze/electroclash.  the track here, originally done by kiss, turns into a slow-burn, deeply intimate/sexual come-on to an unseen girl.  is the music a lark, or is it meant to be taken serious?  not sure, but i do know i love the groove they’ve laid down & again, this thing sounds massive in a car or in headphones.

black + gold | katy perry

yeah, yeah, she kissed a girl and the track sucked balls.  she’s redeemed herself a bit here with this cover of last year’s sam sparro smash.  completely up-ending the tune and reworking it as an urgent, quiet ballad works well for the song (!) and for katy’s thin voice.  yeah, i love the original, but katy’s version opens new layers to sparro’s grammy-nominated song.  

listen to the darkside | charlie mars

this track is my new favorite as i just discovered it a week or so back.  one review i read compared him to the ethereal quality of daniel lanois mixed with a bit of g. love.  to that i would add some of the country-rock flavor the jayhawks.  the tune is a simple little groove that is quite lovely and subtle, but with a lot of soul.  

front street | the gutter twins

anyone who’s ever read any of my blogs knows i love me some greg dulli.  along with prince, siouxsie, peter gabriel, kate bush & concrete blonde; his songs have informed the better part of my musical world for the better part of 15 years.  this tune, off last year’s saturnalia was the result of a partnership with screaming tree’s mark lanegran  and finds dulli at his most confessional.  admitting secrets is never an easy thing, but his words evoke a dark feeling most of us are too afraid to tell the world.  for me, it’s amazing when a song can take you on a journey – and that’s just what front street does, granted its a dark journey, but a journey just the same. 

lassoo | the duke spirit

i discovered the duke spirit after they appeared on the last UNKLE record & was immediately taken with liela moss’ voice (NME calls moss’ a proper lady of rock, and what a wonderful thing that is).  then i checked out their sophomore effort, neptune, from-which ‘lassoo’ was taken and was quickly blown away.  the mix of big horn’s, 60’s grooves and tight hard rock makes for a pretty impressive sound.  

you can’t see me | grand ole party

ok, you won’t be able to get this track for a bit o’time – the band gave it out at a show i saw last week (they opened for the yeah yeah yeahs).  matt and I were completely impressed by this cali trio (by the way, the vocalist is also the drummer, how cool is that?)  the music itself is such a brilliant mix of that classic 60’s sound mixed with the modern edge of a siouxsie or a pj harvey.  i see big things happening for grand ole party .

tell the lie | the bellrays

discovered these guys via lead singer lisa kekaula’s appearance on the ’05 basement jaxx album kish kash.  and was a little taken aback by the bands punk/soul vibe (vs, the straight up soul/disco of the ‘jaxx), but the more i listen, the more i love.  this is what i think me’shell ndegeo’cello would sound like if she ever made a straight up bar/rock record.  powerful pipes supported my a very muscular lil’ punk/soul band.  nice job bellrays!

exit through you  | joseph arthur, peter gabriel aka big blue ball

i’ve talked at length about how much i love the world beat fusion rock record big blue ball (recorded over a 4 year period in the early 90’s & then guided to release over the next 13 years by karl wallinger (world party) and stephen hague (pet shop boys, annie lennox) before, and the album is still a-must listen to a couple times a week – and this is the track that fires on all cylinders.  arthur’s moody earthy vox and words partnered with gabriel’s world view is a great mix.  filled in with a cast of players from all over the world and you get one great tune – a tune that you’ll be humming for days to come.  

fucking boyfriend (peaches remix) | the bird & the bee

as a huge fan of the bird and the bee, i was giddy happy to see what electroclash queen peaches would do to this killer track.  what she does as a remixer is brilliant; she takes the track, twists it and builds the monster groove (in a club this would be amazing), but holds onto the essence of the song (love when it all drops out about 3/4 of the way in and your left with the simmering original vocal).  very nice peaches.  and yes, i would be your fucking boyfriend.

puppets | atmosphere

winning the title for best album name of 2008 (when life gives you lemons, you paint that shit gold), minneapolis based hip hop kings return with this moody, atmospheric (!) slow burning anthem.  puppets is simply an amazing piece of poetry with a really great groove underneath.  who’s it about?  who knows, but given they’re from minneapolis – there’s a ton of speculation that they’re about our purple prince.  slug’s words are nothing short of amazing:

i think its great how you used to be great

i cant hate on how you choose to relate

but i know that you had the potential

i understand why you wanted to let go

a lot of pressure in the middle of those shoulders

and we aint gettin nothin but older

aint nothin change but the day we run from

but nobody knows it better than you huh?

billionaire | peaches featuring yo majesty’s shunda k

all hail the queen.  peaches came back this year with the utterly amazing ‘i feel cream’ album.  what puppets did for subtlety, billionaire does for sheer force of power and bravado.  billionaire is raunchy, hard, throbbing and completely inspiring.  there’s power here in both her rap and shunda’s – these are women completely, unapologetically in control of their lives and sexuality.  lucky is the man (or woman) picked to please them.  peaches is the female equivalent to every male rock-fantasy icon in a way madonna can never be. 

absent minded friends | moloko

this is an old track that is stuck on repeat for me lately.  what grabs me every single time is the amazing production (layers upon layers; listen to it in headphones = amazing) mixed with róisín murphy’s amazingly fragile voice.  normally she sounds strong and hard, but her voice here is like a pane of thin glass.  i love that dichotomy.  surprise me like they did in 2000 with this release and i’ll come back time and time again.

i’m good, i’m gone (black kids remix) | lykke li

hailing equally from stockholm, portugal, lisbon, morocco, nepal & india, lykke li is much like a better travelled bjork.  albeit a better travelled bjork with more accessible tunes.  equal bits new wave & dance-pop – this tune is infectious and slinky.  as rolling stone said in their 100 best singles of ’08; “hand claps are the new power chords.”

quiet steam | peter gabriel

rumor has it that gabriel, fearing that his 1992 hit ‘steam’ would simply be dubbed ‘son of sledgehammer’, simultaneously recorded this muted, ambient version & released it as a b-side.  as great as steam is, this version just blows it away.  there is an aching, yearning quality to his voice that the pop version simply doesn’t have.  the rhythmic percussion, simple repeating guitar line (that maintains a bit of that soul/stax vibe the original has) & flutes move the song along a gentle winding stream. 

drifting away | faithless

i am dying to use this song in a show; i have the whole production mapped out in my head, now to just find the money and the talent!  hard to sum up this song in a paragraph – it’s just beautiful plain & simple… the opening vocals, to the percussive  (loose) beat.  the song just moves me.  

superbe chanson, artiste majeur.

et tellement de souvenirs pour moi…

et quant au décor, euh…

bien à vous,

nicogé

More douche-chilling…the montage, or the comments below it:

” i love love love you videos!!!! you are so very talented!”

This song is beautiful.

I didn’t write it.

I wish I had.

Joseph Arthur wrote it.

I covered it.

My wife wandered in the room and sang background vocals.

All before the kids woke up this morning. 

After the break-up comes the longing for a love lost or forfeited. Or so it seems with this bunch of singers.
…

B.J. Thomas – Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song (1975).mp3
When one wallows in misery, it is good to know that others are feeling just as badly. B.J. Thomas wants his sorrow over a break-up validated by knowing about the romantic distress of others; a union of broken hearts standing together in spiritual solidarity. B.J. is calling for that fraternity through the medium of song. So if he is still wallowing, this post might be just what he needs while he misses his baby. “So please play for me a sad melody, so sad that it makes everybody cry; a real hurtin’ song about a love that’s gone wrong, ’cause I don’t want to cry all alone.” Lyrics Morrissey would have killed for.
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Richard Hawley – Valentine (2007).mp3
Alas, poor Richard Hawley. Earlier in this series he went to a popular hang-out in a futile bid to pull (here), and here his heart is so irreparably broken that he wants no company. He appears to outline the chain of events leading to this unhappy state. First he feels secure in the arms of the woman, then he sees “a warning in your eyes”. The chorus comes in with Hawley pleading not to receive gifts from what potential new love interests on February 14 because he’s still not over the one whose optomological alert he had so perceptively discerned.“Don’t need no valentines, no, no; don’t need no roses, ’cause it just takes me back in time…Now you’re not here” (and listen out for the way he sings “here anymore” in the third chorus).

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Rose Royce – Wishing On A Star (1977).mp3
Here the singer was responsible for the break-up and desperately regrets it by way of cliché: “I didn’t mean to hurt you, but I know that in the game of love you reap what you sow.” She is proposing a reconciliation, but seems to understand that this may be a hope to far. Still, she insistently and repeatedly articulates her petition: “And I wish on all the rainbows that I see; I wish on all the people we’ve ever been; and I’m hopin’ on all the days to come and days to go, and I’m hopin’ on days of lovin’ you. So I’m wishing on a star, to follow where you are.”

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Rosie Thomas – Since You’ve Been Around (2005).mp3
In the most beautiful and moving of all the beautiful and moving songs here, Rosie had been maltreated by love before, as we learn in the song’s punchline. Now the person who healed her damaged heart is gone too, pulling the rug from under Rosie’s feet. “I’m wandering, I’m crawling, I’m two steps away from falling –  I just can’t seem to get around. I’m heavy, I’m weary, I’m not thinking clearly. I just can’t seem to find solid ground since you’ve been around.”
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Kate Walsh – Don’t Break My Heart (2007).mp3
About as beautiful as Rosie Thomas’ track, fellow songbird Kate Walsh’s song protests that the object of her desire should make himself scarce because just seeing him opens up still raw wounds. “I’ll fall again if I see your face again, my love, and I’ve done all my crying for you love.” So meeting him again, with his antics such as rolling his blue eyes at her, will break her heart all over again. She wants to forget him, because “I cannot be in matrimony with a dream of love”.
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Joseph Arthur – A Smile That Explodes (2004).mp3
It has been a while since the woman left poor Joseph, and he is depressed. “The plants have died, my hair has grown from the thought of you coming home.” He gets by through the consumption of alcohol, which is never a good idea in his mental condition. And in between he writes her letters which “I won’t send, except for across the floor” (what a fantastic line). Now and then he dreams of happier times, with her in his arms, but then the image of bliss turns to abrupt dread with “a smile that explodes” — again, wonderful imagery — “I could never understand”.

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Smokey Robinson – Just To See Her (1987).mp3
If B.J. Thomas had chosen to be more precise in his instruction, he may well have specified that he wanted a Smokey song to be played, because nobody does broken-heartedness the way Smokey Robinson does (even if here, the lyrics aren’t his). The tune is a cheerful, upbeat affair. Smokey sounds like he has no care in the world. But, as we know from past experience, in situations of heartache, Smokey pretends to be the life a party, putting on an out-of-place smile, masquerading outside while inside is heart is breaking. So the melody is deceiving us: Smokey is desperate to see his love again. “I would go anywhere. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do, just to see her again” and “hold her in my arms again, one more time”.

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Foo Fighters – Walking After You (live) (2006).mp3
While our other friends in this post have taken to despondency, dreaming, drinking, and descending into despair, Grohl is taking action before anything can happen. Anticipating that she is leaving him, he psyches himself into dumped mode and pledges to become a stalker. “I cannot be without you, matter of fact. I’m on your back”. Just to be sure she gets the sinister message he repeats: “I’m on your back.” And once more for creepy emphasis:“I’m on your back.” So, “if you walk out on me, I’m walking after you.” And with big Dave Grohl on her back, she won’t get very far.

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In this series so far:
Love hurts
Unrequited love
Being in love
Longing for love
Heartbreak
Adultery
Death
Impossible Love
Love Songs Mix

When I was younger, all my pocket money would be spent on singles.  Every week without fail.  My tastes seemed to be more pop/chart-orientated but even then, there were certain ecclectic elements floating in the water.  Like High Fidelity, I used to do mix tapes.  And because I did college radio at the time, I could operate a mixing desk and somehow naturally, could put disparate songs together and make one flow into the other.  So mix tapes were an extension of that.

Only I went over the top with it – covers had the full track listing, songwriting credits, running time, copyright and label details – the whole shebang.  Now cassettes have been superceeded by CDs and now playlists.  Yet I still get the pleasure in concocting a mix CD once in a while, especially when you have a nice little list of songs you have recently discovered, by bands or singers that you had never heard of, you think would fit wonderfully together.  Especially with the tastes in music I now have – jazz, blues, electronic, dub, reggae, alternative.  I would love to have gotten into radio or even songwriting (that’s where I started writing) but my voice is too quiet, although I don’t have the lack of self confidence I once had.  But I used to love mixing the songs together.  As the college was virtually empty on Wednesday afternoon when I went on, I could go off on my own little musical journey.

Why ramble on about this?  In part, I started with a title to this post before I knew what I wanted to write.  The title, Songs to Sing Badly To, was the name of one of my compilation tapes.  I just loved the name, still do.  I was just reading the Radiohead website at www.radiohead.com and there are Office Playlists to things the band are listening to at the mo.  I liked the idea of adding it to this site; although, my intention was to add a list of songs / music I find helps me write more easily. (NB I don’t tend to suffer from a lack of visitation rights by my Muse, just a lack of physical movement from my arse and getting into gear to actually do something – ideas are never a problem).

So favourites for writing to (in no apparent order):

Joseph Arthur – Lonely Astronaut
from Let’s Just Be (20:32)

I love this song and it helps that it is in three parts, the first is the astronaut launching into space, the second whilst they are in space, and thirdly the fall from grace.  Always seem to write something when this is on.

Franck Monnet – Les Embellies (Album)

I’ve found that anything in a foreign language is brilliant to write to.  I think it is because it’s not strictly instrumental and the voice still forms words and rhythm that your mind naturally places your own dialogues onto.  Maybe because I have some proficiency with French, I am more attracted to it than others (although, I do like some Morroccan music and known nothing of the language there – thereby disproving that theory).
- I forget how I came across Franck Monnet.  I search for something in particular and come across singers/songwriters/bands that blow me away.  This album is the only one of Franck’s that I have heard.  I know he has written texts for Vanessa Paradis but only found this out after I had discovered the album.

Brian Eno – Another Day on Earth (Album)

Sometimes mood, music and place come together unexpectedly and like photography, you capture a dreamlike space that you want to stay in for as long as you possibly can.  For me, I seem to get more abstract ideas when I am in a meditative state (something I have learned to do, especially as I am a fan of David Lynch).  These are the things I like about writing: it’s not for money or fame or revenge (which could be fun – if I am ever in the position to enjoy them), it’s about the process of creativity and the instigation of ideas that you could never had developed beforehand.

I’d heard some of Another Day on Earth back in 1992.  The track ‘Under’ had appeared on the soundtrack to an animated film called Cool World and loved it.  So it was interesting to see it finally released on a solo album 13 years later.  However, unlike most of Brian Eno’s albums, this was the first in nearly 20 years to have Eno’s vocals on them – actually singing.  I’d read in interviews prior to the album’s release that he had become interested in gospel music and wanted to explore using vocals himself.  What intrigues me about the album, is how much the lyrics do sound like poetry.  ‘This’ had to be one of the best songs I had heard that year (minus anything from Joseph Arthur’s album Our Shadows Will Renain).  And when you place it in the context of working in this vast estate that was once used to treat mentally ill patients (and soon will once again), the mixture of buildings in a state of ruin and long oak tree-lined streets the ran as far the mind could carry you, there was something magical about the moment.  Of course the magic is not surrounding you, it is within you.

If truth be told, the ideas from that moment and my all too brief time working there have yet to be fully explored.  I have taken photographs for my own benefit and don’t plan on placing them here, partly because I am trying to figure out what it is about them that mean so much to me.  They were probably badly taken anyway, BlackBerry photos can be a little unpredictable (I have a habit of taking them when the sunshine is always obscuring my target!).  With someone like me, who does have a rather active imagination, when the sense of place is married to music like the one  Brian Eno creates, you are presented with a stage where you can walk around the world you have created in your own mind.

Dot Allison – Morning Sun
from Afterglow (08:17)

I’ve been a fan of Dot Allison’s without realising I was a fan.  I knew of One Dove and loved a song of theirs Why Don’t You Take Me when it appeared on the soundtrack to the film Shopping.  I only became aware of her solo work after her interview on the excellent Scott Walker film 30 Century Man and also because she contributed a forward to an equally commendable book of poetry by Ray Hollingsworth called Dirty Blonde at the Cash Machine (found here).

As these entries are not meant to be record reviews (although Dot Allison’s solo work is definitely recommended), Morning Sun played unexpectedly when I got to work one morning – and a chaos of creativity did ensue.  I want to explain what I have learned about this process in a later post, but sometimes the use of music whilst creating art can either be to elicit a sense of mood, inviting a rhythm or dialogue.  Mood is strong here.

U2 – Stay (Faraway, So Close)
from Zooropa (04:58)

Love them or hate them, U2 have written some classic songs.  This one, from their ‘experimental’ 1993 album Zooropa (ie they should make more albums like this), is more like a diary entry.  It’s simple, classic writing – an acoustic mood, stream of conscious lyrics about the prosaic and poetry of life’s minute little details – the mind’s dialogue with the night.

I’ve always loved this – the mood just takes you to somewhere late at night, everywhere is quiet, there are noises from the TV in people’s living rooms and the space of the imagination takes hold…

(end of Part 1)

I posted a mix of songs about being in love last year, for Valentine’s Day, with a view to facilitating loads of romantic seductions (or something). That mix got deleted by ZShare. Responding to a request, I have revised the tracklisting, dropping a few songs, adding a few new, changing the track order. The Jonatha Brooke song I owe to Barely Awake In Frog Pajamas blog. So here is Any Major Love Mix Vol. 2.

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1. Jets To Brazil – Sweet Avenue (1998)
‘ Now all these tastes improve through the view that comes with you. Like they handed me my life, for the first time it felt worth it, like I deserved it.’

2. Michelle Featherstone – Rest Of My Life (2007)
‘ How ’bout that? Waking up every morning with me. Spend our time drinking coffee, speaking softly as the days go by.’

3. Mindy Smith – It’s Amazing (2004)
‘ It’s amazing what you do to me: took my heart and made me feel things I never felt before. It’s changing me, Which direction so certainly; shook me up and threw me around. When we learn to breathe it all in.’

4. The Weepies – Gotta Have You (2006)
‘No amount of coffee, no amount of crying, no amount of whiskey, no amount of wine — no, nothing else will do. I’ve gotta have you.’

5. Richard Hawley – Baby, You’re My Light (2001)
‘But I believe in you and now I’ll show it. And as life goes on you know you don’t have to hate all you find. Baby, you’re my light.’

6. Ron Sexsmith – Whatever It Takes (2004)
‘The sun alone will never do, without your love to shine on through’

7. Ben Kweller – Falling (2002)
‘We could talk if days weren’t so fast, and mistakes just leave it so unsure. Wanna hold you like never before ’cause we’re falling and I love you more and more.’

8. Hello Saferide – Get Sick Soon (2006)
‘ Oh, I love you! I wish you got the flu, you’re the cutest thing I’ve ever seen — like a teddy bear on heroin … You can lay your weight on me and I’ll be your backbone. Lay your weight on me, you won’t have to worry.’

9. Ben Folds – The Luckiest (2001)
‘And where was I before the day that I first saw your lovely face? Now I see it everyday, and I know: I’m the luckiest.’

10. Bright Eyes – The First Day Of My Life (2005)
‘ Yours was the first face that I saw, I think I was blind before I met you. I don’t know where I am, I don’t know where I’ve been, but I know where I want to go.’

11. Iron & Wine – Such Great Heights (2004)
‘I am thinking it’s a sign that the freckles in our eyes are mirror images, and when we kiss they are perfectly alligned.’

12. Mason Jennings – Ballad For My One True Love (2000)
‘And all the while I ‘m dreaming of the ballad for my one true love, searching for the perfect way to say: I love you sweetheart, this is my dream come true.’

13. Joseph Arthur – Echo Park (2004)
‘ The fire never understands the spark, the way it is with you and me.’

14. Kate Walsh – Your Song (2007)
‘I knew I was wrong to jump straight on into this picture so pretty, but he is so pretty to me.’

15. Colbie Caillat – Realize (2007)
‘If you just realized what I just realized, then we’d be perfect for each other, then we’d never find another. Just realized what I just realized, we’d never have to wonder if we missed out on each other now.’

16. Jackie Greene – Love Song; 2.00 am (2006)
‘ Should your mind forget me, regret me, or even do me wrong, you’ll always live here in my heart, ’cause, baby, that’s where you belong.’

17. Jonatha Brooke – Because I Told You So (1997)
‘Could you see it like me and believe what I see? Could you listen, and remember that i love you, only because I told you?’

18. Peter Mayer – Now Touch The Air Softly (1999)
‘And I’ll love you as long as the furrow the plow, as However is Ever, and Ever is Now.’

19. Bob Schneider – The World Exploded Into Love (2001)
‘The world exploded into love all around me, and every time I take a look around me, I have to smile.’

20. Jens Lekman – You Are The Light (2003)
‘Yeah I got busted, so I used my one phone call to dedicate a song to you on the radio.’

21. Liz Phair – Good Love Never Dies (2003)
‘ Tell me what can I say to keep you in my life, all the words slip away when I look in your eyes, because I can never relax.’

DOWNLOAD

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Any Major Love Mix 2009 Vol. 1
More Mixes

1.

Energetic Ska Band - Live in Staines

Truebeat
Mar 26 2009
Hobgoblin
Staines

With ANONYMOUS TIP & DEAD IDENTITIES

TrueBeat are refreshing new ska band from West London breaking onto the scene as ska makes a real comeback.

Their sound is lively and energetic with a wide range of influences – so put on your skankin shoes as this is real get on the dance floor …

SKA! They have recently recorded their first EP which has had a fantastic reception and they are definitely a band to keep a close eye on. … they went down a treat last time they were in town so don’t miss ‘em this time!

Link:

www.myspace.com/truebeatuk

http://www.buckleuppromotions.com

2.

Classic Rock Power Trio…  Live at Windsor

Riff Raff
Mar 27 2009
Old Ticket Hall
Windsor



Classic Rock is the best music on the planet.  Period.

RIFF RAFF show it due respect with a no-nonsense delivery that tells it like it is – straight ahead rock from the classic power trio format, superbly played. They pay tribute to (but don’t copy) some of the best known (and some less obvious) rock tunes. With former pro credentials and years of experience working throughout Europe and elsewhere, in diverse acts, RIFF RAFF really know what they are doing – telling the story of rock, from its sixties beginnings, through the “classic” glory years, and up to the nineties.

If you enjoy Led Zeppelin, Free, Wishbone Ash, Cream and their contemporaries, you’re going to love RIFF RAFF.

DJ PLAYING 80’s & 90’s HITS – BAR OPEN TILL 2AM

http://www.myspace.com/riffraffrockband

3.

Melodic Indie Pop- Live in Staines

Audio Video Disco
Mar 29 2009
Hobgoblin
Staines

Audio.Video.Disco. are a new breath of fresh air to the indie, pop genre, not afraid of writing catchy melodies and annoyingly difficult to pigeon-hole, they are a cut-above the norm.

Formed mid-way through 2007 when duo Matt O’Daly and Richard Berkshire moved away from their acoustic roots and decided to start a proper band. In stepped Adam Linton (bass) and Tom Smith (drums). The line-up was complete.

Now having already played alongside Alphabeat, a set at the illustrious Clapham Grand and a headline show at the Astoria 2, this band have already attracted the attention of producer/engineer Phil English. The band recorded their current EP at
Phil’s Alexander Sound Studio in Milton Keynes.

Their EP launch was a huge sell out success and the band sold more tickets than when Hard-Fi played the same venue. Now with a solid fan base built up over the past year the band are set to make some serious waves amongst the current crop of bands coming out of the West-London area.

Links:

http://www.myspace.com/audiovideodiscouk

http://www.buckleuppromotions.com

4.

Exciting Blues Rock – Live Ascot

Robin BiBi
Mar 28 2009
Jagz
Ascot

Because of the band’s growing reputation with a highly entertaining stage presentation, the Robin Bibi Band are becoming one of the busiest bands round this area and have succesfully broken into the festival scene.

The Bibi Band’s live line up is subject to occasional regional changes. Robin can be seen playing with some of the best musicians around – Geoff Cooper, Martin York, Paul Robinson, Chris Bellshaw, Pete Shaw, Jonathan Banks, Darby Todd and Ed Spevok. The tried and tested trio format gives each member the space to stretch out and express themselves musically.

It’s exuberant passionate, dynamic, exciting and fun! It’s music played straight from the heart, it will move your head, your heart and of course your feet!

Show will start at 8.45
Ticket cost: £8.00
Doors open from 7.30pm. £26 for 2 courses and entrance (£30 for 3 courses). Entrance for the bands is £8 but is strictly limited and on a first come first served basis. Entrance for dining or just the band INCLUDES free entrance to the nightclub

Link:

http://www.robinbibiband.co.uk/

5.

Tenor Sax Sounds -  Live Jazz at Ascot

Simon Spillett
Quartet
Mar 29 2009
Jagz
Ascot

Simon Spillett is a great tenor saxman and has been on the London scene for a few years now and already a favorite at JAGZ. Many years ago he even attended the jazz workshop at JAGZ. His band this week includes John Citchinson, piano, Andrew Cleyndert, bass, and Spike Wells, drums.

Sunday, 29th March
Show will start at 1pm to 3.30pm
Ticket cost: £6.00
Special – entrance and roast lunch £12

Links:

http://www.simonspillett.com/

http://www.jagz.co.uk

-Visit AdPontes-Staines Regularly for Staines Arts-

Le concert de mercredi en première partie de Joseph Arthur & the lonely Astronauts s’est très bien déroulé devant un public nombreux et très à l’écoute. Les Parasites ont été très bons tant sur scène qu’à la console, l’accueil à L’Epicerie Moderne très chaleureux, et le contact avec Joseph Arthur et ses astronautes a été des plus fructueux … Vraiment une belle soirée … to be continued (who knows ???)

“They say figures don’t lie, but let me tell you – a good horse has, many times, a good laugh at figures.” Said by Jimmy the Hat in 2009? Nope, said by Patrick “Pack” McKenna in 1919.

“It’s a filly in the Belmont!” Rags To Riches in 2007? No, Tanya in 1905.

Nothing has changed in the world of horse racing. Everything has changed in the world of horse racing. Colin’s Ghost, a racing history blog by TBA member Kevin Martin, is fresh and fascinating in its exploration of racing’s past and its incorporation of racing’s history into modern issues in the sport. Steve Crist called Colin’s Ghost “…the best of the current blogs…” and “…among the most interesting racing journalism being practiced anywhere.”

From breakdowns in the Derby to opening day at Saratoga 100 years ago to the story of the mighty Colin himself, Martin’s research is timely and required reading for any racing fan.

What does a well-rounded racing fan rock out to? Here are Kevin’s Top Ten Albums of All Time:

10. Sleater Kinney – “Hot Rock” – When I first heard their album “Dig Me Out”, I thought it was OK and listened it a few times before relegating to my forgotten pile of CDs. I revisited this band years later after hearing them on a college station while driving on 95 near Baltimore. The riff-driven guitar and vibratto vocal style is an acquired taste but one that has grown on me in a big way.

9. New Pornographers – “Mass Romantic” – Their is something about this band that is infectious. Combination of great melodies, strange but intriguing lyrics, and interesting arrangements makes them incredibly unique. All of their albums have their highlights but “Mass Romantic” is their best from top to bottom. This is my soundtrack for driving to Belmont Park — it makes driving on the Jersey Turnpike a little less depressing.

8. Clutch – “Clutch” – This band has been consistently good for as long as I have been a fan. Their first full length is one of those heavy, teeth shattering records that sounds best at full volume. I have always felt a southern vibe with Clutch’s music but not in a creepy Lynyrd Skynyrd way – its more of a sweaty, backwoods revival kind of way (I guess that’s kind of creepy too…anyway, they rock!).

7. The Sundays – “Reading, Writing & Arithmetic” – This is an album that I have had in one form or another since high school and still spin it frequently. Sweet and mellow…I am a sucker for a solid female voice. Great music to fall asleep to.

6. Jim Hendrix – “Radio One” – Released in the 80s but now out of print, most of this material was later re-packaged and released as the BBC sessions. All of Jimi’s stuff is great but their is something about this live performance that captures the creativity, spontaneity, and joviality of an artist who I truly believe was from another planet. The performance of “Hear My Train Comin’” is especially memorable as Jimi sings, shreds, and maintains a seemingly constant banter with the small studio audience — priceless!

5. Spoon - “Series of Sneaks” – This band’s recent releases have been “critically acclaimed” but I prefer the grittiness of the early records. This album, “Telephono”, and the “Mountain to Sound” EP are equally good. Their later releases have been progressively worse as the production values have gotten better. “Staring at the Board” is the coolest 55 second song ever.

4. P.J. Harvey – “Rid of Me” – Love all of her work but her second full-length album just screams. I prefer the punkier Harvey to the bluesy, laid back version. I still remember where I was when I first listened to the brilliant low-volume opening of this album. “Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea” — the best of PJ’s later records (so far) — nearly knocked this one off the list. Kamikaze from “Stories” might be one of my favorite songs of all time.

3. Quicksand – “Manic Compression” – A sentimental choice from a killer New York band that only released two full length albums before breaking up. Me and my buddy Proto used to drink cheap beer (“Gibbons”, a local PA brew) and freak out on this album (I actually had the tape). Our other friends never quite bought into it but Proto and I still listen and talk about this one. Post-hardcore at its best. A band from the “Helmet-era” that could kick Helmet’s ass!

2. Superchunk – “Here’s Where the Strings Come In” – Tough call picking an album from one of my favorite bands. “On the Mouth” and “No Pocky for Kitty” were killer records but this one captured them at the peak of their development toward a more subdued, thoughtful band. I thought everything that followed this one was good but they never matched “Strings” and what came before it. This band’s live performances at the Trocadero in Philly in the 1990s are among my most cherished music memories.

1. U2 – “Joshua Tree” – In 1987, when everyone else was listening to Bon Jovi I was a U2 guy. When they released this one, my seventh grade class finally left the hair-band era behind and I suddenly became cool. Because of that, the “Joshua Tree” is still number one in my book. The last album that U2 took themselves seriously still stands as their best. If only my Mom would have let me go see them at JFK Stadium in Philly…still bitter about that!

Honorable Mentions:
Pavement – “Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain”
Kate Bush – “Sensual World”
Arctic Monkeys – “Whatever People Say I Am”
Joseph Arthur - “Nuclear Daydream”
Galaxie 500 – “Today”
Ida – “Tales of the Brave”
James Brown – “The Payback”
The Hold Steady – “Stay Positive”
Archers of Loaf – “Icky Mettle”

Belle and Sebastian – I’m a Cuckoo (The Avalanches mix)

This is a happy remix to a happy song. Listen to it here.

MGMT – Time to Pretend

It’s taken me a while but finally I kind of like MGMT.

Ludwig van Beethoven – Piano Sonata #8 In C Minor, Op. 13, “Pathétique” – Adagio Cantabile.

Just having that written down is a beautiful enough thing. So I hear this Beethoven guy is pretty good, he’s been playing a lot in the clubs recently and shows a lot of promise. Currently unsigned but that won’t be for too long I’m sure.

John Cale – Ship of Fools

I must name-check my good friend Anwen for directing me to this particular gem. It’s a live version (I usually avoid them) but this is pure awesomeness.

Funeral for a Friend – Juneau

I’ve listened to this track pretty solidly for more than two years. The opening riff is just irresistable.

Joseph Arthur – Redemption’s Son

I have Sibyl to thank for this discovery. I love this song mainly because of it’s melody and originality. However it also has some interesting religious lyrics.

…Jesus is my only friend
No one else knows who I am

…I know I’ll never make it on the cross
Spent my days looking for what my daddy lost
He was too proud to have a boss

…Angel of love, Shine a light on us

…Forgive us for what we’ve done, Lord.

Mose Allison – Young Man’s Blues

Heard about this track through Bob Dylan’s Theme Time Radio Hour. It’s what blues should sound like.

Here’s a more rocked up version of it by The Who at The Isle Of Wight Festival 30th of August 1970:

Bob Dylan – You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go

My favourite track from Blood On The Tracks. Beautiful.

New Young Pony Club – The Get Go

Indie, but good.