I recently saw these amazing series of paintings by Matthew Killick at Viktor Wynd’s gallery of The Last Tuesday Society. Now if you knew anything about me you’d know first hand that I’m crazy about all things underwater, creepy and eerie, though it doesn’t have to be in that exact order. These hyper-detailed paintings are reminiscent of those early days of science where I’d look at a slice of onion or a drop of blood under a microscope for the very first time. Matthew Killick’s love of deep sea diving is probably the impetus for this series, he speaks about it in more detail in an interview.

“Painting and diving are similar activities for me. Both rely on intense concentration and focus, and there is a sense of exploration in both that excites me. When I dive in low visibility conditions, I have a very intimate connection to the things I see. My work gravitated to that type of imagery in a natural way. I didn’t decide to make works that were based on my underwater experiences, it just happened on its own. Since I was young, I had heart palpatations, and during my teen years I learnt how to control them. I put this to use now that I dive, by slowing my heart rate down. This helps conserve air, but also puts me into a focused and meditative state. It is very similar to the state of mind I experience when painting.”

For your added enjoyment, here are some songs you might want to listen to while appreciating Matthew Killick’s creations.

MP3s (click on link to preview, right click save as to download)

1. Real Estate – Beach Comber

2. Slowdive – Here She Comes

3. Slowdive – Machine Gun

4. Tonsstartsbandht – Black Country

5. Ganglians – Blood on Sand

6. Ty Segall – It #1

7. Matias Aguayo – Rollerskate

Also published at UNKITSCH

The title of the post today is from a track brought to you by Generation X in the late 70’s on their self-titled album. I decided to play some old punk early in the show and peppered later on due to an exhibit I just saw at the MoMA called “Looking at Music: Side 2″. Here’s an article about it if you want to check it out: Bob Gruen’s Journey to MoMA.

Listen in tonight on KRUI 89.7 fm from 8 to 10 pm. You can listen in online here.

Here’s some of the set:

1. Generation X, Generation X (1978), Ready Steady Go
2. Frumpies, Frumpie One-Piece (God I love this title), Duvet Ta
This is a CD collection which assembled all of the band’s previous singles, created around 1996.

3. Half Japanese, Half Japanese Greatest Hits (1995), Put Some Sugar On It
4. The Clash, The Clash (1977), Garageland
5. Dead Boys, We Have Come for Your Children (1978), I Don’t Wanna Be No Catholic Boy
6. Radio Birdman, The Essential Radio Birdman (1974-1978), Do the Pop
7. Patti Smith, Horses (2005, album originally came out in 1975), Redondo Beach
8. Thurston Moore, Psychic Hearts (1995), Patti Smith Math Scratch
9. Belly, Star (1993), Angel
10. Slant 6, Soda Pop * Rip Off (1994 on Dischord Records), Blue Angel
11. Film School, Film School (2006), Eleven-Eleven
12. The Dandy Warhols, Thirteen Tales From Urban Bohemia (2000), The Gospel
(I’m sorry but this album is POP brilliance, I don’t care what you say.)
13. The Brian Jonestown Massacre, Tepid Peppermint Wonderland: A Retrospective, If Love Is The Drug
This was a compilation put out by these guys in 2004 spanning their entire career except for the album Strung Out in Heaven.
14. Built To Spill, Time Trap Sampler (1994-2006), The Plan
15. Aveo, Battery (2004), Haley
16. Chapterhouse, Sunburst-EP (1990), Rain
17. Slowdive, Morningrise-EP (1991), Losing Today
18. Stella Luna, Stargazer-EP (2002), Stargazer
19. New Order, Power Corruption & Lies (1983), Age of Consent
20. My Bloody Valentine, Tremolo-EP (1991), Honey Power

21. Fleeting Joys, Despondent Transponder (2006), Go and Come Back
22. Pinback, Some Voices-EP (2002), June
23. PJ Harvey & John Parish, A Woman A Man Walked By (2009), Black Hearted Love
24. Unwound, New Plastic Ideas (1993), Hexenzsense
25. Guided By Voices, Isolation Drills (2001), The Enemy
26. Morrissey, Bona Drag (compilation album released in 1990), The Last of the Famous International Playboys
Morrissey recently walked off a stage in Liverpool Echo Arena after being hit in the head with a drink. So this track goes out to you Morrissey, I want to know what dumb ass would throw a drink at you? You can read more about it here.

From Spykidelic:

Coming November on Important: “Limiited edition of 500 copies pressed at RTI and packaged in heavy duty jackets screen printed at Monoroid. Featuring Tony F Wilson (Spykidelic/Knives ov Resistance), Neil Halstead (Slowdive/Mojave 3), & Sarah Peacock (Seefeel). Zurich began as a 1994 musical partnership between Neil Halstead then of Slowdive and Tony F Wilson. The two recorded a handful of tracks when Halstead was shortly to begin work on Slowdive’s final and most experimental album Pygmalion. Recorded at a time when the popularity of ambient techno was at its peak, these recordings are remarkably austere by comparison. Following the release of Pygmalion, Halstead would disband Slowdive and abandon sound experimentation to create more song-based material in Mojave 3. Shortly thereafter, Wilson began collaborating with drum & bass producer and engineer Joe Gray on more rhythm based, yet still atmospheric productions. Too Scared to Breath features the voice of Seefeel’s Sarah Peacock and sounds not unlike prime Autechre and Aphex. Militia (Dynamic Warfare) on the other hand mirrors the post-metal Dub of Techno Animal and Scorn. All of the recordings were lost until very recently when Touch recording artist Mark Van Hoen found the tracks on old CD-Rs and cassettes he was given by Wilson some years ago.

Time to Gaze at the “STARS”, ladies and gentleman. Considering their name is Warpaint, this is flourescent-yellow-mellow, a quaint combo of Slowdive, Himalaya, Asobi Seksu and several more I don’t have the energy to get into quite yet (Lush, Chapterhouse, Astral- … AGGHH, STOP).

Truth is, I’ve been busy as IT-SHAY and haven’t had time to post more than once a day. I’m up for a job and feeling the pinch of a full work week coming on, that’s for sure, and other responsibilities have hamstrung my duties as Gumshoe.

In fact, I’ll admit I found this video and posted the link while on the Unemployment Claims line.

But hey, who cares; lemme see yr Warpaint!!!a

As for the future, I’m still working on the transition to WordPress, which regardless will start Monday, Nov. 2. The layout will look familiar yet different; I’m pretty excited about the features WordPress offers and hopefully the transition didn’t cost me too many hits!

Stay tuned people …

‘Heaven’ by WorldInMyAndYourEyes

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My favourite tracks in October 2009. All links go to HypeMachine where you can listen to the selected track.

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♫ Higher Than Stars – The Pains of Being Pure at Heart ♥ ♥ ♥

♫ Higher Than Stars (Saint Etienne Visits Lord Spank Mix) – The Pains of Being Pure at Heart ♥ ♥ ♥

♫ Feel.Love.Thinking.Of – Faunts

♫ I Think I’ll Start A Fire – Faunts

♫ It Hurts Me All The Time – Faunts

♫ When The Sun Hits – Slowdive

♫ The Worst Taste in Music – The Radio Dept.

♫ Under The Sheets – Ellie Goulding ♥ ♥ ♥

♫ Animal – Miike Snow

♫ Animal (Peter Bjorn & John Remix) – Miike Snow

♫ Animal (Fred Falke Remix) – Miike Snow

♫ Into The Clouds (Fear of Tigers Remix) – The Sound of Arrows

♫ Panic – Xuman

♫ Extra Special – Animalistics

♫ Fader – The Temper Trap

♫ Sweet Disposition (Alan Wilkis Remix) – The Temper Trap

♫ In Search of Main – Miike Snow

♫ The Human Touch (Sidechains Remix) – Heads We Dance

♫ Follow Me ft. Annie (Lifelike Remix) – Ercola

♫ Collect Call (Tom Wrecks Remix) – Metric

♫ Your Tiny Mind (Lifelike Remix) – Relation ♥ ♥ ♥

♫ Your Tiny Mind (Diogenes Club Remix) – Relation

♫ Mowgli’s Road (Mille Remix) – Marina & The Diamonds

♫ Don’t Stop (Lifelike Remix) – Heartache

♫ Julian Casablancas – 11th Dimension

♫ The XX – Heart Skipped a Beat

♫ Love is Gone – (Fred Rister & Joachim Garraud Radio Edit Remix) – David Guetta & Chris Willis

♫ Gui Boratto – No Turning Back

Slowdive were lovely, weren’t they?  Melodic and noisy, fuzzy and pretty.  Everything you need on a Sunday night (I resisted the urge to have a “shoegaze Sunday” tag, don’t you feel relieved?)…

Yo la Tengo has a new album out called Popular Songs. I featured a track on last weeks show. I sat down this last week and listened to the album and there are some truly beautiful unique tracks on it. I’m going to feature a couple of the tracks tonight from the album on Radioloveless. I love their sweet lyrics along with their complex juxtaposition of sound in a handful of the tracks.

Here’s the set for tonight, listen in from 8 to 10 pm on KRUI 89.7 fm or online here.

1. Sunny Day Real Estate, Rising Tide (2000), Faces in Disguise

2. Yo La Tengo, Popular Songs (2009), Here to Fall
3. Animal Collective, Strawberry Jam (2007), For Reverend Green
4. Joy Division, Unknown Pleasures (1979), I Remember Nothing

5. Colin Newman (of the band Wire), A-Z (1980), Around You
6. The Names, Swimming + Singles (1982), Discovery
7. The Wake, Here Comes Everybody (1985), O Pamela
8. R.E.M., Dead Letter Office (1987), Wolves Lower
This album contains rarities and B-sides including 3 velvet underground covers. (This was also a great request by this Hottie.)
9. Catherine Wheel, Ferment (1992), Texture
10. Department S, Sub-Stance (2003), Is Vic There? (The track was originally released in 1981)
11. Josef K, Entomology (1981), It’s Kinda Funny

12. Blonde Redhead, Misery Is A Butterfly (2004), Misery Is A Butterfly
13. Pinback, Some Voices (2000), Some Voices
14. Kinski, Alpine Static (2005 off of Sub Pop), Hot Stenographer

15. The Brian Jonestown Massacre, Strung Out in Heaven (There seventh full length album released in 1998), Let’s Pretend its Summer

16. Built To Spill, There’s Nothing Wrong With Love (1994), Distopian Dream Girl
17. The Dandy Warhols, Thirteen Tales From Urban Bohemia (2000), Cool Scene
18. Frank Black Francis, Frank Black Francis (2004), Velouria
19. Guided by Voices, Bee Thousand (1994), The Goldheart Mountaintop Queen Directory
20. The Dream Syndicate, Out of the Grey (1986), Cinnamon Girl

21. The Velvet Underground, VU (recorded 1969 released 1985), Foggy Notion
22. Talking Heads, Talking Heads: 77 (1977), Happy Day
23. Slowdive, Morningrise-EP (Morningrise is the third single released by Slowdive in 1991), She Calls
24. My Bloody Valentine, Isn’t Anything (1988), No More Sorry

Réaliser une compilation n’est pas une mince affaire, on se souvient encore de cette époque bénie où l’on passait des heures à mettre sur cassette un ensemble de titres qui s’enchainent à peu près proprement. Aujourd’hui, c’est devenu l’occupation de certains DJs, comme Rob Da Bank qui nous propose une sélection de groupes à grosses guitares, de préférence shoegazes, pour le volume 3 de la série Sci-Fi Lo-Fi.

Les choix de Rob Da Bank sont plutôt audacieux, tout d’abord on ne retrouve pas My Bloody Valentine, ce qui est plutôt une bonne chose tant le groupe est cité à outrance dès que l’on parle de noise ou de shoegaze. A l’exception du classique Just Like Honey de Jesus And Mary Chain, placé en ouverture, Rob Da Bank propose un certain nombre de titres pointus et des choix qui se révèlent payant. A commencer par le génial Freak Scene de Dinosaur Jr, qui vient rapprocher les élans soniques et rentre-dedans des américains vers la sophistication du superbe Nowhere de Ride, ou encore du mélancolique When The Sun Hits de Slowdive. Rien à jeter dans cette sélection qui a de quoi satisfaire les auditeurs exigeants que nous sommes ainsi que les néophytes avec de nombreuses propositions noisy et ambiantes.

La cerise sur le gâteau est Sweetness & Light de Lush, sortie sur un EP chez 4AD ; grand moment de pop mélodique, saturé et hypnotique ce titre bascule la sélection vers un format plus délicat. Car cette compilation n’hésite pas à faire le grand écart entre noise strict et electronica exigeante. On retrouve donc avec surprise Zoetrope de Boards Of Canada, Teen Angst de M83, ou encore Cherry Coloured Funk de Cocteau Twins, remixé par Seefeel. De bien belles perles qui nous plongent vers de l’ambiant dont il serait dommage de passer à côté.

Réaliser une compilation n’est pas une mince affaire, la preuve Rob Da Bank est DJ, et sa sélection de titres shoegazes se révèle des plus pertinente, en faisant rempiler ce genre dans la case electronica, lui donnant ainsi une meilleure jeunesse qu’il n’aurait pu rêver avec les nombreux suiveurs qui donnent dans la pédale d’effet sans relief. C’est le meilleur des cadeaux que Rob Da Bank pouvait nous faire.

Par Mathieu

Speaking of big numbers… Here’s number 15 in another, more regular series. Every Sunday (except for that one Sunday a couple of months back) the best music available becomes even more available (like your sister at a wedding reception) at Fancy Plans. Previous hot mp-on-3 action can be found in the self-explanatorily named Heavy Rotation Archives.

Nevermind the parentheses. Here comes the music:

Slowdive – When the Sun Hits
Padding softly onto the music scene in the early ’90’s, Slowdive dropped into the shoegazing scene with the amazing dreampop album Souvlaki. I can wholeheartedly recommend about 80% of the album, and this blissful blast of lushness is one of the highlights.

Crocodiles – I Wanna Kill
Out of San Diego by way of the Jesus and Mary Chain, the Crocodiles pile a lot of influences into one shit-hot track. Echoes of the best late-80’s alterna-rock echo within the 4-1/2 minute running time (think Echo & the Bunnymen, Love & Rockets, Ride). Awesome stuff.

Evil Nine – Crooked
Back when breakbeats were the “next big thing,” the Evil Nine were due to be one of the “next biggest.” Spicing up their breakbeats with live drumming and, in this case, live rapping, the Evil Nine dropped this single as their letter of intent (addressed to Fucking Shit Up University). It bangs along nicely and the wordplay of Aesop Rock adds rather than subtracts, which is a really refreshing change from most electronic artist guest shots. The video is a lot of fun, too.

My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult – A Daisy Chain 4 Satan
The world’s first Satanic dance group, the TKK were always a band in search of a movie. Originally formed to make a movie, they got all caught up in the soundtrack and ended up in the studio all high on life and banged out this dance-floor monster.

Featuring a bassline as big as the outdoors and three times as funky, the Kult dispenses with verse-chorus-verse bullshit, preferring some tasty samples about drug use and a little restrained howling from frontmouth Groovie Mann. (Yeah. I know.) Fun for all ages above 18 (17 Canadian).

My Bloody Valentine – Soon
Another beautiful shoegaze track to properly bookend this week’s Heavy Rotation. Perhaps the most straightforward track on the godlike Loveless, Soon features an unlikely dance beat, buried vocals and multiple layers of so-called “glide guitar” from noted insane man, Kevin Shields.

The last beats and chords from an album that killed a label. But what an epitaph. Highly recommended.

All files in one kickass little folder (link opens in new window):
Heavy Rotation 15

[All music posted on Fancy Plans... is kick ass and too awesome to be contained. All music is also posted temporarily and, due to its high level of ass-kicking, should not be distributed without a prescription and care should be taken while operating heavy equipment or dancing around the living room (clothing optional, but do remember that the blinds are open/kids are still awake).
Should you wish to have your brilliant artistic statement forced back into confinement, please email me at 2timegrime@gmail.com. Feel free to leave a comment, as that will probably be noticed sooner.
By all means, if you like what you hear (and you will), please support the totally rocking artist(s) by purchasing some music or heading out to see them live.]

-CLT

Slowdive har haft lite oflyt. Eller sett i det stora hela vet jag inte om det är en korrekt bedömning, men om man ser till min relation till dem. De kunde nog ha blivit ett favoritband. Om jag hade lyssnat på dem vid rätt tidpunkt.

Skivan Souvlaki släpptes 1993, tror jag. Då hade jag börjat få upp ögonen för indiescenen, lyssnade mycket på bl.a. Ride. Så när jag hörde talas om Slowdive så begav jag mig till Plattformen för en provlyssning av Souvlaki. Men jag gillade icke det jag hörde, tyckte det var för segt, det hände för lite liksom. Ganska många år senare, när jag arbetade för högtryck med nedladdning från nätet så tankade jag hem skivan för att ge den en andra chans. Den gången gillade jag den, men den kändes lite passé, min shoegazeperiod var förbi och jag var mer ute efter någon annan typ av musik. Så kan det gå.

379. Slowdive – Souvlaki

Under det här projektets gång har jag ständigt återkommit till Pops lista över de hundra bästa skivorna någonsin. Listan publicerades i nr 10 och kom ut 1995, eller -94 kanske. Den var under några år min främsta inspirationskälla till skivinköp. Jag hade en period då jag arbetade ganska hårt för att skaffa mig en gedigen koll på dessa klassiska album. Det var därför givet att jag gick och köpte skivan som knep förstaplatsen – Sly & the Family Stones There’s a Riot Goin’ On, jag var helt enkelt tvungen att äga den skivan. Så nu står skivan här i min samling och samlar damm, för lyssnar på den det gör jag inte. Den är ok i mina öron, men det är inte riktigt min typ av musik. Det kanske är ett mästerverk, den kanske rentav förtjänar den här förstaplatsen, det är bara det att jag har lite svårt att höra vad som är så speciellt med den.

380. Sly & The Family Stone – There’s a Riot Goin’ On

Avslutningsvis en samlingsskiva med ett mycket trevligt band. 60-talspop när den är som bäst. Jag köpte den av vännen Richard när vi var på skivmässa. Han hade lyckats köpa två samlingsskivor med Small Faces så han sålde den ena till mig. Det var bra gjort.

381. Small Faces – The Very best of

Som vanligt provlyssnar ni här.

—————-
Now playing: Slowdive – Machine Gun
via FoxyTunes

After just being informed that it has rained at least once in a day for the last 5 weeks (i do live in Scotland in all fairness) it occured to me that a list of rain songs would be a good idea for the next Monday list. Without further ado…

Top Ten “Rain” Assosciated Songs
———————————————
MP3s
1. Shiny Toy Guns – Rainy Monday
2. Basement Jaxx – Raindrops
3. Garbage – Only Happy When It Rains
4. Prince – Purple Rain
5. Animal Collective – Moo Rah Rah Rain
6. Vector Lovers – Empty Buildings, Falling Rain
7. Parts and Labor – Fake Rain
8. Engineers – Come In Out Of The Rain
9. Slowdive – Country Rain
10. Longwave – Sideways Sideways Rain

And of course no list about Rain would be complete without the ACTUAL “Rain Song”………….step forward a certain Led Zeppelin.

Now, everybody knows that after the rain comes the rainbow….

You have to put up with the rain if you want the rainbow….

S.I.T Wolf X

Dismissed by some as less immediate than its predecessor, ‘Against Perfection’ (1993), ‘Fake’ is actually better written and produced with at least three all-time classic rock songs and impassioned singing throughout from Pete Fijalkowski.

The reason that Adorable have lasted better than some of their contemporaries (Slowdive, Ride, Curve etc) is that Pete’s voice and guitar playing are completely timeless. The sheer romanticism of tracks like ‘Submarine’, ‘Road Movie’ and ‘Have you seen the light’ lift the album onto a different plane. If Submarine were issued now as a single it would sell a million.

Alan McGee and Creation were already pressing the eject button on Adorable’s career when this album appeared in 1994. Oasis were looming and the world was  contemplating between curtains of greasy hair the widening sluice gates of grunge. The wonderful guitar heroics and sheer glamour of Adorable could not compete at this base level. The dynamics within the band were splintering and Pete’s adherence to an old fashioned work ethic wasn’t shared by the other three. Shame on them.

The album finishes with the angry cry of ‘Fake’. Adorable were anything but.

Tracklist

1.  Feed Me

2.  Vendetta

3.  Man in a suitcase

4. Submarine

5. Lettergo

6.  Kangaroo Court

7. Radio Days

8. Go easy on her

9.  Road Movie

10. Have you seen the light

Go on, treat yourself.

http://rapidshare.com/files/275309710/Fake.zip

Documental da BBC sobre o auxe e caída do britpop na década dos 90 en Inglaterra a través de entrevistas a xente como Graham Coxon e Damon Albarn de Blur, Justine Frischmann de Elastica, Louise Werner de Sleeper e mencións aparte para grupos como Nirvana, Ride, Slowdive, ou Pulp.

So in the world of music; from the Artist, to their Listeners, there seems to be either a distaste or outright obsession with genres (and the sub-genre offspring).  And I’ve noticed that the former, tends to be people who are somewhat open minded, and eclectic in their large databases of independent music.  I am not one of those types.  Actually, I am not that big of a fan of what the Indie scene deems outstanding.  I am however quite interested in defending and preserving the music of artists that carried Kevin Shields torch for so long after he disappeared, and his apostles slowly were banished from critical mention.  I wasn’t there for that…

I am not from England.  I was not a part of that scene.  I never saw the backlash.  Mostly it was a dark time in the late 90’s.  I kinda felt alone.  Technically I didn’t catch on until ten years after My Bloody Valentine released their genre stomping album, Isn’t Anything.  Yet, sometime around 1998 I found the Blisscent Shoegaze group on Yahoo.  That group coupled with hunting stuff down on www.mp3.com, I soon discovered that people my age were picking up guitars, becoming guitar/pedal geeks, and began to start their own bands.  Thus the torch was passed; and it was passed around quite a bit, and not just in the United States.

So not to get into some debatable semantics of “shoegaze was a scene; blissrock is a genre”, I’ll just make the statement that there is quite a bit of cynicism towards post-shoegazers that are not the likes of Ride, MBV, Lush, and Slowdive.  The Big four; which only really scratch the surface of what was underneath.  This is where this particular blog comes in.  I’m going to drop a lot of unknowns (or quite known to my savvy community).

Actually I would like to explore it even further.  I would like to somehow track down surviving members of forgotten bands.  And hopefully post some interviews.  Perhaps I’ll be allowed to post links of out of print digital albums, with the permission of artists.  I don’t want to make some “Share-Blog”.  There are enough of them out there.  Let’s explore these albums.  Let’s sit down with them and really soak them in.  Like before when it was just record stores, lumped word of mouth, and package design.  It seems we are in a digital era of single songs, and even more attention deficits (and I am also not innocent of this).  I am beginning to reject this sort of instant gratification.  However just going to my local indie record store leaves me with maybe 3-5 albums I already own, and the other 1,000+ are just pitchfork recommendations.

So lets see where this blog might go.  I hope to make it quite a learning experience for myself.

Iran

The Moon Boys(Tumult 2003)

http://www.mediafire.com/?xfzgntxay4m

I was sorely disappointed by Iran’s latest album, Dissolver, because it stripped away all of the scuzz and feedback that mated so perfectly with their wayward way with a simple melody. Yeah, its “progression” probably had a lot to do with the addition of TV on the Radio’s Kyp Malone to the band, but their newfound clarity always aims for the bullseye where Aaron Aite used to revel in mistakes and missteps. By no means is Dissolver a bad album, but count me in the minority who find Aites’ embrace of chaos more appealing than his attempts at an orderly pop song. Then again, six years have passed since The Moon Boys was released and god knows that time has a funny way of adjusting the way you view the world. Therefore, let us take a few moments to pay tribute to an album that may be one of the best albums Siltbreeze, Xpressway, Shrimper or Catsup Plate never released. Yes, these are obscure benchmarks, but it was rare that any of these labels released a perfect marriage of noise to pop even though I wanted so hard to believe that it was so. Yes, the Dead C, V-3, Yips, Amps for Christ and other disparate souls have come damn close to this holy union, but I always reach for this album over anything in their discographies.

The synthesis of noise and pop is hardly an underground concept. God knows that the Jesus & Mary Chain made some moolah with their own jigsaw of Phil Spector and white noise and the whole shoegaze scene was based upon sensual coos and a lusher brand of feedback and squall, but The Moon Boys stands out because there is a sprawl to their compositions that seems epic comparison to the aforementioned bands’ succinct slices of sweet and sour. Sonic Youth’s “Hyperstation” from their Daydream Nation seems like the most accurate touchstone for Iran’s music circa The Moon Boys. I remember listening to “Hyperstation” at 3am as a teenager and imagining if there was another band that could conjure the same loose, late-night vibe where a psych-pop song sounds as if it was heard via a faraway AM station many states away from your destination. This album does that for me throughout its entirety. Then again, I am a former insomniac who used to listen to the scratchiest transmissions instead of counting sleep or drinking warm milk, so my bias is evident.

The imperfections are what make The Moon Boys so gripping. Don’t be fooled that melodies worthy of Brian Wilson lurk beneath the muck because these tunes tend to stretch out in sometimes difficult directions. What does stick out is Aaron Aites’ guitar work as he somehow straddles the line between outright sabotage and grubby melody. No song really even stands out here as the overall effect of it as an album is what gets me every single time. I approach it as a long rambling epic where slow, atonal riffs last for days only to be replaced by some of the most simple and sweet notes that shake all of the pieces back into proper balance. Iran always stride close to the edge only to reconfigure themselves as something so sentimental and tender that you almost forget you were listening to a staccato riff seconds before. The Moon Boys is admittedly a bit of a mess, but I hear something new each time I try to reassemble the pieces.

Finally got around to making a post. Since it’s been a while (and I’m cheating by doing a “What’s Playing”), I thought I’d add some mini reviews for a couple of the tracks.

1. De Chelly – Tortoise : From their new album “Beacons Of Ancestorship”. I’ve still to play this end-to-end. I’ve got the heavy-weight vinyl version so I’m planning an afternoon on the sofa listening to this. Definitely a pick-up in form, but certainly not the quality or immediacy of their first releases. Those first two albums defined the mid to late 90s for me; Stereolab, Tortoise and Sonic Boom at Manchester Uni all on-stage together, producing the most harmonious wall of white-noise I’ve ever had the pleasure to experience. Hard to beat, but this album appears to get back in the right direction.
2. There She Goes – The La’s : The ultimate pop song? I think so. And this version is probably my favourite. Off the Deluxe-Edition. There are several mixes of this on the CD. This version is lower in the mix, a warmer (almost analogue) sound. With great harmonies. It’s a pity that so many poor cover-versions have been done, but I suppose that’s an indication of it’s wide appeal. In the list of all-time great pop songs it just beats “Ever Fallen In Love” to the number one spot.
3. Little Brother (Electric) – Grizzly Bear : The stunning Grizzly Bear. What can I say. Ignore them at your peril. This is off the Friend EP. Their latest album is a must – rush out and BUY IT today! (“Veckatimest” – it’s on Warp!).
4. Making Plans For Nigel – XTC : “He has his future in British Steel”. What a statement of the time – sold off in 1988, now owned by an Indian steel company. There are probably people who don’t know we were once the proud owners of a steel industry! Sigh. Frequently overlooked; the talent-full XTC.
5. I Don’t Feel Young – Wye Oak : The first “folk” entry in this list. I think they’re from Baltimore if my memory serves me correct. (No, I won’t google to check – use your brain for a change, try to remember! #end-rant) I’ve been engaged and then completely baffled by this band. I have their first album and it really confused me for some reason. But it’s grown on me. Completely. This track alone is work the price of admission.
6. Wild Mtn. Jam – Blitzen Trapper : No comment. Get your credit card out. Get on Amazon. Buy everything by this band. Nothing more to say.
7. Banjo #1 – James Yorkston & The Athletes: This is an old track. Obviously on the car-iPod because it’s played quite a lot! More folk(-ish). One of Scotlands great singer-songwriters of the 00’s. I was sorely disappointed with his showing at Field Day; to be honest I don’t think it was his fault – the sound was terrible and my foot was aching! Give him a listen. And I mean listen – you must hear the lyrics, wonderful, and his tracks are always beautifully intricate.
8. George Lassoes The Moon – Elbow : I bow down before the Lord Garvey. What a band. This is from their first EP (“Noisebox”). It was pushed out again on the first release of “Newborn” (when they were on Ugly Man). I do miss the grittiness of some of their earlier releases, but you can’t ignore genius. There is only one band from Manchester to better these guys. All the rest are poor joint 50ths.
9. Voices – Nick Drake : I only have one thing to say – everyone should own everything by Nick Drake. Come on – it’s only three albums.
10. Star Of The Harbour – Adrian Crowley : Irish singer-songwriter. Better than Bono. Much better than Bono. Seriously, go listen. This is from his Bless Their Tiny Hearts 7″. I found him through Fence. His latest album is well worth a listen. If you’re in Co. Mayo in October he’s playing the Westport Arts Festival. (I’ll be encouraging my in-laws to go down!)
11. Eternal Return – Brakes : Fun. Pure fun.
12. Maggot Death 1 – Throbbing Gristle : In my opinion, a classic. For Mrs. P, not something she wants to hear in the car on the way back from IKEA.
13. Baby Blue (Mono) – 13th Floor Elevators : I’ve said all I need to say about these guys.
14. Hùg Air A’ Bhonaid Mhòir – Julie Fowlis : We were almost home from IKEA when this came on. Out of nowhere. I could see that quizzical look on her face, and I knew what was coming……… “is that Irish?”. Not too sure. Her Myspace says she’s from the United Kingdom, so I’m guessing she’s probably Scottish. Whatever, or wherever, her voice is stunning. I’ll certainly be buying more. (This track is off the “Folk Awards 2008″ compilation).
15. The Abandoned Closet – Atlas Sound : Recommendation, if you find anything at all related to Deerhunter snap it up. This is Bradford James Cox’s solo project. This release has featured heavily on my player ever since it’s release. He’s just collaborated with Panda Bear, and the new album will be released in October. (There’s a fine, free download if you head over to the 4AD site).
16. Conneely Of The West – British Sea Power : Man Of Arran soundtrack. I don’t think they could have chosen a better band to provide the score. I think the temptation would be to go for some celtic-y-ethereal-ish-wail-y sound, but the raw nature of British Sea Power certainly matches the gritty, raw power of the documentary/film. (Even though the film was a scam!)
17. Flight – A Certain Ratio : Classic. This was when 12″ singles were an oddity and tracks over 4mins were unheard of (unless you were a Prog Rock fan). Post-Industrial-Funk at it’s finest.
18. Witless Or Wise – Neil Halstead : I can’t remember which publication commented on the release of this album that Mr. Halstead is one of Englands great current singer-songwriters. I have to agree. From Slowdive to Mojave 3 to solo his art has been consistent and considerable. I’d recommend working backwards through his catalogue. An investment in “Oh, Mighty Engine” is a very safe, but immeasurably rewarding place to start!
19. The Party – St. Vincent : Not sure. I have my ups and downs with this album. I’m going to stick with it for a little longer.
20. Brother Sport – Animal Collective : Everyone loves Animal Collective. They are thee band of the moment. I love Animal Collective. But beware – try before you buy!

I was tempted to post links to all of these bands websites. But come on – use your own muscle. Run a google. p

Yes, and it’s not a 10, it’s a 20.

Video bootleg dun concerto da banda inglesa de shoegaze Slowdive gravado o 21 de maio de 1994 en Toronto, un ano antes de separarse.

I’ve been on a Neil Halstead kick this weekend, listening to his latest solo album three times and Slowdive’s Souvlaki once. This morning, I pulled out Mojave 3’s Puzzles Like You. What brilliant power pop! (Is “Just A Boy” a fantastic attempt at writing a Jetenderpaul song or what?)

I think I’ve come to the conclusion that Halstead must listen to exactly the same music as me, from shoegaze to power pop to soft acoustic stuff. (He did, afterall, rip the melody to a Damien Jurado song on his first solo record.)

Anyway, I was thinking about how great it was to see him in Lawrence during my spring break this year. It was a perfect performance, with Barclay Martin opening and only about 15 people in the audience. The highlight for me was seeing him do Slowdive’s “Alison,” one of my all-time favorite songs. (I was just sure he wouldn’t pull out any Slowdive songs because they’re so old. I guess I was wrong.)

So I stopped by Mojave 3’s website and found a live recording of him performing the song at his stop in Chicago on that tour. Check it out.

http://www.mojave3online.com/?page_id=224&list=8