The return of Spiral Stairs

 

Pavement guitarist Spiral Stairs (Scott Kannberg to his Mum, and presumably once the school register) will return with his second solo album as Spiral Stairs (in addition to the two he released under the name Preston School of Industry) on March 24.

Entitled Doris and the Daggers, the album features an impressive list of US indie stars: Matt Berninger of The National, Broken Social Scene’s Kevin Drew and Justin Peroff, Kelley Stoltz and Shudder To Think’s Adam Wade. Additionally, the video for the first track ‘Dance (Cry Wolf)’ features Grandaddy’s Jason Lyttle playing the part of Spiral Stairs.

The album tracklisting is as follows:

1. Dance (Cry Wolf)
2. Emoshuns
3. Dundee Man
4. AWM
5. No Comparison
6. The Unconditional
7. Trams (Stole My Love)
8. Exiled Tonight
9. Angel Eyes
10. Doris and the Daggers

Getting ready for 2014 part 5

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2013 isn’t over yet (am trying to ready my end of year lists, to say nothing of my tips for 2014) and, of course, getting ready for the new music that 2014 will bring.

Even before Warpaint and Mogwai’s new albums are released on January 20, January 6 will see the sixth solo LP from Stephen Malkmus, credited to Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks. Its title is Wigout At Jagbags. As has been pointed out on quite a few sites already, this is more albums than he made with Pavement (Wrestling…was a compilation).

This is the first track to do the rounds, entitled ‘Lariat.’ It’s a lyric video – except the song’s lyrics are translated into French. Presumably for Mr. Malkmus’ amusement, one assumes…

The tracklisting is as follows:

1. Planetary Motion
2. The Janitor Revealed
3. Lariat
4. Houston Hades
5. Shibboleth
6. J Smoov
7. Rumble At The Rainbo
8. Chartjunk
9. Independence Street
10. Scattegories
11. Cinnamon & Lesbians
12. Surreal Teenagers

Some more covers for Friday

tippi

‘I’ll give you Cat Power…’

OK…meant to do this last week, and then with going away decided to focus on my lovely family.

Anyway…some covers, yes?

Franz Ferdinand -‘Womanizer (Britney Spears cover).’ mp3

Cat Power -‘We Dance (Pavement cover).’ mp3Laura Cantrell -‘Love Vigilantes (New Order cover).’ mp3

Buffalo Tom -‘Going Underground (The Jam cover).’ mp3

Curve -‘I Feel Love (Donna Summer cover).’ mp3

Alabama 3 -‘Speed Of the Sound Of Loneliness (Nanci Griffith cover).’ mp3

Lemonheads -‘Different Drum (Mike Nesmith cover).’ mp3

LCD Soundsystem -‘No Love Lost (Joy Division cover).’ mp3

Flaming Lips -‘Bohemian Rhapsody (Queen cover).’ mp3

Cud -‘You Sexy Thing (Hot Chocolate cover).’ mp3

More exciting music for 2010

stephen-malkmus

Pavement’s Stephen Malkmus looks ahead to 2010

January can often seem like a fairly dead month for new music. Part of the reason for this is that people invariably have less money and aren’t going out. I’d be willing to bet that for many whilst resolutions about losing weight, drinking/smoking less etc.. go by the wayside fairly quickly, the money-spending stays low because, well, there isn’t much of it.

There’s been a handful of releases so far this year -both Delphic and Vampire Weekend have already cracked the UK album chart top 10 with their new releases (good, if not amazing), and there’s many more releases that will hopefully keep the Wolf from the door of your local independent record shop. Future weeks will bring forward releases from Massive Attack, The Futureheads, Liars, The Soft Pack, Kathryn Williams, The Dawn Chorus, Shearwater, Paul Vickers and the Leg, and Efterklang. Hell it’s even rumoured that the White Stripes will be releasing a new album this year. (Not to mention 17 Seconds Records coming into the album releasing fray). I was also privileged to hear the rough mixes of the new Aberfeldy album the other day, a mere 12 hours after completion was finished. It sounds awesome.

Domino Records are also extremely busy too, having released Owen Pallett’s Heartland already in January (AKA Final Fantasy), there are forthcoming releases from Quasi, To Rococo Rot, Lightspeed Champion, Four Tet, to say nothing of a Pavement best-of, which they have been running a competition to let fans guess the tracklisting. And they’ve also made the Dirty projectors 7″ available as a free download. Respect.

So feast your ears on this…

Quasi -‘Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouller.’ mp3

To Rococo Rot -‘Working Against Time.’ mp3

Owen Pallett -‘Lewis Takes Action.’ mp3

Dirty Projectors -‘Ascending Melody.’ mp3

Dirty Projectors -‘Emblem Of The World.’ mp3

Pavement -‘Gold Soundz.’ mp3

Peel Slowly and see…part 2

A mixed bag of stuff today, from eMusic, the record collection AND wondeful readers.

This was from 1992, the year when the Weddoes made twelve chart appearances in the UK. (That’s the official Top 40, not just the Festive Fifty)

Wedding Present -‘Sticky.’ mp3 (1992 Festive Fifty no.41)

As I continue with my massive task of collecting all the Festive Fifty stuff, I inevitably come across those bands I’d heard of but not heard. Until now…

Transglobal Underground -‘Sirius B.’ mp3 (1993 Festive Fifty no.49)

Transglobal Underground -‘Taal Zaman.’ mp3 (1994 Festive Fifty no.50)

yesterday I asked if anyone had it…within a very short space of time two readers pointed me in the direction of this track. Thank you!

Pavement -‘Circa 1762 (Peel session).’ mp3 (1992 Festive Fifty no.42)

And from one of the debut LPs of the decade (Slanted and Enchanted), a band like many other people I first heard courtesy of John Peel:

Pavement -‘Here.’ mp3 (1992 Festive Fifty no.10)

There is more coming. Much more. Watch this space. Tell your friends etc..

A Peel-related rummage

A very quick post tonight, but three tracks I have copied from the vinyl to the iPod for my listening pleasure, which I thought I would share:

Cocteau Twins -‘From The Flagstones.’ mp3 (1983 festive Fifty no.16)

Cocteau Twins -‘Peppermint Pig.’ mp3 (1983 Festive Fifty no.28)

Pavement -‘Summer Babe (Winter Version).’ mp3 (1991 Festive Fifty no.34, 1992 Festive Fifty no.37)

Oh, does anyone have a Pavement track called 1762? please let me know if you do!

D’ye ken John Peel with his coat so grey?

John Peel in 1976

OK, slightly rubbish heading but I’m running out of funny original titles.

Anyway, it’s been a few days since I did a post resting on John Peel’s Festive Fifties, so here we go:

In recent years, it is increasingly being considered that John Lydon (aka Johnny Rotten)’s post Sex Pistols band, Public Image Ltd (PiL) may, in fact, have been far more groundbreaking than the Sex Pistols. No kidding.

Public Image Ltd.- ‘Public Image.’ mp3 (1978 Festive Fifty no.9, 1979 Festive Fifty no.9, 1980 Festive Fifty no.11, 1981 Festive Fifty no.26, 1982 All-time Festive Fifty no.20)

Famously, John Peel’s favourite ever song was this, the opening lines of which are now on his gravestone:

Undertones -‘Teenage Kicks.’ mp3 (1978 Festive Fifty no.10, 1979 Festive Fifty no.2, 1980 Festive Fifty no.7, 1981 Festive Fifty no.6, 1982 Alltime Festive fifty no.8, Millennium no.2)

There seems to be a bit of a link between teaching and rock’n’roll, despite the fact that the two might seem to be diametrically opposed. Step forward, in this case, Gordon MacIntyre and Katie Griffiths from Ballboy.

Ballboy -‘All The Records On the Radio Are Shite.’ mp3 (2002 Festive Fifty no.10)

There have been a number of cover versions making the Festive Fifty over the years, including this one (a fair bit of ‘goth’ made it onto the FF over the years):

Bauhaus -‘Ziggy Stardust.’ mp3 (1982 Festive Fifty no.14)

…and despite the accusations, it wasn’t all white boys with guitars in the Festive fifty over the years either

Broadcast -‘Echoes Answer.’ mp3 (1999 Festive Fifty no.36)

Though some of those white boys with guitars did make some excellent records, though:

Pavement -‘Range Life.’ mp3 (1994 Festive Fifty no.14)

‘At least once a week I drive a nail through my foot for not seeing them while I had the chance’ said Peel of Big Black. Maybe I’m just afraid of pain. Main man Steve Albini went on to produce Nirvana, PJ Harvey, Low and the Wedding Present.

Big Black -‘Colombian Necktie.’ mp3 (1987 Festive Fifty no.18)

Finally, many thanks to Steve at Teenage Kicks for posting these, without whom I wouldn’t be able to post these here:

Sabres Of Paradise -‘Wilmot.’ mp3 (1994 Festive Fifty no.

Ministry -‘Jesus Built My Hot Rod.’ mp3 (1992 Festive Fifty no.3)

Very Things -‘The Bushes Scream While My Daddy Prunes.’ mp3 (1984 Festive fifty no.27)

Will be more music here over the weekend. Keep it tuned, so to speak. X

Soothing sounds


Now I’m getting the hang of this! Trying to unwind and flicking through the stuff I have uploaded to my Ipod has reminded me that I really need to post this track to the blog, because as the second single of the former Pavement frontman’s eponymous debut in 2001, it was a sign that Stephen Malkmus could go on to do great things. This was one of my favourite songs of 2001, the year I moved to Scotland. I never forgot this, but I feel like I have re-discovered it again over the last week or so…

Stephen Malkmus -‘Jenny and the Ess-Dog.’ mp3

Smitten? Thought you might be…

from that Eponymous debut:

Stephen Malkmus -‘The Hook.’ mp3

from 2003’s Pig Lib

Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks -‘(Do Not Feed The Oyster.’ mp3

Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks -‘Us.’ mp3

and from last year’s Face The Truth:

Stephen Malkmus -‘Baby C’mon.’ mp3

As always, if you like the stuff, please support the artist involved, either by buying at Amazon or on iTunes or at your local record shop.

All three albums are worth owning, though I love the first the most perhaps. And obviously, check out Pavement and Pavement guitarist Spiral Stairs’ band Preston school Of Industry. Maybe that might just be another post… : )