Monthly Archives: April 2007

Home and dry

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…ah. the week is oh so nearly in sight, there’s gigs to go to, and the first week back at work has actually been okay (so far. Touch wood).

Anyway, I decided that I would actually post four fairly upbeat and wonderful tracks.

Pet Shop Boys -‘Home and Dry.’ mp3

JC at The Vinyl Villain seemed a few weeks ago to feel that he had to justufy his love for the Pet Shop Boys. Absolutely not! Still wonderful, twenty years on.

The Rapture -‘Get Myself Into It.’ mp3

Is Pieces Of the People we love the fourth or third Rapture album, if we include The Mirror, Out of the Races…and Echoes? Oh well. Either way, this still makes me want to dance.

Amy Winehouse -‘Rehab.’ mp3

‘Have you heard Amy Winehouse’s new single?’ asked my brother’s flatmate six months ago. Personally I was aware of her, but thought her too ‘coffee-table.’ Then I heard this, and a few months later her album ended up being my second favourite album of the year (2006). You never can tell…

Ronettes -‘Be my Baby.’ mp3

The sheer wealth of emotions this song can make you feel is just unbelievable.

As always, if you like the tracks, buy them on Amazon, iTunes or your local record shop. These tracks will be posted for a week only. Enjoy!

My (latest) new favourite band

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Love Of Diagrams hail from Melbourne, Australia (which is pretty cool) and are signed to Matador, which usually bodes pretty well. Maybe they have been getting plenty of coverage that I have missed, but having read about them at Insound and heard a couple of mp3s at the matador site, I decided it was time that anyone else out there who hadn’t heard them might like to, too.

What do they sound like? For recent music, I hear the mathematical influence suggested by their name shared by Forward, Russia, the gorgeous madness of Love Is all, with a dashing of the Long Blondes. I know post-punk is applied to so much these days, but the hints of the Au Pairs and Kleenex/liliput that I hear here suggest the label is appropriate.

Love of Diagrams -‘No Way Out.’ mp3

Love Of Diagrams -‘Pace Or the Patience.’ mp3

I have literally just heard them this evening – but the album is available from iTunes, though as always, check your local independent shop or Amazon.

Support the band, and let me know what you think…

Monday Monday

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Hi, just a brief, brief post.

I survived my first day back at school, and I’m okay…but very tired.

Here are two tracks I love, which I know I have posted in the past, but they sense of sadness is something I connect with, right now, I guess.

Sweet Dreams.

Low -‘Monkey.’ mp3

from the album The Great Destroyer

Schneider TM -‘The Light 3000.’ mp3

Can be found on Rough Trade Shops electronic 01 compilation

Sunday Night

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Well, after several weeks of being off ill, and then the official school holidays i am back to school tomorrow. nervous? You betcha, but I’m trying not to think about it too much.

This isn’t going to be a long post, but I hope you’ll like what I have posted.

Aztec Camera -‘Somewhere In My Heart.’ mp3

OK so ‘Oblivious’ and the stuff from the first album are classics, but this is too. This was one of the first Aztec Camera tracks I ever heard, aged 11, and as such it holds a special place in my record collection, and my, er, heart. Available on Love and their Best of.

Idlewild -‘No Emotion.’ mp3

Am I the only person who has bought the new album? It’s really very good. Get your acts together people. It’s on the new album, Make Another World.

Mother and the addicts -‘What Were The Reasons.’ mp3

A new track from the forthcoming Mother and the Addicts album that they have put out on the net (buy older stuff here).

Mull Historical Society -‘Watching Xanadu.’ mp3

Aw. Colin and co. bring a smile to my face every time. Off their debut, Loss.

Sister Vanilla -‘K to be Lost.’ mp3

The brothers Reid (of the now reformed Jesus and Mary Chain) and little sister Linda unleash Little Pop Rock. World cheers.

Sonic Youth -‘Dirty Boots.’ mp3

I heard this just after Christmas 1990 at a friend’s house. I had to have the album Goo. That same night I also heard Jane’s Addiction’s Ritual De Lo Habitual. These things can change your life at fourteen (actually I still think they can at thirty; then again, I’d rather browse the vinyl racks in a record store than go to IKEA, so what do I know?)

Hope you like them. As always, if you like the music you hear, support the artists. These mp3s will be up for a week only.

Have a good week

xx

If I Had a Club Night

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a da da da da da-da-da-da-da-da- da!

Oh sorry, got a bit lost there. It’s been a busy few days, what with being signed back on by the Doctor (so back to school for me in a couple of days), trying to tidy the flat (a Painting a very big bridge kind of job) and doing more wedding preparation with the soon to be Mrs. 17 seconds.

I guess we’re a bit tired rather than too old to go clubbing, but I got to thinking about the days when I DJed (and who knows, I may do again *wishful thinking*) so i was thinking about tracks I might like to play. And – this is for you Rick, if you’re reading – some of these tracks you can dance to!!

Obviously, I would play some tracks that aren’t a few years old, as well as some that are decades older, but here are a few, partioularly from the days when the re-emergence of ‘post-punk’ type stuff was floating my boat, blogging was in its infancy and The Arcade Fire and the Shins were pretty much only known to those who read the blogs. How times change…but some of these tracks are very much likely to make it into my list of best tracks of the noughties.

The Faint -‘Agenda Suicide.’ mp3

The Faint -‘Worked Up So Sexual.’ mp3

Fitness -‘Chauffeur.’ mp3

Juan Maclean -‘By the Time I Get To Venus.’ mp3

Radio 4 -‘Dance To The Underground.’ mp3

The Rapture -‘House Of Jealous Lovers.’ mp3

Links removed April 21.

As always, if you like the tracks, support the artists by buying the bands’ music, whether at iTunes, Amazon or your local independent store.

Oh, and if you haven’t checked it out yet, the jock’n’roll poll is up and running!

Keep Scotland Clean

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Clean George IV are a scottish band that, I must be honest, I don’t know a huge amount about.

However, they have so far issued one very good single, entitled ‘First Blast Of The Trumpet Against The Monstrous Regiment Of Women.’ This is not enocuraging wind instrument related misogyny, but is the title of John Knox’s infamous pamphlet about women. As to the b-side, I don’t know when the great Highland Crack epidemic was, though Scotland has had its problems with drugs like most countries in the majority and minority worlds.

This is their first single, available on 7″ from HMV, and other stores (mine came from Fopp) and when you buy it, you also get to download the tracks for free (if only more bands did this, for those of us who like to have a physical product and like that to be vinyl. As well as owning iPods and not being able to afford USB turntables.)

Clean George IV -‘First Blast Of The Trumpet Against The Monstrous Regiment of Woman.’ mp3

Clean George IV -‘The Great Highland Crack Epidemic.’ mp3

Remember, if you like it go and buy it, and go and make friends with them at their mySpace page

And here’s a few more mp3s of Scottish bands that I thought I would post. Enjoy!

The Delgados -‘No Danger (Kids Choir Edit).’ mp3

Teenage Fanclub -‘Everything Flows.’ mp3

The View -‘Wasted Little DJs.’ mp3

The View -‘Superstar Tradesman.’ mp3

NB. These will be up for a week only. If you like them, BUY THEM.

Links removed April 18.

Three more for you! (part two)

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Three more mp3s to try and encourage you to think about voting in the jock’n’roll poll:

Mother And The Addicts -‘Take The Lovers Home Tonight.’ mp3

Dogs Die In Hot Cars -‘I Love You ‘Cause I Have To.’ mp3

Franz Ferdinand -‘Darts Of Pleasure.’ mp3

As always, if you like what you hear, support the bands! Buy their music, see the gigs etc..

Six of One and a Dozen Of The Other

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Well, the Jock’N’Roll albums poll may not have posted any results…yet – but I figured that you can never have too many reminders.

So here are six great Scottish bands, with two mp3s apiece. Enjoy!

Aereogramme – ‘Zionist Timing.’ mp3

Aereogramme -‘Wood.’ mp3

Arab Strap – ‘Cherubs.’ mp3

Arab Strap – ‘The Love Detective.’ mp3

Ballboy -‘Sex Is Boring (John Peel Session 21/3/00).’ mp3

Ballboy – ‘Sex Is Boring (John Peel Session 21/3/00).’ mp3

Delgados -‘American Trilogy.’ mp3

Delgados -‘Sink Or Swim.’ mp3

Sons and Daughters – ‘Johnny Cash.’ mp3

Sons and Daughters – ‘Dance me In.’ mp3

Teenage Fanclub – ‘What You Do To me.’ mp3

Teenage Fanclub – ‘It’s All In My Mind.’ mp3

As always, if you like what you hear, go and support the bands by checking out their MySpace sites and becoming their friends, buying the music from iTunes or Amazon or your local independent shop, seeing them in concert, and of course, voting for scottish acts at Jock’n’Roll

Hope you had a good Easter, Ed

And now…the best Scottish Albums Poll

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Regular readers to this blog (and I know there are a few) will know that I have posted a few times on the Jock’n’Roll poll to find the top 100 singles by Scottish artists. The results are now posted for all to see and the top ten came out like this:

1. The Associates – Party Fears Two
2. The Skids – Into The Valley
3. Aztec Camera – Oblivious
4. Big Country – In A Big Country
5. Franz Ferdinand – Take Me Out
6. The Blue Nile – Tinseltown In The Rain
7. Trashcan Sinatras – Obscurity Knocks
8. Cocteau Twins – Pearly Dewdrops Drops
9. Orange Juice – Rip It Up
10. Danny Wilson – Mary’s Prayer

To see the full top 100 click here.

And now they have announced the next poll – to find the top Scottish album, and the worst. No finish date as yet, but it’s got me thinking about mine. The rules and how to vote can be found here. They are allowing various artist compilations but not best of/greatest hits compilations, which means that The Beta Band’s 3EPs is not eligible. But for my choices…

1. The Delgados ‘The Great Eastern’
2. The Jesus And Mary Chain ‘Psychocandy’
3. Orange Juice ‘You Can’t Hide Your Love Forever’
4. Sons and Daughters ‘Love The Cup’
5. Belle and Sebastian ‘ If You’re Feeling Sinister’
6. Franz Ferdinand ‘Franz Ferdinand’
7. Aberfeldy ‘Young Forever’
8. The Shop Assistants ‘The Shop Assistants’
9. Camera Obscura ‘Let’s Get Out Of This Country’
10. Teenage Fanclub ‘Bandwagonesque’

Of course, there’s lots of other great albums that deserve inclusion from the likes of Idlewild, Arab Strap, Mogwai, Simple Minds (up to about 1985, and not beyond that!) Deacon Blue and many, many others. As for worst album…I haven’t heard the Krankies’ album, but maybe as a point of principle I will. Or Runrig – a friend once said that I didn’t get Runrig because I’m not scottish. Actually, I think it’s to do with being a music fan, but there you go.

What about YOU?

look for the above albums at Amazon or iTunes or ebay. Best of all, support your local Independent record shop.