Monthly Archives: December 2010

Christmas posts part 22

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saint-etienne

Saint Etienne have done a number of Christmas tunes over the years. They made the top 40 in 1993 with Tim Burgess (of The Charlatans, or Charlatans UK if you’re from North America) with their song ‘I Was Born On Christmas Day’ and a track called ’21st Century Christmas’ has been doing the rounds for a number of years, too.

Saint Etienne -‘I Was Born On Christmas Day (featuring Tim Burgess).’ mp3

Saint Etienne -’21st Century Christmas.’ mp3

This year, they have done a Christmas album entitled A Glimpse Of Stocking, which amongst other songs, apparently has a cover of the Doors ‘Wintertime Love’ from Waiting For The Sun (haven’t played that album in years, but I do remember loving it when I was fifteen).

This will apparently only be available for this year from their website and at their Christmas shows, so get cracking!

They have made this available as another free download.

Saint Etienne -‘No Cure For The Common Christmas.’ mp3

The snow has returned with a vengeance to Edinburgh., now settling on the ice and snow that hadn’t properly gone from before. Worrying at the best of times, and even less for for Mrs. 17 Seconds who has to negotiate this six and a half months pregnant…

Christmas posts part 21

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william-s-burroughs

For today, some slightly more avant-garde/off-beat type offerings for you.

As an antidote to anodyne Christmas offerings, I wandered into town with the Cure’s Faith on my headphones. Which was perfect, until the batteries ran out. Life without an iPod (waiting to have it fixed AGAIN) can be very frustrating.

Sonic Youth -‘Santa Doesn’t Cop Out On Dope.’ mp3

William S. Burroughs & Kurt Cobain ‘Quiet Waters.’ mp3

Basement 5 -‘Last White Christmas.’ mp3

Daniel Johnston -‘Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree.’ mp3

Can -‘Silent Night.’ mp3

memo to self: DO NOT go into town on the last saturday before Christmas…

Captain Beefheart – musical pioneer dies

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captain-beefheart

The desperately sad news has just started to circulate in the last hour that Don Van Vliet AKA Captain Beefheart has died.

He was just a month shy of his seventieth birthday. Between 1966 and 1982 the albums he recorded with the Magic Band, including his debut Safe As Milk, his personal favourite Lick My Decals Off, Baby and Trout Mask Replica -the latter being widely regarded as the most far-out rock record ever to be released – ensured that his place in musical history was ensured.

There will be a more detailed piece here tomorrow, but for now, treasure these.

Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band -‘Moonlight On Vermont.’ mp3

Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band -‘Big Eyes Beans From Venus.’ mp3

…and the title track from his last album:

Getting ready for 2011 part 3: REM

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rem-discoverer

REM will return with their 15th studio album (count ’em!) entitled Collapse Into Now on March 7.

It was produced by the band with Jacknife Lee, and features contributions from Patti Smith, Peaches and Lenny Kaye, amongst others.

rem-collapse-into-now

The tracklisting is as follows:

1. Discoverer
2. All The Best
3. Überlin
4. Oh My Heart
5. It Happened Today
6. Every Day Is Yours To Win
7. Mine Smell Like Honey
8. Walk It Back
9. Alligator Aviator Autopilot Antimatter
10. That Someone Is You
11. Me, Marlon Brando, Marlon Brando and I
12. Blue

Go here to download REM’s new song and album opener ‘Discoverer.’ (I’m not going to risk annoying Warners by posting the track directly, all they ask for is your email address, and you can always unsubscribe). The song remainds me of both ‘Finest Worksong’ and ‘What’s the Frequency, Kenneth?’

This is the lyric video (is that a posh way of saying Karaoke?):

Christmas posts part 20

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07-12-13_christmas-poem2

Strange but true…I put Christmas into google image and this is what came up first

Did get as far as going into work today, feeling worse and got sent home. Not helped by the black ice I slipped on outside work.

Anyway, you’re probably not here for my health or my reports on the weather but tunes or CHOONS! as I believe young people (younger than my 34 years) refer to them.

First up, 6 Day Riot have released a special free recording of the Pretenders’ 2000 Miles. Not that the Pretenders’ original was particularly overblown, but this is very nicely stripped down, IMHO:

6 Day Riot -‘2000 Miles.’ mp3

Meanwhile, ever felt that ‘All I Want For christmas’ just wasn’t sinister enough?’ Or that ‘Frosty the Snowman’ or ‘O Holy Night’ needed a radical overhaul? (And I mean that as a compliment).

Wonder no more. Check out Banjo or Freakout’s Christmas album, XA 2010:

And you can download his 2009 Christmas album for free here

Christmas posts part 19

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05-month-christmas-stocking

It’s well into the christmas season – and I’m still being sent new christmas stuff I haven’t heard before. Which is something, as I’ve been off work all day, feeling rubbish and sorry for myself.

First up, this is is Hold Your Horses’ take on Paul McCartney’s ‘Wonderful Christmastime’ -and they’ve managed to make it so much less irritating than Macca’s original! Go to their website if you wish to download it.

Hold Your Horse Is – Wonderful Christmas Time by bsmrocks

Matthew and the Atlas relased their second EP Kingdom of your own in November and also supported Mumford and Sons on tour. This is their take on The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl’s ‘Fairytale Of New York.’

Matthew And The Atlas – Fairytale Of New York by Matthew and the Atlas

Ever wondered what ‘Walking In the Air’ might have sounded like if Ennio Morricone had written it and then got a shoegazing and an Americana band to record. Wonder no more. Bear driver have done the work for you:

The Snowman – Walking In The Air by Bear Driver

I’m not going to describe this next track, because on paper (or on the screen) it really should not work. Yet, somehow…it does…

Cocknbullkid – Amazing Dave by moshi moshi music

Next year will mark six years of me and Mrs. 17 Seconds being together -and how better to mark it than the patter of tiny feet? This is one of her favourite acts, Röyksopp:

Le Cantique de Noël by Röyksopp

Getting ready for 2011 part 2: PJ Harvey

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p-j-harvey-let-england-shake

As mentioned already on this blog, PJ Harvey will return with her new album, Let England Shake, on February 14, 2011.

You can stream ‘Written on the Forehead’ below. And what it proves -very nicely -is that she continues to persue her own path. And to do it extremely well. This suggests that Let England Shake will be just as different in its’ own way as White Chalk or any of her albums were from each other.

Written On The Forehead by pjharvey

The tracklisting is as follows:

1. Let England Shake
2. The Last Living Rose
3. The Glorious Land
4. The Words That Maketh Murder
5. All And Everyone
6. On Battleship Hill
7. England
8. In The Dark Places
9. Bitter Branches
10. Hanging In The Wire
11. Written On The Forehead
12. The Colour of The Earth

This is her performing the title track on the Andrew Marr show earlier this year, in front of, amongst others, then Prime minister Gordon Brown:

Christmas posts part 18

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thewalkmen-band-2004

Christmas is now ten days away, I have lots of good stuff still to post, and i’m proud of how much stuff is actually new to the blog.

Meanwhile, I’m going down with something hideous, the weather’s about to get worse here (and the ice still hasn’t been cleared from the roads after the last lot) and all I really want to is hibernate.

i have nearly finished my Top 75 albums of the year, and amongst those late potential albums to be listed are The Swans and the Walkmen.

The latter have contributed quite a lot over the years to songs abut Christmas and snow…so why not, eh?

Walkmen – ‘No Christmas While I’m Talking.’ mp3

Walkmen -‘While I Shovel The Snow.’ mp3

Walkmen -‘The Blizzard of ’96.’ mp3

Christmas posts part 17

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rob-st-john

To my eternal shame, it’s been a while since I have written about Rob St. John.

However, I’m going to put that right. Right now.

Together with Oxford / London kraut-jazz-drone experimentalists Braindead Collective (who feature members of Guillemots, The Epstein, Keyboard Choir, amongst others), he has recorded a seven minute track entitled ‘The Whites Of Our Eyes.’

How christmassy is it? Well, a bit. But the proceeds are going to Shelter, and it’s a download on a pay-what-you-can basis.

So stream it below – and then go and buy it. If I hadn’t already done my Festive Fifty for this year…sadly, I have.