Category Archives: Franz Ferdinand

Great Scottish-set films

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Finally saw Hallam Foe yesterday, an excellent film set in Edinburgh.

It’s quite fun, sitting down watching films and recognising your (adopted) home town in places recognising many of the sights. And as usual, a story that is very different from your own life. Dark in places, but very funny in others. Very much worth checking out. And if you didn’t want to see it, just because the last time you saw Jamie Bell he was in Billy Elliott, then shame on you!

An excellent soundtrack, not all scottish indie, but three fantastic tracks that I think everyone should hear:

Orange Juice – ‘Blue Boy.’ mp3

Franz Ferdinand -‘Hallam Foe Dandelion Blow.’ mp3

Sons & Daughters -‘Broken Bones.’ mp3

Other great scottish set films would include: Restless Natives, Sweet Sixteen, Local Hero, Gregory’s Girl, Shallow Grave, Trainspotting…oh and I’ve never seen Brigadoon or Greyfriar’s Bobby.

Hope you’re enjoying your weekend…

Some Covers For Saturday Part III

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Well, I’ve got my USB turntable on the go again (not that it stopped working but it can be a time-consuming process) so here are a few goodies from the record collection.

The Swans were responsible for leading me to Joy Division. Aged eleven, I saw the video for their cover of Love Will Tear Us Apart on The Chart Show, a long-running UK TV show that every three weeks would do the Top Ten indie charts (the other two weeks being dance and Heavy Metal). Now the version I heard then had Michael Gira on vocals (anyone who has this please let me know etc..) but this version has the legendary Jarboe singing.

Swans -‘Love Will Tear Us Apart (Jarboe vocal).’ mp3

I said I would post it, and I have! A couple of years back, Franz Ferdinand and the Fire Engines issued a limited split 7″ (I love these! There is nothing more indie (in the old sense of the word) than a split 7″) of them covering one of the other’s songs.

Franz Ferdinand -‘Get Up And Use Me (Fire Engines cover).’ mp3

Fire Engines -‘Jacqueline (Franz Ferdinand cover).’ mp3

As a huge Cure fan, I was determined to track down a copy of this for years. A few times I thought I’d got it, only to wonder why every version seemed to cut off before the end. So when I found the 12″, I got it home to discover that…it’s how it’s meant to sound.

Dinosaur Jr -‘Just Like Heaven (The Cure cover).’ mp3

I thought this was a Nancy Griffith song -obviously without the swearing -but it was written by John Prine. Anyway, this is Alabama 3’s take on it.

Alabama 3 -‘Speed Of The Sound Of Loneliness (John Prine cover).’ mp3

Finally, another record I spent years searching for (before it was eventually available on the B-sides and rarities triple CD compilation that came out in 2004). This single had Nick and Shane singing on the A-side together, before covering one of the other’s songs on the b-side.

Nick Cave and Shane MacGowan -‘What A Wondeful World (Louis Armstrong cover).’ mp3

Nick Cave -‘Rainy Night In Soho (Pogues cover).’ mp3

Shane MacGowan -‘Lucy (Nick Cave cover).’ mp3

These will be up for one week only. Enjoy!

Scots indie!

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When I first started this blog, about fifteen months ago, one of my main aims was making scottish indie as high profile as possible.

Arguably since then, I have diversified a little -folk, death metal, grime and even a little classical have made their way onto these pages.

However, my bandwith is about to be exceeded –again! and so I thought I would do a post the old-fashioned way, and about music I am passionate about, with or without regard to fashion.

Some of these you may know, others you won’t. Some are well-known, others less so, some bands are gone, some new, some just beginning. But enjoy…

Arab Strap -‘Love Detective.’ mp3

Belle And Sebastian -‘Funny Little Frog.’ mp3

Isobel Campbell -‘Amorino.’ mp3

Franz Ferdinand -‘Darts Of Pleasure.’ mp3

Delgados -‘American Trilogy.’ mp3

Mogwai -‘Dial:Revenge.’ mp3 (featuring Gruff Rhys from Super Furry Animals, it’s a celtic thing, you understand!)

Sons and Daughters -‘Johnny Cash.’ mp3

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

Twilight Sad -‘That Summer, At Home I Had Become The Invisible Boy.’ mp3

1990s -‘You’re Supposed To Be My Friend.’ mp3

Enjoy.

have a good weekend!

Just a quick one…2

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Back to school tomorrow (though trying not to think about it!) so here’s a quick update on two bands:

Though their third album may be a while away, Franz Ferdinand have contributed a track to Hallam Foe, and just in case anyone didn’t pick up on this a few months ago, this was their cover of the LCD Soundsystem single which was on formats of that single when it came out in the UK a few months ago.

Franz Ferdinand -‘Hallam Foe Dandelion Blow.’ mp3

Franz Ferdinand -‘All My Friends (LCD Soundsystem cover). mp3

Meanwhile, Working For a Nuclear Free City are due to issue their debut in the US in drastically altered form. Check their Myspace site for details: here

Working For a Nuclear Free City -‘Over.’ mp3

Working For A Nuclear Free City -‘All American Taste.’ mp3

If you like what you hear, support the bands and your local independent record shop!

Some Covers For Monday

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The photo above is one of the stock photos on my computer. It may be July now, but in Scotland it is still raining and still cold. Grrr. Or should that read Brrr?

Anyway. Here are some cover versions for Monday. These tracks were originally recorded for Radio 1, Some on a compilation called Evening Session Priority Tunes and the rest are from a compilation called Radio 1’s Live Lounge.

Oh, and in case anyone wants to pick on the spelling of the Nirvana cover, that’s what it says on the sleeve…

Manic Street Preachers-‘Penny Royalty.’ mp3

China Drum-‘Wuthering Heights.’ mp3

Ash-‘Does Your Mother Know.’ mp3

Arctic Monkeys-‘Love Machine.’ mp3

The Automatic-‘Gold Digger.’ mp3

Boy Kill Boy-‘Maneater.’ mp3

Franz Ferdinand-‘What You Waiting For?’ mp3

If you like what you hear, track down the compilations, be it at your local independent record store, or buy on-line or at Amazon

As always, these will be up here for a week. Get them while you can.

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..