(Flaming Lips)
Here is today’s instalment. Just a quick post (though I have already had my Mum on the ‘phone worrying that I’m spending so much time blogging that I can’t be talking to mrs. 17 seconds enough). Don’t worry, I am!
Flaming Lips – ‘A Change At Christmas (Say It Ain’t So).’ mp3
Flaming Lips -‘Christmas At the Zoo.’ mp3
Arcade Fire -‘The Christmas Song.’ mp3
Arcade Fire – ‘Jinglebell Rock.’ mp3
as ever, more to follow tomorrow…
Edx
The Manic Street Preachers
so, for a change, here
‘s one new song this year. The Manic Street Preachers have ma
de this available to those on their mailing list…and so why not share it?
Manic Street Preachers -‘Christmas Ghost.’ mp3
I
don’t know much about the origin of the tune
Christmas (Baby Please Come Home), but I have three versions of it, by U2 (who are the first b
and I heard do it), Death Cab For Cutie, and Scotland’s own Arab Strap:
U2 -‘Christmas (Baby Please Come Home).’ mp3
Death Cab For Cutie -‘Christmas (Baby Please Come Home).’ mp3
Ara
b Strap -‘Christmas (Baby Please Come Home).’ mp3
Enjoy. There will, naturally, be more tomorrow… : ))
Edx
So, here it is, the 2007 17 Seconds’ Festive Fifty.
These are my favourite new tracks to be heard this year. They didn’t have to be singles or even have been commercially released this year, indeed there are some tracks that are b-sides, album only tracks, and mp3s only, and even
a demo and an unsigned band. But they couldn’t have been from previous years (which is why The Shins’ Phantom Limb isn’t here, it was an mp3 last year, made it int
n the USA
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o my inaugural Festive Fifty, and therefore isn’t here). Just stuff IMHO that has made my musical year. It’s not easy trying to narrow it down, but this is the definitive list. I haven’t posted all the tracks here before, and I have put links to a few, but I hope you enjoy it. Let the debating start here
1. Emma Pollock -‘Adrenaline.’
2. Battles -‘Atlas.’
3. Justice -‘D.A.N.C.E.’
4. Ringo Death Starr – ‘Some Kind Of Sad.’
5. Malcolm Middleton – ‘A Brighter Beat.’
6. Penny Century – ‘Nothing Burns Like Bridges.’
7. Rihanna – ‘Umbrella’
8. Bloc Party – ‘Flux’
9. Camera Obscura – ‘Super Trouper’
10. Sons and Daughters ‘Gilt Complex’
11. Idlewild – ‘No Emotion’
12. Emma Pollock – ‘Acid Test’
13. Kate Nash -‘Caroline’s A Victim.’
14. Dizzee Rascal feat. Lily Allen -’Wanna Be.’
15. Wiley -’Bow E3.’
16. Malcolm Middleton – ‘We’re All Going To Die.’
17. Timbaland featuring Nelly Furtado and Justin Timberlake- ‘Give It To Me.’
18. Kate Nash -’Foundations.’
19. Wiley -’50/50.’
20. Sister Vanilla -‘Can’t Stop The Rock.’
21. Editors – ‘ Smokers Outside the Hospital Doors.’
22. Arctic Monkeys -‘Brianstorm.’
23. Dizzee Rascal – ‘Flex.’
24. Klaxons -‘Golden Skans.’
25. Bloc Party – ‘The Prayer.’
26. Electrelane -‘To The East’
27. Black Kids -‘I’m Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance with You.’
28. Paul Hartnoll featuring Robert Smith-‘Please.’
29. Futureheads -‘Broke Up The Time.’
30. Charlatans -’You Cross My Path.’
31. Scottish Enlightenment -‘Eyes.’
32. Emma Pollock – ‘Paper and Glue.’
33. Burial -’Archangel.’
34. Cooper Temple Clause -’Waiting Game.’
35. Siouxsie – ‘Here Comes That Day.’
36.Timbaland, D.O.E. & Keri Hilson -‘The Way I Are
37. White Stripes – ‘Icky Thump.’
38.Maximo Park -’Our Velocity.’
39. M.I.A. ‘Bamboo Banger.’
40. Tiny Dancers -‘I Will Wait For You.’
41. Emma Pollock -’Lim
bs’
42. Arctic Monkeys -’Fluorescent Adolescent.’
43. Jack Penate -’Second, Minute Or Hour’
44. New Young Pony Club – ‘ Ice Cream.’
45. Manic Street Preachers – ‘Your Love Alone Is Not Enough.’
46. Wilco -’Impossible Germany’
47. Wu-Tang Clan – The Heart Gently Weeps
48. Snow Patrol – ‘Signal Fire.’
49. Fall Out Boy -’This Ain’t A Scene, It’s An Arms Race.’
50. Kanye West – ‘Stronger.’
(The Wedding Present’s David Gedge)
And here are today’s seasonal pickings, courtesy of the USB turntable, and many years spent hanging around record shops…
First up, the Wedding Present. As has been well documented over the years, back in 1992, the Wedding Present released one 7″ a mon
th, in a limited edition of 10,000. They all made the UK Top 30, and the A-side was a weddoes composition, the b-side a
cover. Amongst the songs that made the b-sides over the course of that year were the Go-Betweens’ ‘Cattle and Cane,’ Isaac Hayes’ ‘Theme From Shaft,’ and Bow Wow Wow’s ‘Go Wild In The Country.’ For their Christmas single, it was inevitable that there would be a Christmas cover, and so it was that The wedding Present ended up covering Elton John.
Wedding Present -‘No Chri
stmas.’mp3
Wedding Present -‘Step Into Christmas (Elton John cover).’ mp3
A few days ago, one of my older students, who has long chatted with me about music revealed that he had bought a couple of White Stripes’ 7″ singles, at £30, including this one, billed as ‘Merry Christmas From The White Stripes.’ ‘Ah yes, I said, ‘ I bought that one when it first came out.’ ‘I bet it only cost you a pound!’
he said, slightly agonised. Well, no, £3, if memory serves. It’s not particularly Christmassy, but I guess it came out for Christmas. The b-side features Jack White reading from Luke’s Gospel about the coming of The Magi (The Three Wise Men) and then Meg attempting to sing Silent Night. It’s more of a curio than essential listening, so here is the a-side:
White Stri
pes -‘Candy Cane Girl.’ mp3
I first heard this track, ‘Christmas Wrapping’ at some point in the late 90s. It had been a no.45 hit in the UK in December 82, the only time the band ever charted in the UK. the drummer was Billy Ficca who had been in Television. I still think it sounds like Blondie -in a good way. It’s now been on several Christmas compilations over the years, and I eventually found a copy for myself in a charity shop in 2003, on 12″ (also found an LP version of Songs The Lord Taught Us by The Cramps there that very day, too(I’m easily pleased). This is the 12″ version, Enjoy!
Waitresses -‘Chri
stmas Wrapping (Long Version).’ mp3
And there will be more tomorrow…
…and here are today’s treats:
Belle and Sebastian -‘Christmas Time Is Here 1.’ mp3
Belle and Sebastian -‘O Come, O Come Emmanuel.’ mp3
more tomorrow. BTW, if you are enjoying these, please leave feedback!
Ed
Gig review: Manic Street Preachers/Cherry Ghost
Edinburgh Corn Exchange, December 3, 2007
If there’s such a thing as the ‘indie-survivor’, then the two bands from the nineties who truly survived, against the odds, are The Charlatans and The Manic Street Preachers. The latter literally talked up a ‘Live Fast Die Young Stay Beautiful’ type manifesto when they first burst onto the scene, but like the Charlies, they are still making records, still keeping many fans, and still a big live draw.
Which is more than I think is ever going to be said for Cherry Ghost. This is the sixth time I have seen the Manics live over the last ten years, and support acts have included Catatonia (long before Cerys did Celebrity), The Delays,
Ian Brown and The
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Departure. All acts I enjoyed, but Cherry Ghost are just bland. There’s nothing to love or hate about them, they’re just this year’s Athlete.
With over thirty Top Forty Hits to their name, the Manics have no shortage of crowd pleasers up their collective sleeves. It might seem a gamble to start off with ‘Motorcycle Emptiness,’ but they’ve certainly done it before when I’ve seen them. The cynical might argue that it’s because no-one knows the new stuff, but that’s not true either. When they launch into ‘Your Love alone Is Not Enough’ it may be missing the vocals of Nina Peerson, but the crowd to their best to compensate. This year’s Send Away The Tigers genuinely is the return to form that’s been waited for for ten years
.
As well as the line-up of Bradfield, Wire and Moore, they are joined by another guitarist and a multi-instrumentalist, who adds particularly effective saxophone to ‘Ocean Spray’ and ‘Kevin Carter.’ The former is one of their most heart-wrenching songs, and a reminder that when they put out their greatest hits album five years ago (and two studio albums ago, if anyone’s counting) that there were many great songs that had to get left off. The same could be said for other songs like ‘Roses In the Hospital Bed’ which makes an appearance early on
tonight. It’s also good to hear ‘1985’ from Lifeblood, which seems to have become the runt of their back catalogue, but still had some gorgeous songs.
The band have a soft spot for Edinburgh, where Nicky Wire informs us was the first place they ever flew to (and for once, they don’t bitch about a certain Edinburgh record shop which refused to stock their early records), before they launch into ‘You Love Us.’ We also get ‘Slash ‘n Burn’ and a teasing bit of The Cult’s She Sells Sanctuary.
One of the highlights of the set is a solo version from James of ‘Theme from M*A*S*H (Suicide Is Painless)’, which is stripped down to just voice and acoustic guitar, before he gives us ‘The Everlasting.’
Dammit, just how many great songs have the Manics got in their back catalogue? Loads, it would seem, and as they finish with ‘A Design for Life’ the passion remains. The feather boas may have quietly disappeared, Richey’s ghost still lingers (and they dedicate ‘Yes’ to him) but as a live draw, on this form, I’ll be goi
ng to catch the Manic Street Preachers for some time to come.
****
Manic Street Preachers
-‘Theme From MASH Suicide Is Painless.’ mp3
Manic Street Preachers -‘Your Love Alone Is Not Enough.’ mp3
Hello folks, here is today’s instalment.
First of all, another instalment from Scandinavia. This song is great, and it deserves to become one of those per
ennials, IMHO:
Mew -‘She Came Home For Christmas.’ mp3
The Christmas album (the concep
the US
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t, as opposed to just Low’s album) seems to be much bigger in the US than it is over here in Scotland and the rest of the UK. I haven’t heard the whole album, but th
is was released by Brian Wilson a couple of years ago, as a 7″ single too:
Brian Wilson -‘What I Really Want For Christmas.’ mp3
And a Brian Wilson-related song from over forty years ago…
Beach Boys -‘Little Saint Nick.’ mp3
And don’t forget to drop by here tomorrow, there’ll
be more treats. Heading in the dire
ction of the USB turntable armed with White Stripes, Waitresses and Wedding Present…
And this is today’s record. This time it’s more Scandinavian stuff, from Denmark’s Raveonettes. Hope you are enjoying these festive sounds.
If you are out to find more exciting Christmas songs, you should make sure that you visit The Festive Fifty and I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday, two excellent mp3 blogs written by Steve, who frequently leaves comments here and posts some great stuff.
The Raveonettes -‘The Christmas Song.’ mp3
See you soon…
Just a quick one today, your song for today is a comparative ‘newie’ a download-only song by the Knife.
The Knife -‘Christmas Reindeer.’ mp3
Hope you’re well…
Current promotional poster for the tour (below)
Interview: Malcolm Middleton
I think it started a few weeks ago, for me at any rate, when I got an email from Mike over at Manic Pop Thrills. Mike had got a campaign going to get Malcolm Middleton’s latest single ‘We’re all Going To Die’ to that most hallowed of chart positions in the UK, the Christmas No.1.
It seemed a gargantuan task. how could a handful of scottish bloggers take on the might of record execs? But with Mike’s pieces on the matter, a post or two from me on it, and perhaps more effectively, the support of DJs like Steve Lamacq and Radio 1 DJs like Colin Murray, Scott Mills and Edith Bowman has seen considerable progress for the campaign. By the end of November, the odds on it being the Christmas No.1 had been shortened from 1000-1 (the longest odds William Hill had ever given on a Christmas No.1) to 12-1, the fourth favourite.
I was extremely flattered when I found a quote from me on his official website:
” Also important is the fact that the song will be up against X-Factor winners, whoever they will be, and so this is also about the battle for good against evil, socialism versus capitalism, the scottish cult indie musician versus a global terror perpetuated by Louis Walsh and Simon Cowell.”
But has it got out of control? Could it perhaps backfire? Mlacolm has never had a UK Top 40 single before, but could it get ridiculous? I gave Malcolm a ring on Friday morning to find out how it’s going and his plans for 2008.
” Things seem to have gotten out of hand, that it’s snowballed,’ he says, somewhat puzzled at all the attention this far into his career that he’s suddenly had over the last month. ‘But it would be great to have an impact. I’m just worried that it’s going to do more harm than good.”
He’s delighted to have made the daytime playlist at Radio One. Over a decade after Grunge and Britpop challenged the perception in the UK of what could get played at Radio One during the day, artists like Malcolm Middleton were traditionally the preserve of the evening specialist shows, like the Evening Session and the late, great John Peel.
Of course, the release of the single crowns of what has been a very busy year for him. Having moved from long-time record label Chemikal Underground to Fulltime Hobby to issue his third solo album A Brighter Beat, he’s received some fantastic reviews across the blogs and the print media. Not that this translates into huge record sales.
‘I’m cynical of how the media works,’ he says, not unreasonably. ‘I get good reviews but that’s where it ends.’ After all, a single of the week in NME is no more a guarantee of a ‘hit’ record than a handful of bloggers praising the record. Ultimately, the general public have to actually go and buy it.
I ask how he feels 2007 has gone. ‘I think it’s gone okay. To me, A Brighter Beat‘s the best thing I’ve ever done. Part of me worries [that the campaign to get the single to no.1] could do more harm than good. I’m not used to being part of the mainstream.’ I ask him if he thinks the campaign has been good for sales of the album. ‘To be honest,’ he says, ‘I think the album’s success is more down to word of mouth.’
Not wanting to focus on current developments, I ask what he’s up to next year. He’s certainly not going to be letting the grass grow beneath his feet. In February, Fulltime Hobby will issue a new mini-album by him called Sleight Of Heart. The album, which he describes as acoustic, will feature six new songs written by him, and three cover versions: Jackson C. Frank’s ‘Just Like Anything,’ King Creosote’s ‘Margeurita Red,’ and Madonna’s ‘Stay,’ originally from her Like A Virgin LP.
Both in Arab Strap and solo, he’s chosen some interesting cover versions, and this blog got a lot of interest when it featured Arab Strap’s covers of AC/DC’s ‘You Shook Me All Night Long’ and Van Halen’s ‘Why Can’t This Be Love?’ Both of these songs were classics in the Heavy Metal genre, but done by Arab Strap they were utterly re-invented; stripped of their bluster, there were songs beneath the pyrotechnics and bluster. ‘It was easier doing cover versions in Arab Strap,’ Malcolm says. ‘Solo, you mustn’t do karaoke versions.’
Speaking of Arab Strap, it was a year ago that the decade long partnership of Malcolm and Aidan Moffat as Arab Strap came to a very amicable end as they went their own separate ways. Have they been in touch recently? ‘Oh yeah, Aidan’s still a mate.’ What does he think of A Brighter Beat? ‘It’s a bit over-produced for him!’ Perhaps surprisingly, though, he hasn’t spoken to Aidan about the current campaign for the single, as he’s too embarassed about it.
Still, whilst he doesn’t think the single’s going to go Top 40, he seems to be touched by the attention he’s receiving and thanks me for the coverage. He deserves it; but let us hope that whether the single reaches no.1 or 101 that it will bring him to a wider portion of the listening public.
Malcolm Middleton -‘Stay Close Sit Tight.’ mp3
The single ‘We’re All Going To Die’ will be available on iTunes from December 10. It will be available from other download services from December 17, and on limited 7″ vinyl. To be eligible for the chart, you will need to buy it on December 17 onwards.
Malcolm Middleton’s official website is here and his mySpace is here