Embarrassments Of Rich's

Turn The Light Out

2010-01-02T04:13:00.000-08:00

Based in Poland, Michal has brought us a blog with a nice mix of some quite hard to find modern country and alt. albums, along with others that have received plenty of coverage on other sites.

Examples from Bonnie Prince Billy to Red House Painters to Grant Lee Buffalo running the gamut from the earlier days when the new sounds emerged from the Paisley Underground to more up to date stuff.

He hasn't got loads of stuff there so it's well worth a half hour checking his lists. If alt.'s your bag then he's got some interesting sounds for you.

Turn The Light Out

The Gourds - Noble Creatures (2007)

2010-01-02T03:53:00.000-08:00

The Gourds are out of Austin, Texas and generally get described as "alt.country"; I wouldn't lump them in with that earnest lot, though. To me they're more of a gin-you-INE country jug band bringing the style into the modern age.

A vastly talented bunch of musicians, just one listen to the references in the lyrics shows their intelligence and moves them away from the vast majority of modern country-style performers.

Noble Creatures, released in 2007, is one of their best and a great place to start for any newcomer. Opening with How Will The Sun Shine and its mandolin intro before some great and serious soul horns back-up, the song sets the scene and encapsulates what The Gourds are all about in one go. Follow-up Kicks In The Sun and its proto-Booker T organ riff underline what weve already heard.

Slowing it down with Promenade the band give us a delicate romantic ballad then A Few Extra Kilos weaves some excellent country-Stones guitar into a slow rock beat, emphasised by the next track, Last Letter.

Multi-intrumental stylings on The Gyroscopic put us back into the fun of the first two tracks then Moon Gone Down goes back to more traditional country places, as does Red Letter Day, replete with that organ again but with cowboy guitar and vox.

The organ's to the fore again on Out On The Vine before Cranky Mulatto rounds it all off with some serious cajun fiddle and accordian.

All told this is a must have album for anyone who likes a bit of intelligent, fun country. Go fetch.

The Gourds

PQP Bach

2009-10-27T05:51:00.000-07:00

This classical music malarky's a very confusing and complicated business.

First off, like I said before there's nothing like TotallyFuzzy to help you find what you're looking for. You end up having to find "a" classical blog and then working through the band of borthers that forms the links to the other classical blogs(and they are, indeed, the same links on every blog!). This is one of the ways in which I have found myself AWOL for nearly 2 months.

Secondly, if you were looking for music by a modern artist you wouldn't be looking for music by, say, Dylan as sung by someone else. You'd be looking for Dylan, mostly, right? In El Mundo Dos Classico this is impossible much of the time, thr music being well over a century old for the most part. So, you have to find the recorded interpretations and this is a MINEFIELD!!! There is a vast difference between the very many recordings of each piece, both in terms of quality of recording and quality of playing.

What I've found is that the best bet, if you haven't been recommended a specific recording (as Seb Hunter often does) is simply to plump for a good blog and find what you can there. This is where PQP Bach comes in.

Despite being in Portuguese (I think), PQP Bach is yer very own one-stop-shop for classical music. What he hasn't got isn't worth listening to, from 141 recordings of the work of J S Bach himself to 3 by Zelenka (whoever he is/was). There's even a bit of Zappa (3 to be precise).

Whilst unless you're fluent in Portuguese it's very difficult to read, if you're looking for, for example, Brahm's 4th Symphony, it'll be there. As will pretty much everything you want of a classical bent.

I have no doubt we'll be back with PQP Bach before I'm done but meanwhile, I recommend you go have a look.

pqpbach.opensadorselvagem.org/capelladeministrers

Capella De Ministrers - Trobadors (2005)

2009-10-27T05:28:00.000-07:00

Without question one of the most astounding discoveries of my (second hand) odyssey through classical music that was Seb Hunter's book has been my discovery of this album.

Seb makes reference to a couple of minstrel-type (i.e. 21-ish century coutier music) "collectives" (these people are never bands), neither of whose albums I could find (not for free, anyway). I did, however, and entirely by chance, find this.

Capella De Ministrers are a Catalan group of bods who make very old music together. Have a look at their website below and try not to laugh when you press the translate button. They do, however, make very old music in a way that sounds absolutely astounding.

This album is, in effect, a compilation of a number of 12th & 13th century European composers of troubador music and it couldn't, to be honest, sound more up to date. Every track echoes the world music that mags like Mojo are constantly telling you to listen to, from the North African-type sounds of Raimbaut de Vaiqeros to the Celtic of the "Anon." tracks. From the Ofra Hazar-esque Aimeric de Peghilhan to the pre-Tinariwen Giraut de Bornelh. And remember, these are all European songs from 800 years ago!

I urge you to listen to this album and defy you not to find something you like.

www.capelladeministrers.com

Seb Hunter - Rock Me Amadeus: When Ignorance Meets High Art, Things Can Get Messy (2006)

2009-10-27T04:39:00.000-07:00

Blimey, it's been a while, hasn't it?! In explanation for my prolonged absence, I'd like to offer up something that should resonate with every music-loving reader of this blog(which will be most of you).

Perusing my local library one day (as is my wont) I came across that book on the left. Its bumpf advised that it was a journey of discovery by a rock fan into classical music. Now, as classical music has always been very much a closed book to me (way too much wailing and shrieking and incidental music), I thought I'd give it a go. Little did I know I was unleashing a monster.

Hunter tells us that, like me, he has never had any time for the classical genre but, being a chap who doesn't like to have a closed mind about these things, he decided to immerse himself and try to learn to love it. With that (and taking advice along the way) he starts at "the beginning" of music as we know it and works his way forward.

A travelogue of the highest order, Hunter's book is a great introduction to this most impenetrable of genres. He doesn't hesitate to take the piss where he thinks it's due and makes recommendations along the way, managing to find a modern comparison to most of the music he's listening to. Nick Hornby/anal-type that I am, I found myself compiling a list of potential downloads within the first 20 pages! Finding some of this stuff has been a trial because most of the classical music blogs are elusive and make no concession to modern music. There is no TotallyFuzzy for the classics so Google has been a boon!

Which brings us neatly back to my absence. I've spent the last month or so finding and listening (although not exclusively, as Hunter does) to classical music and I've made some astounding discoveries. Some has been up there with the best stuff I've ever heard (true!) and some has been utterly unlistenable shite. The up side to this (although I would forgive your doubts) is that I will be recommending some of the good stuff here, along with the blogs where it can be found.

I can't recommend this book highly enough if you want to open up a whole new world to yourself. Go out and buy it. Meanwhile, give my "classical" posts a chance and a listen. I would be VERY interested to know what you think.

www.sebhunter.com

p.s. Seb Hunter also has a classical blog type thing called "The Bitterest Pill" which sub-titles itself "Classical Music one step at a goddamn time". Check it out. It's good.

Young Moss Tongue

2009-08-31T02:07:00.000-07:00

Michael Dust Devil recently brought his astounding blog back to us after "going private" for a time, an event for which we can only thank him.

I've looked a Very Large Number of blogs over the years but YoungMossTongue is truly awe inspiring, not least for the sheer quantity of uploads.

Primarily looking at inependant music, he doesn't restrict himself to a decade or a genre but covers a vast number of artists from throughout the history of popular music.

Clearly a muso himself he's drawn to those on the outskirts of the industry who may have had critical acclaim but remained "cult" figures and the blog is all the better for it. A quick look down his band tags will give you some idea of the enormity of the site and the work that's gone into it.

There's no chat (at all) but there's no need here.

Pay Michael a visit, but be prepared to spend A LOT of time with him.

youngmosstongue.blogspot.com/Cornershop

Cornershop - When I Was Born For The 7th Time (1997)

2009-08-31T01:40:00.000-07:00

Most people are going to remember Cornershop for the hit Brimful Of Asha, which remix by Fatboy Slim is not representative of what's on offer here. Whilst that song is present on the album it is in its "raw", unmixed format i.e. without the whistles and bells that Norman adds to bloody everything.

To go back to the beginning, this is Cornershop's 3rd album and was an enormous leap forward for the band. As recently as 2 years previously they were still hip young indie gunslingers, shooting at sacred cows like Morrissey. This album, however, was a revelation.

Kicking off with Sleep On The Left Side and Brimful Of Asha is a real statement of intent, hook laden tracks blending indie-dance with Indian influences and instrumentation, before hitting Butter The Soul where the band are straight into old-school hip hop, albeit with the requisite Bhangra twist.

That theme continues throughout the record with regular intervals of scratching and beatbox showdowns between the "proper" tracks.

We're In Yr Corner, track 5, is a pure Punjabi full-on sounddown (and awesome with it), before Funky Days Are Back Again brings a lo-fi synth presence to proceedings, followed shortly after by When The Light Appears, Boy, featuring legendary beat poet Allan Ginsburg reading from his own writing of the same name.

Good Shit is a return to the late 80s baggy sounding indie-dance, still with the hint of India, then Good To Be On The Road Back Home Again blends basic country with the band's Punjabi influences, tiger country, if you will. It's Indian Tobacco, My Friend is a pure ambient chillout.

The album concludes with Cornershop's version of Norwegian Wood sung, of course, in Punjabi.

This is a groundbreaking album for which Cornershop were deservedly lionised and I defy anyone not to like it.

www.cornershop.com/

Iz Prve Ruke

2009-07-25T01:21:00.000-07:00

Clearly a massive fan of Neil Young, Bob Dylan and The Beatles, Tonics has a blog here that'll get anyone with similar tastes salivating.

Chock full of goodies, he's got a seemingly endless list of bootlegs from all of the above, along with other major players of the same ilk whilst also, on occasion, throwing in another sound from somewhere out of left field (The Exploited anybody?).

If you like your music primarily from the rock/folk stable and you want to find some high quality boots you haven't got, or if you just want a rummage to see what Tonics has thrown into the mix on a whim, check him out.

izprveruke.blogspot.com/neil young & crazy horse-weld

Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Weld (1991)

2009-07-25T01:05:00.000-07:00

Forget "No Sleep Til Hammersmith"; dump "Live In Leeds"; shove your "Live & Dangerous". To these ears this is the best live rock album ever released.

From the opening bars of Hey Hey, My My (Into The Black) to the closing of Roll Another Number (For The Road) Young and The Horse crunch through the numbers, predominantly from the "Rust Never Sleeps"/"Live Rust" albums but with additional Young classics such as Cortez The Killer and Cinnamon Girl as well as Young's treatment of Dylan's Blowin' In The Wind, all delivered with an intensity and sound that makes your hair stand on end.

Throughout you can almost feel the static in the air and the stupendous production and sound quality really make you feel like you're there. This is the ultimate electric guitar record.

Clocking in at a couple of hours it's a long listen but well worth it. Be blown away.

www.neilyoung.com

what i like (The House Of Fun)

2009-07-05T01:04:00.000-07:00

JP likes, in (it seems) no particular order, ska, reggae, punk, balearic beats, dance music and skinhead girls.

What you'll like is the VAST collection of stuff he's got on his blog, stuff that covers all of the above and more.

There's loads of hard to find compilations on there, from that below to the Street Sounds hip-hop collections of the late 80s. Very much worth your while checking his site for an eclectic mix of tunes.

whatilike-jp.blogspot.com/20 Of Another Kind

V/A - 20 Of Another Kind (1979)

2009-07-05T00:18:00.000-07:00

In 1979 I was 12. I'd had my first record player for my 11th birthday and my record collection was thinner than Victoria Beckham, consisting mostly of Blondie and Showaddywaddy (anyone under 40, look it up).

My cousin, John, was 4 years older and a punk and his records were a revelation to me. He introduced me to The Damned (see later post) but he also had this which, having taped it off him (again, kids, look up "tapes"), I played to death.

20 Of Another Kind became my punk primer and I went on to buy albums by every one of the bands on this album (with the exception of Belgian novelty act Plastic Bertrand - the horrors in that sentance "Belgian"+"novelty act"), informing my musical choices for the next 10 years at least.

I can categorically say that this is the album that got me into music and you need it. Trust me.

Tracklist:

Plastic Bertrand - Ca Plane Pour Moi ; The Jam - In The City; The Skids - Sweet Suburbia; Otway And Barratt - Beware Of The Flowers; Sham 69 - Borstal Breakout; The Cure - Killing An Arab; Stiff Little Fingers - Suspect Device; The Adverts - Gary Gilmore's Eyes; Generation X - Ready Steady Go; 999 - Homicide; The Stranglers - No More Heroes; The Boys - The First Time; Patrik Fitzgerald - Irrelevant Battles; Sham 69 - If The Kids Are United; The Jolt - No Excuses; Otway And Barratt - Really Free; The Heartbreakers - Born Too Loose; 999 - Emergency; The Lurkers - I'm On Heat; The Jam - 'A' Bomb In Wardour Street.

P.S. Clearly home taping didn't kill music - nor will blogging.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Home_Taping_Is_Killing_Music

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Showaddywaddy

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plastic_Bertrand

Scootz "n" Bootz

2009-06-20T02:08:00.001-07:00

I don't know about you but I recognised some time ago that all of my favourite records had a certain something about them in common, whatever the genre. To this day I don't know whether it's the production, the bass sound or what but they've all got that "mojo".

Imagine my surprise, then, not to mention delight, when I found Scootz "n" Bootz.

Every single album put up there has that mojo and many of my all time favourites are up there. Genre's not an issue - he's got soul, rockabilly, punk, ska, metal; there's not a bad album in sight.

You NEED to check the site out.

Oh, and he luuurves de scooters.

scootermusic80s.blogspot.com/redskins

The Redskins - Neither Washington Nor Moscow (1986)

2009-06-20T01:52:00.000-07:00

Along with "Searching For The Young Soul Rebels" by Dexy's (see below), this is one of my all-time favourite albums.

Coming from a very similar place as "Soul Rebels", "NWNM" melds the rabble rousing punk crunch of The Clash c."London's Calling" with genuine Muscle Shoals soul to a staggering effect that has in no way aged over 23 years.

Forget the extreme socialist polemic, the swagger and bile of the band, and leader Chris Dean in particular, with those awesome brass riffs and rockabilly guitar chords, just gets the adrenaline flowing every time.

I'm not doing a track-by-track on this one, they're all too good to be picked to pieces, but stand outs for me include "Kick Over The Statues", "It Can Be Done", "Keep On Keeping On" and "Hold On".

Sadly, after this the band were no more and other than a couple of singles and a live album there's nothing else out there. On the other hand it's hard to see how they could ever have beaten this record so perhaps that's a good thing.

Meantime, if you want a rush, go fetch.

http://www.myspace.com/redskinsunofficial

Comments... PLEASE!!!!

2009-06-17T13:22:00.000-07:00

800 and odd visitors and NO COMMENTS??!!

PLEASE let me know if you like my blog, if it's shit, what you'd like to see....

I await with bated breath.

Take The Pills!

2009-06-14T00:47:00.000-07:00

Jingle jangle, oo oo oo - no it's not Jimmy Saville back in the house, it's Take The Pills!, an avowedly partisan website of all things twee, indie-pop, lo-fi and bubblegum.

If you like your music with a huge side-helping of sugar, you wear your hair floppy and you think no good music's been made since 1987, check this blog.

Heavily based around the C86 generation of bands, Take The Pills! showcases the sounds of that era but keeps the faith with music from around the globe of the same ilk from then 'til now.

Good sounds.

takethepills.blogspot.com/farmers boys

The Farmer's Boys - With These Hands (1985)

2009-06-14T00:15:00.000-07:00

Emerging from Norwich in the early 80s, The Farmer's Boys were an unashamed indie-pop band. This album, their second and, sadly, last, came out in 1985 but its meld of Orange Juice/The Housemartins-type sounds is as fresh today as they ever were.

The album sets the scene by kicking off with a cover of the old Cliff Richard song "In The Country", up-tempo, jangling guitars to the fore and with enough verve and cheer to bring an immediate smile to your face. "I Built The World" keeps the pace up and bright and "Sport For All" manages to make miserablism chipper!

Next up "Art Gallery", with blasting horns and slightly harder guitars, is one of the album's highlights, "Something From Nothing" slows it down a bit before we're hit with "Phew Wow!" a bouncing romp of a song with Beach Boys harmonies, strings and the band's trademark cheeky grin stamped all over it. "All Of A Sudden" keeps the ball in the air then we're brought right back down to earth with "Heartache", a pastiche torch song. "Walkabout", with rabble rousing backing vocals is very redolent of its era with vaguely Spandau Ballet-ish vocalising. The album rounds off with "Whatever Is He Like?", a re-do of the band's first single.

I bought this album when it came out in 1985 and it pretty much had a permanent place on the stereo. I dug it out again when I heard the band were re-releasing their first album, "Get Out & Walk", and was astounded that I could remember every hook, chorus and lyric.

If you're feeling a bit glum or you've got a mate that wants cheering up, put this on. It should be prescribed by doctors for depression!

www.thefarmersboys.com

A Dashing Blade

2009-06-09T23:35:00.001-07:00

Dashing Blade opens his site with the comment "just some stuff I reckon you should hear before you die" and I couldn't agree more.

Bizarrely the site pretty much mirrors my own record collection so imagine my delight when I found it!

Mixing great music (anything from ABC to New York Dolls) with some unusual entries such as radio broadcasts, audio books and "Sounds Of The Rainforest", a free Sunday newspaper CD, and inordinately well-written commentary, A Dashing Blade is a fascinating delve into one man's sounds and interests and that, alone, is certainly going to keep this writer coming back for more.

adashingblade.blogspot.com/deep and meaningless

John Otway & Wild Willy Barrett - Deep & Meaningless (1978)

2009-06-09T22:48:00.000-07:00

Anyone dismissing John Otway as simply a mentalist novelty act does so at their peril. I picked this album up in a bargain bin in 1979 on the strength of "Beware Of The Flowers" and, after initial disappointment that the rest of the album was nothing like that, grew to love every track.

Opener "Place Farm Way" is as good a traditional folk song as you'll hear anywhere, as is "To Anne", a paen to lost love. These two songs, albeit tinged with Otway's slightly bonkers delivery, have a real beauty that seems timeless in the great songwriter tradition.

"Beware Of The Flowers", however, ramps up the volume and was one of the major contributing factors to Otway & Barrett's "success" at the height of punk (see the Wikipedia entry for Otway's views on his success), Barrett's guitar more than a match for the "Guitar Hero" generation. Back to traditional, but more up tempo, story telling next with "Alamo" before "My Body Is Making Me", archetypal Otway body talk.

"Josephine" is in the same vein as "Place Farm Way" and "To Anne", a gorgeous pastoral tale of May Day celebrations, but Otway can't resist more nuttiness with "Schnott", "Riders In The Sky" (yes, that one!) and "Running From The Law". Runouts, "I Wouldn't Wish It On You" and "Can't Complain" lack the fascination of the earlier tracks but are still wonderful songs.

Otway is a grossly underrated songwriter, perhaps because of his delivery and approach, and this album, to my mind, showcases his talents in all areas. The CD reissue is now coupled with the pair's self-titled debut album which is not as good (although it does contain the hit single "Really Free" and "Racing Cars", the latter which came as a free 7" with my copy of the album).

I can't recommend "Deep & Meaningless" enough; I guarantee you'll be hooked.

www.johnotway.com

www.musiczoo.co.uk (Willy Barrett's site)

Back On The Road

2009-06-07T02:00:00.000-07:00

If ever a blog can be said to have something for everyone it's Back On The Road.

With no discussions or reviews, the blog's simply a run down of classic albums from the 50s to the 00s, giving you the cover, a track list and a download link. It doesn't specialise in either era or style, just the greats and at the top of each page they give you their own compilation, "Top Singles 1955-2000", a year per page. Collect the set!

The only bugbear for me is the absence of a search engine but with a blog this good it seems churlish to criticise.

You need to check this site out!

backandon.wordpress.com/pretenders I

The Pretenders - The Pretenders (1980)

2009-06-07T01:32:00.000-07:00

One of the great debut albums, "Pretenders" still gives me goose-bumps even after 30 years and repeated listenings.

An ex-journo and bona fide rock chick, Chrissie Hynde had brought together a group of genuinely brilliant musicians, having tried out with a number of early-incarnations of punk bands in the mid to late 70s.

There's no need to specify and describe tracks here as every one is a genuine winner, but up for special mention must go "Precious", a barn-storming barrage of new wave rock guitar and bass, "Tattooed Love Boys", odd-tempoed but astounding and "The Wait", pure rock pop class.

Other special mentions must go to the band's cover of The Kinks' "Stop Your Sobbing" (Hynde later lived with and had a child by Ray Davies), "Private Life", covered later to exemplary effect by Grace Jones and the massive hit single "Brass In Pocket".

The tragedy unfolded shortly after the follow up, Pretenders II, when both guitarist James Honeyman-Scott and bassist Pete Farnden succumbed to drugs overdoses within weeks of each other.

This is a must have album, if not for the fact that it's a genuine classic then for the sheer, unadulterated joy of listening to it and the knowledge that you're hearing genius at work.

www.thepretenders.com

Never Get Out Of The Boat & The Heat Warps

2009-06-04T09:23:00.000-07:00

J R Heat Warp of The Heat Warps and Willard of Never Get Out Of The Boat! have come together to create the wonderous thing that is For The Love Of Harry (see below) but each have their own blog, both marvellous in different ways.

The Heat Warps collects together classic albums and rareties primarily from the 60s and 70s rock and funk pantheon, with Beatles, Dylan, Dr John, krautrock et al, all lovingly bundled together and annotated and described with finesse. There's info a-plenty on each album and if J R doesn't give it to you he shows you where to go for it. Dig in!

theheatwarps.blogspot.com

Never Get Out Of The Boat! is a veritable smorgasboard of stuff you didn't know you wanted until Willard brought it to you on a plate. From Zappa and Beefheart to Americana and Dylan, rareties to the fore, Willard's collection will keep you entertained for hours. He also has a Friday Night At The Movies slot heading his site for those times when music just can't cut for you. Yummy!

nevergetoutoftheboat.blogspot.com

Harry Nilsson - Nilsson Schmilsson (1971)

2009-06-04T09:09:00.000-07:00

An iconic album that was part of the background to my own childhood and the only record that I brought with me from my parents' (truly dire) collection into adulthood.

I can't do better in review than J R Heat Warp at the marvellous devotional blog For The Love Of Harry. I hope he forgives this lift...

"Following the moderate success of Nilsson Sings Newman and The Point!, Harry enlisted the production help of Richard Perry, booked London’s Trident Studio and set out to make the most rock n’ roll album of his career. Nilsson Schmilsson signaled a shift away from the heavy orchestration, multi-layered harmonies and rich production that characterized his 60s output, and toward a more organic, raucous approach to music making; a massively successful move that would yield a pair of top 40 singles (“Coconut” and “Jump Into the Fire”) as well as a worldwide #1 (“Without You”). And with this change in direction and the success that followed, it would be easy to peg Nilsson Schmilsson as Harry's "sell-out" album, and fortunately, it's anything but. In addition to the chart toppers contained within this iconic sleeve (evidently RCA failed to notice the hash pipe in Harry's left hand) were some of the most adventurous, flat out beautiful songs in his repertoire. Musicians have built entire careers around the success of songs half as good as "Early In The Morning", but here Harry knocks it out with just an organ and a set of pipes that at this point are merely colored by brandy and cigarettes, not yet ravaged by the hard partying that lay ahead. An intense, gorgeous LP that in true Nilsson fashion, left him with no other choice but to make a sequel." - JR Heat Warp

fortheloveofharry.blogspot.com

Sad Songs For Dirty Lovers

2009-06-03T15:06:00.000-07:00

Pedro loves you. You can tell he does because he works really hard to bring you not just the best in indie music, from Smiths to Folds, but new bands you've not heard.

He doesn't fart about chatting, he doesn't put up stuff that the NME loves, he puts up stuff that Pedro loves and that's what matters. Pedro wants you to love what he loves. He loves his music.

Listen to him.

sadsongsfordirtylovers.blogspot.com/way to normal

Ben Folds - Way To Normal (2008)

2009-06-03T09:40:00.001-07:00

Anyone who has followed Ben Folds over the years will be aware that he seems to release contented albums and bitter albums alternately. This is very much in the latter category and, to these ears at least, is his most accomplished and complete recording to date.

Weighing heavily on the side of what Folds calls "punk rock for sissies", openers "Hiroshima" (an account of Folds falling off the stage on tour in Japan), "Dr Yang" (taking the piss out of alternative therapy) and "The Frown Song" (taking the piss out of the uber-trendy ladies-who-lunch brigade) sparkle with Folds' barbed wit and invention.

Folds reaches his peaks here next with the beautiful "Before Cologne/Cologne", a heart breaking tale of long-distance love, and "You Don't Know Me" where he duets with Regina Spektor in what should have been the biggest worldwide smash of 2008. Why it wasn't is entirely beyond me.

The middle tracks, "Errant Dog" and "Free Coffee", are worth skipping, particularly "Errant Dog" which is the worse track on the album by a long shot (filler?) but "Coffee" segues very nicely into "The Bitch Went Nuts", quite possibly the bitterest but most hilarious break-up song I've ever heard and very heavily on the nerd rock side of things.

"Brainwascht" and "Kylie From Connecticut" are both excellent examples of what Ben Folds does best but it's on "Effington" that everything comes together; the wit, the warmth and the elegiac, movie-centric sweep of the sound.

www.benfolds.com/

P.S. as an addendum, Folds, in anticipation of piracy, went into a studio in Dublin with his band and recorded what has become known as "Way To Normal (Fake)". He wanted to pre-empt the piracy and released a fake album, many of the tracks having the same titles as the real tracks, but entirely different songs! The two singles, "You Don't Know Me" and "Cologne" are in their original format but the other tracks are entirely different. Check it out at

www.biggestpos.com/albums/Already%20Post/Way%20To%20Normal/

The new "Free Coffee" is highly recommended.

Wilfully Obscure

2009-05-31T00:04:00.000-07:00

Spavid of Wilfully Obscure claims to dedicate his blog "to the freaks and rejects. The lonely and awkward. The last picked. Never picked. The hopeless romantic dreamers". That must be a very big club 'cos the site's got something for everyone who likes their rock alternative and with a twist and a bite.

If you're a student of US hardcore and alt-rock this blog's going to keep you interested for years, bursting with bands you don't (yet) know and love, precis to the fore. It's like rifling through the racks of an independant record shop with a wallet full of cash.

If this don't boost your listening pleasure nothing will!

wilfullyobscure.blogspot.com/pods its a bummer about bourbie

Varsity Drag - For Crying Out Loud (2006)

2009-05-30T23:31:00.000-07:00

Ben Deily (and he must be sick to the back teeth of this tag line by now) started The Lemonheads with Evan Dando from school but split after three albums and a shit-load of critical praise.

Shortly after returning with his brother Jonno as Pods he split again to go back to school and launch a successful advertising career.

He was back in the new century with Varsity Drag and released this astounding collection in 2006.

Opener "Skinny Ties" ramps it up from the off with the familiar Deily riffage pop-centric vocals then we're into "Billy Ruane", a crunching ode to the "best dressed drunk I ever saw".

"Summertime" is straight in after, then "Miles Of Ocean", guitars redolent of classic Killing Joke but with Deily's ever positive vocals "taking hands across a thousand miles of ocean". Next track "1999" lightens the mood with tinkling piano intro and "2001 just around the bend" before "Look At Me", doop-doop's to the fore reminiscent of some of the greatest power-pop you've ever heard.

In "Starfish" we're back with the crashing guitars again and the tempo slows once more for "My Neighbor Works For Goodby" before we leave this (oh too short) album with "Hey", back with the pop feel he's so good at.

All told "For Crying Out Loud" is the best power-pop (I hate that phrase but you know what I mean) record I've ever heard and seems to have been shamefully overlooked by the masses. If you like your music with punk guitars, pop hooks and a clever dash of humour buy this CD and put the world to rights. It'll brighten your day

http://www.ben-deily.com/

Blogger's Delite

2009-05-30T03:21:00.000-07:00

The most inappropriately named person in blogbiz, Lazy's a sweet guy. All he wants is to be appreciated. And, boy, is he appreciated in this neck of the woods.

Classic reggae and dub, soul, a splash of mod and psych and some great white boy rebel rock, Lazy's got 'em all. He's got a couple of sister sites too to check out.

Like the man says, "it doesn't hurt to say thanks".

Thanks, Lazy. Stay free...

bloggersdelite.blogspot.com/time boom x de devil dead

Lee "Scratch" Perry & Dub Syndicate - Time Boom X De Devil Dead (1987)

2009-05-30T02:57:00.000-07:00

Thank you On-U Sound - another winner!

The genius (and, frankly, mental) Lee Perry still at the top of his game and, augmented by the On-U production team and Dub Syndicate, he really pulls it out of the hat with this one.

Politically charged, crystal sound and utterly faultless (and a killer cover to boot)!

No track by track analysis from me here; it's an album you need to listen to of a piece. Turn up the bass, crack open a Red Stripe and enjoy.....

http://www.lee-perry.com/

A-Fluor

2009-05-29T00:46:00.000-07:00

So you like your music circa 79? You like the edgy experimentalism of Rough Trade and its ilk? You like The Fall, The Smiths, Dexys, DAF, PiL, The Banshees?

This is the blog for you.

None of that wordy chatty crap (see below) - straightforward links to some great sounds to expand your horizons.

afluor.blogspot.com/searching for the young soul rebels

Dexys Midnight Runners - Searching For The Young Soul Rebels (1979)

2009-05-29T00:08:00.000-07:00

Kevin Rowland's opening salvo was a ground-breaking brass bombardment, melding classic Stax soul with punk disenchantment.

Inelegantly lumped in with the ska/mod revival of the time, Rowland's mission statement opens with the buzz and hiss of a trawl through radio stations before launching into "Burn It Down", a full-on rage against the pretentious.

"Tell Me When My Light Turns Green" maintains the pace before the slow burning "I'm Just Looking".

"Geno", a massive UK hit which celebrated the great Geno Washington, ramps it up again and then the band give a genius run-through to Chuck Wood's "Seven Days Is Too Long", a literal but masterful interpretation.

"I Couldn't Help It If I Tried", "Thankfully Not Living In Yorkshire It Doesn't Apply" and "Keep It" maintain the soul and feel of a speed driven all-nighter before the come-down track, "Love, Part One", Kevin's spoken word ode to, what? God? Love? Success?

Whatever, the album closes with it's second great success, "There There My Dear", returning to the themes of "Burn It Down".

Rowland ruled this band with an iron fist and went on to up the ante by sacking the lot of them and reinventing himself time and again. He's never released a bad record and we'll be seeing more of him in this space but for now

"Hey, Jimmy; for God's sake burn it down"...

www.myspace.com/dexysmidnightrunners

Hello, Good Evening and Welcome

2009-05-28T23:06:00.000-07:00

Good day to one and all and welcome to what I hope is going to be a (mildly) entertaining mix of my favourite music and blogs.

I hope to be able to recommend some records that I think are worth at least a listen and, whilst I won't be posting downloads (that's illegal, you know) I will be recommending other blogs which may or may not feature the record in question in some sort of capacity. Read on....