How Marvellous...

The Woodlands

2009-09-22T01:31:00.001+01:00

A month eh?, it's passed slowly at times in the living, yet quickly (some of it) in the looking back - outright painfully too, in part...

I clean missed any mention of The Woodlands when their self-released (and titled and recorded and produced) album came out in May this year - not surprising, haven't exactly had a digit on any kind of musical pulse in recent months... it's well worth seeking out though, the two tracks below are accompanied by another eight nicely differing, yet equally fine songs - all created by the wife & husband duo of Hannah & Samuel Robertson, who come from Portland, Oregon, and to my ears, have created some wonderful music together - charming, delicate & full of feeling; deceptively simple sounding production & arrangements, the sorta thing that sounds effortlessly good being joyful or otherwise.

Warmly recommended then, to umm, all my readers.

Bit bouncier here, and a fine showcase for the precise allure of Hannah's voice...
♫ Summerland

Ace strings & harmonies now, not that it's unique in that regard - but you can't hear all the tracks here.
♫ Can We Stay

The Woodlands (2009)
buy | myspace | last.fm

Bette Davis Eyes - by My Gold Mask

2009-08-23T23:27:00.001+01:00

A new track from the wonderful My Gold Mask - two posts in one day?, I must be on something; just coffee & cigarettes actually, omg!.

Yep, it's a fine cover of the early eighties hit for Kim Carnes, written in 1974 by Donna Weiss and Jackie De Shannon, first recorded by De Shannon for her album - New Arrangement - which if you know me, you'll know I've tried to find so's I can post the original... but I haven't got it yet, maybe tomorrow on a less slothful connection?.

Fine it is then, though I might have left out the nods to Val Garay's production, myself - picky so & so, ain't I just.

♫ Bette Davis Eyes - My Gold Mask

website | myspace

The Library

2009-08-23T20:51:00.000+01:00

Do bands ever surprise you by what they sound like after you've seen a photo? - or vice-versa?. I know, I know, books and covers, cameras & lies, but I just can't help observing...

The first track here is by far my favourite from The Life and Times of Rosa Lee - indeed, was this that made me go back & re-listen to the others with fresh ears. Does it scream The Only Ones at you? - does me, I can hear Peter Perrett, singing it, not that I'd cite The Library as sounding similar; oh I'm rambling now - just listen eh?.

♫ Nothing To Lose

♫ Club Amnesia

Wonderfully laid-back 70's slacker vibe going here, which I've a great deal of time for - suits the vocals much better, along with Nothing To Lose, than some of the other five tracks - they are growing on me mind you, think it's the tuning which got me at first, just a smidge lower than nicely low.
♫ Tomorrow Is Better

all from The Life and Times of Rosa Lee (2009)
free download | myspace

--------------

And just so you can rubbish, or at least understand my comparison above - here's a fine song from The Only Ones... 1978 - goodness, what a long time ago.

♫ It's The Truth - The Only Ones
The Only Ones (1978)
buy | website

Summer Rain

2009-08-21T23:11:00.001+01:00

A lovely hot sunny day here it was, just wisps of white cloud in an otherwise blue sky - too nice to fret about soaking wet floors in my temporary home, yet fret I did, or rather at the indifference of a man who'd give slumlords a bad name. Could be much worse though - it could be winter with just a teeny gas fire, or I might be flat broke, rather than just passing a few sometimes disagreeable months between bricks & mortar.

90ºF and damp as hell, wasn't a whole lot of fun though, but blow this tip I will, and soon, all being well.

I've skipped the music, both playing and posting, lately - yet today, already improved from some numbingly frustrating phone calls & conversations, I did fancy some, and returned to a lovely numinous version of a song I already liked - Summer Rain by Anna Ternheim, from Leaving on a Mayday, which finally saw a US release this month - hurrah!.

♫ Summer Rain - Anna Ternheim
Leaving On a Mayday
buy

Here's the a cappella version that felt so elevating this evening - It's Anna, along with Nina Kinert, Ane Brun, First Aid Kit and Ellekari Larsson

♫ Summer Rain - Anna Ternheim

Thanks M~ for turning me onto it :) xx

Listen to more & see the video on Anna's myspace

and some yummy tour dates... very tempted by the Amsterdam gig I am... although Salisbury Arts Centre'd be much nearer, but she ain't playing there - next year maybe? - it's a lovely venue, pretty please?.

2009-08-29 Popaganda, Stockholm (SE)
2009-09-13 Stadtgarden, Cologne (GER)
2009-09-14 Fabrik, Hamburg (GER)
2009-09-15 Frannz, Berlin (GER)
2009-09-16 E-Werk, Erlangen (GER)
2009-09-17 Ringlokschuppen, Bielefeld (GER)
2009-09-19 Volkshaus, Basel (CH)
2009-09-20 Fri-Son, Fribourg (CH)
2009-09-21 Jazzhaus, Freiburg (GER)
2009-09-22 de Duif, Amsterdam (NL)
2009-09-23 Alhambra, Paris (FR)

U.S. TOUR 2009
Special guest to Loney Dear / Asobi Seksu

2009-09-30 Casbah, San Diego, CA (US)
2009-10-01 Troubador, Los Angeles, CA (US)
2009-10-02 Slims, San Francisco, CA (US)
2009-10-03 Doug Fir Lounge, Portland, OR (US)
2009-10-04 Chop Suey, Seattle, WA (US)
2009-10-06 Biltmore Cabaret, Vancouver, BC (CA)
2009-10-09 7th Street Entry, Minneapolis, MN (US)
2009-10-10 Bottom Lounge, Chicago, IL (US)
2009-10-11 Grog Shop, Cleveland, OH (US)
2009-10-12 Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto, ON (CA)
2009-10-13 Il Motore, Montreal, QC (CA)
2009-10-14 Great Scott, Boston, MA (US)
2009-10-15 Maxwells, Hoboken, NJ (US)
2009-10-16 Bowery Ballroom, New York, NY (US)
2009-10-17 Johnny Brendas, Philadelphia, PA (US)

Lucinda Williams

2009-08-06T17:07:00.000+01:00

You may remember my mentioning the KaiserCartel cover of Lucinda Williams' 'Something About What Happens When We Talk', and her being an artist I hadn't heard of before. Being me, I of course dug out the original, and here it is.

♫ Something About What Happens When We Talk - Lucinda Williams
Sweet Old World (1992)
buy it

I've not yet heard anything more than this album - Sweet Old World, but I'd venture to suggest it may not be her best, a bold supposition perhaps, based more on the sheer quality of some tracks, and yes, truthfully, on a few umm vocal notes not quite reached, which can be a very attractive sound, not always tho' eh - not exactly flat, as Noel Coward said, and certainly, very clearly, not enough to keep her off the stage, and yet my ears bristle a little at times.

Here's what's for me, the best track on Sweet Old World, and another much older song that immediately sprang to mind, in an ooh, country'ish songs about suicide kinda way. A bit obvious maybe, but it's interesting to compare the two different takes on the events & feelings following. Lucinda's is way more direct & descriptive (some very fine guitar & violin btw), set alongside Bobbie Gentry's almost circumspect telling, which wonderfully weaves the thread of everyday meals & remarks into the story, perhaps ultimately more revealing & realistic more than the "here's what happened" approach - reminds me of Reservoir Dogs & Pulp Fiction, in that respect.

♫ Pineola - Lucinda Williams
Sweet Old World (1992)
buy it

♫ Ode To Billy Joe - Bobbie Gentry
Ode to Billie Joe/Mississippi Delta (7" single - 1967)
buy

KaiserCartel - new EP: Rock Island

2009-08-05T22:59:00.000+01:00

I'm hardly keeping up with keeping up, am I? - a post now & then, due to fruitless self-re-housing attempts, and the grind (yes) of silly bugger estate agents (realtors) who seem hell bent on making things as opaque and frustrating as possible... an unhappy knack, indeed.

It's far from doom & gloom though, goodness me no, and by way of a musical example, I've been enjoying the new EP - Rock Island - by KaiserCartel, who I regrettably missed when they played nearby in late June; what a bummer!, I'd have liked to see them live.

The Rock Island EP has five songs, including a cover of Lucinda Williams' "Something About What Happens When We Talk" from her 1992 release - Sweet Old World, which is excellent - I hadn't heard of her before, and definitely will be seeking out an album or two, you'll also find the songs - Carroll Street Station, Shira, Stella, and Memphis on Rock Island, that last one being my favourite of the five, although they're all very fine, make no mistake.

♫ Shira - Kaiser Cartel
Rock Island EP (September 1 2009 )
buy | myspace | website

Here's one of KaiserCartel's songs I posted a few months ago - check the others out here- you'll find more on their myspace of course.

♫ Favorite Song (Minneapolis Version)
Okay (And Other Things We Feel) (2008 - Bluhammock)
buy from amazon or KaiserCartel.com

Gemma Ray, Nancy Sinatra, and The Playmates...

2009-07-28T13:31:00.002+01:00

What do these four have in common? - just my possibly odd connections, made on hearing the first - a lyric here & there, an opening chord sounding nicely reminiscent on the last one... and they're all rather good I think. Slightly surprisingly so, in the case of The Playmates; very much a novelty number, which has worn wery well.

A rather loping along, Spanishy Western feel to this, good for driving along to, a great guitar & backing vocals break round 1:45, cool strings too. Gemma Ray's from England, as it happens, but darned if I can find out much more from her myspace or record label, nor have I heard a great deal of the album - Lights Out, Zoltar! . Lazy so & so, that's me.
♫ 100 Mph (In 2nd Gear) - Gemma Ray
Lights Out, Zoltar! (2009)
buy | myspace

Here comes Lightning down the street, while you stand there just talkin'
If I were you I'd start to move, and tell my story walkin'....
and you can guess how fast, right?
♫ Lightning's Girl - Nancy Sinatra
Lightning's Girl b/w Until It's Time for You to Go (1967 - Reprise Records)
buy

Too young to hear this first time out, it was a popular comic turn on kiddies radio programmes; although the BBC seemingly insisted on a re-recorded version, which lacked the words identifying the vehicles involved - saving us from subliminal advertising eh - those were the days.
♫ Beep Beep - The Playmates
7" single (1958 - Roulette Records)
buy

♫ Palimend - Benoit Pioulard
Précis (2006 - Kranky Records)
buy | myspace

Willoughby

2009-07-20T23:29:00.000+01:00

It's really nice to come across one artist you like, do some digging, (or in this case, get a welcome promo tip) & find more really delightful music from someone closely involved with the first... extra rewarding somehow, as it is with Willoughby, performed and produced by Gus Seyffert, who also produced the EP by Charlie Wadhams, that I liked a whole lot recently. Truly, there's some marvellous talent & music out there, no matter how dispiriting the charts & gloomy local gigs might seem to be, and how chuffing cool it is to discover it.

Willoughby are hard to pin down, which I like, and the album as a whole is a marvellous confection, musically and lyrically. Mostly fairly gentle, even introspective, a country feel here on Frankenstein, a little rockier there on Dust Bunnies, quite Beatley on 'I'm Losing You'; at least things seem pretty soothing, until the wonderfully even more calming & love-filled title track - I Know What You're Up To - and near a cappella charms of 'You Don't Love'.
The sublimely beautiful 'Wonder', with its lovely harmonies, also deserves a mention here

I've a feeling that I might quite like the album - I Know What You're Up To - having played it over & over these last few days, singing along... I'd have happily picked any or all of the songs to include here - but have a couple to whet your appetite.

♫ Intentions - Willoughby

♫ I Know What You're Up To - Willoughby

from 'I Know What You're Up To' (2008 - Sargent Records)
buy | myspace | last.fm | amazon | facebook

Turns out I've heard Gus's voice before now - he's worked with The Bird and The Bee, in particular, on this cover of Tonight You Belong To Me, one of umm, far too many I featured back in February.

♫ Tonight You Belong To Me - The Bird & The Bee
One Too Many Hearts EP (2008)
iTunes | myspace

Should you be lucky enough to be in southern California (never rains, you know) late this month & next - you'd do well to catch Willoughby at one of these two gigs:

28 Jul 2009 21:00 Bootleg Theater Los Angeles, California
29 Aug 2009 20:00 Fox Theatre Pomona, California

and definitely check out the splendidly Beatley 'I'm Losing You' in the player below

Giuseppe

2009-07-16T15:48:00.000+01:00

The problem (one of 'em) with a whole bunch of free music sitting there, is you tend to skip skip skip through it, waiting & hoping for some toned-down Archimedes moment, or some days, even just a "mm, this is ok". The thirty seconds to impress me movie script guys have it easy, I reckon, compared to the hours of musical effort & creativity that gets pre-judged in a few blinks of an eye. So it nearly was with the latest free EP from Astor Bell, skip, skip, not my thing; skip skip; you get the idea... so I almost chanced upon the last track, a splendid elctroniccy waltz, and loved it to bits - really.

♫ From Going to Going - Giuseppe
Lamu (2009 - Astor Bell)
free download | myspace

A Soundtrack Mind

2009-07-12T15:25:00.000+01:00

I've mentioned this before, as wegular weaders will wealise (sorry, Elmer - couldn't help myself), but d'you get days when most everything suggests a song or piece of music to accompany it?, just a word might prompt a whole tune, or it could be a mood or theme that goes along with things rather nicely.
...or as below, something far, far more obvious, ha!

Yes indeed, it's Sunday, it's Sunny after an 'orrible rainy evening and night, and hoo-ray - it's umm washing day chez Marvellous, courtesy of my Dad's machine & dryer... but noo, that's not it up the top there - shame eh?.

♫ Washing Maschine - Iris waves
The Non Exclusive EP (2008)
buy | myspace

♫ Washing Machine - No And The Maybes
No And The Maybes (2008)
buy | myspace

♫ Laundry - The Voluntary Butler Scheme
Trading Things In (2008)
buy | myspace

♫ Wash in the Rain - The Bees
Free The Bees (2004)
buy | myspace

♫ Coney Island Washboard - The Roulette Sisters
Nerve Medicine (2005)
buy | myspace

Peasant

2009-07-10T23:25:00.001+01:00

I have been greatly enjoying the second album by Peasant - On The Ground - which was originally a 2008 issue, re-released in January this year on PaperGarden Records... so I'm late as hell, even on the second release, but who can keep up with everything? - not I.

Peasant is the work of one man - Damien Derose, and he surely has the happy knack of creating beautiful music, with words to make you think some, should you be in the mood to. There's something, I dunno, very English-sounding about it all too, has me in mind of Things in Herds, who are very fine also. He's a bit of a Wandering Minstrel, for my money - tuning his supple songs to suit the mood, be it for very open, acoustic tunes, on the Folky side; or something more Country; or even a bloody good, gentle pop song. Very much recommended.

There's actually some drums on this one, so perhaps it's rockier than most of the album?, but a lovely, delicate, song even with that said... definitely one of my favourites; even if the intro always has me thinking of Slade's rather famous Christmas hit.
♫ We're Good

Mmm - sublime, this is - love the lyrics & the guitars & harmonies.
♫ Stop For Her

The album title track, with some splendidly percussive guitar strums, that I'm very taken by.
♫ On The Ground

all from: On The Ground (2008/9 - Papergarden Records)
myspace | buy | amazon

Catch Peasant live, if you can:
16 Jul 2009 16:15
Jammin In The Plaza @ The Plaza Allentown, Pennsylvania
8 Aug 2009 16:00
Lincoln Park Festival Chicago, Illinois
20 Aug 2009 20:00
Monkeytown Brooklyn, Alabama

Charlie Wadhams - Someone To Kiss

2009-07-04T17:38:00.000+01:00

I'm finally starting to catch up with what must be months of music, found, but not listened to; and one small gem that shone brightly is 'In A Goldmine' by Charlie Wadhams; a delightful four-track EP that has me thinking of Richard Hawley somewhat, having some excellent love-songy lyrics, delivered in a disarmingly laid back, even casual, fashion. Charming I say.

"...If I have to, I'll set hills on fire to light your way"

♫ Someone To Kiss - Charlie Wadhams
In A Goldmine (2008)
iTunes | myspace

My Gold Mask - Bitches Remix

2009-07-04T17:13:00.000+01:00

Goodness - three months and a lot of water have passed since the release of My Gold Mask's album, which you may recall, was bloody excellent. Gretta & Jack have done a flurry of gigs, all of which I've missed due to the small impedance of the Atlantic Ocean... but likely next year, I'll come to the mountain - I'd certainly love to see 'em play live.

Anyway, this isn't (entirely) a trip down recent memory lane, being prompted by a rather dandy remix of MGM's Bitches, neatly combined with bits of Roxy Music's 'Love Is The Drug'... very catchy it is too, although on subsequent plays I was wishing for more of My Gold Mask, and less umm remix - ahh well, can't win 'em all - and no-one forced me to listen twice eh.

♫ Bitches - My Gold Mask vs Hood vs Roxy Muisc
Hood vs Chicago & Beyond (July 2009)
free download - here

If you don't know the original... here it is, for your listening pleasure, as well as a streamy thing of the whole darned album - which I do thoroughly recommend listening to and buying ( assuming you like it too, of course ) indeed, should you still possess a cassette deck (ha! my 2001 car, came with one) - you might purchase their very limited edition cassette tape (what, no eight-track version? - I'm appalled)

♫ Bitches - My Gold Mask
My Gold Mask (2009)
buy | myspace

<a href="http://mygoldmask.bandcamp.com/album/my-gold-mask">O My Soul by My Gold Mask</a>

The Lure

2009-07-02T20:25:00.000+01:00

After owning pinball tables since I was seventeen or eighteen, and the two I have now for over twenty years, I'm finally going to sell one of them... it was going to be both, but the promise of a new place with adequate space, has made me decide to let my Fathom go now, and hang onto the Eight Ball Deluxe a while, then see what pans out - hopefully I'll get back into playing again, and if not - well, they do look pretty cool, right?.

I never gave pinballs more than a glance until 1981, when being able to drive meant seeing more of some friends from the school I'd attended before being booted out for really quite triflingly bad behaviour, or attitude, more likely. I found that they had a regular Saturday night routine - off into Portsmouth to smoke & play the tables at Clarence Pier (a modest amusement park/funfair, part of which sat on piles in the sea, although 'pier' was stretching things a bit). Then fish & chips in Albert Road, followed by a drink or two before heading home. The fascination completely eluded me at first - I'd hang around, a bit bored, wondering why they laid money into the things; occasionally having a crack myself, but being mostly unimpressed, and yeah, rather unskilled.

♫ Pinball Wizard - The Loose Acoustic Trio

There was no Damascene conversion to the lure of the silver ball, I just found myself, along with said friends, visiting pubs because they had a good, nicely maintained pinball table, trying out all those in an arcade - and in time - getting better at playing them. I know what sealed the deal though: I switched jobs within the same company, and found myself mostly mindlessly punching invoice numbers into a computer located in an office not far from the seafront at Bognor Regis... lunchtimes very soon became an hour of playing, mainly at a pokey arcade where either through lack of punters - or in fairness, a maintenance man who actually gave a fig - the machines were usually working well. Soon hooked I was, and chatting with the guys there led inevitably to the purchase of an up & together machine, just a few years old, put out to pasture by the newer, computerised, talking models... no more buzzers & bells, these young upstarts had snazzy electronic sound effects & samples, and spoke to you; impressive in 1981, still engaging after all these years.

I ended up the proud owner of a Bally 'Bow & Arrow' - an American Indian themed game, one of the last electro-mechanical games, and neatly crammed with motors, switches, relays & wires - a fully working mechanical computer, if you will, since oddly, the pinball industry appeared to have been blissfully ignorant of electronics, valves & transistors & integrated circuits, until the late 1970's; perhaps there was no advantage they could see?, no extra profit, but to a tech-minded young man, this was a weirdly anachronistic modern marvel - easily could have have been built in the thirties, not forty years & a few wars later.

♫ Pinball Number Count - The Postmarks

Some years later, a brash Bally 'Eight Ball Deluxe' joined the clanking, whirring, ring a ding ding bow n Arrow - then later, an alluring and atmospheric 'Fathom' , all mermaids, trapped divers & seaweed, and multiball, three at once - woo hoo!.
It may sound daft, but I felt sorta guilty allowing the two flashy pretenders alongside my beloved & well-worn original, which even at under ten years old, felt aged & rooted in the past; guilty too at it not being played much any more, and despite, or even because of that, it was regretfully sold to make space.... a giant Rosebud, more fondly noticed in its absence.

♫ Xanadu - Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich

And now, the Fathom has to go - not as hard as it could be, since I've played them very little, if at all, these last five years, but a wrench still, and a pleasant reminder too, of hours whiled away - immersed, captured; by sound, light, and imagination... Marvellous.

Happy Birthday Dad

2009-06-29T17:26:00.000+01:00

In 1924 on this day, my Dad was born, and therefore, you'll gather correctly - he's celebrating his birthday today - eighty five years old. I'm up early wrapping one or two gifts, before heading round to see if I can't drag him out to lunch or an early dinner later. Regrettably, much more so for him, either medication side-effects or causes unknown robbed him of most all sense of taste & smell a few years ago, so he's not exactly big on a good meal, still remembering what things should taste like, rather than the sometimes unexpected results he gets.

When I was a kid, plenty of post would arrive addressed to him as Reverend...., so clearly I knew he had been more than a little involved in a church of some sort, but in one of those family things where facts in plain sight are never spoken of, I only found out recently that he'd trained & planned to run a missionary church in China, being thwarted by what he described as the 'worsening situation' there, and being sent to New Zealand instead, which seems to me an odd sorta place for most any church to think needed ministers from half a world away, but those were the politics of the time I guess, and perhaps even now.

A religious household it wasn't though, despite the above - I could likely count church services attended by me on the fingers of one hand, but it's weirdly comforting and concerning that it's taken forty-odd years and a pretty major health scare, to bring any hint of those things to the surface. We sense, don't we?, when others are uncomfortable on a certain subject, and as children, take the lead from our parents as to what's on the table in terms of conversation topics (yep, there were and are, plenty more poignant & painful events), and it's worrying in a way, how unspoken pressures can defeat even the natural interest of a very inquisitive child... an often unfortunate learned behaviour I think, born of self-protection & then hung on the shielding of others; well-intentioned, yet ultimately secretive, even destructive.

A man can learn though eh, even at forty five, and I'm happy to be able to; lucky too, to be feeling so alive & optimistic, particularly compared with this date last year, which was not a happy time, oh Dear no. So I'm off to write a card, then scuttle round my Dad's & wish him a Happy Birthday.

♫ Good Year for a Change - The Brilliant Mistakes
Distant Drumming (2008)
buy | myspace | website

"You are old, father William," the young man said,
"And your hair has become very white;
And yet you incessantly stand on your head --
Do you think, at your age, it is right?

"In my youth," father William replied to his son,
"I feared it might injure the brain;
But, now that I'm perfectly sure I have none,
Why, I do it again and again."

"You are old," said the youth, "as I mentioned before,
And you have grown most uncommonly fat;
Yet you turned a back-somersault in at the door --
Pray what is the reason for that?"

"In my youth," said the sage, as he shook his grey locks,
"I kept all my limbs very supple
By the use of this ointment -- one shilling a box --
Allow me to sell you a couple?"

"You are old," said the youth, "and your jaws are too weak
For anything tougher than suet;
Yet you finished the goose, with the bones and the beak --
Pray, how did you manage to do it?"

"In my youth," said his fater, "I took to the law,
And argued each case with my wife;
And the muscular strength, which it gave to my jaw,
Has lasted the rest of my life."

"You are old," said the youth, "one would hardly suppose
That your eye was as steady as ever;
Yet you balanced an eel on the end of your nose --
What made you so awfully clever?"

"I have answered three questions, and that is enough,"
Said his father. "Don't give yourself airs!
Do you think I can listen all day to such stuff?
Be off, or I'll kick you down stairs.

Neglected, but not forgotten

2009-06-28T17:57:00.000+01:00

With one thing & another, mostly casting around for a more permanent home, I've been badly neglecting this here blog, but fear not, it's far from dead, Oh No.
Not a lot of time right now, with houses to look at & people to see (such a busy man - ha!), but I fancied posting two covers & two originals, or at least the version I know best. Sure enough, I've posted one of these pairs before, but as the White Stripes suggested - it bears repeating now.

Both of those that follow, from Susanna and Anna Ternheim, rise marvellously to the challenge of doing a different justice to a great song, each being much more than just a version in the style of the covering artist, in my opinion. Indeed, even Susanna's 'Flower of Evil' and 'Melody Mountain', both albums of other people's songs, bear playing back to back; and on the first few listens at least, provide nourishing nuggets of discovery, as you discover that you do know the song after all.

Here we go then, first the genial menace & swagger of the original, then a more obviously caring & somewhat sad rendition by Susanna - straight covers, copies, don't always do the deal, however well performed - but change the mood, make it feel almost like a different song altogether, and I'm a sucker for a cover, all day long.

♫ Jailbreak - Thin Lizzy
Jailbreak (1976) - Mercury Records
website | buy

♫ Jailbreak - Susanna
Flower of Evil (2008) - Rune Grammofon
myspace | buy

I love both these versions - Frank Sinatra's brash, defiant celebration; and equally Anna Ternheim's thoughtful,gentler but not too slow, reflection, which wonderfully paints the lyrics with an entirely different light & perspective.
♫ That's Life - Frank Sinatra
That's Life (1966)
buy

♫ That's Life - Anna Ternheim
Anna Ternheim Sings Sinatra (2008?)
myspace | website

If you can find a copy, I really recommend Anna's Sinatra covers - there's six of 'em, and they were released as a second CD on the 'enhanced' version of Leaving On A Mayday.... but darned if I can find anywhere to buy it.
---

simply because it's great, and I did mention it up there...
♫ Fell In Love With a Girl - The White Stripes
White Blood Cells (2001)
buy

Temporary Obsessions

2009-06-19T15:03:00.000+01:00

Do you ever hear one song, and something about it strikes you right away, as being very similar to another one?. Happens to me a whole lot, and I find myself trawling through bloody iTunes, trying to place what it is, perhaps discovering that the supposed marked similarity, is actually just a few notes, a closely related motif, and not the least representative of the tune as a whole.

Naturally I've an example - this morning's temporary obsession, as it were - before which, Ralph Stanley's 'O Death' (you know, it was in 'O Brother, Where art Thou?', led to 'Let's Make Love and Listen to Death From Above' by Cansei de Sexy, which is pretty err dancey, and so that segued into Don't Dance by The Monolators, which immediately had me thinking "Oh, they're so like the Passions, in fact, that melody/chords could have been lifted right from...".

Even with only a dozen or so Passions songs to sift through, I took a pleasurable while, and several "hmm, musta been wrong"s to pin down the mental comparison I'd been so sure of - see if you hear it - and maybe enjoy the ride too.

♫ O Death - Ralph Stanley
O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)
buy

♫ Let's Make Love and Listen to Death From Above - Cansei de Ser Sexy
(Spank Rock Remix - 2006)
buy | myspace

♫ Don't Dance - The Monolators
Don't Dance (2008)
buy | myspace

♫ Absentee - The Passions
Michael and Miranda (1980)
myspace

Bonus track - Ha! CSS mentioned 'em, see?

♫ Blood On Our Hands - Death From Above 1979 (Justice remix)
You're A Woman, I'm A Machine (2005)
buy | myspace

Lazy errm, Thursday

2009-06-18T18:18:00.001+01:00

OK, so it isn't Sunday, and while the sun shines brightly & I'm dead tired at nine in the morning, it's far from looking to be a lazy day here, which is sortof a shame, but ok too; ooh, mustn't grumble.

I was having one of those mornings where even old favourite tracks don't quite hit the spot, I still know they're fine as can be, but somehow they don't fit the mood, lift me up, and get the spirit soaring. This did though, so even though I've posted it before, I hope you enjoy the splendid 60's Englishness of The Small Faces.

Sit in a Rainbow, close your eyes, & drift away - Cor blimey

♫ Lazy Sunday - The Small Faces
7" single (1968 on Immediate Records)
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note the ring a ding typerwritery & churchy sounds - does every good record have bells on?, sometimes I do think so.
Oh, what the hell, understandably one's fingers find more sparkly gems, so here's just one more - crank it up & tell me you ain't wearing a big smile - I surely am.

♫ Itchycoo Park - The Small Faces
7" single (1967 on Immediate Records)
buy

Maybe music's like a good meal sometimes - you need to start with something to whet the appetite, get the aural & mental juices flowing, and perhaps Lazy Sunday did just that, because now I turn to other things & find that they are equally, if differently joyous. Here's a lovely cover version by the Polish band, Silver Rocket.

♫ Space Oddity - Silver Rocket
Tesla (2008)
buy | myspace | website

If My Car Could Only Talk

2009-06-17T21:07:00.001+01:00

I'm not gonna try to cover all of Lou Christie's hits here, just touch on two of my very favourites, which I happen to have been singing along with recently. Darn it if you don't find yourself doing the same, perhaps not with Cryin In The Streets, which might be an acquired taste for some, but surely the glorious tones of If My Car Could Only Talk will shake your vocal cords into action?.

I've had three Lou Christie singles for thirty years now, which is an alarming thought; and repeated listens to crackly old vinyl have cemented some mis-heard lyrics in my head - "... Since I've been home, I've found ornaments of a love affair..." rather than evidence for example, although actually I much prefer the former, it's a great, if imagined line, which deserves a poem or lyric all of its own.... Ornaments Of a Love Affair - what a fine set of words, I should make something of it, who wants to buy a band-name?.

I count If My Car as a story song too, even if more in the mental images it produces, than lengthy lyrics portraying a series of events. I can see him there, in uniform at the station, E-type Jag gleaming, seeds of doubt sown by a surprised look & more from Sarah Jane.

♫ If My Car Could Only Talk - Lou Christie
If My Car Could Only Talk/ Song Of Lita (7" single - July 1966 on MGM - produced/arranged by Jack Nitzsche)
buy

She met me at the station 'cause I'm coming home on my leave
I let her use my XKE cause she could drive around & think of me
Baby I'm home, you look surprised, it's written on your face
Where's the old crowd? Do they still hang out at the pizza place?
A flash of suspicion, you learned a new way of kissin'

CHORUS:
(Watch your step, Sarah Jane, he'll catch you yet) Sarah Jane
(Watch your step Sarah Jane he'll catch you yet)
Sarah Jane, if my car could only talk to me
If my car could only talk to me
It would tell me ‘bout you baby
(Where you are, baby)

When I cleaned my car I found pictures from the penny arcade
In my ashtray
Underneath the seat I found a cigarette lighter
Engraved "Love, your baby Sarah Jane"
Since I've been home, I found evidence of a love affair
Tickets to the drive-in show; a fool but once, this I swear
Don't make excuses & cry; I can't stand girls that lie

(chorus)

(These eyes, these eyes, these eyes these eyes)

So, to red, white & blue
I spent my leave finding out that we were through
Breakin' up is so hard to do
Walk away before I start crying too
Baby, I'm gone

Don't be put off by the start of this one - it picks up big time in my opinion, although I'm sure the horns weren't so prominent on vinyl -I must dig out the 45's & see if memory serves me well.
♫ Cryin' In The Streets - Lou Christie
Lightnin' Strikes / Cryin' In The Streets (7" single - 1965 on MGM)
buy

Now if this ain't one of the oddest promo videos around at the time - umm, I'm very much mistaken.

How Do You Like 'em?

2009-06-10T16:42:00.001+01:00

Arising yesterday after a fairly short night's sleep, and still mildly (although, amusingly after a short while) troubled by a dream in which I was attacked by a crocodile, who seemed to have come from the smallish fishpond I built at my Dad's house, many years ago; I felt the need for a warming & invigorating breakfast - so Hot Szechuan Vegetables it was, boosted by an extra dollop of chilli sauce - yummmm!.

I imagine that many of you might find that an odd choice for the time of day, and I must say that it wasn't (entirely) prompted by "ooh - leftovers!" laziness, since truthfully, I really like curries & chillies for breakfast & will happily cook 'em from scratch, no matter how early the hour. There's (nearly) nothing nicer than a plate of very hot, Indian'ish fried rice to begin the day with, topped by a fried egg, naturally. (Sunny side up, since you ask)

♫ How Do You Like Your Eggs in the Morning? - Dean Martin & Helen O Connell
written for Rich, Young & Pretty (1951)
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I said nearly, since obviously there are much better things to wake up to, than breakfast... but sticking strictly to food for the moment (we don't wanna frighten the horses eh?) - What do you enjoy the most?.

♫ What Do You Want? (the Breakfast Song) - Annie
Don't Stop (2008)
website | myspace

♫ Good Morning Day - Donna Regina
More (2007)
buy | myspace

♫ Morning Song - Charlotte Gainsbourg
5:55 (2006)
buy | myspace

♫ In The Morning - Junior Boys
So This Is Goodbye (2006)
buy | myspace

And as for the better things...
♫ Song For Lovers - The Dø
A Mouthful (2008)
buy | myspace

Welcome to Western Vinyl

2009-06-10T11:57:00.001+01:00

Promo emails have been piling up while I've been lacking in the internet department, and I do feel the need to write about, or at least share, something new, something that I like; so faced with a surfeit of supposed sonic riches, I resolved to blindly stick a pin in the screen & see what goodness it landed on.

That was the plan, anyway, but fickle is as fickle does, and the latest release from Western Vinyl caught my eye - not because I knew of the band in question, or even because WV have previously had some very fine music (tho' they have), but more due to my imagination running away with the label name.

It sounds substantial, yes?, suitably old-fashioned, industrial even, as if they might have glorious, cathedral-like warehouses, stacks of wax artfully arranged, awaiting the attentions of a fleet of shiny, splendidly American, art deco trucks, tastefully adorned with previous pressings, lps for hubcaps, singles for headlamp covers, and naturally, no CD players allowed - just one of those old in-car record decks that were briefly produced for the driver who wanted, most, if not all, the comforts of home; all ready to move this musical mountain closer to the sticky palms of record buyers around the West and beyond. And oustide the corporate HQ - a giant working record-player sculpture, of course, flipping suitably huge sized stacks of 45's, all chrome & glinting in the sunlight, like the innards of a impossibly oversized Wurlitzer - lovely!.

And that, my friends, is how I came to pick Sleep Whale to share with you (oh yes, there is some point to all this), even if my mind was concentrating on the fictional Western Vinyl offices, big logo crying out "Welcome to Western Vinyl - We Make Records" rather than what I might say about the music.

I guess if I was being critical, I'd say hmm, this is a bit filmic or (excellent) incidental music for TV, but then again, the same description might heap praise upon it, and really, I'm much inclined to the latter, finding Little Brite rather captivating & soundscapey with some beautiful strings & acoustic guitar being artfully counterpointed by... well, by lotsa things, actually, I like it a lot.
Here's one track of the six on Little Brite, you can stream most of the rest at Sleep Whale's myspace

♫ Josh Likes Me - Sleep Whale
Little Brite (July 2009) out on Western Vinyl
Sleep Whale on myspace

Connected again

2009-06-05T13:40:00.000+01:00

Well now - here I am back on a broadband connection, albeit at my Dad's place a few miles from my super-duper static caravan (Trailer, for you guys over 'there') in what's these days rather inaccurately referred to as a Holiday Park - maybe every day's a holiday?, just like Dick van Dyke said in Mary Poppins - cor blimey.

Anyhow, been in a bit over a week, and whilst I wouldn't say it was comfortable, it's somewhere to live for now, and the invisible, but very audible geese nearby, do give rise to plenty of smiles - what with them & the cockerel crowing all day.... but thankfully not at the traditional time - more the crack of mid-morning than dawn. A Slacker chicken; very fitting indeed, all things considered.

Here's a cuppla loosely connected songs then, beginning with ha, The Loose Connection, from a band whose name suggests garage-rock to me, but who on this track at least, sound nothing like it.

♫ The Loose Connection - The Unbearables
Autonomy vs. Shame (2008)
buy | myspace

♫ I Took a Ride (Caravan) - Rotary Connection
Aladdin (1968)
buy

Yeah, that's the present 'mon repose' pictured up top - a lovely shade of green eh? - somebody summon the queen (sorry, a childhood spent in part, listening to Danny Kay stamping out The King's New Clothes).

Thanks again for all the good wishes & emails - most welcome to get them, I can tell ya.

Moving Day

2009-05-26T07:29:00.005+01:00

Well, hopefully anyway - so long as the guy running the show gets his act together & comes up with some bloody keys I can lock the door with...

Today, or very soon then, I'll be moving lock, stock & not the barrel yet, to greenish pastures new which don't have a 'phone line, let alone internet access beyond a veeery slow & expensive mobile network dongle (£15 for 3GB - I ask ya! - and they're one of the cheaper ones)

Bunches of things to do & sort out, not directly related to moving - trying to sell a boat I own, work out how to get somewhere other than the trashy trailer park I'm shifting to, to live in, Daddy in the hospital running a sub-30 heart-rate (fixed later today with a pacemaker, fingers crossed).... It's all Go you Know - oh, and the legalities, forms & wrangles of divorce too - what fun & excitement all round. Truth be told though, between the "omg how many things?, How long?, How Much?"... and sadness/depression, there is excitement & hope peeking through; bursting through some days, in fact; and I do have a great deal to look forward to - Oh Yes indeed.

Fair do's - it's not at all sunny here today - but it was yesterday, and sorta feels it to me, regardless of the weather...

♫ Sunshine Of Your Love - Rotary Connection
Songs (1969)
buy

♫ Planning My Escape - Sleeping States
Old vs New EP (2008)
buy | myspace

♫ Cage Of Ribs - Da Bears
The World Famous Da Bears (2006)
buy | myspace

What with Sparks & a few more - these boys were & still are one of my favourite bands - so for now, it seems right to end with something old-timey & optimistic from 'em - marvellous eh, I love it to bits.
♫ Find Yourself A Rainbow - Slade
Old New Borrowed And Blue (1974)
buy

Despite very few recent posts, and a distinct lack of internet or a faintly portable computer for the moment - I'm not stopping this here blog - sincere thanks to those you who've commented & emailed, or even just kept coming & looking... I shall return, and soon.

Andy
xx

Reflections

2009-05-15T22:07:00.001+01:00

Well, one or two of you may have noticed I've not been around here much lately - rather busy wrestling with the financial & other mechanics of where to live within somewhat altered means. I needed a pleasant evening walk to escape those thoughts, a few nights ago; and took a few photos, most of which were far too blurry to use... but the above came out ok, yes?. It wasn't actually as dark as it looks, and in some ways the image is nothing like what I saw or remember; of course the buildings & lights & reflections are real enough, but as with so much in life, for some photographs I have to learn that perfection isn't always necessary, or even worth thinking about - some things are what they are, you have to make the best of 'em, and boy, must I try to keep that in mind.

This first one's just beautiful, I think - lovely lyrics, sung in such a vulnerable-sounding way, a very moving shift to the minor key, and some really fine little touches in the mix, that just grab my heart through headphones - really one for sharing though - enjoy it eh. The whole album's a gem, if you ask me... reckon I like it more than last year's "Nothing Is Lost", which is dead good, but I dunno, the vocals seem recorded a bit differently, & simply don't tug at me in the same way.
♫ Please Don't Put Out The Lights - Things In Herds
I Can Dancing And Walking (2004)
myspace | website | buy

Pleasingly, the loose topic gives an excuse to include another of my absolute faves from fairly recent years - been listening to very little music of any sort in the last week or so... this was a most welcome return, and I find I'm listening to lyrics more intently than before - learning, see?
♫ The Cold, the Dark & the Silence - Sea Wolf
Leaves In The River (2007)
buy | myspace

I've got a lotta time for Lamb, and this track's pretty fine, although I do sorta long for it to get going a bit - less ambience, more rhythm I say.
♫ Darkness - Lamb
Between Darkness and Wonder (2003)
buy | myspace

I got literally just this one track by Hot Chip, and although lyrically,it maybe runs outta steam halfway through - I do like it, and the words are rather good & appropriate.
♫ Made In The Dark - Hot Chip
Made In The Dark (2008)
buy | myspace

Two versions of the same sixties song now - Sweet's cover is really rather good, even if a bit cheesy.
♫ Reflections - Diana Ross & the Supremes
originally released on 7"single (1967)
buy

♫ Reflections - Sweet
Funny How Sweet Co-Co Can Be (1971)
buy

Another old favourite, and another set of ace lyrics - '...whisk you away to where angels often tread, we'll paint this planet red, we'll stumble back to our hotel bed, and we'll make love to each other, til we're half-dead...'
♫ Perfect Lovesong - The Divine Comedy
Regeneration (2001)
buy | myspace

Wunderblock - another free EP from Astorbell

2009-05-11T11:55:00.000+01:00

Swedish net-label Astor Bell have another free release available, and it's their best yet, in my opinion. Less umm, 'experimental' than the previous two, but in a way, rather more exploratory, winding it's way round minimal-ish changing, layered rhythms, quite dubby in places, which I like a lot.

This one's five tracks by Wunderblock, a trio of Russians who've created something very enjoyable for those who aren't necessarily fans of instrumental electronic music, but nonetheless long & satisfying enough for souls like me who certainly are, and revel in it. Give them a go, and if you don't care much for the results as a straight-up, careful listen - try it as kinda background or ambient ear-fodder & see if they don't float yer boat that way. It'd work as super-cool movie or the right kinda party music, space-age when space-age meant good... highly recommended, & equally fine as casual filler, or something detailed to get involved in through some big speakers or headphones.

Here's a couple to give you an idea - download the rest at Astor Bell.

Getting all filmic (again) - imagine a night-time city journey, lotsa fast cuts, and the odd lingering shot of someone, maybe on a train (for the rhythm, see?).
♫ Octopussy - Wunderblock

♫ Cleo - Wunderblock

both from Act! EP (2009)
a free download from Astorbell | Wunderblock on myspace