If There's Hell Below...

If There Is Hell Below Podcast... The Unskippables

2012-01-27T14:20:00.002Z

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Down tools and sack-off your work load, it’s the If There Is Hell Below podcast… Rob and Callum have unintentionally pulled together 3 songs with loosest connections to the ‘Big Star’ sound and Alex Chilton’s little circle of influence. The other songs jump from a new cut from Gonjasufi’s latest desert hip hop trip, Conduits; a shoegaze band who refuse to be called a ‘shoegaze band’ – so some shoegaze from them. An incredible track jazz/hip hop/Marvin Gaye-a-like track from BJ and the Chicago Kid, a lovely little tender moment from Elijah Forrest’s project Terrors, some Brazilian psych fuzz and Young Governor leading our Big Star family tree.

The Unskippables by Ifthereishellbelow on Mixcloud

Hypnotic Brass Ensemble - Spottie

2012-01-26T09:00:00.000Z

Hypnotic Brass Ensemble - Spottie by ArtDontSleep

Sly little drop from the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, a cover of Outkast's 'Spottieottiedopaliscious'.
What can be said that you wouldn't expect from HBE, it's a jazz funk orchestra reworking with a bit of hip hop erm.... awww man I ain't using that word. You know what I mean

Edzayawa - Gondzin

2012-01-25T22:51:00.001Z

Edzayawa - Gondzin by Soundway

Soundway have dug this nugget of an album straight out of West-Africa.
Sat alongside BLO's Last Chapter and Mono Mono's Give the Begger A Chance as one of the earliest Afro-rock LP, Project One by Ghanian rock outfit Edzayawa has been out of print for 40 years and only now it getting a much needed a reissue on gatefold vinyl and CD in February.

Gondzin is the only teaser we have to go on, there's a motorik almost krautrock feel to that delicious bass lead opening before going off into Afro-psych-folk daze.

Check Soundways for unearthed gems that never fail.

K.S. Chithra - Indha Vennila

2012-01-23T23:27:00.000Z

K.S. Chithra - Indha Vennila by Finders Keepers Records

Can't put my finger on this cut, one minute it's a p-funk synth lite-jam then it's string and bongo draped Bollywood but still with the funkiest little bass down just subtlety hanging out the back and then a drop of cinematic drama.
You come to expect the unexpected from Finders Keepers, who are putting this out on wax and CD sometime in the year, till then you've got this to gorge on.

If There Is Hell Below provide the All Back To Mine Mix on BBC Radio Kent.

2012-01-23T23:09:00.000Z

It was a massive honour to be asked by Sean Rowley to provide the All Back to Mine Mix for his BBC Radio Kent show, we're massive fans of his radio show.

You can listen to the country rock, psychedelic folk and cosmic jazz mix on the iPlayer for the rest of the week, I'll make it available for download and on the mixcloud next Monday.

Cheers again Sean, click the link below and take a listen to the show.

If There Is Hell Below on Sean Rowley - All Back to Mine

If There Is Hell Below Podcast... Fred West's Marvellous Collection of Glam Rock Records

2012-01-13T13:47:00.000Z

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Think of a bad British man from the 70s and you know they either have an incredible Glam Rock record collection or were a successful Glam Rock recording artist. There’s no Glam Rock in this, Rob and Callum are the good guys, and 2012 loves a good guy. The good stuff on this pod includes: Afro-disco of Sinkane, clean Russian sophistico-pop by Galway, Frankie Rose with the beat that defined the 80s, Of Montreal’s new one, melancholy pop beauty from Elliot Smith and Alex Chilton, Peaking Lights provide a hangover from 2011 and other delights.

Fred West's Marvellous Collection of Glam Rock Records by Ifthereishellbelow on Mixcloud

The Shins - Simple Song

2012-01-10T23:11:00.000Z

Was supposed to look for songs on my lunch break, for the pod and the blog and the like, just ended up listening to this on loop for 40 minutes.
Not exactly a step away from The Shins sound, I couldn't be happier, James Mercer has the rare ability to write the most satisfyingly addictive hooks.
Port of Morrow is out in March.

Lothar and the Hand People - Heatwave

2012-01-10T23:02:00.001Z

Lothar and the Hand People - Heatwave

I've worn the original so thin I need a new kind of kick from this song. This cover of the Martha and Vandellas staple was taken from Lothar and the Hand People's Space Hymn LP from 1969, sounds more like it would belong in the mid-to-late-70s-early-80s new wave era.

Video: Air - Sonic Armada (A Trip To The Moon)

2012-01-10T20:02:00.002Z

It's not that the last few releases by Air haven't been good, they've just failed to really give us that music horn, that same musical we got from the Virgin Suicides Soundtrack, Moon Safari or the Premier Symptones EP.
This is something taken from the forthcoming soundtrack to the newly restored and colourised 1901 film 'Le Voyage Dans la Lune', a film that looks more like a piece of engineering than a piece of cinema.
The industrial clanks that make up the rhythm of this tune and the vintage analogue synths fit with mechanical movement of the film.
I always fancied seeing what Air would sound like with a more krautrock sound.

Sinkane - Jeeper Creeper

2012-01-05T20:27:00.002Z

Jeeper Creeper by Sinkane Ra

I think all my end of 2011 celebration hangovers have come at once - with interest.

Back at work and back to the blog and paying attention to music. Starting with this, which I can comfortably is the best new song I've heard this year!

On first hearing this I was taken back to the first time I heard Yeasayer's debut album All Hour Cymbals, with it's African rhythms, Ghanian/Nigerian guitar twangs and disco basslines.

Needless to say it was no great surprise when I found out the Sinkane is the solo project of Yeasayer drummer Ahmed Gallab who is preparing to release his debut album Mars in 2012 featuring collaborations from Twin Shadow and Yeasayer's Ira Wolf.

Listening to his soundcloud tracks and reading his blog (anyone who features Curt Boettcher's Millenium and David Crosby's debut solo LP is alright by me) it seems that Mars is going to be a diverse little mother with psych, exotic, jazz, disco and African flavours all going into the pot.

Sinkane on Facebook
Sinkane on soundcloud
Sinkane's blog

If There Is Hell Below Podcast... Good Shit '11: Albums

2011-12-23T17:31:00.000Z

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Second and final part of our Good Shit 2011 series, it's about the albums this time, as Rob and Callum pick choice tracks from our favourite Long Players of the year.

Tracklisting

War On Drugs - Baby Missiles (Slave Ambient)
Balkans - Can't Compete (Balkans)
Craft Spells - Scandanavian Crush (Idle Labor)
Destroyer - Chinatown (Kaputt)
Pains of Being Pure at Heart - Belong (Belong)
Vinyl William - Who Are You? (Lemniscate)
Birthgiving Toad - Tiny Rocker (For Awkward Company)
PJ Harvey - Last Living Rose (Let England Shake)
The Stepkids - Cup Is Half Full (The Stepkids)
Thundercat - Boat Cruise (Golden Age of the Apocolypse)
White Denim - Burnished (live) (D)
Wooden Shjips - Lazy Bones (West)
Shabazz Palaces - Free Curl (Black Up)
Kurt Vile - Baby's Arms (Smoke Ring For My Halo)
Slow Loris - Golden Lines (Routine Glow)
Death Grips - Guillotine (Ex-Military)
The Men - Bataille (Leave Home)
Girls - Vomit (Father, Son, Holy Ghost)

Good Shit '11: Albums by Ifthereishellbelow on Mixcloud

If There Is Hell Below Podcast... Good Shit '11: Tracks

2011-12-20T13:56:00.000Z

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The first of a two part review of 'Good Shit' released in 2011. It's not a best of or music league table, because ranking music is the most mundanely pointless exercise in the world - consider this erm 'good shit' that was released in the year 2011.
Here are Rob and Callum's choice tracks of the last 12 months.

Good Shit '11: Tracks by Ifthereishellbelow on Mixcloud

Little Beaver - Funkadelic Sound

2011-12-12T14:20:00.002Z

Little Beaver - Funkadelic Sound

Back in town. Straight up funk from 1972.

The Sugarman 3 - Soul Donkey

2011-12-09T14:01:00.001Z

The Sugarman 3 - Soul Donkey

How about that donkey in the nativity? Name me a more famous donkey? Fuck off with your Eddie Murphy and your Shreks - it's that poor bastard who had to lug the suspiciously pregnant 'Virgin' Mary to Bethlehem.
Takes more than your standard buck to carry that burden, would taken a donkey with a bit of soul - a Soul Donkey.
This one's for you mate.

Jae's Soul - Sintonia En Soul

2011-11-28T14:10:00.001Z

Jae's Soul - Sintonia en Soul

Mexican funk with killer breaks as standard.

Boneyards - Passed

2011-11-28T13:46:00.001Z

Boneyards - Passed Out by BONEYARDS

Boneyards want to hold your attentiom but they know that your time is tight, so they offer up this, which at 2 under minutes isn't given enough time to get obnoxious and just ends up being a fevered bout of garage punk urgency.

If There Is Hell Below Podcast... Bare Driver

2011-11-25T14:12:00.001Z

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Rob & Callum, they got some hot new artists and we're aware this may make us sound like Jo Whiley, Zane Lowe, Steve Lamacq and other fellow zero quality control disc jokecys. There's some garage punk rock n roll from France, Musique concrète Can cover from Mr. Chop, a track from one of our top 75 favourite electronic Swiss artists Dimlite, some sun-tinted pop from Bear Driver and New Lines... Hot enough for you? Well there's more besides, but you'll have to listen and find out.

Bare Driver by Ifthereishellbelow on Mixcloud

Steve Gray - Private Thoughts

2011-11-24T14:15:00.001Z

Steve Gray - Private Thoughts

This is something I pulled from an unexpectadley dynamite comp 'Color Climax - Porn Music From the Library', I couldn't maintain my flow with this cosmic funk groove going on in the background.
Steve Gray was the go-to guy on the keys for Quincy Jones, Henry Mancini, Peggy Lee, John Barry and Sammy Davis Jr. so chances are you've heard his playing.

Janko Nilovic - Black Swan Lake

2011-11-23T14:18:00.001Z

Janko Nilovic - Black Swan Lake

You may have heard Janko somewhere before and not realised it, when his songs are funk they're killer and ripe for ripping and sampling.
If I was lazy (you know I am), I'd say he was like a extra prolific Polish David Axelrod and be completely wrong (I usually am).
This is a cut from his essential Soul Impressions LP, there are too many great bits to sample and cut from this blaxploitation cop car chase funk.

Jonti feat. Stepkids & Illa J - The Days Have Turned

2011-11-22T23:37:00.001Z

Jonti feat. The Stepkids & Illa J - The Days Have Turned by stonesthrow

Via Stones Throw

Steve Marcus - Eight Miles High

2011-11-22T16:22:00.000Z

Steve Marcus - Eight Miles High

It DOESN'T get better than that video below, and maybe it is cruel of me to compare it but Steve Marcus's tenor sax jam of Eight Miles High is pretty close - at least 7 1/4 Miles High.

Pankrti - Lublana Je Bulana

2011-11-22T14:11:00.001Z

Pankrti - Lublana Je Bulana

Pankrti 'The First Punk Band Behind The Iron Curtain'.
Something a bit more vicious about punk when it's spat out by kids who had real shit going on.

The Soft - Hot Summer EP

2011-11-21T23:35:00.001Z

The Soft - Half Breath

Whether I'd put these guys on for a gig or not in the past, this is the kind of EP that would get featured on If There Is Hell Below every time.
The teenage electronic trio from Bury St. Edmunds were still counting their gigography on one hand when they came to play at my club night Lead Soup (remember that?). They filled that shitty little venue - with the bad door staff and grammatically puzzling water closet ('toilet's'?), amongst other things - they filled it with some electronic shoegaze, gave the club some educated Chicago house grooves, the kind of sparse lo-fi beats that are the taste of the Weeknd fronted new wave of r'n'b and the subtle soul of Arthur Russell.
They've just dropped the free to download Hot Summer EP, a seamless mini collection of songs with production as good as anything I've heard this year.

Hot Summer EP by The Soft
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If There Is Hell Below Podcast... Fear Pod

2011-11-17T23:36:00.001Z

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Rob & Callum present a podcast downloaded straight from your phobias and playable on your fear pod. There's new things with industrial funk from the Funk Police, what you may come to expect from A Place to Bury Strangers, a piece of beauty from No Ceremony and Bare Wires offer some garage punk rock. There's also some old stuff from prof duo Emerald Web who pre-date Ghostbox records with their vintage analogue and ethereal vocals, acid folk trio Wilcox, Sullivan, Wilcox and Trolls with their garage rock fuzz and electronic Joe Meek sound. There's plenty more too, but you'll just have to slip inside and listen.

Fear Pod by Ifthereishellbelow on Mixcloud

Goitia Deitz - Coma

2011-11-15T18:02:00.001Z

Goitia Deitz - Coma by DiscError Recordings

If I wasn't so leathrgic and had the kind of clear mind needed to pursue the eternally boring pursuit of jogging, I'd be listening to this. A Cosmic krautrock locomotive running on anologue synths and beats

Props fall to our friends at The Beat for pushing this on us.

You can get a limited edition and sexily black foil packaged version of the 7" here