Song of the day (Australia) – 142: The Laughing Clowns
To celebrate the fact we became Australian last night, I’m going to be posting songs from 10 of my favourite Australian bands over the next week or so. Ridiculously small number, I know – but 10 is a number that has significance for us in this context, as it’s the number of years it’s taken […]
Song of the day – 141: Neonates
Some more crazy-ass great female shit, recommendation courtesy of one of my favourite cult pop stars, this dude. Give their MySpace page even the most cursory of listens and I’m sure you’ll see why I’m digging Neoneates’ minimalist groove so much. It’s all scratchy and human, like Stef Petticoat (who, for a woman who released […]
Song of the day – 140: The Choo Choo Trains
You tell me. Am I wrong to go on friends’ recommendations? This one comes courtesy of Sarah Datblygu – a woman I would trust with my collection of Jim Steranko’s Nick Fury, and also the drummer in an extremely fine London band indeed, but of course you all know that, and if you don’t then […]
Song of the day – 139: Liam Bailey
Before you do anything else at all, and I mean even breathe, if you haven’t gone and already listened to Etta James’ incredible, and I mean incredible, original of ‘I’d Rather Go Blind’, go and have a listen over here. And I mean NOW! Done? OK, good. Now, I wouldn’t normally link to something like […]
Song of the day – 138: Etta James
Saw Cadillac Records, the ‘story’ of Chess Records, the other evening. It was enjoyable enough. The guy playing Howlin’ Wolf was absolute killer, Jeffrey Wright was likeable enough as Muddy Waters (a sentence I never thought I’d type about that bruiser of a bluesman, Muddy Waters) and Len Chess had a huge proboscis. It was […]
Song of the day – 137: Isaac Snazell Thackray
Indulge me here. I’m a dad, and this is Isaac’s first recorded song. I keep meaning to ask Ed if The Thin Kids can cover this, reckon we could do a great fast, brief version… although perhaps not as fine as the original. I love the way Isaac keeps throwing in a few “yeah, yeah’s” […]
Song of the day – 136: Lido Pimienta
This is a tip-off from my pal Chuck, over at ace obscurist US reissue label Messthetics. Columbian psychedelic pop, he calls it. I’m not sure I see so much evidence of the psychedelic – she has herself down as ‘2-step/acousmatic/tape music/melodramatic popular song’, which seems to cover a handful of the bases. I don’t know. […]
Song of the day – 135: Town Bike
I’m a sucker for any band that’s a sucker for early Ramones the same as me, especially if they have a female singer. Of course, this sucker-dom can manifest itself in many ways. From Shonen Knife to Helen Love, from Soda Fountain Rag to Shop Assistants, from Vivian Girls to… ah Bangs alive, we’re going […]
my newest pop crush
I want to be upfront about this. I can’t get this song out my head, and I don’t want to either. It’s absolutely competing with ‘Crazy In Love’ and ‘Dumplins’ for my Song of the Year right now. Oh, and I guess with the albums by Woom and Neverever and Best Coast and…
Song of the day – 134: David & Jad Fair
“My friend Jad Fair,” begins perhaps the best-loved Legend! and Deadnotes song, ” once told me that there are only two types of songs.” Love songs and monster songs. I interviewed Jad Fair recently on the telephone, as I was writing sleeve-notes to a forthcoming three-CD ‘Best Of’ compilation on Fire Records, entitled Beautiful Songs. […]
