Saint Etienne - Sushi Rider...

My Quietus interview with Saint Etienne is up now. I really enjoyed this, talking the particulars of Pop - favourite record titles, those little bits of songs that really grab you, what makes Pop so wonderful. 

I've always loved their Sushi Rider since I first heard them doing it live at Axis in Boston, May 21st, 1999. I love how they would throw b-sides and rarities into the sets like that. This has been stuck in my head a lot lately.

Was so excited when I finally got I Love To Paint and it had the full-band version on it:





And the stripped down version, b-side of Like A Motorway:

Joost Swarte...

I interviewed Dutch comics legend Joost Swarte for The Quietus. An incredibly talented man and one of the nicest people I've ever had the pleasure of talking to. I found our conversation very interesting. Check it out, and take a look at his lovely work. 

Besides comics, Herr Swarte is a huge music fan, drawing a number of sleeves over the years, and even collaborating on a couple of records with Arling & Cameron and Fay Lovsky.

I love Fun Shopping, the Shibuya-kei-esque opening of Arling, Cameron, & Swarte's Sound Shopping record:



Swarte's excellent cover art:

Appellation Contrôlée from Jopo In Mono, his collaboration with Fay Lovsky, based on his comic character Jopo de Pojo. Written by Swarte, this was a tune he would sing when doing the dishes after dinner.



And it was Swarte who recommended Amatorski to me during the course of our interview.

Smoked Duck

My novelty dance song, Smoked Duck is finally out! Like all those 60s dance crazes, the moves are in the lyrics. Hopefully there'll be a video soon of a roomful of people 'smoked ducking'.
 

‘Smoked Duck’ by The Space Daddy. A Ducked-Up Novelty Dance. Written by Aug Stone (The Soft Close-Ups, H Bird, Eiscafe) and “hatched” by Ian Catt (Saint Etienne).

“This is what happens when I’ve been drinking all afternoon on holiday and ‘smoked duck’ appears on the dinner menu.” – Aug (who at that time was drinking quite heavily and listening to loads of David Devant & His Spirit Wife. He had also just found a cd entitled Land Of 1000 Dunces – Best Of The Bug-Outs at a strange little store in Stockholm. The cd featured 30 novelty dances from the 60’s that never caught on like ‘The Twist’ or ‘The Locomotion’.)

Released on 22.11.12, the date that looks most like Ducks & Cigarettes.

Available at , Amazon, Rhapsody, eMusic, Spotify, Corporate Records, and Bandcamp.

Saint Etienne/The Springfields - Are We Gonna Be Alright?

Speaking of that December 1998 Saint Etienne gig at The Paradise, they covered The Springfields' Are We Gonna Be Alright? It was excellent, and I was thrilled when their recorded version of it surfaced on Built On Sand.  Here is the only place I can find it on the internet, on a page with other Matthew Sweet covers.

The original Springfields' version, written and produced by Matthew Sweet:

Saint Etienne - Hobart Paving

Saint Etienne's Hobart Paving has been stuck in my head since I woke up this morning to the sound of the drizzle outside. "Rain Falls Like Elvis Tears", oh yes.  Everything about this song is beautiful. And that chorus of "Don't Forget To Catch Me", one of the most romantic songs I know. The video is lovely too.



I fondly remember when this song first 'hit' me. It was the summer of 98 and we had just arrived in England on holiday. My best friend Jon had been a big fan back in 1994 when we first heard of Saint Etienne in the States and had made me tapes of the first two albums, which I was now listening to on my Walkman. When Hobart Paving came on, I sat up in awe, tears automatically springing to my eyes at its beauty. Then in September of that year, having just graduated university, I was about to set off to backpack around Europe and I stopped in at one of my favourite record stores, Secret Sounds in Bridgeport, CT, the day before I left. Chris had just gotten the double disc edition of Good Humor in and convinced me (not that it took much) to buy it. I had to wait over a month before I got to hear it but it remains one of my all-time favourite albums. I saw them at the Paradise club in Boston that December and, well, things haven't been the same since ; ) I remember the show being absolutely fantastic, wonderful versions of The Springfields' Are We Gonna Be Alright? (written by Matthew Sweet) and I Was Born On Christmas Day. Every time after that I'd go to the Boston shows and then drive down for the New York ones. I'm now finishing up an interview I did with them for The Quietus and am gutted I will be missing their xmas shows this year.

Suede - Another No One...

Suede's Another No One has been stuck in my head all day. Such a lovely song, everything about it - the chords, the melody, the story. I have a very fond memory of hearing this for the very first time. On the day the Trash singles became available in America, I of course bought them right away but only had time to hear Trash itself before heading out for the evening (this was well before I had a cd player in my car. Ah, that summer of '96, such good mixtapes...). It was only a Monday or a Tuesday, but I was out all night (quite a night too) and getting in around 10 a.m. when post-adventure lack of sleep made all the world seem soft and dreamy, I listened to the b-sides. And immediately fell in love with this song. Those Coming Up b-sides are incredibly good, possibly the best batch of b-sides any band has every produced.




Live at the Forum 5 April 1997. Fanclub show of all b-sides.

Hefner - Gabriel At The Airport...

Yesterday, walking along grey autumn streets, this song brought me enormous cheer, as it always does.  Hefner's Gabriel At The Airport is not only an excellent, incredibly catchy, pop song, but the lyrics are Awesome and hilarious. There is a great recorded version on Catfight, and also The French, Darren Hayman's post-Hefner band, recorded it for Local Information.  It was intended to be on what would've been the sixth Hefner album, Travel, Go, according to Hayman's notes here.  The first part of the 43 song Catfight can give you an idea of what that might've sounded like.

Peel Session from 11 December 2001:

Julian Cope/The Teardrop Explodes - The Great Dominions...

Went to Reading last night to see Julian Cope play. My friend Mark, who runs the excellent Strange Attractor press, put me on the list as he was playing with opener Urthona. For this I was very thankful. It was nice to sit and space out to Urthona after a long, rainy day. I got to Reading a little early to have a look at the city and I really liked their muli-coloured buses.  The only other time I've seen Cope play (and I've been a huge fan of his work since the early 90's) was November 3, 1995, at The Middle East club in Cambridge, MA.  I remember excellent performances of Soul Desert and Upwards At 45 Degrees that night. Though he encored with World Shut Your Mouth which was a little different than the rest of the performance and I couldn't tell if he was playing it out of obligation, because it was "the hit". Last night he closed with Greatness And Perfection and Robert Mitchum. Excellent stuff. But what was really exciting last night was that HE PLAYED THE GREAT DOMINIONS!!!! Such a fantastic song, from an incredible Pop album, The Teardrop Explodes' Wilder. (I own four copies of this album on record, as the US and UK versions have different covers...and insert sleeves ; ) Same with Kilimanjaro.)

No Reading videos have surfaced yet but here's The Great Dominions a few weeks ago (21/9/12) at Brudenell SC Leeds:



From his description last night, the books he's writing sound incredibly entertaining, including a "psychedelic road movie" through an parallel-reality Sardinia.

The Teardrop Explodes original of The Great Dominions:



There's some Brilliant Pop stuff on Wilder but also beautiful, strange numbers like this and Tiny Children, which, although I wasn't there at the time, it always seemed odd to me that a charting pop band appearing in teeny-bopper magazines would also be releasing. But very glad they did.

And once again, my Quietus piece on the comic book origins of The Teardrop Explodes' name. 

Amatorski

I recently did an interview with Dutch comics legend Joost Swarte that will be up on The Quietus soon.  His work is excellent, I highly recommend checking it out. I was particularly impressed that in his book Is That All There Is?, he lists a 'Listening Tips From The Studio'. This is something I think all artists, no matter what the medium, should do. I'm always curious to know what people are listening to (Go-Kart Mozart included such a list on their latest, On The Hot Dog Streets). Joost Swarte mentioned "one of the most interesting young groups in Belgium is Amatorski" so I knew I should check them out. And very pleased I did, buying all their available output upon hearing them. Lovely, dreamy pop. Some of it reminding me of David Lynch's 50's-esque numbers but with synthesizers, at other times I think of Stars and Broadcast, but softer.

Come Home:



The King:



Never Told:



The haunting and lovely instrumental, Faded:



Same Stars We Shared (excellent title):



And I absolutely love this beautiful reworking of 8 November by Lewis In Heaven, from their remix album re:tbc. A heavenly slice of romantic, spacey Pop.

A live session of the song from Eurosonic 2012 in Groningen, The Netherlands:

Arvo Pärt - Spiegel Im Spiegel

I've been meaning to investigate the works of Arvo Pärt since I came across his name in Bill Drummond's 17 book. Rob Loveday posted this on Facebook the other day and I'm just bowled over by its beauty.

Arvo Pärt's Spiegel Im Spiegel performed by Jürgen Kruse (piano) and Benjamin Hudson (viola):

Ash Ra Tempel/Ashra - Sunrain...

I've been listening to the Louis Philippe podcasts, very interesting. In the fifth one, "Return To Pop", he talks about meeting Bertrand Burgalat and Sunrain by Ash Ra Tempel being each of their favourite Krautrock songs (actually by Ashra, Manuel Gottsching's project after Ash Ra Tempel).  I love the first Ash Ra Tempel album but only know their output up through Join Inn. I'd never heard this lovely piece of music before.



That podcast episode also reminded me of seeing Louis Philippe and Bertrand Burgalat on the same bill at Bush Hall, London, April 2005. Was a lovely evening. And I was quite taken with Bertrand's song The Angels Combine (from Portrait-Robot). Another World Gone By from that record is also very nice.




In the 6th Louis Philippe podcast, "Consolidation", he talks about working with Pop Genius Martin Newell on The Off White Album. 

Martin Newell - Jacqui...

Since Martin Newell's Golden Afternoon last Sunday, I've been going back and revisiting all his solo records. The beautiful Grenadine And Blue from The Light Programme had passed me by on first listen and I was sure there were other gems I should be more aware of. And sure enough, there are plenty. In particular is Jacqui, also from The Light Programme. This song is simply Gorgeous, the lyrics swelling one's heart with regret.

Martin Newell's Golden Afternoon...

Just got back from Martin Newell's Golden Afternoon which, despite being a day of grey and rain (and the rail line being down meaning 2 trains and a bus each way), was very enjoyable, really great. Ever the entertainer, Martin came out and played some songs, switching between guitar and piano, before bringing on the 2 acts he chose to play, then he came back for some poetry (one poem pointed out that if you were born in '45, when you were 33, it was '78) and an incredibly funny story about a dog, then the bands played again, and he finished off with some more songs, including a new one on the mandolin which shows much promise for the new record (I'm Moving On, which can be heard here after a really good interview with Fixe mag). The show started at 2 PM and the whole thing was over by 5, very civilized. Checking the setlist when it was over, after the 3rd song he seemed to abandon sticking to it and even threw in an amazing cover of Life On Mars? and Matt Monro's Walk Away (which I'd never heard before and is lovely).  Both are now up here under the name Duvet Covers, as well as The World Strikes One and a clip of Stella & Charlie Got Married.


The second song of the set was Speed Of A Train from his Songs From The Station Hotel, which I love. A killer tune, if you like Guided By Voices I highly recommend listening to this, a shame I can't find it anywhere to play on the internet. An excellent song that had passed me by is Grenadine And Blue from The Light Programme and the live version today really sold it to me. The World Strikes One was also excellent this afternoon. Here it is (with Victoria Grey following!) from the first Golden Afternoon in 2003:




I was very excited that he played The Greatest Living Englishman:



The other two acts were Girl Du Bois who were very good, playing 30s French songs and Franglaisized versions of English pop songs such as Road To Nowhere and People Are Strange. They even ended with a Boris Vian cover. Check Boris Vian out, a very clever and entertaining figure (I mean to do a post on his music soon). And The Corner Laughers from California, who play very cute, melodic indiepop.

Pugwash & Neil Hannon featuring Matt Berry - What Becomes Of The Broken Hearted...

My friend Ben just alerted me to this:



Pugwash, Neil Hannon, and Matt Berry covering What Becomes Of The Broken Hearted. Lovely, isn't it? Recorded for The Shortest Night, this year's charity album from Dublin's Sound Training Centre in aid of the Dublin Simon Community. Soundcloud link here in case you can't see the YouTube clip.

Steve Harley also covered it on his 1996 Poetic Justice album.




It's funny, this song always reminds of the "what became of the man that started" section of Iron Maiden's Stranger In A Strange Land. How odd.

Gavin Osborn - Albert Went Out To See Rock Bands...

My review of Gavin Osborn's Come On Folks, Settle Down is up here. If you like indie-pop, you should really know Gavin Osborn. Albert Went Out To See Rock Bands is "a fine example of how well Gavin Osborn can tell a tale. It takes almost a minute and a half to get the 77-year-old hero of the story from his bedroom down the stairs and out the door to the action. This has nothing to do with age but instead the minutely detailed journey captures all the excitement of what the night has to offer, knowing that these particulars are vital components of the adventure and its appreciation. The song, though very amusing, also communicates that brilliant feeling of doing something you love, the unsuspected delights of where music can bring you, and how wonderful it is to be with someone who understands these things (even if you think they don’t even know)." Gavin's songs are wonderfully detailed, perfectly expressing, with humour and feeling, the little bits that life is made of.

Live at Latitude 2010:



There aren't a lot of videos online but two songs that I really love and that keep getting stuck in my head are the beautiful That's How I Know and the funny and touching Charlie's 18th Birthday, from his Meeting Your Heroes album (produced by Darren Hayman) and also on the The Ballad Of Roger & Grace split with Daniel Kitson (highly recommended).

Nino Rota - 8 1/2 Rhumba/What I Played At DEBBIE September 7th, 2012...

I DJ'd the opening slot at DEBBIE last night, Sina's all-female vocal night, now at The White Rabbit in Stoke Newington, a really good venue. Sina likes to open every DEBBIE with a lesser known Debbie Harry number and I was delighted to remember that she covered the rhumba from Fellini's 8 1/2 (one of my favourite films). The Rhumba from the beach scene with Saraghina is such an incredibly awesome piece of music, ecstatically cool, a brilliant composition by Nino Rota, and such a shame it's not on the official soundtrack.



So I was delighted to learn that Debbie Harry did a version of it as a b-side to her 1993 single Strike Me Pink (also on Debravation:Producer's Cut). I can't find this anywhere on the internet to share, and I had to track down the cd single when I first heard that she covered it. Truth be told, it's not as great as the original, but still awesome that it exists. And I was psyched to open my set with it last night.

What I Played At DEBBIE, September 7th, 2012:

Deborah Harry - 8 1/2 Rhumba
Kahimi Karie - Good Morning World
Emmanuelle Seigner - Dingue
Marsha Gee - Peanut Duck
Dracula's Daughter - Candy
Diane Renay - Kiss Me Sailor
Brenda Holloway - Reconsider
The Would-Be-Goods - Velásquez & I
Vanessa Paradis - Be My Baby
Saint Etienne - Kiss And Make Up (London Conversations version)
The B-52's - Debbie
Pris - Blu Tack Baby
Otur - Apart
Paisley & Charlie - Hold Me
Club 8 - The Chance I Deserve
Anthony Adverse - London My Town
Shrag - Rabbit Kids
Lesley Gore - Sometimes
Freezepop - Doppelganger
Shampoo - Delicious
Gina G - Ooh Aah...Just A Little Bit (this seems to have become my signature tune ; )

Shrag - Devastating Bones...

Shrag's new video for Devastating Bones is up today. A good ol' singalong glamrock stomper.



My review of their new album, Canines, here.

Unofficial videos for the lovely Chasing Consummations (featuring footage from Dreams That Money Can Buy that I've mentioned before in connection with The Real Tuesday Weld):



And the absolutely beautiful Jane With Dumbbells. One of the all-time great album closers, transporting you to its own magic-tinged world. "Its enormous yet delicate dreaminess sends one floating through prismatic rainy afternoons, staring out the window at hidden rainbows further obscured by the grey, while some other part of yourself slips off through soothing dreamspaces. Evoking a beauty both born of and counter to 'those toxic mornings, those saccharine days'"

Suede - Shipbuilding...

Suede's Facebook page have reminded us that it was on this day (September 4th) in 1995 that The Help Album was recorded, featuring Suede's excellent cover of Elvis Costello's Shipbuilding. (I hadn't realized Clive Langer of Deaf School and producer fame wrote the music to this!) Suede's version was my introduction to the song and I think I even like it better than the original:



Elvis Costello's original:



And Elvis live on Swedish TV 1983:




I also always liked Terry Hall & Salad's version of Dream A Little Dream from The Help Album:



David Shah & I covered this as well last year for a few Soft Close-Ups gigs. Free download of it here.

Emmanuelle Seigner...

During my French pop binge of recent weeks, I actually followed an iTunes recommendation while I was looking to see if they had any more Isabelle de Funès (sadly, they didn't). But I was led to Emmanuelle Seigner and her Dingue album (Kieron Tyler, who wrote that, gave H Bird a nice review last year in MOJO) as I rather liked the cover. And a lovely pop album it is.

My favourite is Le Jour Parfait, I'm a sucker for 'woo-woo's and such a nice chorus:



Alone À Barcelone sweetly sways about the city:



The title track, Dingue:



Emmanuelle duets with her husband, Roman Polanksi, on Qui Êtes-vous? and with Iggy Pop here on La Dernière Pluie:



She also dueted with Brett Anderson on his Back To You:



Before Dingue, Seigner was in Ultra Orange & Emmanuelle. Don't Kiss Me Goodbye, also featured in The Diving Bell And The Butterfly, is a great slice of Mazzy Star/The Velvet Underground:



Their Sing is also quite a good song.



Seigner also starred in Death In Vegas' racy Hands Around My Throat video.

Stephin Merritt - One April Day...

It's late and I haven't had much of a chance to post here lately as it's been a busy week/weekend (ace new glam/punk club night launch last night for Suffragette City in the basement of Cakey Muto. The ultimate combination really - bar and cake shop upstairs/dancing downstairs. And Cakey's vegan coconut and lime cake is absolutely amazing!)

Anyway, I'm going to bed now but I was just reminded of this wonderfully beautiful song that Stephin Merritt did for the Pieces Of April soundtrack.

Gwenno - Despenser St. ...

I did a nice interview with Gwenno from The Pipettes about her ace new solo e.p., Ymbelydredd, sung entirely in Welsh. I've posted about Gwenno before, I'm a big fan of her solo work.  And Despenser St. is wonderfully sweet and dreamy, despite the lyrics being quite bleak (see English translation here).  It's been stuck in my head and on my stereo for weeks now.

Matt Berry - Take My Hand...

I'm very impressed with the pilot for Matt Berry's new sitcom, Toast of London (watch it here). Very funny indeed, well, the man is a comedy genius. I hope a series is made, I've watched this twice and already want to see it again. His songs are very good too, a nice mix of 70s rock, prog, psych and folk. One marvels at his articulation and expression, the best voice in comedy, as well as the range of his vocals. The theme for Toast is the song Take My Hand from his Witchhazel album, which he says is about "the terrors of the countryside" and features Paul McCartney on backing vocals for Rain Comes Down. Those chords, once the song kicks in proper, and in the chorus, are just lovely.



The theme to Snuffbox, his show with Rich Fulcher, which definitely had a lot of great moments, is very catchy too:



And then there's this:



Unfortunately not the clip from the show but...well, words just can't do this justice.  From Garth Marenghi's Darkplace, starring Berry, Richard Ayoade, and Matthew Holness.  Incredibly awesome, as is its spin-off chat show, Man To Man With Dean Learner.

Interview with Matt Berry about his music here (Liberation Frequency).

Isabelle de Funès - La Journée D'Isabelle...

A beautiful song for a beautiful day. Though one can imagine this perfectly accompanying any stroll through the city, whether it be in radiant sunshine, under clouds pierced by celestial beams, or through all the hidden glories of a grey, rain-soaked afternoon. I know very little about Isabelle de Funès except that she was in a few films, modelled for Vogue, made a few records (of which I'm anxious to hear), and is now a photographer. I found this song (written by Michel Berger) on the Swinging Mademoiselles: Groovy French Sounds From The 60s compilation, along with some other gems.

Gorgeous.

The Afghan Whigs- When We Two Parted...

In the sheer deluge of bands reuniting in recent years, The Afghan Whigs has been the only reformation I've shown any interest in. In fact, something inside me automatically screamed 'YES!' the moment I read about it. I'd seen them live twice the first time around, knew what they were capable of, and knew that, judging by Greg Dulli's work lately, he still had it in him to take it to that level. The last time I saw them was Valentine's Day 1999, Dulli completely in his element on such a day. And seeing them last Sunday at Koko, the stage was bathed in red light as they walked on, as if continuing straight on from there. My review of the gig for The Quietus here. 

Their version of When We Two Parted from the Gentlemen album was particularly lovely that night, and here it is:



The album version. A devastatingly beautiful picture of the disintegrated end of a relationship, where the ties are no less strong. The 33 1/3 book about Gentlemen is a good read as well.



I've posted about the Whigs before.  Summer's Kiss being one of my all-time favourite songs (such a great live version last week). And how they are also the best covers band (seriously, lots of their versions are better than, or at least just as good as, the original).

Gillian Hills...

Gillian Hills is always a treat to listen to and her website is excellent, filled with lovely reminiscences in her bio (and talking about Beat Girl, and Oliver Reed and Catherine Deneuve, under the film section), photos, music, and her art.

Actress, singer, illustrator, I've been in love with her Tut Tut Tut Tut since hearing it last year.  It's just so damn cool, especially the way she intones "tut tut tut tut".  I uploaded it to YouTube because it wasn't on there but unfortunately it doesn't seem playable in the UK, so here's the Spotify link just in case.



It's a cover of Busy Signal (hence the tut'ing) by The Lollipops:




Appearing on Gillians' 1965 Rien N'est Changé e.p. Here is the beautiful title track, written by Gillian herself:



The e.p. was filled out with 3 covers, Tut being one, and another absolute favourite of mine, a gorgeous French version of The Zombies' Leave Me Be, entitled Rentre Sans Moi:



The Zombies original:



And then there's Beat Girl, which Gillian considers her first film (although she had previously appeared in Roger Vadim's Les Liaisons Dangeureuses).  Only fifteen, she plays the lead, Jennifer, in this "vivid and shocking portrayal" of the late-1950's Soho underworld.  The theme is John Barry's first (and also the soundtrack would be the first British soundtrack released on an LP).  Ultra-cool, suave and sexy, fraught with fun and danger. Gillian writes this on her site about hearing the theme for the first time - "When the day came and the sound pumped through the floor my brain flipped, my feet followed and I was off - on my own - this was the life - let the lid stay open forever and ever..."



Trailor for the film (also known as Wild For Kicks):



More Gillian Hills at the excellent L'Amour Electronique blog . And nice articles about her at Cha Cha Charming and Ready Steady Girls!

First Kiss Lips on Amazing Radio...

I was on Amazing Radio this morning talking about First Kiss Lips (!!!!!)  So Awesome.  It was for the blog segment of Ruth Barnes' Breakfast show.  A nice little write-up here about First Kiss Lips. Ruth also does The Other Woman blog and radio show, highlighting female acts.   My part of the show is here:



And you can listen to the whole show here.  (I'm at 158 minutes in):




I also did a gig this evening, my first solo acoustic performance since I played at an Apricot Records night in Frankfurt, October 2003.  That was ace, I played with Holger from Panamaformat who are excellent.  I enjoyed tonight very much and at the last minute decided I should play my song First Kiss Lips (from the H Bird album) as it would be quite fitting for today.



Set was:

Strawberry Girl
Watching It All Blowing By (Texas Governor cover)
When U Look Away (dedicated to Pierre-Antoine from Plastic Pancake records, who put it out as a single in 2003.  Was great that he could be there to see it live tonight)
First Kiss Lips
Painting Your Dead Neighbor (possibly the best song I've ever written, at least the one with the most sauce-based puns ; ) Forthcoming Lullaby Oscillator single, out soon)

On the radio this morning I got to choose a song to play and I picked The Hall Of Mirrors' Love Child as it was seeing them last year that inspired me to write the very first First Kiss Lips blog post the very next day.

And here's the new video for that Gorgeous song:




Thanks to everyone who's been reading First Kiss Lips and everyone who listened to the radio interview.  It was quite exciting doing it.

The Wild Swans...

Two weeks ago The Quietus ran a feature I wrote on the origins of The Teardrop Explodes band name.  I'm very proud of this piece and it was great to write, I've been a Teardrop fan for almost 20 years now and I was in touch with everyone involved, except for Julian Cope.  Paul Simpson, of The Wild Swans and Care, who was also the original keyboard player for The Teardrop Explodes, provided me with a lot of info.  And I've been meaning to write about The Wild Swans for some time now.  Last year's The Coldest Winter For A Hundred Years is a brilliant Pop record, definitely one of the best albums of the new millennium.  Elegant and passionate, wandering through a ghost world of Liverpool, this is Life Affirming Music.  Indeed, on 1988's promo Music And Talk From Liverpool, guitarist Jeremy Kelly speaks of the hope that they express in their music, and that "greatness of spirit" to be found in the city of Liverpool.

Liquid Mercury has been on my stereo daily for the past few months.  Such an Uplifting chorus, an Absolutely Gorgeous Pop song.  Talking about the very same flat in Rodney Street where The Teardrop Explodes found their name.



And the first single from the record,  "5 minutes 56 seconds of coruscating Blakean incandescence", English Electric Lightning:



And then there is their first single, Revolutionary Spirit, the last release on the Zoo label and what Bill Drummond considers his favourite record from that period.  An Enormous Statement Of Intent, Transcendent Pop at its very best.  Hearing my friend Johnny speak about this song is truly inspiring.



Live in Cebu, The Philippines, September 30th, 2011.  Interesting piece on The Wild Swans success in The Philippines and Paul's thoughts on Liverpool. 



And then there's the band's debut album, Bringing Home The Ashes.  An incredibly good record with some PHENOMENAL songs on it.  Such as lead-off track and single, Young Manhood:



The Wild Swans performing the title track, Bringing Home The Ashes, on Philippines television show, Eat Bulaga!, last year.  Featuring Les Pattinson from Echo & The Bunnymen on bass and Michael Mooney (Julian Cope, Spiritualized) on guitar.



And then there's the b-side of English Electric Lightning, also bearing the name The Coldest Winter For A Hundred Years.  A lovely piece of reminiscence, Simpson speaking of sharing a flat with "genius drummer Pete DeFreitas" (of the Bunnymen), who also funded the recording of and played drums on Revolutionary Spirit.



I can't recommend these records enough.

What I Played At Scarlett O'Harlot, August 18th, 2012...

DJ'd at Scarlett O'Harlot last night, the sister club to Sina's DEBBIE, my favourite new night in London.  It was quiet but I didn't really mind as that gave me a chance to just play whatever I wanted.  Like DEBBIE, the remit is "sexy, sassy, female-fronted pop".  Cleaning my flat last week, I found some old mix cds I had made and chucked them in my bag.  Taking them out last night, I was reminded of two FANTASTIC POP songs.

Emma Bunton's Maybe.  I've always loved this song since seeing the (very cool) video when it came out (I do like the glasses bit).  With its Latin-tinged and 60s feel sliding effortlessly into a soaring major key pre-chorus and chorus.



And Fabienne Delsol's ultra-cute cover of Serge Gainsbourg's Vilaine Fille, Mauvais Garçon.




Serge Gainsbourg - Vilaine Fille Mauvais Garçon by Tushratta


What I Played:

Jah Wobble & Julie Campbell - Feel (one of the best songs of the new millenium)
Ladytron - Destroy Everything You Touch
Saint Etienne - Burnt Out Car
Gina G - Ooh Aah...Just A Little Bit*
The Light Bulb Project - San Francisco
Pizzicato 5 - Twiggy Twiggy Vs. James Bond
Emma Bunton - Maybe
Fabienne Delsol - Vilaines Fille, Mauvais Garçon
Throwing Muses - Not Too Soon
The Long Blondes - Once & Never Again
ABBA - Waterloo
Shrag - Rabbit Kids
Jackie Trent - Only One Such As You
Christy - Deep Down
Bettye Swann - Make Me Yours
The Pipettes - Pull Shapes
Anthony Adverse - L.U.V.
Siouxsie & The Banshees - The Killing Jar


*As has happened on more than one occasion, I've had an entirely different song lined up to play next and, either due to the deck resetting itself to the first track or me being distracted and not checking it's all lined up, instead of that intended song, Gina G gets played.  This is not a bad thing.  Though I had Curve's Horror Head on deck and was going to flow nicely into Xymox's Imagination.  Of course, Gina G changed the course of the set ; )

Theoretical Girl - I Should've Loved You More...

I'm not sure I could love this more.  Such a perfect pop song.  I once described Theoretical Girl's music as "a perfect cross between The Smiths and The Divine Comedy, with a female singer".  A tall order but one she lives up to.


I Should Have Loved You More

Had to go to Myspace to find a stream of the proper album version of this song.

It's hard not to fall in love with those descending chords, the lovely backing vocals, and the "oh-oh..." nod to Beyoncé in the middle 8.

An acoustic version:




Do check out her Soundcloud pages, lots of different versions and lovely covers, which she does for her yearly Advent calendar (more here at her blog).

Nice Bandstand Busking performance:



Another of my favourites from her Divided album, The Biggest Mistake:



Good Timing is a beautiful song (as is Seeing You Again but I can't find any versions to share, nevermind, just buy the album, if you like POP, you'll LOVE it):

Van Halen - Somebody Get Me A Doctor...

I was overjoyed last night to happen across Mooseic's blog post about Julian Cope's Copendium and to there learn that Cope had featured Van Halen in one of his Albums Of The Month.   Discussing the first four classic albums and this bootleg (that came in many different guises of the October 15, 1977 show in Pasadena, CA), Cope is so RIGHT-ON in his thoughts about the band.  "If they had a problem at all, it was just that they had two Shamen in one group and both shamen were showmen."  I got down my own thoughts on Van Halen earlier this year and how exciting it all was.  Nice to see that Cope, another of my favourite musicians, appreciates them.  And this got me thinking about Somebody Get Me A Doctor again.  One of the best ROCK songs ever written - the KILLER RIFF, the flair with which it's performed, Eddie's awesome volume swells and harmonics.  

The recorded Van Halen II version: 




The early live (bootleg) version Cope is talking about ("...this song is just a festival of utter confusion - I wish I didn't know it and I'm jealous of those who might be being introduced to this song for the first time via this particular version."). Slightly different intro to recorded version.



A great live version from 1982 in Largo. Some amazing harmonics flying from Eddie's fingers. Great breakdown section with interplay between the brothers, heading into Cream's I'm So Glad before returning to the tune.

Nico - These Days

Watching The Royal Tenenbaums the other day, I was reminded of what a lovely song Nico's These Days is.  Hints of joy in the beautiful melancholy it portrays, finding solace there.



And a live VPRO Radio Session from 1983, with the song performed in a lower key, one and a half steps down:



I LOVE Wes Anderson's films, and always think his soundtracks are perfect.  Just found an NPR interview with music supervisor Randall Poster about them here, looking forward to listening.

The song was written by Jackson Browne, and has been covered a bunch of times.

Paul Westerberg's cover (I've always been a big fan of his covers, solo and especially with The Replacements):



And The Golden Palominos version, from their 1993 This Is How It Feels album:

Leonid Utyosov - Dark Night...

Knowing my fondness for Russian orchestral pop and piano ballads, Reggie Chamberlain-King sent over this beauty the other night.  Leonid Utyosov's Dark Night (English translation of the lyrics in YouTube description):



A langorous sigh, settling into one's resting spot to appreciate the night spanning out before one's view.

Utyosov seems to have led quite a life.  Actor, singer, conductor, raconteur, he started out as a stand-up comedian and an acrobat.  In 1923 he even put on a show entitled From Tragedy To The Trapeze (what a great title, rather Suede-y ; )  He also came up with and worked extensively on the concept of "Tea Jazz" (another great name!), a combination of theatre and jazz, where the musicians were also actors.  Utyosov: “It is easiest to say that our success was in the novelty numbers like our tea-jazz had not yet been performed. There was of course jazz created by a blueprint, a foreign blueprint. We, however, suggested a completely new genre, untried, theatrical jazz. Our whole program was sprinkled with jokes, sarcasm and humor. In front of the audience not only was a band born, but also a company, a gathering of happy people not dampened by sadness, people with whom one could find joy and with whom one was certain to have a good time. I think that the success of our first program was grounded particularly in our optimism and humor.”

The Soft Close-Ups - Eiscafe (Live)...

I was searching YouTube for our Some Sick Day video to send to someone yesterday when I came across this:



Our new song Eiscafe recorded live at Stop Look Listen, August 2nd, 2011.   I had no idea this existed.  I remember this gig as being one of the best I've ever played.  It was a very emotional time for me and it all seemed to come out in the music.  I'm also incredibly pleased with the song.  I think it's one of the most beautiful guitar parts I've ever written.  David has put a A. E. Housman poem (From far, from eve and morning) into the verses, giving it as he calls "a nice western wind vibe".  It will be on the new e.p. which we just finished mixing the other night, along with a new version of Birthmark and another of my favourites, On The Mainland.

What I Played At DEBBIE, August 3rd, 2012...

DJ'ed again at DEBBIE last night.  In my opinion the best new and best full-stop club night in London.  A celebration of all-girl vocals.  I had the first two hours and although it was quiet at the beginning, I really enjoyed just playing some songs I wanted to hear and chatting to Sina (who runs the night) about music.

My set:

Alice Dona - C'est Pas Prudent
Gillian Hills - Tut Tut Tut
Bridge - Soft Cream Whistle
Club 8 - Missing You
Kerr - Back At Ya
May Roosevelt - The One With The List
Sharleen Spiteri - Keep Me Waiting (I hadn't cued up the cd when I hit play by accident, but I love this song so it didn't matter)
Girlfrendo - First Kiss Feelings Vs. Everyday Sensations (it's an all-girl vocal policy, much as I love this song, I had forgotten about the abundance of male vocals in it.  Fortunately, no one was really there to hear this faux pas)
Blast Off Country Style - Cutie Pie
The Crystals - He's A Rebel
Diane Renay - Kiss Me Sailor
The Jellybeans - I Wanna Love Him So Bad
Dolly Mixture - Step Close Now
Andrea Davis - You Gave Me Soul (unfortunately it started skipping during this amazing song)
Petra Cernocká - Saxana
Linda Thorson - Here I Am
Shirley Bassey - Moonraker (Disco Version)
Robyn - Robotboy
The Aprils - Astro
Freezepop - Summer Boy
The Kid - Transient Dance
Alizée - J'en Ai Marre
Marine Research - Parallel Horizontal
Shrag - Rabbit Kids
Siouxsie & The Banshees - Song From The Edge Of The World
Elastica - Stutter
Theoretical Girl - I Should've Loved You More
Those Dancing Days - Those Dancing Days
Deniece Williams - Let's Hear It For The Boy
Mint Royale & Lauren Laverne - Don't Falter
Goldfrapp - Number One
Jah Wobble & Julie Campbell - Feel
Freezepop - Doppelganger
The Long Blondes - Here Comes The Serious Bit
The Breeders - Divine Hammer
Pizzicato 5 - Twiggy Twiggy Vs. James Bond
Kenickie - In Your Car
Kylie Minogue - Disco Down
Saint Etienne - He's On The Phone
Jane Wiedlin - Rush Hour
Lita Ford - Kiss Me Deadly
Gina G - Ooh Aah Just A Little Bit
Blondie - Dreaming
Camera Obscura - French Navy (for Clare on her birthday, but unfortunately we tried to play this 3 times at different points on 2 different cds and it kept skipping).

Looks like I'm DJ'ing an hour at Sina's other all-girl night on the 18th, Scarlett O'Harlot.

Julian Cope - Crazy Farm Animal...

I just finished re-reading Head-On, and it was just as awesome and entertaining as I remembered it being, if not more so.  It was incredibly exciting when it came out and I devoured it then, but hey, I was so much younger back in 1995 ; ) We had just gotten into Julian Cope a few years before after my friend Jon McCann read an interview with Robert Plant, saw Cope's name, and looked into his work.  Always thankful that he did.  We used to be incredibly hungry for any interesting music that we hadn't heard back then, always on the lookout for something new, and I'm really pleased that all of us still are.  I think the first thing Jon bought was Peggy Suicide and I remember annoying everyone because I became obsessed with If You Loved Me At All and would play it over and over again in the car.  I remembered last night that the cassette contained the song Uptight not on any other format, and so I had to seek it out.  Strangely, this song isn't on the 2009 Deluxe Edition that nevertheless has 29 bonus tracks.  I was also always very fond of this remix of Head, Heed: Of Penetration & The City Dweller - Head Remix,  that I had on a dub compilation called 110 Below - Journey In Dub. But I'm getting away from myself.

I remember having one-and-a-half 90 minute cassettes of Cope and Teardrop b-sides that I taped off Jon.  Some really great stuff on there, his cover of Pere Ubu's Non-Alignment Pact, Disaster (another of my faves), and Crazy Farm Animal, which I always thought was such a great song.  Really good lyrics, the overall feel - its prolonged opening swells,  then how the song proper alternately mellows and kicks in, before clip-clopping then riding a wave out - is just such a good listening experience.  The B-side to China Doll, here's the Spotify link .  It was later included on Leper Skin: An Introduction To Julian Cope 1986-92. And then there's this live version recorded for a Janice Long Session 12/12/84 that came out on Floored Genius 2: Best Of The BBC Sessions 1983-1991:



And the A-side China Doll video, featuring Pete DeFreitas, drummer for Echo & The Bunnymen, two weeks before he died in a motorcycle accident on the same bike he's riding here.  For one of rock n' roll's most interesting stories, see the part in Cope's Repossessed (second part of the autobiography) about DeFreitas' adventure in New Orleans recording the Sex Gods album and also, if I remember correctly, there's some info on it in Chris Adams' excellent book,  Turquoise Days: The Weird World Of Echo & The Bunnymen.

Chainsaw Kittens - Sore On The Floor...

YES!!!! Sore On The Floor is finally on YouTube!  As I mentioned in my first post on Chainsaw Kittens, this song is A SONIC BLAST OF PURE AWESOMENESS, perfectly capturing the feeling of rolling around with someone you really fancy.  One of the most EXCITING songs of all time.  Opening track on their Pop Heiress album.



Check out Tyson's new project here, and contribute if you can.  And here's my recent interview with him about it. 

The Flaming Lips - She's Gone Mad (Tyson Meade, Chainsaw Kittens)

My interview with Tyson Meade about his very interesting new project - going to China to record an album with students and promote goodwill between East & West.  He's got a Kickstarter campaign going if you want to contribute, it all sounds very cool.  I've posted before about my enthusiasm for his old band, Chainsaw Kittens.  Highly underrated, should've been a lot bigger than they were. Only yesterday I found out that The Flaming Lips covered the Kittens' She's Gone Mad on their The Day They Shot A Hole In The Jesus Egg, the expanded version of In A Priest Driven Ambulance with 23 bonus tracks of b-sides, demos, covers, and unreleased songs.



The original can be found on Chainsaw Kittens first album, Violent Religion.  And here's Tyson and Beau Jennings performing it at Okie Noodling 2012:

Mabel Joy - Sylvan Road

I've been really into this song today after discovering it this morning.  At first it reminded me a bit of Gol Gappas' lovely West 14 but now it's a little more like the gorgeous slower Go-Betweens numbers.  I've also always loved the name Mabel.



I was going through my iTunes wish list, looking for something new to listen to, when I came across The Palace Of Light's Beginning Here & Travelling Outward. I can't quite remember why I had put it in my wish list in the first place, possibly something to do with Nick Haeffner, but I was intrigued and glad I bought it.  Opening song, Safer:



I can't find out much info about either band, except that they were both on Bam Caruso.  And this, posted on the Spring Records blog, and written by Bam Caruso founder Phil Smee:

“The Palace of Light were one of our best kept secrets. A group of like-minded guys who worshiped at the feet of Cyrus Faryar, Fred Neil, Scott Walker and Mickey Newbury and boasted a singer with an amazing voice. Their debut album contains musical tales of epic proportions and should really be made available once more.” Far from the excess that marked the 80’s, “Beginning Here and Travelling Outward” (1987) was, again in Mr. Smee’s words “light years ahead, in terms of content and production of virtually any other band´s first offering... textures of sound , woven like a complex web, overlay the songs, (all originlas) and turn each and every one into a mini-symphony...It’s 1988 and the art of music making is alive and well in the hearts of at least four young people called The Palace of Light”. Mark Brendguitarist of the band recalls: “We got some good reviews and played a few gigs inLondon, then gave up for nearly a year. In the summer of 1988 we decided to have another go, and reconvened to record three songs at Cold Storage in Brixton, South London, … One of the tracks we recorded was Books, which you can hear on this single. …. there’s a string trio led by Marcus Holdaway, who later joined the High Llamas. We’d circulated the three newly recorded songs to some record companies, and I remember some A&R men coming to see us, though we didn’t get any offers. Then in 1989 we recorded two sessions in a studio in Stoke Newington, North London. One of the songs we recorded there was Catherine, the other track on this single” When the drummer left, the group started playing live as a trio and decided to change their name and press a promo single, drawing on the material recorded since the Palace Of Light album. They settled on Mabel Joy as the band name (after the Mickey Newbury song, “Frisco Mabel Joy”), chose Catherine and Books for the single, and decided to call their label Hummingbird. It was 1991. Some 7 incheswere pressed up. But the single was never properly released. Some copies were sent out for review, and to radio stations, but there was no distribution and it was never sold in shops. So, the record you now have in your hands is something of an anomaly, as it is a reissue of something that wasn’t really issued in the first place. The single got a couple of reviews, and maybe even some radio play, but it didn’t really achieve anything. Mabel Joy pressed on, and in 1994 returned to Bam Caruso for an album, Wish I Was, before splitting up. 

The Palace of Light were a band completely out of step with the times. They had obscurity in their genes, so perhaps it is fitting that this – the first Palace of Light reissue – should be of their most obscure record, one that was never really released in the first place. But a true lost gem of a record, indeed!!

A very nice find today.

Robyn Hitchcock - Madonna Of The Wasps...

Have been on a big Robyn Hitchcock kick for months again, this seems to happen all the time too, I probably never really stop listening to him.  Madonna Of The Wasps, the opening track on 1989's Queen Elvis, is one of my favourite songs of all-time.  It's such a great pop song. Whenever I put it on, this huge feeling of pleasantness washes through me, seemingly slowly and simultaneously, if that's not a paradox.  Enchanting music with that generous touch of melancholy in the lyrics and voice, it's like a beautiful lingering intake of breath with a gentle, gentle sigh to follow.



Live on David Letterman:



Live with The Decemberists, Shepherd's Bush Empire, Feb 9th, 2007:



And, appropriately, live at Pestival, 2009:



The version from The Kershaw Sessions is definitely worth hearing too.  That was the first Robyn Hitchcock album I bought, sometime in the mid-90s, having always been fond of So You Think You're In Love, and was hugely impressed by the songs on this record.  Have loved his music, and lyrics, ever since.

Robyn Hitchcock - Adventure Rocket Ship...

Finally got around to listening to Robyn Hitchcock's Olé! Tarantula record the other day, what an incredibly good album!  I love Robyn Hitchcock's songs but am only recently hearing some of the later records.  The opener, Adventure Rocket Ship, is a glorious rocker, enormously catchy and filled with Hitchcock's usual wonderful lyrics.  I particularly like the line "I wish I was the future, I'd kiss you in the past".




I actually came across this song watching the Cooking With Rockstars podcast,  featuring 2 sessions with Mr. Hitchcock.  Very entertaining, making 'Food Pie'.

And the album closer, N.Y.  Doll, is lovely.  About Arthur Kane, the bassist for the New York Dolls. As Robyn says here, he wrote it after seeing the movie, New York Doll.  Live at The Bell House, Brooklyn, NY 6/11/09:



I'm quite fond too of A Man's Got To Know His Limitations, Briggs, which also appeared on Obliteration Pie.  Live at Islington Academy:

Catch Up (Reviews + Interview)...

I reviewed the new Philip Jeays record, My Own Way, which is pretty great.  I need to do a proper post on Jeays, and have been meaning to for ages, I highly recommend checking him out.  I was introduced to him as "the British Jacques Brel" back in 2005,  immediately heading to Brixton to see him play that night on that alone, and have been very impressed ever since.  The title track from the new record:

Very fond of the new Monochrome Set album, Platinum Coils, one of the best records of the year so far.  Hip Kitten Spinning Chrome is its wonderful opener, a very catchy pop song with intriguing lyrics:



And Go-Kart Mozart's long-awaited On The Hot Dog Streets.  Not only does it look fantastic, complete with list of books read, albums listened to, and other tidbits during the making of the record, but it is also an artistic statment where nearly every song will get stuck in your head for weeks after hearing it.  Not too much from the record on YouTube but I like this slower number:



And I had the chance to interview Artmagic at their record release party at St. Pancras Old Church.  Artmagic is Richard Oakes' from Suede's new project, a duo with Sean McGhee.  That was exciting!  Both were very nice and had a lot to say.  Two of my favourites from their album, Become The One You Love, performed here live at Perry Vale Studios.

You, a very fine pop song:



The lovely Half-Life:

Catch Up (DJ'ing)...

Playing Catch Up this evening.  So much I'd like to write about, so hard to find the time these days.  I DJ'ed at The Negative Creep Independence Day special.  The remit was "grunge" but I expanded that to 90s American Rock (though didn't get to play any GBV or Superchunk as I had planned).  What I played:

Alice In Chains - Them Bones
Soundgarden - Outshined
The Afghan Whigs - Somethin' Hot
Pixies - Letter To Memphis
Mudhoney - In'N'Out Of Grace
Big Black - He's A Whore
Sonic Youth - Ca Plane Pour Moi
Cracker - Teen Angst
Nirvana - Son Of A Gun
Throwing Muses - Counting Backwards
Dinosaur Jr. - Freak Scene
Sonic Youth - Sugar Kane (requested)
Rancid - Radio
The Breeders - Cannonball
Faith No More - Midlife Crisis
Fugazi - Waiting Room
Mudhoney - Touch Me I'm Sick

And on August 3rd, I'll be DJ'ing for the first 2 hours at THE BEST NEW CLUB IN LONDON, DEBBIE!  All-girl pop and rock!  What I played at the very first DEBBIE.

Sophia now has a DJ Facebook page.  You should like it, and go see her DJ, she's Ace.  Where else do you get to hear Benny Goodman's Sing Sing Sing and Pantherman's Pantherman in the same set?

Love Kitten...

Finally getting around to listening to a Rare Girl Group Gems From The 60s mp3 that Patrick from WZBC had put up from one of his radio shows, some truly excellent stuff on there.  Unfortunately the mp3 is no longer there but the playlist is here to seek out the individual songs. It was through Patrick that I found out about Lesley Gore's glorious Sometimes and he usually plays some interesting stuff, so check out his show.

Am utterly enchanted by Noreen Corcoran's Love Kitten. Played with such wild joy, great backing vocals, and her own voice is gorgeous.  Such an Amazing Song!



And it turns out this is a cover of an April Stevens single.  The original itself is a sumptuous delight.  So smooth and relaxed, plus check out the purring! Found an mp3 of April's version here along with some info.

Saint Etienne - Wouldn't It Be Nice...

I've been dying to hear their cover of this, must've missed when it was on the recent MOJO cd, and I don't have the boxset.  Wouldn't It Be Nice was always my favourite Beach Boys song, and strangely enough, I just bought Pet Sounds for the first time last night!  I know, I know.  I loved The Beach Boys when I was a kid and my parents would play me the early singles (my dad always used to play Fun, Fun, Fun on his guitar for us, another one of my favourites).  And for years I knew I *should* get into them, but being the obsessive record collector that I am, the task seemed so daunting.  Much like how I know one day I want to, and will, read Finnegans Wake, but when will I ever have the time?  Anyway, Pet Sounds has come up a few times this week, twice the night of the Saint Etienne gig.  They mentioned it in my interview with them and then afterwards I was talking to my friend Jason about it.  And last night, after I read Bill Drummond singing its praises at the end of his 17 book (excellent description of said book by Paul Morley), I thought maybe I should just buy it and do my best not to go overboard.  So I did, and pulled out my really good headphones and put it on as I went to bed.  And then awoke this morning to an email from Jason with a link to the Saint Etienne cover!  And how wonderful it is too.  Glorious vocal harmonies a la the original and also reminiscent of their Tales From Turnpike House record. Lovely tradeoff between Debsey and Sarah.




Original Beach Boys 60s video.