Week In Music August 10-16th

I watched that 2005 Piccadilly Jim film which caused me to start the Piccadilly Jim audiobook which in turn got David Devant & His Spirit Wife's 'Gentleman Jim' stuck in my head for much of the early part of the week. Wodehouse and Letterkenny have been the things getting me through this pandemic, I can't recommend them enough. And Jonathan Cecil's readings of Wodehouse's books are absolutely wonderful. The perfect proper British voice to portray such high comedy. 

Watched that Salad Days: A Decade of Punk in Washington, DC (1980-90) documentary. Very good. Took me back to my late teenage years. Had a discussion over on Facebook about everyone's favourite Fugazi record. Mine's Margin Walker, with Repeater a close second. There were some votes for The Argument which I'd never really given a proper listen to. So I did. It's very good and 'Nightshop' stood out. 

I've loved that Embrace record since I first heard it back in 1993. I remember people calling it emo, and being confused years later when something called 'emo' had blown up but didn't really sound like Embrace. Also confusing was that British band Embrace coming along later on. 

Superexciting this week I interviewed Steve Kilbey of The Church for my Etcetera ETC With Young Southpaw podcast. He's recorded a new album which he wrote in one week back in the spring. It's called 11 Women and is really good. 'Josephine', which you can hear the studio version of at the end of the podcast, is one of my songs of the year. It's one of those timeless tunes, it sounds so familiar but yet you can't quite place it, as someone said to him, "like it's always been there". We had an excellent conversation dealing mostly with the magic and mystery of songs. Video of the interview will be on YouTube soon. Here's a version of 'Josephine' from one of his Monday evening IG shows

I watched Autoluminescent, the Rowland S. Howard documentary the other night. Loved it. Gave me a whole new appreciation for the man and the artist. Reminded me that it seems every time I walked into the Rough Trade shop on Talbot Road in London since 1999, I'd see a copy of his Teenage Snuff Film cd. I miss walking in there and seeing that. And of course 'Shivers' has been stuck in my head since, I even recorded a version today that's now on FB and IG. Such a classic. It would take more time than I've got now to go into how that song has been with me throughout the years. I remember covering it at Jacques in Boston at an early rock stone show. Here's the Young Charlatans, the original version I believe. I was also psyched to find their demos are up for free download at Rowland's site. 

And 'Autoluminescent', what a tune!

Also, 'Shut Me Down' is gorgeous

Saw the awesome band name Illuminati Hotties and had to check them out. Digging the album. This tune is great, super catchy

Been digging this Suzi Analogue EP and saw on Twitter that today's her birthday so I listened again

Bought the Flashback Records compilation earlier this year and listening to Samuel Barton's 'We Painted Our Faces And Gave False Names' from it today I was blown away. It's SO. FREAKING. LOVELY. Ever since I was a teenager there's always been a place in my mind that music like this takes me to. A twilight rocky ledge over a misty sea that seems like the end of the world both in time and place. Joy Division's 'Atmosphere' would take me there, The Cure's 'Plainsong'. I love this

Week In Music August 3rd - 9th

Early this week was all about listening to Paul Simpson's Skyray albums, which I then bought on Bandcamp Friday. Lovely stuff. 

'Jet Stream Summer' stood out early, as it reminds me a little of Saint Etienne's early albums.

And then I really dug the Krautrock-ness of 'Oxygum' from Ice Rink Music. Paul's notes on making this lost album were interesting to read too

I watched the Brainiac documentary which was excellent. They really were a force to be reckoned with and it would have been so great to see/hear what they would have become. This has been stuck in my head a lot

Remembered how much I love this tune and have ever since Chris Razz gave me the yellow promo cassette at Secret Sounds in Fairfield, CT in 1993. I can still remember putting it on on the drive home in the family caravan and getting into it. It's been my favourite song of theirs ever since and Transmissions From The Satellite Heart has remained my favourite Flaming Lips record

Discovered Hayley Mary just in time to buy her EP on Bandcamp Friday.

Watched Jim Jarmusch's Gimme Danger Stooges documentary two nights ago and really dug it. Iggy had a lot of cool things to say. It was touching that he thought growing up in such small space in a trailer really gave him the opportunity to know his parents. Had me once again taken in with the magic of 'Search And Destroy'. I have never forgotten the feeling of being 16, coming home after buying 'Raw Power' on cassette, popping in the tape, and being blown away by what I heard. Those opening chords, one of the best examples of the power of going to the IV. And despite Iggy being great on this, and 'I'm a streetwalkin cheetah with a heart full of napalm' being one of the all-time best opening lines, an awesome statement of intent, this song is all about James Williamson's guitar. Those lead lines bursting out like fireballs from the ruckus. It's unstoppable. And the whole 'honey gotta help me please' section, every chord underneath is perfect, and even after almost 30 years of listening to this, they seem like a surprise, a 'how did they make it this good?' sense of wonder abounds.

Week In Music July 27th - August 2nd 2020

Week started off with Lonelady's 'Marble' stuck in my head, as I just saw on Twitter that she had some t-shirts left for sale, and me being in the market for cool new t-shirts - most of mine are years old - I snapped up a Nerve Up one. Looking forward to its arrival. 'Marble', what a tune. Especially that 'ha' section at 3:46





Also discovered on Twitter is Katie Dey, whose new record 'mydata', released on the same day as, I am liking even more than Taylor Swift's. Lovely melodic 'floating in space' synthpop




My friend Jon messaged me about Shabaka & The Ancestors cause Jon knows I dig exactly this sort of thing. A new album came out in March which I listened to as well, though I like the one from 2016 even better




The Church's version of The Triffids 'Wide Open Road' has consistently been in my head this year, and this week was no different. What a wonderful version of a stellar tune





Just listened to Sunshine's 'Sunshine' album again this evening while casting a BaZi chart. I've listened before and I dig it more and more. Discovered them through Letterkenny



My phone was acting up in the car the other day so I hit play on the cd player and The Indelicates' 'Savages' came on. One of my favourite songs of all-time. Gorgeous, and says so much about life, my favourite line being 'the tear on your cheek will fall ignored by the suckers to fake romance'. It's one of those tunes that when it comes on you have to ask yourself 'do I want to go thru the intense experience of listening to this right now? is that something I'm prepared to do?'

You got any songs like that?

Week In Music July 20-26th 2020

Busier week for listening this week. Starting off with hearing Nina Simone's wonderful 'Emergency Ward' album after seeing Alex from Fightmilk mention it on FB. Amazing cover of George Harrison's 'My Sweet Lord'. Wonderfully rev'd up and powerful




I heard New Order's 'Regret' on my weekly trip to the supermarket, what an excellent song.



I used to have a bootleg cassette of an Afghan Whigs show in Belgium from 1993 where they covered this pretty much right after it came out, was great. Would love to hear that again.


Then Orlando's 'Just For A Second' has been stuck in my head most of the week. A wonderful pop tune.





Once again got Melody Club's 'My Soft Return' stuck in my head too and gave the full 'Music Machine' album a spin. Some very good stuff on there. Great synthpop





And someone on my IG posted Nino Ferrer's 'Le Sud', a French classic which I'm glad I now know




And of course the Taylor Swift album came out Friday. mirrorball being my favourite. Quite dig the pop of betty too

Week In Music July 13-19th

Been a busy week, haven't had much time for new music. I've been mainly still digging into Hedvig Mollestad's catalogue. Excellent stuff. Killer rock grooves with an improvisational jazz feel. Reminiscent of 70's John McLaughlin. I had the pleasure of interviewing her for this week's Etcetera ETC With Young Southpaw episode.

Digging the new Go! Team song





And I heard this for the first time. Billy Corgan's early side project, Starchildren. Their one original song that was released. Love the guitar sound

Week In Music July 6 - 12th

Morricone. What can I say? A tremendous loss.

Wrote the most beautiful song I know, one of my favourites of all-time. Mina's 'Se Telefonando'. And he wrote it for a television show! So great he could just rattle stuff off like this for whatever. I love how the tune has no real tonal center, and of course the emotion behind it - what words cannot express - is why there is music in the first place.





And another gorgeous slice of pop is his 'Deep Down' from the Danger: Diabolik soundtrack. Sung by Christy, who I wish did more.




I discovered both of these one rainy night in 2005 when, having recently returned to my hometown in the States from my beloved London, I put on the Canto Morricone Vol. 1 - The 60's compilation that had just arrived in the post. I was driving back from picking up some takeout for my family from one of our favourite Italian restaurants when Mina came on track 3 and I was completely floored. I can still remember where I was as I realized just how amazing what was coming through my speakers was. The stoplight turning green, the hill to the golf course on my right, the factory to my left, the rain lightly drumming down on the windscreen.

My big discovery this week is Hedvig Mollestad. Liam from the Pynchon In Public podcast sent me that link and I started listening. And just kept going. Had her on for hours that first day. And have started buying the albums. One at a time in order to savour. She's a phenomenal guitarist and her work combines jazz, rock, and groove in a rather excellent way. I've been digging these:

Hedvig Mollestad Trio · All Them Witches

Loved the Eurovision movie and have been getting 'Jaja Ding Dong' stuck in my head a lot. I feel a certain affinity for the man who kept calling out for it.





Relistening to The In-Kraut Vol. 1 compilation, which has Marianne Mendt's fantastic 'Wie A Glock'n', I was also way into 'Molotow Cocktail Party'. This tune is wild. And packs the phrase 'cocktail party' in to the limits of how many times you can say it in a two-and-a-half minute pop song.




Had a great conversation with David Ryder Prangley about his new solo album for my Etcetera ETC With Young Southpaw podcast. We talked a lot about KISS and Van Halen of course, which had me revisit Paul's 1978 solo album. Some really good songs on there! Hadn't heard it in decades. Love the glam pop/rock of 'It's Alright' and 'Wouldn't You Like To Know Me'. Reminds me of the early glammy Mötley Crüe stuff that I wish they'd done more of.

Week In Music June 29 - July 5 2020

It's been a busy week, I've been working hard BaZi consulting. There was time however to hear some new and be captivated by some old sounds.

First up was the new Even As We Speak single, 'Unknown'. Mary's voice is lovely on this and it's such a dreamy pop song, redolent of summer evenings.



Next I finally had the chance to listen to the full album of Joanne Gabriel's Floating In Light. Wonderful soundscapes. I came across her music via one of Graham Duff's Mixtape shows.





I interviewed The Speedways for the Etcetera ETC With Young Southpaw podcast. Great tunes on the new record. Lead-off track, 'This Ain't A Radio Sound', is probably my favourite. Though 'Daydreaming' was stuck in my head for days after our chat.








Someone posted this short 1970 documentary about Alice Coltrane. She was such a gigantic, powerful soul.





Which put this in my head. One of the most beautiful pieces of music I know. Exquisite.





My two favourite discoveries of this year, which have buoyed up my spirit immeasurably during lockdown, have been Letterkenny and Judee Sill. On revisiting, I discovered the two came together when the show used this cover of 'Jesus Was A Cross Maker' by Frida Hyvönen




And as I was talking to Mauro & Matt of The Speedways about Hanoi Rocks, a band we all deeply love, I've been listening to them a lot too. They told me they'd cover '11th Street Kidz' and 'Until I Get You' on acoustic guitars in their hotel room after gigs. I have loved '11th Street Kidz' since I first heard it Christmas Day 1989 when I got all four reissue albums under the tree. Such a killer tune. So catchy with the right combination of joy and sadness, evoking youthful dreams and expectations and how they had such meaning despite only being fleeting.

This is the 'All Those Wasted Years' version despite it showing the 'Two Steps From The Move' album cover





And 'Don't You Ever Leave Me' is the greatest rock ballad still lingering in obscurity