Thirteen Senses - The Invitation This will appeal to fans of Coldplay, Keane etc (a band more boring than Franz Ferdinand Martijn!)
The Fiery Furnaces - Blueberry Boat Great Blues inspired alternative rock. Comparisions with the White Stripes but Fiery Furnaces are more classy.
Beklle & Sebastian - John Peels Christmas Party. Just in time for Christmas 2005! Classy set with covers of Christmas carols thrown in.
Gus Gus - Various Albums & Singles. Classy stuff from 4AD dance act.
Sahara Hotnights - C'mon Let's Pretend 1999 debut.
Sahara Hotnights - Jennie Bomb (Deluxe Edition) Great album. First time I saw this lot was supporting their fellow country folk The Hives. Sahara Hotnights blew them away.
Sahar Hotnights - Kiss And Tell Follow up to Jennie Bomb.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Fever To Tell Excellent album from NYC.
I am not responsible for any of these being on the net. They are just links I have found on my travels. Give the albums a listen and if you like them buy 'em.
The Fiery Furnaces - Blueberry Boat Great Blues inspired alternative rock. Comparisions with the White Stripes but Fiery Furnaces are more classy.
Beklle & Sebastian - John Peels Christmas Party. Just in time for Christmas 2005! Classy set with covers of Christmas carols thrown in.
Gus Gus - Various Albums & Singles. Classy stuff from 4AD dance act.
Sahara Hotnights - C'mon Let's Pretend 1999 debut.
Sahara Hotnights - Jennie Bomb (Deluxe Edition) Great album. First time I saw this lot was supporting their fellow country folk The Hives. Sahara Hotnights blew them away.
Sahar Hotnights - Kiss And Tell Follow up to Jennie Bomb.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Fever To Tell Excellent album from NYC.
I am not responsible for any of these being on the net. They are just links I have found on my travels. Give the albums a listen and if you like them buy 'em.
I have came across a My Bloody Valentine site I have not noticed before.
You may want to pay the site a visit as there are some audio rarities available including some Peel session tracks and instrumentals and cover versions. There are also some tabs and lyrics.
Universal Audio by The Delgados, was one of 2004's better albums. I must admit not knowing too much about the band until I picked the aforementioned album up in Camden's Music & Video exchange for a couple of quid. The best £2 I spent last year - I think they must of thought it was a single promo!
The band has somehow slipped off my radar. If anyone can point me to a starting point to their other releases, albums or singles, please let me know via the comments. In the meantime it is a crawl on e-bay!
The Delgados - The Drowning Years (Acoustic)
The Delgados - Coming In From The Cold (Acoustic)
EDIT: There is a load of albums on e-music. I will download any advised of when my subscription rolls over in February!
Buy:
Punk Of Country are another Swedish band I was referred to - cannot remember who put me on their case because I have lost the e-mail - sorry!
I would of liked to add something about the band but as all their press releases are in Swedish (which is hardly surprising!) and also their history page is not yet up I have nothing to say a part from the track I downloaded, "Stop Talk Just Fall" was pleasant enough if somewhat too rock orientated for me. Great name though.
Punk Of Country - Stop Talk Just Fall
If you hurry over to their download page you can download a 320 k/bits version of thre track as well as some other lower quality ones (128 k/bits)
The All Girl Summer Fun Band are a bit of a supergroup in their own way. Band members have been in The Young Astronauts, Cherry Ice Cream Smile, Pretty Face, The Softies, and The Thermals amongst others.
Their music is wispy 60's inspired indie pop with Talulah Gosh and The Shop Assistants thrown in. They are well worth a listen. Which you can do as the band have made a few mp3's available including two from their latest album called All Girl Summer Fun Band Vol.2, which was released in 2003.
All Girl Summer Fun Band - Jason Lee
All Girl Summer Fun Band - Video Game Heart
If you go to their mp3 page there are some more, older, tunes to download.
If you sign up to e-music you can download both of their albums free as part of that site's free 50 mp3's promotion for new subscribers.
Buy:
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New Order will release their next album, "Waiting For The Sirens Call" on 28th March 2005 in the UK on London Records followed by a month later in the US on Reprise. The album will be preceded by the single "Krafty".
The track listing is:
01. Who's Joe? (produced by New Order)
02. Hey Now What You Doing (Stephen Street)
03. Waiting For The Sirens' Call (New Order)
04. Krafty (John Leckie)
05. I Told You So (New Order)
06. Morning Night And Day (Stephen Street)
07. Dracula's Castle (John Leckie)
08. Jetstream (Stuart Price)
09. Guilt Is A Useless Emotion (Stuart Price)
10. Turn (Stephen Street)
11. Working Overtime (Stephen Street)
New Order - Krafty (Real Audio)
Just another band who are better than Franz Ferdinand.
The Futureheads - Decent Days and Nights (KVRX Session)
The Futureheads - Alms (KVRX Session)
The Morrisons first release was a 1987 flexi disc which was picked up by John Peel. They released a 12" in the same year but disbanded in 1988. However some of the original band members reformed last year. Ian Churchward, Phil Andrews and Dave Clifford are back together again with Guy Bolt on drums and have recorded some new songs as "The Morrisons" which will form part of a CD release sometime in the next few months due for release on Golden Pathway Records. Note that Ian and Guy are The Legendary 10 Seconds whom I featured a week or two ago.
Firestation records released a cd of demos from 1986/1988 called "Songs From The South Of England". You can also find a track of theirs on "The Sound Of Leamington Spa Vol 3".
Indie MP3 can bring you two new recordings from the past year - Enjoy!
The Morrisons - Southbound Train
The Morrisons - Town After Town
The Morrisons Homepage
Buy Songs From The South of England
I have covered the Crack Babies, mentioning their Psychocandy inspired pop previously. There is now some good news as the excellent Lost Music site, has set up a CDR label and the first release will be from this band.
The seven track EP will be released on Monday 7th February and is available direct from Lost Music with pre-orders being accepted now.
The Crack Babies - Honey Believer
The Crack Babies - Shine
Apologies for not updating the blog the past week but one has been rather busy!
As you may know from previous posts I really rate the Swedish indie label Labrador, home of Club 8 and The Acid House Kings amongst many others. To locate more Swedish music head over to Hello! Surprise! which is an excellent guide with links to plenty of mp3's. Thanks to Think Small for the pointer.
As you may know from previous posts I really rate the Swedish indie label Labrador, home of Club 8 and The Acid House Kings amongst many others. To locate more Swedish music head over to Hello! Surprise! which is an excellent guide with links to plenty of mp3's. Thanks to Think Small for the pointer.
50 Best Scottish Bands of All Time
4 Comments Published by Tom on Saturday, January 15, 2005 at 10:26.
The List has announced the results of the Top 50 best Scottish bands.
Belle & Sebastian came out on top and there were placings for Orange Juice, Fire Engines, Primal Scream, Altered Images, Jesus and Mary Chain etc. No placings for the likes of Josef K, The Shop Assistants or The Motorcycle Boy though.
Franz Ferdinand also made it despite having only one Scottish born member in their line-up as did Snow patrol who I swore were from Northern Ireland!
If you head over to Brian's Radio Blog there are a number of Belle & Sebastian tracks for downloading.
And now for something completely different!
Popstars Feets is a website in which the intrepid owner braves the streets of London to take pictures of the current cream of the Indie crops erm feet and footwear! The ideal shoegazing blog methinks!
Popstars Feets is a website in which the intrepid owner braves the streets of London to take pictures of the current cream of the Indie crops erm feet and footwear! The ideal shoegazing blog methinks!
The Legendary 10 Seconds hail from Torquay and are Ian Churchward and Guy Bolt with various friends helping out. Ian plays guitar, bass and does the vocals. Guy plays drums and can also play harmonica,keyboards and guitars. Friends who have helped out are Phil Andrews and Dave Clifford of the Morrisons, Andy England of Goldenpathway records, Bridget England of Alternative Girlfriend, Nigel Howells of Phoenix and Steve Honeywill of MIA. A Torquay supergroup?
Anyway both members of Legendary 10 Seconds also play in The Morrisons and I will be posting a track of theirs over the next few days. The duo do not have a website at present but recommend visiting the links below.
Download 10 Legendary Seconds - What Else Can I Do
The Morrisons - Homepage
Golden Pathway Records
Flaxey Green - A site dedicated to promote folk music in South Devon
No? Well I still do. It's a great way of picking up new music especially as 7" vinyl is appearing in the main music stores again. It's also a great way for small labels and unsigned bands to get their wares across, standing out from the shiny disc crowd.
The Brights are one such band whose single I have picked up. "Girl in a bric-a-brac shop/The Sea" is a Libertines influenced (and who isn't thsee days?) corker of a single. Like Dustin's Bar Mitzvah (see below) their playing keeps them one step up from the rest of the crowd. You can order the single from Bitterscene for £2.75. I suggest you e-mail Bitterscene if you are outside the UK.
The Playwrights are another band I am liking after picking up their single online. Titled "Dislocated" this lot sound like The Wolfhounds when they were at their prime. The single can be purchased for £3.50 (UK) or £4.50 (elsewhere) from Unpopular Records. The band also have some mp3's available on their site which are worth a moment of anyones time.
If you have any tips or pointers to other 7" inch gems hidden away on the net please let me know via the comments facility.
The Brights are one such band whose single I have picked up. "Girl in a bric-a-brac shop/The Sea" is a Libertines influenced (and who isn't thsee days?) corker of a single. Like Dustin's Bar Mitzvah (see below) their playing keeps them one step up from the rest of the crowd. You can order the single from Bitterscene for £2.75. I suggest you e-mail Bitterscene if you are outside the UK.
The Playwrights are another band I am liking after picking up their single online. Titled "Dislocated" this lot sound like The Wolfhounds when they were at their prime. The single can be purchased for £3.50 (UK) or £4.50 (elsewhere) from Unpopular Records. The band also have some mp3's available on their site which are worth a moment of anyones time.
If you have any tips or pointers to other 7" inch gems hidden away on the net please let me know via the comments facility.
Peel Night Online - Wedding Present
0 Comments Published by Tom on Sunday, January 09, 2005 at 19:20.
The BBC have placed video and audio footage of Peel Night, the tribute to the late broadcaster that took place at Madia Vale where many of the Peel Sessions were recorded,just before Christmas.
For C86 fans the Wedding Present footage will be of the main interest. There are also some photos and wallpaper to view or download. The main Peel Night page is here.
Note Real Player is required. However I would uninstall the bloat that is Real Player if it is already on your PC and download Real Alternative instead.
I saw Dustin's Bar Mitzvah supporting the Loves at the Betsy Trotwood not so long ago. At first I though The Libertines had so much to answer for but this lot are good. Very good. They had a great time on stage, were enjoying themsleves and knocked out some good punky pop records. You can read a review of the gig here.
Dustin's Bar Mitzvah - Get Your Mood On
Dustin's Bar Mitzvah - Lucy
Head over to their site's download page and you can grab another three mp3's including new single "Jimmy White".
More pictures of the Betsy Trotwood gig at www.underexposed.org.uk (This bloke goes to too many gigs..........)
Lost Music has two articles on the band. This one is a gig review and this article reviews the mp3s.
They exude a confidence that'll scare the s**t outta your average indie boy looking for his next guitar girl pin-up.
If you like your music fast, furious and raw I suggest you give The Smears a try. Soundswise they have a lot in common with Bikini Kill, 7 Year Bitch and Bratmobile. Other sites have stated that they sound like Babes In Toyland or L7 but The Smears are more punkier than those two. The songs clock in around the magic 2 minutes mark. They have two tracks available.
The Smears - Bring It On
The Smears - Snatch Hope (Black Eyes)
You can also buy a demo with the above plus two other tracks for a rather generous four English pounds.
There is also another site but the one linked to above seems to be the current one.
Wallpaper Silhouettes are a band hailing from the North Pole (Trondheim, Norway to be exact) and have been around since 1999 when they were known as New Horizon. Their sound is a mix of New wave, Synth pop and indie and is quite enjoyable to listen too.
Wallpaper Silhouettes - The Marauder
There are more tracks and movies on their Sound & Vision page.
If you hurry to their site quickly you may be able to get your hands on a free cassette only release.
Magnapop, who had a big indie hit with the excellent "Merry" in 1991, release their first album for nine years later this month. Titled "Mouthfeel" it's released on the 25th January 2005 via Daemon Records. Download a track from the album:
Magnapop - Smile 4u
Some older, but still worth a listen, tracks are available on their website.
Buy Magnapop:
Pre-order Mouthfeel
Buy Rubbing Doesn't Help
Buy Hot Boxing
Buy Magnapop
The Hits Hurt, which is named after a Pastels EP, is a new blog which just appeared. It looks promising as the front page states " If you love indie, twee, rock type music then this might be the place for you!"
Currently has Orange Juice, The Starlets and erm, The Pastels for downloading.
Currently has Orange Juice, The Starlets and erm, The Pastels for downloading.
The Bloc Party have got some rave press over here in the UK and they have come a long way in the past 14 months from gigging in small venues in South East London, being featured on the first angular compilation with the excellent "The Marshalls Are Dead", touring with the likes of Interpol and scoring their first top 40 hit with "Helicopter".
You want more? Here is a link to a recent Peel Session.
Bloc Party Official Site - download "Staying Fat"
the unofficial site, Bloc Party net, with laods (and I mean loads) of mp3s culled from releases, gigs and sessions.
I found this excellent page on the net where someone has tried to track down mp3's and other digital files of tracks making 2004's Festive 50. A good effort too.
To listen to the Festive 50 scoll down to my earlier post!
To listen to the Festive 50 scoll down to my earlier post!
Those C86 survivors Half Man Half Biscuit have posted the last session they recorded for John Peel (and aired after his death on 16/11/2004) on their semi-official website.
Asparagus Next Left
For What Is Chatteris?
Epiphany
Joy Division Oven Gloves
Plenty more sessions to download from their audio page.
Buy Half Man Half Biscuit:
Many more HMHB albums!
The Fire Engines - Scottish Patients?
2 Comments Published by Tom on Sunday, January 02, 2005 at 17:56.
The Fire Engines, long time faves of mine and I posted some tracks a couple of weeks ago, reformed & played a few gigs last year (2004 remember!)including one a couple of nights ago supporting Sons & Daughters.
Anyway I noticed I had a hit or two from The Scottish Patient blog (thanks for the link) recently which seems to be a blog devoted to Hibernian Football Club and Scottish music in general. Scroll down and have a look at the photos and you will see how some of The Fire Engines look like today. Remember the band split in the early 1980's.
There also seems to be a Fire Engines website in the offering as well but it is not completed as yet.
By the way on the main Indie MP3 site I have just started a series on Postcard Records, a fine Scottish label, whose influence on C86 was a strong one. The Fire Engines were not signed to Postcard but others such as Orange Juice and Josef K were.
Anyway I noticed I had a hit or two from The Scottish Patient blog (thanks for the link) recently which seems to be a blog devoted to Hibernian Football Club and Scottish music in general. Scroll down and have a look at the photos and you will see how some of The Fire Engines look like today. Remember the band split in the early 1980's.
There also seems to be a Fire Engines website in the offering as well but it is not completed as yet.
By the way on the main Indie MP3 site I have just started a series on Postcard Records, a fine Scottish label, whose influence on C86 was a strong one. The Fire Engines were not signed to Postcard but others such as Orange Juice and Josef K were.
Another bookmark, another band and there are plenty of mp3's to download on Dealership's site. I downloaded & listened to three being "Green", "California" and "Forest".
Dealership play a spunky mix of post punk & poppy power erm, pop! These tracks got me thinking of how a cross of The Wedding Present, 60's girly pop and Harvey Williams (Another Sunny Day) may have sounded.
Dealership - Green
Dealership - California
Dealership - Forest
I recommend giving this lot a listen. More mp3's can be found at the bands site.
Despite the untimely death of John Peel the Festive 50 for 2004 has been revealed. You can view the listings and listen to the festive 50 replayed at BBC online. The stream is in Real Audio.
During the x-mas break I started going through the pages I have previously bookmarked, most of which were bands I kept meaning to have a listen too.
Finland's Spider & I were one such band and if you are a fan of Interpol you will love this lot. I downloaded a couple of tracks. The Interpol comparisons are really bourn out on "Forgotten The Codes" whilst "Travelling Lost" reminded me more of Josef K and Franz Ferdinand. Excellent stuff and available at high quality 192 k/bit mp3's as well.
Spider & I - Forgotten The Codes
Spider & I - Travelling Lost
Visit the home page to download some more mp3's including the well titled "Kitchen Makeouts".
