Friday 30 September 2011

Recommended music: 'Rock Creek Park' by Oddisee


An (almost) instrumental hip-hop album that's perfect to listen to in the late summer sunshine that's currently bathing the UK. I think the reason it goes so well with the sunlight outside is that the album is essentially a hymn to Rock Creek Park in Washington, DC. Oddisee says 'Rock Creek Park is, and always has been, one of my favourite places in Washington. (I was) inspired to create an album around the park and my relationship with it. This...is my interpretation of Rock Creek Park through break beats, samples and live instrumentation'.

So apart from the first track, and the last 2 bonus ones, this is a groove based instrumental journey through the park. Part acid jazz, part soul, part funk, but always with a hip-hop mentality and a great vibe. In a way I think the vocal tracks spoil it as the atmosphere created by the instrumentals is so spot-on the lyrics are a bit distracting. Stick this on at your hastily-arranged BBQ this weekend and I guarantee everyone will approve of the chilled vibe it creates.

You can stream the album and buy it below.

Friday Top Ten - 30/9/11

15 tracks for you this week (including 6 free downloads), and a decent smattering of guitars in with the usual electronica. Click play above to listen to the broadcast, all the track details are below.

  1. Fighting Kites - Wojtek The Bear Free download
  2. Gauntlet Hair - Top Bunk Free download
  3. Radiohead - Bloom (Jamie xx Rework)
  4. Justice - Audio, Video, Disco
  5. Erasure - Tomorrow's World
  6. Mondkopf - Deadwood
  7. Death In Vegas - Witchdance
  8. Radiohead - Lotus Flower (SBTRKT RMX)
  9. Smith Westerns - End of the Night (Peaking Lights Remix) Free download
  10. How To Dress Well - Suicide Dream 3 (Solar Bears Remix) Free download
  11. Star Slinger - Dumbin' (feat. Reggie B) Free download
  12. Oddisee - Beach Dr.
  13. The Besnard Lakes - We're Here For A Good Time (Not A Long Time)
  14. Pink Floyd - A Pillow of Winds (2011 Remaster)
  15. Darren Hayman - The Ship's Piano Free download

Wednesday 28 September 2011

Recommended music: 'Trans-Love Energies' by Death In Vegas


Seven years on from their last album, and now purely the work of Richard Fearless, the new album from Death In Vegas is here, and it's a corker. The album kicks off with 'Silver Time Machine', and a list of rock stars who've died - Sid Vicious, Elvis, Hank, Gene - have apparently 'left me' as we're invited onto Richard Fearless' space craft, which he says uses 'celestial mechanics'. Once the invitation has been made the track begins to coalesce and take shape, before blending straight into 'Black Hole'. Despite the rather tired lyrical cliches in this one - 'Like a black hole you stole my soul' - this track successfully picks up the pace with some droning guitars and an insistent energy. The spacey lyrics and themes on this track also permeate the album - it's an adventure that's part 'out of your mind' and part 'out of this world'.

'Your Loft My Acid' takes an almost acid house backing track (is Fearless paying tribute here, or just showing his age?) and tops it with a vocal that's part Goldfrapp and part Donna Summer's I Feel Love. Next up, and continuig the drug theme, is 'Medication', an uncomplicated track where Fearless again takes lead vocals and sings quietly about wanting to take a trip with you. 'Coum' matches a backward-looped backing with cautionary tales of drug abuse - 'Too much coke, it sucks your life' - and then 'Witchdance' takes over. This is one of the best tracks here - with female vocals over a forceful backing track, it's musically reminiscent of both Depeche Mode and UNKLE.

A sparse techno backing on 'Scissors' supports further drug-based vocals - 'I wanna get high tonight' - and is followed by 'Drone Reich', a beat-less instrumental which is pretty much what you'd expect from its title. It's refreshing to hear real instruments on the album rather than just electronics; 'Lightning Bolt' has real bass and guitars topped off with electric blips and swooshes, and is the track you could most easily imagine being performed live on stage by a band. The final track (on the standard edition) is 'Savage Love', a seven minute instrumental that ambles along for exactly half its length before supplying us with driving, droning guitars for the  second half.

The special edition of the album is well worth seeking out, as it has 10 more tracks on a second disc. These include 2 remixes and 2 instrumentals of tracks from the first disc, and 6 new tracks. Of these the pick of the bunch are the crisply electronic I.W.Y.L.A., the glitchy slow beats of 'Come Ride With Me', and the brilliantly-titled 'Moe Tucker' which closes the second disc.

Overall the album is a hazey, spacey ride through the world of Richard Fearless that's full of energy - dive in a take a trip with him.

You can hear some music from Death In Vegas below, including a sample of the album and a mix that Fearless did recently for the Tom Ravenscroft show on BBC 6music (both of which can be downloaded for free).

Death In Vegas 2011 by Death In Vegas

Sunday 25 September 2011

Recommended music: 'Birds Swirl EP' by Monokle



Six tracks of electronica from another part of the world...hailing from Russia, producer and artist Vlad Kudryavstev has created a beguiling EP that would be at home on anyone's turntable. To complete the worldwide attraction, the sleeve has been designed by Chilean photographer and designer Matias Montecinos, proving that art and music can pass through any boundaries.

The gritty production is tempered with some hazy, psychedelic sounds but also matched with some heavy beats and bass. At times almost trip-hop, at others verging on dubstep, the components combine to create a genre-free ecstatic sound. In part I think this is due to the instrumentation - as well as keyboards there are regular swathes of guitar that cut through the synths, and the rhythms are equally split between synthetic and organic.

It's hard to pick a favourite track as they work so well as an ensemble - perfect for stoned sundowners or still-partying sunrisers. There's much promise on display here, and I hope we don't have to wait too long for a full album.

You can listen to the EP below.

Track of the Day: 'Boys of Paradise' by Unicorn Kid



An infectiously catchy slice of post-rave pop from Unicorn Kid, this is the perfect soundtrack for the late summer sunshine we're experiencing this week. Not only that, but you can download it for free - just click on the download arrow below.

BOYS OF PARADISE by ✌ Unicorn Kid ✌

Saturday 24 September 2011

Recommended music: 'Rising Doom' by Mondkopf


Following on from the critically-acclaimed EP he released earlier this year, the new full length album from Paul Regimbeau (a.k.a. Mondkopf) is a stunningly brilliant album. Recorded in various locations in Toulouse in Paris, the album comes soaked in dark Gallic vibes, full of fear and anger, but also with moments of light and hope.

The ghostly chants and hums of 'Intrus' are swallowed up by by a rising tide of throbbing keyboards that give way to second track 'Deadwood'. With almost a glam-rock swagger to its beat, the pattern of stabbed keyboards builds and builds, surrounded by squelchy noises aplenty.

Three tracks in and the monstrous 'Day of Anger' appears, fooling you with gentle piano sounds which soon get swept aside by an insistent bass which heralds a musical riot inside your headphones, as pounding, insistent rhythms crunch their way round your brain before disappearing as quickly as they arrived. 

'The Song of Shadows' is named after a poem by Walter de la Mare, which is quoted in the cd booklet, about how music can bring forth ghosts. This is a gentler track, with a bit more light and shade, that doesn't forsake the powerful beats but instils in them an air of hope. Ending with street noises that sound like they were recorded as a city awakes, it flows into 'Moon's Throat' which sounds like an extract from a sci-fi horror movie soundtrack, complete with spooky alien voice and celestial choir.

Next up 'Beyond The Golden Valleys' has some more intricate keyboard parts but is still pretty full on, full of phase and swagger. In contrast 'Sweet Memories', though not exactly sweet, certainly sugar-coats the pill. Its slower pace lends a more introspective feel to the track, but this feeling is soon blasted away by 'Girl's Don't Cry part II', particularly when the scary voice effect appears in the middle of the track. By the end though, as the  aggressive keyboards give way to a more organic instrument sound, you might feel that the night terrors are over.

But you'd be wrong - 'Where The Gods Fall' picks you up and drops you straight back into a land of horror. Sure, there's a soothing break in the middle of it, but that's just the calm in the eye of the storm which soon whips back up. If 'My Heart Is Yours' is a love song then it's one that comes with a healthy dose of gothic melodrama, which feels refreshing at this point in the album due to the absence of stomping beats. The dramatic crescendo that builds through the song adds to the air of a doomed love-affair.

At 9 minutes long, album closer 'Fossil Lights' still has enough tricks up its sleeve to take the record to an interesting conclusion. Brief snatches of dialogue occasionally burst through the arpeggio'd synths and elevated melody line. The track is augmented by some male choral vocals and builds powerfully enough for you not to realise until the end that there's a complete absence of drums. Leaving you with a glimmer of hope for the future, the track ends, after the choir and keyboards have faded away, with the sound of a clanging church bell and a roosting crow.

An awesomely powerful record that manages to convey the anger, angst and spiritual poverty of our time, this is definitely one of the most essential purchases of the year so far.

You can get a free download of 'The Song of Shadows' by clicking on the picture of Mondkopf below.


Track of the Day: 'I'm His Girl' by Friends

Friends - I'm His Girl by LuckyNumberMusic

This track isn't out until 31st October, but it's so infectious I just had to share it with you now. A funky, infectious bassline collides with half-sung, half-spoken vocals, percussion and handclaps to create a song that's a cross between the girl bands of the 60s and The Tom Tom Club from the 80s.

If you want to pre-order the 7" or the download then click here.

Friday 23 September 2011

Recommended music: Radiohead remixes by Jamie xx, Anstam and SBTRKT



Here we go then, the last in the set of Radiohead TKOL remixes. As usual they'll be released on 12" and download on Monday (my vinyl copy arrived today, nice work Boomkat!).

The collected TKOL remixes will be released on cd on October 10th.

Recommended music: 'Amnesty EP' by Ital Tek


This EP was released yesterday to raise funds for Amnesty International, as a direct response to the execution of Troy Davis by the US Government.

It opens with 'Zlap', and a pounding, thudding bassline with some extremely crunchy noises over the top. Powerful and intimidating, it kick-starts the EP like a zlap round the face. It's followed immediately by 'Phantom', which keeps up the pace and the level of bass.

The more melodic 'Forever' comes next, with an uplifting feel and a lighter vibe. Finally 'Prophet' picks up the rhythm. There's almost a dancehall feel to this one, it's a track that would sound great blasting out of a soundsystem.

Good beats for a good cause - what more do you need? You can listen to the EP and download it below.

Thursday 22 September 2011

Friday Top Ten - 23/9/11



Here's this week's Friday Rundown - sixteen spectacular tracks for your listening pleasure. Press the play button to listen, full details of the tracks are below, including free 6 downloads:

  1. Pinkunoizu - Everything Is Broken Or Stolen
  2. Trailer Trash Tracys - Dies In 55 Free download
  3. CANT - The Edge
  4. Twin Shadow - Changes Free download
  5. New Build - Finding Reasons Free download
  6. I Break Horses - Load Your Eyes (Star Slinger's Load Your 808 Mix)
  7. Bon Iver - Babys (Moths Remix) Free download
  8. Husband - Love Song (Soft Metals Remix)
  9. Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs - Garden (Joe Goddard Remix) Free download
  10. Joe Goddard feat. Valentina - Gabriel (Compound One Remix)
  11. Unicorn Kid - Boys Of Paradise Free download
  12. Max Cooper - Echoes Reality (Si Begg Remix)
  13. Mondkopf - The Song Of Shadows
  14. Naive Machine - Afrika
  15. Ital Tek - Zlap
  16. Monokle - Luch

Track of the Day: 'End Of The Night (Peaking Lights Remix) by Smith Westerns

In a tie up for their mutual label, Weird World Record's latest signing Peaking Lights have remixed their first ever act, Smith Westerns. The result is a suitably agreeable slice of fuzzed up dubness, with Peaking Lights' trademark trippy sound providing a solid backing for the Smith Western vocals (about all that's left from the source track), resulting in a track at least ten times better than the original. Get it for free below.


Saturday 17 September 2011

Recommended music: 'Peep EP' by Pinkunoizu


Released last week on the small, but perfectly formed, Full Time Hobby label, this stunning 3 track EP comes from Copenhagen, Denmark, but sounds like it's stopped off at a fair few places on the way. Describing themselves as 'a group playing lo-fi, high-life, nu-folklore, Asian 60's pop and future post-apocalyptic underwater rock', the band manages to sound both contemporary but classic, and would be as much at home in LA as in another galaxy.

The 22 and a half minutes of music that you get for your money here spans continents and decades, particularly the epic 'Dairy Queen' which starts off like Pink Floyd and ends up like a Japanese Geisha riffing on a cello while her clients sing for her. Elsewhere 'Everything Is Broken Or Stolen' has a hypnotic groove occasionally disturbed by someone retuning the radio, while 'Time Is Like A Melody' is built around a shimmering guitar riff, over which gentle vocals compete with a dirty, fuzzed-up guitar part.

Highly original, thought provoking and stimulating, and surely worth a couple of quid of anyone's money. You can listen to all three tracks below, and download 'Time Is Like A Melody' for free.

Pinkunoizu by fulltimehobby

Dairy Queen by fulltimehobby

Friday 16 September 2011

Track of the Day: 'Finding Reasons' by New Build

Finding Reasons by newbuild

Hot off the internet comes this new offering, which apparently features Al & Felix from Hot Chip, and also maybe someone from LCD Soundsystem (although that could be Al) and possibly PlanningToRock (information is a bit sketchy, as you can tell).

Anyway, it's pretty good, there's some great guitar towards the end, and it's free, so grab it by the link above.

Friday Top Ten - 16/9/11


Here's this week's Friday Rundown (as I'll probably start calling it) - 15 new tracks to titillate your ears. Press play above to listen, full details of the tracks are below, including links for 9 free downloads:

  1. Option Command - Break Even Free download
  2. Plaid - Eye Robot (from the new album 'Scintilli')
  3. ††† (Crosses) - † Free download
  4. Thai Matic - Apollo Free download
  5. Radiohead - Good Evening Mrs Magpie (Modeselektor RMX) (from the latest batch of TKOL RMXs)
  6. Max Cooper - Qualia (from the 'Empirisch' EP)
  7. Lanterns on the Lake - Lungs Quicken  (from the new album 'Gracious Tide, Take Me Home')
  8. Deru - Outliers-Iceland (Video Edit) Free download
  9. Junip - Without You (Portugal. The Man Remix) Free download
  10. Clock Opera - Lesson No 7 (Tom Vek's Tripping Mix) Free download
  11. Little Dragon - Seconds (Syd The Kyd Remix) Free Download
  12. Slow Club - Never Look Back
  13. Big Deal - Chair
  14. Fool's Gold - Street Clothes (James Pants Remix) Free download
  15. Midnight Magic - What The Eyes Can't See Free download

Tuesday 13 September 2011

Track of the Day: 'Helix' by Justice



Fresh out from Justice, a track from their forthcoming album 'Audio, Video, Disco'. Although still easily recognisable as being by the French duo, this has a bit more funk, a bit more sould, and a bit more of a smile on its face than their previous stuff.

Bodes well for the new album!

Sunday 11 September 2011

A couple of videos from SXSW 2011

It's a bit late I know, and the quality isn't brilliant, but here's a couple of clips that I filmed at SXSW this year in Austin Texas.

The first is of Gold Panda, recorded at Emos during his headline set on the opening night of the festival - note the trademark head-nodding!



The second was one of my highlights of the whole week. Gayngs took over the whole of the Mohawk venue for their 'Gayngs Affilyated' show, culminating in about 15 of them taking to the stage. Har Mar Superstar's performance of the George Michael song 'One More Try' was the stuff legends are made off!

Saturday 10 September 2011

Recommended music: 'Scintilli' by Plaid


The first full length album from Plaid since 2003's 'Spokes' is now available on download, and will be released on physical formats on 26th September on Warp. First off, a word about the packaging. The cd is initially available in a 'Muda na Mono' puzzle pack (pictured above) and apparently 'reflects a desire to give the CD an ornamental function beyond its one use as a storage device for music'. The name comes from a Japanese phrase for 'pointless object', and while ultimately this may be a triumph of design over usefulness it's nice to see something a bit different being done to attract buyers to physical formats.

On to the music then, and 8 years is a long time between records in any genre, but particularly in the electronic field, where the equipment itself is constantly evolving as well as the musical styles. Fortunately this record manages to retain the Plaid sound while also keeping up with the times, creating something that sounds current but will also give you hints of nostalgia as you listen to it.

There's quite an array of styles on display here, from the gentle opening of 'Missing' to the dark throb of 'Eye Robot' that follows it, through the glitchy sounds of 'Thank' to the soothing tones of 'Craft Nine'.  Also, I defy you not to think of the Doctor Who theme tune when 'Unbank' starts (and most of the way through it, to be honest) - play it next to Erasure's new cover of the Tomorrow's World theme tune and you'll have a ready-made retro party. Proving themselves well able to keep up with the new breed, Plaid have constructed a thoroughly satisfying set of electronica to fuel your head and your feet.

You can get a download of the album's lead track 'Missing' by signing up to the link below.

Recommended music: Radiohead remixes by Modeselektor and Objekt


Batch number six of the Radiohead TKOL remixes is released on Monday on 12" and download. To be honest, I think one or two of the last few have been a bit average, but both of these are really good. The Modeselektor remix is a good reminder of the fact that their 'Monkeytown' album is released on September 26th, which features Thom Yorke on 2 tracks, and if they sound anything like this mix then they'll be well worth hearing.

Friday 9 September 2011

Track of the Day: 'Apollo' by Thai Matic



POW! Straight outta North West London, this track from Thai Matic explodes into your ears and proves in four minutes that UK hip-hop has got at least as much swag as its American peers. Having already put out two mixtapes this year, the track is the first from his new album 'Fin' and best of all, you can get it for free by clicking on the link above

'I still take the piss and I won't stop till I'm filthy fucking rich' - on this evidence that won't be very far away.

Friday Top Ten - 9/9/11

Here's this week's broadcast of the best new music around, just click on the play button above to listen. Track listing and details below, including 7 free downloads, just click on the links:

  1. Boys Noize & Erol Alkan - Avalanche (Terminal Velocity) (feat. Jarvis Cocker)
  2. Joe Goddard - Gabriel (feat. Valentina)
  3. Crookers - Dr Gonzo Anthem (feat. Carli)(Sinden Remix) Free download
  4. Instra:mental - Vicodin (Skudge Warehouse Mix)
  5. DJ Shadow - Warning Call (feat. Tom Vek) Free download
  6. The Weeknd - House of Balloons / Glass Table Girls Free download
  7. Fitz & The Tantrums - Breakin' The Chains Of Love
  8. Grace Jones - Well Well Well (dub) Free Download
  9. Deep Cut - Just Chasing (Electric Loop Orchestra Remix) Free download
  10. Wolf Gang - Pieces Of You (Mondkopf Remix) Free download
  11. Ole Torjus - Renvas Ugnim Free download
  12. Dirty Beaches - Lord Knows Best
  13. James Blake & Bon Iver - Fall Creek Boys Choir

Sunday 4 September 2011

Recommended music: 'Gracious Tide, Take Me Home' by Lanterns On The Lake


Time for another review of a record quite far removed from the sort of stuff I normally listen to. I first heard Lanterns On The Lake in March of this year at SXSW. To be honest, I wasn't expecting to like them (an opinion reinforced when I saw the violin on stage) but when they played I was pretty blown away by the power of their music. Now the album has arrived from the Newcastle sextet, and it manages to mix fragile and gentle folk tendencies with flickers and blips of electronica in a really satisfying way.

'Lungs Quicken' is a subtle introduction to the album sung by Hazel Wilde, ethereal but with a ticking electronic backing, while 'If I've Been Unkind' brings Adam Sykes' vocals to the fore on a more straightforward acoustic song that still has loops and swirls in the background. Then 'Keep On Trying' sweeps by, all airy and breathy, followed by 'Ships in the Rain', which sounds like a traditional north-east lament. This is one of a number of tracks that help inform the album's overall themes of the sea and the life that surrounds it.

'A Kingdom' starts to pick up the pace with a driving snare. The violin is quite prominent here, in a way that reminds me of The Waterboys rather than in an overtly folky style. Next, one of the longest tracks on here, 'The Places We Call Home', starts quietly over an electronic rhythm but slowly builds to peaks and then falls back - I remember this one sounding great live as it shimmers and soars. 'Blanket of Leaves' has a dark undertone (I picture it being about someone laying down to die), and soon gives way to 'Tricks'. One of the best tracks on the album, it's atmospheric and moving, with a great drum rhythm and swooping guitars and violins.

'You're Almost There' is a piano-led, dark ballad made for a moody black and white video with cars driving across the desert in Utah, campfires and horses (anyone at Bella Union want me to direct it?). Last but one is 'I Love You, Sleepyhead', with lyrics about being "just in time to save a life", it starts sleepily enough but is another that builds to a crescendo. That just leaves you with 'Not Going Back To The Harbour' to listen to, a brief, fragile acoustic number to close things off.

If you buy the album from Rough Trade Shops you get a 4 track bonus disc with 2 new songs - 'The Watch House And The Daughter' and 'Father's Song', an alternative version of 'Not Going Back To The Harbour' and the Dustin O'Halloran remix of 'Ships In The Rain'.

There are hints of a lot of other bands in the mix here, from Sigur Ros to Mazzy Star, but none of these influences get in the way of the spirit of their music. Much like the Mercury nominated album by King Creosote & Jon Hopkins this record manages to combine different genres to produce something that transcends both. Definitely the best thing that Bella Union have put out this year. And if you like the record make sure you try to catch the band live to experience the full force of their music.

Lanterns On The Lake performing at SXSW in March 2011


Recommended music: 'Lights Out' by Big Deal


Big Deal are another of this year's duos, and definitely one of the best. Formed by 29 year-old KC (or Kacey) Underwood and 18 year-old (and beautiful) Alice Costelloe, this is a match made in whatever passes for heaven in your belief system. Opening with 'Distant Neighborhood' the album instantly drags you into their fragile world, where guitars and vocals are the only things that matter. There's no room for anything percussive anywhere on the record, which adds to the stoned beauty of the whole thing. Equally there's no real 'lead vocalist' as singing duties are shared throughout, and mostly both are singing at once.

'Chair' features the albums first great lyric - "only want me for the songs I write about you, about how I like you" - and is, like most of the album, about love. Costelloe alternates personas between the shy innocent and the sexed up vamp, aching with longing and lust. 'Cool Like Kurt' is a plea to be ravaged - "Take me to your bed, don't take me home, I wanna be old, I wanna be older" - in the best Lolita style. 'Swoon' is swoonsome, brief but lovely, although I'm not sure if they're singing 'the summer's coming soon' or 'Osama's coming soon' at the end, which might change the complexion of the song a bit.

First single 'Homework' is gently fragile, and is followed by 'Talk', which is the track that first brought the band to my attention. Any song that includes both a reference to the film 'Let The Right One In' and the lyric "All I wanna do is talk, but seeing you fucks me up" is alright by me, and the song perfectly sums up that teenage angst and unrequited love that we've all felt at some time.

'With The World At My Feet'  is probably the most up tempo song on the album, but even here you don't really miss the drums - the guitars provide enough rhythm, and there's even a guitar solo on this one. 'Locked Up' was originally the b-side to 'Talk' but has been re-recorded here, with shimmering guitars under the lines like "You don't have to be alone, maybe you're not, but you keep it locked up". Next up, 'Summer Cold' is a cool breeze on a hot summer's day, with lovely twanging guitar and perfectly matched vocals from the pair. Harking back to the early 80s, 'Visions' has more than a hint of Blondie's 'Dreaming' in both lyrics and melody, and is followed by the darker-tinged 'Seraphine' which has an air of goth to it. Closer 'Pi' leads with Underwood's vocals over an atmospheric backing, but it's not long before Costelloe joins him as they both lullaby us to sleep at the end.

If you were going to criticise this album at all you might say that on first listen it's a bit one-dimensional, being just guitars and vocals, but spin it a few times and you really begin to sink into the atmosphere of the record and appreciate what KC & Alice have crafted here.

Undoubtedly one of the best debut albums of the year, in fact one of the best albums of the year period. You can listen to the whole thing by clicking here, just before you rush out and buy it.


Saturday 3 September 2011

Track of the Day: 'Gabriel' by Joe Goddard feat. Valentina



Play this (loudly) and just try to sit still. You can't. It's impossible not to move to this absolutely huge dancefloor filler from Hot Chip's Joe Goddard. No free download, so if you're going to buy it I recommend you head to 7digital where the 4-track EP is only £1.58.

One day all dance records will be this good.

Friday 2 September 2011

Track of the Day: 'Lord Knows Best' by Dirty Beaches



I don't expect this will be a particularly regularly feature on the blog, but every now and then I'll use it to bring to your attention a track I think you all deserve to hear. Taking the inaugural slot is 'Lord Knows Best' by Dirty Beaches, a track from their new album 'Badlands' which was released on iTunes this week (although it's been available independently for a few months). A solo project by Taiwan-born Alex Zhang Hungtai, the track is imbued with the spirit of David Lynch, the throat of Matt Monro and the leather jacket of Marlon Brando, and sounds entirely unlike anything else you'll hear this week.

Watch the video above, or click on the photo of Alex below to download the track.


Friday Top Ten - 2/9/11

15 tracks for you this week (I'm sure we'll be up to 20 by the end of the year) - just click on the play button above and enjoy! If the first track's not your cup of tea don't worry, it's only 37 seconds long and there's plenty more diverse stuff following afterwards). Track listing and details below, including 12 free downloads, just click on the links:

  1. Gallows - True Colours Free download
  2. Wavves - I Wanna Meet Dave Grohl Free download
  3. Gauntlet Hair - Top Bunk Free download
  4. Oberhofer - Gotta Go Free download
  5. Other Lives - For 12 
  6. Exitmusic - The Sea Free download
  7. Memoryhouse - Quiet America Free download
  8. Roll The Dice - Calling All Workers Free download
  9. Radiohead - Give Up The Ghost (Brokenchord RMX)
  10. How To Dress Well - Suicide Dream 2 (Holy Other's Effervescent Mix) Free download
  11. Active Child - Playing House (feat. How To Dress Well) Free download
  12. Fixers - Swimmhaus Johannesburg (Star Slinger Remix) Free download
  13. Unicorn Kid - Chrome Lion Free download
  14. Sims - Jordan 5's Free download
  15. Unknown Mortal Orchestra - How Can You Luv Me

Thursday 1 September 2011

Have Another Cigar - a Pink Floyd cover versions playlist

Collected for your listening pleasure, here are some of the best (and one or two of the worst) Pink Floyd covers ever to have been recorded. Just click on the play button above to listen, the full track listing is:

  1. Sweet Billy Pilgrim - In The Flesh?
  2. Gary Lucas - Astronomy Dominé
  3. Laibach - Dogs of War
  4. Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine - Another Brick In The Wall (Part 2)
  5. Martha Wainwright - See Emily Play
  6. Love and Rockets - Lucifer Sam
  7. Easy Star All-Stars - Money (feat. Gary 'Nesta' Pine and Dollarman)
  8. Snowbird - Goodbye Blue Sky
  9. The Mars Volta - Candy and a Currant Bun
  10. The Hot Rats - Bike
  11. The Shins - Breathe
  12. Malachai - Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Part 1)
  13. Scissor Sisters - Comfortably Numb
  14. Foo Fighters - Have A Cigar
  15. The Flaming Lips - The Great Gig In The Sky (feat. Peaches and Henry Rollins)
  16. Wolf People - Time
  17. Peter Broderick - Is There Anybody Out There?
  18. Lia Ices - Wish You Were Here
  19. Luther Wright & The Wrongs - Run Like Hell
  20. Camper Van Beethoven - Interstellar Overdrive