Recommended music: 'Grey Tickles, Black Pressure' by John Grant

OK, so this is a bit of a strange one. After a week of listening to this record I like it, and I love bits of it, but I couldn't say I loved the whole thing, at least not yet, not like I want to. Maybe that will come in time, but for now it kind of feels like there's half a brilliant album tucked away inside this whole one.

That's not to say that it doesn't piss all over most of the dross that's been released this year. John's lyrics are at their most barbed and cutting throughout - here's a selection of my favourites:

"You and Hitler oughta get together, you oughta learn to knit and wear matching sweaters"
"There are children who have cancer, so all bets are off, cause I can't compete with that"
"Global warming is ruining my fair complexion, augmenting all my imperfections"

Musically it's all over the place, which is sometimes good and sometimes less so. From the glam-rock stomp of 'You and Him', through dark electro like 'Black Blizzard' and 'Snug Slacks', into the 80s disco of 'Disappointing' and onto the lush sounds of 'Geraldine', there are plenty of ideas on display here. But part of me wishes he'd just crack on and make a full on electro-assault on our senses, maybe under an alias, for one album and them come back with a piano / acoustic epic for the next.

High points for me are the verse and clarinet on 'Down Here' and the Wichita Lineman-esque ending to 'Geraldine'. And having seen most of the album performed live at Rough Trade last week I'd say some of the songs have more power and hang together better live than they do on record.

Grant is still one of the most original voices making music today, and it's great that he's given such artistic freedom by Bella Union. I just feel that his ship might benefit from the occasional steer every once in a while.

Surprising cover version of the day - Ezra Furman does LCD Soundsystem

This blog is (at times anyway) a paean to LCD Soundsystem and all their associated wonders, so it's not really a surprise that I like this. Furman has stripped the track back to just an acoustic guitar and vocals, in doing so highlighting was a great songwriter Mr. Murphy is (not that you need me to tell you that). The track can be found on a bonus disc that comes with Ezra's new album 'Perpetual Motion People' when you buy it from any of the Rough Trade shops.

New music: 'Pale Green Ghosts (Xinobi Remix) by John Grant

A fresh new remix of the title track from Grant's latest album, and this one is probably the best of the mixes to have come out so far. I love how this mix starts off reasonably gently, with some nice handclaps and loops of John's voice, and then the chiming synths come in, giving a warm, sunny vibe to the track. At this stage it's even a bit Four Tet-esque, and it leaves you a bit unprepared for when the brilliantly funky bassline kicks in and really puts a smile on your face. The moog solo might not be to everybody's taste, but it adds yet another dimension to the mix. Just try not to nod your head along to this as it's rolling along - it looks like 2013 really us the year for the return of Disco!

Listen and download the track for free below.

Video of the Day: 'Bluebell Fields' by Money

New signings to Bella Union, four-piece Money have delivered this gorgeous slice of warm, melodic psychedelia. If the whole of their album can live up to this then it looks like Simon Raymonde has got a bona-fide set of musical wizards on his books.

New music: 'Pale Green Ghosts (No Ceremony Remix)' by John Grant

On John Grant's new album, due out on 11th March via Bella Union, he's ditched the assistance of Midlake and gone for a more electronic-tinged sound. From what I've heard of it so far the combination of his rich, sonorous voice with darkly-tinged keyboards works even better than the folk-tinged backing of 'Queen of Denmark'.

By way of an introduction to the album here's a remix of the title track. I particularly like the bit just after 2 minutes when the strings kick in and it sounds like the soundtrack to Wallander, The Killing or another Scandinavian programme - maybe the result of recording the songs in Iceland?

Record Store Day 2012

So I'm back from the annual Record Store Day pilgrimage to Rough Trade East - obviously I go there at other times during the year, but this special day in April is always a 'must-do'. Having arrived at 6.30 there seemed to be less people in the queue than last year, although they soon built up behind us. The shop was more organised than ever before, with the albums & 12"s arranged alphabetically in racks, and a special counter for the 7"s. Having filled up the baskets that Spencer handed to us Pete & I made our way to the back of the store to tally up our purchases, faint at the cost, and then sift out some of the less essential pieces. You can see the evidence of my haul at the top, here's a list of what I got (left to right, back to front):

1. Ty Seagall & White Fence - Hair - white vinyl 12 (ltd. to 180)
2. DJ Food - Amorphous Androgynous remixes - orange marble 12" (ltd. to 1,000)
3. Tinariwen - Tassili remixes - orange vinyl 12" (ltd. to 500)
4. Lanterns on the Lake - Low Tide - white vinyl 12" (ltd. to 500)
5. Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds -  white vinyl 12" (ltd. to 1,000)
6. Richard Hawley - Leave Your Body Behind - 10" (ltd. to 750)
7. Big Deal vs S.C.U.M - split 7" - (ltd. to 250)
8. The Wedding Present - 4 Chansons EP - clear vinyl 10"
9. The Civil Wars - Billie Jean / Sour Times 7"
10. Gorillaz - Do Ya Thing - one-sided 10" picture disc (ltd. to 500)
11. Elbow - McGregor - one-sided 7"
12. Dirty Beaches / Xiu Xiu - split 7" (ltd. to 300)
13. Field Music - Actually, Nearly - 
14. The White Stripes - Handsprings / Red Death at 6.14 - black / red swirl vinyl 7"
15. Arctic Monkeys - R U Mine? / Electricity - purple vinyl 7" (ltd. to 1,750)
16. The Black Angels - Watch Out Boy / I'd Rather Be Lonely - orange vinyl 7"
17. David Lynch - Noah's Ark (Moby Remix) - 12" (ltd. to 500)
18. Moby - David Lynch & Photek Remixes - white vinyl 12" (ltd. to 300)
19. Hot Chip - Night and Day (Daphni Mix) - one sided 12" (ltd to 1,000)
20. LCD Soundsystem - Losing My Edge

I do have one complaint, which is that very few (i.e. only 2) of the things I bought this year came with download codes. I know that one of the points about the day is to get people to buy vinyl, but when you've spent 8 or 8 quid on a single, or £20-upwards on an album, it'd be nice to be able to listen to it somewhere other than in the same room as your turntable. Record companies take note and do more of this next year please!