Recommended music: '25 25' by Factory Floor

For their second album Factory Floor have stripped back their sound somewhat, having also stripped down their band size from three members to two.

An album born from long, late nights spent in dark and moody clubs, this is a record that engages brain and feet as one, without necessarily any need for emotional attachment. This is no bad thing - the purpose of this music is to deliver pounding electronic bleeps and beats and it does that in abundance.

Lose yourself in the repetition and it becomes almost meditative - with no real vocals to distract you, just some snatches and cut up words, the music allows you to escape to another headspace.

For me there are four standout tracks on here. The first is 'Slow Listen', with its almost tribal rhythm and the closest to actual singing on the record. The later on there's the triple whammy of 'Dial Me In', 'Wave' and 'Ya'. 'Dial Me In' has a late 80s Chicago house vibe to it, as well as reminding me of 'Fine Time' by New Order. 'Wave' is straight up next, a pounding (factory) floor filler. Thetrio of techno tunes finishes with 'Ya', which may be a distant cousin of LCD Soundsystem's 'Yeah' and which has a hypnotic acidic bassline that you just can't shift out of your head.

Overall this is a marked improvement from their patchy debut and one which definitely deserves your attention.

Glastonbury 2016 - The Ones To Watch - T-1 Day: LCD Soundsystem

The last one to watch couldn't really be anyone else could it? Headlining the Other Stage on Sunday night, and closing their set with one of my all time favourite songs 'All My Friends, the recently reformed LCD Soundsystem will make you dance, sing, and maybe even bring a tear to your eye as they close out the festival.

Sure, they may have split up and reformed in a shorter space of time than many bands take between making albums, but that shouldn't detract from the fact that a) they've made some great tunes and b) they're brilliant live - just wait until it all kicks off in 'Movement' and see the crowd go wild.

At Coachella this year they played both Bowie and Prince covers so we should expect something special by way of tributes. But even if they don't their set will be a great way to finish the festival. I'll be there, and even if it means I miss Beyonce and Jay-z coming on with Coldplay then I'll have no regrets. Like it says in 'All My Friends': "I wouldn't trade one stupid decision, for another 5 years of life".

Track of the Day: 'Passive Passive' by Hot Cops

This new track from the best new band from Belfast manages to be interesting while sounding disinterested - a clever trick of you can manage it. Mora than a bit reminiscent of 'Nancy Boy' by Placebo, it has a casual swagger that fits nicely with the slightly shonky guitar solo in the middle. The single is out next month on Paper Trail Records, and they're definitely a band to watch out for in 2016.

Recommended music: 'Roniia' by Roniia

Another outstandingly original band from Minneapolis brought to you by the always-reliable Totally Gross National Product. And as is often the case in what seems to be an ever shifting scene, Roniia is made up of musicians from other bands, in this case singer Nona Marie Invie (Dark Dark Dark, FUGITIVE) with Mark McGee (Marijuana Deathsquads, Father You See Queen) and Fletcher Barnhill (Joint Custody, FUGITIVE).Together the trio combine over these 7 tracks to create 42 minutes of dark and gothic electronic based. Totally absorbing, Invie's voice invites you into a world of brooding tracks, like torch songs re-imagined for the 21st century. Meanwhile the mesmerising bass drum hits you with such a force that you wonder how they've created such a sound as it drills through your brain.

My favourite couple of tracks on here are probably 'Bellz' and 'Mirror', but everything on here is so great that I love it more each time I play it (in fact I love it so much that I've just shelled out to ship the vinyl over to the UK from MPLS for muchos $$$).

First great album of 2015 without a doubt.

You can listen to the whole album below, and then make sure you go out and buy it.

Live - in pictures & videos: ATP Festival Nightmare Before Christmas curated by The National, Camber Sands 7-9/12/12

I won't put much commentary up to go with these, just to say it was a brilliant weekend, great atmosphere with a really good mix of bands and a great bunch of friends. All of the photos and videos on here are mine apart from The National ones at the end, which were taken by Ken from his prime spot on the barrier at the front.

Buke and Gase

The Kronos Quartet

Kurt Vile and The Violators closing day one

Kurt Vile rocking out

A stroll on Camber Sands on Saturday morning

Lower Dens

Michael Rother (backed by young Berlin band Camera)

The Antlers

Wild Beasts played 'Smother' in its entirety to finish day 2

Youth Lagoon

Local Natives

The National, closing the festival brilliantly

Matt Berninger, The National

Recommended music: 'Out of Time - Out of Touch' by Group Rhoda

Not a group at all, but a solo work by San Franciscan Mara Barenbaum, this intriguing debut album ha smuch more to offer than might at first meet the eye. The basic drum machines and simple basslines are a gateway into a world that owes as much to seventies film soundtracks as it does to Californian dubbed-out stoner vibes. Think Peaking Lights meets John Carpenter and you'll have an idea of the musical vibe. Throw in a hint of East German coldness and some reverb'ed organ and you'll be about there.

Over the top of the tracks floats Mara's distinctive vocals - often sounding aloof and detached from the music, they somehow compliment the overall feel by sounding slightly out of place, as if she was just passing through on her way to another life.

The album is out now on one of my favourite indie labels, Nightschool Records - buy it from them here.

You can listen to a clutch of tracks from the album below.

Recommended music: 'The Flaming Lips and Heady Fwends' bt The Flaming Lips

Much better than their ropey cover of 'Dark Side of the Moon', more consistent than the patchy 'Embryonic', this is the best and most interesting Lips release for the last few years. Putting aside the nonsense of the special packaging for the Record Store Day vinyl release (including the artists' blood?) the record manages to rein in their indulgences sufficiently to make a surprisingly cohesive and tuneful record, while still allowing them the occasional freakout into psyche-land.

Opener '2012 (You Must Be Upgraded)' is definitely one of the best tracks on show, with Ke$ha switching from Amazonian robot mistress to sultry soul seducer and back again over the course of its 4 minutes.

'Ashes in the Air' sounds nothing like Justin Vernon's previous work, either with Bon Iver or any of his guest slots, and if there are echoes of Gayngs in his backing vocals there certainly aren't in the lyrics, which are about robot battles, burning flesh and generally being fucked up. Edward Sharpe takes the reins on the pastoral 'Helping The Retarded To Know God' which includes birdsong, choirs and acoustic guitars along with some squelchy space noises.

'Supermoon Made Me Want To Pee' is a noisy, scuzzy, mostly instrumental thrash which gives way to 'Children of the Moon, a happy, hippy song that could easily sit on either 'Mystics' or 'Yoshimi'. 'That Ain't My Trip' matches lyrics about 'shaving my balls' to a throbbing bassline and some great psyche guitars, and is followed by Nick Cave doing a bit of a Mark E. Smith impression on 'You, Man? Human???'.

I'm sure you can imagine what a song by The Flaming Lips called 'I'm Working At NASA On Acid' sounds like...it starts off more gently that you might imagine, but the acid soon kicks in and you're on a supersonic space trip to Mars, before landing back at mission control at the end. 'Do It!' pins tribal drums to Yoko Ono's exhortations to, well, do it, while 'Is David Bowie Dying?' doesn't seem to have any discernible links to the Thin White Duke but is good nonetheless. This brings us to the big (10 minute long)  mistake on the album - the cover of 'The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face' featuring Erykah Bade. The singing is mediocre at best, the backing track a dirge - frankly they were never going to improve on the original, but this is a very sub-standard version. 'Girl, You're so Weird' is much better - reasonably simple and straightforward, apart from the breakdown in the middle and the kinky lyrics, it shows what can be done when the balance between creativity and excess is carefully managed. Closer 'Tasered and Maced' is a strangely engaging story of someone being caught by the police, and sets a suitable unusual close to the record.

An entertaining amble through Wayne Coyne's contact list.

Recommended music: 'Clay Class' by Prinzhorn Dance School

Although they're on the DFA Records label, there's an unmistakeably British sound to this second album from the UK duo of Tobin Prinz and Suzi Horn. Spiky, post-punk guitars and post-modern rhythms meet boy-girl vocals on a record that looks forward and back in equal measure.

The vocals throughout have a half-sung, half-spoken feel, as if they can't decide which to choose, and don't care either way. Throughout the album the sparse arrangements strangely feel quite oppressive, as if the space left between the bass and drums is full of ghosts waiting to haunt you.

'I Want You' is probably the most effective track on the album, striking a great balance between male & female vocals, guitar, bass and drums - it feels like a song you've known for years, and the lyrics have a perfectly weighted, sinister tone. 'Your Fire Has Gone Out' is Franz Ferdinand vs Elastica vs Wire vs Art Brut, while 'Crisis Team' feels cold but comforting. Maybe 'Flaura and Fauna of Britain in Bloom' tries a bit too hard and falls a bit short of its target, but 'Turn Up The Light' soon repairs the damage. The one string guitar solo on here reminds me a bit of New Order and also (I'm not sure why) the track makes me think of The White Stripes. 'Sing Orderly' talks of "cds and pills" in "Copenhagen in France", as if the objects and places are interchangeable, while other lyrics on here sum up the album - "the children are the future" but "the kids are punks".

Overall an enjoyable listen from start to finish. If you want to catch the band live they're playing 93 Feet East on 1st March.

Free Download - my 40 favourite tracks of the year!

(right click on the present & choose 'Save as..' to download, or just click to listen)

Everyone likes a present, right? So here's my gift to you - a non-stop, 3 hour mix of my favourite tracks from 2011. These are tracks that have either been released as singles in their own right, or are taken from some of my favourite albums of the year. They pretty much cover all of the bases as far as my music tastes are concerned - there's a little bit of everything mixed in here. They're not in any order of preference, just the order that they best fitted together.

The full tracklist is below, together with approximate timings. Enjoy listening, let me know which tracks you like the best, and have a great Christmas!

1. Gang Gang Dance - Glass Jar (00:00-11:00)
2. Connan Mockasin - Faking Jazz Together (11:00-16:15)
3. TV On The Radio - Will Do (16:15-19:52)
4. Foo Fighters - Rope (19:52-24:10)
5. Art Brut - Axl Rose (24:10-27:37)
6. British Sea Power - Who's In Control (27:37-30:45)
7. The Vaccines - Post Break-Up Sex (30:45-33:37)
8. Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks - Senator (33:37-37:45)
9. Golden Grrrls - Beaches (37:45-41.19)
10. Real Estate - It's Real (41.19-44:02)
11. Other Lives - For 12 (44:02-47:55)
12. The Horrors - Still Life (47:55-52:50)
13. Son Lux - Leave The Riches (52:50-57:17)
14. Lana Del Rey - Video Games (57:17-1:01:52)
15. Balam Acab - Oh, Why (1:01:52-1:05:28)
16. Ensemble Economique - To Feel The Night As It Really Is (1:05:28-1:10:10)
17. Ghostpoet - Survive It (1:10:10-1:14:21)
18. Holy Ghost! - Do It Again (1:14:21-1:18:12)
19. Joe Goddard - Gabriel (feat. Valentina) (1:18:12-1:23:20)
20. Dominik Eulberg - Teddy Tausendtod (1:23:20-1:30:40)
21. Robert Lippok - Sugarcubes (1:30:40-1:35:13)
22. Dam Mantle - Not A Word (1:35:13-1:42:06)
23. Mondkopf - Day of Anger (1:42:06-1:46:50)
24. Metronomy - The Look (1:46:50-1:51:05)
25. Foster The People - Pumped Up Kicks (1:51:05-1:54:54)
26. Friends - I'm His Girl (1:54:55-1:57:43)
27. Alexander - Truth (1:57:43-2:01:58)
28. Dirty Beaches - Lord Knows Best (2:01:58-2:05:10)
29. Big Deal - Talk (2:05:10-2:08:22)
30. Peter and Kerry - Knees (2:08:22-2:11:55)
31. The Antlers - Putting The Dog To Sleep (2:11:55-
32. Bon Iver - Perth (2:17:07-2:21:00)
33. King Creosote & Jon Hopkins - Bats In The Attic (2:21:00-2:24:26)
34. Bill Wells & Aidan Moffat - The Copper Top (2:24:26-2:29:25)
35. Lanterns On The Lake - If I've Been Unkind (2:29:25-2:33:59)
36. Josh T. Pearson - Sorry With A Song (2:33:59-2:37:04)
37. Jack Hayter - I Stole The Cutty Sark (2:37:04-2:41:03)
38. Benjamin Shaw - How To Test The Depth Of A Well (2:41:03-2:46:42)
39. Withered Hand - Religious Songs (2:46:42-2:51:10)
40. Elbow - Lippy Kids (2:51:10-end)

Thanks to everyone who's visited my blog since I started it at the end of January - 14,000 people can't be wrong!

PS There's a fair amount of potty-mouthed lyrics on some of these tracks, so don't play it in front of the kids!

PPS Here's the link again in case you can't get the present to work

Recommended music: Movement - BBC Radio 1 Peel Sessions 1977-1979

The fruits of a new partnership with the BBC, 'Movement' is the first cd in a planned series of Peel Session compilations. This album gathers up 41 seminal tracks from one of the most influential periods of music - you can't really say that it was from Peel's peak, as he was constantly riding the crest of a wave of new music, but just look at the years covered and you know you're in for a treat.

All of the bands that defined this era are here, and then some. New wave, post punk, Two Tone, the genesis of electronica & new romanticism - you name it, this album's got it covered. Things were moving so quickly that the range of bands feels like it covers a much wider span of time - who'd have thought that Dr. Feelgood & John Cooper Clarke were only 2 years apart from OMD & Simple Minds.

It will be interesting to see how future cds are themed, and whether they'll cover such a short span of time. For now though, this is definitely one of the best compilation cds of the year - an essential purchase.

CD1:

1. The Jam - In The City
2. Buzzcocks - What Do I Get?
3. Generation X - Youth Youth Youth
4. The Stranglers - No More Heroes
5. The Adverts - Gary Gilmour's Eyes
6. The Slits - Love and Romance
7. XTC - Science Friction
8. Dr. Feelgood - She's A Windup
9. Tom Robinson - Don't Take No For An Answer
10. Ian Dury & The Blockheads - Sex, Drugs & Rock'n'Roll
11. Adam & The Ants - Deutscher Girls
12. Siouxsie & The Banshees - Hong Kong Garden
13. The Only Ones - Another Girl Another Planet
14. The Undertones - Get Over You
15. The Rezillos - Top of the Pops
16. The Flys - Love and a Molotov Cocktail
17. The Members - Sound of the Suburbs
18. Stiff Little Fingers - Alternative Ulster
19. The Skids - The Saints Are Coming
20. The Angelic Upstarts - We Are The People
21. The Ruts - S.U.S
22. 999 - Homocide
23. John Cooper Clarke - Reader's Wives

CD2:

1. Penetration - Movement
2. The Monochrome Set - Goodbye Joe / Strange Boutique
3. Wire - The Other Window
4. Magazine - Light Pours Out Of Me
5. Joy Division - Transmission
6. Killing Joke - Wardance
7. The Human League - Being Boiled
8. Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark - Messages
9. The Psychedelic Furs - Sister Europe
10. Simple Minds - Premonition
11. Public Image Ltd. - Poptones
12. Steel Pulse - Jah Pickney (Rock Against Racism)
13. Aswad - It's Not Our Wish
14. UB40 - Food For Thought
15. The Specials - Gangsters
16. Madness - The Prince
17. The Selecter - Street Feeling
18. The Beat - Ranking Full Stop