That Music List: February 2015

Friday 27 February 2015

LIST 149 - 27/02/15

Hello there,

Whilst compiling this week's List this afternoon, the sad news of Leonard Nimoy's passing broke via the various news outlets.

Cue a swift change to the end of today's running order to include a piece from the first of five albums by the actor, director, photographer and humanitarian. You can kind of see where the narrative is heading quite some time before it reaches its climax, but it's no less resonant for that. Rest in peace, Mr Nimoy, having indeed lived long and prospered as much as his most famous character would have advocated.

Elsewhere, this week I'm happy to share with you treats including ex-Pipette Gwenno revisiting her roots (mostly Welsh, but on the selected example Cornish) via the medium of some very fine dronepop; a predictably excellent collaboration between Maximo Park and Field Music's respective head fellows; a hitherto overlooked (by me, at least) effort from Knifeworld which confirms the activities and whereabouts of Kavus Torabi during Cardiacs' prolonged and probably permanent hiatus; and a previously promised original 1950s recording from the genuinely lost singer Connie Converse.

All this, plus a 2002 effort by Air sneaked out on the French music compilation I Hear Voices under the alias The Rainbow Brothers. The accompanying fan video blows their cover completely, though, if you hadn't already guessed it from the music alone!

J xx

RATKING ft KING KRULE - So Sick Stories (2014)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SpBCXWKx4Tg

LIGHTNING IN A TWILIGHT HOUR - Everyone Talks about the Weather (2015)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdaUnAChTxQ

WORKING WEEK – Venceramos (1984)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpKqWxU8Spo

PAUL SMITH AND PETER BREWIS - Los Angeles Street Cleaner (2014)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYtm03sWCjA

KNIFEWORLD - Don't Land on Me (2013)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PX5KKQqN-c

CONNIE CONVERSE - Talkin' Like You (Two Tall Mountains) (195x)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3IfRX3NwbA

GWENNO - Amser (2015)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oleVny7jz7Q

EMMA KUPA – Half Sister (2015)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6Tpx-HOVvY

RAINBOW BROTHERS – 818.323.01 (2002)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uISHN6S3adk

TODD TERJE - Oh Joy (2014)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLkx2Vg8RZo

A PLACE TO BURY STRANGERS - Straight (2015)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7iG_s4PJM8

THE BLUEBELLS – Will She Always Be Waiting (1984)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6sm6IWvb-w

LEVERET – New Anything / St Catherine (2015)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tev4RxJQwJE

THE BUG - Pandi (2014)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldvak0GuBl8

THE WAVE PICTURES - I Could Hear the Telephone (3 Floors Above Me) (2015)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09Sg8LSDAzs

PUBLIC SERVICE BROADCASTING - Gagarin (2014)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wY-kAnvOY80

LEONARD NIMOY – A Visit to a Sad Planet (1967)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hb1nEx3uBos

Friday 20 February 2015

LIST 148 - 20/02/15

Hello again,

So, what to offer you this time?

The return of misleadingly monikered Swedish indiepop choir I'm From Barcelona, for one.

For another, my personal highlight of all of last year's Where It's At Is Where You Are Singles Club 7"s, a delectable piece of indiepop-cum-Stereolab-drone from the now Indietracks-bound The Leaf Library.

It's a pleasure also to include one of Nat Johnson's reinterpretations of a song by (literally) lost 1950s singer-songwriter Connie Converse; a Big Youth track that'll be instantly recognisable to anyone who owns a copy of PJ Harvey's Let England Shake (the final track if you're in a hurry); and some leftie pinko subversion (it says here) from messrs Bragg and McCabe.

I'm especially fond of this List, all things considered :-)

J xx

PERSONAL BEST - Conkers (2014)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJGsBRduMgQ

SKY FERREIRA – Night Time, My Time (2014)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Y2Q2BkqGfw

THE BLUE AEROPLANES – Action Painting! (1985)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ro8Od3SiKwY

THE LEAF LIBRARY – The Greater Good (2014)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1B2tuF_YrY

WITHERED HAND - Black Tambourine (2014)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_U3vxsUtYk

GL - It Could Be You (2014)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyviXWksLt8

A VISIBLE BOY – Side By Side (2002)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1H1qlOAWQnc

MARTHA - 1997 Passing in the Hallway (2014)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FqfW7riU0nc

IBIBIO SOUND MACHINE - Let's Dance (Yak Unek Inek) (2014)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2x6L7E_A4BI

THE LA’S – Open Your Heart (198x)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6PQnUBqVO_Y

KITTY, DAISY & LEWIS - Baby Bye Bye (2014)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ASLWuIPXGc

SLUG - Running to Get Past Your Heart (2015)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6ME1hNUYK4

KATE TEMPEST - The Beigeness (2014)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEiBdU0tFB0

HARD CORPS – Dirty (1984)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOld5JNPGts

NAT JOHNSON - How Sad, How Lovely (2014)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQCSrOAj5uk

I'M FROM BARCELONA - Violins (2015)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2Z487YW6bM

BOARDS OF CANADA – The Beach at Redpoint (2002)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIRZMNV4Evo

YOUNG ROMANCE - Pale (2014)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3KoggrAjDM

STE McCABE & BILLY BRAGG - Cockroach (2014)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Obtukc0XvN8

BIG YOUTH – Whole Lot A Fire (12” mix) (197x)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YO4yAsMkNEk

Friday 13 February 2015

LIST 147 - 13/02/15

Hello there,

Back to the general mix of stuff this week, including - but by no means limited to - one of the laugh-out-loud funniest Half Man Half Biscuit songs in ages (where does one find cathedral juice, by the way?); a stone cold Tommy Boy hip-hop classic by Stetsasonic (as later sampled in the chart hit Hazel by Loop-da-Loop); something from the latest and apparently last ever Ace Bushy Striptease album; and the first sighting on a List of teenage synth prodigy Henry Plotnick.

You Don't Own Me was a track I'd only known of until recently in the shape of Marc Almond's 1980s interpretation of it; but the original is included here, of course, as a tribute to its creator, the trailblazing feminist singer-songwriter Lesley Gore who passed away only this week.

J xx

DESPERATE JOURNALIST – Control (2014)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNwQTRLHTE8

THE NIGHTINGALES – Crafty Fag (1983)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqPwE4YqRjM

SEASURFER - Stay (2014)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lK4qJdE69eg

ALVVAYS - Archie, Marry Me (2014)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAn3JdtSrnY

TWO WHITE CRANES - On Keeping a Notebook (2013)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpAWuZrYTtU

HALF MAN HALF BISCUIT - The Unfortunate Gwatkin (2014)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Xi_xvpm4UI

DUTCH UNCLES - In n Out (2015)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzRf43nAWE8

STETSASONIC - Sally (1988)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfpYZ3ZFnwA

ACE BUSHY STRIPTEASE - Ibiza Rocks (2014)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-P3Dsvx8My8

DJANGO DJANGO – First Light (2015)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cia-JqEp0hQ

THE WILL POUND BAND - 93 Not Out (2013)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBpwGH-SASo

THERAPY? – Hellbelly (1994)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dI4XFJgsyXw

FRESCHARD – Monsters (2014)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBNoQuAgep4

HENRY PLOTNICK - Field 5 (2013)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRYev0MMlFo

NOAHJOHN – Atlas Nails (2001)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgCI3meh5BE

JD MEATYARD - Four Kids Playing on Gaza Beach (2015)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzboYO577xw

REAL ESTATE - Had to Hear (2014)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTxGOyqKe30

MOON DUO – Slow Down Low (2015)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUzFhpASz7I

THE GO-BETWEENS – Cattle and Cane (1983)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCbyByY-A6w

LESLEY GORE – You Don’t Own Me (1963)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4QEqLTbEXy0

Friday 6 February 2015

LIST 146 - 06/02/15 (a seventh Then and Now special)

Hello there,

Not been any of these since List 123 of January 2014, but here once again is a collection of pairs of tracks from some returning performers - one new(ish) and one not at all new in each instance.

Certainly one or two acts here I wasn't expecting to refer to in the present tense again, not least the long-absent former On-U alumnus Gary Clail and the Edinburgh DIY/punkish singer-songwriter Dominic Waxing Lyrical. Can it really be 17 years since I saw the latter, resplendently frocked, appearing on the bill at a Slampt all-dayer?

J xx

BELLE AND SEBASTIAN – The Party Line (2014)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vS1Hf3CVGs

BELLE AND SEBASTIAN – Dog on Wheels (1997)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdQBXj6vV-M

BMX BANDITS – My Girl Midge (2014)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kp9ftDtmP0k

BMX BANDITS – Little Hands (1993)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uj-UCc5D_m4

HOLLY JOHNSON - Heaven's Eyes (2014)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yreK3YSzMrE

HOLLY JOHNSON – Across the Universe (1991)