Well as you may have read I've been off for two weeks of September so it's been a real stretch to get the What's Wrong With The Mainstream playlist up this month. Thanks to my contributors I have a variety of songs for you this month. I haven't renamed the links this month as I can't be bothered (I've got back to work blues).
Let's Hang The Landlord - The King Blues Kicking off with the King Blues who have their new single out any day now. This UK band are getting amazing praise from the likes of Zane Lowe and Jo Whiley (Radio 1 DJs).
MP3: http://www.zshare.net/audio/18629084ffd6ffb3/
Imaginary Girl - The Silver Seas
This song has been kicking about on my iTunes for ages and when I was having a clearout recently I rediscovered it. I love the piano intro I think sounds about like Nina Simone's My baby Just Cares For Me.
MP3: http://www.zshare.net/audio/1862914927cf33be/
The '59 Sound - The Gaslight Anthem
How often do you go to iTunes to buy a song (thanks again for the voucher Rich) and find the song you want is free? No, it never happens to me either, well apart from on this occassion. This was song of the week. What a cracking song to give away free. Incidently Sillsy (part-time contributor) wanted to post this track as well so maybe it's worth listening to...
MP3: http://www.zshare.net/audio/1862964597b7c815/
The Outdoor Type - Frank Turner
Thanks to http://www.thebluewalrus.com/ for this one. I recently bought a couple of his tunes and had to let you know about him. I recommend getting your hands on Photosynthesis and Reasons Not to Be an Idiot they are two great pop / folk songs. A bit like Billy Bragg?
MP3: http://www.zshare.net/audio/18629686fe3024a0/
The Home EC - The Shake Up
Back to proper rock now.
MP3: http://www.zshare.net/audio/18629777395fbcf1/
The Escapist - The Streets
Free download posted on 7Digital (good site for you non-iPoders), taken from their new album. Another slow track has Skinner got rich and lost his edge? (Mike not Frank, Frank went over the edge ages ago).
MP3: http://www.zshare.net/audio/18664320209c3897/
Martha Shaw - California Soul
I wrote the above bit of the blog before I left but I thought I'd add this song as I loved listening to it on my America playlist. I've had it for a while and if I remember rightly it's taken from an album of remixed soul songs.
MP3: http://www.zshare.net/audio/19648050ac3b3fae/
As I've been away for half the month I've asked a few people to contribute to the blog's playlist this month. Yes, that's a disclaimer. No pressure boys...
Sillsy...
Time To Pretend - MGMT
A tough choice as to what song to pick – this album lives up to the hype, and Time to Pretend starts it off with some heavy Synths and drums. These guys could be The Strokes / Franz Ferdinand of 2008.
MP3: http://www.zshare.net/audio/186647511416a083/
Brave Bulging Buoyant Clairvoyants - Wild Beasts
Wild Beasts are, according to Wikipedia, a’ new age pop band’ that originated in Kendal, England in 2002, a classic four piece guitar and drums outfit. I’ve started to get this song stuck in my head, if only for the catchy repetitive title lyrics.
MP3: http://www.zshare.net/audio/186649003297c566/
Strength In Numbers - Fighting With Wire
FWW are more of your alternative rock / punk mix from Northern Ireland. They’ve started to get some Radio 1 airplay and were at the ‘Big Weekend’ (so VERY mainstream...!). Sounds a bit like a less tuneful Ash...
MP3: http://www.zshare.net/audio/1866491492699bc8/
Manchsm - Future of the Left
The band formed in 2005 after Mclusky and Jarcrew split up within two months of each other, Colin is one of the band members' cats. The end of the song has something to do with how the band's pets want them to do poorly so they won't leave home so often to tour.
I cheated and linked to the Save File location I found it in - JAL
MP3: 04-future_of_the_left-manchasm.mp3
It Ain't Necessarily Evil - Mari Boine & Mungolian Jetset
Mungolian JetSet are my wild card...very different. Norwegian. Influenced by the 80's fad of playing music backwards. Mungolian JetSet Pioneers of the nu-Balearic movement, this Norwegian collective are fronted by a DJ called Strangefruit, who goes about his everyday business in full Mongolian traditional dress...
MP3: http://www.zshare.net/audio/18663588eda4d09e/
A Boy Named Sue - Johnny Cash
I love this song, mainly because I’m learning the guitar, and it sounds like the types of songs I try to make up. Except this is much better, and was performed in front of the entertainment starved volatile inmates at Folsom Prison, whereas I just sing badly at my wife.
MP3: http://www.zshare.net/audio/196478090767e3fa/
Over to Schonberg and his tunes of the "summer"...
Port O'Brien - I Woke Up Today (New Version)
We had a moment of sunshine up here in the North one day last month. It was such a surprise that I jumped out of bed and pronounced that I needed some new sunglasses. It seems if you need cheap sunglasses then you have to go somewhere like Next or Topman. So, there I was in the queue to pay for my glasses in Topman when the trademark thump-thump woo hoo yeah baby track finished, only to be replaced by this track. I have been aware of Port O'Brien's work for a while and was a fan of this particular track already, but someone has added a drum beat, speeded the track up a few bpm and suddenly it could be a hit!! See what you think.
MP3: http://www.zshare.net/audio/188382583224080b/
Ladyhawke - Paris is Burning
Was a big hit on 6music over the summer, and was playing on the radio while Sarah was in labour. If you ask me, it's quite a catchy tune and deserved more airplay on Radio 1. They have a new single out soon, must see if that's catchy too.
MP3: http://www.zshare.net/audio/17357778b8e4b903/
Elbow - The Bones of You
We bought the Elbow album after recommendations from both Jal and the Boy Carson, who had the opening track to this album in his top 5 a few months ago. Anyway, this song became the first song on the album for us, as the loud brass on 'Starlings' would wake Emily up and cause her to do 'Jazz hands', so we had to skip that particular track when she was around. Anyway, listening to this track on the first week in July 2008 caused Sarah and I to look at each other and realise that exactly to the day 5 years ago, we were 3000 miles away on honeymoon in New York. Spooky! I see that this will be the next Elbow single.
MP3: http://www.zshare.net/audio/18664650eaa9678a/
Neon Neon - Told Her on Alderaan
I think Gruff Rhys has done well with this particular off-shoot project, the singles from Stainless Style have been top-class pop songs (good for listening in the car with wife and baby) - and any song that references Star Wars is good for me!
MP3: http://www.zshare.net/audio/1866536435bec4aa/
KRS-One
Sarah now listens to a lot of daytime 6music now, and she has started reproducing catchphrases from the George Lamb show. Included in the start up to his show is a siren and then an excerpt from this song or 'Sirens' by Dizzee Rascal (which I believe you've covered on this blog already). So, althogther now.. Woop Woop, that's the sound of the po-leece!
MP3: http://www.zshare.net/audio/18838428a277c024/
The Kills - Cheap and Cheerful
The Kills used to be one of my favourite bands, they were quite punky/industrial with the scrawlly lyrics and drum machine. They were the harder end of the man/woman 2 piece scene started by the White Stripes. But, along come the Ting Tings to poppify everything up and hey presto! - The Kills have a song that the Ting Tings could have used - a good song none-the-less.
MP3: http://www.zshare.net/audio/1703587749a9ed7c/
Tuesday, 30 September 2008
Sunday, 28 September 2008
We're The Kids
As we hand over the keys to our hire car, drop another notch on the belt and eat our last regular size "this would be a extra large in the UK" meal I'm sure we'll be a little bit sad as we board the plane. For the last two weeks we'll have been the kids in America.
MP3: Kids In America - The Bloodhound Gang
Friday, 26 September 2008
Drinking In LA
What the hell am I doing drinking in LA at 30? Doesn't quite scan does it? Anyway by now we'll be in LA and hopefully visiting relatives.MP3: Beverly Hills
You thought I was going to post Bran Van 3000 didn't you?
Monday, 22 September 2008
Just Don't Go Back To...
Big Sur's up next as we continue down the West Coast, by the time you read this we'll be heading down from our hotel in Monterey, past Big Sur and on to Cambria. If Trip Advisor is anything to go by at this point we will be moaning how no one helped us with our bags at 4 in the morning or we'll be really happy because they accepted our discount coupon despite it being peak season and "they normally don't do that but for us they made an exception". I rate this track as 3 out 13 tracks in my iPod area.
MP3: Big Sur - The Thrills
Friday, 19 September 2008
The Road Trip Begins
Just to recap, we're off on holiday and so i thought I'd leave you some posts while I was away to rub it in...
After San Fran we're heading out to Yosemite National Park and then turn around and head back out to the coast. We're not actually going to Santa Cruz (well we haven't planned to) but as we'll be as near as I'll probably ever be to it I thought I'd post this song by Fatboy Slim. An underrated track by the big man, in fact it was the song that got me in to him after I got it free on a Select magazine CD. I played this track over and over one winter while I was revising, this and an ELO album of all things.
Monday, 15 September 2008
If Only I Had Some Hair To Put Flowers In
OK, so we're staying in San Fran for 5 days and we're off to The Rock today, we've even prebooked tickets. I was going to post a song from The Rock soundtrack but as http://www.imdb.com/ suggested "San Francisco (Be Sure To Wear Flowers In Your Hair)" I wasn't so keen. I'm sure at some point I'll be sitting back, relaxing and watching a bit of American TV...
Saturday, 13 September 2008
California Dreamin'
I'm off to the land of the free, no not Guantanamo but California. I'm so excited, I've never been to the States before. I'm looking forward to eating burgers the size of my head, watching adverts on TV every five minutes and driving a car (with twelve cup holders) down the west coast. Anyway to keep you company while I'm away I've done a few posts as an excuse to post some of the tracks off my playlist for the trip. Oh and just because you know I'm away don't go robbing my flat.
Sunday, 7 September 2008
Everything's Going To Be Peachy
Having got back from my friend Peachy's stag do a few hours ago I have now managed to re-post August's What's Wrong With The Mainstream playlist. So now on to more important things, telling you the juicy bits from the stag do, ha I don't think so - What goes on tour, stays on tour. I will say though that I really enjoyed Newquay, a really nice place and despite the massive amount of stag and hen dos going on it's managed not to turn into Blackpool. I do feel sorry for the locals though it must have the highest number of stag dos per capita in the UK, nothing like nipping down to your local for a quiet beer with 100 men dressed up as lifeguards.
We did manage to sample most of the local bars and ended up in Sailors Nightclub, to my surprise not a gay club despite the name. The highlight of the weekend had to be the Baywatch theme coming on along with the opening credit sequence on the massive screen. Hands in the air now "I'll Be Ready..."
I came out of the club humming or should I say dooby dooing Dizzee's number one track, Dance Wiv Me, not previously a favourite of mine but from then on I couldn't get it out of my head. I guess it must be because the DJ played it at least twice while we were in the club, always a sign of a good DJ repeating your set, don't you think?
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