Sunday 30 November 2008

What's Wrong With The Mainstream - November '08

My monthly installment of what I've found on other blogs, the radio and stumble across by other means is back again. I've listened to A LOT of songs this month to make this playlist and I'd love to say that it's because there's been loads of good stuff to listen to but it's not. I've listened to so much rubbish I hope you enjoy what I've managed to find in all that dross. With December just around the corner the end of year, best of, lists are starting to come out and while I will post my contribution at sometime it has meant a lot of good tracks have suddenly been posted. It's the point where I suddenly realise that everyone but me has caught on to a certain band or two.

I will come on to those in a second but first up is a track from 2006 which had escaped my attention. Thanks to That Bastard at work for this one (that's his gamer tag before you think I'm talking about my boss).

Motivational Speaker - Cut Chemist

It's easy to point at similarities to Avalanches and therefore Goyt when an artist samples speech and scratches a record but that's about all I've got to report for this track. It's only short but serves as a great album opener for Cut Chemist's The Audience's Listening album.

MP3: Motivational Speaker - Cut Chemist

Invaders Must Die - The Prodigy

They're back and it's sounding good on my first few listens. This track is free direct from The Prodigy.com when you sign up to their email newsletter but only for 7 days. I intend to take this download down after that time has passed.

MP3: Invaders Must Die - The Prodigy

Sleepy Head by Passion Pit

I've had this track since June and I'm sorry I've not posted it before. It's from Neon Gold Neon Gold and is one of (if not THE) first artists they signed up. I should have never doubted the hype they put around this artist as they've always come up with the goods before whether blogging about their own artists or others they came across (I think it was through them I first heard White Lies). Maybe I should have put this song before The Prodigy as it would have followed on nicely from Cut Chemist.

MP3: Sleepy Head by Passion Pit

No 1 by Raymond Mang / Grove Armada

This is a track that's taken from the Back To Mine series and I've been waiting for a reason to post it, and, well, I haven't found one so I'm just going to chuck it out there. I first heard this on holiday in Finland when my friend Dan put it on just before we hit the slopes that morning. That was it, it was stuck in our heads all day and now reminds me of great times in Lapland. It took me ages to find it, so enjoy.

MP3: No 1 by Raymond Mang / Grove Armada

Bruises - Chairlift

Look I tried to do handstands for you but I'm rubbish at it and every time I fell on you. So I thought I'd write a song about it. Well that's what Chairlift must have been thinking when they wrote this song that was eventually taken up by iPod to promote their latest nano. Is it just me or do iPod seem to like female voices to promote their products, Feist, Ting Tings, Chairlift...

MP3: Bruises - Chairlift

Perfect Fit - Clues

From a former member of Arcade Fire this song doesn't disappoint. His voice sounds a bit like Radiohead at times and it's got that eerie feeling like Arcade Fire manage to create. Bring on the album in 2009. Thanks to Pop Tarts Suck Toasted for this tip off.

MP3: Perfect Fit - Clues

Buriedfed - Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson

First of the tracks that I've grabbed from someones end of year lists and it's a slow starter. So if you're like my old house mate and judge a song by the first minute you may want to give it a little bit extra.

MP3: Buriedfed - Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson

Titus Andronicus - Titus Andronicus

Another band that's made a few end of year lists (I'd never heard of them before). My good friend Schonberg can be picky at times about his music and as it starts I think "he'll definitely like this" then that start doing "do, do do doos" and I think, maybe not. What do you think Schonberg?

MP3: Titus Andronicus - Titus Andronicus

For Tomorrow - Emerald Park

I've ummed and arghed and about posting this song, it's a song that starts strongly but i think it loses its way over the course of the track. Yet having said that it's growing on me more and more, I think they sound a bit like Teenage Fan Club.

MP3: For Tomorrow - Emerald Park

No Surprise - James Yuill

James Yuill seems to be popping up everywhere at the moment, on Zane Lowe's show, he's remixed Scheme Eugene and now he's the free track on iTunes. Best free track since Gas Light Anthem for me.

MP3: No Surprise - James Yuill

Float On - Ben Lee

This cover of the Modest Mouse classic is taken from the John Tucker Must Die soundtrack. Now it looks a pretty dreadful film but if this came from it then it can't be that bad, can it? Ben Lee is from Australia and that's about all I know about him I'm afraid, well that and that he used to go out with Claire Danes (lucky chap) and is in his thirties (it's a good age to be Ben). Anyway I hope you like this acoustic version as much as I do.

MP3: Float On - Ben Lee

Yours - Dan Black

When your first introduction to an artist is through a cover its always interesting to see what their own material is like. Very few artists launch a long and fruitful career on the back of a cover but it is a good way to get attention, perhaps even a gamble some artists have to take. Dan Black brought us the fantastic cover of The Notorious B.I.G.'s Hypnotize or Hypntz as it seems to be called Black. Yours is Dan's first single on iTunes since he went out on his own and it's quite good, a bit different from HYPNTZ but it's growing on me day by day.

MP3: Yours - Dan Black

Bitchstealer - Absentee

I couldn't decide whether to put this on the last What's Wrong With The Mainstream end of month post as I hadn't had enough time to listen to it enough. I really like the singers deep voice and the way he starts by telling "bring her back, bring her back, bring her back, she wasn't yours to take" answers you straight away why the song is called what it is.

MP3: Bitchstealer - Absentee

With Lights Out - Red Light Company

I went to see this band at the start of November (seems ages ago now) and, while I don't think the gig merited a post to review it, I did enjoy it. I think the band are musicians rather than performers but then again that might be because the lead singers head was nearly touching the ceiling so there was no room for jumping around.

MP3: With Lights Out - Red Light Company

She's A Weapon - Twisted Wheel

Perhaps turning everything up a notch is what Red Light Company need to do to get that final break through and Twisted Wheel seem to have their music a notch higher with this track and it certainly works.

MP3: She's A Weapon - Twisted Wheel

And that, my hard rocking amigos, is it for this month. A bit shorter than normal but I didn't want to post another five average songs just for the sake of it.

Missing Link Part 6

Ok, this is how it works. I post a song each day and you have to guess what all the songs have in common. If you get the answer please don't post a comment so that other people can have a go and I'll post the answer at the end. It's just an excuse to post some good songs...

Last post before the answer so get that brain in gear.



Never shy to compliment themselves they even clap at the end.

MP3: Whatever - Oasis

Saturday 29 November 2008

Missing Link Part 5

Ok, this is how it works. I post a song each day (ish) and you have to guess what all the songs have in common. If you get the answer please don't post a comment so that other people can have a go and I'll post the answer at the end. It's just an excuse to post some good songs...




So have you got it yet? No? It's supposed to be dead easy so hopefully you have. This is the next track, an underrated song by Arctic Monkeys, Leave Before The Lights Come On.




As I'm feeling generous I'll also give you another track as a clue.

Friday 28 November 2008

Missing Link Part 4

Ok, this is how it works. I post a song each day (ish) and you have to guess what all the songs have in common. If you get the answer please don't post a comment so that other people can have a go and I'll post the answer at the end. It's just an excuse to post some good songs...




With this being a bit of a quiz you're getting lots of 90's music and what represents Britpop better than Menswear. The boys in suits who were perfect for the front of magazines never recovered from the hype of being on the front of Select (a no longer running music mag).


MP3: We Love You - Menswear



I'm feeling generous so I'm going to give you another song today, please don't throw the "excuse to post good songs" back in my face, I'm a bit delicate at the moment.





MP3: Rule The World - Take That

Thursday 27 November 2008

Missing Link Part 3

Ok, this is how it works. I post a song each day (ish) and you have to guess what all the songs have in common. If you get the answer please don't post a comment so that other people can have a go and I'll post the answer at the end. It's just an excuse to post some good songs...


Next up is Just A Day by Feeder. A great summer tune, get it on that generic MP3 player now.

MP3: Just A Day - Feeder

Wednesday 26 November 2008

Missing Link Part 2

Ok, this is how it works. I post a song each day (ish) and you have to guess what all the songs have in common. If you get the answer please don't post a comment so that other people can have a go and I'll post the answer at the end. It's just an excuse to post some good songs...





The second song is Don't Look Back In To The Sun by The Libertines but what's the link?


MP3: Don't Look Back In To The Sun - The Libertines

Tuesday 25 November 2008

Missing Link Part 1

Ok, this is how it works. I post a song each day (ish) and you have to guess what all the songs have in common. If you get the answer please don't post a comment so that other people can have a go and I'll post the answer at the end.


First up is the great track from The Seashorses, You Can Talk To Me. The last good song John Squire produced?

MP3: You Can Talk To Me - The Seahorses

Sunday 23 November 2008

Obama-rama


The whole world seems to have gone mad for Barack Obama, I'm not sure if this is because they think it's great he's been elected or whether people are just happy we're getting rid of Bush. Whichever way you look at it there's more hype about him at the moment than an unheard of song on your average blog.


Even Chris Moyles (Radio 1 breakfast, primetime, DJ) has added to Obama's hype by recording his Obama song. It's actually just Barack Obama sang along to an orchestral version of Kasabian's L.S.F. (Lost Souls Forever) but it's really catchy and hard to do. I know what you're thinking, 'that can't be hard' but have a listen and try singing along with Chris.
I tracked this down on ChrisMoyles.net, a fantastic, unofficial, fans web site for Chris Moyles. It has a great collection of downloads and if you ever want something done on the show this is the first place to go.

Saturday 22 November 2008

White Lies News

White Lies have finally announced details of their debut album and their next single. This is the info that came through on email recently.

'To Lose My Life' Video Exclusive on MyspaceWhite Lies' new video for To Lose My Life will premier on My Space today. Go to myspace.com/whitelies to check out the video now. The video was shot by band friend and collaborator Andreas Nilsson, who also directed the Death video.

Debut Album and New Single out in January

The debut album To Lose My Life... will be out on January 19th, preceded by a single of the same name. Released on CD and 12" vinyl, we can confirm the album tracklisting as follows:

1. Death
2. To Lose My Life
3. A Place To Hide
4. Fifty On Our Foreheads
5. Unfinished Business
6. E.S.T
7. From The Stars
8. Farewell To The Fairground
9. Nothing To Give
10. The Price Of Love

The To Lose My Life single will also be out in January on the 12th. Label mates Filthy Dukes and Yuksek have provided remixes with the 3rd B-side being a brand new track Taxidermy."

As you can guess by the song titles they're a bit death obsessed but the two tracks I've heard from them so far have got me very excited. They're touring with Glasvegas at the moment but have their own tour in the new year, I might just check them out.

Saturday 8 November 2008

They're back!

The Sunshine Underground are back! Well kind of, they have posted two new songs on their myspace site www.myspace.com/thesunshineunderground but we might not get a new album until May of next year and for a major tour we'll have to wait until early next year. The new stuff sounds good but I've not had chance to listen to it much yet.

If you're sat there wondering "who are The Sunshine Underground" then get writing to Santa and ask for their fantastic debut album for Christmas, you can't go wrong. Have a listen to Borders or Commercial Breakdown on their myspace site.

Sunday 2 November 2008

Ray Gardner Is My Hero

When I was a kid I loved adverts, I spent far too much time in front of the TV doing nothing and I would often play the advert game. What you had to do was guess the product before the brand or product was shown. I got so good at it I used to be able to win even if I hadn't seen the advert before. My technique for winning was to not tell the other person we were playing until I'd got the first advert and then I was always one up!

Anyway, if you're from the UK I'm sure you remember the "You've been Tango'd" adverts where a fat guy painted Orange would walk up to someone and smack them on the chops. This caught on in school and everyone was smacking each other around the chops and saying "you've been Tango'd". Schools soon banned that, they spoiled all our fun.

As time moved on Tango tried to come up with a new advert and they came up with Ray Gardner and our friend Sebastien. Sebastien was a French exchange student who had tried Blackcurrant Tango (or BCT as Ray moves on to call it) and didn't enjoy it as much as Tango's other flavours. As a spokesperson for Tango, Ray replies to Sebastien as we'd all like to reply to petty complaints at work.



The music featured in the advert is Don't You Want Me by Felix and despite having been remixed and released many times before it was again released, this time with Ray Gardner on it. I remember by now I was going to clubs and every time this song came on blokes would (hilariously) pretend to strip down for a fight like Ray does in the video.

The track with Ray took a lot of finding but eventually I managed to track it down on eBay and so here it is for your listening pleasure.

MP3: Don't you want me ('96 pugilist mix) - Felix

Saturday 1 November 2008

Halloween Playlist



Sorry it's a bit late for some of you but we've just discovered Prison Break and stayed up late last night watching that instead.

MP3: Adams Family Theme
MP3: Psycho Theme
MP3: Ghostbusters
MP3: Munsters
MP3: Monster Mash
MP3: This Is Halloween - Danny Elfman
MP3: Beetlejuice
MP3: The Exorcist
MP3: The Halloween Song

Hopefully you can guess their links to Halloween, other suggestions that I haven't posted:

Thriller - Michael Jackson

Monster - Automatic

Shallow Grave Theme - Simon Boswell (that's really spooky)

(Waiting For The) Ghost Train - Madness

Ghost Town - The Specials (you could try the Prodigy version I posted yesterday)

Happy Halloween!