12/17/2010

DoubleHappys "The Other's Way"

we should blast this song out into space because if some "alien" hears this then they'll take pity on our poor behavior and maybe even want to party with us. this song is what got me inspired to delve deeper into the sounds of NZ during Mike Slumberland's 45th birthday party because I'd never heard this before. Worth mentioning that Shayne's next group Straitjacket Fits were the first band from NZ that I ever heard and thus loved.

12/15/2010

the last great challenge in a dull world

compiling 100 great songs from New Zealand to be posted here in the oncoming days.

Skeptics "AFFCO"

YES YES YES!! if the billions who buy their neatly packaged meat products saw this video how many would think twice? i love bands who have this kind of audacity and aren't afraid to touch on the ugliness in the world. (sorry if you think mass slaughter of animals is beautiful)

12/11/2010

stop the big wheel, the fields are blowing...

"I will go to the bank by the wood, and become undisguised and naked;
I am mad for it to be in contact with me."


-Walt Whitman

12/01/2010

Wendy Carlos - Land of the Midnight Sun

Part 1 of Land of the Midnight Sun recorded in 1986.

Download Aurora Borealis.ogg


this needs more ears

There's music in the sighing of a reed;
There's music in the gushing of a rill;
There's music in all things, if men had ears:
Their earth is but an echo of the spheres.
~Lord Byron

11/22/2010

The Chameleons

I made a Chameleons mix for friend who wasn't familiar with their music. Found the artwork I designed for it tonight by chance and I have to admit I think they look pretty sharp! I'm posting the designs for whomever wants to use them and make their own mix (if you already have the songs, and you should, right??).
On a similar note, I should make one for The Sound and put it up because I think they're sorely overlooked and just as good as The Chameleons.


11/21/2010

Wendy Carlos Vs. Momus

I knew Momus offered fans the opportunity to have a song written about them for $1,000 and included on his Stars Forever album, but I couldn't remember why he needed the money. Turns out it was because he wrote a song about Wendy Carlos, a tribute no doubt, that Ms. Carlos obviously took offense to. All was settled out of court and he had to pay $30,000 as well as removing the offending song from an album.

One father had Momus write a song about his kid. I love his reaction when asked about the song...

"Noah's father, Michael Brill, a longtime Momus fan, says the decision to get involved with the project was a no-brainer. "It's pretty cool to have a song written about your son," he says of the track, which highlights his kid's love for sushi and tarantulas. "Noah sings it all the time." When asked about his inclusion on "Stars Forever," however, Noah jumps up and down and runs away yelling, "No, no, no! Aaaaaah!"

11/19/2010

Twitter Labor Camp

"Sentencing someone to a year in a labor camp, without trial, for simply repeating another person's clearly satirical observation on Twitter demonstrates the level of China's repression of online expression," Amnesty International's Asia-Pacific Director Sam Zarifi said in a statement.
more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2010/11/18/international/i172301S79.DTL#ixzz15iayoP3I

fuck Twitter and all, but this is relevant. Censorship is rotting away our freedoms and cultures. Prisoners of conscious are my heroes.

11/17/2010

Terry Malts



There's another group from San Francisco that makes me happy to live in the area. That group is the TERRY MALTS and they only have a cassette tape out so far on LOGLADY. They're so damn infectious and bubblegum in that glorious 1980s guitar pop way.

listen to their song "Tumble Down" on the LOGLADY website and you can buy their tape titled "DISTRACTED" if you're as smitten as me.

Terry Malts on Loglady

11/15/2010

Censorship

why would anyone feel it necessary to ban this cover? are life and birth indecent?

10/31/2010

Black Flowers Please



Download Part 1 / Part 2
1. Sex Gang Children - Cannibal Queen
2. Siouxsie and the Banshees - Belladonna
3. Modern English - Gathering Dust
4. Clan of Xymox - Back Door
5. Fad Gadget - Collapsing New People
6. Clock DVA - Sensorium (Single Version)
7. 45 Grave - Black Cross
8. Christian Death - Figurative Theatre
9. Current 93 - Looney Runes
10. Dead Can Dance - Threshold (Radio version)
11. Factrix - Ballad Of The Grim Rider
12. Coil - Who By Fire
13. Savage Republic - Film Noir
14. And Also The Trees - Slow Pulse Boy
15. Skinny Puppy - Stairs and Flowers
16. White Noise - The Black Mass: An Electric Storm In Hell
17. Lydia Lunch - Done Dun (with Rowland S. Howard & Nick Cave)
18. Red Temple Spirits - Moonlight
19. Modern Eon - Second Still
20. The Dream Syndicate - Halloween




first image is Frank Tovey
Icicle by myself

10/27/2010

Same Old Madness



Download Part 1 / Part 2

1. The Sound - Skeletons
2. Ministry - Same Old Madness
3. Fad Gadget - Lady Shave
4. SPK - Israel
5. Cindytalk - Everybody is Christ
6. Coil - The Wheel
7. Chris & Cosey - October (Love Song)
8. Dead Can Dance - The Fatal Impact
9. The Cure - A Short Term Effect
10. Current 93/HÖH - Crowleymass
11. Chrome - Eyes On Mars
12. Skinny Puppy - Smothered Hope
13. Theatre of Hate - Eastworld
14. Cocteau Twins - Perhaps Some Other Aeon
15. Bauhaus - Kick In The Eye
16. D.A.F. - Ich und die Wirklichkeit
17. Dave Ball - Man In The Man
18. Bobb Trimble - Night At The Asylum
19. Modern Eon - Waiting For The Cavalry
20. Savage Republic - Next To Nothing
21. Swans - Love Will Tear Us Apart (Jarboe Version)
22. Legendary Pink Dots - The More It Changes
23. Pink Industry - Creaking Doors
24. Death In June - Behind The Rose (Fields Of Rape)

for similar mixes click here

D.A.F. "Der Räuber und der Prinz"

10/04/2010

Woven Clouds

Gorgeous song from Carter Tutti's "Feral Vapours of the Silver Ether" album. If you like this then I suggest listening to the rest, repeatedly.

9/15/2010

Cleaners From Venus' new album "English Electric"


Never thought I'd be saying this, but there is in fact a new album by Cleaners From Venus. Martin Newell has resurrected the name and I hope it's as good as before! I've not heard anything from it as I write this, but not for long since you can download the album here!

mix here Greatest Wits

9/14/2010

Hey Paulette - I Really Do Love Penelope

Does this jangle better than The Smiths? you decide...



Download Hey Paulette - I Really Do Love Penelope.mp3


UPDATE!
the I Really Do Love Penelope 12" EP is still available from Hey Paulette's myspace
http://www.myspace.com/heypaulettemusic

9/13/2010

Television Personalities - Salvador Dali's Garden Party

Never knew this had a video! Thanks to Josh Alper of The Art Museums for mentioning it in an interview (read here).
What're you saying Pat Fish??
For those of you who only listen to the first couple of TVP albums do yourself a huge favor and pick up their album "Privilege" (1990) sometime. It's up there with "The Painted Word" and "And Don't The Kids Just Love It" as their best albums.


9/12/2010

9/11/2010

Bron Area - Different Phrases EP



Download Different Phrases from 1982.

A1 Different Phrases
B1 You Would Be Amazed
B2 Dancing


Bron Area: A Biography

To start at the beginning: Bron Area started life as a duo in March 1979, emerging from an embryo of musicians in Nuneaton. Martin Packwood and Steven Parker had been involved in a number of these before meeting a wider and more competent group of musicians. Notably among these was Peter Becker who supported and encouraged them in the early stages of Bron Area. With the reorganization of The Reluctant Stereotypes, resulting in the departure of Martyn Bates and Chris Dunne (later to drum on all later Bron Area records) the former arrived at a Bron gig to be introduced to Peter and thus Eyeless In Gaza came into being. Ambivalent Scale Recordings was later established and saw the release of Bron Area’s One Year cassette album and Fragile Sentences Ep as well as Eyeless In Gaza’s Kodak Ghosts Run Amok Ep and Kevin Harrison’s On Earth 2 cassette (later released as a Cherry Red album [remixed]). As Eyeless moved on to greater glory via their deal with Cherry Red Records, the momentum of Nuneaton’s music scene diminished, Bron Area subdued their efforts somewhat until David Barker of Glass Records, having heard 2 songs from the Alternative Sounds fanzines compilation tape Facet 1 asked them to appear on his Wonderful World of Glass Vol. 1 Lp at the end of 1981. So impressed was Mr. Barker that on the strength of a recent demo tape Bron Area were signed to Glass at the beginning of 1982. The first vinyl was a 12” Ep entitled ‘Different Phrases’ released in March ’82 and later released as a 7” on Posh Boy Records in the USA. Now, after the best part of 1982 being spent in the recording studio Bron Area’s first album is ready. The album is The Trees and the Villages – a title which suggests the sentiments of their present music. Although not quite as described in Stringent Measures fanzine “a modern day country music … with a little organic additive” it does through different means seek to fulfill the same role as that music. Martin Packwood: “The album doesn’t take risks, but I really don’t see how any music could claim to do so. The only thing you risk in being avant garde is that no one is going to buy the record and listen to what you have to offer. People take risks in their lives – in their decisions, their lifestyles and so on – not when they listen to a record.”

From http://www.eyelessingaza.com/bron.html

9/10/2010

Able Tasmans - Hold Me I











Glorious song and very stylish video!

Shop Assistants - Somewhere in China (live)

Look, now there's all these Shop Assistants videos up on youtube. I think I prefer their softer numbers sans drums, that trademark pummeling percussion gets a tad tiresome. Soft numbers...

9/09/2010

The Chameleons - Splitting In Two

Fucking brilliant cover of an Alternative TV song. When I saw them play this in 2001 Mark jumped off the stage and sang surrounded by the audience and I gave him a hug resulting in my being covered in his sweat. Doubt I'll ever see a more transcendent show as that one.

9/08/2010

Today

Songs that reflect my current listening as opposed to the backwards gazing of previous entries. Included are two recent exposures I made last Saturday at Mountain View Cemetery in Oakland CA.



Download Today part 1 / Today part 2

No real order or defined sequence.

Carter Tutti - The Sun Shone That Day
Bron Area - You Would Be Amazed
Trembling Blue Stars - Helen Reddy
The Sound - Winter
The Sound - Counting the Days
Two Daughters - Ladder of Souls
David Sylvian - The Healing Place
Bill Nelson - Soon September (Another Enchantment)
Cindytalk - Guts of London
Bron Area - Different Phrases
Kevin Harrison - People In Space
Kevin Harrison and Steven Parker - Distant Truth of English Dreams
Eyeless in Gaza / Lol Coxhill - November
The Velvet Underground - Here She Comes Now
Associates - 18 Carat Love Affair
Alain Goraguer - Générique (Fantastic Planet score)
Aztec Camera - Bad Education (Blue Orchids cover)
The Clientele - Since K Got Over Me
Fly - Lamborghini
Mary Margaret O'Hara - To Cry About
Spiritualized - Feel So Sad (Rhapsodies)
Be Bop Deluxe - Crystal Gazing


9/05/2010

Andy Warhol Elvis

nostalgia will lead me away (#2 in the series of 3)



Download Nostalgia 1 - Songs 1-12 / Nostalgia 2 - Songs 13-18

1. Dead Can Dance - In Power We Entrust The Love Advocated
2. The Cure - Plainsong
3. Soul Whirling Somewhere - Everyone Will Eventually Leave You
4. Cindytalk - Janey's Love
5. And Also the Trees - Gone...Like the Swallows
6. Trembling Blue Stars - Cecilia in Black and White
7. Cocteau Twins - Crushed
8. Nature and Organisation - Bloodstreamruns
9. Swallow - Lacuna
10. Xymox - Imagination
11. Mesh - I Don't Think They Know
12. Depeche Mode - Sea of Sin (Tonal Mix)
13. Chandeen -Ginger (Acoustic)
14. Death in June - Little Black Angel
15. Pieter Nooten & Michael Brook - Suddenly I
16. Halou - Feeling This is Like to Fall Awake
17. Dif Juz - Soarn
18. The Wolfgang Press - I Am The Crime

9/02/2010

reminiscent of the bygone

As I mentioned a couple posts back (Apoptygma Berzerk--who more recently covered House of Love's "Shine On" with VILE results. Do yourself a favor and avoid this unless you want to puke all over yourself) my discovery of an old playlist dating back to the year 2000 for a friend. This led to the fruition to recreate a similar mix broadened to include other old favorites and similar themed songs in dreamy, ethereal, gothy? tone. I was surprised to find that most of the songs I still enjoyed, except for the odd track that proves that your tastes sometimes do change (ie. Trance to the Sun).
I'm also including old images that I photographed around the same time.
Here's the first in a trilogy on the theme of nostalgia.



Download Reminiscence Part 1--Songs 1-9 / Reminiscence Part 2--Songs 10-17

1. The Tear Garden - You and Me and Rainbows (edit)
2. Cranes - Beautiful Friend
3. An April March - Mandarin
4. Love Spirals Downwards - Through Sky Blue Rooms
5. Mellonta Tauta - Pull the Charriot
6. Kitchens of Distinction - Quick as Rainbows
7. Clan of Xymox - Theme I
8. A.R. Kane - Up
9. Current 93 - The Inmost Light
10. Coil - Windowpane
11. Lush - I Have the Moon
12. For Against - Don't Do Me Any Favors
13. Slowdive - Shine
14. Martin L. Gore - Compulsion
15. Siouxsie and the Banshees - Dear Prudence
16. Secret Shine - Deep Thinker
17. Edward Ka-Spel - Hotel X

promise the double "rainbows" wasn't intentional. pop music quiz: how many songs here are covers?

8/31/2010

Kevin Harrison - Views of the Rhine

Here's one for the kids who like to dance. Kevin Harrison is a recent discovery of mine who was first brought to my attention by way of the Cherry Red compilation Perspectives and Distortion. His song "People in Space" was so full of intriguing sounds and atmosphere. Crazy dub rhythms. He's also collaborated with Steven Parker of Bron Area on an album called "Against the Light."

Kevin Harrison - Views of the Rhine.mp3
This song is absolutely fucking addicting. Originally released on the Fly EP Glass Records 1981.

I believe this is him - http://www.youtube.com/user/spectro52 (looks like he's uploaded an interview for the interested)
http://isotope23.vox.com/

...which brings me to the Glass Records Story, an interview with owner Dave Barker brought to us by Iain McNay of Cherry Red. There's even some discussion of In Embrace so obviously this comes highly recommended!



Personally I don't see why Glass isn't as revered as a labels like Creation or Sarah. Scrolling through their list of releases and you'll see what i mean, mighty impressive!

Apoptygma Berzerk - Moment of Tranquility

Throwing a major curveball straight into the glove of NOSTALGIA. Bought Apoptygma's "Welcome to Earth" ten years ago (the year it was released) and used to play this song to death. Not too sure how I feel about it these days but set to this Twin Peaks edit I figured it was worth a post because I've not seen Twin Peaks in a while.
This is mostly a product of my discovering an old tracklist that I made for a friend around 2000 that has me WISTFULLY listening again to these tragic and grossly ethereal songs. I gotta admit, I still really like almost all of it. You'll see what I mean in the next few days when I put together a mix for the blog, hopefully raising a few eyebrows along the way! Wasn't Legend my favorite movie back then afterall?


8/28/2010

Rose brings in Autumn



Enjoy these songs from Rose McDowall's beautiful Sorrow (with Robert Lee).

Sorrow - Haunting.mp3
Sorrow - Fear Becomes You.mp3
Sorrow - Let There Be Thorns.mp3
Sorrow - A Garland From the Moon (with Michael Cashmore).mp3
Sorrow - The Poppy Head.mp3
Sorrow - The Final Solstice.mp3
Sorrow - Emptyness.mp3


as a bonus here's the original debut single from Strawberry Switchblade, "Trees and Flowers"
note: this is very different from the album version and features Roddy Frame (Aztec Camera) on guitar and I believe that there's also someone from Madness playing on it.

Trees and Flowers.mp3

8/26/2010

In Embrace - Wanderlust




Download Wanderlust by In Embrace

1. Writing Pictures
2. Your Heaven Scent
3. Emotional Punchbags
4. Trying Too Hard
5. Sun Brings Smiles
6. Play In Light
7. Tears Turn Fresh
8. Fluid
9. Love Among the Crumbs
10. The Living Daylights
11. Shadow and Substance
12. Under the Skin
13. Pine Needles

Gary Knight sings on all tracks, plays keyboards on 3, 5, 8, 10, 12 and bass on 9, 10, 11. Richard Formby plays guitar on 1, 2, 3, 8, 12 and keyboards on 4, 5, 13. Joby Palmer drums on 1, 2, 5, 6, 8, 9. Cameron Lindo plays guitar on 5, keyboards on 6 and piano on 7. Claire Johnson sings on 6 and 7 and talks on 13. Stephen Rees plays bass guitar on 1, 2 and 8. Sindy Star sings on 1. John A. Rivers plays keyboards on 1 and recording studio on all tracks. These songs are in Gary's own words of course except for 6, in Cameron's. 2, 5, 6, 8, 10 were on singles, 5, 7 were on the Passionfruit Pastels album of 1982. 3, 4, 9, 12, 13 were on the Too album of 1983 and 11 was on the Glass compilation album of the same name. 1 was previously unavailable. The photograph of Gary is by Mitch Jenkins. The Photograph of Claire is by Gary.


1986 Glass Records

8/08/2010

Preposterous mix #9




Download Part 1 (Songs #1-13) / Part 2 (Songs #14-24)

1. Citrus - A Speeding Wheel, Speedway Wheels
2. Dunes - Armor
3. The Telescopes - All A Dreams
4. Bron Area - Sometimes in Water...
5. Swans - The Other Side of the World
6. The Langley Schools Music Project - Venus and Mars/Rock Show
7. Spiritualized - Anyway That You Want Me
8. The Stars of Heaven - Telescope
9. The Wedding Present - Carolyn
10. Salon Music - O Boy
11. Bridge - Change
12. Cornelius - Lazy
13. Citrus - Ripple in Still Water
14. Future Bible Heroes - Lonely Days
15. Saint Etienne - Everything Flows
16. Teenage Fanclub - Baby Lee
17. His Name Is Alive - The Dirt Eaters
18. Straitjacket Fits - She Speeds
19. Swans - The Sound of Freedom
20. Felt - Apple Boutique
21. John Cale - Chinese Envoy
22. Broadcast - Poem of Dead Song
23. Bridge - Slow Strawberry Bicycle
24. Citrus - Every Song Landed Near By His Fireplace

photography by me

6/25/2010

Popol Vuh





First Installment Part 1 / Part 2
1. Blätter aus dem Buch der Kühnheit
2. Segnung
3. Aguirre I (L'acrime di rei)
4. Morgengruss II
5. Through Pain to Heaven
6. Du Sohn Davids II
7. Kleiner Krieger
8. Kyrie
9. Morning Sun
10. Engel der Gegenwart
11. Singet, denn der Gesang vertreibt die Wölfe
12. In den Nächten auf den Gassen I
13. In den Nächten auf den Gassen II
14. Auf dem Weg
15. Selig sind die, die da hungern. Selig sind die, die da dürsten nach Gerechtigkeit. Ja, sie sollen satt werden
16. Zusammenkunft
17. Listen He Who Ventures
18. Maria (Ave Maria)
19. We Know About the Need
20. Spirit Of Peace (Part 2)

Second Installment Part 1 / Part 2
1. Der Tod Des Cobra Verde
2. Wo Bist Do, der Du überwunden Hast?
3. Auf Dem Weg (On The Way)
4. Letzte Tage - Letzte Nächte
5. Angel Of The Air, Part Two
6. Ah!
7. On the Way
8. In den Gärten Pharaos (edit)
9. Tanz Der Chassidim
10. Kyrie (Letzte Tage – Letzte Nächte version)
11. King Minos II
12. In Deine Hände
13. Oh Wie Nah Ist Der Weg Hinab
14. Abschied
15. Mantra 2
16. Der Grosse Krieger
17. Haram Dei Raram Dei Haram Dei Ra
18. Mitten In Garten (alternative piano version)
19. Brothers Of Darkness - Sons Of Light

Third Installment
1. Vuh

Interview with Florian Fricke (in English!) here




Bettina from 1971


Kyrie

4/20/2010

Preposterous mix #8



Download Part 1 / Part 2

1. Jonas Reinhardt - Powers of Audition
2. Ashra - Deep Distance
3. Cindytalk - Troubled Aria
4. Blue Orchids - Release
5. The Aislers Set - Attraction Action Reaction
6. Wipers - Mystery
7. Bad Brains - Sailin' On
8. The Sea Urchins - Summershine
9. Saturday Looks Good To Me - Ultimate Stars
10. Beat Happening - Noise
11. Dislocation Dance - Narrow Laughs
12. The Creatures - Dancing On Glass
13. Section 25 - Reflection
14. Blue Orchids - Dumb Magician
15. Savage Republic - Andelusia
16. Severed Heads - We Have Come To Bless This House
17. Cluster - Flutful
18. Section 25 - The Process
19. Glenn Branca - Lesson No. 1 for Electric Guitar
20. Roy Montgomery - Ill at Home

Photo by Vittorio Sella

2/23/2010

Preposterous mix #7



Download Part 1 / Part 2


1. Mauve Decade - Come On Get Happy (intro)
2. Stockholm Monsters - Terror
3. The Deddingtons - The Last Day
4. Severed Heads - Dead Eyes Opened
5. Cluster - Heiße Lippen
6. Scrotum Poles - Pick the Cats Eyes Out
7. Shoes - Fatal
8. Loop - Head On
9. Dome - Rolling Upon My Day
10. SPK - Internal Bleeding
11. Big in Japan - Suicide A Go Go
12. Big Flame - Sargasso
13. The Associates - Logan Time
14. Modern Eon - Child's Play
15. Siouxsie and the Banshees - Into the Night
16. Mellonta Tauta - Chucao
17. Jon Hassell / Brian Eno - Delta Rain Dream
18. Stockholm Monsters - Life's Two Faces
19. The Chesterf!elds - Let it Go
20. Severed Heads - 4WD
21. Tuxedomoon - What Use
22. Television Personalities - Privilege
23. Pearl Harbor - Sunburn
24. Vic Godard - No Love (Now)
25. Scrotum Poles - Helicopter Honeymoon

1/18/2010

Preposterous mix #6


Download Part 1 / Part 2

1. High Rise - Cycle Goddess
2. Theatre of Hate - The Hop
3. Clock DVA - 4 Hours
4. The Comsat Angels - Eye of the Lens
5. D.A.F. - Nacht Arbeit
6. Yazoo - In My Room
7. Family Fodder - The Big Dig
8. Taxi Girl - Aussi belle qu'une balle (long version)
9. Les Calamités - Vélomoteur
10. Rosemary's Children - W.W.1
11. Desperate Bicycles - (I Make The) Product
12. Blueboy - Meet Johnny Rave
13. The Shapiros - Cry For A Shadow
14. In Embrace - Emotional Punchbags
15. The Cat's Miaow - I Hate Myself More Than You Do
16. The Stems - At First Sight
17. A Riot of Colour - Put To Sleep
18. The Chamber Strings - I Can't Lose
19. Dislocation Dance - Tyrannies of Fun
20. The Bevis Frond - Hurt Goes On
21. Shop Assistants - After Dark
22. Rosemary's Children - Southern Fields
23. Last Exit - Sand Dancer
24. The Church - It's No Reason



cover stars Taxi Girl