Early

The Early Years make a post-punk and kraut influenced noise. This song was the lead track off an e.p. last year called Memory Case. It's a lovely slice of instrumental guitar music, released on shoegaze label Sonic Cathedral. Really rather good, even if you won't learn much from the sleeve.

Complicity

I'm Going To The Darklands

Darklands is probably some distance from Brian Eno's faraway beach but seems to be just as ideal a destination for Jim and William Reid. The reformed Jesus And Mary Chain have announced some dates in the US next month, with ex-JAMCer John Moore back on board. Here's hoping they might do some here as well. This song is a thing of (dark) beauty.

Darklands

On Some Faraway Beach

This song, off Brian Eno's Here Come The Warm Jets album, is forty years old. In no way does it sound like it was made in 1972, or anything like what pop culture tells us the early 70s sounded. This could have come out tomorrow. There's more than a little bit of Gorillaz' Plastic Beach in here and probably almost every musician and producer who's done anything interesting or groundbreaking in the last four decades.

I did briefly consider doing a series of posts based on Eno's Oblique Strategies. Turn a card over each day and post what the card suggested. There's an online version here. The first card said 'Slow preparation, fast execution'. Nothing came to mind. So I ditched the idea. For the moment.

On Some Faraway Beach

Post

We had friends round last night. We drank too much and stayed up too late.

Here is a song.

Floatation (Sonic Swing Mix)

Killing The Music Industry

This is, I think, partly what this blogging thing is supposed to be about. I didn't buy The Kills' Blood Pressures album that came out last year. I just missed it, it passed me by. Last month Drew posted one of the songs from it, saying it was his second most played record of 2011. The song was Baby Says. I downloaded it but only got around to hearing it this week when my mp3 player put it on as I pulled out of the carpark leaving work. I almost pulled over to listen to it properly. Since then I've played it whenever I can. I'm ever so slightly obsessed with it- the snakey Gimme Shelter guitar riff, Alison's vocal delivery, the distorted drums, the whole overloadedness of the production. The video is here.

So now I need to buy the album, which I'll do as soon as payday arrives. I notice Baby Says was a 7" single too, there were dub mixes of lead single Satellite and a recent single with some cover versions on the B-side. So there's a good few records I'll pay for due to Drew posting one song. What's the problem music industry? Isn't this what you want?

I found this one in my d/l folder too, can't remember when or where I clicked on it, probably ages ago and then forgotten about, more fool me- Mad Professor remixing the aforementioned Satellite inna dub stylee.

Satellite (Out Of Orbit Dub!)

The Return Of Friday Night Is Rockabilly Night 48

I couldn't find any Australian rockabilly to follow the last three Oz posts. This is not so much Friday night rockabilly as Friday night psychobilly- with The Meteors. I don't know where this couple are off to but they look the business.

Out Of Time

Words Mean So Little And Money Less

More music from the land down under with 80s indie heroes The Triffids, covering Pet Shop Boys' Rent. Neil Tennant hit a real high point here with the lyrics, a masterclass of economic storytelling.

Rent

Nothing Can Stop Us

The ever wondrous Ms Minogue covering St Etienne's third single (and one of their best) Nothing Can Stop Us, on the B-side of 1994's Confide In Me. Why? I don't know why. Just enjoy it.

I once took my daughter to see an exhibition of Kylie's stage and video clothing at the City Art Gallery. She was pretty nonplussed. The clothing was very small and strangely unfinished, including the dress from the video for Can't Get You Out Of My Head (pictured above).

Nothing Can Stop Us

Always The Traffic, Always The Lights

There aren't too many band re-unions that go on to make decent music in their second lives (although I'm happy to be corrected on that). The Go-Betweens re-united and made Oceans Apart in 2005, with this standout track which I love to bits. It's one of those narrative songs which so few people manage to do well. Robert Forster opens up a notebook, 'The Darlinghurst Years', and sparks off a train of bittersweet memories of his time living there- gut rot coffee, Joe playing the cello, the non-stop traffic and non-stop lights, Marjorie, Clint, Debbie, people who came and went, and Suzie who they never saw again. The music is equally good; dramatic guitar and strings, and a lone trumpet freaking out at the end.

Darlinghurst Nights

The picture shows Darlinghurst,a suburb of Sydney, at the start of the twentieth century.

Digging Graves, Digging Disco

Mark Lanegan, grunge survivor and scary guy, has a new album out which you should think about getting. Not now, when pay day comes in a week or so. It's got some of the sparse blues his 2004 Bubblegum lp had, and that voice that sounds like gravel but it's also got some fuller rockers and the uptempo drum machine and keyboard song Ode To Sad Disco, almost worth the price of admission on it's own. Seriously, grunge-disco, it's really good. While you're waiting for payday listen to this one.

The Gravedigger's Song

Edit- Ode To Sad Disco; listen here at Soundcloud. The best new thing I've heard this year.

586

S.C.U.M.'s lp from last year, Alone Into Eyes, has been on my stereo quite a bit recently, especially album closer Whitechapel, which is dreamy, fluid, bass-led and synthy gothpop. Or something like that. So it makes sense that they covered 586 from New Order's Power, Corruption And Lies album for a magazine cd a month or two ago. And here it is.

586

Baptised

Several years ago I went to see Bonnie 'Prince' Billy play at The Bridgewater Hall. I went because the original ticket holders were ill. I don't remember what happened to the other ticket but there was no-one sitting next to me on my right. I was aware of Will Oldham's work but didn't own any so had few expectations of the gig. The audience were the most polite and respectful I've ever seen, though the formal setting of the home of the Halle probably contributed. In the foyer beforehand various bearded hipsters shuffled around the bar and merchandise stand. I was skint, I think I had a tenner, of which some went on tram fare. I bought a pint and tried to work out how to optimise my funds; two more pints or a tour only 7" single with free print? Scratching around my pockets I cobbled together enough for another pint and the single. When I saw my friend who'd given me the ticket I ended up giving him the single as thanks for the ticket. Wish I'd kept the single to be honest. It was of this song- John The Baptist- and was superb in the show, Bonnie Billy clicking his heels, dancing a jig, and whooping through the chorus. It's a cover version of a song by E.C. Ball. This version I found on the internet, from a tribute lp. It isn't as good as when he did it live but I kind of love it anyway.

John The Baptist

My Chain Hits My Chest

I do like M.I.A. The new single Bad Girls is pretty good but it's the video that's causing all the fuss. Well, you try filing your nails while riding on the side of a car that's up on two wheels. It's a darn sight better than the limp Madonna collaboration as well. There's a remix by Stereo Heroes you can download at Soundcloud which sounds like it was remixed while wandering through a demonstration of powertools at B & Q.

Zero Set

German heavyweights Moebius, Plank and Neumeier collaborated an album, Zero Set, in 1983, though it doesn't sound much like 1983 at all. It's a funny album in a way- not much of the warm synths, treated guitars and motorik beats but busier with some astonishing African-influenced drumming and a whole load of electronics. Dieter Moebius had previously served in Cluster and Harmonia, Conny Plank had produced everyone (Kraftwerk, Neu!, Cluster, Harmonia, Ash Ra Temple and more) and Mani Neumeier was the drummer in Guru Guru. The album has six tracks, all named after settings on the recording console- Speed Display, Pitch Control, Search Zero are three of them- and is a krautrock album aiming at the dancefloor. Worth checking out, which you can below.

Search Zero

The Return Of Friday Night Is Rockabilly Night 47

Al Sweatt's I Hate Myself, from way back in 1958, a rockabilly classic (ugh, I hate the word classic), recorded with Johnnie Cale and The Valentines, taken from the excellent Rockabilly Rampage album pictured above. Just the facts tonight, ma'am, just the facts.

I Hate Myself

Kevin's Beauty

Dexys are back with a new album and single pencilled in for June. No 'Midnight Runners' bit this time, which I suppose underlines it's a new band/thing although the band changed every time first time around didn't it? Back in 1999 Kevin Rowland released a solo album, the infamous My Beauty. Kevin recorded twelve cover versions, re-writing the lyrics to some of them to deal with his battles with various addictions. Bruce Springsteen objected to the new lyrics and forced Kevin to pull his cover Thunder Road prior to release. It included the song here, a cover of a Hollies song. The album lives in the memory for two other reasons though- first Kevin appeared on the cover wearing a dress (a man's dress mind), make up, silky black knickers and stockings and suspenders. At the Reading festival that year he wore a white slip dress and was showered with bottles, some of which contained the traditional liquid of the Reading festival goer thrower. Second, it was widely reported to have sold only 5/50/70 copies (delete according to what you heard) in its first week on sale. Creation and Alan McGee (who released it) claimed to welcome this as evidence of its genius and the small mindedness of the record buying public, although rumours of total sales of only 500 can't have helped anyone at the time, least of all Kevin. Of course legend beats fact, as usual- it went on to sell over 20,000 worldwide.

I Can't Tell The Bottom From The Top

Waterpark

Royal Trux have been here before. There are times when I really like their sleazy, Stones-on-speed rock, led by Jennifer Herrema's hotwired throaty vocals. This is one of my favourite songs of theirs, from 1999's Veterans Of Disorder album- Waterpark.

I don't know what the waterparks Jennfier and Neil used to go to are like. We've got two round here (Sale Waterpark pictured above and Chorlton Waterpark). Both are a bit disappointing.

Waterpark

Dance The Ska

Seeing as Ally asked so nicely and also because I've been listening to a ska comp in the car today (although it isn't on the hard-drive) and also because those ska dance moves pictured above are so good- roll the carpet back, turn it up and dance the ska, this time with The Skatalites.

Phoenix City

I'll Never Get Out Of This World Alive

I fell into an internet wormhole the other night, flicking and clicking from one thing to another, from google to Soundcloud to Youtube to google to Bandcamp and various other places in between, and I honestly can't remember where I started but I ended up at C.W. Stoneking.

You should really listen to the song first before you read on. Done that? Good. C.W. Stoneking is a fortysomething Australian who sounds like he was born a poor black man in Mississippi a hundred years ago. He sings, plays banjo and stomps out authentic sounding country blues, accompanied sometimes by New Orleans style horns. His website is here. This is his blistering cover of a Hank Williams song. Reading some of the comments threads at various places there appear to be some differences of opinion about C.W. and his 'authenticity'. Does it matter?

I'll Never Get Out Of This World Alive

First You Take My Heart In The Palm Of Your Hand

Davy posted this at the Ghost Of Electricity about six months ago but I make no apologies for its re-appearance here. If we're going to have a love song for Valentine's day it should be one of the best and Susan Cadogan's 1975 Lover's Rock hit is without doubt one of the best. I could listen to this all day.

Hurt So Good

Toy Story

Toy, five kids with long hair and skinny jeans, play that repetitive, psychey, ever-so-slightly trippy, guitar and organ music which has had people comparing them to The Horrors and Joy Division. In exchange for your email address Heavenly Recordings will let you have a free two track download. Meanwhile over at Soundcloud you can download a Hardway Bros remix that takes the repetition even further. I think this may be up some peoples' alleys.

Hero!

This sort of thing soothes the soul and I've been feeling a bit out of sorts recently. From Neu! 75. By Neu!

Hero

Sunday Dubstyle

Here's the dub I was looking for earlier- Sly and Robbie, rhythm section and production team extraordinaire. They're estimated to have played on or produced 200,000 recordings. I slipped that in just in case you were thinking you've been productive at work recently.

Demolition City Dub

You're Wondering Now

I was going to start Sunday with some dub- it's ages since there was any dub round here- but scrolling through stuff I chanced upon this and thought we should start Sunday with some ska. You're Wondering Now is probably best known to people my age as a Specials song and is maybe best known to people twenty years younger than me as an Amy Winehouse tune. It was originally a Skatalites instrumental; this later vocal version was recorded by Andy and Joey in 1964.

Ska now, dub later.

You're Wondering Now

Johnny Pretending

After leaving The Smiths Johnny Marr spent time as a Pretender recording this single, which I think had a cover of The Stooges 1969 as the B-side. It's a bit tasteful late 80s but almost anything with Johnny Marr playing guitar on it is worthy of our attention.

Windows Of The World

The Return Of Friday Night Is Rockabilly Night 46

Pfft. Walk, tube, walk, train, tram, walk. Still better late than never eh?
Wanda Jackson, on fire for two minutes with some scathing notes on 'baby'. The guitarist's scorching too.

Nice dress.

Baby Loves Him

Django Django

From East London via Edinburgh (or the other way around) come Django Django, who have been rather lazily described as a cross between The Beta Band and Hot Chip. Don't hear the Hot Chip comparisons too much myself but they are reminiscent of The Beta Band but with more drums and percussion. Django Django's debut album came out last week- I haven't got it yet- so this is from their debut single back in 2009. Reckon they may be worth watching, there's a quite a lot going on here.

Storm

Train Heave On To Euston

I'm off to that London tomorrow for three days with some colleagues and a bunch of teenagers, which gives me an excuse to post one of my favourite, most evocative Smiths songs. Set on the platform at Manchester, Piccadilly, with the song's protagonist about to board the train leaving girlfriend and family behind grieving (and jealous), Morrissey up against one of Johnny Marr's riffiest guitar parts. This version is the Peel Session one. I've put something up for tomorrow morning; after that, see you Friday night.

London (Peel Session)

I Want To Do Bad Things With You

I may be about to blot my copybook here. About eighteen months ago a friend whose taste I usually trust asked if we'd watched True Blood and then deposited the boxed sets for Series 1 and 2 with us. I wasn't confident- I mean, come on, vampires? The fact it was made by HBO meant we gave it a go and inevitably gobbled up all twenty four episodes pretty quickly before going in for Series 3. It's high camp with lashings of gore and filth and is completely ridiculous but good fun too and not what I'd usually watch. What got me pretty quickly was the theme song, Bad Things, played over the opening titles with a mixture of southern gothic imagery. The song's by someone called Jace Everett, about whom I know nothing. The new series started last night. We don't (and won't) have Sky so will have to wait for the box set. In the mean time here's the song from those titles. It's not as good without the pictures to be honest.

Bad Things

Sameblod

The third new thing from my Inbox comes from Stockholm, Sweden and a duo called Sameblod with some really nice synth-pop/electronicascandanavia (that's my new label). Frederick Rundqvist and Mikael Mattisson (pictured above. Or possibly not) met at school last year and as their email nonchalantly put it 'shared the same taste and decided to try and work their hand at songwriting and creating music'. Just like that. At a disgustingly young age too. Harumph. Good song this, you might like it.

Loud

Flammende Herzen

As a companion piece to Davy's Cluster post yesterday this is Neu!'s Michael Rother back in 1977. Less the sound of sub-zero February this is a warm, hypnotic ride, waves of kraut synths, treated guitars and Jaki Leibezeit's motorik drumming.

Flammende Herzen

Dot Dash

Dot Dash are named after a Wire song, are from DC (Washington to you and me in the UK), and play sparky, nicely ramshackle, English sounding guitar pop which would have sounded perfectly at home on pre-Oasis Creation. These are good songs, worth playing on repeat a few times while they reveal their charms. I couldn't get the mp3s they sent me to download so you'll have to make do with Soundcloud links.

There And Back Again Lane

Tragedy-Destiny


For added fun Dot Dash's bio has the names of the bands the members have previously been in- Julie Ocean, Modest Proposal, The Saturday People, Youth Brigade, Tree Fort Angst and Glo-Worm. I can visualise all these bands.

The Return Of Friday Night Is Rockabilly Night 45

...and the return of the rockabilly Barbie too. Tonight's song is by Big Daddy G, not I assume the Daddy G out of Massive Attack (although Massive Attack tackling rockabilly would be interesting to hear. Maybe). Have a rocking weekend.

Big Berry (Boss Man Guitar)

Two Suns Two

I get stuff sent to my email inbox by people hopeful I'll feature it here (not that Bagging Area has a glistening track record for breaking new bands). It's not the reason I started blogging but I do feel guilty sometimes when peoples' music sits languishing on my computer and I haven't done anything about it. At the same time, this isn't a new music blog and I'm not going to put stuff up here just because it gets sent to me. There's a few things that have come over the last few weeks that might be worth having a look at though so I'm going to try to post some of them over the next few days.

I featured the low key electronica of Two Suns a bit under a year ago. Two Suns (Jake Davidson) is releasing an album by giving a download away every week for ten weeks (or you can choose to pay for it, naming your own price). This song -Not The End- is week four I think and described as 'aggressive shoegaze'. It's got a woozy quality I like. Find it here.

Weatherall Overkill

This is a public service announcement-
I've had an email from Rotters Golf Club with two bits of news for the Audrey heads among you.

A 2SER radio show to stream from his recent jaunt to Australia, with studio chat and songs from The Monks, T-Rex, Wizzard, The Triffids, Amon Duul, AR Kane, Brian Eno and Bill Drummond as well as the man's own remixes of Grinderman, Soft Rocks, Cut Copy and the Horrors. It's here.

Also, from 7pm tonight Weatherall's doing a weekly radio show between 7 and 9 for XOYO London, listen here . That's Thursday nights sorted. Well it's not like there's anything on the telly.

Statement ends. As you were.

I'm Not With The Hundred Crowd I'm With Ninety-Nine

Some time ago I posted Big Audio Dynamite's Other 99, a song about not being the best, not being at the top of the pile, sometimes settling for five out of ten. This philosophy is completely against current educational thinking and aspirational politics but perfectly in chime with the Occupy Movement and all that stuff about the 99% (us) versus the 1% (bankers etc). It's a really good BAD song. This is the 12" Extended Version- the first half is the normal song. Then there's a lovely four minutes of keyboards and guitars, Mick and co making good use of those extra inches.

Other 99 (Extended Version)

Remix Round Up

I don't know if readers are getting bored of the repeated Andrew Weatherall posts here but I feel duty bound to share, especially when he's on such a roll at the moment. Two links to listen only Andrew Weatherall remixes for this morning, both crackers. First up the slow-mo, bass heavy reworking of a song off Wooden Shjips' West album from last year; Crossings (Andrew Weatherall Remix) can be found on youtube here. The limited edition remix 12" includes a Sonic Boom remix and is out on Thrill Jockey on February 21st. Second, an electronic wonder job for Clock Opera (who I've not heard of) with a brilliant repeated bit where the keyboards go all wonky- Once And For All (Andrew Weatherall remix) is here. Listen only, but what a listen. You can probably find places to download them but obviously I wouldn't encourage that sort of thing.

And Thoughts Of You Will Stay With Me

Before cds and re-issue culture 'great lost albums' were just lost. Dexys Midnight Runners' 1985 album Don't Stand Me Down was one of them, partly due to Kevin Rowlands bewildering insistence on changing everything about the band after each album. For Don't Stand Me Down the band left behind the raggle-taggle gypsy, hit making folk-pop of Too-Ray-Ay and adopted preppy suits, slicked back hair and an album without any singles and several long spoken word tracks. It cost a massive amount of money and according to the saxophonist making it was 'uncomfortable and unnatural'. As a 'great lost album' it is naturally a neglected masterpiece and has been re-issued at least twice, once by Creation. Which led to Kevin Rowlands solo album. But that's another story. This song is a neglected masterpiece, re-named for the re-issue. It swings.

I Love You (Listen To This) ne Listen To This