Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Withered Hand: ‘spill favourites usually pedalling atheist hymns hit the button marked Ramones with help from Rozi Plain and the Hefner chap , hardcore hardcore listen to the crowd roar – this ain’t no mindless mediocrity Mr Wilson. -insert smiley happy face icon here to denote maximum enjoyment-.

Somewhere in Kent...

Talking of photographs – were we? – this is my mother and her brothers on the beach, somewhere in Kent, in 1923.

Snapshots

Holger Czukay – The Photo Song
Ruth – Polaroid/Roman/Photo
Liebe Ist Cool – Photonliebe
Tarwater – Photographed
Fujiya & Miyagi – Photocopier
Abbasi Brothers – Camera Flashes Blue
Shriekback – Carrying Cameras
Patten – Memory Pictures

Stranglers – Pin Up
Buck 65 – Shutter Buggin’
Kreayshawn – Gucci Gucci
Spoon – I Turn My Camera On
Trembling Blue Stars – Old Photographs
Pawn & Seiji Takahashi – Discolored Photographs
Lucksmiths – Camera-Shy
Ballboy – I’ve Got Pictures Of You In Your Underwear

Just Do What The Man Says

Or I’ll tell Grinder Gibbons where you live…

Dub Syndicate – Echomania
Death Set – A Problem Is A Problem, It Don’t Matter Where You From
Scary Éire – Howld Yer Whisht
Tackhead – The Bubbly
Barmy Army – Sharp As A Needle
Dub Syndicate – Hey Ho [Tribal Drift Rmx]

Cabaret Voltaire – Yashar
African Headcharge vs. Professor Stretch – Run Come Chant
Hunters & Collectors – Run Run Run
Gorillaz – Seattle Yodel
People Like Us – Millenium Dome

Classical Music is so romantic ! ! ! But can it really Rock ? ? ?

Classical music is something I really know nothing about ! ! !   But I do like most of the things I have heard.  I like the sound of the instruments a lot and there is a great variety ! ! !

But what about classical orchestral instruments in Rock and Pop?

Continue Reading »

(Yes that is Brian May at the end.)

The Proclaimers – 500 Miles
How could this not get your toe tapping?! I love how those harmonies sound both chaotically flung-out and pitch-perfect precise. With this track, for me they escaped their “Buddy Holly-lookylikey Scots-twins novelty-act” presentation and produced something magical. Oh and the song ends properly. I do love a proper ending to a song. Most satisfying.
bishbosh

Mystery Artist – Mystery Track (Give you a ride)
This track from the Peaking Lights mixtape is an inconsequential ditty about a drive-by pick up merchant in his MerSuhDeez that has implanted itself in my brain, and I’m hoping someone – like GoneForeign – can put me out of my misery and tell me the name of the performer/song. There is a whole website devoted to dozens of songs about Mercedes Benz cars – largely hiphop – but this doesn’t feature.
Glasshalfempty

Janis Joplin – Mercedes Benz
I daresay that this isn’t new to many ‘Spillers, but it is, for me, the Mercedes Benz song (it was a recurring earworm when Mr. Zala bought himself an ancient UniMog). The song is a lighthearted look at material desires and pecuniary shortage.
Zalamanda

Pearl Bailey – Easy Street
Another version of an old classic. Pearl Bailey nails it, in my opinion.
SpottedRichard

Speech Debelle – I’m With It
The first single off Speech Debelle’s new album suggests a branching out for the Mercury winner from her debut, Speech Therapy – although this is the radio version and we’ve not heard anything else from the album, which is due out some time in February.
Anonymous

Esquerita – Rockin’ The Joint
Esquerita, real name Eskew Reeder, was the guy who taught Little Richard the piano. Very popular for a time around New Orleans, he also had a massive following in France. He and Richard’s other mentor, Billy Wright (not the former England football captain) were part of the very big gay scene in 50s New Orleans. Esquerita was known for outlandish stage clothes and a foot high pompadour hair style.

Whatever, this rocks!
RockingMitch

This one sort of wandered away in a direction I wasn’t expecting. Incredibly, we even have what seems to be something close to an exclusive, courtesy of our anonymous contributor.

Please send your distinctive, catchy or otherwise memorable earworminess to earworm@tincanland.com, not forgetting to tell us why it’s so fab! Thank you!

“Knock knock”


So Call and Response songs then – this is a loose interpretation – because I can and it’s my selection.

..there seems to be debate about what is indeed call and response – but to me the sound and style is quite unique – I might be wrong – but I don’t care…..

What do we want?
we want a playlist.
when do we want it?
NOW!
Continue Reading »

Etta James

I have absolutely nothing to say except that it’s sad when great musicians leave us. I’d love to wax lyrical about Etta but I really think that all we should do to note her passing is listen to and enjoy her music. Here, then, are half a dozen tracks from a live album I love. Enjoy and remember.
Thanks Etta.

Hi Everyone ! ! !

Has anyone volunteered for the Challenge on Tuesday?

I have an idea if no one has claimed it yet!

Also what time is desired to be posted on Tuesday, I need to convert time zone ! ! !

BOGUS EMAIL WARNING

HEY ALL.

DO NOT – REPEAT – DO NOT OPEN AN EMAIL FROM ME DATED TODAY. I’VE BEEN SNAGGED BY A FINANCIAL DETAILS PHISHING WORM.

APART FROM BLIMPY, WHO LEGITIMATELY HAS AN EMAIL ABOUT ONE OF OUR MUTUAL FAVOURITE ARTISTS, ANYTHING ELSE FROM ME HAS BEEN AUTOGENERATED BY A BLOODY HORRORSHOW OF A CYBER-ATTACK. NOT ONLY IS IT PHISHING, BUT IT’S ALSO EMAILING EVERYONE IN MY ACCOUNT’S ADDRESS BOOK. WATCH YOUR SENT FOLDERS . . .

APOLOGIES PEOPLE, MY SECURITY SOFTWARE DID WARN ME, AND I DID HEED THE WARNING AND DELETE THE LITTLE BUGGER, BUT IT APPEARS THE DAMAGE HAS BEEN DONE.

Lower Dens don’t only have a band name that’s lovely to say, they also have excellent song titles like “Two Cocks Waving Wildly At Each Other Across A Vast Open Space A Dark Icy Tundra” and a fine line in hypnotic vague-gaze.

**Edit** The 12 for 2012 is now available in a mostly complete Spotify playlist, including the mythical number 12 and bonus number 13!

NO MORE ABBEY F**KING ROAD…after this one, I promise.

It’s just I ran across a link to a fella who recreates album covers in Lego and then I found a few more here. And here.

It all sort of seemed to, well, come together.

I’ll go build myself a Lego coat now

Slotting nicely into my 2012 twee-core gap vacated by The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart, go The History Of Apple Pie with their nice fringes and colourful jumpers – kind of like a less depressed Giant Drag. Predictable? Me? Yes, but I prefer the phrase ‘reliable’ thanks!

Continue Reading »

Just realized it’s Wednesday night and no one put a challenge up yet. So as we have a few ‘Spillers either expecting or recently blessed, this week’s challenge is A Song For a New ‘Spiller. We don’t have to go the sappy route here, folks.

Out of Order

I recently stumbled across Lotte Kestner’s wonderful covers album from last year, Stolen. Lotte Kestner is the solo project of Anna-Lynne Williams, lead singer of Seattle dream-folk-shoegazers Trespassers William, and the album is a collection of understatedly gorgeous versions of songs by the likes of Bon Iver, The National and Vic Chestnut. It also has this version of New Order’s “True Faith”, which made me realise I own more New Order covers than originals:

I do love “Blue Monday”, but I’d never really realised there was a proper song underneath it until I heard Hannah Peel’s version:

Nouvelle Vague do that one too, but they also do an utterly loveable “Bizarre Love Triangle”:

Anyone got any more?

New Order (possibly incorporating Joy Division and side projects) would be another good subject for a ‘SpillOVERview… Anyone?

Friends of mine in Auld Reekie have been banging on about the city’s own Hidden Orchestra for a wee while now. Ach! I feel like the 12 for 2012 has just turned into The Mercury Prize due to the inclusion of this one, the “token jazzy” one….*sigh*

12 for 2012 No. 8: The Men

I think you either like unhinged tri-guitar noise punctuated by occasional bursts of mentalist drumming….or you don’t.

And if you’re missing the days when And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead were still good you may want to listen to the The Men track after the jump… Continue Reading »

Sakura and Mr P explore Taiwanese popular music

She said

Taiwanese popular music was stuck in a rut for a long time during the period of military rule in Taiwan.  The army censored a lot of music and artistic expression of all types,  but when Military Rule ended in 1986 censorship and government control of music ended and  Taiwan began to catch up quickly in producing great bands and music as well as art, drama and films.  Taiwan is now a fascinating place culturally and a creative hub in Asia.

Pairubu and I wanted to share with you some of the wide variety of music that is being made in Taiwan.  We will follow our usual he said – she said format.  Each of us has chosen three tracks and we will say a few words about our  track and then the other will comment also.

 

Continue Reading »

I did vaguely mention Warm Digits last year, but I only go the vinyl after xmas, so they’re rolling over into 2012. Any record sleeve that’s printed to look like it’s already been worn away in your collection for 30 years has to be onto a good thing. File under sweet, bouncy, electro, krautrock!

Not sure what I think of this really, but it covers so many ‘Spill bases I couldn’t resist posting it.

BADBADNOTGOOD are a Canadian post-jazz fusion band kind of thing, this is their take on Gang Starr’s “Mass Appeal” combined with Joy Division’s “Transmission”.

12 for 2012 No. 6: Smackvan

I know absolutely nothing about Smackvan, but I’m sure as anything I’m going to try and find out more about their late-night, miserablist, slowcore, Becktonian, Scots amblings in 2012. It doesn’t help either that their record label has called it a day and deleted their website with it. However I do know that this song is just fantastic.

Thanks to Matthew at Song, By Toad Records for pointing this one out to me.

Losers!

Matt Elliott – The Failing Song
Hugh Cornwell & Robert Williams – Losers In A Lost Land
Clock DVA – Beautiful Losers
Leonard Cohen – Diamonds In The Mine
Malcolm Middleton – Ballad Of Fuck All

Mikey Dread – Losers Weepers, Finders Keepers
Ghetto Priest – System Of The Lost Cause Man
Akala – Defeated

Beck – Lost Cause
David Bazan – Hard To Be
Julian Cope – Eve’s Volcano
Broken Family Band – Wherever You Go
Archers Of Loaf – Let The Loser Melt
Wolfgang Press – Sucker M. F.

As we continue the tracking of the evolution of indie via the teenage lifeline of The Chart Show’s Indie Chart (on a 19 year delay system) we now reach the chart from the start of 1993. Thanks to Barbryn for prodding me to pick this one up. I should point out to newer readers that the six minutes a month refers to the amount of time alt/indie music had on terrestrial television at the time. Very few of us has MTV back then, we had four channels and the occasional hope that someone good would be on Top Of The Pops.

Ok, here are the salient points:

1. Huggy Bear – yep The Chart Show got the name of their EP (and song) wrong. But then since when was Riot Grrrrl spelt correctly?

2. Two bands here directly benefiting from Kurt Cobain patronage. On tour, Kurt used to love holding the bucket into which the large chap from Tad had to vomit nightly due to whatever bizarre physiological condition he was suffering. We know all about Shonen Knife. The few seconds of the song they play here sound pretty good, and yes there is moshing.

3. As we’ve covered Suede before, let’s look at Denim. Britpop seemed the right time for Laurence from Felt to launch his new thing and ride the zeitgeist to success, perhaps? Looking at this, may be he was a bit too arch, a bit too knowing, and a bit too clever (members of the Glitter Band?? Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep??!) for the mainstream, or indeed for his own boots. The recent documentary on him “Laurence of Belgravia” suggests, according to my film critic pal who has actually managed to see it, that there’s really not as much there as we hoped (not quite the reclusive genius he’s kidding himself he is perhaps), despite “Primitive Painters” being one of the best indie-pop songs ever written.

4. Superchunk!! This song is an alt. rock classic and I have it on 12″. Super awesome fun chunk.

5. Ditto the Sugar song, and Cornershop. Classics both.

6. Belly! OK, Belly were the big draw here. Nearly 20 years later, Belly’s songs haven’t endured so much as other stuff from the time (not to say I don’t like them, I just never seek them out) and I bloody loved Belly. I can only think that a part of this may have been down to the overpowering and ridiculous amount of hormones running round my 16 year old body. Thank god Elastica came along shortly.

So, towards whom were your hormones directed in early ’93?

Older Posts »

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 58 other followers