After the emotional hothouse that was the 30-Day Musical Challenge, 
we now step into the pasture of mutually supportive self-immolation that will become the Weekly Song Challenge (or something with a better name, once the focus group – that’s you guys – kicks it around for a bit).
The format is the same as for the Facebook 30Qs: you choose one song in response to each theme and post it with an appropriate justification and ideally a link. Based on discussions so far, here are the guidelines for how we can make this work as a weekly thing – they are of course open to tweaks and adaptations as we go along:
- A new challenge will appear every Tuesday - 10pm became the traditional time for the 30Qs but I’m sure this will be more flexible as stewardship changes hands each week
- We take it in turns to set the challenge – whoever wants to set next week’s challenge, make yourself known over the course of the thread. If no-one has volunteered by, say, Friday, the job defaults to whoever posted first.
EDIT: We now have takers for the next two weeks. The challenge on Tuesday 9th will be set by treefrogdemon. On Tuesday 16th mein host will be Abahachi.
- No artist can be duplicated in one week - whoever posts firsts gets to keep their choice. No gratuitous selections of Tom Petty or The Grateful Dead just to piss tfd or Chris off as that would be mean.
- However, unlike in the 30Qs, song choices can be repeated in subsequent weeks (though we might want to impose a one-week prohibition follwoing selection, like with artists making the RR Top 10) – because it’s doubtful anyone’s going to want to keep track of everyone’s choices indefinitely.
- Challenge questions don’t have to be as pithily worded as the 30Qs – I’m just saying this to cover myself, as you’ll see below, but with so many of the big things in life covered last month, we’re inevitably going to be peeping into the cracks so we can probably afford to be more precise and/or convoluted in our questioning than would have been appropriate for the Facebook masses.
- I’ve not set it up so don’t look at me but we can get together a Dropbox folder of choice cuts each week.
Feel free to add to and alter those rules. Now here’s my decidely unpithily-worded challenge:
A song by an artist/band you’d never heard of a year ago (or you knew about but had never knowingly listened to)…
You’re inviting me to post something by these people, right?
American Girl by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, on the German TV show Rockpalast in 1977. Ron Blair, usually more animated than your average bass player, had earlier that day accidentally swallowed a lump of hash he was trying to smuggle through customs (they had been in Amsterdam the night before). Hence his somewhat vacant expression.
TP&TH first came to my attention on May 19 last year.
Thanks for your thoughtfulness, May, but I won’t be pissed off if someone else picks TP – not this week obviously, because I just did – I think I might be delighted!
(But just so we’re clear, if anyone but me ever gets him A-listed I shall be decidedly pissed off.)
TFD – You know I think this song is near perfect! As to his A listing you’ll have to be negotiating for the North American rights on TP.
So you mean I’ve now got to stay up for the MFF every week? Pfffft.
Yes, it is a great song. In my repertoire! Have you seen this whole concert? When he’s introducing the band TP says to Ron: “Do you want to say anything, Ron?” Of course, Ron doesn’t…
I didn’t realise that you’d discovered them so recently!
Yep – spent a lot of money this past year!
Hi tfd. How’re the odds looking on this conversation next year centring around Black Crowes??
Depends on the timing, as I’d both heard of them and heard them beforehand. While you’re looking for bethnoir’s songs in the box you could delete those Crowes ones, I think. (I couldn’t find the Unsettlers ones either – can’t look now, I’m at work.)
Hmm, reading that back it sounds a bit dismissive. I love the Black Crowes and am very grateful to you DsD! And I had heard them on TP’s radio show beforehand so thank you TP as well!
I think I’ve put the Unsettlers songs in the public file now, I think that’s what I did wrong, hope you enjoy the tracks.
See if this works
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoQ2Pxb7HPE&w=425&h=349%5D
I’ll elaborate further when I know if it works
Don’t try to do the html, wyngate – just copy and paste the address from the top of the page.
lack of knowledge flamethrower youtube
….??
“Lack Of Knowledge” being the problem here – I give up for the moment – further post below
Higher up. Where it says http://www.youtube…and so on.
“Black Cat Bone” by Laika
I buy A LOT of music and get to listen to even more… so I’m guessing from the question it’s not a new band you are after – but one that has slipped under my radar..
My choice of Laika fits me – and the question totally – a style of interesting trip hop from the turn of the century – that wasn’t in my collection until Shoey sent me a few pleasant surprises and now I’m hooked.
Had I heard them before? – might have done but was probably skint at the time – (I had just given everything I owned up (except the records)) and this track was featured in Buffy (season 6 was it?) – So I know I’ve heard it… but knowingly listened too – not till 31/03/2011.
good question.
A Buffy fan writes – yep, Episode 10 ‘Wrecked’
Hey tfd, the Easter Bunny brought us Buffy Season One!
I’ve seen it already ( I got as far as the series with the militia boyfriend), but now I can introduce TheBoyWonder to her charms.
Ah – Season 4. Don’t let that put you off. It gets better again.
we have Buffy top trumps, but so far I think the series might be a bit scary for my children
My best mate has just indoctrinated her eldest two children into the cult of Buffy – meaning she’s had to lazy up and watch every single episode again. I’m not sure if she gets the entire sofa while the kids hide behind it… but it wouldn’t surprise me.
It’s Season 6 that I can’t stand – to the extent that I don’t own the box set, and haven’t in fact watched any of it since it was on BBC2.
I don’t like Season 6 as a whole, but some of the stand-alone episodes are among my favourites – Hell’s Bells for instance. Would fit this week’s RR, of course.
Ha! I got to season 4 and sort of stopped watching. I think it was a bad idea to start with the romantic interest being a brooding vampire who loses his soul for her. After that who really cares if some boy doesn’t call her back? Why does she care? It just seems silly.
May! can you please remove the comment above? I was on the phone when I posted it…not thinking…
Yup, that was me. D’oh.
Watched the 1st episode on Netflix & am yet to see what you nutters are raving about. Will persevere a while as I usually like Joss Whedon’s stuff.
Thanks, May. Sorry, Buffy fans.
Great one. I remember almost buying the first Laika album when it came out on the strength of the reviews alone, but didn’t get round to it, and so this is the first time I’ve ever heard her. I might finally get round to buying the album. Only about 15 years too late.
Ohh.. nice choice Shane. I remember them coming out too , but have never heard them until now! Thoroughly enjoyed!
The thanks has to go to Shoey – who sent me in the general direction of Laika – much loved now. Ta Mate.
(as for Buffy – it has different feels throughout the seasons – but a real classic body of TV work – and it’s always good to shout at the creator “you ruined my favourite program” just like your fav band trying to ‘develop’ their sound)
Thanks to Rocking Mitch for my introduction to Paloma Faith, here singing Broken Doll
I think RM wrote about her when she was included in a Ray Davis tribute, and ever since she’s been on my list of acts I simply have to see live some day!
I saw her (on TV) before I heard her and was slightly less entertained by her music than her style and personality, is there a song that might convince me to change this view, I’ve heard the one about lying.
Sorry, beth, I’ve only been trawling through the stuff posted on youtube – maybe Rocking Mitch knows more of her stuff?
The one you posted is cool though, I may investigate on Spotify, thanks.
beth, I trawled youtube looking for stuff soon after RM’s original recommendation, Sp*tify being a bit of a bummer over here, and I found the live clips making me want more – particularly from the above gig in Manchester. I’m not quite so keen on the ‘official’ videos.
There’s also some duets out there with Josh Weller, where they make larking around look easy – I really enjoyed them, but I’m not sure you’d like them as much as I did. Here they are covering a song you may have heard before:
thanks for posting that, I think me and her style of singing are just not going to get on, she looks very cool though and I wish her well.
Same here, beth – I really liked her the first time I saw her – and then the second time she was exactly the same…
Of course sometimes this is a good thing!
You might like this one
Or, the one that got me intop her, in the first place
cool image – like the track too.
Debby, I’m glad that I influenced you in looking into Paloma. Like you, I’m just discovering much of her work, so I’m no expert.
I love her singing voice and then she speaks with a real “Gor blimey mate, I’m from ‘ackney” accent.
A year ago I hadn’t heard of Canadian band The Unsettlers, now I own two albums by them and I’ve very pleased to share them with you all. Maybe some of you might even like them.
Here’s how they describe themselves
“This 11 piece band of time travalling troubadours specialize in funeral dirges for the living, dark polkas, menacing waltzes and horse-drawn lullabies, all filtered through the creaking floorboards of a whiskey soaked saloon…”
They have a contortionist and know how to put on a show, I only with I lived closer to them and could see it first hand. This isn’t my favourite song by them, but it gives a feel of what they do
They’re on iTunes or I can put something in dropbox if people are interested, I recommend ” Jerome”, “He’s Out of Nails”, “The Ghosts are Turning Strings” and “Oil and Blood” from the new album.
Oh, I love this, beth – would appreciate a couple in the box, if you don’t mind.
YES!
I will box some, if I can work out how to make a new folder. I apologise for my typing errors, by the way, I was excited by the new topic and didn’t re-read before I posted.
Just right-click anywhere inside the RR folder window and select ‘New’.
thanks TFD, I have put 4 songs there, I advise not listening to the track Oil and Blood in the dark or when you’re on your own, it’s delightfully spooky.
Have I missed the four songs in the ‘Box?
Can’t find ‘em.
Are they showing up now? I am in need of some training! Sorry.
Yep. Got them. Thanks, Beth.
I liked them a lot! Thanks, Beth.
Me too – thanks a lot.
Knew I was going to like this from the write-up – music didn’t disappoint. Thanks! (Let us know if there’s a UK tour…)
and this is pretty cool too – I’m enjoying all these newly acquired tastes – cheers.
Think we have Arcade Fire to thank for unleashing musical gypsies over Canada & the rest of the world. Even Discogs haven’t cottoned on to this Group yet. Great discovery, Beth.
You may well be right, although I don’t like Arcade Fire (I know, I am missing something everyone else finds obvious), they remind me more of Gogol Bordello, I found them on a sampler for Rue Morgue radio called Hymns From the House of Horror http://www.rue-morgue.com/
the only band I’d heard of on there was the Handsome Family, Unsettlers were the only other one I actually liked. They’ve got another free download on the website, haven’t listened to it yet…glad you liked them anyway
I felt the need to listen to some old-school jangly indie pop recently (after all, who doesn’t?). Started with Even As We Speak and followed a link to this:
Another Sunny Day – You Should All Be Murdered
Haven’t bought the album yet. I bet ToffeeBoy and Bishbosh own it…
@ barbryn – you’ve just lost your bet. But the only reason I don’t own this is that I don’t know it. I do now – so thank you!
I’m guessing 1986 – maybe ’87? Touches of the 1,000 Violins, Laugh, Stars Of Heaven, Riot Of Colour, The Siddeleys …
I’m surprised. 1989, actually. Want to guess the record label?
I’ve never heard of any of the bands you mention, but then I only discovered relatively recently that indie didn’t begin in 1991.
Know their “Anorak City” from the One Two Twee comp, but this is a much better song.
OK – I confess I cheated but Sarah Records doesn’t really surprise me! The slightly later date explains why I don’t really know them – I think that, musically, I’d moved away from the jangly indie pop scene a bit by 1989.
The best introduction to all this type of music is the CD86 compilation – although, as I’m sure I’ve posted elsewhere in these parts, it’s not as good a selection as the original C86 tape (which was given away free with the NME – in 1986!).
The online bible for the C86 scene is Twee Net where I found everything I needed to know about Another Sunny Day, their name, of course, taken from the opening line of The Smiths‘ Cemetery Gates.
For those who are interested, there’s also a very good blog http://consolationprize.wordpress.com/
Perhaps we could add it to the ‘Spill Links page?
gosh that’s wonderfully jangly, I feel transported back in time!
It is. First comparison that came to mind was that its a bit Housemartins, but maybe thats just because of the ”the people who…” part.
I liked that a lot! “Another Sunny Day” from a Smiths’ song to a B&S song to a band name!
Well… actual chronology is a Smiths song to a band name to a B&S song. Pretty sure Stuart Murdoch is a fan.
New to me too… but I like it!
Looks like I lose my bet. Still, I’d stake my life savings* on mark68 owning it.
* Currently £9.37.
good song, good video – suits the track down to the ground – the jangle guitar coming in just makes it fab – don’t it!
No I’ve lost the ability to post eyecatching stills but never mind.
Lack Of Knowledge – Flamethrower
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoQ2Pxb7HPE&w=425&h=349%5D
I’m cheating but only just – I listened to a couple of tracks by them getting on for 20 years ago but subsequently (appropriately given the name) ignored them until a couple of weeks ago when I got curious after reading an interview with them and started investigating. They were closely associated with Crass et al, but sound a lot more like Joy Division. Intriguing in their own way, I think a CD purchase is imminent (at least when I’ve flogged enough on ebay to fund it). Tony Barber of Lack Of Knowledge now plays bass for the Buzzcocks, ironic given Lack Of Knowledge’s complete disregard for the normal rules of writing pop songs (Choruses? Why bother).
I once met him at a Buzzcocks gig , where he was selling the last 10 copies of their 1983 7″ EP, and I was planning to do some kind of deal with him at the end of the night – but I got drunk and forgot. More proof that I always overlooked them until recently.
tfd – thanks!
these are great – never heard them before – had a trawl through youtube vids last night – made me search out the only two tracks The Past Seven Days ever did – because the monotone vocal reminded me of them.
it was an interesting time post punk – love the crass style record covers! – (if they’d been proper capitalists they could tried copyrighting those stencils)
cheers for that so much fun.
shane – Thanks – I think it was the monotone vocals that put me off years ago but listening a bit more over the last few weeks I’ve got used to them. Definitely a grower.
“if they’d been proper capitalists they could tried copyrighting those stencils”
In fact Lack Of Knowledge released an EP on Crass records hence the cover. Ironically the record covers was something Penny Rimbaud insisted on as a sort of branding. I read that Rubella Ballet were going to release a record on Crass but it didn’t happen because they wanted a day-glo cover and Rimbaud insisted it had to be the usual Crass style because he could then guarantee big sales. I will have a listen to your tracks tomorrow night – there was so much stuff came out of the post-punk period there’s always something you haven’t heard (unless your name was John Peel I suppose).
Bonus song
and it’s either “Thanks tfd” or “Thanks anyway but I give up tfd”
Yay!
I just listened to both songs, they are great!!! I never heard of them before and I really enjoyed it!
Hello Hoshino and thanks – a very obscure band, but one that I’m going to check out further. These are probably my two favourites. Glad you liked them as well.
One of you out there is responsible for my discovery of this band. Anyone care to confess/claim the glory?
Really liking this a lot. Will have to check them out.
Well, that was lovely!
oh – i love the imagery in the animation and song – superb.
shane – I’d suspected that you were my recommender on this. Not so?
nope – not me Toffeeboy – you have to keep searching.
No surprises here. I put Katzenjammer forward for an earworm a few months back. Saw them again – at the 100 Club last week. They are stupendous live and bloody good on recordings too.
I had no idea they existed until my brother started raving about them around a year ago.
They do a jolly good mime for the audience to follow on this song. The “voice of the wind” bit consists of bending forward and miming flatulance. This is a dance I have no problem with.
Don’t think these are the same Katzenjammers who did a steel drum version of Gary Numan’s Cars?
No, they all play the drums but not at the same time.
I’ve got two Katzenjammer track’s – that are ace – I hadn’t really listened till you mentioned them – just my cup of tea – and this reminds me I need to pick up more.. excellent.
Good question, May. No problem finding new tunes, but finding a new artist for my personal pantheon doesn’t happen too often these days. Here’s one who’s voice is as distinctive as his point of view. From Bay, Missouri (Pop. 60), here is:
Nathaniel Rateliff – Once In A Great While
That was stupendous.
Yet another to check out further. This thread could get very dangerous.
Glad you liked it. Think the album just got a UK release & it looks like he’s touring over there.
http://www.nathanielrateliff.com/
I bought the album thanks to Lamb on a Stone appearing in the Xmas Spill list (maybe thanks to you, Shoey?) and haven’t been disappointed.
An AOTM track from last year.
Liked that a lot, Shoey, but am ashamed to say I’ve missed any previous reference to him. Will attempt to fix that anon.
He fronts a band called Born In The Flood, who are ace & he did some solo home recordings a few years back as The Wheel.
Lovely sound. Another for me to explore.
Deffo worth more listening. It sounded like he was more interested in singing the song than showing off his voice, as if he knew the reaction people like us would have so he didn’t need to do it all in one song.
This is my favourite new discovery on this thread so far! I took a quick peek at his website (thanks for the link, Shoey) and he’s touring Germany at the end of the month – wow! Unfortunately not coming within 200 miles of me – unwow…
great stuff shoey.
You’re a star, May. Now for a think.
Not sure who i have to thank for this band – maybe Williamsbach and / or Balloonisterer. How did i never hear of them before, i’ve loved nearly everything of theirs i’ve heard so far.
Eels – Mr.E’s Beautiful Blues
While we’re on the subject, I’d highly recommend E’s memoir, Things the Grandchildren Should Know. Fascinating read even if you’re not into his music. His father was an astrophysicist who put forward the theory of parallel universes (but wasn’t that great as a dad).
Thanks, now that’s interesting. Will check the library. Expecially interesting as i used to be a physics major in an earlier lifetime.
Daisies Of The Galaxy is my fave. Didn’t really like Souljacker. The BBC did a documentary about Mark (E) and his Dad, called Parallel Worlds, Parallel Lives. It went into the theory and the relationship. A good documentary if you can find it.
@ amylee – I love Eels and this track is one of my favourites of theirs. My personal recommendation for the definitive Eels album is Beautiful Freak.
Well, I’d recommend Electro-Shock Blues (which has 4 RR A-listers, which I think could be a record?) and/or Blinking Lights. Usually a good sign when everyone has a different favourite.
This is a great song!!! It really makes me think of relaxing days in the summer!
Thanks for the recommendations, all. Now i have my listening mapped out for when i do my work at night.
okay – E’s music isn’t new to me and is in a huge pile toppling around my computer – I even have his Rap/turntablist album under the disguise of MC Honky.
I got the track Things The Grandchildren Should Know b listed in lessons in life.
I did a couple of ‘spill overview posts of bands output back at the beginning of this blog – white stripes and bright eyes got the treatment – I would dearly love an Eels overview – everyone discussing their favourite tracks – such a brilliant songwriter.
glad you found him amy.
Thanks Shane, and you can definitely add me to those who would love an overview post.
The Scottish Enlightenment – Earth Angel, With Sticks In Crypts
Blimpy forwarded to me a review copy of the band’s St. Thomas album after it was sent to us at The Spill: I liked it, reviewed it (here and on Amazon), and still play it, particularly this song.
Whoops: forgot the link.
http://thescottishenlightenment.bandcamp.com/track/earth-angel-with-sticks-in-crypt
And here’s my original review thread:
http://thespillblog.co.uk/2010/11/21/the-scottish-enlightenment/
Way to go May. Excellent idea. I’m really spoilt for choices here ’cause in the last year you lot have blessed me with an avalanche of new artists & material. Living near to the left coast & farther east than San Diego, I’m amazed & utterly overwhelmed, by the sheer volume of great music I’ve got to encounter from the other side of the planet( 1/3 the world away). I’ve just found this by playing Ipod roulette with my RR playlists from last year. So glad this one came into view ’cause I’ve played this a billion times this last year. One sure sign is it’s made it onto my regular ski list. Wish I could remember who mentioned it (Blimpy , TFD) but consider this my emphatic thanks!
This Is The Life – Amy McDonald
Not me…
I think tincanman is the resident Amy McDonald cheerleader.
I remember FrogPrincess being a fan as well. Anyone heard from her lately?
That one song probably earns her more than the entire rest of her catalogue. Its used on all kinds of UK TV shows and more than a few commercials.
@abahachi- I was thinking about frogprincess the other day too, she hasn’t been on RR for a while has she?
Pozo del Deseo (Wishing Well) by Songhai with Ketama. Just last month, webcore introduced this as an earworm, thus: Here’s the great double bassist Danny Thompson, with kora maestro Toumani Diabate and flamenco group Ketama in celebrated collaboration.
I commented: Absolutely. Fucking. Beautiful. How did they pack two eternities and a different universe into 5 minutes?
http://readersrecommend.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/songhai-with-ketama-pozo-del-deseo.mp3
Hmm. Cunning way to prevent me picking the Dead, May.
I think this is totally amazing musically – but there is something about his vocal that isn’t for me – can I just have the music and the backing singers please!
good choice though – I will listen again in a different mood to see if his voice works (for me) then.
I had heard of Scandal one year ago, but I did not listen to their music as I thought they were just a pretty girls pretending to be a rock group.
But I was forced, (yes really) to go and watch them live. I was the only girl with 10,000 men in the audience…..
Well they were great live!
This is a clip of them live – Everybody Say Yeah!
Well I can’t see why all those men were there at all.
I shall put this band on my “To investigate if I ever get any money again” list.
I recognise that big rabbit thing on the stage from somewhere. Is it from the Hello Kitty people ?
Hi Pairubu
No it definitely not from from Hello Kitty!!! (it has no pink in it)
I think it some kind of good luck charm, if you want I will try and find where to buy one for you….
Oh, they’d be just ACE on a sunny afternoon at this summer’s festivals.
Definitely one for me to start looking out for.
Thanks for posting that, Hoshino.
Hi DarceysDad
I am really happy you enjoyed it!
I enjoyed that HS, i’d seen their name around but never heard anything.
They seem to walk the line between J-pop and chart rock and just about get away with it!
Hi Panthersan-san!!
I am really happy you enjoyed it!
They are definitely much better live than recorded……but then I think that of almost every group!!!
that’s definitely true HS, I wish I was able to make it to more gigs these days…but unfortunately they are getting fewer and further between!
Hope you are having a fun Golden Week by the way, mine has been entirely taken up with gardening and studying and it seems nearly over already!
I can see where you are coming from with the “pretty girls pretending to be a rock group” comment.. I can imagine it being a lot more entertaining live (and not just for the pretty girls) lots of fun.
Woo! Well, that was very enlivening at 7.30 in the morning, Hoshino – thank you!
Most of the music I like is blokes’ music and I do sometimes find it annoying at a gig – especially the kind where you have to run like mad to get to the front and then everybody squashes you. And then they start jumping up and down…
The next gig I’m going to is Dick Gaughan – he’s a very left-wind Scottish singer-songwriter and folk singer. At least the blokes there will be left-wing blokes. And we’ll all be sitting down.
Hmm, well that’s ‘left-wing’ – I don’t know anything about his wind.
Hi TFD
I nearly became deaf from the sound of girls shouting at a KAT-TUN concert once……girly music concerts can be just as bad!!!!
Hi TFD
Oh….I do not mind to stand up – and if the music is good and has a nice beat I quite like jumping up and down also.
But for quieter music I agree with you, of course it is nicer to sit.
I don’t mind either – it’s the being surrounded by men who are much bigger than me AND squashing me AND jumping up and down that I don’t like. (Also I don’t like it when they sing along. I want to say to them: ‘I did not pay all this money and make all this effort to listen to YOU singing’. But it’s too loud for them to hear me.
Hmm, maybe I should change to girly music.
Hi TFD
I nearly became deaf from the sound of girls shouting at a KAT-TUN concert once……girly music concerts can be just as bad!!!!
ooops!!! I posted it in wrong place…sorry for that.
That’s a good point, Hoshino…maybe I’ll just stick with the bloke music.
[You should explain your use of slang to Hoshino, tfd - Ed.] Oh sorry, Hoshino – bloke=man in southern England, especially London.
Well done, May! Had been missing the 30Qs challenge.
This one was gonna be an earworm under maki’s tenure but never made it (at least I don’t think it did – I may have looked away, or even been away, that week).
James Yorkston: When The Haar Rolls In
Not a new song but new to me in the last 12 months. And I can’t get enough of it.
oops
From a couple of sound bits I had dismissed him as yet another earnest folkie singing about ye olde history and socialist ideals. That was rather wrong, apparently.
Sorry James
Thanks Bish.
Good, innit? One of those songs I can listen to over and over again – and hear something new each time. Plus it makes me laugh: “And I’m more concerned about keeping the neighbour’s cat out of my garden than who you may be or you may not be fucking…” Ouch!
(Incidentally, just re-read my initial post and worried it sounds a bit like a buke at its non-appearance thus far in earworms – not my intention, maki, if you’re reading! Just factual background to my relationship with the song. And I can always include it myself now at some stage, heh heh heh…)
… and my shopping list just got a little longer.
Amazon currently have a double-whammy special offer on two of his albums for the STUPIDLY low price of £4.37:
Moving Up Country / When The Haar Rolls In (Domino Doubles- Amazon Exclusive)
And I thought I got a bargain when I bought them at 6.99 – gah!
Bought on the instant … I’ve always liked him live but never got round to buying the albums.
Really beautiful! Remember this post from Blimpy?
http://thespillblog.co.uk/2008/09/03/songs-about-scottish-sea-mist/
HEY! Good memory, Claire!! We had a big haar here about a week ago (Yorko lives but a few miles away from me, just round the coast), a fine old way to ruin a sunny day (yes, it’s hot and sunny – but you’re inside a cloud!!)
I think I nomnommed “..Haar” on RR relatively recently, such a great tune. Also worth looking out on Spotty is the KC cover of “Tortoise Regrets Hare”.
I just love him. Bit gutted I hadn’t heard “6.30 is just way too early” before Songs Set At Dawn last November – would surely have been a shoo-in (and is my current second-favourite Yorko song after “… Haar”).
This album came packaged as a lovely 10″ record – very special – I do hope someone nominated my favourite track over on ‘JonD Decides Wedding Songs Blog’ last week..
Here’s ‘Woozy With Cider’ – can you get a more perfect song title than that?
Good show, chaps. The other rule here of course is that the question-setter can play so here’s mine, not a great revelation as I had him in an Earworm shortly after hearing first his amazing almost cliched life story and then hearing the music last year. But it’s amazing that music keeps showing more to us even after decades of immersion and it’s good to reflect (along with rediscovered and newly appreciated music) how many hitherto unknown names have become iPod staples in the last three or so years – Judee Sill, James Carr, Howard Tate, Al Stewart, Lou Bond and this geezer:
Jackson C. Frank – Milk and Honey
wow! I’d never heard of/anything by him before, that was lovely and his life is almost unbelievable. I’ve read Sandy Denny’s biography too, so I must have read his name, but not noticed.
I thought Nick Drake’s version was good, but that was better, thanks for introducing me to this artist.
very beautiful.
Loudon Wainwright III. I’d heard of him for years and knew him mainly as “bad husband, bad father” but I saw him live last summer with Richard Thompson and he was magnificent (so was RT, tfd, but I knew more of his stuff already).
http://vimeo.com/5233037
Well, let’s try that again..
Ah – I thought about that concert but Matt had seen their show in Texas and reckoned LWIII wasn’t up to much, so that’s why I didn’t go. Wrong, then!
I seem to have a lot of the Wainwright clan in my collection – I’m quite selective with Loudon – but he’s a very unique lyricist – and there is a vast amount of his work floating around.
Will get the library to get in the 40 odd years box set – I can cope with a 4 cd selection!
one of my favourites – could go in the protest songs post – love the way it is twisted on it’s head..
Pretty good day:
and lite relief – Heaven:
I hadn’t been listening to much punk for a while, concentrating on “weird” stuff and “foreign” ( to me) music. Then Amazon did one of their “if you like this” things and an album called “God save the Queers” was listed.
Intrigued ( as you would be) I clicked on the link. Never heard of the band or any of the artists on this compilation of covers ( other than The Dwarves) but I liked the look of the song titles, songs like “Too many twinkies” and “Stupid fucking vegan” had titles that I couldn’t ignore ( I have a long history of buying music just because I like the title, leading to an extensive collection of stuff I don’t actually like very much).
Anyway, bought the album, liked the songs and began to investigate. The Queers brand of Ramones heavy and Beach Boys style “punk” is just my sort of thing and , as a bonus, many of their songs have fabulously un-PC or downright rude lyrics and titles. Naturally I have bought as many CDs as I can afford ( I wouldn’t recommend Googling for their album “The Queers Beat Off” though) and, as an extra incentive Ubuette loves them too.
Here is one of the finest examples of their d’ouvre.
I like this very much! I could not stop sing the chorus! It sounds really cheerful!
PAIRUBU!!!!! Did they really make an album called “beyond the Valley of the A** F******??????
Will look this lot up on allmusic at the first opportunity.
I get the feeling my daughters will love this stuff, but by the sound of it, I’ll have to vet stuff quite carefully before unleashing it on my 9- and 5-y.o. girls.
Err…you may want to avoid the “Beyond the valley of the assfuckers” album.
And, probably, the rest of them….a careful selection should be O.K.
There are one or two that I won’t even play to Ubuette ( age 15 3/4).
I hadn’t heard this for a zillion years. Thanks for the nudge.
I remember a few of my mates getting excited back in the 90s because they were coming over to tour, but they were refused entry to the UK because of their “merchandise” or something like that, which always sounded intriguing.
Great idea for a series – and I’ll happily volunteer for the Tuesday after next if it’s not already taken, but have too much to do this week to contemplate thinking of anything in time for the next episode…
I have a couple of candidates for this theme: Steve Mason’s Boys Outside, which I hadn’t heard until it won the Spill’s Album of the Year; Imogen Heap’s Hide and See3 or First Train Home, an artist I simply stumbled across in our brief and ill-starred visit to Glastonbury. The clear winner, however, if only because it’s in the same “Doh! How have I managed not to discover this act until now?” category as my Mogwai revelation a couple of years ago, is Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan, Rambling Man. I was vaguely aware of their existence, and had no interest at all in listening to any on the basis that I don’t much like Screaming Trees and can’t stand Belle & Sebastian – and then I actually heard it…
http://www.youtube.com/verify_age?next_url=http%3A//www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DKgD-sT9rcV0
Yes, I feel exactly the same about Steve Mason. If I’d only had the money to buy it before mid-December, it would have been my album of the year as well.
Brilliant, Abahachi.
Here’s the broadcastable youtube vid for Ramblin’ Man:
absolutely agree, they work so well together, Come Undone is one of my favourite songs ever, by anyone!
I’m OK for next week unless anyone else desperately wants it. I have a challenge that will totally dish Fintan.
Oooh! Now I’m all intrigued. It does bring to mind the question of deciding the next weeks guest guru. Is it first in? Maybe the current week’s guru could make an announcement towards the end of posting activity. This is all fun. I’ve already a couple of ideas. ? How does dish translate in American? Cheers!
From the Free Dictionary, Fintan:
(verb) 5. Chiefly British Slang. To ruin, foil, or defeat
How does dish translate in American?
Sat-uh-light
En Garde! Interesting – here it has the slang connotation of revealing gossip which I suppose could accomplish the same result though many of my countryfolk seem to revel in it. At any rate gauntlet thrown down & I can’t wait!
I nearly picked that myself Aba. Thanks to Carole I gave a listen to a band (are they a band?!) that I had seemingly willfully overlooked and now love
The one that sprang into my mind when I read the question was Jim Moray. I ‘discovered’ him via his rather excellent version of Lucy Wan:
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFBG5N5KGto&w=425&h=349%5D
I love the tension between old and new, particularly when the guest rapper (Bubbz) turns up. It’s a surprise; it makes you sit up and listen just that little bit harder. Moray seems to have a voice that holds sadness very well – it’s got a ‘catch’ in it, I think – but, let’s face it, sad folk ballads are very pretty and very nice but they can get a bit boring after a while. So I think it’s great that he’s got the guts to try something different with this ancient material.
I suppose Jim Moray was close to the top of my mind because I got an e-mail from him (actually from the singer, and not a generic one, either) yesterday. A bit of a surprise. Longer ago than I care to think about, I ordered the album that this song is on – and another disc – from the online shop on his Web site. Of course, all that sort of stuff is contracted out (he told me as much yesterday). Anyway, I’d noticed that the order hadn’t arrived, so I made a gentle enquiry about it.
And the reply I got was from Jim! He said he’d posted it himself yesterday. Personal service. I’m looking forward to receiving it even more now (more because of the what-a-nice-guy factor than anything else).
Those CDs just arrived (complete with signed apology, bless his cotton socks)! Now I’m looking forward to the leisure to listen to ‘em.
… should be the embedded video I was aiming at earlier.
ignore this. Just testing.
For me it was this nugget that I happened to hear on a Gilles Peterson show but only got to find the artist name on the hip-hop trail that always leads to the Stones Throw records website. There, their resident archivist Egon had this in his top 10 of reissues last year :
Pastor T.L. Barrett & The Youth For Christ Choir – ‘Like A Ship (Without A Sail)
I can’t remember gospel sounding as funky as this!
Two thumbs up.
The choir adds that Langley Schools innocence to it.
I feel I should definitely pick something from my favourite new record label (not ‘new favourite’, the label wasn’t even around a year ago!) 100% Silk (they may get a post in the near future, so I won’t go into too much detail), this is a bit dancier than other tunes on the roster (and in my collection!), but I love the way it pulls itself forward and is even close to being a “banger”! :
Ital – “Ital’s Theme”
You utter bastard May!
I can’t not participate after you all participated in my game, and yet to settle on one band, let alone one song from that that shows why I am so impressed, let alone one song that is available on You-Tube …. I HATE YOU i HATE YOU I HATE YOU
But I love this by Deep Dark Woods. They are so old (Band, Byrds old) and so modern at the same time.
TIn- as I stated above my choice (Amy McDonald was that also you?) was random roulette ’cause there were so many choices. This could have easily been a pick. I listened to this a lot last year. Great song.
Coulda been me fintan. I have rattled on about it a bit
A couple others have too though
Bother, Tinny, I’ve just been to Amazon hoping there would be a special deal on these guys as well as on James Yorkston. No such luck. I’ll have to buy the albums one at a time…Thanks very much. I completely love them.
By the way everyone, I didn’t want to say this in case it jinxes it, but my broadband speed has suddenly increased dramatically – I’d been unable to watch videos online properly (only in fits and starts) for ages. I’m so happy because I’ll now be able to hear lots of new music from you lot instead of just sticking to the stuff I already knew!
If you go to the HearYa Live site TFD you’ll find two sessions they did that are free to download (MP3) and in my view feature the band better than on their albums anyway.
(They did 2 very minor label albums, then met up with a professional producer in Vancouver and repackaged ‘polished up’ versions of some of the tunes from their first two albums. I find the first two a little too rough and the third a little too polished. HearYa got it, as Little Baby Bear says, just right.)
Found ‘em, Tinny – thanks.
Blimey! I nearly got on the wrong side of tincanman then; that’d've been a problem!
I was SS-S-O-O-O-OOOO close to picking Deep Dark Woods for this thread myself, thanks to tin introducing me to them (musically, not personally).
The eight-and-a-half-minute The Sun Never Shines has gone from nowhere to All-Time Top 40 in my iTunes number of plays list in rapid time.
Here’s a shorter live version:
lol, you’d have been fine DsD.
Clicked to make sure the link worked and got caught up and had to watch it again. Not many want to hear an 8 minute song anymore, so if you don’t have time click to the last 30 seconds and check out the smiles. Do they know they caught a groove that time? Oh yeah.
I could also pick:
Tom Petty – “Learning To Fly”
after listening to TFD’s wonderful podcast, for a ‘song that I knew but never knowingly listened to it, or knew who it was by or anything like that’
cheers TFD!
Oh, thank you, ‘Panther!
a song that I knew but never knowingly listened to it, or knew who it was by or anything like that
Hold on, I think we should save that category…
I guess I’ll go with Barbara Dane. She’s been around for a while, but I didn’t know about her. They don’t have my favorite song (that I’ve heard) by her on youTube, but here it is on spotify…
This kills me…
http://open.spotify.com/track/736LPjIwTqdCdnrrgCAqSp
And here’s another song on youTube
And I just posted another song by her up above in my post about Dorian’s book!!
Awesome.
THank you so much, SpottedRich. And it’s a great pleasure to see that you’ve found the ‘Spill!
One of the joys of the ‘spill is the amount of new music we all get exposed to. But my record buying habits are dominated by loyalty to artists I already love, so much of what I’ve bought in the last year has been by them. The album that stands out in my memory as being completely new was a Shoey pick – Grasscut. He featured it in AOTW in July last year, but I didn’t notice it then. But he posted Tin Man in the Festive 50 and it blew me away. Quirky, banging, complex – it pushed all my buttons. So with apologies to those who’ve heard it before:
Anon. Grasscut fan is me. And thanks to May for starting a new Odyssey for us…
This thread is doing my ego a lot of good.
Will take all the ‘Spill picks I can get as it seems unlikely I’ll get any RR selections any time soon, having soured JonD. Nevermind, it was worth it.
“…seems unlikely I’ll get any RR selections any time soon, having soured JonD. Nevermind, it was worth it…”
What did you do, Shoey? Whatever it was, that’s another pint I owe you!!
DsD, have a look at the comments on last week’s A and B list. Good on yer, Shoey!
WOW! Way to go, Mr. ‘Gazer.
Forget the pint, that’s a bottle of Scotland’s finest you’ve got coming from me. As has Maki, for his last comment.
Unfortunately, as the comments are closed, all I could do was click the ‘Recommend?’ buttons. Rest assured I did.
HA! Shoey got an A-lister.
JonD’s efforts at an olive branch, perhaps …?
That was pretty graceful of him – have accepted the peace offering.
A year ago, I’d never heard of Smoke Fairies. I heard a song of theirs on BBC 6Music and them went and looked for more on YouTube and I ended up buying their album Through Low Light And Trees.
This track, Living With Ghosts was their first single and dates back to 2008 and is the track of theirs I first got to really know.
From Wikipedia;
Smoke Fairies is a British musical duo formed by Katherine Blamire and Jessica Davies. Influenced by American blues and English folk and their music is characterized by interweaving guitar picking and vocal harmonies, described by Mojo magazine as ‘dark, lustful blues-folk’
Not totally convinced by the vocals but the playing is really rather nice.
I’m very partial to a bit of slide and it’s well done here, tasteful and restrained instead of in yer face.
I find myself wanting to like Smoke Fairies more than I actually do. Which is kind of okay, because I do like them quite a lot*, but Pairubu’s right about the vocals being the bit that’s not quite right. Is it just that they sound a bit too middle class southern counties, or that they’re often a bit aloof from the music?
Donno, but good pick nonetheless, Carole.
*I even bought (one of) the T-shirt(s). This was only partly because I like the font they use.
A Night In – Tindersticks
Woefully out of touch, had heard of them vaguely but didn’t pay any attention till Tin posted an earworm (Harmony Around My Table) that really piqued my curiosity. Barbryn then gave me pointers in the comments and this is the one I fell most in love with. But there were plenty of contenders.
Oh, and bishbosh no earworms ‘buke even imagined at this end! How’s it going?
Alright, ta, maki – what’s up with all this bold?!
I came across this song this morning, and BOY is it FRESH!
The song is “My Country” by Tune-Yards.
I think it’s one lots of ‘Spillers will like, you may be sold by the time you’re halfway through and even perhaps doing a strange funky dance round the living room by the time the horns begin at the 2.40 mark
Whew. What was that?
Yet another ridiculously good tune. I’ve already left far too many comments on this thread, and there are several other songs I’ve really liked but haven’t acknowledged.
COULD PEOPLE PLEASE STOP POSTING SO MUCH GOOD MUSIC! I CAN’T COPE WITH ANY MORE!
I’ve had the album on preview for quiet some while now – truly marvellous – cleaner sound than the first albums bedroom style, but still unique…
Plus you might like some : Thao & Mirah mucking about with tUnE-yArDs – this track is banging ..Eleven:
I have arrived a little late and find both of my original thoughts (Paloma Faith and Amy MacDonald) have been taken.
However, I have also “discovered” this bloke recently, via Jools Holand.
Here, doing a blistering version of Jackie Wilson’s “Reete Petite” is Cee Lo Green
PLUS. I’m very jealous of him. Have you seen the women in his backing band? I get lumbered with a couple of old geezers (3, if you count me)
PS. Why does this site randomly sign me out every so often?
Why are you so bold, come to that?
I dunno. I notice Blimpy is also bold.
Twas a bold song choice, methinks….
rockingmitch
This is the same guy…..right???
Well, it certainly looks like him
Hi Rocking Mitch
It is the same guy! I looked in wiki and Gnarls Barkley is actually a shared project with DJ / Producer Danger Mouse. I thought Gnarls Barkley was the singer’s name but it is Cee Lo Green.
Very talented guy I think so, and versatile also!
Hi Hoshino.
Thank you for clearing that up. As you say, a talented guy.
RM/Hoshino – Cee-Lo really is the superstar we can all get behind. As debby suggests, he’s the cameo king, having guested on Little Star by Kelis, and Pretty Please by Estelle, which are both delightful and, no offence to either lady, made by his contribution, and I think he’s had other guest slots. And as Steenbeck mentioned, Cee-Lo Green Is The Soul Machine, pre-Gnarls Barkley – is wonderful album – Die Tryin’ one of the outstanding soul tracks of the last 20 years if you ask me.
Cee Lo Green is the soul machine!! He’s the BEST!! Nice video, RockingMitch.
And here is again, cameoing with Berlin’s finest (round about 2 minutes in):
Seeed – Aufstehn
Very impressed by his performance in your clip, Mitch!
Thanks, folks.
For steenbeck and any other foreign Johnnies who frequent these pages, the video was taken from a TV show called “Hootenanny” which goes out every year on New Year’s Eve and is fronted by Jools Holland. I got a bit pissed off when I discovered it was recorded in October, so we aren’t “seeing the New Year in with the stars”
Don’t be horrid, Mitch – only taxi drivers like working on New Year’s Eve! (I know cos I used to be married to one.)
@Tfd. I used to LOVE gigging on New Year’s Eve. One of my best gigs ever was New Year 1969 when we played for the staff party at Twickenham Film Studios.
We alternated with a pop band who had 2 girl singers who weren’t just talented at singing!
I think you know I worked for a while as a mini-cab driver in South London. NYE was well paid, but cleaning the vomit was a drag.
Yeah, but if anyone was sick in the cab he’d charge extra.
debby(m)
I was at a squat party with seeed many moons ago – I would tell you more but it lasted 48 hours and I ended up majorly damaged.
they are ace.
The internet is now full; we may be experiencing more problems like this from now on.
Maki left a tag open!
That’s nothing – I left the oven on all night with the door open.
Oh no!!!
I have a total paranoia of leaving the stove on, and before I go out in the morning, I make sure like ten times I have turned off, and even then sometimes I have to stop to go to work and go again home to check!!!
Be careful, Hoshino – over here we call that obsessive-compulsive disorder and it can develop and make someone’s life hell.
[Sorry to lower the mood but I work in the field of mental health and wellbeing.]
In my case I think it’s just my age though.
Hi TFD!!!
“over here we call that obsessive-compulsive disorder”
LOL!!! over here we call it being an airhead!!!
You’re lucky no one came in and stole it then
Blimpy or may – if you go into edit function on my 9:30 post and close the bold tag then the last five or six comments will make no sense!
NOW IT’S ALL CAPS TOO!! WOOOOOOOAAARRGH!!!
Will this stop it? Probably not…
Things become strange as we near the event horizon of 200 comments, I mean THINGS BECOME STRANGE AS WE NEAR THE EVENT HORIZON OF 200 COMMENTS
192 and counting…
Did that work?
Nope.
1 more try
?
This used to happen on RR too but it doesn’t any more – I know, because I forgot to close a bit of bold the other week, but everything was fine.
Have not had internet connection since Friday, so I am coming to this a bit late. Having read all of the posts above to make sure that this is not a duplicate, I can safely go on to thank DarceysDad for putting this in as an ‘earworm’ a little while ago.
There was something in the back of my mind that told me I knew of this act but I never tried to listen to any of the music.
And this just blew me away…………….
King Creosote……….’And The Racket They Made’
Aw thanks, bluepeter.
But Blimpy needs to take most of the credit.
I did buy KC Rules OK, but to be honest, he’d then retreated back into the rarely-played section of my collection. It was Blimpy’s enthusiasm that got me listening again, which is when I absolutely fell in love with this song.
One of my proudest A-listings on RR, (Last Lines), and the song that occupies BOTH the #1  slots in my iTunes All-Time most played.
Yup, ’twas through Blimpy I first heard of him too, and I’m not one bit ashamed.
Beautiful.
I expect this to feature as the soundtrack of a ‘warrior coming home’ scene in a movie coming to a theater near you very soon.
Late as usual. Don’t buy much music any more as have other priorities but I do like like this, even though I’m not a country fan. It reminds me very much of Chris Isaak. Anyway, discovered via TV and the Trueblood series, last year – Jace Everett:
What a nice track.
You are right it does have the Chris Isaac Blue Hotel / Wicked Game vibe.
I will definitely look for him in the future!
I do like some country (depending what it is) and I do like this,ali. Great choice.
Not posted before – I found it difficult not to like this track when I heard it a few months back. Hope it works.
Hi Vanwolf
I really enjoyed this track, it sounds somehow very mysterious…..I can imagine hidden and dark events in the forest when I listen to it!!!!
Welcome, vanwolf!
BTW comments don’t usually come out bold here. (Unless someone’s being deliberately provocative.)
Thanks guys – I will try to avoid being provocative – nice track anyway.
Greetings from me too, vanwolf.
This is going to happen more and more often now I suppose – newbies arriving on the ‘Spill such as your good self, Hoshino and SpottedRichard – names I don’t know since JonD pushed me off RR Mountain.
Hi DarceysDad. Yes new to RR and theSpill. It’s quite entertaining.
Liking this one.
When did ponchos become fashionable again ?
Devendra Banhart favours the poncho, but I wouldn’t follow all of his sartorial examples and surely ponchos have been in fashion since The Man With No Name wore one anyway?
Provocative? Or just very emphatic?
A bit shouty, certainly…
I guess as the fire-starter for this thread (that’s OK, Billy, I know it wasn’t you…and, by the way, don’t go changing), I should also welcome the new ‘Spillers – great to see you on this side of the tracks, guys.
I know nothing about how the type got bold but I’m prepared to believe I left a scalpel in the intestines somewhere when I went in to remove tfd’s Buffy-spoiler. Is that possible?
Either way, my inbox has not seen this much action since back in the day when all I had for company were busty vixens, exiled Nigerian dictators and penis enlargement specialists. Remarkably, these 200-odd posts have made for better reading and of course listening.
can I be bold too? I feel as if I’m missing out.
Bold ! Very bold !
May I be so bold?
Fresh out of the box: this week, I came across The Cult of Dom Keller. They seem to have only recorded about an album’s worth of material so far. They have just played the Austin Psych Festival which was probably their first international gig.
That was me above. Forgot to sign in.
Who broked the internets ?
Saw this on one of those BBC2 old music compilation programmes and was blown away mainly by the way Johnny Winter looks – 6ft plus, albino, boob tube, stack heels – what a look!!! Not only that, but this is one of the best cover versions i’ve ever heard. This live version is actually better than the one i bought, but he’s still pretty awesome.
He pops up in Patti Smith’s Just Kids book and a little research showed he was at Woodstock and was getting some of the biggest record company advances ever seen at the time – then he blew it. He decided to go back to blues, which was his first love and not rock n roll. Spent most of his time from the mid-seventies onwards producing rather than playing – which is a shame.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0gU6OxIf-0&w=425&h=349%5D
Not sure whether the embed has worked by the way, so i also include a link.
He has a brother, Edgar, also an ace musician. Also albino. Both were very big in the 70s
I’d heard that, but have not got round to searching out any EW yet.
Have found very few decent new bands ( or even songs!) in the past year so it would have to be Sugar who I did know about previously but had not heard to any conscious degree. This is a great piece of what used to pass for melodic pop music cf the Byrds.
FredFlintstone – if you haven’t already found it, i recommend Beaster – a mini-album Bob Mould did immediately after Copper Blue to purge all the repressed anger he didn’t manage to leave behind after recording CB. One of the loudest, most visceral recordings i’ve ever heard.
Better still, go back to the source and listen to Husker Du (if you haven’t done so previously) – if you can’t find any decent new music at present, HD are perfect for you – 2 double-albums bookending three single albums with some early live recordings thrown in for good measure. My favourite band ever.
BM’s solo work (before and after Sugar) can be a little hit or miss, but are generally pretty good. If you’ve not discovered Husker Du yet – lucky, lucky you.
SO late for this I should think of a song for 2012. Is the internet fixed yet?