Monthly Archives: January 2012

by

‘Spill Challenge Vol 2 #5: songs you think are by a completely different band

What, she doesn't know which of us is who?

This was a post I put together some time ago for a Challenge but somebody pipped me to the post (!) so it’s popping up now instead.

I’m hoping I’m not alone in this (cos that would make the challenge really boring) but there are a few songs in my collection that I misidentify EVERY TIME they come up on my iPod. Say I was whizzing round glorious Dumfries and Galloway in the motor*. A track would start and my unconscious mind go “Yes! That’s the [insert name of band]!”

And then the vocal would start, or something else recognisable, and my now more conscious mind would go “Dayamn! Made that same mistake again!” Because it’s someone completely different.

One example is the Beach Boys’ Fun Fun Fun, which I always think is going to be Chuck Berry. But that’s not a very good example, because after all they do use a Chuck Berry riff for the intro. What I’m after, if you can think of one, is a song that you really really like by a band you really really like which you should recognise…but somehow you never do.

For instance: I know I only discovered TP&TH 20 months ago, but I’ve been listening to them with great dedication ever since. (Check my last.fm page if you don’t believe me.) And yet I still always think this is the Who.

Love Is A Long Road by Tom Petty

.

.

*I don’t do so much whizzing in MK, mostly because I don’t have a 60-mile round trip every weekday.

by

Earworms – 30th January

Alela Diane – Elijah
Anna Calvi seems to have been this year’s fave songstress for many, but I’m sticking with Alela Diane, who also had a new album in 2011 (AD & the Wild Divine). There are many hooky songs, but this song, Elijah, is real earworm territory. Get bitten…
glasshalfempty

Prefab Sprout – Pearly Gates
The Sprouts are a band who are never too far from the top of my iPod listening list (not that I have such a thing) and this track is one that I can never tire of listening to.  I heard it earlier tonight and now can’t get it out of my head (not that that’s a bad thing) particularly because of the lines; “See the smile on her young face, watch life casually erase it”, which, as the father of two girls who are now aged 17 and very nearly 20, struck a rather big chord.  Please, girls, never let go of those smiles…
ToffeeBoy

Curtis Mayfield – Keep On Keeping On
From Curtis’s 2nd solo LP,’ Roots’, 1971, this song speaks to everyone who has ever tried to transcend the trials and tribulations that life sets before them. It’s my own mantra, I suppose, and it’s beautiful music …
Webcore

Michel’le – No More Lies
Bish’s gutsy Shannon earworm inspired me to send this blast from the early 90′s past – somewhere between disco, funk, hip-hop and R&B.  Whatever you call it, I still love it.
AmyLee

Feargal Sharkey – Listen To Your Father
Feargal’s post-Undertones career started out brilliantly, didn’t it? The Assembly’s majestic “Never Never” (possibly Vince Clarke’s finest hour) and this, which is to all intents and purposes Feargal fronting Madness. A marriage made in heaven. Shame he subsequently maxed out on the worst 80-isms. (I’m sure Chris will back me up here!)
bishbosh

Beau Jocque – Don’t Tell Your Mama, Don’t Tell Your Papa
Beau Joque aka Beau Jacques – which is swamp talk for “Big Guy”, was a powerful 6’6” 270lb zydeco artist who made big music, and who died of a heart attack at the young age of 42. If you can stand zydeco and love the accordion this is a great song to stomp around the kitchen to when you’re frying catfish and making hushpuppies. If this doesn’t float your canoe, it’s mercifully short.
SpottedRichard

Please send your lovely earworm tunes and blurbs to earworm@tincanland.com. Keep ‘em coming!
by

This Is A Public Service Announcement…

Just thought you’d like to know “wyngate jr” (as he certainly isn’t known in the real world) has arrived. He’s “a good size”, and seems very content and well behaved … so far! Mum is also fine. So no more gigs for me for a while…..

(Disclaimer: Picture above is not a genuine photo of the new arrival)

by

deviants use digital


an image is worth a 1000 NME cover shots


1 The Polaroid Song Allo, Darlin’
2 Crutch Pinback
3 Your Charms Cinerama
4 Here For The World I Am Kloot
5 Lullabies Headlights
6 Real Tuesday Weld The Real Tuesday Weld
7 Like a Daydream Ride
.
.


1 Fat Kids In Photographs I Am Kloot
2 Million Young American Analog Set
3 Heavy Storm First Aid Kit
4 Photograph B For Butterfly
5 Nightwatch Laura Gibson
6 The Final Arrears Mull Historical Society
.
.
I tried to leave these out – but the playlist just kept on developing.



1 Shout Me Out TV On The Radio
2 A Man Inside My Mouth The Cure
3 Itchin’ On A Photograph Grouplove
4 An Old Photo of Your New Lover (Class Actress Remix) The One AM Radio
5 Camera De Rosa
6 Camera Pavement
7 I Am a Camera Golden Virgins
8 Personal Stars

by

Hardcore, hardcore, listen to the crowd roar

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-.

by

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

by

Korean Punk and Indie – He Said – She Said

Korean Punk ! ! ! Are you sure Mr P ? ? ?

She Says:

Most people associate Korea with really well produced, totally professional and internationally successful K-pop boy bands and girl groups. But there is a really exciting alternative music scene and in this post we want to share some of the music by our favorite Korean punk and Indie bands.

He says:

Yes. In the “man eat dog” world of Korean music it’s the massed ranks of synchronised girlie bands that have garnered most attention, but there is a small but significant  “underground” scene too. What strikes me here is the sheer “professionalism” of the tracks. Clearly helped by advances in technology, even the scrattiest of punk bands can now produce a decent sounding ( and looking) recording.

Continue reading →

by

Is There Anybody Out There?

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

by

Spill Challenge Vol 2. No.4 Orchestral Instruments in Pop and Rock

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 →

by

Earworms – 23rd January

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!

by

“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 →

by

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.

by

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.

by

12 for 2012 No.11: Lower Dens

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!

by

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?

by

Taiwanese Pop and Indie – He Said – She Said

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 →