Hello… and Croseo, Bienvenue, Bienvenido, Willkommen/Guten tag, Välkommen, Salaam, Ykoso and welcome to what is a quite an international music mix with bands and artists from nine different countries. It’s almost like a magical mystery tour – what a good name for an album.

After the last two mixes (the BBQ and Anniversary ones) where we concentrated on older established bands that were selected by contributors, I’ve decided to try and highlight as many new bands and artists as possible. Artists like Jean-Michel Jarre, Los Lobos and that spring chicken Richard Thompson as this is, I believe what you want – to discover new songs by new artists (I was joking about the 3 guys above Ken). Hopefully you will like and explore further.

We also, have two tracks from Mas Duro Que Jimi Hendrix, our album of the month and four fantastic blues songs in our three-in-a-row – yes four tracks – thanks UncleRaveDave but you’ve gotta learn to do the maths.

[01] Suralin – Lift Off/Mystery Train [Leda]
Suralin come from the small East German town of Hohenstein-Ernstthal and have really impressed me with their debut album Leda. Having played Bass in a couple bands when in my teens I always have a soft spot for a good bass line and this album has the bass as one of the dominant instruments, reminding me in a way of Wire and Gang of Four.

This track has a grand old rumbling bass to start the mix but there’s more to the song than that with some lovely guitar work and a lovely feel to the song that shows maturity and mellowness for such a young band. There’s not a bad track on the album with other highlights being the opener Holy Dancer with its funky post punk sound and Time Is Timeless, a catchy alternative rock song that should surely be filling a stadium near you soon.

As we’re travelling a lot throughout this mix, we’ll also need some refreshment so how about some Soljanka soup, followed by Grilled Thüringer Bratwurst served with Mashed Potatoes & Sauerkraut washed down with plenty of Franziskaner Hefeweizen.

[02] Lowrider – Flat Earth [Ode to Lo]
Moving North to Sweden we have Lowrider, a stoner rock band formed in the mid-1990s by bassist/singer Peder Bergstrand and lead guitarist/singer Ole Hellquist, along with guitarist Niclas Stalfors and drummer Andreas Eriksson. With the re-release of Queens of the Stone Age album ‘Rated R’ (a classic stoner rock album), I was tempted to select one of their tracks – but on hearing these guys I thought who needs QOTSA when we have Lowrider.

Just love the part at 4mins 8 secs when, after some twiddling on a fuzzy guitar the main riff kicks back in and we off again – woo hoo.

Here we’ll tuck into some pytt i panna and kåldolmar accompanied by a bottle of Schnapps and some Folköl.

[03] Jean-Michel Jarre – Oxygène 4 [Oxygène]
Chatting with a guy the other day, and I asked him what his Desert Island Disc would be? Without blinking an eye he boldy stated Oxygène 4. Wow, I thought, what a song and also how does one only pick one song (I couldn’t).

Anyway, it is just a brilliant song and one of 5 instrumentals in the mix. Oh by the way we’re in France now, time for a little bit of Burgundy, Brie and some Petit Coeur biscuits.

[04] 65DaysOfStatic – Retreat Retreat [The Fall of Math]
It’s a trip across the Channel to England and a new band to me called 65DaysOfStatic. From Sheffield, they are apparently the leading lights of the instrumental post-rock and math rock scene – what the xxxx does that mean? To me it’s just good music, again an instrumental but I love the way this track ebbs and flows, back and forth conveying emotion and feeling – worth exploring further.

[05] Detroit Social Club – Black & White [Existence]
Now we go winging our way across the Atlantic to America’s largest city ‘Motor Town’… STOP stop stop – don’t book your flights just yet, these guys are from Newcastle-upon-Tyne not Detroit so it’s just a quick trip up the M1, stopping for a bite to eat in one our lovely motorway services (I just love paying £10.99 for a cup of cold tea, a greasy fry-up and stale toast).

Love the intro to this song with the big big drums sounds which is nothing but direct, bold even uplifting. The main man behind the band is David Burn, a self-confessed music-head and audiophile who obviously cares about the sound – I hear shades of Jeff Lynne even Spector maybe. He also appears to have a bit of an ego, recently telling Q magazine that rather than referring to him as the band’s songwriter he considers himself “a vibe creator, the words and what other people relate to, like the songs, that’s just the sprinkles on top of the music I’ve spent ages doing.” – bit wanky that don’t you think?

Shame as the album is good, very good.

[06] The Kings Of Frog Island – Dark On You [Kings of Frog Island]
We stay in England with The Kings of Frog Island, a 3-piece band from Leicester who draw from Psychedelic, Stoner and Retro Rock traditions. They take their name from Frog Island which is an inner city area of Leicester so named because it lies between the River Soar and the Grand Union Canal.

It’s hard to see why this band are classed as Stoner from this track, but believe me there are some mighty heavy songs on the album. Especially like Ode to Baby Jane but don’t put off by the stoner tag as the album is excellent.

What shall eat in Leicester? Let’s opt for typical British grub and visit The Curry Fever tandoori restaurant where can enjoy some bombay aloo, paneer tikka masala and an exciting mixed tandoor sizzler. We’ll probably end the experience with soothing yoghurt lassi and a few bottles of Kingfisher lager.

[07] Arcade Fire – Modern Man [The Suburbs]
Next stop is Montreal where we meet the husband and wife duo of Win Butler and Régine Chassagne who are Arcade Fire. What can one say about this band? They have to be the most original and consistent modern bands and one of the few that will surely be around for a while. Great new album, great song, great lyrics- end of sermon.

To munch on? How about some poutine and tarte au sucre with a few bottles of Molson.

So I wait my turn, I’m a modern man
And the people behind me, they can’t understand
Makes me feel like
Makes me feel like

So I wait in line, I’m a modern man
And the people behind me, they can’t understand
Makes me feel like
Something don’t feel right

Like a record that’s skipping
I’m a modern man
And the clock keeps ticking
I’m a modern man
Makes me feel like
Makes me feel like

In my dream I was almost there
And you pulled me aside and said you’re going nowhere
They say we are the chosen few
But we’re wasted
And that’s why we’re still waiting
On a number from the modern man
Maybe when you’re older you will understand
Why you don’t feel right
Why you can’t sleep at night now

In line for a number but you don’t understand
Like a modern man
In line for a number but you don’t understand
Like a modern man

Oh I had a dream I was dreaming
And I feel I’m losing the feeling
Makes me feel like
Like something don’t feel right
I erase the number of the modern man
Want to break the mirror of the modern man
Makes me feel like
Makes me feel like

In my dream I was almost there
But you pulled me aside and said you’re going nowhere
I know we are the chosen few
But we’re wasted
And that’s why we’re still waiting
In line for a number but you don’t understand
Like a modern man
In like for a number but you don’t understand
Like a modern man

And you feel so right
But how come you can’t sleep at night?
In line for a number but you don’t understand
Like a modern man

I’m a modern man
I’m a modern man
I’m a modern man
I’m a modern man

[08] Los Lobos – Tin Can Trust [Tub Can Trust]
Los Lobos (”The Wolves”) are an old American Chicano rock band from East Los Angeles California, that have been around since Spacey was a lad. They’re kinda rock and roll, Tex-Mex, country music, folk, R&B, blues. Plus if that’s not enough they also play traditional Spanish and Mexican music such as boleros and norteños – stick a fiddle up their arses and they’ll probably play a jig as well.

This track, the title track from their latest long player, is so laid back, so mellow just drifting along like some tumbleweed blowing across a dusty old train track – just love it. Oh did I mention that their biggest hit was La Bamba? No good ‘cos I hate that song.

To refresh ourselves from the long journey South from Montreal – we gotta visit El Coyote Mexican Café at 7312 Beverly Boulevard to sample a couple of their famous El Coyote Margaritas plus some authentic Chili Relleno with extra peppers and a side order of Colgate Mouthwash.

Caremelito Fuxia – [09] LLamando los Rockeros / [10] Agarame fuerte [Mas duro que Jimi Hendrix]
Two tracks from my Album of the Month. You can read more details about the band there. I think these songs confirm what a fantastic guitarist Jan the Man is and the extraordinary feel he has for his instrument (he’s not a bad guitarist too) and the song. I hear that he’s working on a new album that has some tracks with vocals – now that could be good.

So what shall we eat in Spain? We’ve hardly had any wine on our travels so a bottle or two of Rioja sounds rather pleasant to accompany our seafood paella – I know I’m predictable but it’s one of my favs and anyway whose travel fantasy is this?

[11] Toumast – Kik Ayittma [Ishumar]
We featured these guys on a previous mix last year sometime, but I just couldn’t resist this song. Three reasons: it’s a bloody good song, it sounds amazing straight after Caremelito Fuxia and a couple weeks ago me and Mrs. Dog were helping our son to pack his case and clean his room as he was leaving home to go back to UK to go to Uni. He had his iPod on shuffle and this song came on and within an instant we were all up and dancing and jigging and laughing and being the normal crazy family we are. Will always remember that moment.

Toumast is lead singer Moussa Ag Keyna who together with female singer Aminatou Goumar and French producer Dan Levy have created some sublime new African desert sounds. Moussa was born in a wide valley on the border between Mali and Niger, deep in the Sahara desert but ended up in a hospital in France after being injured in the recent civil war. He says: “The name ‘Toumast’ means ‘identity’. I chose that name because I was part of the Touareg rebellion, where everything we did was for the Touareg identity. Even music was created in order to give existence to our identity.”

The lyrics are strong ‘Hey, my brothers, blood has been shed’, sings Moussa in the rolling phrases of the song, as the chorus calls and responds throughout. ‘And they have burnt the lands inherited from our history so I beg you, Prophets and Gods, to bring rebirth of the Touareg identity’.

After those lyrics we may not be that hungry so we we’ll just settle for some foura and a cup of sweet red tea.

[12] Jim Kerr – Shadowland [Lostboy!]
Jim Kerr was born in Glasgow and is of course best known for his work with the band Simple Minds who achieved five UK #1 albums.

Shadowland was the first single from Jim’s new solo album Lost Boys which reached a respectable #8 in the UK Independent charts. I like this song, I like the way it sounds like Simple Minds (of course) in their prime, but I also hear some Bowie – a very confident start to his solo career.

Food-wise we’re in Glasgow so where shall we eat and drink – I recommend Where The Monkey Sleeps, a café on West Regent Street that vibrates to a soundtrack of vintage heavy metal, rather than Norah Jones or Katie Melua – and its lovingly assembled menu is equally different. The “kurgan” (a regularly changing special) might be a Newcastle Brown ale moistened burger with mature cheddar, or a bagel of fish fingers all washed down with bottles of Irn-Bru of course.

[13] Malted Milk – Hang On In [Sweet Soul Blues]
Originating from Nantes (France), Malted Milk moves within the sheerest Afro-American musical tradition, brilliantly combining blues and funky soul. Led by the guitarist and singer Arnaud Fradin the band has become one of the major figures of the French blues scene – and you can hear why on this delicious track that is so smooth and seductive I might need help undressing tonight! Uh!

We’re back in France so what else is there to eat… apart from everything. The region’s vineyards produce wines such as Muscadet and Gros Plant, both excellent with fish and seafood. So we’ll try a bucket of oysters with the local Muscadet. Plus some fromage du curé nantais – a cow’s milk cheese developed by a priest near Nantes, that is also excellent with Muscadet – job done.

It’s now the turn of UncleRaveDave to tell us a bit about his choice of music – give us a well earned rest from all these culinary delights. Dave says:

“Singing the blues. Blues is a state of being, a condition, a mood, a state of mind and spirit. Singing the blues, on the other hand, is a way of treating the condition. I have always admired the courage of blues singers who operate on themselves in the presence of their community and strangers. Blues songs scan the personal horizon. The lyrics obey no boundary that we can experience, and what cannot be conveyed by lyrics is carried on the wings of sound, of voice and guitar, harp and piano – the black keys, that is.

The sound of a blues song finding the air sometimes makes me feel as if something in my soul which I had never heard before has started to sing. When blues songs are most powerful, they resonate with intimacy, they feel like unrestricted exposure; thus, they are open to also touch anyone who stands in their sound. And I guess therein lies the genius of the treatment of the condition. If you can sing about a situation, you are not ruled or owned by that situation. You can sing about being down and the very act of that song filling the air represents you on your way up, and if you can stand in the sound of an honestly crafted blues song and let it find its true place within your soul – you, the participant listener, can be more whole” (Bernice Johnson Reagan)

So, anyhow, the Dog has spoken, and spoken thusly: “URD – you have to select an old bluesy 3-in-a-row for Septembers Music Mix – no excuses this time.” The Pig has asked if URD “… can dig out some we (well me anyway) don’t know about.” Technoflid likes his blues “authentic”. So, no pressure, then.

[14] Lonnie Pritchard – Come On In My Kitchen [The Roots of Rhythm and Blues 1939-1945]
The first song in this trilogy is a Robert Johnson classic, Come On In My Kitchen. It was one of the first blues songs I ever copied to tape, and which probably began my love affair with the blues. The version I recorded then was off the album Tightly Knit, by the Climax Blues Band. (The album also has a 9-minute song called St. Michael’s Blues, with some very strange lyrics: “I woke up this morning / With blues all around my bed / I took my blue socks off last night, woman / And in the morning, they had changed to red / Don’t go messing with my Marks and Spencer’s socks (They’re my good socks, baby)”. It has a great guitar solo, but ultimately it’s about rummaging about in a sock drawer (I think) – very strange). But I digress. This version of Come on in My Kitchen is by Lonnie Pitchford. Born in the 1950s in Lexington, Mississippi (30 miles from where Robert Johnson died), Pitchford learned by constructing a one-string instrument with African antecedents, known locally as a diddley bow. He played acoustic guitar and bass, both as a soloist and in a gospel ensemble and band format. Having worked with Robert Junior Lockwood over the years, Pitchford was part of a direct chain of tradition from Johnson to Lockwood to Pitchford. In November 1998, Pitchford died at his home in Lexington, from AIDS. Recorded in 1991, Pitchford’s stark reading of Johnson’s evocative classic may not be the most polished version you’ll ever hear, but if you like your blues stripped-down and basic – as I do – then I hope you’ll enjoy this.

[15] Robert Junior Lockwood with Gene Schwartz – How Long Blues [The Roots of Rhythm and Blues 1939-1945]
The second track reflects on Technoflid’s statement that Clapton’s versions of the blues “…lacked some of the rawness required. We all know Eric’s an incredible guitarist, but he’s so polished that it sometimes lacks the pure emotion of some other guitarists.” I do agree with this, but personally find it’s a problem with most white boys playing the blues. For me, certain blues songs almost HAVE to be sung by a Black artist to really ring true. Here, for instance, is one of my favourite blues tracks; I love Clapton’s take(s) on the song, but this version has far greater authenticity, as far as I’m concerned. The track is How Long, How Long Blues, here by the aforementioned Robert Junior Lockwood, with Gene Schwartz on bass. Born in Marvell, Arkansas in 1915, Lockwood grew up in Helena. Inspired by his stepfather, Robert Johnson, he began an unparalleled career as a working musician. From the 1930s on, he participated in almost every chapter of blues history as a central character and a major musical influence. Wherever the blues flourished, in Clarksdale, Mississippi; Helena, Arkansas; Memphis, Tennessee; St. Louis, Missouri; or Chicago, Illinois, Lockwood plied his trade with Sonny Boy Williamson (Rice Miller), Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters, Little Walter, B.B.King, and most of the other major figures in Delta and Chicago blues history. Lockwood can be credited with introducing a jazz-inflected sophistication to the Chicago bar band sound. He died in 2006 at the age of 91 in Cleveland, having earlier suffered a cerebral aneurysm and a stroke.

[16] Jessie Mae Hemphill – Train, Train [The Roots of Rhythm and Blues 1939-1945]
And this third track is specially for Technoflid, in light of Sister Rosetta Sharpe floating his boat so adroitly. The song is Train, Train by Jessie Mae Hemphill, who carried on the traditional music of Mississippi’s Hemphill family until she suffered a stroke that paralyzed her left side in 1993, preventing her from playing guitar and resulting in her retiring at that time from her blues career. Her grandfather and musical inspiration, Sid Hemphill, was a fiddler and guitarist recorded by folklorists Alan Lomax and George Mitchell. Her mother, Bertha Lee, and aunt, Rosa Lee, were also guitarists. A flamboyant stage personality, she toured Europe and recorded for several labels. Her song here exemplifies the connected themes of separation and travel. In blues tradition, images of trains dominated the very first blues collected and throughout blues history trains have worked as sexual metaphors, symbols of escape, or agents of mistreatment. Jessie Mae Hemphill died in Memphis in 2006, after experiencing complications from an ulcer.

Ok, Dawg, there’s the 3 old bluesy numbers you asked for, but to use them in your mix you also HAVE to include (but not as part of the 3-in-a-row), this track: What It’s Like by Everlast.

[17] Everlast – What it’s like [Whitey Ford Sings the Blues]
I always told myself that, when I eventually get round to doing a 3-in-a-row blues sampler, this song would feature. But it’s not that old, and certainly not a “typical” blues song. What it is, though, and what it shows, is that blues does not have to be confined to an old, scratchy, recording of a Black man pouring out his soul. Everlast is Erik Schrody, a Grammy-Award winning Irish-American rapper and singer-songwriter, known mainly for this solo hit and as the front-man for rap group House of Pain. This song is off his second solo album Whitey Ford Sings the Blues and ranks consistently as one of my all-time favourite songs. The album has one or two other good songs also (Ends has some truly awesome lyrics), but apart from that I don’t know much of his work. For this track though, many thanks Eric !

Thanks URD for a wonderful 4 in-a-row.

[18] We Only Said – Cheerful Girl [We Only Said]
We Only Said is another new band to me and you I hope, led by Florian Marzano, who along with Mathias Prime, Loïg Nguyen, Cédric Moutier & Pierre Marolleau make some good good music. As for their music, their MySpace page says they “hover at the crossroads of post-rock and North American indie pop”. A good description as I hear many influences from these genres, especially Midlake (why does everyone sound like Midlake to me now?). Anyway, it’s a gentle laid back song with a chilled out vibe, nice sounding guitar and they’re French which means more gastronomic delights.

For refreshment we’re going to visit the Funky Munky Bar, at 37, rue St. Melanie. It’s a cool vodka/cocktail bar located near an entrance for the Thabor park. Drinks are relatively cheap – the more you buy, the cheaper it gets. The bar serves 30 flavors of vodka, numerous cocktails (including a Long Island Iced Tea, Cosmos, Sex on the Beach, and a delicious drink called a Purple Turtle) and a few beers on tap or in bottles. The bar hosts a poetry slam every 1st and 3rd Tuesday of every month and a quiz night every Monday from about 8pm on. The bartender (and owner!) speaks both French AND English, so don’t worry about having to speak perfect French. For food… who needs food when you can have sex on the beach with a purple turtle?

[19] Frogg Café – Under Wuhu Son: In the Bright Light [Bateless Edge]
This band from New York must be my most eclectic find of the month. A one-time Zappa tribute band they create sounds and songs that should not make sense – should not sound so darn good – but they do.

Their website says “Frogg Café explores many new textures and colors that add great dimension to the contemporary jazz-fusion sound that is unmistakably their own. The band incorporates for the first time detailed orchestration akin to symphony music. Clarinets, mandolins, cellos, glockenspiels, bass clarinets, xylophones, string quartets and many other instruments all integrate to create a soundscape that will yield the listener infinite details on future listens. Classical Indian influences also find their way into the mix, along with new levels of intricate compositional complexity, including a track that boasts a 28-page musical score consisting of roughly twenty-five different instruments.” – Enough said.

This song is part of a trilogy which, for me is the highlight of the album. The trilogy is nearly 20-minutes long and as the composer Andrew Sussman explains, “This piece of music is very personal to me and based on true life events surrounding the adoption of our baby girl, and it has taken me nearly a year to get my thoughts into this piece”. In this elaborate journey, Frogg Cafe explores textures and detailed orchestration akin to symphony music; a giant step forward for the band. Clarinets, mandolins, cellos, glockenspiels, bass clarinets, xylophones, string quartets and many other instruments all integrate to create a sound world that will yield the listener infinite details on future listens. An amazing song – remember what you are hearing here is only the first part – I hope our dear friend Techy will be able to play it in full on his next radio show.

To refresh ourselves how about a trip to B. B. King’s Blues Club and Grill on West 42 Street where we can enjoy some Ribs and Bud in the Lucille Grill and listen to… what else but some more blues.

[20] Richard Thompson – First Breath [The Old Kit Bag]
I cannot wait for this guy’s new album Dream Attic, expected very soon. But in the mean time let’s enjoy one of the highlights from my favourite Thompson album The Old Kit Bag. Did you hear how it mixed so well with the previous track – so smooth like it was meant to be?

What more can I say about this guy – this track? Not much, just enjoy.

As Richard is a London boy I thought we would visit Peckham (I have no idea why). But I do know that on Peckham High Street is a place called Obalende Suya Express that sells Suyas – skewer after sizzling skewer of African street food. The Suya originated in Nigeria and is basically like an African kebab; thin strips of meat are rubbed with ground peanuts and spices and then grilled. A traditional accompaniment is sliced tomato and onion.

It’s a scruffy little place, the waiting area consisting of a few battered chairs that look like they came from the old Labour club in Merthyr about 20 years ago; so we’ll have a take away, find an ‘offie’ and sit on a park bench nearby with our Suya and a case of Fuller’s ESB, one of the strongest regularly brewed draught beers in the country (at 5.5% ABV) but also one of the tastiest.

Lyrics to First Breath:
Let’s love
what’s left
Last Dance
First Breath

New friends
Hard won
Old hearts
Shine on

The frost is cruel
And fades the sign
On that little place
That I call mine

Let’s love
what’s left
Like new born
First breath

Old stars
New shine
Old cup
New wine

Sun rise
Moon glow
Someday
We’ll know

Inch by inch
Word by word
The lock is sprung
That caged the bird

Let’s love
What’s left
Last dance
First breath

[21] El Ten Eleven – My Only Swerving [El Ten Eleven]
If we’re still standing after our ESB, it’s time for the climax of our mix. Another instrumental and one that is guaranteed to assist in you becoming horizontal and totally chilled out and relaxed.

El Ten Eleven is a Los Angeles duo known for combining guitar/bass doubleneck or fretless bass with heavy looping, or vamping, and using effects pedal, over acoustic or electric drumming. The sound they make is just great – no words but the songs seem to tell their own story, express their own opinions and invariably you find yourself lost in the music.

FYI – The name El Ten Eleven is derived from the name of an airplane, the Lockheed L-1011 TriStar and consists of bassist and composer Kristian Dunn and drummer Tim Fogarty. I like the use of a doubleneck guitar – reminds me of Jimmy Page in his prime – these guys aren’t in his league, but still create music that is worthy of a place in my mix and I hope we’ll hear more from them in the future.

We’ve already eaten in Los Angeles with Los Lobos and had a great time at El Coyote Mexican Café. For our last meal on my fantasy travel/pigging out guide why don’t we go a bit ‘posh’ and visit the Blue Velvet Restaurant on Garland Avenue. Where we can dine in style with some Pan Seared Chilean Sea Bass with Sake Nage, Carrot Puree and chips (I asked for the chips as a special). Accompanied by a few bottles of Windstream Chardonnay from the local Sarmento Vineyard – a luscious, structured wine with intense flavors of ripe pear and green apple.

So there we have our Music Mix for September – hope you enjoy the music, hope you enjoy some of the new names I’ve discovered this month and of course if you like the track there’s a very good chance that you will like the album.

The September Music Mix [a 173 mb zip file] will be available for one month from today – until midnight on 31 September 2010. As always, your thoughts and comments are welcome in the comment box below.

Let me introduce you to our first mini mix by a man that really doesn’t need any introduction – the one and only Mr. Bert Tozer. Bert has only been with us a month or so but has already contributed much – especially with his music from Zimbabwe and Spain. And I for one cannot wait to hear this mix and enjoy what will surely be a musical delight for all.

So…without further ado – Bert

On this mini mix i have put some classic rock bands and songs that have been in my collection for a while I hope you really enjoy, it is a great one for a day by the pool.

01. Devo – Be Stiff
I can’t remember exactly what album this comes from as I got it in a compilation but if you would like more info you can find it here.

02. Grand Funk Railroad – We’re An American Band
This is an all time clasic rock song from the album of the same name.

03. Cock Sparrer – Runnin’ Riot
Ok I know this is a bit punky but the band has a great sound. Taken from the Runnin Riot album.

04. Joe Walsh – Rocky Mountain Way
A brilliant artist with a great band and a wonderful voice, from the album Rocky Mountain Way.

05. Doobie Brothers – China Groove
A great all american folk rock band, from the album Pickin’ on.

06. Ted Nugent – Stranglehold
An exellent guitarist, I love this track. You can find the album here.

07. Bad Company – Rock n Roll Fantasy
Another all american clasic, from the album Bad Co.

08. Edger Winter Group – Free Ride
What can I say about this group? They’re just great, from the album Take A Free Ride.

09. Mountain – Mississippi Queen
I love the lyrics to this song and the guitar is just great, from the album Climbing.

10. Foghat – Fool For The City
Again i really like the lyrics from this song and the music is great. Taken from the album Fool For The City.

11. James Gang – Walk away
A great rock group and great guitar, from the album Thirds.

12. Joe Walsh – Life’s Been Good
Another song from this great artist, from the album But Seriously Folks.

The Reasons to Rock mix [a 70 mb zip file] will be available for a month – expiring at midnight on 26 September 2010. I would like to hear your comments below my friends.

Hello pop pickers… and welcome to BBC Three.

The last mix in our short triology of all the best from the vaults of the BBC – I’m still amazed and impressed with the quality of these sessions, the BBC should be congratulated.

In the mix we start with some lovely guitar from Dire Straits and Robert Cray and end with two very old tracks from ELO and Floyd. In the middle you get some John Martyn, Yardbirds and a great version of Jeepster from Marc Bolan. You may also notice quite a lot of chatter from the DJ’s which almost transports you back in time, especially with (I think) Johnnie Walker chatting about “popping off to the boozer” with The Yardbirds (classic).

Again, hope you enjoy and please remember if you like the song there’s a very good chance that you’ll love the album, so please buy – I reckon dear old Aunty Beeb could do with the extra funds these days.

BBC THREE

[01] Dire Straits – Down to the Waterline [Live at the BBC]
[02] Robert Cray – Smoking Gun [Live at the BBC]
[03] Deep Purple – Strange Kind of Woman [Live on the BBC]
[04] Wishbone Ash – Van Dis [On Air: BBC Sessions]
[05] The Yardbirds – Heart Full of Soul [BBC Sessions]
[06] Marc Bolan – Jeepster [Live at BBC]
[07] John Martyn – Sweet Little Mystery BBC Later [Ain't No Saint]
[08] Be Bop Deluxe – Adventures in a Yorkshire Landscape [BBC Radio 1 Live]
[09] Texas – Tired of Being Alone [The Complete BBC Sessions]
[10] Green on Red – Zombie for Love [BBC Sessions]
[11] Colin Blunstone – She’s Not There [Live in Concert at the BBC]
[12] Free – I’m a Mover [Live at the BBC]
[13] King Crimson – 21st Century Schiziod Man [In the Court of the Crimson King (Expanded)]
[14] Electric Light Orchestra – Kuiama [Live at the BBC]
[15] Pink Floyd – Atom Heart Mother Suite [BBC Concert Classic 1970-1971]

The BBC THREE Music Mix [a 141 mb zip file] will be available for one month from today – until midnight on 20 September 2010. As always, your thoughts and comments are welcome in the comment box below.

Previously on… you might also enjoy the BBC ONE Music Mix and the BBC TWO Mix.

Laughing Dog

Welcome to BBC Two, part 2 of 3 mixes specially designed to titivate your tonal taste buds with the very best from Aunty Beeb’s vaults.
This mix is a little heavier and weirder, which should make Mr. & Mrs. Spacepig grin a bit more manically than usual – I’ve even got a brainstorming Hawkwind track and 22 minutes and 7 seconds of Faust to end proceedings.

The rest of the mix ain’t so bad with the lovely Iron Maiden kicking things off, some old Queen, Ian Hunter and The Byrds in the middle plus a great version of Joe Jackson’s best track. As if that wasn’t enough we have Jimi jammin’ and Paice, Ashton and Lord telling us one of the biggest porkies ever. And of course no BBC mix would be complete without one of Cork’s finest – in fact, I reckon his BBC sessions to be amongst his best work.

Hope you enjoy, we had some great feedback from the first mix, so thanks for that and don’t forget the last BBC mix (BBC Three) will be available here on Friday 20th August. Don’t forget to buy the tracks you like.

BBC TWO

[01] Iron Maiden – Running Free [BBC Archives]

[02] Motörhead – Louie Louie [BBC Live & In-Session]

[03] Ian Hunter – Once Bitten Twice Shy [Live in Concert BBC]

[04] Queen – Fairy King [At the BBC]

[05] Rory Gallagher – Jacknife Beat [The BBC Sessions (Live)]

[06] Paice Aston Lord – I’m Gonna Stop Drinking [BBC Radio 1 Live in Concert]

[07] Tindersticks – Travelling Light [BBC Sessions]

[08] Paul Weller – Early Morning Rain [Weller at the BBC]

[09] Fairport Convention – You Never Wanted [Heyday: the BBC Sessions 1968-1969]

[10] Joe Jackson – Is She Really Going Out With Him? [Live at the BBC]

[11] The Byrds – Eight Miles High [Three Byrds Land in London (Live at the BBC)]

[12] Jimi Hendrix – Jammin’ [BBC Sessions]

[13] Yes – Every Little Thing [The BBC Sessions 1969-1970]

[14] Hawkwind – Brainstorm [At the BBC 1972]

[15] Faust – BBC 1.3.73 [BBC Sessions +]

The BBC TWO Music Mix [a 129 mb zip file] will be available for one month from today – until midnight on 15 September 2010. As always, your thoughts and comments are welcome in the comment box below.

Previously on… you might also enjoy the BBC ONE Music Mix.

Laughing Dog

August 10 Music Mix Notes

It’s very simple to write this introduction – thanks to everyone who has visited MFTM over the past year, hope you have enjoyed your visits to my website. I also hope you enjoy the songs in this mix, they are songs that my friends and I here on MFTM have discovered or rediscovered since last August, mostly from visiting the site.

I hope you will continue to visit and be part of the MFTM family.

[01] Motorpsycho – Starhammer (Spacey)
No surprises here then for our regular visitors. I never did make any secret of my admiration for this one. Only regret was that I didn’t know about it in time to claim it as my birthday pressie. Love the way the intro lulls you into that false sense of security then blows your socks off with the crunching guitar. The voice reminds me of some of the early 80’s metal bands I grew up with, but the rhythm section is pure 21st century garage. At times it nearly becomes prog rock, but it’s just so much cleverer than most of the current crop of prog metal bands, so much going that it’s really difficult to take it all in even after repeated listenings. It just becomes more rewarding each time I hear it.

[02] Steve Winwood – While You See A Chance (LD)
Recently bought his Revolutions cd and simply enjoyed rediscovering his songs – could have selected any number of tracks (Gimme Some Lovin’, No Face, No Name, No Number, Valerie, etc. etc. etc.) but can remember hearing this sometime in the distant past and thinking “yeah there’s truth in those words”.

[03] Midlake – Roscoe (Techy)
The original is good, but can be found with a lovely winding synthesiser intro on the Late Night Tales compilation from Groove Armada. But LD didn’t have – never mind ’tis still a cracking song.

[04] Bruce Springsteen – Working on a Dream (Mrs LD)
I’ve always been a big admirer of Bruce’s bum (sorry LD) and occasionally can be seen Dancing in the Dark with him so when my dear hubby asked me for my favourite song of the last year there was no other contender (especially as Shaking Stevens has been quiet). Hope you enjoy.

[05] Kasabian – Underdogs (Sinny)
Just a brill song by a brill band.

[06] Siena Root – Waiting for the Sun (LD)
On reflection could have and maybe should have been my Song of 2009. This song has it all, wacky Indian intro, blazing goitar, a big organ, a rhythm section to die for, a singist who’s only 4 foot and a fart tall but with leather lungs – it has it all – will also put a smile on my face (isn’t that what’s it all about?). Thanks Spacey.

[07] Audience – The House on the Hill (Cheezy)
Where else can you hear a flute in a rock group! (Don’t answer that.)

[08] Man – C’mon (LD)
This mix is all about the music we’ve discovered or rediscovered since August 2009 – well being a Merthyr boy just had to include this. It’s only a shame that it was Mickey Jones’ death that made me play it again – RIP my man.

[09] Groundhogs- I Love Miss Ogny (Cheezy)
Love this band. How did I miss them?

[10] Midlake – The Trials of Van Occupanther (Spacey)
Way back in February Mr D invited us to try out The Courage of Others. I had been dithering over that one for while, once I heard Acts of Man I went off and bought that CD. Then after reading the reviews on Amazon I decided to take a punt on Van Occupanther. Now, some of the tracks on that CD can be a bit repetitive, some are a little bit dreary. This one however really does it for me. It just seems to flow so well that I couldn’t bear to leave it off this selection.

[11] Atomic Rooster – Nobody Else (Cheezy)
Saw them on T.O.T.Ps, back in the day, doing Tomorrow Night, but for some reason didn’t buy the album.

[12] Them Crooked Vultures – Gunman (LD)
Back in December I wrote: “It took me only 2 minutes and 44 seconds of ‘No one loves me and neither do I’ to realise that this album and band are a wee bit special. It’s the moment when they come out of the bridge and the whole band explodes playing the main riff again – a simple but magical moment that highlights the sheer musical savvy and creativity of these 2 geezers and an old git.”

Same with this song a real good old fashioned rock song that simply oozes class, oozes quality oozes all sorts of sticky stuff (me likes very much).

[13] Biffy Clyro – Mountains (Sinny)
Don’t know why these guys have not been mentioned here before.

[14] Radio Moscow – I Just Don’t Know (Spacey)
Now we’re back on track. I don’t know how Mr D found this one, I’m just glad that he did! It even led to the formation of the psychadelicspaceprogmetalbabbleshite music genre so it must have something going for it. Pure adrenalin fuelled psychedelic freak out. It could nearly be The Pink Fairies, they just have to look just a bit more out of it and they are there.

[15] AC/DC – Safe in New York City (Sinny)
Mr SP you are wrong about these guys – saw them last year in New York City and they simply blew me away.

[16] Robert Randolph and the Family Band – Ain’t nothing wrong with that (LZ)
I first bookmarked this on 17 November 2007, bought the album (Colorblind) immediately (which is also excellent) but kind of stopped playing it. I rediscovered it within the past year when making some list or other for mftm so it qualifies on that count. It also counts in my top 3 favourite tracks in the history of music making. Yep, really. They’ll be toe-tapping along to this at my funeral.

[17] Life’s Too Short (To Be With You) – Tom Jones/ Jools Holland (Techy)
A rollicking opening number from two pros, who also happen to be firm friends. This song is full of fun and feeling.

[18] Lucas Renney – She Gives Me the Chills (URD)
Because it really is that good (to me, at any rate). Not as sure about his other stuff, but this track ticks a lot of my boxes.

[19] Richard Hawley – Open Up Your Door (Techy)
Simply beautiful song on a simply beautiful album. Richard Hawley has a brilliant voice to complement his excellent lyrics.

[20] Willy Mason – If the Ocean gets Tough (LD)
Posted in March of this year in Now This Is Music when I stated that it’s just “perfect music for the soul”. Can’t really add much that – just perfect.

[21] David Sylvian – When Poets Dreamed Of Angels (Cheezy)
I used to have Japans-Tin drum, (where did that go?) but never followed his solo career. A voice like liquid treacle!

[22] Plumbline – Bottletops (LZ/URD)
I think I might be the MFTM devotee referred to by Uncle Dave. I’m so glad he shared this song because it gets played just about every evening in the chillout zone. Love it.

[23] Scott Matthews – Up On The Hill (LD)
Elsewhere was my first Album of the Month and this is what I wrote “It says on his MySpace page that Scott Matthews created his second album ‘Elsewhere’ with a single aim in mind. “I wanted to make a record that locks you in”, he says, “something that gives you a feeling that stays with you. For me, making music is all about creating a mood.”
Well he certainly has achieved this and more.

Released on May 18, 2009 Elsewhere is the follow-up to Matthews’ first album Passing Stranger, which I believe is still one of the best albums of the past few years, going Silver in the UK, winning him an Ivor Novello and contains one of my favourite tracks, Dream Song (watch out for this to be included in a future music mix).

The songs on Elsewhere are darker than his debut album but not black, more a different shade of grey. Listen to Fractured, Jagged Melody and 12 Harps, a duet with Led Zeppelin front man Robert Plant and you will realize the depth of feeling found here. Also look out for a wide mix of different instruments – a flute on Jagged Melody, a lovely bit of trumpet on Suddenly You Figure Out – mmm nice, certainly creating a mood.

I like this album and recommend it to all who enjoyed his debut and to all who like good songs, great voice and lyrics that make you think a bit.

[24] Joe Bonamassa – Bird on a Wire (LZ)
I’d never have discovered this if it weren’t for MTFM, it’s a rare five star track for me, absolutely beautiful. So here it is.

[25] Dan Auerbach – Heartbroken, In Disrepair (Sinny)
Mr LD turned me onto The Black Keys with his superduper mix, bought all their stuff and more.

[26] The Black Keys – You’re the One (Magic Potion) (Spacey)
Haven’t really got too far in collecting this band’s CDs, but I have made a decent enough start and I’m sure there’s much more to come. I had a tough job deciding which track to select, but this one just seems to have it all. Psychedlically delightful, sounds similar to some of the earlier Gomez stuff in a lot of ways, so there’s not much wrong with it. Lazing in the grass with a long cool beer and the sun beating down. This track playing in the background, ah just bliss! There are so many great tracks on this CD, I could have come along on a different day and went for another one altogether. Best thing with this CD is just to play it start to finish.

[27] Betty Steele – Mudslide (URD)

[28] Joe Henry – The Man I Keep Hid (LZ)
Not many artists get 2 five-starred album tracks but Mr Henry gets the double whammy. It feels as if I’ve been listening to this album my whole life but it was only a few short months ago that LD posted a review of Blood From Stars here and I was hooked from the opening bars.
[Trivia: did you know that Joe Henry has been married to Melanie Ciccone (Madonna's sister) since 1987? Me neither. Do now.]

[29] Solomon Burke – Fast Train (URD)

[30] JJ Cale and Eric Clapton – Hard To Thrill (LD)
Got to give a nod to URD who has a brought a wee bit of the blues to MFTM. Was chatting to some guy at a BBQ a few months ago who lent me some DVDs/CDs (The Road to Escondido being one of them) – gotta admit to loving the laid back style and tempo on this song and while I’ll never be a big bluesy fan there’ll always be time for gems like this.

[31] R L Burnside – Goin Down South (A Ass Pocket of Whiskey) (Spacey)
UncleRaveDave’s introduction of this guy in the Top 5 guitarists discussion got me intrigued. I had heard the name but never got around to listening to any of his music. So nothing else for but to go find some. I think I managed that OK, now got about 5 of his CDs. This song just kicks ass all the way through. Great boogieing music. I would love to get this on in the dance hall on a Friday night. Unfortunately, dance halls area a thing of the past – probably just as well, I would collapse half way through this song.

[32] Rory Gallagher – Calling Card (LD)
Always enjoyed his music, but for some reason hadn’t played his stuff in ages. Bought his BBC sessions opened a bottle of Merlot and won first prize in a local grinning like a fool competition.

[33] Alabama 3 – Too Sick To Pray (Techy)
LD writes: “Sorry Techy, could find the acoustic version you wanted but if it’s better than this then will definitely want to hear it. Maybe you could play it on your next radio show”.

[34] New Order – Blue Monday (URD)
Because it was the first song that sprang to my mind when I first heard about MTFM. It just HAD to feature at some stage.

[35] Ulrich Schnauss – On My Own (Techy)
Beautiful and intelligent electronic music is what Ulrich Schnauss excels at and this is the stand-out track for me on the excellent A Strangely Isolated Place album.

[36] Oingo Boingo – Insanity (Spacepiggy)
Utter genius

[37] Nibs Van Der Spuy – Lines On My Face (LZ)
Another UncleRaveDave recommendation, another five stars, gets an airing every time I open MediaMonkey, especially late at night. Love this guy’s voice, planning to buy at least two of his album(s) soon.

[38] Porcupine Tree – Novak (Cheezy)
How good are these guys, if they can Throwaway this track

[39] Pat Metheny, Anna Maria Jopek – Are You Going With Me (LD)
Introduced to MFTM by Ken who seems to have vanished off the face of the earth (probably more chance of finding Elvis) – not that I miss the miserable old bugger (OK maybe I do just a little) especially when he suggests music like this. There’s not many words can do it justice – so I’ll shut up and leave you listen to the music.

[40] Staff Benda Bilili – Sala Keba (LD)
OK here’s the story – Staff Benda Bilili are a group of Congolese street musicians. They live around the grounds of the zoo in Kinshasa, and play music which is rooted in rumba, with elements of old-school rhythm’n’blues and reggae. The core of the band consists of four senior singers/guitarist,who are all disabled (they suffered from poliomyelitis when they were young) and move around in spectacularly customized tricycles. They are backed by a younger rhythm section consisting of ex-sheges, abandoned street kids who were taken under the protection of the older members of the band. The soloist is an 18 year-old boy who plays astounding electric guitar-like solos on a one-stringed lute he designed and built himself out of a tin can (Wikipedia).

What more can I say… apart from the music being mesmerizing, simplistic, genius-like and merits being my album of the year not because of the story but because of the music and the passion and the joy that can be heard from the songs on the album.

[41] The Derek Trucks Band – Afro Blue (Sinny)
One of Mr SP’s nods and I must admit to not really liking these long songs before MFTM but this guy and this song just makes it all worthwhile.

The August Music Mix [a 348 mb zip file] will be available for one month from today – until midnight on 30 August 2010.

Hope you enjoy the Mix – as always, keep me and the Sheriff happy – if you like a song buy the album. But don’t forget to come back and share your thoughts in the comment box.

Thanks guys,

Laughing Dog

The wonderful album cover image is entitled Duality and is once again by alicepopkorn.

May 10 Music Mix notes

I’ve been creating playlists in one form or another for over 30 years but I must admit to be rather excited about this month’s mix – I think its one of the best I’ve done – I think I’ve just about peaked. Now I know I’ve probably said this before and may say it again – but the 22 tracks herewith contained are a fine example of all that is good about music. We have several top banana guitarists, Ms Armatrading, who still thinks she lives in the 80’s, a 3-in-a-row designed to make you happy, some chill out tunes, some new names for you to explore, some old guys to re-explore and Motorhead bringing up the rear the only way Motorhead can – loud and dirty.

Enough of me, download the bugger, turn the volume up to 11 and press play.

Also, please remember to respect copyright law; if you like a song from the mix, there’s a very good chance you will also like the album – so do me and the artist a favour and buy the CD.

Jeff Beck – [01] Over the Rainbow and [02] Hammerhead [Emotion and Commotion]
Two songs from the old maestro to start the mix from his new album Emotion and Commotion. I just love the way he can take an old classic and give it new life, new meaning – he does the same with Nessun Dorma and Corpus Christi Carol which opens the album. Hammerhead is a funky dunky treat for you, full of wah wah and buzzing basslines and all kinds of wonderful things.
We’re already on a roll here.

[03] The Jeff Healy Band – Let it all go [Hell to Pay]
Recently had a good friend round for a BBQ and he brought with him a Healy DVD which I’ve yet to play, but it did make me dig out some of my older Healy music and enjoy once again. His version of John Hiatt’s song is just perfect and reminds me how untimely his death was coming a month before the release of his album, Mess of Blues. I’ve yet to buy this album, will have to right that wrong.

Did you know – Healey was an avid record collector and amassed a collection of well over 30,000 78 rpm records. He also, from time to time, hosted a CBC Radio program entitled My Kind of Jazz, in which he played records from his vast vintage jazz collection and also played trumpet during live performances.

[04] Philip Sayce – Little Miss America [Innerevolution]
Sayce was born in Aberystwyth, but his family moved to Canada when he was two years old but I reckon the first two years were the most important part of life and has clearly shaped and defined and made him the guitarist that he is today. Don’t know much more about this guy apart from that but I do know a great song and just love this guy’s guitar.
 

[5] Doves – Andalucia [The Places Between]
I’m a big Doves fan and thought their last album Kingdom of Rust was one of the highlights of last year. They now have a Best of released which is superb value for money containing a CD of their hits, a bonus CD of b-sides, rarities and alternative versions as well as a bonus DVD featuring all of the band’s music videos. The first CD also includes 3 new songs with Andalucia being one of them. A great driving rock song that shows a band at their peak and I know my two youngest pups are very excited about seeing them at this year’s Green Man Festival in August – sadly I’ll be back in Doha.

[06] Hothouse Flowers – Movies [The Best of Hothouse Flowers]
At this same BBQ last week my friend also brought round a few CDs for me to borrow with the Best of these guys being one of them. I’ve never been overly familiar with the band but instantly fell in love with the album, with this song one of the stand out tracks for me – great feel about the song.
I reckon I should have more BBQs.

Do you go to the movies
find a friend in a film
holding hands with the heroes
fall in love with the heroine
When you were young and easy
did you like to take the day off
run in the sun and the breeze
nothing to think of
Do you run to the silence
Do you hide in the dark
Do you like to go walking
Alone in the city
Do the soft things hurt you
have you got something to lose
because it’s only water
You’ve got to let it flow through
Get on up into the groove
Chorus:
Do you go to the movies
find a friend in a film
holding hands with the heroes
fall in love with the heroine
Yeah yeah yeah it’s true
Yeah yeah yeah I think it’s you
Yeah yeah yeah can you feel the soul
Got to be the closest thing to rock and roll
And so you take time to thinking heavy
Say you need some medicine (yeah)
So you take to drinking heavy
Do you really need medicine
Really need medicine (yeah)
Chorus:
Do you go to the movies
find a friend in a film
holding hands with the heroes

[07] The Morning Benders – Promises [Big Echo]
The Morning Benders are an indie band from California and a new name to me but there’s certainly promise here. The sound is quite uncomplicated, the theme (an uncertain relationship) is nothing new but the song’s big-beat thump and tangled voices add something that caught my ear and made me want to share with you. Chris Taylor of Grizzly Bear shares a co-production credit with Benders singer/guitarist Christopher Chu and you can certainly hear his influence – I look forward to watching this band grow and hopefully be allowed to develop their style naturally as I’m sure there’s better to come.

Joan Armatrading – [08] This Charming Life | [09] Diamond | [10] Heading Back To New York City [This Charming Life]
Read the notes on my Album of the Month for more info, but I do, after a little soul searching, think that this album deserves to be my ‘Album of the Month’. Below is an example of the cheesy lyrics but you have to put it all in context, she’s trying to say the things she wants to say to the people that want to hear her and these people will be mostly people who grew up with her in the 80s and won’t give a tosh what I or anybody else says – and will more importantly enjoy the album – I am too.

Heading Back to New York City
Going back to New York city
To do the things I never did

I’m heading back to New York city
To see the things I never saw

Things like the ABC No Rio oh oh
I’m gonna search this town both high and low
I’m gonna go all the places where New Yorkers go.
I’m gonna see Staten Island gonna take the boat
I’m gonna search every place till I reach zero

Going back to New York city
You might be by those Asian trees
I’m heading back to New York city
Times square and all those broadway babes

And if the devil has a playground yeh yeh
You wanna bet New York is the devil’s swing
Let’s shake let’s make a deal
Of all the bright light cities spread around the globe
There ain’t a skyline better than New York New York

I’m going back to the place I lost my heart
I’m going back to the place I lost my heart
Spend my time trying to find you
Here in New York

Going back to New York city
To do the things I never did
I know I’m gonna find you baby yeh yea
I’m gonna search this town both high and low
I’m gonna go all the palces where New Yorkers go.
I’m gonna see Staten Island gonna take the boat
I’m gonna search every place till I reach zero

I’m going back to New York city
Heading back to find you

I’m going back to New York city
Heading back to find you

[11] Kaki King – Life Being What It Is [Dreaming of Revenge]
Been listening to her new album Junior on MySpace and was not very impressed. It doesn’t appear to be of the same quality of Dreaming of Revenge, the album that this track is taken from. This song, the first of my slower, chill out section is just great with acoustic guitar, a romantic, dreamy and spacious song, with strings that simply glide along behind the main melody – just lovely. Kaki is actually a fine guitarist and has enhanced her sound on this album by adding some vocals, electric and steel guitar, drums, keyboards, bass, pedal steel and lap steel guitar all of which she plays herself. Malcolm Burn, who has worked with the likes of Iggy Pop, Peter Gabriel and Patti Smith, was the producer.

[12] Cinematic Orchestra – As the Stars Fall [Ma Fleur]
The Cinematic Orchestra is led by composer/programmer/multi-instrumentalist Jason Swinscoe, who formed his first group, Crabladder, in 1990 as an art student at Cardiff College. Crabladder’s fusion of jazz and hardcore punk elements with experimental rhythms inspired Swinscoe to further explore the possibilities of sampling, and by the time of the group’s demise in the mid-’90s.

The Cinematic Orchestra is a perfect name for this band (they are a band as their live CD proves) as the music they create is able to inspire images and ideas similar to a soundtrack with the range of instruments utilized adding a full and proud sound. Ma Fleur as an album gets better with each repeated listen and it takes a while for this song to come alive but it’s a strong track that slowly ebbs and flows around your end – perfect chill out sounds.

[13] Brendan Perry – Utopia [Ark]
Perry is a singer and multi-instrumentalist best known for his work as the male half of the duo, Dead Can Dance, with Lisa Gerrard. My old mucker Spacey introduced me to DCD and while I’ve not mentioned them too much here – too many bands not enough space – I find the music of DCD unique and assigning a musical genre to them is difficult, as its style is particularly eclectic.

Perry’s new album Ark is similar, in fact two songs Babylon and Crescent, were originally composed for the DCD reunion tour of 2005. Utopia is a fine example of what Perry does best, with his voice in good form and heavy synths swirling around creating a labyrinth of soundscapes it brings the chill-out section of the mix to a close. Notes from Perry’s website explain a little bit more:

Ark comprises eight original compositions in total that explore the recurring themes of identity, alienation, war, political corruption and the threat that we as a species now pose to our environment.
Despite the dystopian themes that pervade these eight compositions, there are also expressions of great hope and optimism for a better world to be found within the subtext of the songs. For an Ark as well as being a refuge from the world’s harsher realities is also a vehicle for regeneration and renewal.

Ark is not really a concept album in the traditional sense of the term, but rather a series of sustained observations and commentaries on the human condition. Like most of my previous work I had no preconceived notion of what the songs subject matter would be other than to follow my gut instinct, refining and distilling the music and my thoughts as they came to me. One cannot underestimate the influence that living and working in relative isolation has had on the making of this album. A lot of my spare time is spent on the internet with friends or watching documentaries and current affairs programs. It strikes me that one of the great paradoxes of modern living is that we often feel that we are connected and at the very centre of communications despite the fact that we are often both physically detached and remote from one another. Unlike my previous album Eye of the Hunter, which makes extensive use of live guitars, bass and drums, practically all the instrumentation on Ark is derived from sample libraries and synthesizers.

This was a conscious creative decision on my part as I wanted to imbue the music with the ambience of a neutral electronic soundscape which would in turn mirror a world that is becoming increasingly more dependent upon machines to perform tasks for us.

With regard to the sample libraries themselves, I have made especial use of strings, horns and choir to complement the synthetic soundscapes and which in themselves form a kind of musical motif that underscores the compositions as a whole.

 
Guest spot 3-in-a-row: words and track selection by Liefste zus
Sigh. I had great plans for my first (and last??) shot at picking three tracks for my lovely brother’s music mix but to honest, it’s all gone a bit potty over here and this selection is a “quick, what 3 songs can I think of quickly and find on my hard disk” sorta selection. You see, all my music is stored on the other computer. The other computer that is dying a sad, lonely death in the corner. I can boot it up for 10 or 15 minutes but then the blue screen of death appears and all attempts to copy said collection go out of the window. That’s okay, I’ll just go to the source cds and pick from there… wait, they’re still all boxed up in the loft since the move. When exactly did you make that great escape to the country liefste zus? Oh um, well, that was about two years ago. Yikes.

So, we’ve established that I am a disorganised slattern who shouldn’t be trusted with making a 3-track selection. And that the themes I was dithering between (”songs that make me happy” / “unrequited love” / etc.) have been abandoned. Mostly for the above mentioned reasons but partly because, in a hum-the-theme-from-the-Twilight-Zone kinda way, I too had selected Somewhere over the rainbow and was quite discombobulated to discover that himself had gotten in there first. But my version (by Israel Kamakawiwo, ‘Ole ‘IZ’) is better. So there.

But wait! I do have some music on this machine and I think hope you’ll like at least one of these tracks. And I promise to be far more organised by the next time. Honest.

[14] Robert Randolph and The Family Band – Ain’t Nothing Wrong With That [Colourblind] You’ve just been lulled into a cosy reverie with the Dog’s previous picks and woah! Mr Randolph’s foot-stomping, toe-tapping, finger-clicking, booty-whipping, window-shattering intro hits your speakers. I can’t remember where I first heard this track (following a link on YouTube possibly) but it’s been my favourite cheerer-upper for a long time now. The album from which it’s taken is also rather tasty, with guest spots from Eric Clapton, Dave Matthews, Leela James, et al but this is the one that gets me up out my chair to dance with the mutts and gets an airing at least once a day.

[15] Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child – Inna Barmash (vocal) and Ljova
This song, a negro spiritual from the days of slavery in the United States has been recorded many times but this pure, stripped-back version? Man, a big ol’ lump in the throat every damn time I play it.
[This was a recording for the Metafilter music project - well worth ponying up a one-off $5 to hear regular doses of new music.]

[16] The Boxer – Lee DeWyze
Are you sitting down? I do hope so. It’s not often unheard of for an American Idol artist to be mentioned around these ‘ere parts so let’s start off with the confession that yes, I do watch it every year. Well, I say watch… I tape the 60 minute show, enjoy the performances but skip the pre-written, manipulative “judging” by Mr Cowell etc. and can be all done in about 13 minutes. Result!

Anyway, contestants were this week asked to pick a song from a list of “inspirational” tunes and, well, let’s not go there but the previously sort of dark horse of the series, Lee DeWyze sang a brilliantly contemporary cover of this Simon & Garfunkel classic. I loved it, hope you’ll give it a chance too. And if you’d like to hear more from him, he has two “pre-Idol” albums for sale on his website.

That’s it from me, back to my liefste broer.

[17] The Chieftains (Feat. Ry Cooder) – The Sands of Mexico [San Patricio]
The musical souls of two nations, Ireland and Mexico, are brought together in San Patricio, the latest album by six-time Grammy winners The Chieftains and begins a 4 song Tex/Mex/Bluesy kinda section to delight your ears a wee bit more.

The first song in this section The Sands of Mexico written by and sung by Ry Cooder is a lovely song. The blending of Mexican and Irish musical styles and instruments is a bold concept and to be honest with you, it sometimes doesn’t gel as it should – especially in the last track Finale. However, there’s much to admire here, not least the dazzling array of instruments to be found – Mexican guitars, button accordion, bajo sexto, trumpets, double bass and drums; and on the Irish side, Moloney’s haunting Uilleann pipes and tin whistle, bodhrán, and flute. The album San Patricio (the Spanish name for St. Patrick) tells the nearly forgotten story of the brave San Patricio battalion – a downtrodden group of Irish immigrant conscripts who deserted the U.S. Army in 1846 to fight on the Mexican side against the invading Yankees in the Mexican-American War (1846-1848). Although the members of the San Patricio Battalion were reviled as traitors and deserters in the U.S., Chieftains’ founder and frontman Paddy Moloney says, “the men of the San Patricio Battalion are remembered by generations of Mexicans to this day as heroes who fought bravely against an unjust and thinly veiled war of aggression.” San Patricio brings their story to life through heart-stirring ballads and effervescent dance songs from both countries, including traditional “sones” that the San Patricios might have heard while in Mexico, and Irish airs and reels that evoke the homeland they left behind.

Love this song as its simplicity is bewitching and tells a great story but the album as a whole sadly fails to inspire.

[18] Chris Rea – Easy Rider [Dancing Down The Stony Road]
Following a severe bout of pancreatitis and a predicted 50% chance of survival from the big C (cancer) Rea promised himself that if he recovered, he would be returning to his blues roots. This near brush with death was the catalyst for a complete change in musical direction and motivation. The result was Blue Guitars an 11-CD collection of 137 blues-inspired tracks and the album Dancing Down the Stony Road.

Rea revealed that “it’s not until you become seriously ill and you nearly die and you’re at home for 6 months, that you suddenly stop to realise that this isn’t the way I intended it to be in the beginning. Everything that you’ve done falls away and start wondering why you went through all that rock business stuff.” So, Rea returned to his blues roots, releasing some wonderful albums simply doing what he does best.

The lyrics for this song reveal much:

Well now come on easy rider
Give me something
For my pain
Well now come on easy rider
Though I know you’re not to blame

The dogs are out to get me
And pull me down, again

Well now come on easy rider
Turn this screaming fire
Down low
Yeah come on easy rider
Pull this pain
And let it go

This time around
Don’t think that I can take it
This twisting pain
I’ve come to know
Easy rider
Help me
Easy rider

[19] John Hiatt – Crossing Muddy Waters [Crossing Muddy Waters]
And cutting quite sharpishly into the next song (don’t know how that happened but it sounds good) we have John Hiatt. Where does one start with a guy like this? A fantastic songwriter who has had songs covered by Bob Dylan, Linda Ronstadt, Bonnie Raitt, Eric Clapton, B.B. King, Willie Nelson, Three Dog Night, Joan Baez, Paula Abdul, Buddy Guy, Jimmy Buffett, Mandy Moore, Iggy Pop, Emmylou Harris, Nick Lowe, Rosanne Cash, Jewel, Aaron Neville, Jeff Healey (see track 3 of this mix), Keith Urban to name drop a few – plus he has produced quality music on his own 22 albums since 1974. And while he has never been the popular choice he’s always been music lovers favourite.

Crossing Muddy Waters was Hiatt’s fifteenth album, released in 2000. A raw album recorded with no drummer, it was a purely acoustic album that brought elements of bluegrass music into his Americana sound. The title of the album is an intentional double entendre, referencing blues legend Muddy Waters. It was nominated for a Grammy award in 2001 for Best Contemporary Folk Album.

[20] Miles Davis – Bank Robbery [The Hot Spot]
As recommeded by our blues guru the now infamous UncleRaveyDavey after he heard Solitary Breathing which opened last month’s mix. The Hot Spot blends Miles Davis’ lonely blue trumpet, with John Lee Hooker’s moans and machine-gun electric guitar, Taj Mahal’s country guitar picking, and Ry Cooder’s peerless slide guitar. It’s a musical Dream Team of sorts and is quite staggering. The Hot Spot is a 1990 American drama film directed by Dennis Hopper and starring Don Johnson, Virginia Madsen and Jennifer Connelly. Based on the book Hell Hath No Fury by Charles Williams.

Bank Robbery, for me, is the pitch-perfect blend of jazz and blues—a hard driving, blend… equal parts sophisticated bop and raw blasts of juke joint guitar. It is a moment of absolute, jaw-dropping beauty, in which each artist displays their talent to the full – nice one URD.

[21] The Gutter Twins – The Stations [Saturnalia]
As Oscar Wilde once said “We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.” The Gutter Twins are the stars – a fantastic musical collaboration between Greg Dulli and Mark Lanegan.

The album Saturnalia is dark in places and can be quite hard on the ears but it’s worth the effort as it holds musical treasues that one might find even threatening as The Twins truly bare their souls. Saturnalia sounds mysterious, bleak, even quite desperate in places reminding me of Alex Lifeson’s solo album Victor but the content is the best thing either musician has done in years.

O, Mama
Ain’t no time to fall to pieces
He has arrived, He has arrived
There by the grace of God go I-
I don’t know what they mean
I don’t know what they mean
And I say-

O, Father
Now I can’t believe you’re leaving
Seen thru your eyes, seen thru your eyes
There by the grace of God go I-
I don’t know what they mean
I don’t know what they mean
And I say-

I hear the rapture’s comin’
They say He’ll be here soon
Right now there’s demons crawling all around my room
They say He lives within me
They say for me He died
And now I hear His footsteps
All most every night

O, Children
This is where they come to take me away-
From here
I don’t know what they mean
I don’t know what they mean
And I say-

[22] Motörhead – Overkill [Overkill]
So… we’re finally the reached the back end of the mix – and who better to meet and greet us than the old mobsters Lemmy and co. By far the best line-up with Fast Eddie on guitar and Philthy Animal Taylor on drums – these guys knew how to make a bloody great big fat noise; I should know I’ve seen them live 3 times, with this song being one of my favourite ever live songs.

How does The Animal keep this tempo and rythym going for so long, especially when this song is normally played at the end of a two hour show – c’mon the man has stamina. He’s also a bloody good drummer and along with Lemmy and Eddie they never really achieved the musical acolades they deserved (you rarely see these guys in best of lists) – never mind, it brings May’s Music Mix to a spectacular and breathtaking climax.

The Music Mix 10 for May 2010 has now expired but the June mix is now ready – go read all about it!

Hope you enjoyed the music – I’ve certainly enjoyed putting it all together and more importantly enjoyed listening to it.

Laughing Dog

The wonderful album cover image is entitled Summer Dance by alicepopkorn.

As 2010 s whizz by we’re almost a quarter of the way through the first year of the decade and it’s time to wend our way to the April 2010 Mini Mix.

So what’s been blasting through my earphones this past month? As is now customary for the mini mix, no track info is supplied, it’s up to you guys to hit the play button, sit back and enjoy. Then come back and share your thoughts in the comment box.

The April Mini Mix 2010 has now expired but the latest mixes are now ready – go read all about them!

As always, please support the artists – if you like a track, go buy the album!

Enjoy.

Laughing Dog

Album cover image by michael59 at stock.xchng

And so we come to the March 2010 Mini Mix. Spring is sprung, lambs they are a-gambolling… well they might well be but I’ve barely seen the outside of my office for what seems like weeks now so music has been an almost constant companion as I toil away and dream of a long summer vacation in France.

So what have I been listening to? Well once again the mini mix is wrapped up to contain no identifying information* . I suspect from previous mini mixes that you all rather enjoy the guessing game so go on, download, press play, sit back and enjoy. And let us know what you think in the comment box. Cheers.

* Apart from one track that may or may not give its game away I wanted to use the vastly superior live rather than the album version. And what’s one little spoiler amongst friends, eh?

The March Mini Music Mix [a 113mb zip file] will be available for one month from today – until midnight on 15 April 2010.

As always, please support the artists – if you like a track, go buy the album!

Enjoy

Laughing Dog

Cover image from Pukey Cow.

Bore da ac croeso to March’s Music Mix. I feel this mix is the most natural mix so far with loads of tunes that are earthy, organic, simple and unsophisticated but are so refined and cultured. Loads of flute, trumpet, pan pipes, acoustic guitar and harmonious harmonies that remind one of the sounds of dew drops splashing lightly on a water lily floating down the River Taff at dawn… quick pass me the Gaviscon.

It was also one of the easiest to put together as all the tracks just naturally flowed – hope you enjoy.

Please remember to respect copyright law; if you like a song from the mix, there’s a very good chance you will also like the album – so do me and the artist a favour and buy the CD.

March 2010 Notes for Music Mix 08

[01] Godless – The Dandy Warhols [Thirteen Tales from Urban Bohemia]
And off we go on another musical journey and what can be better way to start it than The Dandy Warhols and Godless. Great intro, fabulous opening chords with the brass section just sounding so right – it’s just a great song and at 3 mins 28 secs it starts all over again – can you hear me smilin’?
 
[02] Joe Cocker – Woman to Woman [Joe Cocker]
First heard this song as a re-mix by Faithless on their Renaissance album – loved their version but (as is usual in most cases) you can’t beat the original. Written by Cocker and Chris Stainton it was originally released on Cocker’s 1972 album Something to Say. Poor guy is ranked #97 on Rolling Stone’s 100 greatest singers list – what! How can that be? I won’t tell you who are above him cos it will make you spit; but needless to say he should be higher, a lot higher. I just love his voice – he could sing Wonderwall and make it soulful.

Woman to Woman must be one of the most sampled songs as apart from Faithless you can hear it in Funky by Ultramagnetic MCs (1987), Knick Knack Patty Wack by EPMD (1989), Blast From the Past by Ultramagnetic MC’s (1992), California Love by 2Pac featuring Dr. Dre (1995), Astro Black by Quasimoto (2000) and He’s Unbelievable by Sarah Connor (October 29, 2002) – boy you gotta love those royalties.
 
[03] Mama’s Boys – Needle in the Groove [Plug It In]
This is just the perfect rock song. It has a thumping bass and drums, good melody, two guitar solos, great voice – perfect just perfect. I remember seeing these guys at some Working Man’s club in Cross Keys sometime in the early ’80’s and they were superb. It’s such a shame that the three McManus brothers didn’t get the chance to take their career further as they had it all.
 
[04] Sparklehorse – Cow 1 [Vivadixiesubmarinetransmissionplot]Sparklehorse are an American alternative rock band led by singer and multi-instrumentalist Mark Linkous, this song from their 1995 album Vivadixiesubmarinetransmissionplot is a great example of what many call Americana or Lo-Fi. Me – I just call it great music that ebbs and flows, simply oozing class. Love the banjo and bass – good stuff.
 
[05] Y Gwyneb Iau – Super Furry Animals [Mwng]
I know Spacey won’t be too impressed but it is St David’s Day today and I do love this band – they just keep on doing what they do best. Hei! Gwyneb iau as the man so rightly sings. Just love the lyrics:
 
 
 

Cwyd dy bentan a dos lawr i’r de
Ble ‘roedd cartref nawr mae gwagle llwyd

Pwy wnaeth daflu’r ffrwyth at ein llwyth?
Pwy all dalu’r pwyth?
Pwy a wyr?
Wyr?

Codi’r allor o weddillion bom
Golchi’r clwyf sy’n cadw dod yn ?

Pwy wnaeth daflu’r ffrwyth at ein llwyth?
Pwy all dalu’r pwyth
Pwy a wyr?
Wyr?

Hei! Gwyneb iau
I ti mae’r drysau ar gau

 
Three In A Row from Cara Dillon’s Hill of Thieves:
As I mention in my album of the month post, these songs are simply delightful. A combination of strong vocal, excellent musicians, great songs, one can’t help but love what comes out of the speakers. Thanks Abdulla, I owe you one.
 
 
[06] Cara Dillon – The Hill of Thieves

[07] Cara Dillon – Spencer the Rover (Feat. Seth Lakeman)

[08] Cara Dillon – Fil, Fil A Run Ó

[09] The Ballad of El Goodo – Big Star [No. 1 Record/Radio City]
Now we’re getting acoustically challenged for the next five songs and I just can’t wait. First up is a classic from their debut album. The band members at the time were Chris Bell – guitar, vocals; Alex Chilton – guitar, vocals; Andy Hummel – bass guitar; Jody Stephens – drums with Terry Manning a guest on electric piano. Highly regarded by bands such as R.E.M. – they do deserve a wider audience as they produced music of quality and were power popping before power pop even had a name.

[10] She Talks To Angels – The Black Crowes [Shake Your Money Maker]
Not everyone’s cup of tea but I do like them – not only for their rockier stuff but some of their slower bluesy stuff which is really good. They have sold over 20 million albums worldwide so they must be doing something right, plus the album that this song is from (Shake Your Money Maker) regularly gets played in the Dog House – not bad for an album that’s 20 years old.

[11] Small Mountain – Midlake [The Courage of Others]
Midlake sound to me like a band lost in time. Lost in a time when record companies gave more freedom to their artists to create the music they wanted to. It takes a bit of balls to release an album embracing so many acoustically driven songs, to include so much rhetoric about the past, about freedom, about things that matter. In this sample of the album Midlake talks of “a way of life that will surely be gone”. Implying, I feel, that we live in dark times, that the world is not a good place to be. All true I know and not exactly new ideas but it’s the manner that they say these things is the key to the success of this song and album – truly good stuff.

[12] Yellow Time – Mostly Autumn [Pass The Clock]
More flutes and harmonies and water lilies but a song that I feel is more progressive and atmospheric, underpinned by a lovely Celtic vibe. Pass the Clock the album that this song is from must be one my best buys of last year – 15 quid for 3 CD’s and a host of great songs. Highly recommended as each disc contains songs that fit well together and produce different moods. Disc 1 is subtitled ‘Something for the Spirit’, disc 2 is ‘Something for the Campfire’ and disc 3 is ‘Something for the Candlelight’ – so you could just put all 3 on your multi-changer, press repeat then lie on the sofa with a bottle of red or 6 and not come up for air for a fortnight.

[13] Arlanda – Julia Kent [Delay]
Last of the acoustic set and what a great way to end it. That cello just has so much emotion, so much passion and feeling that it’s strange that Arlanda is actually the name of an airport in Sweden! Must be a sexy way to fly.

 
Guest spot 3-in-a-row: Steve Hillage
Words and track selection by Spacepig

Featured artist this month, Steve Hillage is probably most noteworthy as a member of David Allen’s Gong line up from the early ’70’s, bringing his trademark ‘glissando’ sound to the “Radio Gnome” trilogy. However, there’s so much more to him than that.

[14] Habibi – System 7 [System 7]
Opener, System 7’s Habbibi, shows how Hillage adopted the dance scene of the era and combined it with his love of African influences. This one comes from 1991 and hints at where he was heading at that time. After this he went on to work with The Orb for a number of years.
 
 
[15] Josephine – Rachid Taha [Diwan 2]
The theme continues on the next offering, Rachid Taha’s Josephine from 2008. Of course Hillage is far from the first Westerner to collaborate (he produced and plays acoustic guitar on this track) with African or Asian musicians. In my opinion however, Steve displays much more understanding of the original music than so many other collaborators.

[16] Pinkle-Ponkle – Gong [2032]
We finish off my 3 in a row coming bang up to date with the trippiest track from Gong’s latest release, 2032. Pot head pixies the world over celebrated when we discovered that Steve was returning to the family for this release. This song shows exactly what we had been missing for the last 30 years or so.
 

[17] Telephasic Workshop – Boards of Canada [Music Has the Right to Children]
From BoC’s debut album Music Has the Right to Children this stunning slice of electronica has it all. A driving beat, good melody, good pace and a certain style and quality not always found in this genre. I just love it and enjoy the way it flows on seamlessly from Spacey’s beloved Gong.

[18] Genesis 3:23 – The Mountain Goats [The Life of the World to Come]
And now for something a little different – The Mountain Goats, an American band led by John Darnielle. Just love the lyrics here and the way Darnielle is able to paint a picture and tell a story with his words.

House up in Claremont
Where I used to live
Picked the lock on the front door
And felt it give

Touch nothing move nothing stand still
Keep my ears open for cars
See how the people here live now
Hope they’re better at it than I was

I used to live .. here (4x)

Pictures up on the mantle
Nobody I know
I, stand by the tiny furnace
Where the long shadows grow

Living room to bedroom to kitchen
Familiar and warm
Hours we spent starving within these walls
Sounds of a distant storm

I used to live .. here (4x)

Fight through the ghosts in the hallway
Duck and weave
Stand by the door with my eyes closed
When it’s time to leave

Steal home before sunset
Cover up my tracks
Drive home with old dreams of play in my mind
And the wind at my back
Break the lock on my own garden gate
When I get home after dark
Sit looking up at the stars outside
Like teeth in the mouth of a shark

I used to live .. here (4x)

[19] Concrete Heart – Great Lake Swimmers [Lost Channels]
The mix begins to slow down a bit as we head for the finale. Canadian band Great Lake Swimmers are fronted by singer-songwriter Tony Dekker whose voice I found simply amazing. Reminds me of Stuart Staples, the voice behind Tindersticks – one band that needs to be featured here as well.
 
 
[20] Change – Blind Melon [Blind Melon]
I have already stated my affection for this band in another post here so let’s just sit back and enjoy a simply magical song that brings March’s Music Mix to an excellent climax.
 
 
 
 

The Music Mix 08 for March 2010 [a 140 mb zip file] will be available for one month from today – until midnight on 31 March 2010.

Please support the artists – if you like a track, buy the album!

Laughing Dog

Well I was having a quiet night… but my youngest pup brought home this CD and started playing this MF of a song. We are all now up and dancing and shouting and jigging and doing stupid things with the goldfish.

me thinks its time for bed

Great song mind you – has to be in a future mix