Herbie Hancock - Nobu

How about a little early techno jazz (yes, that's a thing...probably) from Mr Herbie Hancock to round off the week? Rather incredibly this glitchy masterpiece is being beamed back to us all the way from 1974. Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay ahead of his time. 

Of course less than a decade later he comes up with this absolute 80s banger too. Enjoy.

Pixx - Peanuts Grow Underground

There's a hint of Propaganda's icy pop genius about this rather spiffing track to my ancient old ears and that's a very good thing indeed. What do you think?



Just me then? Oh...okay. Still any excuse to stick up a bit of Propaganda.

HAIM - Summer Girl

It's taken a few weeks for me to get into the new one from HAIM but that baritone sax...oh boy...plus who doesn't like seeing the band enjoying the sun eh?

Black Country, New Road - Sunglasses

Some tracks take a few listens to lodge themselves into my brain, like this epic musical meltdown courtesy of Black Country, New Road. Jazz, spoken word, indie, post punk...it's a positive pick n mix of influences and well worth spending 8 minutes 55 seconds with. Blimey I know some bands who released entire albums shorter than that.

Daniel Johnston RIP

Sad to hear of the passing of Daniel Johnston yesterday but chuffed that, despite his demons, his unique music, art and voice found plenty of fans during his all too brief stay here on planet earth. Let's hope that wherever he goes next true love finds him in the end eh? RIP.

Daniel...shot by me...at Wilderness Festival 2011. 

Save Ferris - Come On Eileen

It's not often that I can remember the exact date of a gig but September 11th 2001 is, as you can imagine, not one I'll ever forget. Big respect to Save Ferris (who are from the USA of course) for still playing the gig (at the Irish Centre in Digbeth) on a night when, quite frankly, no one knew what was going to happen next. Almost 20 years later 9/11's still the most shocking thing I've ever seen and I suspect it always will be. RIP to all who died that day. 

Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga - It Don't Mean A Thing

Somehow the Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga collaboration passed me by back in 2014 but I picked up a copy of their album for a mere 50p on Saturday and it's a cracker. No...really. Don't believe me? Try this one...



Apparently Gaga's doing a residency in Las Vegas at the moment, some shows are pop and some jazz...I'll have to swing by sometime. I wonder if GWR trains go that far?

Richard Dawson - Jogging

First heard this on the ever reliable Marc Riley show and it really is a remarkable track, from the 'how the hell is he fitting these words into a song' lyrics (helpfully written up on the vid as the song jogs along) to Dawson's angelically angst ridden vocals. If this doesn't float your boat then quite frankly you need a life jacket. Enjoy!

Jeffrey Lewis & The Voltage - LPs

Lordy, I love this. I'm guessing I'm a little older than the wonderful Jeffrey Lewis (and I don't agree with his verdict that everything from the 80s sucked but vive le difference eh?) however both he and I grew up in that wonderful magical pre internet age when discovering music was genuinely a hunt and a thrill as opposed to being a mere click away. I remember when vinyl was dirt cheap too, coming back from car boot sales with a bag full of bargains on a weekly basis. Ahhhh, happy days. But, as Jeff quite rightly concludes those happy days are still here...only now its CDs that are the bargains! I've been banging on about this for months / years so it's nice to know I'm not the only one who has a growing soft spot for those little silver discs. And the prices...good grief...four CDs for £1 in some charity shops! Nuts! But don't tell everyone okay, it's just our little secret.

Magic Mick - In praise of Mick Talbot

He's been pounding the keys for 4 decades or so now as part of Dexy's (in several of its incarnations), The Style Council, Galliano, Young Disciples and an eclectic selection of other bands so it's odd that Mick Talbot seldom seems to get the kudos he obviously richly deserves. So here's my humble effort to start redressing the balance with a track that I've just discovered after finding a 12 inch in a charity shop (which sadly I didn't buy for some reason...I know...). Enjoy and if you do enjoy share it with the rest of planet earth.



PS: Obviously I'm not the only Mick fan, here's a cool mix/Micks of some of the man's magic moments.

Top of the Iggy Pops

Great to hear Iggy Pop's new one James Bond getting plenty of play on 6Music. It probably helps that Pop's one of their DJs but even so, it's a strangely wonderful track.

I picked up a copy of Pop's '82 album Zombie Birdhouse a while ago and noticed that it's recently been re-released. Here's one of the better tracks from it.



And finally here's a rare clip of Pop 'miming'...ahem...to Some Weird Sin back in 1978. Something tells me he wasn't taking the whole thing too seriously.

Black Midi - Ducter

Early Foals, a little PiL, a dash of Eartha Kitt...yep, Black Midi's Ducter's an odd one but it's one of the more interesting tracks that I've heard this year. The bit at the end ("We are the Knights who say ni" anyone?) sounds like the inside of my head too. Cool.

Beautiful 'Tres'

In the spirit of caring and sharing here are three (or Tres...which sounds a bit like Trays...which sounds a bit like Days...get it?) bands that were new to us that we discovered at Beautiful Days last weekend (blimey that seems like a ruddy long time ago now).

PS: I completely forgot (blame the cider) to mention The Breath in the 'review'. Beautiful stuff.

Beautiful Days Festival @ Escot Park August 16th - 18th 2019

After we had a fallow year in 2018 (not one single camping festival...shocking) it was nice to get back to one of the best, Beautiful Days, and despite the weather (Friday was a trifle 'moist') it lived up to its name once again. This was our third BD and there was the usual mix of new and old acts with a leaning towards the folkier side of things (okay I know Sleaford Mods, Skunk Anansie and NOFX ain't exactly folk but there were more fiddles per square mile at BD than many festivals). There were oodles (yes, that's officially how you measure bands) of highlights, Friday dished up the lovely Beans On Toast, up and coming indie rockers Cabbage, the awesome Queen Zee (glam pop-tastic) and a hits packed set from The Stranglers. It rained on and off for a mere 14 hours or so but it's summer time in Britain so what do you expect eh?

After scraping the mud out of various orifices and drying off our clothes on a fence on Saturday morning we hot footed it...well wet footed might be a better description...to catch Echo Town (any band with a didgeridoo will didgeri-do it for me) on the main stage at 11am, squelched over to see another highlight The Recks (gypsy jazz, rock, folk, general awesomeness...plus the lead singer has the best facial hair in music) in the big top tent.

Other Saturday highlights included Peter Hook and the Light cramming more Joy Division and New Order classics into an hour than you'd think possible (it was ruddy brill)...

....Tom Robinson reminding 6Music fans like me that he's just as great a musician as he is a DJ (War Baby, Glad to be Gay, 2,4,6,8,10,12,14,16 etc Motorway...and a bunch of other class tracks that I'll have to hunt down and buy) and the ultimate Marmite band Sleaford Mods (for the record I loved 'em...but then again I'm a jolly fucker).

Sunday morning and we managed to make it to The Membranes and Choir for 11am (the kids rise and shine show in the Theatre Tent at 8.30 helped raise us from our cider...oh so much cider...soaked state) and The Bar-steward Sons of Val Doonican (I've never seen the Big Top so rammed). The Blinders played a blinder of a set (thrashy indie rock with a bit of bluesy twist in places...think The Doors meets Arctic Monkeys) Ferocious Dog's celtic infused folk punk got us in the mood for a double helping of US punk punk in the form of Less Than Jake (more fun and energy than a Duracell bunny on speed) and NOFX (who rather brilliantly pissed off half the crowd in roughly 30 seconds...now that's proper punk). Of course we had to end the day and festival itself with The Levellers who put on a typically joyous and heartfelt show (a repeat of their 1994 Glasto set apparently), gawd bless 'em. I'm pretty sure that any money the band made by putting on Beautiful Days went on the set climaxing firework display but it was worth it. Flash, bang, wallop what a festival.

Black Uhuru - Great Train Robbery

Given the relentlessly piss poor 'summer' weather that we're enduring yet again here in the UK let's try to warm ourselves up with a little 80s reggae from Black Uhuru. Shut yer eyes, pop the heating on and imagine you're sat in a country where it stops bloody raining and the sun actually comes out once in a while.

PS: Picked up a promo copy of this very track from Teignmouth's Sound Preservation Society on Saturday too! Class.

Sacred Paws - Almost It

Well, it is Almost It...the weekend that is...and pity the poor souls (all 55,000 of 'em) who were looking forward to Boardmasters Festival. Anyway, hopefully this little beauty from Sacred Paws will cheer them up. Blending a little highlife with indiepop (shades of the much missed Rumble Strips in there too) it's pretty much irresistible. Enjoy!

Argent - God Gave Rock and Roll To You

I may have known this before...if I did I'd forgotten it though...but did you know that the Kiss classic God Gave Rock and Roll To You was a cover?! Yes...I know, that's a crazy, crazy fact eh? The dudes responsible for the original were Argent, who also gave us this little beauty too. God bless 'em.

Jelly Roll Morton - Jungle Blues

Ever practical I bought half a dozen 78s on Saturday including a 50s repress of this classic from Mr Jelly Roll Morton. Cool with a capital C.

Darryl Pandy - Animal Magnetism

Picked up a Chicago House Remix 12 inch of Darryl Pandy's Animal Magnetism last weekend and blow me down it's a classic. You'll probably know Pandy for his vocal on Farley Jackmaster Funk's seminal Love Can't Turn Around but this track's (in my humble opinion) every bit as good. 

Fancy a threesome...?

Here's a trio of tracks from Steve Lacy (shades of the Manics meets Steely Dan), Sampa the Great and Michael Kiwanuka/Tom Mich (Kool and the Gang-tastic) all of which are currently going down (steady now) well in Baron Towers.