black country grammar

Tara-a-bit

2010-02-21T03:18:00.001-08:00

As you may have guessed, I'm pretty much through with this MP3 blogging lark. While it was awesome fun for the three years I was involved, work and life has generally caught up with me, meaning I don't have the time for pondering about the merits of the latest buzz band or genre.

Those who are fans of my inane rambling can take comfort in the fact that while I'm not writing here about music, my opiniated musings can be found over at my new blog. There, I'm talking about all sorts, so there's a mixture of web, tech and food thrown in amongst occasional playlists and albums on Spotify.

Thanks for all the support over the years, and I'll see you around the interwebs in other places. Nice one.

MP3 Johnny Boy - You are the Generation that bought more shoes and you'll get what you deserve.

This isn't a new direction.

2009-07-31T09:05:00.001-07:00

I'd forgotten all about this tune, and it's just come on the office stereo. A rather excellent homage by Sir David of Bowie to the region I'm from, which can be found on his album "the Man who Sold the World". At the end of the day, we should all know by now that the Black Country is the home of all things heavy, and upon hearing this, I'm rather proud to be from that place again. Rock on.

MP3 David Bowie - Black Country Rock

Selectah.

2009-07-29T06:24:00.000-07:00

And straight into my first proper post about music we go. A good pal of mine over in NYC - the mighty Dev Sherlock - promised me a mix of Jamaican jams like, 2 FUCKING YEARS ago. So whaddaya know, last week he drops it into my inbox and is like all "so when you puttin' this joint up den badboi". I said "look dude, I ain't bloggin' so much at the moment, check me twitter". He wasn't having any of it. So, if you want to hear what summer sounds like in the mind of a Hype Machine radio show producer, you know precisely what to do. Boom.

MP3 Selector Dev Sherlock - Cool Out Son

Slight return

2009-07-29T06:20:00.000-07:00

It's been over 6 months since these pages saw anything that resembled new content. Not that I'm making excuses, but I've been so fucking busy with work I've really not had the time or the inclination to get anything new online. I'm also pretty horrified with the stance Google have taken with blogs by removing content as and when they see fit, which is a bit hard on those of us who take the time and effort to craft a well written post about something that they like. Still, it's not getting me down. I'm actually intending on redoing this blog completely and moving to - Shock Horror - Wordpress. I'll post up a few bits here from time to time to let you know I'm still like, alive and stuff. But big changes be a comin', let me tell you.

Nice one.

This goes out to Rich Shaw.

2009-02-23T08:16:00.000-08:00

It was Dig for Victory! last night, and James (Yermam!) let fly with this not-so-secret weapon. Wild stuff.

MP3 Sticky (feat Ms Dynamite) - Booo!

BONUS - Listen to Ms Dynamite's new single here.

Passion Pit this Wednesday

2009-02-23T02:26:00.000-08:00

Yeah I know, been a bit busy again. Yadda yadda yadda. Well, I'm back with a goody. Simply drop me a line here explaining precisely why you should be given the a pair of tickets for the Passion Pit/Hockey show at Ruby Lounge in Manchester this Wednesday. I'll throw in the above promo too just to prove how goddam serious I am. Innit.

MP3 Passion Pit - Sleepyhead (The Knocks Remix)

MP3 Hockey - 3am Spanish

$UCCE$$

2009-01-27T05:01:00.000-08:00

Theme of the day. Check out his new "pay what you like" affair here.

MP3 Cadence Weapon - Unsuccessful Club Nights

How apt.

2009-01-26T02:40:00.000-08:00

I love the Genius playlist feature in iTunes. Sometimes, I break it, as I'll be playing some bedroom remix of something obscure that there's no data on, but generally, it's top. Here's what it's thrown at me this morning. Meets my mood well.

MP3 Nas - Where are they now

MP3 Artful Dodger and Craig David - Woman Trouble

MP3 Jay Z - December 4th

MP3 Pharoahe Monch - Push

"Might be a permanent thing. Could be a meaningless fling."

2009-01-25T08:57:00.000-08:00

I felt the urge to listen to Brendan Benson's second album "Lapalco" when in the shower earlier. Can't figure out why, Maybe I missed it? I have spent a lot of hours listening to that record over the years. Hmm.

MP3 Brendan Benson - Pleasure Seeker

Somersaults.

2009-01-23T07:43:00.000-08:00

I've written about Sky Larkin before, and it's no secret that I bloody love them. Their debut album, "the Golden Spike", dropped in last week, and it's been on constant rotation since. It's an album absolutely chock full of singles, and while it's titled inline with the "Gold" naming trend many bands fall into at the moment, it's certainly going to be up there at the end og the year as one of the best rock albums of the year. They're playing the Night and Day in Manchester on Tuesday night, so get yourselves down.

MP3 Sky Larkin - Somersault

Smugness.

2009-01-19T11:14:00.000-08:00

After finally getting my top ten albums of 2008 done (boy, was that tough), I'm now able to go back to filling the blogosphere with half cocked attempts at thematic work, and generally moaning about little points in my life with accompanied by a suitably none-emo soundtrack. That said, I've precious little to whinge about at the moment, and in fact, one could say I'm the smuggest motherfucker in town. To accompany my feeling of uber-smugness the other day, I decided to begin listening to as much Arthur Russell as I could find in my collection. My obsession with the DFA mix of 'Springfield' is well documented, yet I've found myself drawn to his more downbeat material over the last few days, if anything to help bring my ego back down from the dizzying stratespheric heights it's been circling. Or maybe that's just arrogance? Whatever really. Fuck it.

MP3 Arthur Russell - This is how we walk on the moon

Best of 2008: #1 - TV on the Radio: Dear Science

2009-01-16T13:22:00.000-08:00

This is the winner. Why? Because it is. There wasn't an album that topped this for me in 2008, and for certainly the last quarter of the year, was the record I returned to most frequently. Yeah, it's arty, it's avant garde, but in all fairness, that's no reason to avoid it. In fact, it's what makes it such an essential record. As band, TVOTR continue to move from strength to strength, and have gone far further than their unfortunate description as a "Black Radiohead" suggests. Absolutely fucking essential, and a piece many will be talking fondly about in years to come.

MP3 TV on the Radio - DLZ

Best of 2008: #2 - Hercules and Love Affair: S/T

2009-01-04T05:22:00.000-08:00

Hey everybody, disco is back. Thanks to Hercules and Love Affair, in 2008 the music world got it's collective groove back, and learned to shake it to those disco house sounds again. Antony (of the Johnsons) turns in a star turn on the record too, possibly showing that full on disco-divaism is a role he suits better than that of morose troubadour. Singles such as 'Blind' and 'You Belong' have set the pace, and have shown true crossover potential, while 'Hercules' Theme' and 'Athene' have found their way into many an end of year best of. Can the band ever record an album as complete as this again? The jury might be out on that, but for a real reflection on where dance music was at in 2008, then this serves as its best document. A triumph.

MP3 Hercules and Love Affair - Hercules' Theme

Best of 2008: #3 - Bon Iver: For Emma, Forever Ago

2008-12-31T09:53:00.000-08:00

If 2008 has been the year of the heartbreak, then this is the album of the year for most guys feeling a little... emo about the whole thing. A folk record would never normally feature so high in a yearly best of, yet this is a true record of power, and heartfelt feelings about the loss of a relationship with someone you love. When compared up against the other big folkie release of the year (Fleet Foxes), it only demonstrates how ahead of the game Bon Iver actually is. He's got a new EP coming out soon, and if this is a demonstration of his power, then big things will happen for this dude. Essential.

MP3 Bon Iver - Creature Fear

Best of 2008: #4 - No Age: Nouns

2008-12-26T11:30:00.000-08:00

Along with White Denim, No Age were the band that brought loud, visceral guitar music back to the forefront of many a hipsters mind in 2008. Following on from various EPs released through 2007, the release of "Nouns" set the Hype Machine alight with tracks like 'Eraser', 'Teen Creeps' and 'Cappo'. The album combines elements of Albini and Sonic Youth with a more modern sensibility, creating a truly exhilerating rock record - the kind which brings grunge fans of old along for the ride. While its delivery never lets up, underneath the metallic edge of the 2 piece is a latent joy and remnants of teenage angst. In short, it's all quality, and anyone that has enjoyed noisy rock songs over the last 20 years will agree.

MP3 No Age - Teen Creeps

Best of 2008: #5 - Flying Lotus: Los Angeles

2008-12-26T05:55:00.000-08:00

2008 has been the best year for hip-hop and urban music for quite some time. Previous years have seen plenty of commercial releases, but not much in the way of abstract records which stretch across the board to listeners who wouldn't normally be into the genre. "Los Angeles" isn't a hip-hop record, but more of a traditional "lefty" trip-hop album in the mould of "Endtroducing", where the performer takes some of the genres more generic elements, and re-moulds the sound into something more vibrant and challenging. In a post Burial climate, "Los Angeles" packs the starkness and atmospherics required, yet without the overbearing influences that effects some dubstep releases. It's the best and most effective release of it's type in 2008, and establishes Flying Lotus as major force in electronic and dubstep circles. Get on board.

MP3 Flying Lotus - Parisian Goldfish

Best of 2008: #6 - The Walkmen: You & Me

2008-12-24T07:59:00.000-08:00

This could very nearly turn into a "Best surprises of 2008" list, but actually it's been these great surprises that have actually made 2008 such an interesting year for music. The Walkmen have long been a band I've had an interest in, yet "Bows + Arrows" didn't float my boat as much as it did for others. The band returned this year following on from a covers record with 'You & Me', and sounds like a band that are really comfortable in their sound, and have accepted aging in the process. Tracks like 'Canadian Girl' and 'Long Time Ahead of Us' ooze class and maturity, and with 'In the New Year', the band have easily created one of the great anthems of the year, and something I hope to hear plenty of this festive season.

MP3 The Walkmen - In the New Year

Best of 2008: #7 - Elbow: The Seldom Seen Kid

2008-12-21T09:05:00.000-08:00

Let's get this bit straight: I'm not the worlds biggest Elbow fan. In fact, I didn't really bother with them after 'Asleep at the Back', which while it's an album I loved very much at the time, it wasn't enough to give me the belief that they're a band I should pay loads of attention to. Hell, even moving to Manchester didn't sway me more in their direction. I was wrong to be so dismissive. 'The Seldom Seen Kid' is a tremendous piece of work, full of clever lyrics and sweeping soundscapes that sound great in the winter. They're probably "Band of the Year" too, given that they've won everyone over with earnest live performance, humility, and have also made the Mercury Music Prize exciting and relevant for the first time in about 10 years. Forget the Courteeners and Man Utd: Elbow are Manchester's finest.

MP3 Elbow - Starlings

Best of 2008: #8 - Deerhoof: Offend Maggie

2008-12-21T04:43:00.000-08:00

Those that know me personally or follow me through other networks might be surprised that this album only reaches #8, let me explain. 2008 has been something of a "rock" year, and while I've listened to "Offend Maggie" an awful lot, there's been other albums that I feel are more significant releases. Not to take anything away from Deerhoof however, who consistently turn out great quality releases and generally make the artier side of the rock spectrum wig out just a little more. This is their most polished, accessible work to date, and well worthy of it's place in the year's best.

MP3 Deerhoof - The Tears and Music of Love

Best of 2008: #9 - The Kills: Midnight Boom

2008-12-20T04:49:00.000-08:00

After a few years in the wilderness, where the band found themselves either providing backing vocals for Primal Scream or dating supermodels, the Kills returned this year with an album some might consider a nice surprise. Not much was expected from the record, yet the band turned in their best work to date, and provided a couple of tracks that can easily be marked down as great singles. Give it a go, you'll be as surprised as I was.

MP3 The Kills - Tape Song

Best of 2008: #10 - DFA Presents Supersoul: Nobody Knows Anything.

2008-12-14T14:41:00.000-08:00

It's no secret that I absolutely love DFA. For the last couple of years, the label has been more consistent than ever, and have released more than a few tracks that end up in my year end favourites every year. In August, they teamed up with German Tech-house label Supersoul, and put out a decent collection of tunes and remixes that makes them an underground favourite. The compilation catches the best bits of what Berlin can be like, and introduces the average DFA fan (like me) to sounds they might not have entertained before. A great compilation, which fans of proper, non-donked dance music should give a chance. Catch the interview I did with label boss Xaver Naudascher here.

MP3 Mogg and Naudascher - Moon Unit (Part Two)

Before I begin.

2008-12-14T14:19:00.000-08:00

Right, it's that time of year when I begin to write up my favourite bits of the year. In year one, I intended to do a top 100 of everything I liked, which I couldn't be arsed to do in the end. Last year, I successfully rounded up my top 10 albums, only to mislabel the entire series as "Best of '08" when really it was "Best of '07" - something I only discovered last week when site traffic peaked from people looking for a best of list. Bearing in mind my last two attempts, one can only hope that third time equals lucky, and that my round up of the years great and good will be done on time and in the fashion that only the best deserve. Here's a festive number to whet the appetite.

MP3 The Waitresses - Christmas Wrapping

Thought Shower.

2008-12-04T15:49:00.000-08:00

I've had a pretty shitty week really, despite some monumentally big stuff happening at work (new business and all). Got a slightly small case of a smashed up heart courtesy of my new job requiring two of my four available "life project" slots, enough to make one particular project slot decide she can't take it anymore and delete me from her Facebook account. You should all realise by now that I do my best thinking in the shower first thing, and while I've been plotting my next work move, these two tunes have been bouncing around my brain while plans have been formulated. Again, apologies for my blog tardiness - I will get better.

MP3 Weezer - Say it ain't so

MP3 Jackie Deshannon - What the world needs now

Return.

2008-11-29T07:18:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it's been a whole month since I last posted - time has literally flown by. I've been super busy with work but I'll try to make some time to post a little more regularly than I have been. Here's a bumper selection to make up for lost time.

Diplo has been back on form recently, and here he turns my favourite Pixies tune into a Baltimore flavoured club banger.

MP3 Pixies - Hey (Diplo Devil Remix)

My buddy Seth (aka Sparrow Hall) over in NYC has knocked up a rather nice remix of Madonna's latest single 'Miles Away' with his band, A Crowd Electric. It's been going down well with some European blogs so get a taste here:

MP3 A Crowd Electric Vs. Madonna - Miles Away

Here's a class slice of dubstep from Skream I found on Just Press Play yesterday. Awesome stuff. Anyone got a higher quality version?

MP3 Skream - Fick

Post 666: We're all going to hell.

2008-10-31T03:39:00.000-07:00

I noticed a few months ago that I was coming up on my 666th post, and ideas started churning about how it could be a Satan special, filled with tracks that would leave most parents convinced that the poster of the blog was an evil mastermind with a mission to corrupt the young. It was then at the beginning of the month I realised that the 666th post might fall around today, so yesterday was spent catching up with a whopping 5 posts to get us to this point. Anyway, here's some tunes to see you through the spookiness of the day.

I love the Rapture, and recently I've not needed much of a reason to include them in a post. Hopefully they'll be back with some new material soon, but in the meantime indulge yourselves with their recent !K7 mix and the track below from "Pieces of the People we love".

MP3 The Rapture - The Devil

Dubstep and Minimal seem to have become rather good friends of late, with both being the preferred obscure dance movement for hipsters that usually listen to other stuff. Shackleton and Villalobos swapped remixes last year, so here's what the latter came up with for the former.

MP3 Shackleton - Blood on my hands (Ricardo Villalobos Apocalypse Now mix Part 2)

Fake Blood is actually Theo from the Black Ghosts. Not sure if I should have blurted that out, but fuck it, if Burial can reveal who he is etc...

MP3 Fake Blood - Blood Splashing (Theme)

The Thermals and No Age are two of my favourite noise specialists of the last couple of years. Here, the Thermals turn in a nice loud rock number, while No Age go all quiet.

MP3 The Thermals - I might need you to kill

MP3 No Age - Things I did when I was dead

I'm not much of a Ladytron fan. In fact, I'm not a Ladytron fan at all. Still, 'Ghosts' isn't a bad song, and this mix amps up the spooky ethereal factor, resulting in a pretty fine piece.

MP3 Ladytron - Ghosts (Modwheelmood Remix)

And to round things up, here's a tune from last years "Lust Lust Lust" album by Danish twosome, the Raveonettes. Happy dead people day.

MP3 The Raveonettes - Dead Sound