Q#87 - December 2012 - January 2013

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Q’s Compilations

Volume #87 – December 2012 – January 2012

Greetings! Well it’s the usual time to look back on my favourite releases of the previous 12 months. I haven’t spent a great deal of time thinking or researching this mix, I just picked what initially came to mind, it has been a pretty good year for music, I think.

01) Mrs Magician – Nightlife: Keen listeners may remember the outstanding There Is No God from Q#84. Strange Heaven is one of the most endearing records of the year and this punchy opens the record and makes for a fine tune to begin this compilation with. “Shot out like an arrow I’m as crooked as a question-mark”

02) La Sera - I Can't Keep You In My Mind: I would say that La Sera’s Sees the Light is my favourite album of the year, it’s understated and uncomplicated and unpretentious, but the songs are gorgeous and there is something about it that keeps me coming back for more. “I know you must feel lost these days, broken lovers tend to go their ways. Haunting ghosts that I can not evade until I turn grey.”

03) Nada Surf - Jules and Jim: I like a hundreds of bands, but Nada Surf has always felt like my band like no other, it was a genuine pleasure to see them three times in their hometown (even if they don’t live here anymore) this year. I love them dearly. Isn’t that last chord one of the most beautiful sounds you’ve ever heard? “Never felt such a pull before I'm hypnotized I'm destabilized”

04) Sharon Van Etten – Warsaw: A fellow Ditmas Park resident, Van Etten has seen much acclaim come her way with Tramp, and those who were a bit late to the party can now pick up a 2-CD version including demos (from which I was very close to using Magic Chords). “here, sing to yourself, tell me you want to be shown or, you only listen to an endless sea you want to be over”

05) The Men - Turn It Around: I used the title track, Open Your Heart back in April, released on Sacred Bones, the Brooklyn band are set to follow-up their good work with another record, New Moon, in March. “I wanna see you when you jump dive, I wanna see you go down, I wanna see you when you look so fine, I wanna see you when you turn it around“

06) JEFF the Brotherhood - Staring at the Wall: Brothers Jake and Jamin Orral are Jeff the Brotherhood, Hypnotic Nights is their seventh album and was produced by Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys. “One girl said to me, Would you turn around and die”

07) King Tuff - Bad Thing: When you listen to a lot of music it’s easy for things to slip through the net unnoticed when you first hear them, maybe you weren’t in the right mood, or maybe there was a distraction, but it happens. This song was featured on a free sub-pop compilation on record store day back in April, which I listened to a few times. Fast forward a few months and King Tuff releases one of the best albums of the year. “Now I’m going rotten, I’m turnin’ green, ‘cause I’m a bad bad thing”

08) METZ – Headache: I saw Metz cram into a tiny record store (Generation Records) and deliver one of the most pummelling sets I have ever witnessed, their self-titled record is just as relenting. “That even can't see breathe like for me, I can't move, I can't stand, I got gotta gotta gotta, I gotta get, I gotta get away, I get away”

09) Guided By Voices - Hangover Child: 2012 was quite the year for GBV fans, with three albums (their first for 8 years) and a string of shows, while Robert Pollard also released two solo albums. This song appears on The Bears for Lunch and was debuted when I saw them in Central Park on an absolutely sweltering day in the summer. “Hangover child, save your breath, In the way that you’re starring to the face of despairing, You care.”

10) Rush - The Wreckers: Clockwork Angels saw Rush reinvigorated after 2007’s lacklustre Snakes and Arrows (see my review here: http://someothersuckersparade.blogspot.com/2012/07/rush-clockwork-angels-review.html). “All I know is that sometimes you have to be wary of a miracle too good to be true, All I know is that sometimes the truth is contrary everything in life you thought you knew, All I know is that sometimes you have to be wary, 'cause sometimes the target is you”

11) Bob Mould - Silver Age: Another artist who rolled back the years was Bob Mould with Silver Age, inspired by the 20^th anniversary of Sugar’s Copper Blue, Silver Age taps into that power-trio style that has served him so well over the years. “This is how I'm gonna spend my days, Gonna fight, gonna fuck, gonna feed, Gonna walk away “

12) Chromatics - The Page: I used The River back on Q#84, this is another standout track from Kill For Love, which can be purchased for a bargain $5 on the Italians Do It Better website. “like the pages of the book i'd never get to write, on the eastside of the city, where the ink is running dry, and if you love me like you say, take this book and burn the page, the rain will wash away the ashes, On the eastside of my heart”

13) Mark Lanegan - Harborview Hopsital: I’ve waxed lyrical about Lanegan’s whisky-drenched voice many times over the course of these mixes, Harborview Hospital manages to contain it in a soaring dreamscape of electronica. “Are they supposed to be as sick as you and me?”

14) Amanda Palmer - Grown Man Cry: Palmer gained a lot of attention this year with the enormous success of her kickstarter campaign, which raised over a million dollars to fund the recording and tour for Theatre Is Evil (I paid for the deluxe version of the album). After all the hype it would have been a bit of a letdown if the music wasn’t actually any good, and thankfully it is, the songs are varied and have depth. “We are standing on the threshold, Of a decent conversation, When I can hear the door slam, I know the face you're making”

15) Animal Collective – Moonjock: It was an almost impossible task to follow up Merriweather Post Pavilion but 10,000Hz is a fine album and it was great to see them live at the end of the year. “And there's no way to remind me of pacific plates or what the text was, No better way to remind me of sun heated seats then "love me do" was”

16) Goat – Goathead: They don’t sound like it, but Goat are from Sweden and produce a fantastic afrobeat fuzz freakout. There aren’t many things better than a screaming guitar solo, turn the volume UP on this one.

17) Carina Round - Girl and the Ghost: I used Set Fire on Q#83 and this is other standout track for me on Tigermending. “Shards of broken dreams, Stuck in your hands, Pick the pieces out put them back, together as best you can”

18) Ken Stringfellow - 110 or 220v: Danzig in the Moonlight may seem like a somewhat throwaway pun-tastic album title but make no mistake about it, the record is filled with Ken’s usual deep and sincere songs pulled from the depth of his being. There are probably better songs on the record, but I love the vocal and lyrics. “Reality is subject to cancellation”

19) Sun Kil Moon - Among the Leaves: This is the title track to Mark Kozelek’s latest release (though he has a new covers album out soon) and was billed as a slightly low-key and at times humorous, which it often is, but there are also some of his trademarks such as this number. “On afternoons I walk the graves, The rusted cars, the mine shaft caves, See a girl sadly unkempt, a child of neglect Under moons I pass the tombs, Cross the highways, smell the fumes, See a girl frighteningly gaunt, somebody didn't want, How do I tell her I don't care, if she sleeps downstairs?“

20) Grizzly Bear - Yet Again: Following up Veckatimest must have felt like a near impossible task, the band haven’t changed formula much with Shields but there was certainly no need to! “Keep score, even playing fields this game, I know when all’s said we’re the same, If I could I would leave it all be, No chance to move backwards and see“

21) Dum Dum Girls - Season in Hell: I saw Dum Dum Girls twice in 2012, first at the Music Hall of Williamsburg in February and then at an in-store performance at Other Music, promoting their EP, End of Daze, which this song closes. “Anything we should know about your change?
From shots, broken hearts, tears from desert eyes, Something new is dreamed, A confession's not a cure, There's always darkness to endure, On the path to be redeemed “

22) Ty Segall Band - Wave Goodbye: I think the easiest way to write about this song is to quote how it ends. FUCK YEAH!

Until next time

Peace and love - Q 

Q#86 – October – November 2012

Note that the zip file has a password: Q86

 All files available at this link: http://www.mediafire.com/?5afxxso19rf8kkv

Q’s Compilations

Volume #86 – October – November 2012

Greetings! This is my Soul mix, a sort-of companion to the funk mix of Q#76, it is not meant as a “best of” or any kind of definitive selection, but is a rough guide to the genre and a nice contrast of established greats and obscurity. Regardless, it does contain some of my very favourites and while there are some obvious omissions, I think it’s an excellent compilation. I write these notes in the aftermath of hurricane sandy, feeling fortunate and grateful that I didn’t lose power or worse, as so many have.

01) Otis Redding - I Can't Turn You Loose (live): Otis was one of the greats and of course, should need no introduction. My favourite of his releases is the In Person at the Whisky A Go Go live album, recorded in 1966 on the sunset strip in LA (released in 68). The record is a whirlwhind experience, this is the first track on the record and Redding already sounds like he’s poured an incredible amount of energy into it. I love all the false endings too.

02) The Flirtations - Nothing but a Heartache: I have used this on a previous Q-Comp (#74), but it is probably my favourite song of all time and had to make another appearance for the purpose of this mix. There’s some great bass work going on here that is often missed.

03) Ann Peebles - What You Laid On Me: Along with Otis Redding’s In Person at the Whisky A Go Go, Peeble’s 1972 album Straight From the Heart is my favourite soul album. I’ve used a couple of cuts on previous comps, of course. The only blemish on an otherwise flawless record is the insistence to fade all the tracks out during the outro, it wouldn’t have hurt to let some songs end a bit more naturally! Again, check out the bass work on this track, beautiful.

04) Betty Harris - Mean Man: Harris made an appearance on my funk mix thanks to the delightful Break in the Road, which featured The Meters, but for the most part her recorded output is straight-up soul. This is probably her best song.

05) The O'Jays - For the Love of Money: Another band that featured on the funk mix, The O’Jays straddled both soul and funk as well as anyone, and I couldn’t completely leave funk unrepresented on a soul mix. This is on the Ship Ahoy (1973) record.

06) The Temptations - Psychedelic Shack: Another funky number, The Temptations are best known for their early period hits like the timeless My Girl, but after frontman David Ruffin left and was replaced by Dennis Edwards, they went through a style change from R&B motown numbers to a harder and trippy sound. This is an extended version of the song which was previously unreleased until the Psychedelic Soul compilation, an essential 2-CD collection if you like this. 

07) Lee Dorsey – Roverboat: Backed by The Meters, Dorsey’s 1970 Yes We Can album is an effortlessly varied record. Riverboat features a psychedelic groove which just flows over the whole song, sadly it’s over before you know it.

08) Black Merda - For You: This band were a rather shocking omission from the funk mix, so I had to make sure they made an appearance on this one. Considered to be the first all-black rock band, this track shows their soulful side, which opens their second album, Long Burn the Fire, originally released in 1972.

09) Curtis Mayfield - Keep On Keeping On: Another artist that needs no introduction, most people reach for the outstanding self-titled debut or Superfly, but Roots, released in 1971 (snuggled nicely between the debut and Superfly…) is up there with anything he released.

10) Sam Dees - Child of the Streets: Ask anyone who loves soul about Sam Dees and it’s likely they will wax lyrical about 1975’s The Show Must Go On, but he remains an obscurity to everyone else, mustering a depressing 5000 listeners on last,fm. I used Claim Jumpin’ on a previous mix, the album is hard to find so you’ll probably have to make do with a download, it really deserves a proper re-issue.

11) Johnson, Hawkins, Tatum, & Durr - You're All I Need to Make It: Led by Virgil Johnson’s distinctive vocal, this group sadly recorded very little, a paltry two 7” records on the capsoul label in 1971/72. This will divide fans who prefer their soul more gritty, but it really is a gorgeous song.

12) Irma Thomas - Turn My World Around: The queen of New Orleans soul, I’ve already featured two other songs from the resplendent 1973 release, In Between Tears, on previous mixes. Once again, pay attention to the bass!

13) The Four Mints - Row My Boat: Another forgotten gem in the soul world is The Four Mints’ Gently Down Your Stream album (another from 1973), which had no less than four strong candidates for this mix. Those who don’t really “do” smoother-soul would do well to give this a fair crack of the whip, there is a lot going on and it really gets under your skin.

14) The Charmels - As Long As I've Got You: The other track on this mix that I have used before (Q#79), I just love it too much to have left it off, and a bit like The Flirtations, there isn’t a song by the group that is near as good to have used instead. Another group who recorded a handful of songs then disappeared, this song was released on Stax in 1967 but has since garnered a cult following thanks to the Wu-Tang Clan, who sampled it.

15) Al Green - Tired of Being Alone: Another big hitter but I figure most casual listeners probably only know Let’s Stay Together thanks to Pulp Fiction (although, granted, this song did make #293 in Rolling Stone’s top 500 songs of all time). I’m not a huge Green listener, it gets a bit too smooth after a while but in small doses he’s as good as anyone and this 1971 single can’t help but induce an embarrassing sway from this particular listener.

16) Little Anthony and the Imperials - Goin' Out of My Head: Forming in the 50s, the group had a hit with their first release, Tears On My Pillow, after a few lineup changes, including Little Anthony pursuing a solo career, the group got back together and released this track in 1964. You’ll probably recognise the song, given that it’s been covered by a staggering number of artists (just find the wiki entry for this song).

17) The Web - The Same Old Me: Compilation and re-issue specialist label Numero released Cult Cargo: Belize City Boil Up in 2005, a wonderful mix of releases from Belize between 1960 and 1980. The compilation leans more towards reggae but includes this absolute gem of a tune, although perhaps part of the reason this song sits apart from the rest is that The Web moved away from Belize to the US.

18) Baby Huey - Listen to Me: Baby Huey is one of those “almost was…” stories, great voice, tight backing band, signed to Curtis Mayfield’s label, he should have been huge. He was huge, of course, physically, plagued with a glandular problem that kept his weight around the 400 pound mark, which contributed (as well as substance abuse) to his death in 1970 after a heart attack. The album was released after his death and is a bit of a patchwork attempt to fill some gaps to make an albums worth of material, which ends up giving the album a very uneven feel. We’ll never know what might have been released had he been healthy. Taken in isolation though, this song is more than worthy of being on the mix.

19) Eddie Finley And Cincinatti Show Band - Treat Me Right: Information about this group is hard to come by, but they are featured on the recently released Loving on the Flipside on Nowagain records, which I was going to buy, but the next time I went into Other Music they had sold all their copies, will try to get it later. The bass and guitar interplay on this song, coupled with Eddie’s gut-wrenching vocal is an absolute winner.

20) Charles Bradley - The World (Is Going Up in Flames): Part of Daptone’s revivalist label, you could be forgiven for thinking this is from the 70s, but is in fact a single release from 2007 (and featured on his debut album released in 2011, No Time for Dreaming).

21) Black Nasty - It's Not the World: Ending the mix with another relatively obscure but wonderful band, Talking to the People was released on Stax in 1973, but yielded little success, the fine mix of funk, soul and rock should have been a winning formula.

I hope this compilation has been of use, particularly for those that don’t generally listen to the genre. It was a lot of fun to put together, and I needed to put a compilation together a little earlier in the month than normal as I’m heading back home for a few weeks and didn’t want to have to worry about hitting my deadline.

Until next time

Peace and love - Q 

Q#85 - August - September 2012

Please note that the zip file has a password on it: Q85

All files available from this link: http://www.mediafire.com/?ea84z7u4jyza4zz

Q’s Compilations

Volume #85 – August – September 2012

Hello! This compilation has a theme to it, and a rather self-indulgent one. It has been a fantastic summer here mainly for one reason, the sheer volume of spectacular free concerts that are hosted in this fair city, this mix features bands that I have seen over the course of the year so far and not had to pay a penny. The mix still manages to omit an impressive roster of artists who I managed to see and many others who I did not (Funkadelic!).

01) The Pains of Being Pure at Heart – Higher Than the Stars: I’ve feature Pains… on a few mixes over the years, but have so far not featured any tracks from their EP, Higher Than the Stars (this of course, being the title track). The band played Central Park Summer Stage on a sweltering day that also featured Cloud Nothings, The War on Drugs and Guided By Voices. “This time you should have stopped. But where’s the fun?”

02) Frankie Rose – Night Swim: I’d heard a few songs over the last few months, but probably nothing that stuck in my head, but Frankie played a rather spellbinding set at Prospect Park opening for Little Dragon. Rose has an impressive CV, having been part of early versions of Crystal Stilts, Dum Dum Girls and Vivian Girls. Her second solo album, Interstellar was released this year.

03) Diiv – Doused: Another band on the excellent Captured Tracks record label, I caught Diiv last month at Hudson River Rocks, their debut album, Oshin, is well worth an investment and I featured a track on the last mix as well. “Act like it stops and starts, a gesture here and there, for me is one thing, but I felt every time you blew it”

04) Roomrunner – Aesthetic: I used Roomrunner on the last mix, having been impressed with their set at Hudson River Rocks, playing with John Maus and Dan Deacon (for whom Roomrunner mainman Denny Bowen also drums).

05) Bob Mould – The Descent: Silver Age has just been released and coincides rather swimmingly with the 20^th anniversary of Sugar’s Copper Blue album, which Bob played in full at an immense show in Williamsburg Park. I reviewed the gig here: http://someothersuckersparade.blogspot.com/2012/09/bob-mould-williamsburg-park-7th-of.html and the new album is a corker. “I started out so starry-eyed, full of hope and wonder.”

06) Cloud Nothings – Wasted Days: To be honest I wasn’t completely won over by Cloud Nothings, who opened the day at the Central Park CBGB festival, whose set was marred a little by being a bit too samey. However, drummer Jason Gerycz was a joy to watch with his animal-like drumming and facial expressions. This song didn’t seem to click that much live but I think I have more patience with the recorded version, the wigout section here works.

07) Mission of Burma - Semi-Pseudo-Sort-Of Plan: Opening for Wild Flag at Prospect Park (which seemed to confuse a lot of people who thought it should have been the other way around), it seemed like most of the crowd weren’t really there to see them, but they put on a spirited performance and it was great to see them. No Academy Fight Song in the set though! This track is taken from their latest album, Unsound, released this year.

08) Guided By Voices – Game of Pricks: I’m using GBV for the third time in a row, of course, but I couldn’t put this type of theme together without including them again! Seeing them play this song (a rare classic in a set dominated by newer material) was a special moment. “I've entered the game of pricks, With knives in the back of me, can't call you or on you no more,
When they're attacking me”

09) Eternal Summers – You Kill: Suffering a somewhat nasty hangover, I thankfully managed to get to Eternal Summers free show at Fulton Stall Market. which perked me up! Unfortunately they sold their last copy of new album, Correct Behaviour (on which this song appears) as I got to the front of the queue, but they played a cracking set, well worth checking out. “It’s a piece, of a plot, of a story we are not”

10) Lee Ranaldo – Lost (Plane T Nice): I was fortunate enough to get to see Ranaldo’s record release show for Between the Times and the Tides, playing as an acoustic trio (drummer Steve Shelley was gigging elsewhere) at Other Music. It’s a fine record and Lee was a pleasure to meet afterwards. “When every single dream requires revision”

11) Kurt Vile – The Creature: In a case of “should have been the headliner”, Kurt Vile opened for Dawes (who we endured for a couple of songs then decided to leave) at Central Park. This song features on the EP So Outta Reach which was included on the deluxe edition of Smoke Ring for My Halo. “She said I'm a creature of habits, Oh, she's so cute with her claims, Ain't got time for asking questions, So I just nod and move on, And that's all right for me, So far, So good for me”

12) Veronica Falls – Starry Eyes (demo): Another sweltering evening was spent at South Street Seaport. I featured My Heart Beats on Q#83. This track was a b-side to Found Love In a Graveyard. A lovely song to throw away as a b-side. “Starry Eyes what can I say, Starry Eyes, what can I do for your attention, Starry Eyes Starry Eyes forever shall be mine”

13) Rain Machine – Smiling Black Faces: A gloriously sunny day was had at Union Pool (the heat made bearable by numerous $5 margaritas), which also included an improvised set by Thurston Moore on the 9^th of June. Rain Machine is of course, Kyp Malone’s side-project from TV on the Radio, they played some new songs which sound promising, and I got to meet Kyp afterwards and babble like an embarrassed fanboi.

14) Barry Adamson – Straight til Sunrise: Adamson played a set at Other Music back in February, launching his latest album, I Will Set You Free, it was a nice set albeit a bit karaoke (he mostly just sang while the instrumental versions of the songs played over the speakers), but the album is good. This track is from the previous record, Back to the Cat. “In my head was every word that was said, Reverberating with consonants baiting me, I wish I had done what I said I would”

15) Grimes – Vanessa: Grimes appears to be this year’s hipster sensation, in truth I find the record a little lacking (and some of the fans at the show we were at reaching unknown levels of douchebag-dom), however, some of the tunes are pretty interesting and this one gets under your skin after a few plays. Grimes played at Hudson River Rocks. “hey hey wanna play well baby i can go go, and every other day you're running off the phone, no. Well baby I would call you if I didn't know you but I'm waiting for it”

16) John Maus – Bennington: John Maus played the Hudson River Rocks on the 12^th of July. My wife has become slightly obsessed with Mr Maus, and I think probably needs some professional help about it. Bennington appears on Maus’ latest release, a collection of demos, rather obviously called Collection of Rarities and Previously Unreleased Material. Live, Maus is a bit of an enigma, what should amount to little more than a glorified karaoke performance is oddly rather engaging. “Time and time again, I'll see her in my dreams, Time and time again,
Time and time again”

17) Dan Deacon – Lots: Deacon headlined the show on the 12^th of July at Hudson River Rocks and put on a storming performance. Audience participation is a big thing with Deacon (at which point, I made sure I drifted off to the side!), dividing the audience into dance-offs and scattering them into random directions, interspersed with random humour and heartfelt gripes at society. He’s also backed by two drummers who perform incredibly well. “Feel like we've been here before, Without a choice and insecure, Of where we'd be without this net around,
Yet we've always hated it”

18) Little Dragon – Blinking Pigs: Swedish electro-pop band Little Dragon provided a bouncey evening on the 10^th of August at Prospect Park, probably not something I would pay for, but since we live close by it was a fun thing to do, the crowd were really into it and made for a great atmosphere. “Was a distant moan, and a smell of home, Haunting me, from the clouds above, oh the memory of, you”

19) TV On the Radio – Keep Your Heart: Just to put the icing on the cake, I got to see TVotR for free this year as well, heaven! They headlined the Afropunk festival at Commodore Park on the 26^th of August, they played a great set (which also benefitted from a good sound, something that hampered the previous two times I’d seen them). “Outside ecstatic love, what did we think we'd find? Over that broken road,out past the land mines.”

Like I said, it has been a great summer here and I have truly been spoiled!

Until next time

Peace and love - Q 

Q#84 - June - July 2012

Please note that the zip file has a password: Q84
Download files here: http://www.mediafire.com/?va5q1o35i2wlx4t

Q’s Compilations

Volume #84 – June – July 2012

Greetings from sweltering New York! I had been warned about the summers here and they were not joking, at the time of writing we’ve had 14 days of over 32 degrees C (90 degrees F), apparently the average for the year is 15 days of that temperature. Yikes. Anyway, here’s some music.

01) Seapony – Dreaming: I can’t remember where I found this from, I think it might have been a last.fm recommendation. It is, however, perfect summer pop and the album, Go With Me, is generally delightful. “I don't wanna be like everybody else, I don't wanna be stuck on another shelf”

02) Mrs Magician – There Is No God: Atheism has never sounded so sunny! My wife and I have been fighting over who was going to buy their record, even though I obviously like them better, and heard of them first :o) regardless, it’s a wonderful debut (Strange Heaven). “There’s no god la la la there’s no god la la la”

03) Pond – Dig Brother: I didn’t realise when I bought this record (Beard, Wives, Denim) the other week that it’s a side-project of Australian band, Tame Impala. I first heard of them thanks for a compilation that friend, Felix, sent to me recently. The album is heavily influenced by those old Nuggets-style bands.

04) Chelsea Light Moving - Burroughs: This is Thurston Moore’s new project sounds like… Sonic Youth! I had the pleasure of seeing Thurston perform an improvised set a couple of months ago where he basically abused his guitar, a great watch! On the basis of this track I’m looking forward to the record. http://chelsealightmoving.blogspot.com/

05) The Corin Tucker Band – Doubt: Corin Tucker is set to release her second solo album, which reminded me that I actually needed to hear the first (which is called 1000 Years)! Corin is of course, best known for being in Sleater Kinney, and this material is no departure. She’s playing a couple of shows here in September which I’m tempted by.

06) Guided By Voices – No Transmission: I had the pleasure of seeing GBV for free in Central Park recently and they played a great set (whilst also helping me tick off seeing one of my favourite bands that I didn’t think I’d ever get to see). While it was heavy on recent material and very light on classics (although hearing Game of Pricks, I Am a Scientist and Echos Myron will forever be gig-going highlights), new album Class Clown Spots a UFO is actually rather fine and dandy. As Pollard said at the gig, “we had to show them how it was done back then, and we had to come back to show them how to do it again”.

07) Smashing Pumpkins – Quasar: Another band with a recent return to form, Smashing Pumpkins seemed to disappear with a bit of a wimper a few years ago, but new album, Oceania, is an ambitious and varied record.

08) Roomrunner – Spinning: I saw Roomrunner’s first ever gig (or at least that’s what they said, a freebie at Hudson River Rocks) recently and despite a catalogue of technical problems they played a blistering set, check them out! http://roomrunner.tumblr.com/

09) Heavy Blanket – Spit in the Eye: This project is basically an excuse for J.Mascis to guitar solo constantly, which is fine because there are fewer aural delights than a Mascis guitar solo!

10) Superchunk – Why Do You Have To Put A Date On Everything (live): Although I owned the original CD, I love Foolish so purchased the remastered CD that was released last year. The album comes with a download code with a raft of bonus material, which includes a concert recording. I was a bit bummed out recently because they played a free show in Times Square that I had to miss (it clashed with Guided By Voices, all the more annoying that they were supposed to play the day before but had to change venue and day).

11) Built to Spill – Car: I love Built to Spill, but until recently had never gotten round to purchasing There’s Nothing Wrong With Love, which has now been rectified. Car is one of their most well-known songs, of course, but I felt like throwing it on anyway.

12) Diiv – Follow: The band have just released their debut album, Oshin, which is a lovely and dreamy swirl of guitars and this song is pretty representative of the album as a whole. Planning on catching them in August at one of the Hudson River Rocks shows.

13) Blouse – Into Black: From Portland, Oregon, Blouse released a haunting self-titled debut album last year which is well worth a listen.

14) Blood Orange – Sutphin Boulevard: Blood Orange is another alias of Devonté Hynes also known as Lightspeed Champion and member of the now defunct Test Icicles (I always saw their name but never checked them out). I have Felix to thank for recommending this to me.

15) Fanfarlo – Lenslife: On their second album (debut album Resevoir was very promising) the band seem to have ventured into Talking Heads territory, not that that’s a bad thing! It seems a less coherent record (Rooms Filled With Light) but does have some highlights, this was my favourite.

16) Chromatics – The River: The band have just released new album, Kill For Love, on their Italians Do It Better label, all of their music is very reasonably priced (most albums are $5 and they send you a download while you wait for the physical copy). I love the vibe of this song, so simple but effective. “l Watch The Moon Hang In The Air, l Feel The Cold Breeze Through My Hair, My Eyes Blind By Headlights Glare, I'm Still Here Waiting For You”

17) The Flaming Lips – The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face: The Flaming Lips and Heady Fwends was released on CD recently and is a schizophrenic mishmash of collaborations, this one features Erika Badu and is a cover version, most famously known as a cover version itself by Roberta Flack. The Flips’ version features their typical sonic bombast but still manages to retain a sense of longing for which the song is known. “The first time ever I kissed your mouth, And felt your heart beat close to mine, Like the trembling heart of a captive bird, That was there at my command, my love“

18) Exitmusic – Sparks of Light: I’d heard the name of this band for some time but never got round to listening to them, I don’t know why but I just assumed they would sound completely different to this.

And there you have it!

Until next time

Peace and love

Q