July 31st 2012

Pikachunes – Pikachunes (2010)

** Two Stars

Pikachunes is the solo project of New Zealand producer and musician Miles McDougall. Its a dance record really, with lots of house beats, electronic pulses. A bit better than the overhpyed Hurts, reminds me a bit of the Human League with a more modern sound. Its not a bad record, its just not my cup of tea. Nervous is a great track it should be said.

Link: Bandcamp

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July 30th 2012

David Holmes – The Holy Pictures (2008)

***** Five stars

Was really excited to check this out after hearing his track I Heard Wonders, the first track on the album being used for the BBC’s olympic games opening sequence. The album does not disappoint one bit, its got a huge motorik Neu! like sound throughout the album. Love Reign Over Me follows the same motorik pattern with, the vocals are rather melodic very catchy.

Kill Her With Kindness sounds a bit more Can/Kraftwerk like, with its lush dark synth soundscapes. A lovely album with a ton of attitude, well worth checking out of you enjoy Neu!/Stereolab.

Link: Official site

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July 29th 2012

The Big Dish – Creeping Up On Jesus (1988)

**** Four Stars

A Scottish band from Airdrie Lanarkshire. They have that classic 80s jangly sound, though they remind me a bit of Lloyd Cole, so its not surprising to read they supported Lloyd Cole back in the day. Opening track Life is a brilliant guitar track, as is Waiting For the Parade which is rather Bombastic, but its a cool track. Faith Healer has some hints of cheesy 80s synth, which maybe sounds a bit outdated but I enjoyed it. A feel good 80s guitar record!

Link: Steven Lindsay site

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July 28th 2012

The Bible – Walking The Ghost Back Home (1986)

**** Four stars

British 80s indie group, they remind me a bit of the Blue Nile. The songs are really strong, lyrics are good with some interesting music. Its almost jazz like at times! Really good album, I hear they only did one other album which I need to be checking out here soon. Good adult pop songs, if you enjoy the Blue Nile you should enjoy this record. King Chicago is a really catchy track, check it out!

Link: Official site

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July 27th 2012

The Railway Children – Reunion Wilderness (1987)

***** Five stars

Jangly C86 band from Wigan,  who caught my attention on a Factory Records compilation with their brilliant single Brighter, 80s jangly guitar at its very best. This debut album is really strong, love the distinct vocals by Gary Newby. Probably deserve more recognition than they ever got, though I need to check out their later stuff.

Link: Official site

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July 26th 2012

Danny Wilson – The Best Of (2005)

*** Three stars

Scottish group from Dundee Scotland.They remind me a bit of Deacon Blue with the lush harmonies, beautiful piano parts on the sultry pop songs. Unlike Deacon Blue the songs are not that catchy or memorable.

Link: Wiki page

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July 25th 2012

The Adventures – The Sea of Love (1988)

**** Four stars

Very 80s sounding Northern Irish band. They remind me allot of Queen/Tears for Fears. The vocalist sounds allot like Roland Orzable of TFF. The opening track Drowning in the Sea of Love is an epic romp. The production is very polished, again reminds me of Tears for Fears on the Seeds of Love album. The vocal harmonies are lush, the songs are just catchy as hell. If you enjoy 80s melodic pop, this album is for you. It definitely appeals to my love of 80s music!

Link: Official site (old site -best I can find!)

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July 24th 2012

Seasick Steve – Man From Another Time (2010)

***** Five Stars

An interesting character I’ve heard on occasion on 6 Music. Definitely need to be checking out more as this is a brilliant album. Love the guitar, its blues but not conventional blues if that makes any sense? He gets some awesome sounds of his guitar, the drums are really cool too. The opening track Diddley Bo is a great start and really represents the album well in all. His vocals sound great for a guy who’s in his early 70s. Look forward to hearing more!

Link: Official site

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July 23rd 2012

Big Audio Dynamite – The Globe (1991)

***** Five Stars

Love the B.A.D best of and debut album, was always told the later stuff wasn’t so great. Thiswas much better than I expected. Love the title track and Rush. Innocent Child & I Don’t Know are great album cuts. Gutted I didn’t catch them live last year, they just didn’t play here besides Lolla which had sold out. Anyhow this album just reinforces what a great project B.A.D was!

 

Link: Unofficial site

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July 22nd 2012

The Triffids – Wide Open Road The best of The Triffids (2010)

***** Five Stars

The last of the trio of Australian records recommended to me, and by far the best. I love this collection, so many different styles. Indie rock, funk pop, atmospheric pop its all here. These guys really knew how to write an infection pop song. From the Australian classic Wide Open Road to the Euro synth pop Goodbye Little Boy.

They remind me a bit of Deacon Blue on the atmospheric Stolen Property. This best of has 18 tracks on it, not duff one on there at all. If you haven’t checked these guys out before, what are you waiting for – get right in! One of my favourite records of the challenge. There is sure more to Australian music than INXS!

Link: Official site

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July 21st 2012

The Blue Aeroplanes – Spitting Out Miracles (1987)

*** Three stars

Australia’s answer to the Velvet Underground? Arty indie rock. Not a bad album but like yesterday’s pick not really memorable. But I think this could be a grower and one I have marked to go back to .

Link: Official site

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July 20th 2012

The Go Betweens – Liberty Belle And The Black Diamond Express (1986)

*** Three stars

My first run of some recommended Australian records. Not a bad album this, full of strings and lush melodies.  Not memorable though, the one track that stood out was The Ghost And The Black Hat.

Link: Official site

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July 19th 2012

Cosmic Baby – Sternsprung – Music For An Oceanic Radioplay (2008)

**** Four Stars

Harald Blüchel aka Cosmic Baby is an electronic artist from Germany. I love the sea/ocean so this album appealed to me right away from just the title,after doing some searching om Spotify. Its a very futuristic sounding album at times. Though the opening track sounds allot like Kraftwerk! Its a lovely soundtrack, well worth investigating if you enjoy a contemporary take on old sounds.

Link: Official site

July 18th 2012

Chromatics – Night Drive (2007)

**** Four stars

Electronic band from Portland Oregon. Not a bad album for the most part, the cover of Running Up That Hill is not great. I was set on three stars until I got to the last track which is quite sensational. Think Kraftwerk meets Neu! Its a quite brilliant track, probably could have gone on allot longer than 15 minutes!

Link: Official facebook

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July 17th 2012

Bear In Heaven – I Love You, It’s Cool (2012)

***** Five stars

July’s great run of records continues with this beast! A lovely mix of indie rock, krautrock & with some awesome electronic touches. There aren’t many stand out tracks, it just stands out as a great record though the last two Space Remains & Sweetness & Sickness are great tracks.The later uses the Neu! sound really well. If you enjoy Stereolab, you should enjoy this record.

Link: Official site

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July 16th 2012

Wess Meets West – Chevaliers (2011)

***** Five stars

Instrumental post-rock group Wess Meets West from the US East Coast. I was recommended this album awhile back, I kind of had my fill of post-rock in truth but this album really surprised me. Its a lovely melodic thought evoking album. You really do picture wide open spaces and huge mountainous areas. Leaving Behind A Whaling Economy is one of the best instrumentals I have heard in a long while, such a beautiful haunting track. If you enjoy Explosions in the Sky you will love these guys. Great album!

Link: Bandcamp

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July 15th 2012

Cold Specks – I Predict a Graceful Expulsion (2012)

***** Five Stars

July has been a great month so far, another beautiful record today, this one not too dissimilar to yesterday’s pick by Ben Howard. This time Cold Specks is a female Canadian singer-songwriter. She reminds me a bit of the singer from Alabama Shakes, such a unique but truly beautiful voice. It takes you to the deep south of the USA, very soulful sweet at honey really. The music behind the vocals is simple but the whole thing works a treat, well worth checking out!

Link: Official site

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July 14th 2012

Ben Howard – Every Kingdom (2011)

***** Five stars

Ben Howard is a British singer-songwriter. I wasn’t expecting a great deal from this album, but I was suitably impressed. This is an intense beautiful low-fi folk record. Love the singles, Keep Your Head Up especially is a memorable track. If you enjoy the likes of Ryan Adams you should enjoy this record!

Link: Official site

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July 13th 2012

Purity Ring – Shrines (2012)

*** Three stars

Montreal based indie electro duo. 80s synth pop with plinky-plonky beats, loaded with tons of shimmering textures. Glitch is a big influence on this album, the stop start nature of the songs do take a bit getting used to, despite that its very melodic. The lyrics are odd at times, but all all works to be a really good album if not remarkable. They wear their 80s influences proudly, especially on Amenamy which really sparkles of early OMD.

Link: Official site

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July 12th 2012

Glen Hansard – Rhythm And Repose (2012)

***** Five stars

Glen Hansard of the Frames or perhaps known best for his work on the Once soundtrack. Whatever, he’s a really talented musician. This is his first solo record, and it sounds it! By that I mean this sounds a very personal record. Just Glen with his guitar, some piano and strings. It all makes for a quite beautiful album. My favourite track is perhaps The Storm, It’s Coming.That said Races runs it close!

This album showcases what a great lyricist he is. If you enjoy anything he’s done before, you should enjoy this record.

Link: Official Site

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July 11th 2012

DIIV – Oshin (2012)

***** Five Stars

DIIV are an indie group from New York City. This album is brilliant, the songs all take the same formula for the most part – lush jangly guitars (C86) locked in a Krautrock Neu! like groove. The lead single How Long Have You Known is a brilliant slab of indie pop. Air Conditioning is probably my favourite track, a brilliant groove with some Kraftwerk like synths in the background. Its all lovely stuff, its maybe a bit samey, but I love the sound so five stars from me.

Link: Facebook

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July 10th 2012

The xx – The xx (2009)

**** Four Stars

Took me awhile to get around to this album! I hadn’t heard much of their stuff previously anyways. I first came across the track VCR thanks to the cover OMD did last year. This is a very good album, reminds me a bit of Interpol. Love the intro/VCR.

Heart Skipped a Beat is one of my fave tracks. Fantasy reminds me a bit of post-rock records. The sound reminds me of Joy Division/Interpol. I would say it all does sound a bit samey, you feel as if you’ve heard it all before? Still its a good album, but maybe not that great I don’t think.

Link: Official site

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July 9th 2012

The Manhattan Transfer – The Best Of (1981)

*** Three stars

I hadn’t heard of this group until I saw Billy Connolly live several times here in Chicago. He would start the shows by talking about how he supported the group on one of his early tours of the US. I finally got hold of a cassette (yes i know!) so I gave it a spin at work. Not bad stuff to be honest, its very much cabaret music of its time the 70s.

Tuxedo Junction is a really infectious popsong with the vocal harmonies. Twilight Zone/Twilight Tone is a great track, love the music not sure how original it is but I enjoyed that one. The b-sides of the cassette showed more of their cabaret style, not my cup of tea so three stars for side A!

Link: Official site

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July 8th 2012

Lou Reed – Transformer (1972)

 **** Four stars

A thoroughly entertaining album with some really great singles. Really enjoy Satellite of Love, Walk on the Wild Side, Perfect Day. Wagon Wheel is also equally as memorable. It tales off towards the end with a few unforgettable tracks. Though the last track with that old war time era sound going on is a brilliant note to end the album on. Loses a star for those tracks that kind of lost me a bit, but otherwise another great album added to the list!

Link: Official site

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July 7th 2012

Oasis – Masterplan (1998)

**** Four stars

Was always aware Oasis b-sides were supposed to be good, though I never buy the singles. The only one I knew is the brilliant Half A World Away. The rest of the tracks are brilliant, Fade Away, and Talk Tonight were my favourites. The title track also is equally brilliant. I haven’t listened to an Oasis album after WTSMG, maybe I need to change that?

Link: Official site

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July 6th 2012

Bjork – Debut (1993)

**** Four stars

Always enjoyed Bjork’s singles, so I knew what I was getting into with this kind of. Its a really joyful refreshing album, that climaxes for me with the still brilliant single Big Time Sensuality. Human Behaviour the opener is a beautiful haunting track, that still sounds fresh today. A brilliant album, love funkyness of it, some great bass parts throughout. Not quite a five star album for me, but very close.

Link: Official site

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July 5th 2012

 

Stevie Jackson – (I Can’t Get No) Stevie Jackson (2012)

**** Four Stars

First off Stevie Jackson is the guitarist for Belle & Sebastian. It should be said right away this sounds nothing like a B&S record! It is pleasant vibrant pop, tons of lovely harmonies, hooks and just an all round feel good album. He goes through many different styles, with indie pop, bluesy acoustic pop and rap! At times he sounds like Syd Barrett, other times its a bit Ben Folds like.

Just, Just So to the Point which features rap is not so good and is the album low point. The rest of is is pretty good, Dead Man’s Fall is brilliant. A solid debut solo effort, be interesting to see how this effects the next B&S record.

Link: Official site

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July 4th 2012

The Velvet Underground & Nico – The Velvet Underground & Nico (1967)

***** Five Stars

What a amazing sounding album. You hear some really early post-rock, some krautrock long before Neu came on the scene! Quite easy to hear why so many artists are influenced by this album. Venus in Furs could be Godspeed You! Black Emperor. Heroin sounds allot like Neu! who were obviously influenced by this American band. David Bowie too. A quite brilliant album, July’s picks have started off so well, here’s to more crackers hopefully!

Link: Fansite

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July 3rd 2012

Suede – Suede (1993)

***** Five Stars

I hate britpop I don’t hide that very well, hence I have stayed away from Suede, which has been a big mistake as this album is special. It would be an insult to lump this album with the rest of the usual britpop suspects. Its a well written jangly guitar album with some really nice lyrics. The vocals are stunning, the guitar is everything you want from a rock album. The soundscapes they built on these tracks are awe inspiring. I look forward to living with this album for a long time!

Hard to pick out a favourite, So Young is memorable. The debut single The Drowners really hit me, what a great track. I will be checking out more Suede no doubt about that.

Link: Official site

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July 2nd 2012

Mozart: Clarinet Concerto, Oboe Concerto – Pay/Hogwood/Amm/Piguet

***** Five Stars

One more classical recording, this time by the Academy of Ancient Music. This is a beautiful recording, it really put me in mind of a sea voyage. The vibe and atmosphere really had a carefree sea like feeling. Its not nearly as intense as yesterday’s pick, a much more pleasant listen in that regard. I know nothing really about classical music, but I dig it and would love to check out more.

Link: Academy of Ancient Music

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July 1st 2012

Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 4 – Chicago Symphony Orchestra/Solti (1985)

***** Five Stars

An easy five stars, this is music for the kings! Its probably cliched to say that this music sounds like it should be a soundtrack to a major blockbuster movie, don’t they all use dramatic Orchestra music these days? The music here is conducted by the CSO’s music director of the time, Sir Georg Solti. The music is intense, bold and at times quite violent sounding. It only really sounds relaxed towards the end. Its a wonderful listen, would highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys classsical music.

Link: CSO Official site

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