Like the independent record shop guide in this month's Mojo, only for the UK, rather than America

Following on from a comment from the enigmatically named, 'Anonymous', I'm going to embark upon a massive great list project of the UK's greatest indie stores. At this stage, mind you, they've got to be pretty bloody good to still be alive. I'd like to offer info about the stores, possible web links and any thoughts from actual, real-life people who've been there.
This will grow into something splendid, hopefully, but it will require input from the delightful army of lovelies who visit this site from time to time.
I'll spread out my contributions over a few posts, and as the series grows I'll put a collection of links in a menu on the right-hand side of the blog, so that you can find them all easily. Ain't that neat?

First up, the soon-to-be-no-more Reveal Records of Derby. Quite possibly my favourite record shop of all time, but their time is up, and the shop has only months to live. As stock levels dwindle and prices slowly descend it'll no doubt slip in the rankings as it becomes transparently obvious that the game is up, but for the time being I'm almost telling myself that "it'll all be ok."
A wide variety of genres are covered, along with bargain prices through 2 for £10 offers and the like, and with the current desire to shift stock prior to closure, the bargains will increase. It feels a little like ambulance chasing, but it's gonna happen whether I get a few cheap records or not.
Reveal also has its own record label, featuring Joan As Police Woman and Lau. All good stuff.
Links:
REVEAL RECORDS ONLINE SHOP
REVEAL RECORDS eBAY SHOP
REVEAL RECORDS LABEL

Over the weekend, whenever I can be arsed, I'll add Selectadisc of Nottingham, Spillers Records of Cardiff, Norman Records in Leeds and Action Records of Preston.
Throw your delightful ideas in my web-based direction should you so desire.

I'm a traitor. Oh well

One of the internet boards I frequent had a thread today asking for posters to recommend one track from iTunes that people might enjoy. Naturally, I'm not one to condone all of this downloading ahead of buying from lovely wee record shops that go out of business if we ignore them and just go for convenience over personal service and physical product (yup, still bitter about Reveal), but I thought I'd join in. And, in an act of word-recycling in these eco-friendly times, I thought 'fuck it', that'll go nicely in the blog. So here it is.
The Innocence Mission - 'Tomorrow On The Runway'
A hauntingly beautiful track.
Clicky!

P.S. My thanks to Richard Hawley for alerting me to this one via his excellent forum, on which he does post. What a nice man.
P.P.S. Maps tour dates have been announced. Buy tickets now before the Mercury Music Prize bluster causes a sellout.

On the breeze, like

I'm fairly certain that the ever-growing bunch of regular readers of this blog aren't especially bothered about the person who writes it, more the shared interest in music and the surrounding areas. Thus, I don't feel obliged to sparkle any magical words about this lot onto the interweb. One of the staff in Selectadisc recommended this - perhaps not entirely without bias - and it turns out that they knew exactly what they were talking about. 'This' is the debut 7" by The Soundcarriers, 'I Had A Girl' and you can get it from top notch indie outlets, including the aforementioned Selectadisc.
Feel free to do your own exploring via their website and their myspace. Enjoy.

Noisemonger utters a cautious squeak once more

Right then, who's got all of the vinyl copies of the new Super Furries album? Can't find it in the shops, and my online order still hasn't been posted. Tut-tut. Mustn't dwell.
Went into a re-opened Fopp today and I have to confess it was a little bit weird. I spent most of the time thinking, 'wow, this is exactly where it was before they closed,' which is felt rather odd. I was almost surprised at how normal it all felt. The stickers have changed over to the ones HMV have been using for a little while, but the pricing seems mainly the same. Obviously the odd title has gone up, but I think it's important to avoid rose-tinted spectacles when looking back at Fopp simply because then it was technically an 'indie' and now it's owned by HMV. I spoke to one of the staff who's been there as long as I've been meandering through the doors on a regular basis, and he seemed made up about getting his job back. I'm aware that there are plenty of ex-Fopp staff for whom this won't be the most pleasing news, but something's better than nothing, no? Anyway, they've only been open since Saturday, and he said things have been pootling along slowly as trading resumes. Naturally, his pay from the old days is still in limbo because it's in the hands of the administrators, not the new owners. Still, the problems seemed to have been surpassed by being back at work, and it was strangely reassuring to see him there again.
As for the stock, I was quite impressed. There appears to be an increase in £3 clearout stock - with a lift in quality, with the like of Blur's 'Think Tank' and the deluxe edition of Morrissey's 'You Are The Quarry' the highlights. In addition to this, there's plenty of £4 stock now, before we even get to the old school £5 bargains. Loads of excellent soul bargains in the £4 category, including some of the Sly & The Family Stone reissues from a few months back. I noticed that plenty of titles I'd meant to get just before the problems at the end of June were now a quid cheaper. Now, I'm not saying that that means everything is cheaper, because it clearly isn't going to be, but ultimately I was pleasantly surprised. I didn't expect to buy much, but it was as satisfying a bagful as I'm accustomed to from Fopp.
I'm well aware that this isn't the most exciting of posts, but then I've been trying to get info about the re-born Fopp through the internet for the last few days, and have found bugger all, so hopefully this'll be of use to someone. It was like having an old friend back, and while I knew something had changed, I couldn't quite pinpoint what.

Relevant links (and other bits to make this stick out in search engines):

The Help Save Fopp Myspace

Fopp Returns


Fopp is open again
Fopp reopened

Ian McEwan and Oscar Wilde

It's a bank holiday here, so I'm sitting around picking my feet. I did do my traditional bank holiday trip to the record shop, and in amongst the bits and bobs I picked up was a Rhino Handmade special edition of the complete works of The Neon Philharmonic. No, I'd never heard of them either. But, it looked nice, was a Rhino Handmade pressing and it included song titles like 'Long John the Pirate' and 'F. Scott Fitzgerald & William Shakespeare'.
Here's a track from it, 'Morning Girl', that's been rather charmingly bunged over some random images just to get it on Ver Tube. I shouldn't mock - it allows you to hear it.

I just can't deal with all of the success

Musical Revelations Of The Week:

M.I.A. - 'Kala' - See yesterday's post for the rapturous response to this record. I still can't quite think how to describe this sufficiently. That said, it's an enormous mish-mash of music and noise and it'll hold your attention right through the eventual whirring of the CD player grinding to a halt.

Richard Hawley - 'Lady's Bridge' - There are those who would have you believe that this record is Hawley treading water. Such nonsense. To me it seems the logical follow on from 'Coles Corner', and by that I don't mean he's simply remade his previous album, I mean that he has continued the lush orchestrations, developed the styles and honed his voice to its finest sound to date. Treat yourself to this one; you'll not be disappointed with it.

Wilco - 'Sky Blue Sky' - So, it turns out it was the album of the summer after all. Finally got a chance to test it during some lovely weather on Wednesday.

*MROTW is somewhat concise this week due to it being a bank holiday and us having guests. Sorry about that. Likewise for the NMROTW, although I suspect I'd have gone with this whatever the situation.

Non-musical Revelations Of The Week:

Gareth Jenkins is a clown - No further explanation required.

The Welsh rugby team has not bulked up like virtually every other team in advance of the World Cup - We get bullied. A lot. If we can't be a constant force, we can't win.

Realising that all the effort I went to track down my World Cup tickets was probably a waste of time - *cries a little bit - in a manly way, like*

Part of a tour visiting a dying breed

The M.I.A. album is something of an aural assault from start to finish. I finally picked up the debut, 'Arular' the other week because a) I figured that I should probably hear it after all of the praise it received and b) it was £4. I've still not played it as a cursory flick through the tracks didn't exactly ignite my interest.

The newie, 'Kala', has once again received excellent reviews, with some pundits declaring it a far superior record to the first. As a result, during my first visit to Leicester's Rockaboom (a slightly sparse, but well-priced indie store) I took the opportunity to sample bits of it through the left-hand-earphone-functional-only listening post. Even with such restrictive audio kit it was clear that the album is something worthy of place in any music fan's collection. It's challenging, it's loud, it's occasionally bereft of actual tunes, but by fuckery you can't ignore it. It's noisy, it's urgent, it's fun. It's over-the-top, it's under-developed, it's a complete up yours to what the music selling and music buying public probably thought it would be. I can't capture its spirit adequately via a simple review, so I'm hoping the bare bones approach of what I've said thus far will provoke a purchase and save me having to try, having already deleted several attempts thus far.

Here's The Good Tunes

Finally picked up Weller's 'Heavy Soul' and 'Heliocentric' today in one of those '2 for £10' offers. I've always avoided the latter due to some truly mediocre reviews on release, and for some reason I've always associated the former with some notion of 'Dadrock' from the tail end of Britpop. And yet, one of my favourite Weller solo tracks, 'Peacock Suit' is on it and it seemed about right to cave in as I absolutely loved 'As Is Now' and have recently been on a bit of a solo Weller binge thanks to the documentary DVD, 'Into Tomorrow', that came out recently.
So, today, a selection of Weller stuff from Ver Tube.
Ain't the weather lovely?

Is 'The Men Don't Give A...' too obvious?

That logo is a little off-centre. Might even sort that out soon. What is going on in Neighbours these days? Just watched today's episode and for once I couldn't pick it up. What is Karl doing? Who are most of these people? Why is Steph with Toadie? Anybody think I need more to fill my days with? Ah well, I'm in a good mood today after finally getting hold of my Rugby World Cup tickets that have been floating somewhere between here and France for sometime. All is well.

So, music. Received a signed copy of 'The Man Don't Give A Fuck' by the Super Furries in the post this morning, after a winning bid on eBay. Listening to the two remixes included on the CD reminded me of the golden era of pointless alternative versions.

When I rummage through my pile of CD singles I can find any numer of truly terrible remixes that do nothing but add a tacky beat to a tune and remove most of the vocals. I could understand your average pop tune having six different remixes to get played in the 'clubs' (in inverted commas because, for some reason, I feel rather old writing that sentence, not sure why), but why did SFA need bizarre mixes from Howard Marks (!?!) and Matthew Herbert. Did the Manics benefit from their association with the Chemical Brothers? As much as I love to hear all the different versions of songs I'm hugely fond of, is there any need for the six minute plus reworkings that take small bits of the song and create something else, something not altogether worth listening to?

My single buying years are behind me - much like every person in the world, seemingly - but I still encounter these mixes via bonus discs with albums and downloads. I can't remember the last great remix I heard. Which brings me back round to the Super Furries. I frequently discuss this band with a mate who's also a fan, and his theory is that, rather than tarting up half-decent songs with good production like most bands do, they make pristine pop gems and then deconstruct them for the sheer hell of it. I think he might well have a point. 'Hey Venus!' is the purest pop thing they've ever done, and while I'd not really thought of them as particularly contrary, I was listening to 'Hermann Loves Pauline' this morning and the 'Marie Curie was French bred' line, which is followed by Gruff shouting 'French Bread' and a manic laugh and was suddenly struck by the fact that this was a Top 40 hit ten years ago. I've always loved them, and so I've never had to find a way through their 'weirdness', but listening back I can now vaguely understand why they've never quite cracked through to the mainstream. They deconstruct at will, twist songs out of shape and add noises and in-jokes because they want to. Their attitude is 'why not?' Working on the theory that Rough Trade, their new label, are aware of this, I can't see any reason to change this approach and I hope they don't.

My point? God knows? And who's that woman Boyd's with?

Get Mildly Chirpy!

Here's a classic bit of Costello to enjoy, continuing the theme from yesterday:

And now, to continue the other theme, here's a live performance of 'Demons' by the Super Furries from the 1998 NME awards:

To conclude, another SFA live performance, this time from Glastonbury 2007. They decided to redo 'Northern Lites' in a Teenage Fanclub stylee:

Everyday I Write The Blog

An Elvis Costello promo CD featuring an in-depth interview about his career up to 1986 came in this morning's post and proved to be as entertaining as I'd hoped it would be. Costello is not a man to humour an interviewer, nor to say what is expected simply because it is easy. Listening to him throwing in afterthoughts across the interviewer's next question and replying bluntly to questions that he considers incredibly wide of the mark is a delight. I can fully understand why this assertiveness (arrogance?) puts people off EC, but for me it's just another part of his appeal.
While listening, I was shuffling through the singles boxsets from a few years back, that covered the same period. Why on earth I thought I needed these in addition to the 2CD remasters of the original albums I'm not sure, but they're delightful items with the odd track that hasn't appeared elsewhere. Not that they necessarily deserve to have done so. Anyway, it got me to thinking about how Costello's is the one autobiography above all others that I'd love to read. As it stands, collecting together the essays in the booklets accompanying all of the 2CD reissues does a reasonable job of it, but they're on such a small scale compared to the likely delights of Costello in full flight. He's not one to mince his words, nor to be tactful for tact's sake. He does seem to always strive to be fair in his assessment of things. For example, he's quite happy to point out that a record like 'Goodbye Cruel World' is, well, a bit shit. I point you in the direction of the Elvis Costello Fan Forums if you'd like to read these booklets to give you a sense of what I'm on about.
A bit more Costello musing to come over the next few days, along with some prolonged focus on the Super Furries, who have once again been shafted by the record buying public, getting to 46, 46?!! with 'Show Your Hand'. Hence my decision to, er, decorate the site a bit for the time being.

Just like the rain. Again. Where is the summer?

The Richard Hawley album is now out there. For anyone holding out to find out if the vinyl is a decent pressing, I can confirm that it sounds splendid. Apparently there are only 500 copies, but that could just be one online retailer drumming up business. According to the forum on his website, the bonus DVD edition is also worth your hard-earned, featuring a selection of performances and interview material.
None of that has made Ver Tube just yet, but here's a splendid acoustic take on the recent single, 'Tonight The Streets Are Ours', from Newsnight.

What's your ratio?

Musical Revelations Of The Week:

Rilo Kiley - 'Under The Blacklight' - Hello. I'm a cool person. I scour the internet for leaked albums on a minute-by-minute basis. I don't give a really smug fuck whether it's supposed to be good or not because I must hear everything so that I can be really cool when I slag it off on some internet message boards. I don't give a shit about having an informed opinion, as long I'm one of the first and one of the most outrageous. Man, this Rilo Kiley record is a big bag of wank. Jeez, this sucks out loud.
OR. I've played this album four times now, and I'm genuinely loving it more and more with each play. It's a pop/soul record with a hint of country, in all the right ways. There's an almost camp disco number, a few funkier pop tracks and some truly soulful tunes that demonstrate just how spellbinding Jenny Lewis' voice is. The lyrics aren't always amazing, but it's not something Rilo Kiley were previously known for. Provided you enjoy quality pop and soul, alongside whatever other genres, ignore the trendy muppets and give this record a shot.
Magnolia Electric Co - 'Sojourner' - As I think I've already said, this is a beautifully presented set that gathers together four different recording sessions offering the different faces of Jason Molina's musical persona. Excellent value for money and a nice split between bluesy rock and contemplative, eerie solo pieces.
Emitt Rhodes - 'Emitt Rhodes' - It's his debut that's doing the business for me right now, after I finally got a decent vinyl copy through in the post. To sample his rather excellent wares you need only go back to this post. Often described as like early solo Macca, I would argue that he's even less smug. Genuinely beautiful pop songs, recorded at home and delightfully murky records that just bung everything together and ooze melody. Hard to describe him, but I'm starting to think he ranks right up there in terms of 'perfect pop writers' with the afore-mentioned Macca, Motown's H-D-H, the Pet Shop Boys and Neil Finn.

Non-musical Revelations Of The Week:
The X Factor - Definitely in the 'non' section this one. Is it me, or is Dermot not especially fond of spending his time standing around outside the main audition room waiting for the contestants to come out? Almost every time one of the utter loonies who go in for this show came out weeping and losing the plot, he was nowhere to be seen. Still, nice to know that there's no risk of Kate Thornton popping up at any point. The first show seemed to lack some of the zip of previous series. Naturally I'll waste an hour every week from here on, but I expect better.
House - Mmmmm. What a conclusion to the third season. The final two episodes air this coming Thursday on Five and the penultimate show features a chess-playing teenager with a serious attitude problem. But that's not really the main issue. Foreman's leaving and he's only got a couple of weeks left. Will he stay? Will he go? If you're a fan of this drama then I'm sure you're gripped by recent events, and if you're not, see previous posts about how best to remedy this. Advance warning for the season finale that will air straight after the normal timeslot at 10pm this Thursday. A great episode that has a very neat approach to the necessary end of season cliffhanger. Why Five have felt the need to give away loads of the plot in the advert, I'll never know.
Harry Thompson - 'Penguins Stopped Play: Eleven Village Cricketers Take on the World' - I don't feature books often enough on here. The Tom Waits biog by Patrick Humphries is a great read, by the way. Anyway, this is a delightful tale of whimsy and comical endeavour told with wit, charm and humility. Yes, cricket is the central theme, but it's essentially stories about friends getting into various situations and dealing with the shit that everyday life throws up. If you want something to keep you smirking, without requiring a huge amount of intellectual perspiration then this is for you.

You can't blame him for 'Love Is Here'

Plenty of rugby on today, so any thoughtful chit-chat on Tim Buckley, Rilo Kiley and the like will have to wait. I'm a little more calm now that Wales have actually won a game, but things still don't look right.

Anyway, here's an excellent clip of Tim Buckley from The Old Grey Whistle Test. Revelations as normal tomorrow.

I must have killed puppies in a past life

So there I was, minding my own business, thumbing through the vinyl racks and getting ridiculously excited at finally finding the 4 Men With Beards pressing of Tim Buckley's 'Starsailor', when all of a sudden I was assaulted. A rep from one of the big record labels took a sledgehammer to my ears. With the phrase, "King Monkey's back" the first warning signs had appeared, and next thing I knew the seemingly nice man behind the counter was loading a new CD to play. As if getting back and finding that the Russian (yes, I fucking know that this should be reason enough for leaving well alone, but I'm gullible) pressing of Emitt Rhodes' 'American Dream' I bought sounds like it was record via a dictaphone pressed up against a cheap hi-fi speaker wasn't reason enough to rue going in that particular store, being subjected to Ian Brown's new single, 'Illegal Attacks', certainly was.
How the fuck this musical imbecile is still allowed to make solo records is beyond me. Having endured his live show once I realised it was actually possible to dislike him even more than I previously had. During his famously terrible support slots for the Manics in 2002 I witnessed him shouting to the crowd, "what have you got?" in return for a few people pointing out that he sounded like a seal with piles attempting to insert a melon up its own arse, before throwing a full bottle of water at a girl in the front row. A charmer. That he had to be dragged off the stage by security, despite the house lights being put up was the true nadir of a shambolic pisstake of a performance. The first Stone Roses album is a good album. I'm not somebody who puts it in the 'great' category, but I can understand why people do. The second Roses album has a few moments, but is an otherwise middling indie record of no consequence. Since then Brown has managed one, half-decent single, 'F.E.A.R' which seems pretty good until you listen to the lyrics.
Truly, he is to music what Amy Winehouse is to mineral water.
Anyway, it would seem that Brown is under the misguided belief that somebody gives a flying fuck about his views on the war. Ah yes, well it is 2003, so it seems relevant. Oh no, wait a cotton-fucking-picking minute. It's August 2007. I think most people get the point that it was a pretty shitty decision, and it's safe to assume that members of the public have come to their own conclusions about what has happened. Do we really need chivalrous gent, Ian Brown to offer us his deep and meaningful observations on not-even-all-that-recent events? Do we fuck. As if listening to that dick rattle on for minutes isn't bad enough, just to really put the wanky icing on the shit-for-brains cake, in comes Sinead O'Connor to wrap the song up. I mean, really? Honestly? Ok, fair enough.
Now, I don't want you to just take my word for it that this is a really, genuinely horrid piece of, ah go on, I'm in a reasonable mood, music. I'm sure if you look about the internet you could find a way of hearing it. Just click there or click here and I'm sure it'll be there. Ahem.

Oh, and because it would be mean to end like that, here's a really good tune that came to my attention again today.
BETH ORTON - CENTRAL RESERVATION (SPIRITUAL IBIDAN REMIX EDIT)
This can be found on the 2CD best of, 'Pass In Time', but really you need all of her albums if you don't already possess them.
All of the stuff I did want to say, about Tim Buckley, Super Furries and Emitt Rhodes will have to wait till tomorrow.
One last thing. Cool, trendy internet types will be spending the next twelve hours attempting to outdo each other in terms of expressing their dislike of the new Rilo Kiley album. They are tits, every last one of them. No, it doesn't sound like 'More Adventurous.' Yes, it's much more poppy and with smoother production, but it's a brilliant pop album. Jenny Lewis' voice sounds amazing and the more soulful and occasionally camp moments are wonderful. Make your own mind up on this one, don't simply listen to those who listen to an album once before dismissing it so that they can get through the other twenty-seven albums they've downloaded today.

Oh, the anticipation

Gosh, Mock The Week is rather funny. That Frankie Boyle does come out with some outrageous stuff. Chortle.
Anyway, that Magnolia Electric Co boxset. I suspect that may be the least grandiose introduction it'll ever get, but what do you expect from a two-bit blog that doesn't really get freebies? It's lovely. 'Sojourner' comes in a little wooden box with a slidy lid and the band logo on the front. It's got a weird, utterly useless poster, four CDs, a DVD and some glossy cards explaining each of the discs. Oh, and a medallion. Let's not dwell on that or we might think that Magnolia Electric Co are wankers.
The music, for that, as I am occasionally prone to forgetting, is what it's all about, is rather splendid. Recorded across four different locations - hence the four discs - and each featuring a different line up - Molina being the only constant, the sounds vary from full-on blues-rock right down to sparse, solo, acoustic recordings full of background hiss and fuzz. None of it is less than splendid.
However, I can save myself a lot of time on the reviewing here. First up, if you've never bought a Magnolia Electric Co/Songs : Ohia/ Jason Molina record before, this isn't the one to start with. If you have then it's very easy to give you some reference points. The most obvious starting block is the 'Fading Trails' album from last year, which features selected highlights from these four sessions, hence the fact that it doesn't hold together as well as most of Molina's albums. If the majority of it was up to scratch for you then this set is an absolute must. If you've not gone down the MEC route, but did like Songs : Ohia, then my guess is that you were turned off by the fuller production and bluesier, Neil Young feel to the last Songs : Ohia album, 'Magnolia Electric Co'. In which case, you will enjoy approximately half of the boxset with ease, but I suspect the other 50% could win you over if you give it a chance. It's still fairly restrained and contemplative, even when it gets as close as Molina can manage to 'rocking out'.
It is, essentially, a collection of music that lays out the different approaches that one man has taken towards music over the years. It takes all of the things that have made Molina's records great for the last however-many years and condenses them down into one set of tunes. It's a greatest hits featuring tunes that, in the main, you've never heard before.
Remember, cheapest option is to buy direct from Secretly Canadian.

I lied. Not on purpose like.

Ok, so I never got around to writing anything about the Magnolia Electric Co box. I will, eventually. It's not like I haven't written loads recently though, is it? Feel free to chime in on any of the topics using the comments buttons, although it would seem that the ever-increasing band of readers prefer to simply read and mull in the private domain of their own minds. And why not?
Bought a cheap copy of the new Shellac album today. My first Shellac album. Whatthefuckisallthataboutthen? Yikes. Good fun though. And fair play to the Super Furries for surpassing themselves with the cover of their new single. It's late. Til tomorrow...

Great : tunes

A nice new lick of paint today. Still not sure if it looks entirely central, mind. Anyway, tomorrow I will write lots about the new Magnolia Electric Co boxset, 'Sojourner', which the fabulous people at Secretly Canadian records have got to me already, and at a very good price. To do the same click here, otherwise you'll have to wait for the UK release next month, which'll be more expensive.
Whet your appetite with this...

Hands on the table, please

An early post today because I can. Just a brief one to remind you to buy the Super Furry Animals' new single, 'Show Your Hand' today. It's on CD and 7" picture disc and the usual download outlets, although those are naturally not as good as a spiffing picture disc. I wanted to put the video in the post too, but I can't actually find one. I did find the weirdest clip of them miming to it on GMTV, but I'm not sure they'd ever want to relive it, and I'm sure it was just a bizarre blip whereby an alternative universe opened up and SFA are suitable for people who can barely find their own arse whilst waiting for Jeremy Kyle to start. So, instead, here's a slightly shoddy audience recording from their album-taster shows in Cardiff a few months back.

Time to buy now...

Norman Records for the 7"

CD/7"/Download bundle from recordstore.co.uk (search Super Furry)

You're a pussy-boy

Musical Revelations Of The Week:

Catherine Feeny - 'Hurricane Glass' - While flicking around the music channels prior to turning in the other night, I happened upon a rather lovely track, 'Mr Blue,' by Catherine Feeny. Now, I've since found out that it was used on The OC, which is enough to put me off virtually anything, but as I've already got the album and found it to be excellent, I don't need to concern myself with such trivial concerns. It's a collection of fairly laidback folk music, with clear late Sixties/early Seventies influences. When the word 'fuck' popped up I was almost shocked, but having played it a few more times since, it's quite clear that Feeny has made the album she wanted to make and the fact that it suits all kinds of marketing ploys is just a happy, financially beneficial coincidence. There's a spiffing vinyl edition available for a little while. Follow this clickage, then select 'video' from the bottom, to watch various stuff, including a charming acoustic performance from Glastonbury.
Richard Hawley - Just the bloke himself, if that's ok? I'm a bit fucked off with certain aspects of the press deciding that it's time to have a go at Richard for having a few albums with a similar sound. It is, let's be honest, to be expected. Very, very few artists will make dramatically different sounding consecutive albums. More likely is the case that Hawley was one of their 'finds' because of the Mercury nomination for 'Coles Corner', despite most of us knowing about him for years prior to that, and now they've moved on to somebody new. Well, balls to them. The new album is great, much like everything he's done as a solo artist. Likewise the Super Furries. If I read another review that says they're standing still or lacking in enthusiasm when they've made a record as perfect as 'Hey Venus!' I'm going to... well, get annoyed and pace up and down a bit. But you understand the sentiment.
Candie Payne - 'I Wish I Could Have Loved You More' - Now I get it. When I heard the opening track from this album a few months back I was decidedly unimpressed. Something didn't click. It didn't sound particularly well thought-out or particularly innovative. However, constant recommendations from people whose musical taste I can trust caused me to finally purchase a copy of the vinyl. It's a feel good pop/soul album that sounds just a little bit weird. Weird in a good way, I hasten to add. Kind of like the songwriting team can make pop gems, but have a habit of getting absolutely smashed when doing so and so they come out a little bit psychadelic or just a little screwed up. That said, putting fake crackle on something is just silly. It becomes all the more silly when you're listening on vinyl and the crackle fades out at the end of the track to complete silence!

Non-musical Revelations Of The Week:
Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip - This is now reasonably established on More4, despite everybody knowing that it's already been junked by the American networks and won't make it to a second series. The writing is just as sharp as one might expect from the man brought us The West Wing, but Sorkin's slight problem here is that it's hard to be convincing without being a little bit 'in-jokey' and it's hard to be endearing if you're being that convincing. It's all rather neatly polished, and Matthew Perry and Bradley Whitford are outstandingly good as the two leads, but I can kind of understand why it wasn't a huge success. That's not to say that I'm not sad that that was the case. It makes a change to have something that accepts an audience can be intelligent on the TV, and I'll be savouring every episode.
Apple and Mango Juice - Delightful
Tony Wilson - The way he spoke, you almost believed he was invincible. Hard to quantify his impact on the music scene at various points in his illustrious career. He'll be greatly missed.

Really trying to resist the obvious 'Virgin' pun

The Complete Motown Singles series is genuinely spectacular. Such a well thought-out product that really does have the sensibilities of record collectors as a priority. Cynical or not, the result is quite beautiful. For those that aren't aware, the 'boxsets' (an inadequate term, as you'll soon realise) are covering every one of the Motown single releases, in chronological order. While the first set covered a number of years, in the early stages of the label, subsequent editions have taken one year each.

1967 was released this week, and I took a few moments to fondle it in a Virgin Megastore yesterday. Why fondle a boxset? Well, firstly, I'm not sure that there's an answer on earth that is actually socially acceptable, but what can you do. Anyway, they're packaged as 7"x7" size hardback books. There's a detailed guide to all of the music, and then the CDs slip into card pockets in the back pages of the book, just as 78s would have gone into albums back in the day (which, incidentally, is where we get the name 'album' from for a collection of songs.) Just to add a little more icing onto the several tonnes of icing already on this particularly soulful cake (enough with the metaphor?), there's a repressing of one of the 7"s featured on each collection housed in the front cover of the book. See the accompanying pictures for further ogling potential.
Anyway, the music is, naturally, peerless and just as sublime as a huge pile of Motown can be expected to sound. Sure, the constant desire to do things other than just straight soul results in all kind of weird sounds being tried across two sides of a piece of vinyl at various points in their back catalogue, but even the oddities are captivating.
The packaging issue is the constant problem I have with boxsets. You inevitably pay a lot for these things, but they don't always have a user-friendly outlook. Now, hi-fi bods will argue that CDs that go in and out of card sleeves are going to get ruined quickly, which is the greatest over-reaction since David Cameron sellotaped a wind-turbine onto the side of his house because somebody told him being green wins votes. It's balls, unless you have fingers the width of country lanes and the co-ordination of Amy Winehouse, but then you'll damage anything. However, the packaging issues extend further. As I have said previously on this site - I am often lured in way too easily by nice, shiny packaging. I have all but one of the metal spine Miles Davis boxsets. I don't play them all that often, but they look fucking fabulous. Likewise, the 'Girl Group Sounds' boxset that got a post all to itself some time back. Still, would I be writing a blog about music if I wasn't obsessed enough to buy lots of boxsets? I think I just have to accept that the two things will always go hand in hand.
Oh, did I tell you about a bargain I got the other week on the vinyl box of John Coltrane's 'Heavyweight Champion'? Well, it was the most blah blah blah

Oh piss off, pop-pickers

What makes a record one of your 'all-time' favourites? I've been pondering this over the last couple of days, having nothing better to do and all that, and I've struggled to come up with a satisfactory answer. In the past, I 've always been able to trot off a list of ten albums that I really rate, but I'm not sure in what capacity they have earnt that title. For example, on that last would be Nina Simone's 'Here Comes The Sun', which is a beautiful album, particularly for this time of year. However, I can't remember the last time I played it. The same is true of R.E.M.'s 'New Adventures In Hi-Fi', which I own four different copies of, but which I haven't played for some time. Yes, I can't deny that I think they're brilliant records, but should what I play on a regular basis not offer a clearer definition of my favourite music?
Had I been sampled across the first few months of the year it would have seemed that 'The Good, The Bad & The Queen' was my favourite record by a long shot, at times almost like it was the only record ever made. I genuinely love it, and it may soon make it into my all-timers list, but if you'd asked me at the time if it was one of my all time favourite albums, I'd have snorted in your face. I suspect the whole idea is starting to rankle as a result of the constant obsession with lists in UK music magazines of a certain ilk. I've recently been enjoying Artrocker and Plan B, two fine, fine titles full of engaging, intelligent and fucking fun writing about music. Meanwhile, Uncut, Mojo and Q are happy to keep rehashing the same stupid lists with alarming regularity. I'm getting to the point where I couldn't give a toss about the 'best records of all time', I just want to keep expanding my record collection and finding albums that make me smile, nod and talk utter shite to other people. Is that one better than this one? Who gives a shit?
I did try to draw up a list of ten prior to writing this to see if it's something I can realistically do, and I struggled. Blur's 'Think Tank' made it in last time I settled on ten, and it's probably still there or thereabouts, but I've been playing 'Blur' much more in recent months. I haven't played 'Blue Lines' for yonks, and so I'm now less sure about how much I actually love it. I think Elvis Costello's 'My Aim Is True' is still safe, as it gets a regular dusting down and never fails to entertain. I'm sure the Super Furries deserve to be in there, but I'm not sure which album it should be. Miles Davis' 'In A Silent Way' has been a favourite for some time, but again, it hasn't been played all that much recently. And so it went on. Very few albums were certainties, but hundreds were possibles. Even in my sad little muso world, I just can't be arsed spending the time trying to figure this out.
I will tell you what my current favourite is, and that's the Maps album, 'We Can Create'. Is it in my top ten?

What top ten?

He won't win, mind.

New Maps single, 'You Don't Know Her Name', has a curious video. The downloads are already available and the remixes of both the title track and 'Elouise' are well worth the money. I love Maps. Not in a geography way though.

Gutted.

Including the brief collection of posts from previous years, this is this blog's 100th post. However, after the news I got today, I'm in no mood for a celebration.
I figured it would be more economically sound to purchase the new album by The Coral via my local indie store, Reveal Records, rather than from the online indie I use for bits and bobs, as I wanted the double vinyl edition, which can nuke your postage. A couple of weeks back, my local indie appeared to be a little thin on new releases and my suspicions were aroused. I was reassured that the titles I was after were just out of stock, although it was suggested that it was unlikely they'd be getting any more in. As I wandered off, I assumed that these records were simply more limited than I'd thought. However, today's discovery puts that in a very different context.
Anyhoo, in I wander, looking at the new release racks just inside the door to see what was available. My heart sank. Nothing had changed in the two weeks since I'd last been in. To confirm my worst fears, any number of items had been reduced or rolled into an offer of one kind or another. It's not significant cheapness, I hasten to add, but the first signs that things aren't what they used to be. As it was, I left with four albums I had no intention of purchasing when I went in, but no sign of The Coral. After a lengthy chat with 'nice man behind the counter', I found out that my favourite record shop - and by this I mean in the whole of the UK - has about six months left on this planet of ours. The usual suspects were blamed - Amazon, downloads, supermarkets - and it was clear that the climate has changed. Where a few years back a major indie release like The Killers or Kaiser Chiefs would shift 100 copies in a couple of days, now it's more like 25. No great surprise with supermarkets like Morrisons knocking out said Kaiser Chiefs album at £6.99 in its first week of release. It reminded me of a recent news story about independent bookshops sending their staff round to Asda on the day the Harry Potter book came out to buy it for a fiver, for them to sell it on at twice the price in order to even compete.
I've been frequenting this store for three years now, and have been anything other than wholly satisfied with each visit, often spending considerably more than I'd intended to do, as a result of their 'now playing' ledge or their competitive deals. Where the fuck will I get mint condition, decent priced Tom Waits limited editions from on rainy Thursday evenings in November now? They're not intending to get new stock in from here until doomsday and so the shop will gradually reduce its stock over the coming months, presumably via discounting and deals.
Is it wrong to feel so down about this? Probably, I'm sure, but it isn't going to stop me. Four years ago, the record shop that took up much of my teenage years, and money, shut up shop for good, and now the adult equivalent is on its way too. I love to flick through the racks, taking a punt on a staff recommendation, or being drawn in by a unique album cover. As expensive as it has often been, I like being drawn into buying a second album because the one I want is in a 2 for £18 promotion. On top of all of this, Reveal Records have the best staff of any record shop I've ever been in, but still they've closing down. They're music-lovers, first and foremost. There's none of the 'High Fidelity' style snobbery, and they'll give you honest opinions about the music you're considering shelling out your hard earned cash on. I've lost count of the great records I've picked up in that shop, although one that springs to mind is Dan Arborise's 'Around In Circles', which was my album of the year back over on the old VJ site. A euphoric yet understated acoustic masterpiece, I'd never have even known it was out there if it hadn't happened to have been playing when I went in, almost a year ago to this day.
I'm sure this post is hugely self-indulgent and not especially coherent, but I'm fucked off because I'm going to lose a, perhaps embarrassingly, big part of my everyday life when this shop closes. Having seen this shop appear to buck the trend of failing indies in recent years, I now feel like I must simply accept what is there in front of me. We are seeing the end of record shops as we know them. The constant desertion of Berwick Street in London, once filled with quality record shops, the familiar sight of indie stores with the shutters down nationwide is now the norm. I get the feeling there aren't many people who care about this, and that's fair enough, but for me it's a massive blow. I should probably finish with something sincere and concise, but I can't think of anything right now, I'm too grumpy.

Not sure if he always puts his thumbs up too

An alternative approach to the YouTube video below. One I rather like, I have to say. This feautres the delightful, is not especially well-known, Emitt Rhodes. More on him when I've got my facts straight. Anyhoo, something different for you.

Expect slightly over the top gibbering about any number of records in tomorrow's post as I'm planning on a trip to my local music emporium.

Ringleader Of The Tormentors

Something Changed - Part 3

There's a moment during Gene's 2004 performance at the Leadmill in Sheffield, captured on the imaginatively titled DVD 'Gene Live', when a member of the crowd shouts out, "Irish Blood, English Heart," the title of Morrissey's then-latest single. Martin Rossiter, the band's captivating and rather moody frontman, pauses and says, "3 out of 10 for the joke. I would have given you 2, but you delivered it so well."
That's pretty much the story of that band in one paragraph. Constantly dismissed by the press as Smiths soundalikes, always willing to answer back and the sort of band that records a live DVD in Sheffield, rather than in some swanky London venue. The first point was always rather lazy. Yes, there are comparisons to be made, not least with the artwork of the early releases, but for me there was more in common with The Jam at times, and when Gene covered 'Wasteland' and 'A Town Called Malice' that shone through. The second point relates mainly to Rossiter's constant delight in winding up an audience or an interviewer for his own amusement. If it wasn't on his terms, it wasn't happening, and fair play to him for that. Considerably more interesting than another two page feature on a dullard like him out of Snow Patrol or the lead singer of Cast. That said, whether it was the savvy approach is another matter, because once the media decide they hate you, your coverage options are pretty much fucked. The only appearance you'll make in those hallowed pages will be the reviews section and, fairly obviously, you won't be getting the 'album of the week' mantle. And the third point. Well, I suspect the DVD being filmed in Sheffield was more down to the fact that filling The Leadmill was doable, but anything much bigger than that would've been a struggle. Don't get me wrong here, I'm not pointing this out whilst rubbing my hands together and grinning. It pissed me off for many years that people didn't seem to get Gene. Having seen their career take off at the height of Britpop and seem to develop even further with the Albert Hall headlining times around the second studio album, 'Drawn To The Deep End', suddenly the public moved on, and only the loyal fans remained.
I have to be honest. I drifted, along with the masses, after the second album. When I finally did pick up 'Revelations,' the third studio effort, in 2001, I realised that I'd been missing out on a diverse, mature indie-rock record that demonstrated how far the band had come. 'You'll Never Walk Again' is one of my preferred tunes of the last ten years and is a masterclass in how to build the atmosphere of a piece of music and the tension of a lyrics. My all-time favourite Gene track is 'Speak To Me Someone', from that second album. Sometimes the bit in a song where nothing happens can be just as powerful as the bit where everything is happening. Such is the case with the tiny pause, towards the end of the song where Martin bawls, "I'm home again" and the entire musical backdrop just disappears from beneath him as his dream of being in this person's arms fades and he snaps back to reality. Straight after the pause, Rossiter comes back in, singing in a far gentler manner, "I'm drunk for your love, speed into my life, and speak to me now, oh just speak to me someone." Whether that resonates with you or not, it just floors me. See below if you wish to have similar flooring done unto you.
Just as I realised that I shouldn't have left them behind, it became clear that Gene were having to limp along of their own accord, ditched as they had been by Polydor. This should have meant a sub-standard album on a dingy little label. Instead, while on a small label of their own creation, they produced what some members of the band consider to be their masterpiece and and a record that I was somewhat taken aback by. If they had this in them, why had they waited so long? Soulful, cohesive and rhythmic in a way that none of their prior work had quite managed, 'Libertine', the forth and final studio album, is a lost classic. 'O Lover' pretty much swings along whilst tackling the topic of domestic violence, and Martin Rossiter says he adores album closer, 'Somewhere In The World', because it's the only Gene song he "could imagine Elvis singing." Sadly, very few people even knew 'Libertine' was out, let along chose to ignore it. The band continued for a few years of touring and slowly working up new material, but soon after the filming of the 'Gene Live' DVD the band decided that enough was enough.
There's plenty of additional Gene stuff out there to sample. 'To See The Lights' is
essential stuff, collecting together non-album tracks and rarities from the early years, while the recently released 'Peel Sessions' 2CD set has its moments. The live album, 'Rising For Sunset' is pretty much a 'fans only' title, while the 'Gene Live' DVD is a delight to someone who loves the music, but might not be so joyous if you're coming to them cold.
In the extras for the aforementioned DVD, the band are asked why they think their fans stuck with them for ten years. Martin looks at the floor, then lifts his head, looking very matter-of-fact, and calmly states, "well, we're good." Can't disagree, old chap.

SPEAK TO ME SOMEONE - FROM 'DRAWN TO THE DEEP END'

O LOVER - FROM 'LIBERTINE'

SOMEWHERE IN THE WORLD - FROM 'LIBERTINE'

We have to look at the positives

Musical Revelations Of The Week:
Edgar 'Jones' Jones - 'Gettin' A Little Help From The Joneses' - I'm not quite sure what I expected from this album, but I do feel like it has not only met, but exceeded my expectations. As I said earlier in the week, it sounds like one of those utterly brilliant compilation CDs that come out on labels like Honest Jon's and Soul Jazz comprising long lost classics. The sound is quite deliberately murky at times, and it's no secret that Jones is rather fond of mono recordings. Ska, rock'n'roll, soul and out and out pop all nestle together along with a bit of funk and easy listening just to confuse matters. A great, fun, summer record that you should get hold of before the sun fucks off again.
The Northern Soul Story - A set of four CDs designed to offer a thorough insight into the Northern Soul phenomenon. Now, I'm quite happy to admit that I know a big bag of bugger all about this particular genre, other than that I like good soul music, and I know that Northern was essentially about importing the best, obscure American soul to play in certain clubs in the top half of the UK. The four CDs are based around four of the key venues for Northern Soul nights. Volume 1 focuses on 'The Twisted Wheel' in Manchester, while volume 2 looks at Stoke-On-Trent's 'The Golden Torch.' I have to confess that I've not got as far as Volume 4's look at the legendary 'Wigan Casino', but of the three I've listened to, it's the third volume, looking at 'Blackpool Mecca', that's really grabbed my attention. In particular, the quite brilliant, 'Soul Improvisations Pt 2' by Van McCoy. As a means of attempting to convince you to buy these tremendous CDs, you can listen to that track here.
Ryan Adams - Tough call for the third spot this week. The Loungs deserve another mention for their excellent psych-pop album, 'We Are The Champ,' but ultimately Ryan must sneak through as a result of the BBC Four Sessions show. I picked up 'Love Is Hell' on Thursday and couldn't quite believe that I hadn't been persuaded to do so much earlier. It's a great record, and as I was saying previously about 'Cold Roses', once you give it the time it deserves, you start to realise that it isn't overlong, it's just a long album, full of great tunes. Quite what all the record company politics about it at the time were about, I've no idea. It's not like it's the sound of one man pissing in a bucket for an hour whilst tapping a spoon on a wheelbarrow. Why a record company would be annoyed with sixteen beautiful, heartfelt songs, I'll never know. This renewed focus on Ryan has also sent me back to his most recent effort, 'Easy Tiger' which I'm starting to realise is one of the year's best. Either dig him out yourself, or get buying if you've none of his in the house.

Non-musical Revelations Of The Week:
House - As the third series draws to a close on Five, it's worth reflecting on just how good this programme really is. The character of House, so wonderfully portrayed by Hugh Laurie, is written to perfection and his team are a meticulously thought out balance of jobsworths, deviants and geniuses. I could quite happily sit and watch 40 minutes of House talking with Wilson, his colleague, confidant and best friend. I believe the DVD boxsets of seasons one and two are now ridiculously cheap. If you've not partaken of this particular joy just yet, then it's time to change that. You won't regret it.
Gareth Jenkins - A brilliant rugby mind. Honest. Oh, and chin up, eh Gav?
BBC iPlayer - Despite the fact that it makes my aging computer slow to the speed of an asthmatic ant with heavy shopping (ta, Slacky), I'm quite enjoying this latest development from the Beeb. With access to a chunk of the previous week's televisual output you can download whatever you want to watch, and then have 28 days to watch the files before they cause your monitor to explode and your hair to go green. Or no. Presumably they just stop working via the usual DRM methods. Anyhoo, it's good fun, and I believe you can still sign up for the Beta trial somewhere on the BBC website.

Yes, it is difficult to play well with less than 30% possession

What with the eternal wisdom of Gareth Jenkins, I have to confess to not being in the mood to finish off my piece on Gene, so you can look forward to that on Monday. No, really.
Instead, a couple of musings. Firstly, the Ryan Adams concert that was shown as part of the BBC Four Sessions last night was fantastic. Yes, it was one-paced, yes it was quite heavy on 'Easy Tiger' material, but it really did show what a superb voice Adams has. Songs like 'Desire' and 'How Do You Keep Love Alive' suddenly clicked, and I came away from the programme realising that I like him a hell of a lot more than I thought I did. As a result, 'Cold Roses' and 'Easy Tiger' both got an outing today, and for the first time since I bought 'Cold Roses', I could understand its strength as double album. It always seemed a bit over-long and samey before. Not so now. It's on again tonight at 01:05, if you're reading this straight after it's posted.
I picked up all four CDs in The Northern Soul Story series this week and I'm playing the third volume as I type. Each CD is based around one of the key Northern Soul venues, this third one being centered around Blackpool Mecca. Now, Northern Soul simply being a title for some upbeat American soul music means that these are bloody good compilation CDs from the simple soul perspective, let alone any specialist interest. If you like your Stax, or if you've looked longingly at the 'Complete Motown Singles' boxsets then these are for you. At around £6 each in most shops, it's a relatively cheap set of cracking soul tunes. In amongst a raft of names you've never heard of nestle James Carr and Earth, Wind & Fire. All good fun, and just the tonic when your rugby team's lost by 57 points.

Find me a tree and make it snappy

If there are no posts to the blog for a while, it's because I've actually lost it and thrown the bloody computer out of the window. It's hard to put into words just how shit this machine has been today. Part three of the occasional 'Something Changed' series would have been with you this evening, but for the constant tarting around. It's all about the rather charming, Gene. To whet your appetite...

There are two different Gene live DVDs!

Picked up one of the limited edition vinyl copies of 'We Are The Champ', the debut album by The Loungs today. Reviews have made reference to the Super Furries, which virtually guarantees entry round here. Today was one of my most enjoyable record shopping trips in some time, and there's plenty to digest. This was an early play from the top of the pile as a result of being on vinyl. It's a lovely, chaotic, summery record that sounds like a group of people having the time of their lives - the fact that it's being released as an album is simply a nice little bonus. The vinyl pressing is spiffing too, which gets them added points in my book.
Can't find anything on Ver Tube, but if you visit their website you can hear a few tracks and find out more. If I'm not still talking about this lot at the end of the year, please get in touch with me and tell me not to be so fickle.

And in other news... I think it's safe to say I won't be able to relive the out and out joy I had when watching 'Help!' the first time round on BBC2. It was a Paul Whitehouse and Chris Langham comedy programme that was amongst the funniest things I'd seen in years. But there you go.

What time's the bus come?

In brief, today.
I think I was unnecessarily nasty about the Arctic Monkeys when they first arrived on the music scene. I think the hype sent me running in the opposite direction. However, any band that can come up with lyrics like "this house is a circus, berserk as fuck" and "there's only music so that there's new ringtones" actually deserves a little place in my world. Playing, as I am, both albums back to back emphasises the fact that I actually love a large number of these tunes. Since getting the debut on vinyl, I've learnt to appreciate its, well, 'oomph' a little more. I bought 'Favourite Worst Nightmare' on vinyl from the off and have been pretty fond since day one. This may sound a little silly, but this lot are definitely a vinyl band.
Other quick things; the Patrick Humphries book on Tom Waits is excellent. I had a very pleasant afternoon in the back garden listening to the Maps album and reading this fine text on the marvellous man himself. Dvd.co.uk are doing a cheap, free-postage deal on it. Other bookshops are available.
That'll do for now. Hope all's well with you.