Tar Tar

I'm taking a break from smoking. I do this every now and then, but this time it's proving a lot harder than usual. It may have something to do with Visage's Tar being on heavy rotation.

Even though it's vehemently anti-smoking, it's still about smoking. Even NHS adverts make me want to smoke more after watching them. Thankfully I've finished Season 4 of Mad Men.

Anyway Tar was Visage's first single and pushes their classic track Fade To Grey pretty hard in the great-synth-pop-and-early-new-romantics derby race.

[Right click and "Download Document" to get an mp3 of Visage's Tar]

Sirens Song

Despite using one of the best tracks of the last decade on the trailer (Atlas by Battles), new Channel 4 show Sirens makes greater use of terribly good Suddenly by Angry Anderson during the show.

They really don't make them like this any more. Seriously this could only have been made around 86-89 what with that gated snare. Superb, just like Sirens looks like becoming as a series.

[Right click and "Download Document" for mp3 of Angry Anderson's Suddenly]

YouTube = Total Recall

Just finished chapter two of Simon Reynolds' Retromania, hey I'm a slow reader. Big chunk of it is focussed on the work of Daniel Lopatin. Best known for his work as Oneohtrix Point Never, who I've never really dug (unlike XXJFG), it hones in on his work as Sunsetcorp, especially his track Nobody Here.

As the cads state in the comments, it's the ultimate answer-phone message. Yet perusing the sidebar, another facet of Reynolds' chapter on Music and Memory in the Time of YouTube, is the far more interesting track Angel, both visually and musically, though it shares the same warped, spooky melancholia as Nobody Here.

Review: Battles

Reviewed last night's Battles gig at Solus for theSprout. Was good like... I say slightly more in the review.

They didn't play anything off Mirrored (not that I recognised anyway) but here's a link to a track off that album.

[Right click and "Download Document" for mp3 of Leyendecker by Battles]

Wuzza Wuzza

Made a video for the launch of PaperGirl Cardiff. It turned into a bit of Bowie fest.

I used Soulwax's remix of Rebel Rebel. I wanted to use Leo Zero's remix of Moonage Daydream, but y'know it just didn't come off. So I thought I'd post it here instead.

[Right click and "Download Document" to download an mp3 of David Bowie - Moonage Daydream (Leo Zero's Remix 1 Extended Version)]

Tomorrow (Saturday 18th) is distribution day for the artwork in Cardiff city centre. If you receive the Bowie, I'll make you an offer you can't refuse. Can't be there myself as I'm off to Cornwall.

Riot In Lagos

Have you seen the interactive guide to the history of dance music over on The Guardian?

It's pretty neat, but naturally misses out on a few things and inevitably a shit storm has kicked up in the comments section.

It did teach me one thing though. I don't know everything. I thought I was pretty clued up. But #6 on that list was Ryuichi Sakamoto's Riot in Lagos. Never heard of it before. Heard of and quite like Yellow Magic Orchestra, but this tune? Nope. And for shame. It's great.

Simon Reynolds Meets Ariel Pink

Over on Field Day's site they've got an interview by my favourite music writer, Simon Reynolds,with one of my favourite musicians, Ariel Pink.

It takes Reynolds till the fourth paragraphs to whip out some of his trademark hyphen pun play, which is pretty good going. It's also a pretty good interview contextualising Pink's place in the pop pantheon as well as his past.

Reynolds has a new book out Retromania: Pop Culture's Addiction to its Own Past, which I'll pick up when I eventually get paid. Pink is playing Field Day on August 6th with his Haunted Graffiti and is currently dominating my tracklist for the Field Day mix I'm working on. Expect it to drop err... before August 6th.

[Right click and "Download Document" to grab an mp3 of Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti's paean to Kate Bush, For Kate I Wait]

Beat Of My Drum

Unmistakeably Diplo, Nicola Roberts' Beat of My Drum takes the best bits from the best pop songs from the last five years (Hollaback Girl, We Are Your Friends, Drop It Like It's Hot, Let's Make Love and Listen to Death from Above, early MIA and OK a little of Daphne & Celeste) and mashes them into a three minute sugar rush.

Sadly there's no mention on the Wiki page for Cinderella's Eyes of Joe Mount from Metronomy's involvement but seeing that only three tracks have been recorded for the album, there's still time.

Single of the year? Quite possibly. L-O-V-E

Beat For Jamie xx

Jamie xx dropped Far Nearer on Numbers this week. I prefer the b-side Beat For, which has more of a throb. What do you reckon?

Jamie xx - Beat For (limited vinyl & download out now - http://farnearer.com) by Numbers

A Thing For Metronomy

I know I talk a lot about Metronomy. Sorry, I just love them.

*IBA (Indie Bore Alert)* Loved them ever since I saw them on my 21st birthday in Newquay where they played on a tiny stage set up by Vice, followed by The Pipettes if I remember correctly. This was around five years ago. Yeah I was there from the beginning man. *End of IBA*

Anyway I've not talked about The English Riviera much and I'm worried that peeps think I'm not a fan. Well I love the album. It's gonna be in my top 5 come the end of the year, if not #1. It's just a grower. Posting one mp3 won't grab you. Stream it in full or better, buy it, play it, play it again, love it.

But for now I will leave you with this; a remix of A Thing For Me from their previous album Nights Out. By Breakbot and something to do with Bacardi, I only had an mp3 of the first 53 seconds until recently.

This week I finally got around to downloading a proper version. It was worth it as Breakbot twists it into a sultry sexy piano driven slowjam.

[Right click and "Download Document" to get the mp3 of Metronomy - A Thing For Me (Breakbot's B-LIVE Miami Mix)]

Oh and here's the brilliant video for the original...

Nos Da

Uploaded my major project the other day to mixcloud. Thought I'd share it with you.

Designed to be listened to at 3am, Nos Da is a series of comedy skits that aims for the heights of Chris Morris' Blue Jam on Warp (and misses) with music mixed throughout the show with robots, found sounds and tape recordings. Made for headphones.

Hope you enjoy it. I think I got a 2:1 for it.

Nos Da by Sammyfax on Mixcloud

Muffins Make It Better

I played golf today, as you'll see below. I finished 32 over par, as you'll see why below.

I popped into the Co-op on Whitchurch Road in search of salvation. I found it on the stereo. They were playing this...

[Right Click & Download Document]