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Wrapped in plastic.

Girl Ray - Give Me Your Love (Version Française - Edit)

Came across this on the Rough Trade Shops Counter Culture 2022 comp, which I bought for £3 in the Bristol branch of that shop. One of the few CDs in there like. I can't be dropping £40 on a record, mate. Anyway, I don't know much about Girl Ray but Give Me Your Love has a nice Hot Chip feel to it.

Jeff Parker - Super Rich Kids

Jeff Parker got a mention in the new newsletter from NTS DJ Macca, whose One Glove show on Saturday mornings is always a good listen like. His newsletter is pretty good too. As is this sparse instrumental cover of the Frank Ocean banger. Think I read somewhere that Jeff Parker is in Tortoise.

Modern English - Gathering Dust

Scratchy driving thriving post-punk from 1981. My bread and butter.

Antipop Consortium - Bubblz

Future-facing hip-hop from 2002. I used to have Arrhythmia, the album this is off, but I've not a clue what happened to it. Great story, Sam.

Crystal Castles - Not In Love ft. Robert Smith of The Cure

Yeah, I know it's not on to post Crystal Castles in 2025. But it does bang. 36m views on YouTube too. So I'm not the only one.

Rustie - Raptor

I used to have this as my wake-up alarm when it came out in 2014. I can only now listen to it again.

Un-cut - Midnight

Liquid D'n'B at its most pop-focused, but what a roller.

Fred Everything and Stereo MCs - Soul Love (Clive From Accounts Remix)

Bit like The Streets and I'm up for a UKG revival this summer. Not to be confused with Fred Again or Colin from Accounts.

Capone - Music Love Song

Incredible, and I mean incredible cosmic disco from 1979 with this mad distorted guitar. Straight on my best things I heard this year list.

Original image: NASA, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

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We continue...

Glowing Palms - Ask Me After Midnite

A slightly novel(ty) cover is my kryptonite. Here's a wonky take on Skream's classic Midnight Request Line. It's also a free download off Bandcamp as well, lovely stuff.

Joshua Idehen - Mum Does The Washing

The last track and this track featured on a recent show from Ruf Dug, apparently one of his last ones on NTS Radio, which is a real shame. Anyway, this is another wonky slice of something, mixing spoken word, humour, politics, and bubbly electronics. Into it. Might stick it on my 2025 list already, never too early to start.

Il Quadro di Troisi - Non Ricordi

Colder than cold coldwave that's actually from Italy in 2020 rather than Czechoslovakia in 1981. Still into it.

Aneka - Japanese Boy

Now this is definitely from 1981 and would in no way come out in the 2020s. Still kinda fun though.

D.D. Mirage - So Hot

Slick retro/Balearic disco from 2024. Australian appaz.

The B-52s - Dirty Back Road

Kinda surprised that this is the first appearance of The B52's on this blog. 

Kendrick Lamar - Squabble Up

Not a massive fan of GNX but Squabble Up is decent.

Vektroid - Hard Toys (feat. Siddiq)

Don't even know where to begin trying to slot this into a genre. Featured in one of those Autechre shows on 6 Music before Xmas.

Snow Strippers - So What If I'm a Freak

Is late-00s maximal electro back? Is this what they're calling indie sleaze? Is shit I remember already being recycled by the kids? Fuuuuck. Happy 2025. 

Original image: Malis, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Music From The Merch Desk

I got that Disco Pogo tribute to Aphex Twin book from Christmas and there's already a new chapter required in it. Music from the Merch Desk (2016-2023) was a surprise release on 17 December 2024, which as the title suggests, collates all those limited edition 12"s at various shows into a 38-track digital album.

John Doran, editor of The Quietus, has a good recap/first take on The Guardian, but I'm still working my way through it. However, I don't think I'm gonna pay £20 for the mp3s right now.

Still, nice to have the option of streaming it and T13 Quadraverbia N+3 [London 03.06.17] is my top pick ATM.