Empty blogroll: 404s, Simon Reynolds, and Floridian post-punk

I had a trawl through some old bookmarks last weekend. Yeah, it's pretty rock and roll out here in the rural Vale. 

I was curious to see which of the old mp3 blogs were still up, never mind still posting. I mean I was talking about the decline of the mp3 blog format in 2013, but I was hoping that the sites were still available. 

Yet at the risk of getting all Retromania, I'm saddened by how sites like The Beat!, No Pain In Pop, Waves At Night, Altered Zones, and so many more are either 404s or worse, taken over and hosting VPN or trading spuff. Is this astroturfing? Digital squatting? There's definitely a term for it, Tedium will have something I'm sure. 

Thankfully some are still up with archives you can trawl through rather than go via the Wayback Machine. The Ill-ec-tron-ic (last post 2012), Rose Quartz (2013), 20jazzfunkgreats (January of this year, so maybe will come back?) remain. And would you look at that Simon Reynolds is still rocking with Blogger, posting regularly across multiple strands; blissblog, Energy Flash, and yes Retromania amongst others.

Let's wrap this up with something from blissblog then, something post-punk too as it's been a long while since we had a bit of that. Here's the Floridian post-punk outfit The Stick Figures with the knotty but funky N-Light.

Image credit: SPUI, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

9 in 1 (8)

A decidedly backwards-looking list this time around. Like, there are two tracks from this millennium. Quit living in the past, Marge.

  

Michael McDonald - I Keep Forgettin'

Always a struggle not to bust into Regulate.

Steely Dan - Dirty Work

Ah, the Dan. How'd it take me so long? 

The Selecter - Missing Words

Two-tone rarely pulls on the heartstrings, but the chorus on Missing Words is properly affecting. 

Lee Scratch Perry & The Upsetters - Jungle Lion

God, I used to hammer this in Falmouth, back in the Radiowave days. RIP.

Womack & Womack - Conscious Of My Conscience

Cringe title but what a groove. From the same album as Teardrops, I need to get on that vibe.

Change - Mutual Attraction

Looking at the YouTube comments, this has something to do with Luther Vandross? Whatever, it's all about that bassline.

Todd Terje - Snooze 4 Love

Slipping into this one like a warm bath, a warm bath in space, yes mate, build it.

LFO - We Are Back

How great is this video? Apparently, it's the official one. As if I couldn't love this track anymore it features clips from Twin Peaks. Still bangs.

White Lies - Death (Crystal Castles Remix)

Ariel Pink last week, Crystal Castles this week, on the cancellation express. Fuck it, this too still bangs.

Related post: 9 in 1 (7)

Detroit Chicago New York Machynlleth

Did you know that Machynlleth in Powys is twinned with Belleville, Michigan? The Belleville from the Belleville Three - Juan Atkins, Derrick May and Kevin Saunderson - as in the birthplace of Detroit Techno?

I didn't until this excellent article from David Owens on Nation.Cymru. 

Nor did I know about Ffrancon, but he certainly knew the connection. His recent album Gwalaxia: Belleville 1315 / Machynlleth 1414 joins the dots between Detroit Techno and radical Welsh politics and went straight into my Wishlist on Bandcamp.

Big fan of that artwork too.

9 in 1 (7)

I could've just put the soundtrack to Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars on the Nintendo DS on this list, I've been playing it that much. Violent Micro Machines, love it. 

But no, here's some bangers instead...  

The Gloaming - Allistrum's March

Well, there was only one place I could start. Charlie Bones has left the building. He quit his breakfast show on NTS last Friday. The Do!! You!!! Breakfast show is no more... on NTS anyway. 

You may have seen me mention it a few times over the last 18 months but his show has been a lifesaver. Every day, from 9am till midday, it's got me through the pandemic, working under the stairs and now out in the country, Charlie Bones has been there bringing the vibes. 

Onwards man, onwards, can't wait to hear what you'll be doing next.

Allistrum's March was the opener for the final show and over which he announced his departure. Man, I'm gutted.

Fatima Yahama - What's A Girl To Do

One of many jams from the final Do!! You!!! my word I wish I caught this when it came out in 2004. That synth line is to die for, what a vibe, convertible cars and empty motorways and beaches at night, yes mate.

Joy Orbison - Better

The choice cut from Still Slipping Vol 1. Joy Orbison's first long-player. Big up for calling your Bandcamp Toss Portal, boo-urns for charging £5.99 postage for a cassette.

Prefuse 73 - Detchibe

Another one of those rediscoveries from having the CDs out again, this is on an old Mr Scruff mix CD. I do have One Word Extinguisher but hey, I pulled out Keep It Solid Steel Volume 1 first. Still sounds futuristic despite coming out in 2003, unreal beat-making.

Kola Bendy - Song of the Fisherman

Creep Zone gonna Creep Zone, James Pants brought the Soviet-Siberian disco on his most recent show. Seriously, someone should just do an edit of the last 5-10 seconds, splice in the instrumental at 1:40, absolute jam.

David Bowie - Ragazzo Solo, Ragazza Sola

Space Oddity in Italian anyone? As in sung in Italian by David Bowie? Wuzza wuzza.

Todd Rundgren - Sometimes I Don't Know What To Feel

A second "x in 1" appearance in a row for the original Todd the God (apologies to Todd Edwards). The horns on this are divine, proper soul music. Love it, what a groove, wish my Dad hadn't kept this from me all those years. I reckon he would've dug that track at the start by The Gloaming as well. Oh well.

Haley Bonar - Kismet Kill

Completely missed this in 2016, big 90s indie rock feel here and the "We're the kids who've got kids at parties" line cuts deep RN.

The Chemical Brothers - Star Guitar

It was my birthday recently and as I sat down for breakfast with the boy, Star Guitar came on. Life ain't so bad sometimes y'know? Also, shout out to the late-night MTV2-ness of the video.

Related post: 9 in 1 (6)

Field Day Throwback

I got a notification from MixCloud that someone had 'favorited' my Ceefax Of Life Presents Field Day Mix 2011.

"A mix of bands and artists that I look forward to seeing at Field Day 2011 on Saturday August 6th." I forgot all about it until that sweet, random dopamine hit of a like. 

So, I'd thought I'd give it a spin after some quality cask ales in The White Hart and The Old Swan Inn.

Ah.

Not one but two Ariel Pink tracks.

Well, I can't rewrite history.

Aside from that, it's alright like, and I'm quite happy with the transition from SBTRKT to James Blake in particular. I'm also happy that someone found a 10-year-old mix I did and listened to it, that it's still there, and that there's still a little bit of randomness and chance on the internet. Because, y'know it feels like being online is an increasingly sanitised experience with gated communities controlled by tax-dodging overlords.

Which I write on a platform owned and run by Google. On a Chromebook. 

Ah.

Still, give my old mix a spin yeah? And a like?