Just a few random songs...

Here are some songs that I like...
Enjoy them :

• Ever since - Dirty Three (mp3)
• She doesn't live here anymore - Jay-Jay Johanson (mp3)
• Strange religion - Mark Lanegan (mp3)

You can buy Cinder by Dirty Three here

You can buy The long term physical effects are not yet known by Jay-Jay Johanson here

You can buy Bubblegum by Mark Lanegan here

Syd on the 13th floor

Today we return to the sixties, when I wasn't even born...
Well, actually, Syd Barrett released his first solo album on the 3th of January 1970, but that would mean he made the songs in the sixties, wouldn't it ?
Syd used to be the big force behind the early Pink Floyd, but because of his unpredictable behaviour he was to be gradually replaced by David Gilmour. He had by then somehow lost touch with reality, which however became one of the charms of his music.
Here's a video to one of his songs, Feel :

The 13th Floor Elevators are considered a psychelica band. In 1966 they released their debut, The psychedelic sounds of the 13th floor elevators. They would influence bands like Spaceman 3 and Queens Of The Stone Age. The opener of their debut album is the first song on the highly acclaimed movie High fidelity.
Here's the video to that song :


Enjoy these songs :

• You're gonna miss me - The 13th Floor Elevators (mp3) : the opening track, also featured in High fidelity
• You don't know (how young you are) - The 13th Floor Elevators (mp3)
• Octopus - Syd Barrett (mp3) : this songs keeps reminding me of Octopus' garden by The Beatles
• Long gone - Syd Barrett (mp3)

You can buy the Syd Barrett album The madcap laughs here

You can buy the 13th Floor Elevators debut album here

Lazy Monday : Luka Bloom

Quite impressive : one guy playing guitar and singing, on the giant stage of a rock festival, and still getting more than half of the public's attention !
That's exactly what I saw Luka Bloom do once (in 1992, when the festival also featured -among others- Smashing Pumkins, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Lou Reed and Bryan Adams).
Today is just the day to listen again to his beautiful album The acoustic motorbike (probably the most poetic description of a bicycle ever...). On this album he plays covers of Elvis Presley (Can't help falling in love) and LL Cool J (I need love), and 10 of his own songs. I would still suggest anyone to buy this album, cause it will never bore you.

Enjoy these tracks :

• You (mp3)
• Can't help falling in love (mp3)
• The acoustic motorbike (mp3)

Here's the video for the LL Cool J cover I need love :

You can buy the album here

The Nits

In the winter of 1989 I discovered a Dutch band that made pop music with a lot of brains. They sounded like they had attented art school, but still there music wasn't arty farty or difficult, it remained pop music foremost...
The Nits have recently released a new album, with their original -and most successfull- members all aboard again. Doing the dishes lives up to the expectations.
However, if you wish to get acquainted with them and hear what they are capable of, the best introduction remains their 1989 live double album, Urk, which did the trick for me anyway.
I hope you'll enjoy these songs :

From Doing the dishes : The flowers (mp3) is their first radio release in The Netherlands for the new album

From Urk :

• An eating house (mp3)
• J.O.S. days (mp3) : probably the best song about football (soccer for most of you non-Europeans) EVER !
• Nescio (mp3)

This is the original video clip for probably their best known song (In the Dutch mountains) :

You can buy their music here

RMX : Asia Argento vs Antipop

I received this nice remix today, which I'd like to share with you.

Vampy (as remixed by The Glass) is a collaboration with Asia Argento on vocals and Antipop on production. Antipop is a founding member of Télépopmusik.

Enjoy it : Vampy (The Glass remix) - Asia Argento vs Antipop (mp3)

You can buy the album on iTunes here

Alone again or...

When in 2003 Calexico released their single Alone again or, I instantly loved it ! It had that certain spark that made it settle in your thoughts for the rest of the day, and the way it was played, it sounded truely like Calexico...

It wasn't until recently that I found out this song to be a cover version of a Love song, and that it didn't even differ that very much...

Still, it's the little differences that make a difference anyway, for still, I love the Calexico version best.

You can compare and enjoy them :

• Love : Alone again or (mp3)
• Calexico : Alone again or (mp3)

You can buy the Calexico single here

You can buy the Love album, Forever changes, here

The Clement Peerens Explosition

The Clement Peerens Explosition started as a joke by the men who made a hilarious radio comedy show, Het leugenpaleis, on Studio Brussel. And then they became so popular that they made some more songs, and after a lot of years in which petitions were being initiated for them to have a reunion, they did indeed return to stage earlier this year.
Their band leader, so-called Antwerp pop and rock expert Clement Peerens (his real name is Hugo Matthysen), claims after all they do no more play some AC/DC riffs in reverse order, adding lyrics in the Antwerp dialect.
Enjoy :

• Vinde gij mijn gat (niet te dik in deze rok)? (mp3)
• Dikke Lu (mp3)

You can also watch them at their reunion concert, singing probably their biggest hit (Vinde gij mijn gat..., which means something like "You don't think my butt's too big in this dress, do you ?")

It seems impossible to buy their music on the internet, but keep searching, maybe you'll have some more luck...

Roy Orbison

I never really much liked Roy Orbison, singing Only the lonely or Pretty woman, nor did I like his come-back with You got it. He was the kind of artist my parents liked and I thought he was way too "soft" for me. When he teamed up with some other (great) musicians to form Travelling Wilburys, I thought that pretty OK...
But then, I bought the soundtrack for The end of violence, which contained one of the most thrilling and perfectly produced "sad lovesongs". That same Roy Orbison sang You may feel me crying, and I changed my mind instantly.
Truely, it's a timeless classic : really at the edge of the feeling, not too much orchestration, just enough and a voice which doesn't try to make it all too obvious. You can actually feel the sentiment without drowning in it.
As well as that song, I have included some early songs Orbison recorded for Sun Records, the record company for (among others) Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley.

Enjoy these songs :

• You may feel me crying (mp3)
• Ooby dooby (mp3)
• Domino (mp3)
• The clown (mp3)
• You tell me (mp3)

You can buy the Roy Orbison album The essential Sun years here

You can buy the soundtrack for The end of violence here

Rewind the video : Spoon

Enjoy the video for Spoon's You got yr cherry bomb. I saw and really enjoyed this band at the Pukkelpop festival last year...