And the ass saw the angel

Go to...

2009-01-03T09:44:00.001+01:00

From now on, I'll be posting your tracks on De ongeletterde wanhoop, adding text in English and in Dutch.
Here's the first post, containg music by Antiqcool and Hermanos Inglesos.

New form for the new year

2008-12-27T22:36:00.001+01:00

I've decided on how to deal with this blog, and I'm sorry to say that it will no longer exist in its current form. As a matter of fact, I've decided that I will integrate the content of what I used to do here, in my other blog, which is in Dutch (my native tongue).

It had become too much trouble for what I intended to do here, so I think I will be much better able to promote the music I love in my own language and in a form and on a blog on which I have enough time to do things properly...

I hope that even in spite of the language, you'll follow me there. If you do, nice to keep seeing you... If you don't, thanks for having taken the time to come every now and then... I hope you enjoyed it as much as I intended to...

Back in 2009

2008-12-07T17:34:00.002+01:00

We'll be back in business in 2009. Enjoy yourselves in the meantime !

Rewind the video : Pepper - The Butthole Surfers

2008-10-14T13:39:00.001+02:00

A weird song by a band I didn't know at all, in 1996 I was struck with astonishment. It has something spell-bounding about, if you know what I mean... I have since grown to like The Butthole Surfers...
And I own an orange-red picture vinyl disc of this single, which just goes so well with the extravaganza of the band and the song...

You can buy the album Electriclarryland which contains the song, here

Slowing down a bit...

2008-10-07T22:25:00.003+02:00

Due to troubles in my personal life which I'm not sure yet how much I wanna tell about here, I won't be able to post as much as I did the last weeks and months (I do realise I've always been quite irregular in my posting here...) Hope to bring you fine tunes now and again though...
This is the song I've been singing along all week :

Kids (mp3) - MGMT

Buy their album Oracular spectacular here

Low

2008-09-19T21:40:00.002+02:00

Last year, I saw them at Pukkelpop festival : Alan Sparhawk, Mimi Parker (his wife) and Matt Livingston. Together they are the wonderful, magnificent and very underestimated Low.
Some months ago, I saw the documentary You may need a murderer, about this band. Filmed by David Kleijwegt, it shows how this Mormon band, around husband and wife Sparhawk and Parker, struggles to find a balance between their beliefs and their need to make exactly the songs they are making, how Alan Sparhawk has struggled (and still does) with his demons and how the couple struggles to maintain a balance between making music and touring on one hand, and their family life (with children) on the other hand.
The song after which the documentary was named, Murderer, is one of the most intruiging songs of last year, and in the documentary Alan explains how their closest friends and relatives were shocked by the lyrics, considering it even blasphemous.
They way they play the song and the way the words are sung, intensifies the feeling that crawls through every line of it.

This is a video for the song, with images from the documentary No end in sight :

These are the lyrics :

One more thing before I go
One more thing I'll ask you Lord
You may need a murderer
Someone to do your dirty work

Don't act so innocent
I've seen you pound your fist into the earth
And I've read your book
It seems that you could use another fool
Well I'm cruel
And I look right through

You must have more important things to do
So if you need a murderer
Someone to do your dirty work

Enjoy these three songs from the album Drums and guns :

Murderer (mp3)
Hatchet (mp3)
Take your time (mp3)

You can buy the album here

You can watch the documentary here

Free music : Scala

2008-09-18T12:13:00.000+02:00

The all girl choir Scala, with the Kolacny Brothers, has a new album. It will be out soon in a de luxe edition, because the regular (digital) format is available for free download on their website. Just fill in your name and e-mail, and you receive a link to download all the songs on the new album.
Contrary to their previous albums, it's not a cover album. This time, the Kolacny Brothers wrote all of the songs.
If you want to know what they sound like, here's a teaser :

their cover of Smells like teen spirit (Nirvana)
their cover of With or without you (U2)
their cover of Friday, I'm in love (The Cure)
their cover of The bitter end (Placebo)

To download the album, go here

Rewind the video : Off the record

2008-09-17T22:05:00.001+02:00

It must have been Sunday that I woke up with an irresistable tune locked in my head on endless repeat. But you know how it goes : you just don't seem to find the right words to the song. You keep wondering to yourself : "but which song is this ?" You almost go mad trying to find it. And then all of a sudden, it hit me (after about half a day). It was this great song :

Tracks that never get to be chosen...

2008-09-15T07:14:00.001+02:00

Some tracks are wonderful, but still somehow they don't appear in my posts, for some reason or another. Sometimes they're the only song by that artist that I know, sometimes they don't fit in the theme I want to bring up, or...
Well, whatever reason kept them out, this post is a good reason for them to be heard. So enjoy :

Heart it races (mp3) - Architecture In Helsinki
Ankle injuries (mp3) - Fujiya & Miyagi : I know their name sounds Japanese but they are very British...
Nada (mp3) - Feu Thérèse
See you on the moon ! (mp3) - Great Lake Swimmers : listen how they blend in the meowing of cats...
Upside down (mp3) - Jack Johnson
To the country (mp3) - Laura Veirs : wouldn't you just want to go there after hearing this ?
Now she sleeps in a box in the good soil of Denmark (mp3) - David & The Citizens : what a great title : it evokes a whole tale and then you haven't heard the song yet...

Buy their albums :

Big in Belgium : Monza

2008-09-12T14:38:00.001+02:00

Monza, named after the famous racing track in Italy, is a Belgian band around Stijn Meuris (whom many remember from Noordkaap). They have released their third album earlier this year, called Attica!
For me, this album is their best so far. More diverse, more to the point and with a much better finishing touch, it beats everything they have released before. And I firmly believe that you don't need to understand the lyrics in Dutch to enjoy these songs :

Wie danst er nog ? (mp3)
De dag is helder (mp3)
Lobby (mp3)
Wenen in Wenen (mp3)

You can buy the album here

Another animated clip

2008-09-10T13:15:00.001+02:00

I admit : this one is a bit older than yesterday's clip (Chad VanGaalen's Molten light), but I have chosen to post it as there are some similarities which I wanted to share with you...
M Ward's Chinese translation is, of course, also accompanied by a delightful animated clip, and as is VanGaalen's clip, it tells the story of the song with simple yet appealing drawings.
The stories of both songs are as blinking, shining diamonds, with a clarity that makes the beauty so easy to see. They both strongly depend on the literary style characteristic of repetition.
And both songs and clips have an outstanding concurrence of atmosphere : each (light) change in atmosphere in the song is captured amazingly in the clip.

Enjoy : Chinese translation - M Ward (mp3)

You can buy the album Post-war here

Here are the lyrics to both songs :

Chinese translation - M Ward :

I sailed a wild, wild sea
climbed up a tall, tall mountain
I met a old, old man
beneath a weeping willow tree
He said now if you got some questions
go and lay them at my feet
but my time here is brief
so you'll have to pick just three

And I said
What do you do with the pieces of a broken heart
and how can a man like me remain in the light
and if life is really as short as they say
then why is the night so long
and then the sun went down
and he sang for me this song

See I once was a young fool like you
afraid to do the things
that I knew I had to do
So I played an escapade just like you
I played an escapade just like you
I sailed a wild, wild sea
climbed up a tall, tall mountain
I met an old, old man
he sat beneath a sapling tree
He said now if you got some questions
go and lay them at my feet
but my time here is brief
so you'll have to pick just three

And I said
What do you do with the pieces of a broken heart
and how can a man like me remain in the light
and if life is really as short as they say
then why is the night so long
and then the sun went down
and he played for me this song

Molten light - Chad VanGaalen :

They dumped her body into the molten light
Floated to the surface and it did not ignite
She rose up slowly and walked to the shore
She stood up on the bank and whispered

I'll find you and I'll kill you
I'll find you and I'll kill you
I'll find you and I'll kill you

They ran back into town and hid in the church
They explained their situation and they feared for the worst
The priest told the brothers that she could not be killed
She flew out of the stone cold ground and

She'll find you and she'll kill you
She'll find you and she'll kill you
She'll find you and she'll kill you

Oh oh oh oh...

There was a knock at that door that shook through their hearts
She blew it right open and put it apart
She shot a string of flame from the center of her chest
As she watched their bodies burn she whispered

I found you and I killed you
I found you and I killed you
I found you and I killed you

Molten light

2008-09-09T22:45:00.003+02:00

An extraordinary magnificent animated videoclip accompanies the delightful song Molten light by Chad VanGaalen.

Enjoy Molten light - Chad VanGaalen (mp3)

You can buy the album Soft airplane here

Lazy Monday : Bon Iver

2008-09-08T00:54:00.003+02:00

One of the hypes of the past months, Bon Iver has made quite an impression on many a music lover. The debut album For Emma, forever ago deserves every good word that has been written about it, and it's an excellent Lazy Monday album...

Every note is dipped in ancient tradition, in the best of folk and blues, and yet it sounds very 2008 in a way.

Check it out, and enjoy these songs :

Flume (mp3)
The wolves (act I and II) (mp3)
Skinny love (mp3)

You can buy the album here

Sepultura

2008-09-05T10:18:00.004+02:00

In 1994, I saw Sepultura at the Rock Torhout festival and I was pretty impressed. The band was still firmly led by Max and Igor Cavalera, and I had been listening to their album Chaos A.D. for several weeks. I wasn't into metal or anything (most certainly not back then), but I really felt this band had found a way to have the chemistry work between Brasilian rhythms and heavy metal guitars. Their next album, Roots, explored that strange mixture even further, and the band cooperated with some native Brasilian tribe. Until today, I still think those two albums are among the best metal albums ever !

Enjoy these songs :

From Chaos A.D. :

Refuse resist (mp3)
Territory (mp3)

From Roots :

Ratamahatta (mp3)

You can buy the albums here

Kiss The Anus Of A Black Cat

2008-09-02T21:34:00.002+02:00

Belgian band Kiss The Anus Of A Black Cat is really something special. With their mix of folk harmonies and post-rock, they are definitely a band on the right label, being K-R-A-A-K. On the 23rd of September they will release their new album, The Nebulous dream, on Conspiracy Records. They will launch the album with a show in Gent, at the Vooruit, with support act Guapo, on the 3rd of October.
Here are some songs from their previous album, An interlude to the outermost :

The firesky (mp3)
Salt (mp3)
You will reap a whirlwind (mp3)

You can buy the album here, and the new album is for sale (after release, of course) here

Big in Belgium : Arno

2008-08-31T22:00:00.001+02:00

Arno (Hintjens), once the frontman of Belgian rock stars T.C. Matic, has been enjoying a lot of respect from musicians all over Europe (and perhaps beyond?). He has worked with many great artists, covered many great songs (including some unusual suspects like Salvatore Adamo's Les filles du bord de mer). Actually, he's probably the biggest living legend in Belgian music, always performing for crowds of crazy fans...

Enjoy these songs :

It's all over now (mp3) : a Womack & Womack cover, originally played with all star band Charles et Les Lulus
I'm not myself (mp3) : featuring Tom Barman from dEUS and Stef Kamil Carlens from Zita Swoon
Les yeux de ma mère (mp3)
Putain putain (mp3) : orginally a T.C. Matic song

You can buy the album Give me the gift, which features all above songs, here

Goldie

2008-08-25T16:14:00.003+02:00

I had the chance of listening to the new Goldie album, Sine tempus, which is supposed to be a soundtrack to a Goldie movie that is about to be released, and I must say I was a little disappointed. Like the guy at the London Rough Trade music shop said about someone else : "he's gone all soft on us..."
One track however does stand out and is vintage Goldie stuff, for all of you drum 'n bass fans :
I know who I am (mp3). It's got it all !!!

And just to let you experience the true Goldie experience, I've added an old time favorite :
Temper temper (mp3). It features Noel Gallagher of Oasis on guitar.

Enjoy !

You can buy the new Goldie album here

Just a selection...

2008-08-24T16:49:00.005+02:00

Today I bring you a random selection of songs to end the summer vacation...

- Goons & Goblins (A Milli) - Shakeyface vs. Weezy (mp3) : summer vibes remixed by Shakeyface

- a remix of 80s songs for almost an hour by Buffetlibre DJ's

Tracklist:
1. Buffetlibre Theme
2. Ray Parker Jr. - Ghostbusters
3. CFCF - Big Love (Fleetwood Mac cover) (Rewind new song)
4. Animotion - Obsession
5. Belinda Carlisle - Heaven Is a Place On Earth (Hidden Cat remix) (Rewind)
6. Pet Shop Boys - Always On My Mind
7. Mr. Mister - Broken Wings (Hostage remix) (Rewind new song)
8. Communards - Don't Leave Me This Way
9. Anoraak - Talking In Your Sleep (The Romantics cover) (Rewind)
10. Camouflage - Love Is A Shield
11. Madonna - Into The Groove (Sidechains remix) (Rewind)
12. No Name - Fashion
13. A-Ha - Hunting High And Low (Louis La Roche remix) (Rewind)
14. New Order - Bizarre Love Triangle
15. Moulinex - Come On Closer (Pineapples cover) (Rewind)
16. Mr. Flagio - Take A Chance
17. Marietta - Destination Unknown (CSK OK remix) (Rewind)
18. Klapto - Queen Of The Night
19. Roger Troutman - Do It Roger (Xinobi remix) (Rewind)
20. Secret Services - Flash In The Night

Enjoy !

Music for one apartment and six drummers

2008-08-21T14:56:00.001+02:00

Better check your appartment after returning from a walk...

Isaac Hayes aka Chef

2008-08-16T00:14:00.004+02:00

Some days ago, Isaac Hayes died. I'm sure you can find a lot of dedicational posts in the blogosphere, and it's not an artist I have much to say about, or to add to all that.
But to me, Isaac Hayes will always be the man behind one of the best South Park characters : Chef.
This is the song that says it all : Chocolate salty balls (mp3)

You can buy the album Chef Aid : The South park album here

China Olympics

2008-08-15T10:20:00.002+02:00

Due to the Bejing Olympics (which I watch an awful lot!), I haven't posted much lately. Here's a song that's a bit of sort of appropriate : Mao Tse Tung said (mp3) by Alabama 3.

Check out the funny song Hello... I'm Johnny Cash on their website...

You can buy Alabama 3 music here

The House Of Love

2008-08-05T00:04:00.005+02:00

Sometimes the simplest things are the most beautiful and the most treasured. A simple melody, in harmony with a relaxing voice and musicians who don't seek the headlights but just all play their part in making a song work : what more could one hope for in a pure pop song ?
True masters at this are The House Of Love, an English band active initially between 1986 and 1993. In 2005 they re-united.
From the moment I first heard them, I liked them. They have a charm that captures you right away. They know how to play a good tune, and they don't make a big fuzz about it all : it's all just simple and very, very good !
I have added some of their most famous tracks, together with an acoustic performance they gave for a Dutch radio show (2 meter sessie for 2 meter de lucht in with host Jan Douwe Kroeske) :

The girl with the loneliest eyes (mp3)
Shine on (mp3)
Feel (mp3)
Beatles and The Stones (2 meter sessie) (mp3)

You can buy their greatest hits album here

The 2 meter sessies album seems to be unavailable currently

Manu Dibango

2008-08-03T22:06:00.003+02:00

One of Africa's biggest musical stars, is -without any doubt- Manu Dibango. A musical career that started off in Brussels and Paris, led him to Congo and Cameroon and then back to Europe, and that started in the 1960's : not many musicians from Africa can present such credentials...

This saxophone player manages a wide range of musical styles.

For those who hadn't heard of him, here's a little introduction :

Soul Makossa
Wouri
Goro city

Here you can buy his newest album

You can buy African soul : the very best of Manu Dibango here

Boxer The Horse

2008-07-31T00:59:00.002+02:00

The majority of Boxer The Horse are still under 20 years old. The band recorded a short five song demo in 2007, only to sell out of the limited pressing of only 50 copies at one show to an enthusiastic group of French exchange students. The band soon went to work on their formal debut EP, The Late Show. I like how they named their band after a character in Animal farm, the novel by George Orwell.

Their songs remind me of The Kinks, the young Bob Dylan (but with an English accent) and a Weezer-meets-Ben Folds type of indie band... But hey, you'd better judge for yourself :

You can buy the EP here

Green Velvet

2008-07-30T21:28:00.002+02:00

There is something very exciting about a lot of songs by Green Velvet, the alter ego of Curtis A. Jones.
This song is no exception to that, with its pulsating rhythm, its alienating lyrics and its trippy bleeps. Check it out, together with a Cajmere remix. Cajmere is just another alter ego of the same man, by which he made a lot of remixes for Green Velvet songs. Sounds schizofrenic, don't it ?

Genedefekt (radio mix) (mp3)
Genedefekt (Cajmere mix) (mp3)

You can buy the songs here

Poésie Noire

2008-07-25T00:48:00.003+02:00

In 1992, Belgian band Poésie Noire, originally a 7 piece band, but later reduced to 3, ceased to exist, after their record company failed to release their newest album Delirious. Eventually, EMI would release it, their band name having changed to TBX, but since it wasn't successfull at all, EMI dropped it from its catalog soon afterwards.
They had had some success however, having opened for Dead Can Dance and The Sisters Of Mercy, and having released 14 albums and mini-albums. The album that has been my personal favourite, is Love is colder than death, which offers us a good view of their new wave sound and their dark lyrics. It was released in 1989.
Enjoy these songs :

Love is colder than death (mp3)
The lake (mp3)
Oblivion (mp3)

You can buy the album here or here, as it's very hard to find...

Biosphere

2008-07-22T19:06:00.002+02:00

We had a dream last night... we had the same dream... Two little boys claim this in what sounds like the soundtrack to a horror science fiction movie, but actually it's the opening song for the album Patashnik by Biosphere.
It's an intruiging song that I felt always fitted perfectly well with the blue cover of the record. Enjoy it !

Phantasm - Biosphere (mp3)

You can buy the album Patashnik here
You can also download a lot of Biosphere songs offered for free here

Big in Belgium : Bobbejaan

2008-07-21T20:42:00.003+02:00

Bobbejaan Schoepen is one of those old time stars from the fifties and sixties, who got very famous in Belgium. I wrote about him once in my post about Dead Man Ray and its lead singer Daan.

Earlier this year, after a long, long silence (35 years!), he released a new record, which got a sort of American recordings treatment, albeit on a smaller scale. With some help from Daan and Elko Blijweert (from Dead Man Ray), Nathalie Delcroix (from Laïs), Geike Arnaert (from Hooverphonic) and Axelle Red, as well as from his song Tom and his wife Josée, he recorded 12 new songs (well, actually one of them is a sort of remake of one of his most famous songs in Dutch, De lichtjes van de Schelde). The record sounds a bit like the Rick Rubin produced Johnny Cash songs, but it also sounds very Flemish and the songs certainly do a lot of justice to the singing voice and whistling by Bobbejaan.

Also, the records is a musical hommage to aged men. It's about getting older and viewing your life in retrospect, and about the experience one gathers throughout one's life, about losing your youth, strength and fysical ability.

Enjoy these songs :

Je me suis souvent demandé (mp3) : singing in French, together with Axelle Red, Bobbejaan wonders about the bigger and smaller questions of life...
Flower of Shanghai (mp3) : Daan sings most of this song, about the long-distance love of a sailor in a far away port...
On a carousel (mp3) : mostly instrumental, with a lot of whistling (something Bobbejaan was famous for in his oldest songs), and with a spoken (Dutch) introduction...
Verankerd (mp3) : this song is probably the best of the whole record : it's about being old and sick (cancer), but still wanting to live, it's the song which offers the rich palet of Bobbejaan's singing (the voice of an old and experienced singer, a lot of country influences, but at the same time it sounds about as provincial as it can get) and it hits the mood of the lyrics so right on that's impossible to resist to the beauty of it, even if it is sung in Dutch... Of course, as Dutch is my mother language, I cannot judge it, but I wonder if you hear the richess of this even if you're unfamiliar with the language (I would guess so). So please give it a try (and feel free to leave a comment about it...)

You can buy the record Bobbejaan here

Bonde Do Role

2008-07-19T21:27:00.002+02:00

It sounds like a house anthem ! But the Portugese just gives that extra touch to make it stand out !
Bonde De Role have created one of the most perfect party hits for me : Divine Gosa. And their album With lasers has even more to offer ! I saw this group live last year at Pukkelpop festival, and they were just amazing... I didn't understand a word, but hell, they knew how to throw a party. And what a singer !
Enjoy these tracks :

Divine gosa (mp3)
Solta o frango (mp3)
James Bonde (mp3)

You can buy the album here

Fleet foxes

2008-07-17T00:01:00.001+02:00

They sound like they were making music in the same era as The Band, early Bob Dylan, The Beach Boys, but actually, they just released their first album.
Fleet Foxes are truely the next big thing !
Enjoy their fantastic song : White winter hymnal (mp3)
Buy their debut album here

Big in Belgium : Headphone

2008-07-16T08:55:00.003+02:00

They are one of the rising stars of the Belgian alternative scene : Headphone !
I really, really dig their newest single, She is electric, which has just about all the right ingredients to make it here and anywhere (if promoted properly, as beautiful music in itself is not enough to conquer the ears of foreign music lovers, in today's giant mass of musical production). This is the video for it :

Enjoy these tracks from their debut album :

She is electric (mp3)
Ghostwriter (mp3)
Film (mp3)

You can buy the album here

Album of the month : Passion - Peter Gabriel

2008-07-15T23:20:00.001+02:00

Music for The Last Temptation Of Christ, a film by Martin Scorsese is what it says underneath the title on the CD back cover.
This was my first introduction to Peter Gabriel's own Realworld label. It was the first release on that label, and it contains some of the most beautiful instrumental music I have ever heard made by a pop artist. Influenced by a lot of "world music" he had heard, Peter Gabriel composed a variety of songs which are all, to some extent, a stunning mix of the influences he absorbed and his own musical idiom.
This album is best listened to as a whole, of course, as the musical journey tells, in its own language, the story of the movie, and it contains such a rich palet of music that is like a multi-course dinner, of which each plate is delicious in itself, but the whole dinner has a surplus by the ideal combination of the dishes...
However, I have chosen some dishes for your enjoyment, to have a little taste to hunger for more :

The feeling begins (mp3)
Of these, hope (mp3)
Troubled (mp3)
It is accomplished (mp3)

You can buy the album here

Lazy Monday : Sofa Surfers

2008-07-14T00:09:00.003+02:00

It's been more than 10 years ago when I saw this CD in the record shop that intrigued me, just by the look of it. It wasn't as if I had ever heard of Sofa Surfers, but still, there was something about their name, about the artwork on the cover and probably (although that's something I cannot remember) something about its place in the shop's CD rack between other artists which drew my attention.

After a listen, I decided to buy the album, Transit, and although it's not a record that I have played many times, every I-don't-know-how-many months it ends up in my CD player or PC.

The phrenetic drum 'n bass sounds woven in the smoother and laidback melodies, sometimes with a distinct reggae touch (like in Sofa rockers) render it a sophisticated and yet attractive atmosphere.

A lazy Monday is just the day to enjoy that :

Bon voyage (mp3)
Sofa rockers (mp3)
Life in Malmö (mp3)

You can buy the album here

Arsenal

2008-07-07T00:02:00.006+02:00

Two Belgian bands I know have a name that is all too familiar to all of us soccer fans. Galatasaray, named after a successfull Istanbul side, and Arsenal (just like the London based top team) have experienced different paths of success.

Arsenal have released their third album, which took shape during an unexpected trip to the Finnish frozen lakes. They originally set out for Norway to record their songs, but ended up in Finland. The experience resulted in an instrumental album, which was used as a soundtrack for the TV show De Poolreizigers and in their third album, Lotuk. For this album they were able to work with some of their heroes, including Grant Hart (from Hüsker Dü), John Garcia (from Kyuss), Shawn Smith (from Brad, Pigeonhed and Satchel).

Enjoy these songs :

Lotuk (mp3)
Diggin a hole (mp3)
Who we are (mp3)

You can buy the album here

Zombie Zombie

2008-07-06T11:05:00.003+02:00

Was it shear coincidence that led me to this song and (later on) to its magnificent, animated video ? That I don't know, but what I do know is that got drown into the dense, blood-drawing atmosphere of this instrumental song immediately.
The video seems to have captured that spirit very well, as it is a stunning exhibition of how you can create a thrilling story with as little as a couple of play figures, home-made models and a lot of creativity. It's a remake of John Carpenter's film The thing in stopmotion with G.I. Joe dolls...

Enjoy this song : Driving this road until death sets you free - Zombie Zombie (mp3)

Zombie Zombie is a French duo consisting of Etienne Jaumet and CosmicNeman who have their own record label (Boomboomtchak! Records), based in Paris, France.

You can buy their album here

Def Real

2008-06-24T11:17:00.002+02:00

Dutch hiphop pioneers Def Real have released various singles that made you feel good : silly lyrics and capturing melodies that did well on the radio, especially in summer !

On their website, they offer their older songs for free. Here's a selection :

Me & the pizza (mp3)
Daar gaan we... (mp3) (in spite of the Dutch title, most of the song is in English)

Find them all on their site and donwload the remix of their new single here

Jay-Z

2008-06-23T22:17:00.001+02:00

Although a lot of hiphop music just gets wasted on me, it's absolutely not that I hate the genre. To the contrary, you can always make me very happy with some real good stuff !

Jay-Z seems to be able to do the trick for me most of the time. From Chapter One I like to listen to these 3 songs especially, although I have to admit it's really nostalgia that makes me smile whenever I hear the Annie sample in the first :

Hard knock life (mp3)
Wishing on a star (mp3)
Can I get a... (mp3)

You can buy the album here

PS Because of the European soccer championship, which I watch almost every game, I haven't posted a lot lately. Well, it's only a week till we know the winner...

Thomas Bryan Eaton

2008-06-17T10:39:00.000+02:00

New York-based musician Thomas Bryan Eaton is set to release his debut solo album entitled Dreams, Demons & Butterflies on July 15th, 2008.

Throughout the 'nighttime concept record,' the listener follows Thomas through a restless night, dozing in and out of consciousness, while contemplating life, death & all the relationships between the two. While based on simple acoustic folk and blues songs, the recordings burst open with careful colorations and subtle textures. The final product is something that is hard to classify. From pedal steel to accordion, whispered vocals to quadrupled drum sets, string sections to the sound of stray cats fighting, no sound was left unconsidered. Not to mention Thomas' tasteful electric guitar playing sprinkled throughout. Although much of this record's charm is due to Thomas' restless vision (or demons perhaps), he relied on a cast of 14 friends and musicians to help create the group sound he was looking for. The result is a complete album that tells a story of one person's take on beauty, sorrow and hope.

To celebrate the release, Thomas has assembled many of the musicians who appeared on the album for a record release party on July 12th, 2008, 8pm at Arlene's Grocery, 95 Stanton St. in New York City

While Dreams, Demons & Butterflies will be his first outing as a leader, Thomas has been an active part of numerous bands in the NYC area since moving there from Ithaca, NY three years ago. Other bands and artists he has played and/or recorded with : Vancans, Hobson's Choice, Willie Breeding, Butane Variations, Jim Miller, Kristin Diable, Tim Emmerick, Richie Stearns, Steve Waitt, Jefferson Hamer, Well Enough Folk Band, Steve Gollnick, Adam Groves, Juge Greenspun, Rachel Platten, Teedo, Your 33 Black Angels, Mohawk Hitchhiker, Hubcap, and many others.

Other musicians featured on the album: Pearson Constantino, James Craft, Nyles Fitzgerald, Helen Gassenheimer, Leslie Kubica, Chris Locksley, Earl Maneein, Len Monachello, Johnny O'Callaghan, Michael Penque, Mike Refici, Aaron Smulktis, Jeremiah Vancans & Michelle Yu.

Enjoy these tracks :

Naked ear (mp3)
Meant to last (mp3)

For information on how to buy the album, keep checking here

Big in Belgium : Hoover(phonic)

2008-06-06T03:12:00.004+02:00

In 1996, when Hooverphonic released their debut album, they were actually called Hoover (but for legal reasons they had to change their name if they wanted to release music outside of Belgium, if I remember well...) Their music was sort of triphoppy and didn't go unnoticed, as one of their songs was used by Bertolucci for Stealing beauty.
Apart from the radio edit for 2Wicky (mp3), I have also added the DJ Pulse Dub (mp3) of that song as well as the song the original sample was taken from : Walk on by (mp3) by Isaac Hayes.

You can buy the Hoover(phonic) debut album A new stereophonic sound spectacular here

Caesar

2008-06-05T09:11:00.001+02:00

The Dutch band Caesar has ceased to exist. On the 3rd of April they played their last concert, and were joined by other Dutch bands. These bands each covered Caesar songs, which can be downloaded from the 3voor12-website.
I offer them to you, in no particular order :

Ocean sounds (covered by Moss) (mp3)
Can't make it happen (covered by Paulusma) (mp3)
No reply (covered by Scram C Baby) (mp3)
Acid years (covered by Alamo Race Track) (mp3)
Before my head explodes (covered by Sonja van Hamel from Bauer) (mp3)
This ain't a lovesong (covered by Bettie Serveert) (mp3)

Here are some rare tracks by the band Caesar themselves :

Gee oh my (mp3)
Don't you feel like wow (mp3)

You can buy Caesar songs here

Free music : Intended Play Sampler Spring 2008

2008-06-04T15:24:00.002+02:00

Matador Records give away for free a sampler of their new releases, including the artwork. It's the first time this sampler is available digitally, so enjoy it here

No government

2008-06-04T02:17:00.002+02:00

For the last couple of months, Nicolette has been receiving a lot of airplay on the radio with a Tocadisco remix of her 1995 success No government. I must however say that I do not very much like the "new" version. It's not that I dislike it, it's not that it's bad, it's just... well you know, it just doesn't live up to the standard set by the original version.
Ever since I bought the CD-single in 1995, I have thought the cover matched very well with the song. The shattered glass look of it and the voice, the way Nicolette sings the words, both vulnerable and sharp, have always been strongly connected in my mind.

For you to enjoy, I have not only added the original version but also 2 remixes from that same 1995 release :

No government (mp3)
No government in the jungle (remix by the Bud Brothers) (mp3)
No goverment as a way of life (remix by Plaid) (mp3)

You can buy a remaster of the 1995 original here, and I have at last found where you can buy the version I possess (I also found the original with other remixes here)

Man X

2008-06-03T10:05:00.001+02:00

Country-based rock from Belgium, that sounds quite peculiar, doesn't it ? Well, back in 1991 Man X tried it, with moderate success. They got some airplay on the radio and appeared at some (smaller) summer festivals. They were best known for their covers (of John Denver and Hank Williams), which I like to date.

Enjoy these tracks from their album The key to your heart :

Bitter tears (mp3)
I saw the light (Hank Williams cover) (mp3)
Country roads (John Denver cover) (mp3)

I have found no information on where you can buy the CD, unfortunately...

Eels

2008-06-02T21:02:00.004+02:00

E : what a man ! Eels : what a band !

I've become even more excited about this band and about its singer after watching a documentary (Parallel worlds, parallel lives) about the search of Mark Everett ("E") to get to know his dead father better, and to understand the psychics theory he constructed. Although his father turned out to be a famous scientist, Mark never knew this as a child and never got to know his father. What's so excellent about the documentary, is that mixes images of this search and the explanation of the theory of Hugh Everett III with songs by Mark and his band. You get to appreciate the lyrics better put against this background, I feel.

I have collected some covers by Eels, for you to enjoy :

I could never take the place of your man (Prince cover) (mp3)
Get UR freak on (Missy Elliott Misdemeanor cover) (mp3)
Sweet home Alabama (Lynyrd Skynyrd cover) (mp3)

You can buy Eels albums here

Free download : new Sigur Ros single

2008-06-02T17:08:00.001+02:00

Sigur Ros are giving away their new single for free (here). Enjoy it !

Lazy Monday : David Shea

2008-05-05T22:17:00.003+02:00

Unfortunately, the album which introduced me to David Shea (his collaboration with Belgian artist DJ Grazzhoppa) is on vinyl, so I can't let you hear any songs from that.
Shea is an extraordinary musician, always in search for something new and experimenting and collaborating with various artists. He has lived in Brussels, Belgium for a while, and now he lives in Australia.
All the information on his life and his work can be found here, so I won't bother you with it right now, but I'll just let you hear it for yourself (all tracks are taken from the album Satyricon) :

The wheel (mp3)
Cave canem (mp3)
The dream (mp3)

You can buy the album Satyricon here

You can buy the David Shea/DJ Grazzhoppa album Down river, up stream ! here

Alan Wilkis

2008-05-03T11:03:00.002+02:00

Alan Wilkis used to be in a duo. Now this Brooklyn based artist has just finished his first solo album, featuring guest appearances by Jason Treuting of So Percussion and Eric Biondo of Antibalas. The music is a combination of a lot of styles, mainly 70s and 80s soul, electronica and soft rock music.

Here are some songs :

Milk and cookies (mp3)
I'm famous (mp3)
It's been great (mp3)

You can buy the album Babies dream big here

Teach me tiger !

2008-05-02T01:00:00.003+02:00

Back in 1959 April Stevens caused a bit of an uproar with her newest song, for its supposed sexual suggestiveness. Of course, today that would only be good for the sales figures, and I have no doubt nobody would even notice it nowadays... (lyrics)

Teach me tiger - April Stevens (mp3)

You can buy the album here

Someone even made a nice video on YouTube featuring the song and two German soccer players (Michael Ballack and Torsten Frings) :

When the 80's weren't that cool : Magnum

2008-05-02T00:23:00.002+02:00

The moustache of Magnum, P.I. was not the kind of thing I would want to be seen with, but hey, his car sure was.

In 1997, Celvin Rotane used the theme for a track that would be played on the radio for months to come. I instantly enjoyed it !

I have also added one of his own remixes for the track :

Theme from Magnum (radio edit) (mp3)
Theme from Magnum (Future Breez Mix - radio edit) (mp3)

You can buy it here

Just a few random songs...

2008-04-27T16:15:00.001+02:00

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

2008-04-22T12:40:00.003+02:00

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

2008-04-21T11:14:00.002+02:00

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

2008-04-19T22:19:00.004+02:00

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

2008-04-17T12:10:00.001+02:00

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...

2008-04-17T11:12:00.003+02:00

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

2008-04-15T16:37:00.003+02:00

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

2008-04-15T16:10:00.002+02:00

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

2008-04-10T13:30:00.003+02:00

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

Lazy Monday : Alpha

2008-03-24T23:59:00.004+01:00

The Melankolic label has brought us many Bristol-based bands and triphop acts. It was the label on which I discovered Craig Armstrong (The space between us) as well as this band : Alpha.

Although they miss the punch of Tricky and Massive Attack and lack the complete smoothness of Portishead, their songs are exquisite appetisers for anybody with ears. And they are the perfect band to play on a lazy Monday...

In September of last year they have released their new album, The sky is mine, which I haven't heard yet. But I did and still do enjoy their debut, Come from heaven.

Enjoy these songs :

My things (mp3)
Hazeldub (mp3)
Appleorange (mp3)

You can buy the album Come from heaven here

You can buy their new album here

Soundtrack : Kill Bill vol. 2

2008-03-16T16:35:00.002+01:00

From the soundtrack of the second part of Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill, I have two songs today.

The first is a nice version of A satisfied mind (mp3) by Johnny Cash and the second is Japanese : Urami bushi (mp3), by Meiko Kaji.

A satisfied mind is a song I discovered years ago on the same-titled album by The Walkabouts, which converted me to americana...

You can buy the soundtrack here

You can buy the Walkabouts album here

Gastr del Sol

2008-03-13T21:45:00.005+01:00

Although I enjoy both reading and listening to (good) music, the combination of both is hardly ever successfull. Mostly, the music is too dominantly there for me to be able to concentrate on what I'm reading, or I'd have to turn the volume so low I can hardly hear it (and still then it can carry away my attention quite easily).
One band, however, that manages to do the trick for me, is Gastr del Sol. It's not that their music is not appetizing enough (for it certainly is) ; there's just something about it that makes it possible for me to both listen to it and keep on reading concentratedly.

The book I was finishing reading today while listening to them, is the quite wonderfull Encyclopaedia of Snow, written by Sarah Emily Miano. It's not like any other book I've ever read, and although not all of it is great, I quite enjoyed it.

Enjoy these songs (perhaps while reading the book) :

Black horse (mp3)
A puff of dew (mp3)
Bauchredner (mp3)

You can buy the Gastr del Sol album Camoufleur here

You can buy the book Encyclopaedia of snow here

RMX : Deeper and deeper - Joi

2008-03-11T11:05:00.001+01:00

The British band Joi has strong roots in Indian music. After some silence (well, they were still busy in clubland, it would seem), they have returned with this remix for My love, a song which they recorded with Bruno Ellingham.

Enjoy it : Deeper and deeper (My love remix) - Joi (mp3)

You can buy their music here

Lazy Monday : Green On Red

2008-03-10T22:50:00.002+01:00

One of my favorite americana bands from when I was really young, is Green On Red. I have ever since enjoyed Chuck Prophet as a solo artist, almost as much as I have and am still enjoying those G.O.R. songs.
For a guy from Belgium, these songs were the ultimate escape to the rocky deserts of Texas and Arizona (well, at least they were in my imagination at that time), without having to embark on the over-produced, way too slick songs of the likes of Garth Brooks. I got acquainted with the band in 1989, with their very fine album This time around, which for me sounded a bit like The Rolling Stones gone country. But my favorite song will always be Little things in life.
And now, almost twenty years later, they still bring peace to my heart and quiet to my mind. What better way to spend a Monday evening then ?

Enjoy these songs :

Little things in life (mp3)
Shed a tear (for the lonesome) (mp3)
Broken radio (mp3)

You can buy the albums of Green On Red here

Windy & Destiny

2008-03-04T10:40:00.002+01:00

A voice that is full of craving and a lingering melody : if you combine those, you might end up with a song from Israeli band Windy & Destiny. This duo has just released its debut album, Words for such a riot. The band claims to bring a mix of pop, indie and psychedelic music.

Check out these songs :

Unseen side (mp3)
A house for you (mp3)
High school days (mp3)
In another day (mp3)

They will be playing some concerts in Israel :

March 8th : Levontin 7, Tel Aviv (6 PM) (at the Folkale 4 Festival)
March 19th : Casco Urban Lab Cafe, Tel Aviv (10 PM) : free !
March 26th : Uganda, Jerusalem (10 PM)

You can buy their album here

Deceased : Jeff Healey

2008-03-03T13:21:00.002+01:00

Yesterday, Canadian singer and guitarist Jeff Healey died of cancer, at the age of 41.

I remember him from his show with The Jeff Healey Band at Rock Torhout, a Belgian festival, in 1990. They had just released their second album, Hell to pay, which included a fantastic cover of the Beatles' While my guitar gently weeps, and another great song, I think I love you too much. Jeff Healey also starred with his band in the movie Road House, which featured Patrick Swayze (which you're most likely to remember from Dirty dancing). In those days, blues was hot for a while, and Jeff was among various other to taste some success (like Bonnie Raitt, Robert Cray, John Lee Hooker with The healer and Gary Moore).

What made him stand out (not that his music wasn't great...), was his extraordinary way of playing the guitar, which rested on his lap with its back on his knees and he sort of picked the strings.

He had just completed work on his latest album, Mess of blues, which is due for release on March 20th in Europe and April 22nd in the US.

You can buy his music here

Album of the month (Feb 08) : Polynya - Polynya

2008-03-03T00:59:00.003+01:00

This album was released in July of last year. North Carolinan band Polynya reminds me very much of Lush and Curve, two bands from the beginning of the nineties that had the same guitar-keyboards-drums sound which is so richly spread all over this debut album.

Opener Old West (mp3) is the ideal opener for this record, as it gets us fully acquainted with the sound we'll be hearing throughout the rest of it. Without a trace is as dreamy as the title suggests and Tarantula offers us more prominent drums to start a song that settles quite nicely in one's head. Paper planes (mp3), with angelic voices of Amelia, Andrea and Luke crawling over the sharp edges of bells and guitars, offers a new taste of what this band is capable of. And we are treated with even more surprising (and yet recognisable) songs : Black cherry and two songs that are like resting places on a walk, Cubicle and Essy Persson.
If you liked bands like Belly, Lush, Curve and The Breeders, you're definitely gonna like this band. Check it out !

You can buy their album by mailing them or at Amazon

Album of the month March : Eldorado - Stephan Eicher

The Politik remix + artwork competition

2008-03-01T15:00:00.003+01:00

This competition is open to anyone and everyone who'd like to have a go at remixing one (or more) songs from The Politik's debut album. The winning remixes will be compiled into the official remix album The Politik Remixed to be released on both physical and digital formats. The second part of the competition is an artwork remix competition for the cover art of the official release. Download the original artwork by Joshua Mays and have a go at reworking it in the spirit of the Remix.
All entries must be received by April 14, 2008.

For more information, download links for all the files and the submission info, click: http://studio.mashibeats.com/ThePolitikRemixComp.html

Hear the original album at http://thepolitik.imeem.com

http://myspace.com/thepolitik
http://thepolitik.imeem.com
http://coopr8.net

Fever Marlene

2008-02-29T22:00:00.004+01:00

The Chelsea Hotel in New York City (made famous by Leonard Cohen) hosted Fever Marlene for 4 nights and 5 days, which resulted in the band's second album, due for release in March. They sound like a new Britpop sensation, although they're from Milwaukee. Earlier reviews (of their debut album Civil war) compared them to Oasis, Death Cab For Cutie and Arcade Fire.

The release party for the album is on the 5th of March, at the Yield Bar in Milwaukee, WI (10 PM).

Further gig dates :

March 6th : High Noon Saloon - Madison, WI

March 7th : Turner Ballroom - Milwaukee, WI

March 15th : Café Montmartre - Madison, WI

April 5th : Shank Hall - Milwaukee, WI

May 8th : Majestic Theater - Madison, WI

Enjoy these songs :

You can buy their music here

Destroy Cowboy

2008-02-29T13:07:00.003+01:00

Supporting the likes of Tapes 'n Tapes, Cold War Kids, Stars, The Stills, The 1990s and Tokyo Police Club, Birmingham based Destroy Cowboy have tasted some live success. Now they are trying to make their hometown the new capital of contemporary music, with 4 new songs on their MySpace and their website.

You can buy the tracks here

Another free album : The saltire wave - Downliners Sekt

2008-02-28T12:50:00.002+01:00

If you like your guitars to dominate, your drums to be kicked half-dead and don't mind the absence of vocals, you might very well like Downliners Sekt. Their electro/post-rock oriented second album is available for free download on their website (as are earlier releases).
This band have chosen to release their albums for free on their website, because they believe they can have a greater impact thus. They claim this way they have some of their songs, released more than 7 years ago, still played at dubstep sessions.

Personally, I quite enjoy this music. They have clearly put a lot of effort into making music that generates a mood you're most likely to catch between 3 and 5 in the morning, somewhere drunk in the gutter, left alone by your girlfriend that is now doing it with your best friend, by your best friend (you know what he's doing right now...) and even by the smelly cat that came down the alley. Well, anyway, you catch my drift... If I knew where they're playing, I'd tell you to go and see them !

Before checking out their website, and maybe donate to keep them going, enjoy this selection of songs :

If you want to help these fine artists, mail them to ask what you can do !

Video : Wanna be myself - GTA

2008-02-28T12:15:00.002+01:00

GTA, an Oxford (England) based hip hop group, has released their new track Wanna be myself for which you have just watched the video (or are about to...). They released one EP before (Love is here) and have played in support of KRS-1, Amp Fiddler and Flavor Flav.

This track is featured on their forthcoming debut album The way. It's a track with potential, I would say, as it has a good vibe, sounds quite well and sticks to your memory like a Post-It to a mirror...

The track will be available on iTunes, Napster, etc... from the 14th of April)

The Kills

2008-02-27T01:01:00.000+01:00

The Kills are about to release their new album Midnight boom on 10th of March. You'd better get ready for some real rock 'n roll attitude, with dirty guitars and all...

They'll be playing a lot of shows, possibly near you :

29 Feb 08 - 20:00 - Stereo - Glasgow
2 Mar 08 - 20:00 - The Art - Nottingham
3 Mar 08 - 20:00 - The ICA - London
4 Mar 08 - 20:00 - The Cube - Bristol
6 Mar 08 - 20:00 - Duke Of York - Brighton
7 Mar 08 - 20:00 - Electric Palace - Dorset
12 Mar 08 - 20:00 - SXSW - Austin, Texas
15 Mar 08 - 20:00 - Bikini - Toulouse
16 Mar 08 - 20:00 - Le Transbordeur - Lyon
18 Mar 08 - 20:00 - Olympia - Paris
19 Mar 08 - 20:00 - Olympic - Nantes
20 Mar 08 - 20:00 - Aeronef - Lille
22 Mar 08 - 20:00 - Melkweg - Amsterdam
24 Mar 08 - 20:00 - AB - Brussels
25 Mar 08 - 20:00 - Gebaude 9 - Cologne
27 Mar 08 - 20:00 - Debaser Malmo - Malmo
28 Mar 08 - 20:00 - Umeo Open - Umea
29 Mar 08 - 20:00 - Debaser - Stockholm
30 Mar 08 - 20:00 - VoxHall - Aarhus
31 Mar 08 - 20:00 - Vega - Copenhagen
2 Apr 08 - 20:00 - Logo - Hamburg
3 Apr 08 - 20:00 - Maria - Berlin
5 Apr 08 - 20:00 - Flex - Vienna
7 Apr 08 - 20:00 - Fri-Son - Fribourg
8 Apr 08 - 20:00 - MusicDrome - Milan
10 Apr 08 - 20:00 - Apolo - Barcelona
11 Apr 08 - 20:00 - Heineken - Madrid
12 Apr 08 - 20:00 - Casa Da Musica - Porto
15 Apr 08 - 20:00 - Liquid Rooms - Edinburgh
16 Apr 08 - 20:00 - Oran Mor - Glasgow
18 Apr 08 - 20:00 - Cockpit - Leeds
19 Apr 08 - 20:00 - Academy 3 - Manchester
20 Apr 08 - 20:00 - Carling Academy 2 - Liverpool
21 Apr 08 - 20:00 - Carling Academy 2 - Birmingham
23 Apr 08 - 20:00 - Koko - London
24 Apr 08 - 20:00 - Soundhaus - Northampton
25 Apr 08 - 20:00 - Wedgewood Rms - Portsmouth
26 Apr 08 - 20:00 - Trinity - Bristol
27 Apr 08 - 20:00 - Zodiac at Academy - Oxford
30 Apr 08 - 20:00 - Paradise - Boston, Massachusetts
1 May 08 - 20:00 - Webster Hall - New York, New York
2 May 08 - 20:00 - Black Cat - Washington, DC
3 May 08 - 20:00 - Johnny Brendas - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
4 May 08 - 20:00 - Cabaret - Montreal, Quebec
6 May 08 - 20:00 - Opera House - Toronto, Ontario
7 May 08 - 20:00 - Magic Stick - Detroit, Michigan
9 May 08 - 20:00 - Metro - Chicago, Illinois
10 May 08 - 20:00 - Annex - Madison, Wisconsin
14 May 08 - 20:00 - Richards - Vancouver, British Colombia
15 May 08 - 20:00 - Neumos - Seattle, Washington
16 May 08 - 20:00 - Berbati\'s - Portland, Oregan
17 May 08 - 20:00 - Slims - San Francisco, California
19 May 08 - 20:00 - Casbah - San Diego, California
21 May 08 - 20:00 - El Rey Theater - Los Angeles, California
22 May 08 - 20:00 - Brickhouse - Phoenix, Arizona
27 May 08 - 20:00 - Mercy Lounge - Nashville, Tennessee
28 May 08 - 20:00 - The Earl - Atlanta, Geo

Enjoy these (earlier) songs:

You can buy the new single Cheap and cheerful here

You can remix the single yourself if you wanna give it a go

Buy their albums here

Tragically Hip

2008-02-26T10:03:00.001+01:00

In spite of their name, they never became quite that hip. A strong fanbase however welcomed them at every concert, and with each new album I was among those that grew to like them more and more.
The Tragically Hip have, so far, released 11 regular albums, 1 live album and 1 compilation (double) album.

Enjoy these songs :

Grace, too (mp3)
Courage (for Hugh MacLennan) (mp3)
Lake fever (mp3)

Enjoy this video for Ahead by a century :

You can buy their albums here

The Tabasco Collective

2008-02-23T11:45:00.003+01:00

Antwerp based The Tabasco Collective has entered one of the country's finest rock concours, Humo's Rock Rally. They've reached the semi-finals, and I think they could do very well...

Enjoy these songs :

If you want to buy their music, contact them at info@thetabascocollective.be

Clocks

2008-02-22T23:38:00.000+01:00

In addition to the covers in the previous post, here's another great cover : Coldplay's "Clocks" as re-interpreted by the Dutch band Zea.

Enjoy it : Clocks - Zea (mp3)

Buy Zea music here

Lazy Monday : covers

2008-02-18T22:09:00.002+01:00

Today I feel like relaxing with these great and extraordinary covers :

The robots - Señor Coconut Y Su Conjunto (mp3) : Kraftwerk goes latin...
Daydreaming - Lupe Fiasco featuring Jill Scott (mp3) : a Wallace Collection classic that got an uplift last year...
Crazy in love - The Magic Numbers (mp3) : Beyoncé made smoother than ever...

Buy these albums, containing the original hits :

Laughing Cavalier - Wallace Collection
Dangerously in love - Beyoncé
Die Mensch-Machine (The man-machine) - Kraftwerk

Time to funk !

2008-02-14T14:25:00.003+01:00

Scott Grooves once made the RE-connection to the mothership (and was remixed by the likes of Daft Punk), but I wanna let you in on the original mothership connection, by funk's funkiest grandfathers, Parliament (featuring George Clinton, Maceo Parker, Fred Wesley,...).

On their live album Tear the roof off (1974-1980) you can get into funk like you never could before, and the mothership track is the absolute best I've heard in funk EVER !

Enjoy these tracks :

Mothership connection (Star child) (mp3)
Funkin' for fun (mp3)

Buy the album here

100th post comes with free album

2008-02-14T10:30:00.003+01:00

...but you shouldn't really thank me, but Canadian singer-songwriter Share (not to be confused with Cher !).

His debut album, Ukelele Tragic, has been made available for free download (here) to celebrate the release of his new album (his third already...) Pedestrian.
Andrew Sisk, the man behind Share, claims to be influenced by early Leonard Cohen and the songs from the Harry Smith Anthology of American folk music. The ukelele plays a big part on his debut album, but on his second album, Can Can Missile, electronic instruments have joined it, and it's no real surprise that he chose for an organic sound base, building upon it with samples, synths and programmed beats.

Upcoming tour dates (Eastern Canadian tour) :

Feb. 21 Montreal, PQ Casa Del Popolo
Feb. 22 Wakefield, PQ Blacksheep Inn
Feb. 23 Ottawa, ON Cafe Dekcuf
Mar. 6 Picton, ON The Acoustic Bar and Grill
Mar. 7 Toronto, ON Tranzac (CMW)
Mar. 11 Hamilton, ON Casbah w/ Wax Mannequin
Mar. 14 London, ON Call the Office
Mar. 15 Guelph, ON Jimmy Jazz
Mar. 17 Peterborough, ON The Spill
Mar. 18 Kingston, ON Queen St United Church (Apple Crisp Series)
Mar. 19 Ottawa, ON Mavericks
Mar. 20 Montreal, PQ Barfly
Mar. 21 Fredericton, NB The Capital
Mar. 22 Halifax, NS The Seahorse

Already, you can enjoy these songs :

From his debut album :

Soil (mp3)

From the new album :

The yard (mp3)
Too shy to blush (mp3)

You can buy the album Pedestrian here

Suddenly all went quiet

2008-01-28T10:56:00.000+01:00

...which I couldn't help really (believe me : if I could have, I WOULD have !).
I fell seriously ill when recovering from a small procedure in hospital and was brought to the hospital by ambulance, to stay their for weeks (most of them I slept and I don't remember much of it). My wife and family tell me it was a close call, but I'm better now (and back at home). It took me some time to be able to climb the stairs again (our computer is up on the first floor), which is why it remained silent for long...

Thanks to all of you who still keep visiting this blog though. I'll try to start posting again as from this week...

See you !

Lazy Monday : Holiday song

2007-12-17T10:00:00.000+01:00

Well, it's THAT time of the year again, so here we go...

I found this nice song in my mailbox. The Specimen seem to enjoy the sleigh bells and the prospect of possible snow : Wish it would snow (mp3)

You can buy their EP Do U Damage here

Pardon my French

2007-12-15T01:11:00.000+01:00

That is the title of an album that I bought in 1997, by the band fuck. The sleeve shows a drawing with numerous people and animals, and my kids instantly liked it.

Although the band have not played any live gigs since 2004, their website remains updated...

Enjoy these tracks :

Fuck motel (mp3) from Pardon my French
Wrongy wrong (mp3) from their debut Pretty... slow
Oshun (mp3) from Cupid's cactus
Motherfuckeroos (mp3) from their last album These are not my bongos

You can buy their records here

Rewind the video : Music for life

2007-12-14T16:03:00.000+01:00

Belgian radio station Studio Brussel will be hosting the second edition of Music for life, an action to support the Flemish Red Cross and its water campaign in Namibia. Three DJ's will be living in a glass house, eating nothing and drinking only water, for 6 days. Dutch and Swiss collegues will do something similar in The Hague (The Netherlands) and Genève (Switzerland).
You can support the action by buying a song on the radio, or by buying this song from Fixkes and Axelle Red : Over 't water

You can buy the song here

Leonard Cohen

2007-12-14T14:14:00.000+01:00

He's definitely one of the great musicians of our time. His unique voice and his outstanding musical performances, his life-span career with numerous great songs, all put him in the line of great pop music icons.

Leonard Cohen is one of the greatest, surely...

Enjoy these songs :

Bird on the wire (mp3)
Hey, that's no way to say goodbye (mp3)
Who by fire (mp3)

You can buy his albums here

Lazy Monday : Lee Perry

2007-12-10T01:03:00.000+01:00

Although I have never been that much into reggae, I like its coolness now and again, and I'm pretty sure that some really great stuff has been recorded which I have no clue of its existence...
Every now and again, I stumble across something that I really, really like. Lee 'Scratch' Perry must be among the greatest reggae and dub artists cause whenever I hear his tunes, I'm totally won for him...

Enjoy these songs from Apeology :

Zion blood (mp3)
Evil tongue (mp3)
Roast fish and cornbread (mp3)

Watch the video for I am the upsetter :

You can buy Apeology here

Some songs to enjoy...

2007-12-10T00:00:00.000+01:00

Here are a handfull of songs I really like and I hope you enjoy them as much as I do :

Flux (12" version) - Bloc Party (mp3)
Nightless night - Husky Rescue (mp3)
Foundations - Kate Nash (mp3)
When under ether - PJ Harvey (mp3)

Buy the Bloc Party single here

Buy Ghost is not real (Husky Rescue) here

Buy Made of bricks (Kate Nash) here

Buy White chalk (PJ Harvey) here

The effect of passing windows, reading : Marjan Debaene

2007-12-06T01:19:00.000+01:00

A giant poster saying Wolfish times hanging on a window near my daughter's school, has catched my eye several times. Curious as I got, I ended up googling the title of the promoted CD and ended up at the website of Marjan Debaene, a Belgian female singer-songwriter who has released her debut album more than ten years ago.

Containing songs she wrote between 2001 and 2005, her third album was released in the fall of last year. She got some airplay with the first single (Charlie Chaplin) on national radio (but not the station I usually listen to) and has opened for Luka Bloom and neeka. She played gigs in the UK and in Bosnia-Herzegovina (being the first Belgian pop or rock artist to play there since the war), but all of that would have passed by me if it hadn't been for that poster !

Enjoy these tracks :

Charlie Chaplin (mp3)
Do you want me (mp3)

You can buy the album here

Album of the week : Die Anarchistische Abendunterhaltung

2007-12-05T16:15:00.001+01:00

This Belgian band's epynomous debut album proved you can play modern, rocking music without guitars. A clarinet, a violin, a cello and an accordion are all it takes for them to play something that reaches from klezmer to classic rock (they managed to squeeze some Led Zeppelin into Doorloop at live performances). Die Anarchistische Abendunterhaltung would change their name into DAAU for the following albums and their music would grow into something a bit more conventional (although you should definitely check out their Radiohead cover Of R*D*H*D (2 + 2 = 5) to understand how unconventional their music remains...).

Their debut album was released in 1995 and it definitely was something new. But even today, the album still stands firm as a house. The "warning on the sleeve is not without cause : "magisches theater - eintrit nicht für jedermann - nur für verrückte - eintrit kostet den verstand" (magical theater - admittance not for anyone - just for the mad - admittance will cost you your mind). The music (there is no singing on this album) still succeeds in capturing your attention to release it only after hours past the last note. At times you hear something which is vaguely reminiscent of something you know, what can't quite catch... (in Doorloop, you probably cán pin it down to Ravel's Bolero). This album does what most excellent debuts do : although it has been followed by probably better records, it remains the one that gets played more often.

I have seen this band play live on the tour that followed the release (which is why I know of the Led Zeppelin piece...) and they were really awesome. Check out their tour dates (they'll play some Swedish shows in february 2008...) !

Enjoy these tracks :

V² - Drieslagstelsel (mp3)
Doorloop (+ traditional) (mp3)

You can buy their debut album and their other albums here

The band offers you 4 of their songs for free on their website (here, under downloads) : Catfish blues, Voodoo sim, Mary go round and Gin & tonic.

Next week's album of the week : Kurr - Amiina

When the 80s weren't that cool : Tiffany

2007-11-25T02:06:00.000+01:00

I suppose I had fallen in love with the good-looking, somewhat naughty and definitely identifiable Tiffany when I heard and saw her singing I think we're alone now (mp3) back in 1987.
"Children behave !
That's what they say when we're together"
Yes, I really felt like I wasn't being taken serious by my parents, and yes, I could really feel it physically, the butterflies of teenage love...
The overall excitement of the two lovers was a feeling I could so relate to and she was looking so vivid, so pretty (in a non-perfect and thus even more attractive way) and so young, that being 15, there was little resistance on my part.
Even now, watching the video, I can still remember the feeling she gave me, and hey, it's been 20 years !

And guess what ! Totally unnoticed on this side of the ocean, she is still having a career, and has released a new album (Just me) earlier this year... Get all the information on her impressive (well, in a way...) career at Wikipedia.

Buy her latest album here
Buy the album that originally featured "I think we're alone now" here

Discover these artists !

2007-11-22T01:34:00.001+01:00

Norwegian artist Grande is about to release his debut album Uppers, downers, screamers & howlers. Heavy guitars with a softening voice in Rhythms of sin and a touch of eighties in We did it all make it worthwile to give him a listen. You can listen to more songs on his website or check his MySpace.

Enjoy :

Rhythms of sin (mp3)
We did it all (mp3)

Montreal-based Plajia have just released their debut Beautiful explosion and will be playing a show tomorrow at Bar St Laurent 2 in Montreal. It might be a good idea to go and see them ! They too have a MySpace you can visit...

Enjoy :

You can buy the debut album from Grande here

You can buy the debut album from Plajia here

Lazy Monday : Banco de Gaia

2007-11-19T01:01:00.000+01:00

I don't remember why I ever bought the Banco de Gaia album Maya. It must have been in those days when I had just discovered techno and related genres harboured some great songs too...
It's not an album I play a lot, and I hardly ever listen to it as a whole, but at times, it really appeals to me...
Just the kind of thing for a Lazy Monday !

Enjoy these tracks :

Mafich arabi (mp3) from Maya
Down from the mountain (mp3) from You are here
How much reality can you take ? (mp3) from Igizeh
Glove puppet (Dreadzone remix) (mp3) from 10 years remixed

Enjoy this video for Last train to Lhasa :

You can buy the albums of Banco de Gaia here

Album of the week : Post pop parade - Chris Price

2007-11-16T12:55:00.000+01:00

If you like your records to sound like the ones you remember from the eighties, this album is a sure bet ! Chris Price has made a poppy record, however without losing sight of today's music scene.

Admittedly, the first associations when hearing the complete record, were Kraftwerk and Erasure, but listen to the raps in Heat Up and mistake it for Fat Lip in Chemical Brothers' recent single The Salmon Dance. If the songs don't sound very eighties (e.g. Taken) they definitely sound quite nineties (And She Was) with their bleeps which could well have been The Orb-inspired...

Overall, this album may not have the quality (nor the ambition) of a today's Achtung Baby or Kid A, but if you like something to go well with the dishes you're doing or ironing your shirt, this is definitely the right album (to all you sarcasts : this IS meant as a compliment...). It's also very suitable for Friday or Saturday evenings, before going out : it'll get you in the mood for sure ! It combines the best of early hiphop (Grandmaster Flash, Afrika Bambaata,...) with a Pet Shop Boys nose for pop.

Funny how Chris Price calls it post-pop...

Enjoy these tracks :

Heat Up (mp3)
Radioactive (mp3)

You can buy the album here.

Or even better : Chris Price has informed me that blog readers can buy at for about a dollar less : send 12 USD and your address to sales@chris-price.com or mail them at info@chris-price.com for full information. This offer includes free worldwide shipping.

Next week's album of the week : Die anarchistische abendunterhaltung - Die Anarchistische Abendunterhaltung

Album of the week : The fat of the land - The Prodigy

2007-11-05T10:42:00.000+01:00

Try singing The Prodigy's Smack my bitch up at a feminist convention, and you'll understand the impact of words on people fighting for a cause...

The single, following Breathe and Firestarter, raised high expectations for this album, back in 1997. For me, those expectations were not entirely met. True, the three songs I already cited, are good Prodigy material, and there are some more songs that remain quite good. But most of the songs contain at least one good idea, but sadly the idea's not been worked out thoroughly, which leaves me a bit unsatisfied. Although, I will not deny that I have enjoyed and still enjoy most of the album. The L7 cover Fuel my fire is probably the weekest song, and Narayan isn't exactly among the best The Prodigy have ever done, but hey, you can skip songs on your CD player, can't you...

Following the release of this album, their tour led them to Brussels (Vorst Nationaal), where I saw their concert. Unfortunately, that concert was a bigger disappointment : they seemed like a good CD-player : loud and good sound quality, but the songs differed far too little from the studio versions...

Still, enjoy these tracks :

Serial thrilla (mp3)
Smack my bitch up (mp3)

You can buy the album here

Next week's album of the week : Post pop parade - Chris Price

Rewind the video : Andreas Dorau

2007-10-30T23:28:00.000+01:00

Eighties pop to the extreme : that would be the only good way to describe how this song sounds. Andreas Dorau's Fred vom Jupiter (mp3), a German song which you don't have to understand to enjoy, is as eighties as it could be. In fact, this could as well have been posted in my 80's theme...

This video breathes amateurism, which is exactly which makes it so irresistable ! I wonder whose children have painted the background and made the rocket for Fred...

Lazy Monday : Amsterdam Assholes

2007-10-29T15:45:00.000+01:00

Amsterdam Assholes is the live project of DJ Sandrien, a co-operation with Wouter Hisschemoller.

Enjoy these tracks :

Boormachine
Da ga mooi nie door da feest

Buy the record here

A lot of Sigur Ros music

2007-10-27T15:43:00.000+02:00

I do so adore Sigur Ros !
Listen to all of these tracks :

This is the video for Hoppipolla :

You can buy their records here

Cem Karaça

2007-10-27T00:55:00.000+02:00

Music blogs have set me on the trail of numerous artists I had never even heard of, and I consider myself someone who knows quite a bit what's around in music though...
One of the discoveries I made through such a blog, was the Turkish artist Cem Karaça. He fled Turkey about a year before the 1980 military coup and it wasn't until 1987 that he could return under strict conditions about not doing any political actions. He had lived in Germany as an exile and he died in Istanbul in 2004. In the video to the song I like best of this artist, he looks a bit like a Zappa-esque bohemian, and his gesticulating is really intruiging...

Enjoy these tracks :

Namus belasi - Cem Karaça (mp3)
Suya giden alli gelin - Cem Karaça & Apaslar (mp3) : it starts a bit like California über alles by Dead Kennedys

You can buy Cem Karaça music here

I'm (not) from Barcelona

2007-10-25T14:13:00.000+02:00

I am not, and neither is Emanuel Lundgren (he's from Sweden !). But he and his friends have brought some of the purest pop music of the last years, and I still can't help smiling every time I listen to We're from Barcelona, their big hit...
Enjoy these tracks :

We're from Barcelona (mp3)
Treehouse (mp3)

Buy their record here

Rewind the video : Aphex Twin

2007-10-18T01:43:00.000+02:00

It takes more than 4 minutes in this 10 minute video before the music even starts, and we get to be served a whole lot of explicit language before it does (and I really, really mean a lot of explicit language !) Then some guy with Michael Jackson-like dance moves gets out of an extremely long car and the song itself sounds like a nice melodic tune that has been crushed by a train. Every time your ears get comfortable with it, some weird cut-up or breakbeat makes them alert again. And as on the sleeve of the vynil edition of the single (which I happen to have in my possession), Richard D James, aka Aphex Twin, does something funny/strange with the heads and bodies...

And the weirdest part yet has to come... The video ends as if the movie has ended, with all the credits rolling over your screen. Enjoy it !

You can buy Aphex Twin music here

Lazy Monday : Pompelmoessap

2007-10-15T02:06:00.000+02:00

Pompelmoessap is Dutch for "grapefruit juice", so when I stumbled upon this song I was a little intrigued by the band name. I found out that Pompelmoessap is a Swiss minimal techno act that seem to have released only one EP so far, Winters are getting shorter.

Enjoy this track : Untapped terrain (mp3)

Buy the EP here

Album of the week : Puta's fever - Mano Negra

2007-10-14T15:35:00.000+02:00

I remember that the first song of the 1990 edition of the Rock Torhout festival that I could properly listen to after having entered the festival site, was a cover (didn't know that then, however) of Bobby Fuller's I fought the law. The band that opened the festival was having a massive radio hit with King kong five, and their mix of all kinds of languages and all kinds of music genres blew me off my feet.

Today their lead singer Manu Chao has a relatively succesfull solo career, but I still prefer their breakthrough album Puta's fever.

It has witty lyrics in French (Pas assez de toi, La rançon du succès) as well as Spanish and even Arabic sung songs. It has punch, a sort of gypsy punk attitude, but also downtempo songs that touch your heart.

Enjoy these songs :

Rock 'n roll band (mp3)
King kong five (mp3)
Sidi h' bibi (mp3)
El sur (mp3)

You can buy the album here

Next week's album of the week : The fat of the land - Prodigy