Def Real

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

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

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)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Lazy Monday : David Shea

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

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 !

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

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...

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