In the post today:

Oh yeah! It’s the kitchen sink* edition of A Secret Wish by Propaganda.It’s 25 years of age now! If you don’t know what this is then you’re missing out on one of my favourite albums of all time, which I first bought when I was a weird 12 year old. That sounds quite strange when I think of it: how did I find out about them? I have the 7″ single of Doctor Mabuse (their debut) so I must have been a fan from early on and in those days I watched every music show on the telly I could find (this was the days of only four TV channels). The ladies of Propaganda did once feature on  the cover of No.1 magazine which I spotted in that expensive shop in London which sells old mags I used to own but that would have come later. Anyway, A Secret Wish on cassette still lives in my Drawer Of Precious Things along with its remix album also on tape and I upgraded those to CD as people  did back then. This new edition has two discs: the first one features the original album plus some alternative subtly different versions of some of the tracks while disc two featuress more different versions. We love those versions! Some of them have never been released before and some were only ever on  the old 12″ singles so it makes for a very nice package. Highlights include a 20 minute extravaganza which was originally a cassette single called Do Well (hmmm…) and it includes all the released versions od Duel and Jewel  in one long track plus a new insrtumental interludey piece called Wonder. Even without all these super geeky  things you get an 80s classic which now sounds even better but always sounded fantastic.

*kitchen sink not included.

Can I tempt you into buying it with these lovely music videos for the singles?

Propaganda had to expand with extra humans when they performed live as the machines would not make for an interesting visual for some people… I wouldn’t have minded personally but I was at home sulking in my bedroom. I found some good stuff from these live performances:

P:Machinery on The Tube

The Murder of Love on Old Grey Whistle Test

Frozen Faces on The Tube

Dream Within A Dream live 1985

It’s back! For the very first time! Following the almost success of my series of blog posts about old vinyl dance music from when I was not an old git with free mp3 accompaniments I have now got round to doing the same for the CD Singles era. Never cassingles though, never ever. So here is the first instalment of the new thing:

01 Suede feat Neil Tennant: Saturday Night (Live) from Filmstar CD single (1996)
I never liked Suede when they first appeared as all that strutting, sibilance and silliness never appealed to me. By the time they got to the Comig Up album era I was a massive fan and ended up owning everything they ever did. This era of Suede reminds me of the gay friends who lived in a flat above a shop in Mile End (no I am not getting my Pulp songs muddled up).

02 Thieves (re-released as David McAlmont): Unworthy from Unworthy EP (1993)
This early David McAlmont song is bloody beautiful but by the time the album arrived the duo had split and it was released as a McAlmont project. The other one aka Saul Feeman went on to form Mandalay who will turn up at some point in this mix series. David McAlmont is still one of my favourite musical people.

03 Shara Nelson: Uptight (Ashley Beedle mix) from Uptight CD single (1993)
Shara Nelson released two solo albums after her dalliance with Massive Attack ended and this is a great example of one of the remixes from her peak. Ashley Beedle can do no wrong in my ears and so he crops up on the next track in this list…

04 Gabrielle: Baby I’ve Changed (Ashley Beedle mix) from If You Really Cared CD single (1996)
I have a soft spot for Gabrielle and her last album deserved a lot more attention that it got. This track from her second album has been mixed by that Beedle man and has a familiar sampled bassline and a slow funky sound that I never tire of.

05 Lenny Fontana and DJ Shorty: Chocolate Sensation (Original Force edit) from Chocolate Sensation CD single (1999)
Remember when eveyone was sampling Love Sensation? Well they all did it again about ten years later.

06 Cevin Fisher feat Loleatta Holloway: (You Got Me) Burning Up (radio edit) from (You Got Me) Burning Up CD single (1999)
At least Ms Holloway gets a credit on this one. I was never the clubbing sort but this was one of those late 90s dance tunes that I couldn’t resist.

Download No Cassingles Volume One here.

Obligatory embedded videos section!

Suede with Neil Tennant live on film, in surprisingly good quality:

Original Thieves video for Unworthy:

Lenny Fontana’s generic dance music video. Wot no Loleatta?:

Cevin Fisher’s generic dance music video. Still no Loleatta:

More cool things that make you go hmmm…

Music videos overload this week!

Rose Elinor Dougall’s album release date is almost here and now a video for Carry On  has appeared. It’s very 80s but not in a ha ha funny hair and synthesizers way, oh no. It’s a bit different to the previous singles which were rather more reflective and relaxing but I still love it:

Foxy Shazam may be the new Mika. Or Queen. Or somehting like that, just keep Ben Elton away from them as he might come up with a new horrible musical. Their good album is still not out in the UK but I bought the import a while back and they have  a new video which has been made by someone who enjoyed that Supergrass video. You’l know which one I mean if you watch it:

The Dawson  Bros used to write for Mitchell & Webb’s sketch show buy not any more. Now they write for bloody everything (including that awful thing where Richard Hammond pretends to give a damn about people falling in the water over and over again from the safety of a dry studio in a different country)  and have also made what was supposed to be a short viral clip but it now a full length video for  History by Groove Armada. This is a fun amusing video (alwaays a good thing) and I have liked the song for some time now:

Also cool: zombies!

No, not a remake of 28 Days Later but a TV version  of The Walking Dead with That Bloke From This Life and Teachers. The official site won’t let us watch the trailer but I have found it elsewhere and it is below:

Everything American has to have British  Actors With American Accents since it become the bloody law. Shockingly, I have never read the comics it is based on but am pleased to see another massively geeky TV show is forthcoming.

It’s that musical time of the week again.

The Mynabirds looks like a throwback band but is in fact one lady named Laura. Honest. Jamie got me into them so I’ll probably buy him the album for his birthday. This is the song that got my attention, the rather lovely Numbers Don’t Lie:

The Like are back with another great single, this  time it’s the turn of Wishing He Was Dead. How cheerful sounding! But seriously,  it’s from a good album although it may grate a bit if you’re not into a bit of pastiche of the past. I quite like it:

Janelle Monae’s album is out and you may wish  to buy it. I know I did. Perfect antidote to all the tedious bland autotune plop dirge I keep seeing on  the musical television  channels at the moment. She’s releasing Cold War as the next single and the video is here, where she stops doing her usual funky dancing and goes all stationary:

Winner of video of the week just has to be Bright Light Bright Light because Rod is a very nice man and now well on his way to becoming an actual proper popstar with his forthcoming Ellie Goulding support slot, proper single release on the Popjustice imprint and this rather popstarry video:

The b-side is also rather awesome. See? (hear)

I feel the urge to share more musical delights of the last week so here goes:

I am very excited about the impending album from Fitz & The Tantrums. Husband Jamie got me into them as he has a lot of music on his gigantic iPod and I’m bound to like some of it (excpet Muse who are mostly a right racket except when The Bloke From Muse calms down)…. they have a FREE ‘SINGLE’ that you can download for nothing when you join the mailing list and it is bloody great so here is a live version to illustrate my point:

Their first EP was smashing so the album is very looked forward to in our house. EPs seem  to be very in vogue this year, don’t they?

They spelt Bachelor wrong but someone nice made a little video of the opening track from the first Melting Ice Caps gig that took place the other week. It’s rather good, even if I can’t spot my shiny face in the audience (kidding about this bit, my shiny face only appears in comedy audiences and that one time on  breakfast telly that we don’t talk about):

The sound quality is what you’d expect for a man filming a gig but the original version is available for ZERO PENCE HERE. How generous.

I don’t know much about Fol Chen except they’re another one from Jamie’s iPod and I like what I have heard so far. This video for In Ruins might be a ‘proper’ video or not, it’s confusing these days:

I asked the internet about Fol Chen... he told me ‘Fol Chen is a musical group from Los Angeles signed to Asthmatic Kitty records. Thanks, Internet.

I have never really got into Of Montreal (well not yet anyway) but they performed a new song with bloody Solange (she’s rather underrated and her album was one of the best of 2008) on American TV last week and it got all over the geekier parts of the online world. That clip got removed due to the usual copyright mini-sulks but I found this rip of a maybe final studio version:

No idea how long this will be online for but it’s wonderfully funky and slightly weird. Reminds me of Flight of the Conchords, oddly. They’ve also been performing a cover of I Want You Back out and about so here’s a video of that too (of the usual person-with-a-camera quality):

Update: Just bought both Fol Chen albums. Ooh er… and In Ruins EP is a FREE DOWNLOAD HERE (leagally and all that).

Also: I have got majorly obsessed with Yellow Pearl in the last week,

If you think it sounds familiar….well:

Now you can do your own countdowns with the BLOODY FREE MP3 of Yellow Pearl right HERE. I am spoiling you.

Lobo? Who the hell was Lobo?

It’s Video Monday! Mostly because I found some clips I like and it is the first day of the week.

HURTS started out bloody ages ago with their rather good single-but-not-actually-a-proper-single Wonderful Life. Now it’s back and has another video which cost more than the old one which was quite nice anyway but never mind:

It’s all very 80s in a stylish way.

The Divine Comedy have chosen I Like as the second single from the new album. Not a bad choice, quite commercial:

Odd but good.

I thought Architecture In Helsinki released That Beep as single ages ago but apparently not. I love it and the video is suitably weird:

Robyn’s first single from her second Body Language not-an-LP-but-more-than-an-EP is a more produced version of a track from the first Body Language. Diffferent I guess:

Robyn – Hang With Me official video from Robyn on Vimeo.

Nice simple video, works for me.

Bonus clip for the geeks! It’s Arthur ‘Rory from Doctor Who’ Darvill in Sooty, made at some point during the two thousand years where he waited for Amy, probably:

I went to my first gig in around 8 years on Thurdsay. I’m a lazy sod and noisy crowded places get on my nerves but as it was the first appearance of the full band version of The Melting Ice Caps I couldn’t miss out. Up until now they have mostly been just David Shah’s project but he assembled a crack team of musicians to flesh out the songs for the live experience and you would never have guessed that this was their live debut.

Brief recap: I knew David in 1996 when he had just got involved in a band called Grosvenor. They eventually morphed into Luxembourg who were active from the early 00′s up until 2008 (their unreleased 2nd album is free to  download here on Last FM) and my friend Cheryl recommended them to me a few years ago as she knows my musical tastes. I loved their album and then realised who their lead singer was, in one of those Small World moments that seem to happen. Luxembourg ended and David started the Melting Ice Caps, releasing singles via his website, much to my delight. Numerous tracks ended up on friends’ mix CDs and if I had to pick a few to recommend right now I would go for the following singles (with links for free mp3s):

Single 8 is the most recent one (download here) and includes October and My Wrong Turn which show their melancholic beautiful side off rather well.

Single 4 (download here) features Mise En Scene and Night School which are both quite demo-ish and pretty with the usual arch moments.

The gig on Thursday was part of Fry’s Unsigned (more on that here at the official site) which was for the mental health charity Mind. Unintentional rhyme there! The set included one new song plus a selection of the best of their catalogue, including stonking versions of How To Appear Well-Adjusted, Happy In Crewe, Mise En Scene and Through A Prism. The band versions are not as indie rock as the Luxembourg era but had a new energy that was well-received by the audience, especially the man in the vest who was bopping away through all the bands’ sets that night in-between taking photos. Hopefully some of those images will turn up on the Fry’s site soon.

The venue had good ale, we had a nice chat with David and I won a prize in the raffle and then we went home. It was a good night.

The Melting Ice Caps will return soon: 4th August at 229 (more information here). Very recommended if you like happy/sad wistful indie with strong songs and a sense of humour.

Musical blog time!

That nice chap from our bloggers & musicians meet earlier in the year Rod Thomas has been in the news this week with his Bright Light Bright Light debut single proper aka Love Part II which is coming soon via a combination of his own label and Popjustice’s new imprint. This man who has been called “The Disco Morrissey” (by me) brings his “introspective euphoric pop” (me again) to a bigger market than the current bloggy music geeks:

The b-side Cry At Films is fantastic and there is a free mp3 here.

Marina and the Diamonds: Oh No:

Oh yes! This must surely be the final single off the debut album though.

Cee Lo Green: No-One’s Gonna Love You:

Another potential great album to look out for from the Gnarls Barkley man … whenever it actually comes out.

Monarchy: Love Get Out Of My Way:

There’s definitely a gap in the market for a duo of Autons who make electropop instead of having the end of their hands flip over to reveal guns… hurrah for Monarchy !

Performance: Unconsoled:

Performance have had a string of great singles so I think we deserve the album now.

Bim: My friend Mr Steven ‘Middle Eight’ Sears (great blog) recommended Bim to me and they’re rather good, aren’t they? Well you’ll know if you sign up on their site for the free download of Head Over Heels. Like a more hectic Mandalay maybe. Older song Stay In My Memory is nice and acousticy:

While I’m on the musical theme, we’re going to see The Melting Ice Caps tomorrow night! With a full band! Rather bloody excited about this as they/he (complicated) is one of my two favourite newish music things of recent times. I shall report back on this… not been to a gig since Lamb in probably 2001 or something. Mostly because I dont like crowds, queues, long periods of standing up or too much noise. Yes I am a grumpy old sod.

It’s the final part of this series of mixes, which may return with a different theme (the 1990s and early 2000s) if I ever get through all the CD singles piled up around the place. For now, this is the last batch of mostly originally vinyl purcahses from record shops in Essex way back in time:

Download Bedroom Nightclub Mixtape vol 11 here.

01. Black Box: Hold On (The Strong)

Another one of those Martha Wash-sung Italian house tracks, this time in a lovely remixed style. The vinyl album is long gone, along with all the 12″s (I swear there was a mishap with a record box as I would never have chucked them out) but there are plenty of cheap CD copies of various compilations out there.

02. DSK: Read My Lips (Original Mix)

This track has been sampled quite  a bit since its release and still exists in 12″ format in my record collection. It’s the more funky original version.

03. Kariya: Let Me Love You For Tonight

Can I say ‘house classic’? I can? Again? Oh good.

04. Climie Fisher: Rise To The Occasion (Hip Hop Remix)

Odd remix from Phil Harding (also involved in  the next  track in this mix), which consists of dull ballad + whole chunks of obscure track Rookie’s Revenge by Lou = odd sample-laden track with weird bits. Fun in a tacky way and probably bought in a long gone record shop in Brentwood High Street.

05. Mel & Kim: Respectable (Extra Beat Vocal Version)

The best version of Respectable is on none of the bloody endless M&K compilations so I made a rip of it from YouTube so it could live in my iPod.

06. Betty Boo: Doin’ The Do

I would have chosen her No Smoking Rap from the No.1 magazine flexi-disc but that might have been pushing it a bit.

07. Technotronic feat. Reggie: Money Makes The World Go Round

Ah, the long-forgotten second Technotronic album! I has this on 12″ with some good remixes but found the original in the internet so here it is. Nice corny rap halfway through.

08. Chic: Your Love (Def Mix)

The also long-forgotten second version of Chic from the 90s: this is a David Morales remix of Your Love which is rather nice.

09. Lisa Stansfield: Time To Make You Mine (Youth and The Orb Mix)

I always loved Ms Stansfield, since her pre-pop Tyne Tees Television pop show presenting days. The 12″ of Time To Make You Mine had mixes from Youth and The Orb (as you’ll hear) plus Masters At Work, how bloody versatile. Nudey video too (below)!

10. Titiyo: This Is…

Titityo’s second album is pretty good stuff and this was a single that probably hardly anybody bought. Fools!

Videos time:

It’s the penultimate one: download Bedroom Nightclub Mixtape vol 10 here.

1. Dream Warriors: My Definition of a Boombastic Jazz Style

All very Quincy Jones-ish, I have a load of 12″s from this canadian rap duo but no albums, odd.

2. Eric B & Rakim: The R (Work, Rest & Play mix)

A rather excellent remix by Dave Dorrell and CJ Mackintosh. Name facts:  The B in  Eric B stands for Barrier. The CJ in the remixer is Christopher John Mackintosh and not Carl Mackintosh who is the man from Loose Ends. I have this on 7″ vinyl.

3. Innocence: Natural Thing (Elevation)

All very Pink Floydy but rather nice. Lost this 12″ ages ago but bought their first album to make up for it.

4. Fidelfatti feat Ronette: Just Wanna Touch Me (Hallelujah mix)

This track by Piero Fidelfatti (to give him his full name) actually features vocals pilfered from  the disco diva Barbara Roy’s Ecstasy Passion & Pain band’s song Touch and Go. It’s been remixed by Norman Cook who did a lot of that kind of thing around then and the 7″ single I own has a close-up of some boobies on it.

5. BSOG feat Elaine Hudson: Bow Wow Wow

BSOG was Claus Zundel who was the producer of Sydney Youngblood. I wonder what happened to him? I never owned this one.

6. Big Lady K: Don’t Get Me Started

I don’t even know what the K stands for with this rappity lady, sorry. I hope it is Krispy Kreme. Or Karamac (sic).

7. DJ H feat Stefy: Think About… (Car Mix)

Stefy is in fact either nobody or that little white woman in the video who mimes to bits of Aratha Franklin’s 80s song Rock-A-Lott. the H in DJH is for Herbie but he is not a sentient car from the films.

8. Lady Levi: Looking For A Dope Beat

I think this was the first release on Soul II Soul’s own label, via Motown. They didn’t do terribly well which was a shame.

9. Debbie Malone: Rescue Me (12 inch mix)

This a a mostly unkown  12″ with lots of mixes that I never lost. It’s rather good.

10. E-Zee Possee feat Tara Newley: Breathing is E-Zee (Delicious Proportions mix)

Rather camp, with an appropriate video.

Videos time:Dream Warriors, Innocence, DJH feat Stefy, E-Zee Possee feat Tara Newley: