Kicker’s Monthly Mix – December 2013

Thirty-seven years ago today, the work ‘fuck’ was invented by Steve Jones on the Today Show.

And thank fuck for that because otherwise how the fuck could we describe the fucking great sounds on this final fucking mix of the fucking year? Eh?

So, without further ado, let’s see what we’ve got on the playlist this month. A playlist, incidently, that is fully covered by our friends at Spotify for a fucking change. Ahem.

Anyway, we start things off with a top instrumental from Desertshore, a band perhaps better known for backing Mark Kozelek, but here in full flow on their own. After them it’s our old friend Robert Rotifer with the opening track from his new, highly recommended, album, The Cavalry Never Showed Up. I’m not sure exactly what it’s about, but it sounds suitably subversive to me. Then it’s Dan Bern with a track from his superb baseball themed album, Doubleheader. I only heard this album this year and was expecting to choose one of the tracks for my best of the year mix as it really chimes with my new found love of baseball. Sadly, I discovered the album was actually released last year and anyway, the Reds won fuck all. This song is about the famous Merkle incident that I have become familiar with.

now did everyone touch base there?

Getting under the Beehive hairdo to the Beehive Mind, it’s the legendary Crimea next with a track from their re-released (by our friends at Alcopop!) album Square Moon. After them there’s a 60s gem from Little Eva before we get taken into some very dark territory by the combination of Bob Frank and John Murry. Taken from their album World Without End, this is one of many songs that could teach little old Nick Cave a thing or too about disturbing images. It’s only appropriate that the similarly disturbing Hacker Farm come next with a skronky instrumental. After them we have some real revolutionary punks, National Wake, whose back story in apartheid South Africa is really worth checking out.

zulu rhythm punk, anyone?

More old friends of the pod next, it’s Cornershop, with a track from their much underrated 2009 LP Judy Sucks a Lemon For Breakfast. Following them it’s yet another new song from the impressively prolific Scott & Charlene’s Wedding. This one comes from a shared single with. let’s face it, someone or other, and is another cracker. Definitely one of the finds of the year, this lot. A favourite of Chorizo Garbanzo next as Iron & Wine bring us Low Light Buddy Of Mine, my favourite off their new album. Another new song after that with Glasgow’s Camera Obscura. Definitely worth checking out their Desire Lines album.

good to think outside the box

Another of my favourites from the Republic of South Yorkshire is next, it’s ~~Arctic Monkeys~~ (is it fuck – TTW Ed.) The Human League. I still have a soft spot for these popsters. I met that Phil Oakey once at a, ahem, Gary Glitter gig – we were both there to see the support band, the fleetingly fabulous, Westworld, obviously – and he was very pleasant and hugely amusing. He also bought me a pint. Interestingly this track comes from Travelogue which also features a snippet of the persona non grata’s Rock N Roll. A top post punk effort from The Monochrome Set is after that. This is a band who ditched a pre-Adam Ant Stuart Goddard before they got started and who reformed a couple of years ago. This is their second single.

outdoing Adam’s facial hair is no mean feat

The last part of the mix starts back in 1960 with the mysterious Eden Ahbez, who wrote a hit for Nat ‘King’ Cole as well as releasing just the one quite remarkable solo record, Eden’s Island. Then we have the fabulously named Jape Richardson & The Japetts, who, if truth be told, is really The Big Bopper. More bands should name themselves in this manner, I think: Vinegar Joe & The Vinaigrettes, Tori Amos & The Tourettes, Sevotron & The Serviettes, etc. [Feel free to send us better examples – TTW Ed.]

high-steppers, hep cats and hipsters all

We are then brought right back up to date with the next two tracks both taken from albums released this year. First, we have the standout track from Jello Biafra & The Guantanamo School Of Medicine album White People And The Damage Done, which may be faintly political, followed by the opening (and for me, most interesting) track from The Flaming Lips The Terror. Then to close things off it’s Bob Pollard and Tobin Sprout performing as Airport 5 from the fantastic Tower In The Fountain Of Sparks album.

And the light comes on.

Listen to all of the above right here:

See you in the New Year for more aural excitement.

Previous Monthly Mixes