As we enter the month of hares, ides and er, Kevin, it’s time once again to launch an all new monthly mix into the unsuspecting webosphere.
what’s that? a new monthly mix is out, you say?
We kick off this time with a classic 60s instrumental from James Brown & His Famous Flames that may or may not feature James Brown. In any case, it gets us off to a good clean start and is followed by the best known track from 80s mod revivalists, Secret Affair, with a hit that sold over 200,000 copies, stats fans. Then we have a band, Eyelids, that is basically Boston Spaceships without Bob Pollard. This track is taken from last year’s 854 album, an album that comes highly recommended from these parts for any fans of power pop. Despite this giving-it-away-in-the-title track, the album isn’t particularly psych though, unlike anything from the band The Human Expression you’d imagine. This lot are this month’s Tex Pick and in out obscuring the obscurist’s obscurist, Chorizo Garbanzo, Tex has managed to find a song not on Spotify from an album that presumably only he owns. Luckily, its rather raunchy video can be found below.
Up next is wizard pal, Adam Leonard, who continues to release tip top tracks from his back catalogue through his Octopus project. From the sixth volume of eight, my favourite track is this previously unreleased Take Hart referencing smash. More Pollard linked power pop next with Brother Earth, who are vocalist Steve Five and instrumentalist Todd Tobias. The latter, of course, the musical part of Pollard’s Circus Devils project. Here we have a track from their début Positive Haywires release that came out at the end of last year. Then it’s The Wave Pictures, who last year were on my favourite song of 2014 with Stanley Brinks and who this year have released a tremendous record with a certain Mr Childish. Of course, the track here comes from a totally different source, namely the 2012 single Eskimo Kiss and features drummer Jonny ‘Huddersfield’ Helm’s first recorded vocal on a Wave Pictures release no less. Right after that it’s Kuwaiti born Fatima Al-Qadiri with some New York cool electronica from her Asiatisch LP, which is described as a concept about China from someone who has never been. 不错!!
won’t someone think of the vinyl?
Does anyone else remember R.O.C? No, not the House of Krazees bloke and brother of Mr Y.U.G., but the mid 90s band on Sentana who released a self-titled masterpiece of an album. I do. You really should check ’em out. A relatively new find, thanks to a recommendation from Jamie Audio Antihero, is the band Me And The Horse I Rode In On. This seems to be just the one fella, Danish songwriter and producer, Henry Toft (also known for his work as Uncle Rico). As someone who continues to force his mixtapes on people, this song rings particularly true. It’s from the Home And Other Places I’d Like To Visit EP, which is available from his bandcamp site. Also available from the same site, but not anywhere else, is the next song, which comes from New York band Piano Movers. This is their first single and let’s hope there’s more to come. Meanwhile, how about some GBV? Both the unmatchable Bee Thousand and sister collection King Shit & The Golden Boys have recently been re-released and so it seems appropriate to include a track from the latter that was an outtake from the former.
speak to me revolution boy!
A little bit of Brazilian cool next with a track, which translates as Nothing In Vain, from Rodrigo Amarante’s first solo album Cavalo that came out on Mais Um Discos last year. This is followed by the B-side of the Simones single released by the wonderful Fruits De Mer Records. Instantly collectible stuff, of course, but also always wonderful to listen to. Just listen to the guitar sound on this one! Actually, you can’t, unless you buy the record, but you can check out the A-side in the video below. Time to name check Chorizo Garbanzo once again as the next track came my way as a result of his choosing Tacocat’s NVM as his album of the year and bringing a track to the pod as part of his best of the year selections. At the time he told everyone who would listen that it was an album full of great tracks not least the song Bridge To Hawaii. Well, he was right and here it is. Hawaii-ee-ee-ee-ah-ah-ah… Another shout out to Audio Antihero now as we present former Hefner bloke, Jack Hayter, with a track from his Sucky Tart EP that is described by the label as ‘gorgeous Indie Folk that neither Folk or Indie fans seem willing to buy’. Well, they should. It’s great. Heartbreaking, but great nevertheless.
Another band to have appeared on Fruits De Mer is Permanent Clear Light, but it’s not from that release (which came along with a pair of 3D glasses with which to fully enjoy the artwork, since you ask) that the next track is taken. Rather it’s from yet another Active Listener compilation. This one goes all the way back to Volume 7. Going back even further, to 1983 to be exact, takes us to The Triffids first album Treeless Plain and the timeless Rosevel. “Please don’t drag me back to Rosevel/ underneath your creaking bed.” Hmm. What do you reckon the band Wartgore Hellsnicker sound like? Well, they sound like this. Another Audio Antihero release, I have no idea what C+F stands for, but they certainly add up to a POW. Right, so are you sitting comfortably? Then, we will finish with a little story. Taken from the self-explanatory Music And Words album from kid’s favourites Malcolm Middleton & David Shrigley, enjoy the tale of rabbit, squirrel, bear and badger and feel your cockles warm. Night night.
Those all important tracks in full:
1. James Brown & The Famous Flames – Suds
2. Secret Affair – Time For Action
3. Eyelids – Psych #1
4. The Human Expression – Love At Psychedelic Velocity (I don’t know where Texas Paul got his copy, but you can get yours here.)
5. Adam Leonard – I Love You Like Morph Loves Chas
6. Brother Earth – Sunny Side Of The Street
7. The Wave Pictures – Eskimo Kiss
8. Fatima Al-Qadiri – Dragon Tattoo
9. R.O.C. – Dear Nicky
10. Me And The Horse I Rode In On – Girls Who Make Mixtapes
11. Piano Movers – Girlfriend’s Lover
12. Guided By Voices – Greenface
13. Rodrigo Amarante – Nada Em Vao
14. Simones – Seize The Moment (seize it here)
15. Tacocat – Bridge To Hawaii
16. Jack Hayter – Jacqui I Won’t Mind
17. Permanent Clear Light – Constant Gardener
18. The Triffids – Rosevel
19. Wartgore Hellsnicker – C + F = POW
20. Malcolm Middleton & David Shrigley – Story Time
Collecter Of Things
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TRUST THE WIZARDS 
Great work Mr Elves.
Good to see R.O.C. on here, I have that album on CD and particularly love Hey You Chick with all the car beeping noises.
Wartgore Hellsnicker sounds like some kind of obscure German craft beer.
Hey You Chick is definitely the other standout from the album. I think Wartgore Hellsnicker sounds like a beer that only you would order. And drink.