Following on from the wizards attempts to covert Kicker to The Beach Boys (FAIL!) and to introduce Chorizo to The Slits (SUCCESS!) on previous podcasts, this month sees us trying to win over Rebel to The Magnetic Fields.
In line with our arbitrary, and yet very strict, rules, Chorizo and I will both be selecting just 2 songs each from Stephin Merrit’s foremost band’s back catalogue for Rebel to mull over. I have spent this weekend mostly listening to acerbic New York wit and wisdom and have now made my 2 selections.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, both have ended up coming from the 69 Love Songs album. However, to make the point that there’s more to the band than simply this one tremendous album, here are my favourite Magnetic Fields tracks taking in selections from all nine albums. No peeping, Rebel. Oh, go on then.
After waking up to such depressing news this morning, I’ve been in need of something to cheer me up all day. So I made a playlist of the setlist from Wednesday night’s ridiculously great gig by Super Furry Animals.
“You know they don’t give a fuck about anybody else” has never sounded more appropriate.
All three wizards take a break from proselytising their political views to take in the welcome return to the stage after a six year hiatus of the magnificent Super Furry Animals.
hit me with those laser beams
Expectations were high in the fully packed out Manchester venue, but nobody was left disappointed as the band played just about every song the wizards had wished for and also put on a tremendous light show that took them to some very strange places indeed.
Listen and download the full-time verdict here or do the same on the sound cloud thing below.
If you missed it, you should also check out Chorizo Garbanzo’s dream set list blog and wonder, like the rest us, how on earth he failed to win the SFA prize.
Some visual images from the balcony:
Also catch our video from part of the climax of the show with the sub titles!
Welcome to this extra special Trust The Wizards Podcast on the eve of one of the most eagerly anticipated no score-draws in political history. Hell, yeah!
Yes, it’s only Nordic favourites, The Cardigans, or The Ceredigions if you’d prefer, teamed up with both Angus and Julia Stone. I have no idea what connects these two outfits, but I know a wizard who does.
If you think you can put your finger on it, take that digit and shove it in the eye of Rebel Rikkit. Then tell him the answer.
In this hard-working podcast for hard-working families the wizards reveal the songs that politicised them personally, songs they feel have particular political relevance to the current election, great songs that explore particular political issues, and some other political songs that they like.
There is also live studio chat with a leading figure from Bolton’s Rastafarian community.
jah rikkit talks riddim with chorizo garbanzo
You can hear this first of two quick-fire political podcasts right here and we would urge you to vote for your local wizard without fail.
Some of the physicality we played and talked about on the show:
“Music Police by Sir Niney with Jackie Mittoo in full flow, that’s who.”
Not much of a joke, I have to confess, but an accurate enough intro to the opening track this month. Sounding like The Upsetters to these ears, unfortunately the track is not on Spotify so I have replaced it with King Tubby’s ode to the magnificent,and rightly knighted, Niney. Blood and fire, indeed. Hot on its tail we have a track from The Replacements magnificent Let It Be album (undoubtedly the best Let It Be album ever made). I do hope the reformed ‘Mats make it on tour to the UK, but somehow doubt they will. From Minnesota to Ohio next and a mini celebration of the wonderful Scat Records. Firstly, we have the band Yellow #5 featuring Canadian legend, Molly McGuire and an acronymtastic track from the album Demon Crossing (Scat 73), and then we have Ohio’s favourite sons and repeat Scat Records recording artists (notably Scat 35), Guided By Voices. Of course, the chosen track isn’t from a release on Scat, rather it’s from their big production on TVT, the oft-maligned Do The Collapse, an album I have recently re-bought on orange vinyl as a RSD15 release. What a sucker!
bejeweled crow on a quilted tent out of shot
More Canadians next with The Socks, or as they prefer, Les Chaussettes and the A-side of a single they released early this year. The B-side is also pretty not bad. It’s that Wrong-Eyed Jesus next, in the form of Michael Davis Pratt, or as he prefers, Jim White. This is, for me, the standout track on his new collaboration with The Packway Handle Band on this year’s Take It Like A Man LP. Back to this side of the Atlantic next for a blast of Manchester’s Goldblade with John Robb in full skiffle mode on an engagingly lo-fi version of their Psycho track taken from the Acoustic Jukebox album. I’m not sure if this next lot wear hoods, but they sure have heart. I’m guessing they don’t come from the Eastern USA either as Farewell Appalachia!, for it is they, are yet another brilliant band to come out of Brighton on the Faux Discx label. This is a track from their self-titled EP, which is still available, but there are only 18 copies left so be quick about it. The song’s not on Spotify, but it is in the video below.
Another favourite new record in the O’Elves household is Melbourne, Florida by the band Dick Diver, who are indeed from Melbourne, Australia, although as any geography fans will tell you, there is indeed a Melbourne in Florida. Anyway, their new release is jam-packed full of jangly pop delights. And talking of delights, that leads us nicely to the next song, the one that Tex Pix. This month our oversized-hat-wearing friend has gone for the band Jack and the A-side of what I presume is the 12″ édition limitée single of The Emperor of New London released on Belgium’s legendary Les Disques Du Crepuscle label. We follow that with currently my favourite track from the new Johnny Dowd LP, the brilliantly named That’s Your Wife On The Back Of My Horse, something I’m sure we’ve all had reason to say from time to time. This song offers sage advice to new glasses wearers like me. More useful information from Nuggets faves, The Leaves after that with a track you should hear even if it isn’t on Spotify. Luckily, you can do just that by watching the video below. Blow that harp, boy!
I was very pleased to see that indie pop darlings, Comet Gain, put out a new record last year. Said release, Paperback Ghosts, is a very pleasing eclectic mix of the kinds of sounds you wish Belle & Sebastian would still make and echoes of Aztec Camera Obscura (see what I did there?). It’s a really great listen, particularly when the male and female voices harmonise so beautifully as they do here. More great female vocals from, the sadly departed, Screaming Maldini next with their excellent cover of fellow Steel City residents Pulp’s Last Day Of The Miner’s Strike. I might just prefer this new version to the original. What both versions allow me to do is follow up with a Northern Soul classic from Mary Love that picks up on the ‘Lay this burden down’ closing line. Is it wrong to be so pleased with myself for this? Anyway, it’s a great number that Elvis would’ve been proud of. I say that because I am attempting to shoehorn in a link to old friends of the pod, German funmeisters, Woog Riots, who had a fantastic single out back in the day called King Of Pop. A truly tremendous piece of work, it is, sadly, unavailable on Spotify, but is well worth checking out below.
I recently discovered the marvels of the Peski Record label and their showcasing of the wealth of musical talent that continues to appear in Wales. One of the many bands to impress were Cardiff natives, VVolves, in part for that neat double-V at the start of their name, but mostly for their motorik-driven electronica sound. So, from Wolves, ladies and gentlemen, to Lions. And who should be out like a lion? It’s only that Todd Tobias fella (Robert Pollard’s oft-found sidekick), here with Steve Five (of The Library Is On Fire fame) performing as Brother Earth on their debut Positive Haywires release. That is followed by a bit of a blast from the past with good ol’ Uncle Tupelo with a track that featured on the re-release of the classic No Depression album a few years ago. I think I prefer the slightly rougher feel to this demo of Graveyard Shift – more Green On Red than the album version – that opening guitar lick is still as sweet as ever. And closing things up, it’s a track from a 12″ EP that’s been on my shelves for well over 20 years from the confusingly named Bradford who hailed from Blackburn and sang about Liverpool. It’s the only record I’ve got by them and I still love it. One of many I bought as soon as I had heard it on John Peel. This is for John.
Those all important tracks in full:
1. Sir Niney – Music Police (King Tubby – Sir Niney’s Rock is on the Spotify playlist)
2. The Replacements – Favorite Thing
3. Yellow #5 – ICFCFBM
4. Guided By Voices – Mushroom Art
5. Les Chaussettes – Kate
6. Jim White vs. The Packway Handle Band – Not A Song
Back in double-quick time, the wizards reconvene and put together another podcast for your enjoyment with a little help from a scouse god and the full spectrum of coloured vinyl.
They also have an Elvis Costello Quiz to end all Elvis Costello quizzes, a review of the rather brilliant Courtney Barnett LP, and send out good vibrations to the nascent Northern Irish punk rock scene, while still managing to play loads of cracking tunes.
Get stuck in to this veritable meat pie of a musical podcast, right here. Yum!
Some of the physicality we played and talked about on the show:
This is the Guided By Voices song Kicker was going on about:
And here we are with another serving of musical mystery, this week featuring the talents of Derry’s own Neil Hannon and the combined wall of sound that is the brothers Reid. But what is it that links the two three?
If you know, why not hide your answer in the ladies underwear section of a department store for Rebel Rikkit to find. Go on, go on, go on…
Yes, it’s that musical conundrum the cool kids are calling Popcorn Double Feature. To be fair, the non-cool kids are also calling it that, but the point still stands. This week the devilish Chorizo Garbanzo wants to know what connects Stourbridge greboes, PWEI with the pride of Long Branch, BFJS.
If you think you know, grit yer teeth and say grrrrrrrrrr. We’ll know what you mean.
For the second time in 3 nights I found myself in central Manchester in the company of my good mate The Lancashire Toreador.
On Thursday, we saw Julian Cope play a great gig that I never got around to writing an actual review of. But tonight we each spent a full 5 of our hard-earned British pounds to see 2 bands play at The Ruby Lounge.
First up were a band that neither of us knew anything about, local lads The Creature Comfort who were great entertainment. To say the lead singer was a bit of a livewire really doesn’t do him justice. He pogoed about, he crashed down and lay on the floor, he walked along the crowd barrier, he jumped into the crowd, he did some arm-waving dancing that was a bit like David Byrne only weirder. Hats off to him. The way he recklessly threw himself about he’s got to be a the most bruised man in rock.
The Most Bruised Man In Rock
The music was kind of new wave, wouldn’t have sounded out of place in CBGBs and from what I could make out of them, the lyrics sounded pretty interesting. There was a song about Moss Side that The Lancashire Toreador particularly liked. We also really enjoyed the song “What We Want” which had with the lyric “business is warfare and we’re the ammunition” and a chorus of “Power Corruption and Lies”
In another song I’m sure he was singing about spicy jerk chicken, so a bit of something for everyone really.
Regular followers of our live reviews (hello to you both) may have noted our tendency to remark on bandmember / footballer lookalikes. One of the guitarists probably won’t thank me for saying that he looks a bit like former Nottingham Forest hardman Kenny Burns.
Nero fiddles while Kenny Burns
They’re playing Gullivers on 4th July so get yourself along to see them.
The other band on the bill were the multiple bass-wielding maniacs Evil Blizzard. I’d first encountered this mob supporting Sleaford Mods and a full description of that can be found on our podcast review. That gig was last September and I’m still having the flashbacks!
Tonight I went along better prepared for what I was going to experience because I took along a lion mask. I took this with me because a) I have a lion mask and b) I don’t get many opportunities to wear it.
This band are amazing both visually and aurally and I’m sure tonight’s gig will live long in the memory. For most of the gig, we stood on the fringes of the moshpit and it was great to see such a variety of people from teenagers to old greasers doing some proper old school “wrecking.” It’s fucking hot inside that lion mask so I only put it on for the last couple of songs and got down to the front. You can’t really see much inside the mask which is a shame because there was a hell of a lot going on in the last song (the epic “Whalebomb“). The band were joined by not 1, but 2, guest musicians bringing the total number of bassists onstage up to an impressive 6! One of those guests was wearing a duck mask. Also onstage was Blizzpig, a man with a pig’s head dressed in a butcher’s coat carrying a meat cleaver which he waves about as he leans threateningly into the crowd. I felt a shove in the back and turned round to see the bandmember with the pink jumpsuit crashing into me having given his bass to some bloke in the crowd to play. I had pretty much zero peripheral vision with the mask on so it took me a while to notice that most of the other people around me had gone and they were now up on the stage, some of them also playing the band’s basses. The rules are… there are no rules. This is the spirit of punk. This is what chaos looks like. Anarchy in the UK. Splendid stuff.
Best fiver I’ve spent in ages.
People of the world, don’t spend your evenings in front of the telly moaning that there’s no good new bands around these days, not like there was in your day. Get out there and experience something a bit different. Support live music, not shit telly.
From deep inside the darkest woods Cheshire has to offer, the wizards have put together another show full of the usual musical ephemera for your aural pleasure.
there be wizards
This time round they take international relations to outer space, invent a sure-fire winner of a music-based board game and rummage through a postbag full of Jamaican CDs. They also tell us all about running downhill in the company of the undead and take us into a bizarre world of decapitation and fast food.
Oh yes, and they also play a load of great music and discuss their favourite new album. All of it, readily available here.
Some of the physicality we played and talked about on the show:
Hope you’ve had a lovely break from work. But now the pressure’s on.
Better get yer thinking caps on to work out what connects the fragrant Susanna Hoffs, here with the, er, saccharine Matty Sweet, and the irascible Little Hands of Concrete.
Should you have sufficient knowledge to pass this musical test, please make sure your name is written on the top of your answer paper and leave it on the desk of Rebel Rikkit. You can then leave the room in silence.
Next month sees the highly anticipated live return of Super Furry Animals and all 3 wizards have got their tickets booked for the Manchester Albert Hall gig on 6th May.
I first saw the band on a sweaty day at the Essential Festival in Brighton in 1996 and I’ve seen them many times since and they have never ever disappointed. See bottom of post for list.
So, what to play in May.. What do you want to hear? Tweet your suggestions below for consideration! #SFArequests
Those tweets last week were all the encouragement I needed to have a go at writing my “fantasy setlist”. It contains an optimistic quantity of songs (38) and clocks in at a marathon 2.5 hours. I think it’s fucking ace and shows just what a fantastic back catalogue they’ve built up. If you’re looking for the most consistent band of the last 20 years then I reckon Super Furry Animals just pip Eels to that title. Highly recommended listening whether you are a newcomer to the band or a long-time fan.
Chorizo’s Fantasy Setlist in detail
Gathering Moss: A bit of a singalong to get us under way. This track from the debut album was the first SFA song that really made me sit up, pay attention and realise that this band had something a bit extra to make them stand out from the crowd.
Ysbeidiau Heulog / The International Language of Screaming / Night Vision: 3 lively ones to get things really moving including my favourite track from the forthcoming re-release “Mwng”
Slow Life: It’s songs like this one that inspired a theory I came up with years ago: that the last song is the best song on most Super Furries LPs. When that theory is examined closely it turns out to be inaccurate. This is one of their “starts off fairly normally, but then Cian goes crazy with his knobs and gizmos” songs that are always amazing live. This one was played as the opening song at one of the Manchester Academy gigs I’ve been to.
I love my CD singles
Run Away
Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyndrobwllantysiliogogogochynygofod (in space)
Fire In My Heart
Suckers / Hello Sunshine / Atomik Lust: Bit of an acoustic-led section here. The popular opener from the “Phantom Power” LP sandwiched between 2 under-appreciated songs from more recent LPs. Atomik Lust is definitely in my all-time top 5 SFA and to be honest if they opened with this one and then packed up and went home, I’d still feel I’d had my money’s worth.
Play It Cool / Run-Away / Helium Hearts: Picking up the tempo a bit now. Play It Cool has an awesome video by the way.
Northern Lites / Ice Hockey Hair: 2 very poppy but still very experimental singles here. I’ve always thought that Northern Lites is what the best Beck songs would sound like if Beck was a much better singer.
Cloudberries / Ohio Heat: A couple from the under-rated Love Kraft album now. I love Cloudberries and remember this being a highlight of previous gigs. But it is a bit of a weird one, kind of like 3 songs in one. Good time for the more casual fans to go for a piss maybe? So long as they’re back in time for the cheery country-tinged singalong of Ohio Heat.
Sunny Seville / Summer Snow: Continuing the heat / summer theme with a couple of b-sides. Super Furry Animals have never been a band to lazily fill up their singles with unessential live versions and remixes. They’ve got loads of excellent songs hidden away on their singles. I actually wanted to include a couple more b-sides on my playlist (Calimero, Rabid Dog) but they aren’t on Spotify. Listen out for the “sucking on dic-taphone” lyric here. The band have always revelled in wordplay and once released a b-side with the outstanding title of “Happiness Is A Worn Pun”
Show Your Hand
Northern Lites
Lazer Beam
Demons
Let The Wolves Howl At The Moon / Demons / Bass Turned To D.E.A.D.: Another album closer here, this one from Hey Venus is a more reflective song that sounded like a classic on the very first listen. Followed by 2 from Radiator. The trumpet solo in Demons is a real “hairs on the back of your neck” moment.
Liberty Belle / Valet Parking / The Roman Road / Golden Retriever: 4 songs from the Phantom Power era. Need to be played with the Yeti suits on obviously. Valet Parking is another of the “starts off fairly normally, but then Cian goes crazy with his knobs and gizmos” songs. I’m hoping that electronic freakout bit goes on for even longer when they play it live.
(Drawing) Rings Around The World / Ymaelodi Â’r Ymylon / The Teacher / Keep The Cosmic Trigger Happy: Why not follow the well-loved single Golden Retriever with another “big hitter” and the title track from what is probably the band’s best known album. Then another one from Mwng, a very catchy tune whose title means Joining the Periphery apparently. In my imagination this is already just about the best gig I’ve ever been to! Following that up with a couple from Guerilla including another album closer, a song which seems to be a fans favourite at previous gigs.
Hermann Loves Pauline
Drawing Rings Around The World
Golden Retriever
God! Show Me Magic
Juxtaposed With U / Hermann Loves Pauline: A couple more “big hitters”. The first is slick, sexy and vocoder-tastic. The second is another of my top 5 and contains a great French bread pun.
Smokin’ / The Door To This House Remains Open / Receptacle for the Respectable: These ones to finish off the main set. Time for Cian and his electronic gadgetry to drive us absolutely insane.
The crowd are shouting for more but will the band return? Here they come but how can they possibly follow what we’ve just seen and heard.
Encore 1: Do Or Die / Frisbee / Guacamole / God Show Me Magic: Four, yes four, really fast early numbers to get us all jumping around again. When I first saw the band, I only knew one of their songs so it seems fitting and nicely cyclical that they should end with that.
That’s yer lot folks. The house lights are on. Sup up yer beer and collect your fags.
Hang on a minute, they’re coming back for another encore.
Encore 2: Mountain People: The song chosen by us as The Official Anthem for the county of Gwynedd. This one’s got a bit of everything, starts off as an acoustic singalong anthem and then ends up as another of those “Cian goes crazy with his knobs and gizmos” songs. Go for it Cian!
Notable omission: I haven’t included the usual set-closer “The Man Don’t Give A Fuck”, not because I don’t want them to play it, far from it in fact. The version I heard / experienced at the Brixton Academy gig in 2001 is one of the greatest gig memories of my life. But it’s not on Spotify so there you go.
The Man Don’t Give a Fuck
The Man Don’t Give a Fuck (live)
Here’s hoping we get to hear some of the above on the 6th May. See you down the front amigos.
Previous Super Furry Animals gigs I’ve been to (as best as I can remember)
May 1996: Essential Music Festival, Brighton
July 1996: Phoenix Festival, Warwickshire
December 1996: Brixton Academy (supporting Manic Street Preachers)
June 1997: Glastonbury
May 1998: Shepherds Bush Empire
August 1999: V Festival, Chelmsford
November 1999: Brixton Academy
October 2001: Brixton Academy
October 2003: Manchester Academy
September 2005: Manchester Academy
Thanks to unofficial fan site superfurry.org for help with dates
In traditional April Fool’s Day fashion, can you spot the made up fact in amongst the blather that follows? The answer is at the bottom of the page. There is, as always, no prize.
nope, not even this
We start this month with a scary glitchy lupine instrumental from Ben Frost (well, there are definitely wolves on the front of his By The Throat album) that will no doubt divide the listenership. I think it’s a track that should definitely feature on the next Scandinoir drama. The great Jimmy Reed follows with a track taken from the not recorded live at all, but rather pleasingly locationally accurate, Jimmy Reed at Carnegie Hall that features Willie Dixon on bass no less. The reason for choosing this particular track becomes apparent when it is followed by The Wave Pictures who name check the song on one of the highlights from their Great Big Flamingo Burning Moon smash, an album that has Billy Childish all over it. After this, we have a lost classic from the band Derrero (combining the talents of future Pulcoman, Ash Cooke and Andy Fung) from their third and final album, Comb The Breaks. Disappointingly, the track Horizon (not Red Horizon) isn’t on Spofify, so you’l have to enjoy it on the video below.
Some legendary garage psych from The Standells next with a tip top track from their 1967 album Try It, and if you haven’t already, you really should. Don’t cut yer hair, freaks! A track that popped up on the Rough Trade Album Club list last year is next; from the band Avi Buffalo from Long Beach, California (see what I did there!) and taken from their At Best Cuckold LP. This has proven to be a real grower, the whole album underwhelmed on first listen, but I am really pleased I gave it time to settle in. Moving to Detroit next for The Temptations with the title track from their ninth album, Cloud Nine (oh yes, symmetry fans), an excellent slice of psychedelic soul, if I ever heard it and no surprise that it reached #9 in the pop charts. Another new track follows, this one from the Australian band Twerps’ second album Range Anxiety, where there are clear echoes of The Go-Betweens, but also much more warm jangly lo-fi chops to admire.
tempted?
Tex Pix the next one, and this time our lone star friend points us in the direction of Afrika Bambaataa’s Time Zone project featuring the dulcet tones of one John Lydon, a collaboration that came about at least in part because of Lydon’s Copkiller film. Of course, with 1984 (the year of release of the World Destruction single) now seeming a million miles away, what better way to follow it than with the track of the same name from perennial Kicker favourites, The Saints. This is taken confusingly not from 2012’s album King Of The Sun, but from the rougher-hewn 2014 version King Of The Midnight Sun. La di bloody da, it’s easy! In my book, Chris Bailey sounding as great as ever. A new favourite up next with former Pipette, Gwenno (no need for surnames, here) and a track from last year’s tremendous Y Dydd Olaf release on Peski Records. The song Chwyldro translates as Revolution and it is becoming clear that Welsh music is taking over the airwaves; at least, it is in my house. The band The June Brides split in the mid-eighties after making a number of cracking Postcard-y type records (released on The Pink Label not Postcard) and making a friend of John Peel listeners like me. Fortunately, they reformed a few years ago and have released a couple of really excellent singles since. The track on this playlist is the B-side to She Seems Quite Free, but frankly all the new songs are just great. You can hear this one on the video that follows. Love that trumpet.
What, no French neo-psych featuring sitar and swirling organ yet, you yell? Well, OK, how about favourite fils of Rennes, Sudden Death Of Stars then, with my favourite track from last year’s All Unrevealed Parts Of The Unknown album released on Ample Play Records. I challenge you not to tap your feet listening to this. Can’t be done. Time for a New Jersey band that sound, to these ears, a lot like an Ohio band I am rather keen on. Yes, it’s the pleasingly named Trans Charger Metropolis with a sparky little lo-fi number from their Best Idea Generation debut. Well worth checking out. A more R&B (in the true, Dr Feelgood sense) fuelled punk effort up next with The Mobbs and their anthem to atheism that appears on the band’s second album, the self-explanatory Garage Punk For Boys. Hallelujah for that! And hurrah! too for the breaking news that, very much ex- Babybird, Stephen Jones has started to record songs with vocals again. Despite finding much to like in the avalanche of instrumentals he has released online over the last few years, the latest vocal-led releases are really killer stuff that I didn’t quite realise how much I needed or missed. Still, I would urge you to check out all the older Black Reindeer, Trucker and Deluder releases, not least for the fact that you’ll find the likes of this next track, Gobbledeegook, from the Dance Freeq release. You can listen and download the track from Stephen’s bandcamp page. And thank god for that.
So, another garage rock classic taken from the Nuggets boxset up now, with Southampton’s own Les Fleur De Lys (a band rather than a bloke called Leslie it seems), a freakbeat combo with links to both Rod The Mod and Grace Slick. This cover of The Who song is, frankly, a million miles better than the original. Another Welsh band to savour follows with lower-case enthusiatsts, mclusky, a band who I feel would certainly fit into fellow wizard Chorizo Garbanzo’s category of bands in the 00s who should have been big but weren’t, if he had such a category. I have chosen my favourite track from their second LP Mclusky Do Dallas for your delectation, but would happily recommend their entire back catalogue, not least To Hell With Good Intentions from the same album, which made John Peel’s Festive Fifty. A second Ash Cooke collaboration is next up on the playlist in the form of Redlip, a band seemingly inspired by toads, and featuring another favourite of the pod, Adam Leonard. They released an 8 track album entitled Dan & Headless Bill back in 2011, which has only recently made it into my listening world. It needs to be part of yours and can be if you follow this link. Just name your price. And finally, yes, a GBV-related track from way back when. This is Tobin Sprout under the moniker, Fig. 4 with Robert Pollard on backing vocals. This was the first time the two collaborated on record (before the release of the first Guided By Voices album). I think they may well have heard a Murmur or two. Sadly, the album isn’t on Spotify, so watch this video instead.
Those all important tracks in full:
1. Ben Frost – Killshot
2. Jimmy Reed – Found Joy
3. The Wave Pictures – Fake Fox Fur Pillowcase
4. Derrero – Horizon
5. The Standells – Riot On Sunset Strip
6. Avi Buffalo – So What
7. The Temptations – Cloud Nine
8. Twerps – Cheap Education
9. Time Zone (feat. John Lydon) – World Destruction
10. The Saints – A Million Miles Away
11. Gwenno – Chwyldro
12. The June Brides – I’m Undone
13. Sudden Death Of Stars – Blackboard
14. Trans Charger Metropolis – A Less Dense Dimension
We’ve got an early Guided By Voices classic being performed in Norway a few years ago, and everybody’s favourite bassless trio, Sleater-Kinney, with a track from their first album being belted out in NYC sometime last millennium.
As always, we really want you to tell us what links the two. If you think you know, tell Rebel Rikkit. He won’t tell you he is happy, but he will tell you his clothes are snappy.
You can listen to our review of last week’s Sleater-Kinney gig in Manchester right here.
Kicker and Rebel’s ears are still ringing after joining a fanatical sell-out crowd at Manchester’s Albert Hall venue to see the legendary indie punk band, Sleater-Kinney.
Despite not being 100% sure how to pronounce the name of the band, our wizard chums talk about their expectations for the gig and share their reactions to seeing Carrie Brownstein, Corin Tucker and Janet Weiss (with additional help from Sky Larkin frontwoman, Katie Harkin) reunited on stage in the UK for the first time in a decade. They also tell us what they made of local support group (The) Pins and play their favourite SK songs right here:
We’ve got neo-pyschedelicists, Pond, with a track from their suitably out there new one, and the king of the bumfluff ‘tache, Luke Steele, with his Sleepy Jackson outfit with a track that is quite unbelievably 12 years old. Owzat?!
Anyway, as always, if you know what links the two, sledge Rebel Rikkit down the phone in a factually correct sort of way. His number is easy to remember, helpfully being the same as his last 11 innings. 0 7 7 1 3 2 1 0 0 0 1*
* not out (That’s a batting average of 2.20, stats fans.)
This time round, prepare yourself for a dramatic rendering of the time that everyone’s favourite Staten Island crew came to Yorkshire.
ain’t nowt ta fook wi’
In addition, Rebel Rikkit interviews a lively personality, Kicker goes all Italian, and Chorizo treats us to another festival anecdote to die for (or possibly, during). There’s also a load of great music both old and new, another album review and at least one Ted Chippington joke.
If you think this is for you, and why wouldn’t it be, then click here to download or stream the night away.
Some of the physicality we played and talked about on the show:
Welcome to another Popcorn Double Feature! We hope you’re sitting comfortably.
A couple of all-time classics for you this week. We have the singular talents of Melle Mel (not featuring Grandmaster Flash as often supposed) and little Bobby Zimmerman (from when he was good). But, how could these two giants of the music world possibly be linked?
If you know, consider letting Rebel Rikkit know by sending him a series of large pieces of paper one word at a time. Then, don’t do it.
Well, CBS seem not to have made enough money from this song in 50 years (yes, 50 years!) and have muted the youtube clip above, but I guess you know how it goes. Anyway, have another Dylan song, one we talked about on a recent pod, which equally links to Melle Mel.
Having moved on from the roar of the 5 piece band Calvin Party, songwriter John Donaldson has maintained his fury at the failings of society as JD Meatyard, but setting this within a quieter, acoustic setting across both his self-titled album (2011) and Northern Songs (2013). This month sees the release of his third album as a solo artist with Taking The Asylum out once again on the Probe Plus label, and all three wizards were keen to get an early listen.
songs of love and rage
The first thing to note is that the sound of this new album is fuller than before with the additional vocals of Natasha Lea Jones (formerly of Pooka) and the violin of Dave Clarke joining forces with regular drummer/percussionist, Johan Visschers, and long-time guitar sidekick, Steven Lindley, giving more of a band feel to proceedings and allowing for more musical subtlety across the tracks.
As always Donaldson’s lyrics are spilling over with truth whether expressing his almost unrestrained anger at the West’s disinterest in war crimes being committed in the Middle East or heartbreaking introspection at the faltering of personal relationships. This combination of the personal and the political, the Love Songs And Rage, works perfectly in creating a passionately intelligent and heartfelt look at the world we live in from a man whose integrity and honesty is never in doubt. Indeed, he leads us through the light and dark of modern times in a way that calls to mind the words of the American poet, Thomas McGrath:
“May you fare well, campanero, let us journey together joyfully, living on catastrophe, eating the pure light.”
Track by track:
1. We’ll Always Have New York The album opens to the wistful sound of a man seemingly singing to himself before the song proper kicks in and it is clear that the songwriter has no choice but to write these songs to ‘see him through’. Violin is immediately to the fore and you can almost picture the Hudson River flowing green.
2. It’s A Wonderful Day The haunting backing vocals make you question just how wonderful the day in question really is despite the cheery ‘yays’ towards the end of the song. There are also some fantastic flamenco type guitar flourishes to take you to an unnamed ‘faraway beach’.
3. Love Songs And Rage Another violin driven song that sounds like a traditional tune we should probably recognise, but don’t, with more expert acoustic guitar picking and lyrics like “the cross with a broken arm Jesus”.
4. Waves This is the first time drums (played by Simon Fort) are heard on the album and they combine to great effect with some stellar off-kilter electric guitar and a chant type vocals. This is definitely an early highlight on the album and it’s no surprise when JD manically announces that he’s going nowhere gently. “The waves roll in, the waves roll out, there’s nothing much left but a trace.”
5. Anna Had A Kid This is the first of the songs we heard played live at The Lomax in Liverpool back in January, but here the acoustic guitar is joined not only by violin, but also by a really nice insistently pounding additional guitar sound that grows with the deepening misery of the tale – tremendous stuff. “No guilt for the living of a life… Anna went and died”
6. Catch A Falling Star This is a slower paced acoustic number that sounds like a love letter to partner (or possibly a record label?) that explains the singer can’t help that he’s “got no ambition.. the paint as it dries has a mystery to me.” This is a very pretty song that disses careerist musicians quite brilliantly “Mr Success has to tell me how he got so far … but I cried.”
7. Never Seen A Kid Born Bad A jaunty number with a great singalong chorus that manages to reference The Fall and at the same time echo Bob Dylan in his protest pomp railing against the bankers running away. Plenty more lovely guitar work here too.
8. We Got Today Another love song (to NYC?) with some nice brushes-on-drums type percussion and a guitar line that will lift you up whatever your mood. Some brilliant turns of phrase too: “I got a thousand ways to hate… but not today.. gonna park my spleen in a vacuum pack … and never look back”
9. Four Kids Playing On A Gaza Beach So much for the packed up rage… this short song follows on from the track Olive Tree from the first JD Meatyard album and uses the tune to the traditional song James Connollyto great effect to rail against the Palestinian situation. Starting with the audible disbelief from someone hearing about the Israeli attack on Gaza Port “it’s insane”, it then reverts to a simple backing of handclaps and lone violin to help tell the story. This is as direct as a political song gets and is ever more powerful as a result. What else needs to be said than “4 kids blown.. they’re blown to pieces”? However, it seems that it’s only JD Meatyard who’s saying it. An important song.
10. Taking The Asylum Another song we heard live and here again it’s a full band effort with great electric guitar bursting through the acoustic strum to soundtrack a pleading with society to sort itself out and see that the singer really isn’t wrong to complain. “You dress your kids in thongs and high heels, and you say that I’m strange…” An audio wtf.
11. Satisfied Heart This countrified love song really showcases the soul in the voice of JD Meatyard. There are echoes of Hank Williams all over this and great harmonies from Ms Jones. With a lovely melody and more Spanish style lead guitar, it is simply gorgeous stuff.
12. 10 Miles Low Great clattery electric guitar here underpins a rant about… well, it’s not always clear, but we can tell JD is clearly really pissed off. Despite the many ship references, I get the feeling the captain here is metaphorical and it is the political leaders who are leaving the “ship without a driver”. Top quality screaming occurs twice in this song.
13. We’ll Always Have New York (Reprise) After the angst of the previous song, here we have a timely reminder of the songwriter’s lot and that despite “whatever else happens”, we have to enjoy what life gives us. The bookending of the anger and frustration with such a positive song gives an overall warm feel to a coherent and compelling view of the modern world and the challenges we all face.
So, there you have it. A unanimous wizard vote of approval for the latest from JD Meatyard. This is an album you need to have in your collection and you can get a copy here. If you are quick enough, pre-orders are currently being packaged up with a vinyl copy of the Levellers 5 – Springtime. So what are you waiting for?
yes, i DO need a second copy
We will also be talking about the album and choosing a track to play on podcast number 38, so look out for that.
Finally, at the end of last year this video appeared with a track that was seemingly scheduled to appear on the album, but perhaps it didn’t quite fit. It’ll fit nicely here though, so here’s JD Meatyard’s tribute to the wonderful Hovis Presley.
In this show, the wizards get to grips with a whole bunch of new records, discuss the legacy of surf guitar and discover Argentina’s latest musical sensation. Rebel Rikkit’s World of Ska finally gets round to visiting Poland and inspires a quiz that features both Chutney and Spouge. Oh. yes! Meanwhile, Chorizo Garbanzo not only offers the listener a prize, but nearly buys Kicker of Elves a present.
this is what you get the man who’s got everything (by gbv)
You can download and listen to the whole caboodle by clicking on these very words or hitting go on the soundcloud player below.
Some of the physicality we played and talked about on the show:
gbv fanclub treasures
a vagrant invades the stage
Here’s a full scan of the Postal Blowfish Official Guided By Voices Fanclub Publication, December 1997, Volume 1 of 1.
There is little in life that is more edifying than the sight of men of a certain age playing 40 year old songs in front of a pretend brick wall, except, perhaps for the sight of a man in an oversized hat visiting a graveyard.
And so it is that this week we team up some Hardcore Devo and the Pope of Mope himself, our Morrissey. But what on earth connects them, eh?
Well, if you’ve got an uncontrollable urge to let us know, then contact Rebel Rikkit at his fountain of filth.
TRUST THE WIZARDS 