Thanks to Toon Traveller, Ogglypoogly, Tim London, DJ Fuzzyfelt, Tim Sparks and Ancient Champion for keeping the reviews flag flying in the grim Bearwood sky this week. While we listen, we're practicing what we eat, by eating samosas from the Bearwood takeout favored by Eloise Bridgerton...
SINGLES
EARL NATTY - Reggae Organ (Dime Records)
by Ancient Champion
It's a Bandcamp Friday and you'll know that means, Bandcamp steps aside and gives more of the recording royalties to the bands. So Bandcamp Friday is your destination, if you are speedy, if you are rapido, to get a copy of the limited run 5" single Reggae Organ by Earl Natty...»» We loved the Earl's versions of Fools Gold and The Liquidator last year and Reggae Organ follows a similar every VU meter into the red trajectory. Explodes with Jackie Mittoo on a broken styled organ goodness. Fired by French Eggs. It's everything I love about music. So fun, so brilliant and so entertaining on so many levels. Be lucky and buy it.
GOAT - Do the Dance (Rocket Recordings)
by Toon Traveller
This is electric, starts with drumming that's straight outta 80s Bow Wow Wow, throw a guitar chord from frazzled 70's rockers Ram Jam hit "Black Betty - (bamb-a-lam) ", they deserved more hits, non? Anyway, then you have this. It really shouldn't work, but it does, magnificently, even the vocals have that post punk, life's for fun, get off your arse and dance. This is the child of the music that took England's post punk sounds into new waves and raves. Love the driving heavy drums and the two chord guitar clash, thrash, slash, that grabs the ears and yells "get up offa that thing and dance dance dance."
MISHKA SHUBALY - Paper Plates (Independent)
by Ogglypoogly
There isn’t a soul on earth who hasn’t lived through heartbreak, we’ve all spent weeks suspended outside of time haunted by the spectre of a love lost. Wandered helpless through where home used to be, the weight of what once was anchoring you in your misery whilst you self medicate your way through the quagmire of your own unravelling emotions. Not everyone can turn that into a song that resonates with an honesty most people try not to reveal to themselves. But most people aren’t Mishka Shubaly.
Paper Plates captures the state you’ve been in and articulates it for you. To say Mishka Shubaly has a way with words is an understatement, skilled in lyrical poignancy he once again delivers a song that inhabits a space that’s more poetic than it has any right to be and lands perfectly in a space that's neither mundane nor laden with pretension. The same follows for the musical composition and production, which is layered such that it provides the landscape for the scene playing out in your mind's eye.
Paper Plates releases on Mishka Subaly's bandcamp page and I strongly recommend you check it out.
BREE RUNWAY - THAT Girl (EMI)
by Tim London
I worry about the lower back problems a generation of twerkers will suffer from in future decades. And all for what? To accompany another sparse track about shopping and the ability to shop with some underwear shots to boost the Youtube numbers? is it really worth it? Just make sure your health care insurance is in place cos hip replacement will be expensive in the future.
WINTER - Sunday (Bar/None records)
by Toon Traveller
ARCTIC MONKEYS - Body Paint (Very Big Label)
by Tim London
If I want to listen to The Beatles I’ll listen to O-ass-is, thank you.
SWEET BABOO - Good Luck (Amazing Tapes From Canton)
by DJ Fuzzyfelt
Sweet Baboo has released possibly the loveliest football anthem you'll ever hear. Written by H.Hawkline and recorded in one afternoon by a band featuring, amongst others,the aforementioned H.Hawkline on bass, Boy Azooga on drums and xylophone, and Sweet Baboo himself on vocal duties and guitar, this gentle rallying call to the Welsh team at the forthcoming world cup is worth 3 minutes and 20 seconds of anybody's time irrespective of whether you care a jot about football or not. Available on all the usual streaming sites.
THE MIDNIGHT FOXES - Tell Tale Heart (Wubick records)
by Tim Sparks
This indie rock band popped up by chance on my radar whilst surfing for something new, kicking off with a ballad style guitar and super smooth vocal melody ...and I do like the vibrato here, the mix is just right for this style of song, the intro just long enough to fire into a big anthem type chorus which has a great hook and makes me want to listen until the next one ...which is what's successful song is all about. Check them out.
LA FEMME - Y Tu Te Vas (Born Bad)
by Toon Traveller
Opening with some lovely late night guitar and percussion, slips into airy pseudo soft flamenco. sorta, neuvo, BUT after a few seconds truth kicks in. There's nothing happening, you can hear this, in every seaside resort on the med, the tourist restaurants, coaches, open car windows, no-one's listening. If I was told this was one of the FAILED Spanish entries, that failed to make the 20 long, long, short list, for Eurovision I'd agree, it had found it's level. Even though they are I think French.
FEVER RAY - What They Call Us (Rabid)
by Tim London
As a bit of an originator, with their releases getting on ten years ago that dived deep into the Euro tribal swamps it’s interesting to hear/see how Fever Ray fits into a moment where that sound has been somewhat de-radicalised. And Karin Dreije’s voice i still as tremulously Nico-esque as ever, instantly recognisable, even if the tune passes in a puff of damp woodsmoke. The video seems to be if Borgen did zombie which shows that Scandinavian countries really do have a commonality beyond better English speakers than the English.
LPs
PJ HARVEY - B-sides, Demos & Rarities (Island/Universal)
by Ogglypoogly
PJ Harvey is for me in the category of ‘always a pleasure, never a chore’ so when I woke up to a message alerting my bleary eyes to a new release, the day was off to a good start. In advance of the upcoming boxed set this six track selection is something really quite special. The demos are everything you expect them to be, stripped down and raw but no less spellbinding than their polished counterparts ‘Dry’ is perhaps better in this form without the distortion. However it’s the b-sides that have made this release something to get excited about. ‘Who Will Love Me Now’ is every bit as time stopping today as it was in 1996. A slow, melancholy song filled with self doubt and a longing for acceptance really brings to the fore just how significant a vocal performance can be, and if you can find a misty cemetery to listen to this in, its impact is all the deeper. Following a similar path ‘Nina in Ecstasy 2’ again is a joy to hear after more years than I care to count, the simplicity of the song is its strength. ‘Somebody's Down, Somebody's Name’ a raucous bluesy number, where the Captain Beefheart influence really shines through. It’s a song where her vocal performance tells the story without needing to read the lyrics. The panic,urgency and powerlessness of witnessing a death is all conveyed in the delivery. It’s a reminder of why I fell in love with her music and despaired at my schoolmates for not sharing in that love. Yes - you’ve heard these songs before, but that’s no good reason not to listen to them again, and again.
Other Materials
GEORGE BENSON - On Broadway (live) (Youtube)
by Ancient Champion
As you AC fans will know. I am a born again guitar player as an old man. Bury me with it! But this made me realize that I have some little ways to go. What doesn't but, Wow!
BHAI CHAMANJIT SINGH LAL - Waheguru Waheguru (Youtube)
by Ancient Champion
The place I go to get samosas is a bit of a celebrity samosa place, so local media says. Bridgerton stars are literally lining up around the block. Obviously not at all times, that would not be plausible. This is the soundtrack that takes the edge off waiting while hungry, clears the heart and soothes our nerves. Celebrity samosa buyers must practice patience. You'll be rewarded.
Essential Info
Main image... Superstar Bearwood samosa shopper, Claudia Jessie as Eloise Bridgerton
