Outsideleft Week in Music On The Stubble Road, Man.

Somehow transposing the heart rate, speed, cadence and power of a long bicycle ride into a gently rocking (as in babies not AC/DC) slice of classy ambient music. The charming bicycle bell top line making a fine job of casting you, as a lightly stoned pillion rider. Stubbleman, AKA Pascal Gabriel, a producer and musician of the old school variety, takes us somewhere pretty with mild weather in France, on a meditative ride. Album out in June.

Janine Rainforth's solo LP 'Soul Retrieval' came out last month and this is the title track from it. Janine is perhaps best known and the singer and co-founder of angular post-punk funky Bristol band, Maximum Joy,  which she started when she was 18. At times produced by Adrian Sherwood and at other times, Dennis Bovell, who they worked with on their version of one of the absolute anchors of the Ancient Champion sound, Timmy Thomas’ Why Can’t We Live Together. Janine's new record is released by London Field Recordings. And while that's a lovely evocative record co name I so wish more people other than 5 Live Sport made their recordings in fields. Soul Retrieval the single provides a beautiful, meandering, milieu of rimshots and wrangled Steve Cropper-style guitar, as an understated groove laden palette for Janine's float over lyrical twists. It's not so far from Natalie Bergman's great god records and all together very fine. Go find the LP I'd suggest.

Goes on a bit. And goes on a bit maybe like Ghostpoet's X Marks The Spot, sort of... Shoegazey or something. The certainty that this is going to be mumbly is dispelled by Ashaine's voice eventually mashed up with a dash of Radiohead freneticism. The entertaining frantic moments. I don't know whether you'll hear that. But more now and not so much last year. Ashaine White's music is always worth your nickel because you never know what's going to happen. Let Me Down with it's inherent threat is a good one. Why don't we get her press releases? Not many do this as well as Ashaine does.

Legends. Sampled by Dr Dre. That cements a legendary status. Their ninth studio LP, Exploration is out on June. Meanwhile the new single Reptile Strut is out now. I kind of find Calibro 35 cross that line - and you might be surprised that I can see one, you might not think it a line, more of a really lengthy journey, but no, crossing the line between funk into prog. Heavily compressed prog. And then when they get back to funkland all things are relatively alright.

Pop kids dreaming in a sea of aural sticky seafoam. It's the sonic equiv to the Proust's madeleine moment. Epic, groovy, swirly. Guitars done right. Lovely crumply art and a very special promo picture. So great I am sharing it here. As I am sometimes, though more rarely these days am moved to say, what's not to love?

Self-styled poets of the late night human condition. This one v.nearly on my rockin' scale, rocks. In the final analysis no though. Well they are kind of without peer. Well maybe Taylor Kirk, a peer? This is laden with atmosphere and menace. There is nothing about this that isn't brilliant though so let's move on.  I am stuck on the idea of seeing Stuart Staples walking down the road in Nottingham. Maybe going unrecognised, being asked to hold the camera to take pictures of tourists by the Robin Hood statue. You'd be lucky, of course. 

Although Swiss Industrial Metal act Nightshade are touting this as a new release, it is in fact a remastered track taken from their 2003 'Wired' EP (which is also being re-issued).  This has a lot more Metal in it than the usual Industrial fare, with geetar solos aplenty and clocking in at an overlong, and kerrang-filled 5 minutes plus.  It is perfectly fine, if very familiar sounding, generic rock music.  I am, however, left wondering rather uncharitably, what is the point?

Jesus Lizard's lead instigator and agitator David Yow is a bit of a character. There he is in their press shot standing in his zebra striped underpants in a cowboy hat, cape and cane, looking for all the world like an eccentric older relative who is always going out without his trousers on.  Musically though, Jesus Lizard live up to their reptilian name, slithering their way through this like an iguana.  Live, I gather they are a force of nature.  This is taken from the excellent 'Rack' album, and also the three track 'Flux' EP, one of those rip off 'Record Store Day only' releases.  No need to queue up for the EP then, but 'Rack' is well worth your pennies.

From the new album of the same name, Trio Da Kali - Hawa Kasse Mady Diabaté, Lassana Diabaté  and Madou Kouyaté are mesmerising on their single Bagoda. The call and whispered response just finds me, losing myself in it all, thankfully tranpsorted. Good God almoghty. This is what people can do if they want with musical instruments and voices. Wow!

From the Chatham's Burning EP, the Guy Hamper Trio featuring James Taylor is in fine form here. It just sounds like James Taylor is having so much fun. It all kind of dissembles at the end. I like that, but am happy with the beginning and middle too.

From the new album 'Exploding Trees and Airplane Screams', (it's a great one), for The Forks of Cypress Patterson Hood is joined by Katie Crutchfield from Waxahatchee and together these two blue chip talents really really do, for fuck sake, know what to do with the gentle circumlocutory drift of dreamy Americana. It's truly like we are wanderin' along with them.  

This is literally an oasis this week. Featuring a cavalcade of all stars I can't get around to typing, Totally brilliant Respite quenching this thirst.

From the Los Angeles League of Musicians. A song that could soothe babies. There is nothing not to love about these guys but their slavish devotion to a world of Mad Men. Stop that world! That is where I want to get off.

That's right, it's a pop song about tonic-clonic seizure. And it's a good one. Grand Mal may be a little outmoded. For 20 years my expectation of being entertained by Ezra has been very low. So, this, imagine that Five FInger Discount singer, Kirk Lake was the lyricist. It's got that same Damage is done. The world moves on. Vibe. Excellent.

There's so much to love. Who wouldn't be way into the space age synths at the back it all, And the deft use of the vibraslap. If you were having one last dance, this would be the one.

Le voici donc. Le prochain potentiel no pointer du Royaume-Uni, malheureusement. Rappelez-vous, Monday s'est réuni en tant qu'écolières et a été nommé par son professeur de musique. Comme j'aime les histoires terribles. A en juger par leur apparence, c'était il y a vingt ans. Ils ont participé à divers concours de talents au Royaume-Uni et ils étaient si brillants et prêts à affronter la puissance de l'Europe avec un pays authentique.  Ils ont réussi à s'imposer du jour au lendemain et ont refusé d'être oubliés. L'Eurovision est une fête pour les gens de la classe moyenne qui se présentent avec des plats nationaux et des quantités croissantes de bière peu alcoolisée. Cette année, elle s'est déroulée dans un abri antiatomique à l'extérieur de Bâle. Le concours de l'Eurovision est tellement horrible qu'il a probablement donné à Jean Beaudrillard ses meilleures idées. Bonne chance. Ils en auront besoin.

It's the reviewers demise. This should feel so much better to me than it does because Ray Bull are competent and this type of music can trigger the triggers with just that much. And the title is good, could be about emotionally dragging,  could be about fishing, could be about that ol' limerance, which I think is a form of middle class stalking, Mr. Lake once told me. Could be about anything. But it's the type of yearning I am not up for right now. And that makes stealing what looks like Jenny Holzer's suitcase and trampin' around the woods till dark seem like way less fun than it would be if Jenny did it.

Anyone remember Zodiac Mindwarp? This is giving me essence of zode. He would have loved the possibilities of Artificially Intelligent design. In the video, there’s the mildly intense, bearded, tattooed bloke, there are nuns and priests kissing, there’s digitally shiny stuff happening, enough to give you a spiky little digital orgasm, if you’re a modern age, advert-loving, typewriting, swiping, mildly provocative type of guitar lover. Oh, and there’s a highly repetitive rock song that, a bit like Garbage (that band), gives me the sense of something happening in the same way a bowl of Frosties is food. The Sigue Sigue Sputnik part of me quite likes all that, but the Sigue Sigue Sputnik part of me is retreating under the onslaught of the ‘humans should be allowed to express themselves with a minimum of interference from Big PC’ part of me. PC. Personal Computer. Of course, this all started with glossy magazines, damn them all. You, too, Q.

A limited edition CD reissue of this classic compilation album... reviewed here by Alan

Paul Mortimer samples the delights of Fifth Daughters stunning debut album on Fruits de Mer here

One of the other OL writers, Martin Devenney, alerted me to this brilliant Hendrix cover version by London busker Porcapizza, using drums made from two pringle tubes and a typewriter, a dinner knife keyboard, a microphone fashioned from an old telephone receiver, and a guitar made from a tennis racquet and a builders hard hat!.  Who needs musical instrument shops?

You'd see Ron & Nancy records on the walls of punk rock record shops back when they used that sort of vinyl sleeve thing to hand 45s but you probably never saw this. Somewhat inspired by San Pedro's Minutemen. But not so much. Where did they go with their White Man in Hammersmith Palais ending? A cultural conurbation. Stay for the end.

Thanks for coming out for Fugazi from Washington DC! Said it so many times. Says it all. This is a lovely punk rock instrumental. Just enough and not too much. The very best kind. See Alan Rider's Fugazi film review this week, right here

Because we can and this is so lovely. And stressed transistor spikey, it should be said.