Video: Seth Bogart (feat. Kathleen Hanna), Eating Makeup

There are a few things to recommend this new tune from Seth Bogart, thee Hunx of Hunx and His Punkx, from his album due for release early next year:

1) it features hero Kathleen Hanna (BTW, if you haven’t yet viewed the documentary, The Punk Singer, about Hanna (currently available on Netflix streaming), it is not to be missed),

2) it has magnificent glitter eyeshadow,

3) it has a woman eating lipstick like it’s corn on the cob,

4) it is a fantastic tune to shimmy to when preparing for your weekend activities.

 

Seth Bogart "Eating Makeup (featuring Kathleen Hanna)" Official Video

 

Seth Bogart official website (check out that Pee-Wee’s Playhouse aesthetic)
Seth Bogart @ Twitter
Seth Bogart @ Facebook

A Good Read, a Good Listen, and a Good Drink: Fold

Fold

It’s a simple yet sublime pleasure, and just thinking about it can make you feel a little calmer, a little more content. Imagine: You bring out one of the good rocks glasses (or your favorite mug or a special occasion tea cup) and pour a couple fingers of amber liquid (or something dark and strong or just some whole milk). You drop the needle on the jazz platter (or pull up a blues album on your mp3 player or dig out that mixtape from college). Ensconcing yourself in the coziest seat in the house, you crack the spine on a classic (or find your place in that sci-fi paperback or pull up a biography on your e-book reader). And then, you go away for a while. Ah, bliss.

In this series, some of NTSIB’s friends share beloved albums, books and drinks to recommend or inspire.


Well, I did threaten on the Twitters, after featuring the gorgeous Post War Glamour Girls, to just write about Leeds-based bands from here on out, and then came Fold with their self-titled full-length debut to help me work toward that goal.

I immediately felt the hook catch with the shrewd, jazzy hip hop-trip hop of standout track “A Victim’s Mentality”, featuring London poet Mr. Gee. The music is the sounds of the city, downbeat, the soundtrack to the survival hustle. The words are the soul of a resident finding his way, grappling, fingertips bloody from trying to surmount the concrete peaks in a world that uses those concrete slabs to keep certain citizens from rising up.

 

Fold - A Victim's Mentality

 

The vibe continues throughout, without click tracks or pre-sequenced samples, layered with the words of Malcolm X, Jimmy Carter, Lena Horne, Kurt Vonnegut, and more. The words are reflective, questioning, delving, while the music floats you along, alternately cushioning and jabbing. Gorgeously atmospheric, but not allowing the listener to be lulled into complacency. It is an album full of meat to chew on.

I am very pleased to introduce the members of Fold to give us some more meat to chew on in the form of book, music, and drink recommendations.

 

Seth Mowshowitz (benevolent dictator, beats / keys / guitar)

A good read:
A lot of reading has fed into the album we’ve just completed. One book that had a significant impact on me personally was The Autobiography of Malcolm X. Alex Haley’s brilliant foreword was essentially a book within a book. Taken as a whole an account is made that clarifies and demystifies to a large extent the story of both the man’s life and the popularised version of the surrounding history. By the end I felt like I knew Malcolm well enough to mourn his passing 50 years later. The thing I admired most apart from his wit, intellect and capacity to overcome adversity was the fact that despite everything he remained open-minded enough right until the end to be able to reconcile new experiences with clashing preconceptions. Like many luminaries capable of articulating the experiences of oppressed groups sadly he was removed right at the point when he’d become most capable of uniting people.

A good listen:
Settling on an album is tougher. One recent discovery that brings me frequent joy is War’s Platinum Jazz. The range of moods, the long and glorious jams and those lilting extended melodies create something that I will happily absorb at any time of day or night. It is a deeply atmospheric experience embodying a strong social conscience in more subtle ways than we do. A masterpiece in my opinion and the first platinum selling album on Blue Note Records. How is it possible that I hadn’t listened to it until earlier this year?

 

 

A good drink:
I came across a cocktail called The Bee’s Knees that turned out to be a little too easy to make at home (if you have a decent shaker). It features gin, honey and freshly squeezed lemon juice. I can easily convince myself that it is healthy enough to drink several in a row.

 

Josh Gardziel (guitar)

A good read:
Charles Bukowski, Ham On Rye springs immediately to mind. I discovered Bukowski rather ironically with a vodka and Coke in hand.

“Getting drunk was good. I decided I would always like getting drunk. It took away the obvious and maybe if you could get away from the obvious often enough, you wouldn’t become obvious yourself.”

I found an honesty and pain in his writing. Finding his place amongst the world was a battle of social constraints, personal reflections, escapism and alcohol fuelled fantasy. Charles Bukowski and his thinly veiled autobiographical portrayal of Henry Chinaski’s struggle with adolescence is one that struck a chord within myself.

A good listen:
So many to name but there is an album that I come back to again and again. Having recently moved house I set up a record player in the spare bedroom and the soundtrack to unpacking was Bon Iver, Bon Iver. It’s an album that for me conjures up warmth and security and has yet to become old. My girlfriend has framed the inlay artwork and it hangs politely above the dansette. I discovered Bon Iver via a video by La Blogothèque; upon which he was singing an acapella version of a track called, For Emma. He was amongst the narrow streets of Mont Martre in Paris and having recently returned from walking those very streets as a tourist, I fell in love with his falsetto.

 

Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago | A Take Away Show

 

A good drink:
Not much of a stiff drinker anymore and never much of a fan of fizzy drinks or coffee I have to put forward my case for good old fashioned water. Although not adventurous or exciting I have to admit that I drink more of this than anything else.

 

Ben Walsh (bass)

A good read:
Never been a massive book geek to be fair, I would say my love is in a good film. It interests me to hear people’s opinions on how a book is presented and received in film format. Usually not a good opinion most of the time. My last conquest left me a little shook up though. The book was A Child Called It, the first novel of many by author Dave Pelzer. It’s a shocking read about his childhood and relationship with his mother. It left me on the edge of my seat at every turn of the page. I think I remember screaming at the book many times. If you have not read this book, I would suggest you do as it will change your perspective on a few things.

A good listen:
Now a good album, this is a tricky one. I’d have to say Finest Hour by Submotion Orchestra. I have liked this band for a while now and this album sends me off somewhere, sleep sometimes! It has stunning vocals, deep music and is a great album – I would recommend it to anyone.

 

Submotion Orchestra - Thinking

 

A good drink:
Now…..DRINK! Now everyone who knows me would say “he likes good old jack” (stories I won’t/can’t go into). But no, I think I’m going to say Jagger this time. It’s strange that his drink takes me back to my childhood a little and the only way I can explain this is………CALPOL!!! Love it!

 

Kane Rattray (drums)

I’ve decided to be a smart arse about this and combine a good read, listen and drink into one beautifully themed evening.

To set the tone, first pop-on possibly one of my all time favourite albums Tom Waits Rain Dogs. Let the broken vaudeville sounds of Tom’s whisky infused voice wash over you and, you guessed it … grab a whisky, preferably a nice strong old fashioned (Marlboro Reds optional).

 

Jockey Full of Bourbon

 

After your first drink, with a slight buzz going pick up a copy of F.Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby and fully absorb yourself in the moment.

Unfortunately, I’m currently sat in a flat, in chilly West Yorkshire (UK), on a Monday Evening, but lets pretend its New York.

 

Video: August Eve, Ghost

 

If 18-year-old August Eve doesn’t become a hugely successful artist who leaves an indelible mark on the world, it won’t be through any fault of her own. With one song, “Ghost”, and it’s accompanying self-written/self-direct video, the young woman displays a range of accomplished talent not present in artists twice her age.

The song aches with loss and regret, Eve’s voice moving from a deep sob to a high keen, it’s hook – true to the name – digs under your skin and catches. The gorgeously composed and filmed video feels like watching a condensed short co-created by the likes of Wes Anderson, David Lynch, and Wim Wenders. The evocative whole is a perfect love letter to heartache.

 

August Eve - Ghost

 

A full EP is expected this autumn. In the meantime, check out this articulate interview from Fader.

August Eve official website
August Eve @ Soundcloud
August Eve @ Twitter

A Good Read, a Good Listen, and a Good Drink: Tony Fitz

From the Forest - Route One

It’s a simple yet sublime pleasure, and just thinking about it can make you feel a little calmer, a little more content. Imagine: You bring out one of the good rocks glasses (or your favorite mug or a special occasion tea cup) and pour a couple fingers of amber liquid (or something dark and strong or just some whole milk). You drop the needle on the jazz platter (or pull up a blues album on your mp3 player or dig out that mixtape from college). Ensconcing yourself in the coziest seat in the house, you crack the spine on a classic (or find your place in that sci-fi paperback or pull up a biography on your e-book reader). And then, you go away for a while. Ah, bliss.

In this series, some of NTSIB’s friends share beloved albums, books and drinks to recommend or inspire.


 

First, listen to this.

 

 

Now imagine being part of the first group of people to hear that song. And imagine that group of people is hearing that song in the middle of a Scottish forest. That’s what happened last month when the song played in the Galloway Forest as a part of the Dark Outside music festival. Described as “24 hours of music nobody has heard, in a place where nobody might be listening”, the event, which started in 2012, instantly captures the imagination, and our idea-fuelled friend Tony Fitz – you might know him as the organizer of the annual Irish Showcase at Couch by Couchwest – along with Jason Maher and Ruairi Lynch, took part with the project you heard above.

Tony calls the project From the Forest and describes it thus: “From The Forest captures what happens when random bunches of musicians come together for one-off sessions in an old house surrounded by trees. Inspired by Josh Homme’s Desert Sessions, this project is a way for the musicians involved to play and collaborate with no expectations or pressures.” You could hardly think of a better match for the Dark Outside.

Since the last time I wrote about Tony here, he has also released another project that I was in love with immediately: an album with an accompanying comic book. The western-themed work, Just Another Day, tells a story of loss and vengeance, rendered in a beautiful way. The music itself is gorgeous (Tony shared a song from the EP, “The Murder”, at CXCW 2014), and when experienced in tandem with the comic, with art by Tommie Kelly, it proves a genuinely affecting punch to the emotional gut.

Today, we are happy to have Tony join us to share some brilliant recommendations.

 

Book:
It absolutely fascinates me to see how someone else’s brain chews on ideas, working them over until something artistic gets spit out. Not just because it’s interesting, but you end up grabbing little pearls of wisdom, little workflow quirks or tricks that can try out and use yourself. I love when artists share how they approach and realise their work – not just because I learn a shit-ton from it, but because I feel more attached to the artist and their work as a result. Everyone wins. Austin Kleon’s “Show Your Work” is a brilliant book that really crystallises that ethos of sharing what you’re doing as you’re doing it, not just the end product. It will change how you think about showing off what you’re working on.

Grab a copy from http://austinkleon.com/show-your-work/

Album:
Conal McIntyre is one of my favourite songwriters, and I was a huge fan of his former band, Heritage Centre. His latest work is a collaboration with another huge talent, Joey Edwards, under the name “We, The Oceanographers”. They released their debut record earlier this year and it’s a triumph. The lads might refer to themselves as a “DIY bedroom rock band” in their bio, but that really doesn’t sum up the understated beauty of the songwriting, arrangement and production on this album. It’s witty, lo-fi pop at it’s absolute finest.

 
“Same Old Story”

We, the Oceanographers - Same Old Story

 

Their official site, with brilliantly entertaining and insightful blog posts and news updates is over at http://wetheoceanographers.tk, and you can find the album on https://wetheoceanographers.bandcamp.com

Drink:
Last weekend I found myself in a speakeasy style bar in Paris, ordering an Old Fashioned made with bacon-infused Bourbon. To be fair, you’d have to, wouldn’t you?
Apparently they’d robbed the recipe from infamous “secret” New York bar, PDT.
It was so damn good I scoured the internet to find out how to make it, and found this recipe:
http://nymag.com/listings/recipe/bacon-old-fashioned/
I’ve got some really nice bacon in the fridge and I suddenly know exactly what I’m going to do with it.

 

A Good Read, a Good Listen, and a Good Drink: Post War Glamour Girls

Post War Glamour Girls - Feeling Strange

It’s a simple yet sublime pleasure, and just thinking about it can make you feel a little calmer, a little more content. Imagine: You bring out one of the good rocks glasses (or your favorite mug or a special occasion tea cup) and pour a couple fingers of amber liquid (or something dark and strong or just some whole milk). You drop the needle on the jazz platter (or pull up a blues album on your mp3 player or dig out that mixtape from college). Ensconcing yourself in the coziest seat in the house, you crack the spine on a classic (or find your place in that sci-fi paperback or pull up a biography on your e-book reader). And then, you go away for a while. Ah, bliss.

In this series, some of NTSIB’s friends share beloved albums, books and drinks to recommend or inspire.


“It’s easy to forget what defines us controls our minds.”

There are so many great bands from Leeds, past and present, that it seems like 80% of the English city’s population must be in at least one band. So strong is the Leeds-area music scene that they can support an annual festival featuring a number of local bands – as well as national acts: the Long Division Festival in Wakefield, just outside of Leeds, (which was able recently to meet a funding goal of £6,000 in just 9 days – and they’re still going). I had the opportunity to attend this superior festival last September and, in addition to seeing Leeds bands like my beloved Wind-up Birds and the now-defunct Witch Hunt, I got to see the four beautiful people who make up Post War Glamour Girls1 play the main stage. The same stage would, later in the evening, be occupied by Gruff Rhys (Super Furry Animals) and hometown legends The Wedding Present, and the young band were every bit as assured and commanding of the stage as the old pros.

After having fallen under the spell of their last full-length album, the moody, sexy, sometimes frightening Pink Fur, it’s a true pleasure for me to bring the band in for our beloved regular series in the run-up to the release of their second full-length offering, Feeling Strange (Parts 1 and 2) – available officially on October 30. If you were on top of it enough to grab the limited-time free release of Part 1, which I enthused about earlier, you know there’s still more magic to come.

FELONIOUS PUNK - POST WAR GLAMOUR GIRLS (HD)

Please enjoy some great recommendations from Alice, James, Ben, and James.

 

Alice Scott-Knox-Gore

BOOK
Tony Benn- ‘Letters to my Grandchildren’ this book is a deeply compassionate and optimistic explanation of the world and its workings. I love the way that Tony Benn effortlessly navigates you right to the point of past, present and future politics with a compounding faith that humans can learn from our mistakes and correct our injustices. His influence and this book has played a large part in shaping my views.

ALBUM
Cocteau Twins- ‘Heaven or Las Vegas’ – I could not believe what I’d been missing when James S introduced me to Cocteau Twins last year. How had I let this band slip through the net? Especially with this album, I’m like a dog with a bone. I can hear bliss and sorrow and ecstasy all at once. It makes sense that my more current listenings (Beach House, Warpaint etc) have obviously taken great influence from Cocteau Twins.

“Cherry Coloured Funk”

Cocteau Twins - Cherry Coloured Funk

DRINK
Sazerac- Whisky, Cognac, bitters and a spritz of absinthe. Goes down like nectar.

 

James Smith

BOOK
Andrew Marr – ‘A History Of Modern Britain’ – The good men and women who served this country seem few and far between after reading this. Whilst the consensus has long been that politicians are self serving scum, this book helps hammer the point home. It’s a brilliant read, even if it leaves you feeling helpless. The post-war Labour government really did help the country through a genuine crisis. It remains a monumental achievement and proof that socialism can work if you leave the people and industry bankrupted by two world wars with no alternative. It’s a shame seeing Labour slowly dismantle itself from the mid 60s onwards, struggling to prove its point as the country embraces capitalism, and with it, consumerism. Reading it only affirmed my hatred for the Tory party and their long continued bullying of the poor. Under Thatcher, the Neo-Liberal mentality burrowed like a tick into the mindsets of the British people. It’s daunting to see how it’s shaped the entire ideology of my generation, and all hereafter. Learning about this country’s history has changed my view on politics. It’s made me critically assess myself. It’s not red or blue or left or right. I feel ashamed and I don’t know what to believe in anymore. I don’t want to tell people what to think… I’m not trying to be Russell Brand or anything, I just feel more confused than I did 600 pages ago… Anarchy seems more appealing each day and I’m moving to Dial House just as soon I get Christmas out of the way.

ALBUM
Rahsaan Roland Kirk – ‘The Inflated Tear’ – I’ve been having a ‘Jazz’ phase for the past 6 months or so simply because I’ve been unenthused with pop music and it’s sometimes nice not understanding what I’m listening to. It just washes over me and swirls round about my head. I find I can switch off with Jazz, which is what I’m trying to do more of these days. My dad is well into Jazz and he gave me a big collection of vinyl which me and Ben originally starting ripping and sampling for our Hip-Hop project Tightcat. I began listening to find loops and found a lot to love, compelling stuff. Brilliant Corners by Thelonious Monk is great, as well the Nina Simone standards, Miles Davis’ output in the 60’s (Bitches Brew and all that) Sun Ra’s Paris Tapes and The Shape Of Jazz To Come by Ornette Coleman. I found out about Kirk through Nils Frahm’s ‘baker’s dozen’ feature on the Quietus, where I also discovered ‘musik von Harmonia’ through James Holden’s contribution. The Inflated Tear is such a cool sounding phrase, I’ll probably nick it for something further down the line. Kirk plays three saxophones at once, but it’s not Free-Jazz. He gets amazing harmony out of them and also plays this weird percussive instrument which I always thought was called a water-bell, but google doesn’t seem to think that’s a thing… If anyone can tell me what it’s called?

“The Inflated Tear”

DRINK
Water – Have you heard the raindrops drumming on the roof tops? Have you heard the raindrops dripping on the ground? Have you heard the raindrops splashing in the streams and running to the rivers all around? There’s water, water of life, Jesus gives us the water of life; there’s water, water of life, Jesus gives us the water of life.

 

Ben Clyde

BOOK
‘All The Pretty Horses’ – Cormac McCarthy – What was so enticing was how McCarthy describes these stunning landscapes and situations so beautifully without drooping into the overly romantic or soppy. It’s still very raw, very vivid and almost palpable. He also has this adept talent of portraying a scene by describing the finer details that would usually be unobserved and yet completely familiar. I can safely say I didn’t really like horses until this book. Now I like horses.

ALBUM
‘Madvillainy’ – Madvillain – The zenith of hip hop’s creativity? Possibly until ‘To Pimp A Butterfly’ recently. It blasted open the doors for me for the possibilities of both lyrics and wordplay from MF DOOM and the delicate art of looping from Madlib (both of which I’m pretty bad at ironically.) It’s an album displaying the chemistry of two creative outcasts at the height of their powers with no choruses, no hooks and most tracks coming in under two minutes. On paper it sounds awful, so it needs to be listened to. In full. Over and over again.

“Fancy Clown”

DRINK
Colaweisse – Coke and Wheat Beer – Pretty simple but the reason I mention it is because no one in the city I live in seems to believe me that the Germans drink it. And it does hurt to be thought of as a liar…boohoo. I get looks from barmen everywhere like I just gave them the finger before ordering. It looks like muddy water, but it tastes pretty good.

 

James Thorpe-Jones

BOOK
‘An Epic Swindle: 44 Months with a Pair of Cowboys’ – Brian Reade – A detailed yet passionate account of the nightmare reign of avaricious owners Hicks and Gillet, at Liverpool Football Club. From instilling £237m worth of toxic debt on the club and just hours away from administration, to their redemption in the high court. At times author Brian Reade gets his axe out too frequently, however the revelations from his inside access to the club makes for an enjoyable read. A sports book for non sports fans.

ALBUM
‘The Hangman’s Beautiful Daughter’ – The Incredible String Band – Makes for a great listening experience, storytelling from some of the best. They believed in what they were doing, and that’s all that matters.

“Koeeoaddi There”

Koeeoaddi There - The Incredible String Band

DRINK
Espresso Martini – “It’s about’s to get weird.” A good solid work out getting fresh espresso ice cold, but well worth it. Not to be paired with my listening suggestion.

 


1 https://youtu.be/OPFytP0qmgo

Sunday Morning Song: Dioni, Flirting with Reality

Australian singer Dioni’s sweet song “Flirting with Reality” is a light, bright number that brings to mind the likes of Django Reinhardt, Stéphane Grappelli, and the Triplets of Belleville soundtrack. On the surface. But the song is actually a rumination on recent crises in Greece, and the video includes a tribute to late “riot dog” Louikanikos.

It’s an infecting little tune filled with willful optimism.

Dioni "Flirting With Reality" (Lyric Video)

Dioni Official Website
Dioni @ Twitter
Dioni @ Facebook

Post War Glamour Girls, Feeling Strange (Part 1)

Feeling Strange (Part 1) - Post War Glamour Girls

“Kudos to those with the broke nose breathing it in”

Truth is, I should have been writing about Leeds band Post War Glamour Girls here a long time ago, but sometimes the relationship between a listener and a band plays out like a film romance – a glance across a crowded room, light and awkward flirtation, mixed signals, the listener ends up going home with some other band only to run into the first band again at some coffee shop, and stilted conversation is followed up by falling into bed together.

You know, metaphorically speaking.

In short, I am remiss for not mentioning it before, but PWGG are a good band. A really good band. Their 2014 full-length debut, Pink Fur, still enjoys heavy rotation in my listening and can still make me gape in wonder. Now, in the run-up to their next LP, to be released in October, PWGG are offering some of those new songs free for a limited time (as in, it was announced on August 14th that it would be free for two weeks, and it’s the 18th now, so…) in the form of the Feeling Strange (Part 1) EP. Listen and download below.

The band are moving in a bit of a different direction – like using distortion and fuzz on the thumping, exciting “Felonious Punk” – but they still emphasizes their strengths, like the urgency of singer James Smith’s tortured yelp and their mastery of evoking mood, as on the exotic and undulating “Gentle Is Her Touch”.

FELONIOUS PUNK - POST WAR GLAMOUR GIRLS (HD)

A second EP is scheduled to drop in September with the LP coming out in October.

Post War Glamour Girls @ Bandcamp
Post War Glamour Girls @ Twitter
Post War Glamour Girls @ Facebook

Ought, Beautiful Blue Sky

Photo Credit: Hera Chan

Photo Credit: Hera Chan

That song…

That song that makes someone grab someone else to immediately transmit the new infection…

A song that makes someone sigh with relief…

A song that makes someone break down…

Ought are responsible for that song. Their new album Sun Coming Down arrives September 18th. July 17th will find them at the Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago, Illinois. After that, Europe.

01 Aug Binic Festival, Binic (FR) *FREE*
03 Aug Cas’Aupa, Udine (IT)
04 Aug SuperUho Festival, Sibenik (HR)
06 Aug Chelsea, Vienna (AT)
07 Aug OFF Festival, Katowice (PL)
08 Aug Klub 007 Strahov, Prague (CZ)
11 Aug Radar Festival, Aarhus (DK)
12 Aug Folken, Stavanger (NO)
13 Aug Landmark, Bergen (NO)
14 Aug Oya Nights, Oya Festivalen, Oslo (NO)
15 Aug Way Out West Festival, Göteborg (SE)
17 Aug Sommerloft 2015, Berlin (DE)
18 Aug EXIT 07, Hollerich (LU)
19 Aug Bogen F, Zurich (CH)
20 Aug For Noise Festival, Lausanne-Pully (CH)
21 Aug Pukkelpop Festival, Kiewit-Hasselt (BE)
22 Aug MS Dockville Festival, Hamburg (DE)
23 Aug Lowlands Festival, Biddinghuizen (NL)
24 Aug Noorderzon @ Vera, Groningen (NL)
27 Aug Barretto, Portoferro (IT)
28 Aug Frames, Fondogianus (IT)
29 Aug Soundpark Festival, Brugnera (IT)
01 Sept Village Underground, Shoreditch (UK)
02 Sept The Deaf Institute, Manchester (UK)
03 Sept Hare and Hounds, Birmingham (UK)
04 Sept End of the Road, Larmer Tree Gardens, Dorset (UK)
06 Sept Into the Great Wide Open Festival, Vlieland (NL)

Ought @ Bandcamp
Ought @ Twitter
Ought @ Facebook
Ought @ Constellation Records

Feel Bad for You, June 2015

Fine, so it’s nearly July, but this summer-themed mix by the FBFY bedraggled crew of music lovers will be good for a couple of months yet. Drunken comments are encouraged.

“Feel Bad for June! Just in time for the first New England heat wave of 2015, and my bum is sticking to my vinyl chair. Ahhh summer! Long hot days, warm breezy nights. Sitting in your overly air conditioned office all day, wishing you were at the lake. Being an adult sucks.

Thanks to our main man Phil for the killer artwork!”

FBFY-June2015

Download

1. “It Must Be Summer”
Fountains of Wayne
Utopia Parkway (1999)
Submitted By: @philnorman
Comments: It must be summer, because I’m falling apart.

2. “This Summer”
The Royal Sea
The Royal Sea (2011)
Submitted By: The Mad Mackerel
Comments: The Royal Sea’s album was a particular favourite for us in 2011, although never seemed to get the acclaim we thought it deserved. A beguiling mix of surf rock, garage and indie pop, lead track This Summer opens with a spectacularly catchy drum beat before the vocals of Timmy Sunshine come in like a rush of sugar coated adrenalin, plaintively announcing:

We crashed everybody’s parties,
we drank cheap wine and whiskey.
We partied up on the rooftops,
I’m glad it was just you and me.

One of our favourite songs of that, or any other year, “This Summer” should have been the woozy, feel good hit of that summer.

3. “Acceleration
Drivin’ N’ Cryin’
Songs About Cars, Space and The Ramones EP (2012)
Submitted By: @tincanman2010
Comments: My iPod gets a spring cleaning to get ready for road trips. No point trying to listen to delicate little songs with their pretty little lyrics when you’re booking down the highway with windows wide open. Thirty years these Atlanta dudes have been racking up the miles.

4. “Summer’s Kiss”
The Afghan Whigs
Black Love (1996)
Submitted By: hoosier buddy
Comments: I nearly submitted Chuck Prophet’s “Summertime Thing,” but something made me keep looking until I hooked into “Summer’s Kiss.” The intro builds from an almost space jam to a driving, Lindsey Buckingham-style one note guitar solo; then explodes with big drums, bigger guitars, and Dulli. “Do you know the words? Sing along with me; and put on your rose fur coat, baby, it’s 1973.” Demons mess with his head and heart. He wishes he had her back, but admits he is alone. We are all alone.

5. “Summer Babe [Live]”
Pavement
Slanted & Enchanted: Luxe & Reduxe (2002)
Submitted By: @BoogieStudio22
Comments: Slacker rock at its best!

6. “Constructive Summer”
The Hold Steady
Stay Positive (2008)
Submitted By: @BoogieStudio22
Comments: When The Hold Steady was good, they were great!

7. “Summertime”
Janis Joplin
18 Essential Songs (1995)
Submitted By: @BoogieStudio22
Comments: This song still gives me chills, even in the heat of the summer.

8. “Sleep All Summer”
Crooked Fingers
Dignity and Shame (2005)
Submitted By: @Rockstar_Aimz
Comments: Try not to spend your summer brooding over lost love. Or something.

9. “Summer School”
Liquor Giants
Every Other Day At A Time (1998)
Submitted By: @toomuchcountry
Comments: I was ready to listen to this band when their first album was released. Ward Dotson fronted the Liquor Giants, and I was a fan of his previous band, The Pontiac Brothers.

10. “Your Frown’s My Friend”
Greg Summerlin
The Young Meteors (2005)
Submitted By: @toomuchcountry
Comments: OK, so it’s not a song ABOUT summer. But it’s still a pretty kickin song by someone WITH summer in his name.

11. “Over The Red Cedar”
Charlie Parr
Sumpjumper (2015)
Submitted By: @Truersound
Comments: Great song off his latest

12. “Rainbow Sign”
The Buckstankle Boys
The New Young Fogies Vol. 1 (2012)
Submitted By: @Truersound
Comments: Met these guys at Mt. Airy, which is where they hail from. Some astounding talent.

13. “Strictly Business”
EPMD
Strictly Business (1988)
Submitted By: @Truersound
Comments: Summerjam

14. “Summer Wine”
Hazeldine
Digging You Up (1998)
Submitted by: @simon2307
Comments: Great cover of the classic Lee Hazelwood / Nancy Sinatra tune

15. “Summer Wine”
Lana Del Ray
Unreleased? (Youtube rip)
Submitted by: @simon2307
Comments: ditto

16. “Long Hot Summer Days”
Turnpike Troubadors
Diamonds and Gasoline (2010)
Submitted By: @Rockstar_Aimz
Comments: Fantastic John Hartford cover. Can’t wait for their new album to be released this coming fall.

17. “You Keep Me Hanging On”
Vanilla Fudge
Vanilla Fudge (1966)
Submitted By: @PopaTunes
Comments: While there are plenty of newer summer songs, summer takes me back to my youth, spinning records on a portable record player in the woods in the mountains, sharing new music with my summer friends. This one was a staple summer after summer. One I remember most though is Archie Bell and the Drells tighten up, which is at my kid’s house.

18. “Red Umbrella”
Kostars
Klassics with a “K” (1996)
Submitted by: April @ Now This Sound Is Brave
Comments: Not about summer, per se (the lyrics talk about a rainy day, in fact), the vibe of this song by Kostars is summery as fuck. This song from the side project of Jill Cunniff and Vivian Trimble of Luscious Jackson brings to mind the tropicalia sound of classics like “The Girl from Ipanema” and feels like a cool breeze blowing in off the ocean.

19. “Far From Any Road”
The Handsome Family
Singing Bones (2003)
Submitted By: Trailer
Comments: True Detective returns June 21. What better time to recall the haunting theme song from season 1?

20. “Boss”
The Rumblers
The Roots Of The Cramps (2009)
Submitted By: @annieTUFF
Comments: I can’t get enough surf music, what says summer more than surf? I love how dirty and gritty this is. The whole comp “Roots Of The Cramps” is really great. I’m gonna be honest, I didn’t know how many of the Cramps songs I loved were covers until years later, and it’s fun to check out the originals.

21. “Two Kegs In The Swimming Pool”
Mike Kelly
Wake The Dead (2010)
Submitted By: @RomeoSidVicious
Comments: It’s looking like it’s going to a damp, hot summer here in Houston and I didn’t want to go with the obvious songs complaining about that state of affairs so I dug deep and pulled out this Mike Kelly tune. The summer relation is that there’s obviously a swimming pool involved and for most of the country those are only involved in summer activities. I think plenty of us have lived the night described here, although I’ve never been able to afford two kegs…

22. “Hot Fun In The Summertime”
Sly & The Family Stone
Greatest Hits (1970)
Submitted By: Blabber’n’Smoke
Comments: Reminds me of hot days in the excellent summers of the seventies.

23. “The Warmth of the Sun”
The Beach Boys
Endless Summer (1974)
Submitted By: @Rockstar_Aimz
Comments: A little melancholy to end the mix, but what’s a summer mix without the Beach Boys? This song was originally released in 1964.

A Tribe Called Red, Suplex

Suplex - A Tribe Called Red

No one ever retires permanently anymore, do they? Even dead artists have made returns to the stage. A year into my so-called retirement, I’m feeling antsy and decided I needed to get back into this blog that has given me so much. I won’t be trying to keep to the daily schedule that wore me out the first time, but I’ve got some ideas brewing and thoughts to share. (Plus, there’s a new Wind-up Birds EP coming in the near future.)

First off, though, a quick post to share the great news that First Nations DJ/producer crew A Tribe Called Red have a new EP out called Suplex. ATCR continues to combine native song and drum elements with compelling beats for the same heady effect that intoxicated me when I first heard them back in 2012. Fader recently premiered the video for title track “Suplex” (featuring pow wow drum group Northern Voice), described as “a story about native youth, wrestling and becoming a role model without needing the stereotypes.”

A Tribe Called Red Ft. Northern Voice - Suplex (Official video)

Suplex is available via the ATCR website, Spotify, and iTunes. (And you can get one of those sweet bandannas as featured in the video at ATCR website.)

If you missed their massive debut, it’s still available for free, and it’s still well worth your time.

A Tribe Called Red will also be going out on tour starting next month.

06/19 | Indian Beach | Fort McMurray, BC

06/20 | Malkin Bowl | Vancouver, BC

06/23 | Neumos | Seattle, WA

06/24 | Doug Fir Lounge | Portland, OR

06/27 | Muscogee Creek Festival | Okmulgee, OK

07/12 | PanAM Park – Echo Beach | Toronto, ON

07/17 | GrassRoots Festival | Trumansburg, NY

07/18 | Aboriginal Pavilion – Fort York | Toronto, ON

07/24 | Brandon Folk, Music & Arts Festival | Brandon, MB

07/31 | Osheaga Music & Arts Festival | Montreal, QC

08/07 | Indian Summer Showcase – Potomac Atrium | Washington, DC

08/12 | Parapan American Games – Nation Phillips Square | Toronto, ON

08/15 | Up Fest | Sudbury, ON

A Tribe Called Red
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