Still no word..

on whether 'Women' have split up. Still no word either, on when i'm finally going to get sick of listening to them.

The Postman Always Rings Twice

Vic Goddard is a legend.

Proof pt 1



He made, with Subway Sect one of my top ten singles of all time (with my favourite bass line in a pop song EVER)



Subway Sect are never mentioned in the 'greatest punk bands' lists that the boring press reel out from time to time, but they were. Proof pr 2



In the early 90's lead singer of Vic Goddard, made a comeback, where he sensibly decided that what the world needed was a Northern Soul/Proto-Punk revival. He was completely ignored.



Vic is currently a postman, whilst that prick Bono is still peddling that pseudo epic-say nothing shit to millions. Go Figure.

Life Without Buildings

You can walk past a building for 5 years and never actually look up and take in its majesty. And sometimes you can hear a piece of music for what seems like forever before being in EXACTLY the right mood to turn around and utter, 'WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS'. So... here's a piece of music that has just connected with me in an utterly visceral way that makes me feel ALIVE.

And do you know what really gets me? As somebody who constantly searches for truth and beauty in the new, this was already part of my subconscious. I had to yield to IT. I'm still growing.

Wonder Woman

I generally post this video on Facebook every two or three months to remind everyone i know, of its general amazingness. But if i post it here, it wont fall off a 'wall'. 'Marrow' by St Vincent is the most brutally beautiful pop song in ages. The video is rather something too. Check the fuck out of it NOW.

The Rum Brummers

Like in my earlier post on Fleetwood Mac, ELO are another band who's heyday was the mid 70's and who's critical revival is reaching an apex just about now. But certainly more interesting, to me at least, is the myriad of offshoots and precursors to The 'O' who popped up in Britain's 2nd City around the end of the 60's.

I've been quietly in awe of Roy Wood for a few years now. This started when as a student in the early 90's i found a CD of the best of The Move on the floor at my local Woolworths. God had placed it there for me (!) or so i told myself as i slipped it into my coat pocket. The Move and specifically, Birmingham's premier renaissance man Roy Wood should, imho, be mentioned in the same breath as the recognised 60's godlike songwriters like Lennon/McCartney, Jagger/Richards & Ray Davies. Want proof?





C'mon, be honest, you've never heard of The Idle Race have you? And why should you, they've been airbrushed from history by the same (UK) magazines who think it's progressive to only put Bob Dylan, The Beatles and David Bowie on their covers. This obscure freak-beat band were the genesis of ELO (a young Jeff Lynne got his chops here) but should be revered in their own right. MORE PROOF? i have never been less than 100% happy when listening to this song:



psyche-pop majesty alert



and finally, here's the first ELO single i bought, from my local papershop (ex jukebox) for 59p back in 1980. Still sounds bloody cosmic to me.

New Gold Dream

Proof that noisy pop made by teenagers can still be vital and exciting. New Brigade by iceage is the best guitar record i've heard in ages.

Factor 50 Day

It's Monday morning, the sun is blistering... and 

THIS

& THIS

= THIS fun little obscurity

Stained Glass Windows In the Sky

Felt, oh Felt. Like if somebody commissioned Tom Verlaine to produce test card music in the mid 80's. Apart from them being 100,000 times more beautiful than that sounds.

10 albums and 10 singles in 10 years. Germaphobe Lawrence, the singer, used to make people who came round to his flat use the toilet at the local pub rather than his (number 1's too).

Just discovered a load of their albums are up on Spotify, so... i may be some time.

Summertime Blues

Wilco have a new single up for perusal. For anybody unsure, this is good news.



In other good news. this is gorgeousness. Almost reaches the peachy heights of The Blue Nile. High praise.