Tracks of the Year 2017

Over the past twelve months Spotify informs me that I have listened to over 7000 songs.  I have selected 240 tracks on my monthly playlists and now is time for the cull.  It's a Darwinian survival of the fittest to arrive with the annual top 40.  In keeping with the Top 40 Chart Countdowns of old I am reversing the order and saving the best until last.  My only essential criteria being a 2017 release date and being awesome.

40) Bless This Acid House by Kasabian



39) Say Something Loving by The xx

38) 2 Black 2 Strong by A.B. Original

37) Do You Wanna Get Into Trouble? by Soulwax

36) We Were Beautiful by Belle & Sebastian



35) Put Me Together by Everything Everything

34) You Deserve This by Men I Trust

33) Strange Or Be Forgotten by Temples

32) Feels Like Summer by Weezer



31) You're In Love With A Psycho by Kasabian

30) Never Let Me Go by Green Buzzard

29) Cloud 9 by Baker Boy

28) Melin Wynt by King Creosote

27) Like Gold by Vance Joy

26) Black Rainbows by Cut Copy

25) Everybody's Hero by Sampa The Great

24) Kids Are Cool by San Cisco

23) Murder To The Mind by Tash Sultana



22) Paint Me Silver by Pond

21) Golden by Kingswood

20) Snow by Angus & Julia Stone

19) All Things Must Pass by The Jesus and Mary Chain

18) Pop Voodoo by Black Grape

17) Put Your Life On It by Kasabian

16) Ubu by Methyl Ethel

15) Holding On by The War On Drugs

14) Everything Now by Arcade Fire

13) Notion by Tash Sultana

12) All I Want by Ride

11) Lay It On Me by Vance Joy



10) Magnificent (She Said) by Elbow

9) Don't Delete The Kisses by Wolf Alice



8) Holy Mountain by Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds

7) Can't Do by Everything Everything

6) Over Everything by Courtney Barnett & Kurt Vile




5) The System Only Dreams In Total Darkness by The National

4) We Got The Power by Gorillaz featuring Jehnny Beth



3) Signs Of Life by Arcade Fire



2) The Two Of Us by The Jesus and Mary Chain featuring Sky Ferreira

1) My Name Is Thunder by Jet & The Bloody Beetroots




And here's a Spotify Playlist

Albums of the Year 2017

2017 has been another fine year for indie rock and if I had to whittle it down to ten essential albums then they would be the following...

#10 The War On Drugs - A Deeper Understanding
Pounding drums, harmonicas, wailing Americana and dueling guitars abound.



#9 The Allergies - Push On
Brighton duo with their second collection of big beat tunes, styles and a collection of guest vocalists which help with the variety on this album.

#8 Methyl Ethel - Everything Is Forgotten
Second album from the Western Australian band who have taken their hallucinatory rock show to critical acclaim around the world.   



#7 Ride - Weather Diaries

Indie shoe gazers return over twenty years since they last recorded together.  Great comeback album mixing their early sound with some contemporary flourishes.

#6 Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds - Who Built The Moon? 

In a year when Liam Gallagher released his first solo album and spent much of it bagging his older brother, there was no room for complacency and Noel responded with this rocking album. 

#5 Beck - Colors

The album was long awaited dropping over two years after the lead single Dreams appeared.  This is Beck back in party mode.

#4 Black Grape - Pop Voodoo

Daft Funk.  This is Black Grape's 3rd album and their second best of all time.  Shaun Ryder & Kermit deliver their assessment of the US election as well as their usual themes of smoking, drinking and other vices.     

#3 Jesus And Mary Chain - Damage And Joy
JAMC return with their first album since 1998 filled with fuzzy guitars, guest duets and pop gems.  They sound fresh like a much younger group but they look like they have escaped from the portrait of Dorian Grey.

#2 Everything Everything - A Fever Dream
Manchester band dabbling in the well worn groove between rock and dance music.



#1 Kasabian - For Crying Out Loud
The finest album by the world's most self assured band.  Packed with hits and funny to boot.


I've compiled a taster playlist mixing four tracks from each album below...




Tracks of the year is coming soon...

Mixtape December 2017

The last monthly mixtape of the year is here for your listening pleasure.  There is no time for me to relax as I must press on with the deliberations of the ultimate end of year polls for best tracks and best albums.  Luckily I enjoy making lists.  But before that time to pick up a few stragglers from 2017...

1)  God Knows by Nic Cester
The singer from Aussie rockers Jet has released an awesome solo album with a mix of rock, soul and hints of trip hop.

2) Doll by Tricky featuring Avalon Lurks
A stripped back cover of the Courtney Love/Hole original.  Always loved this song.

3) Rats by Sloan Peterson
Aussie Garage Rockers Sloan Peterson with a track that was excluded from last month's all Australian collection but worth a mention.



4) Same Same by Winston Surfshirt 
Speaking of which, Sydney's Winston Surfshirt are also excellent deserve to be massive.

5) If Love Is The Law by Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds 
Third album Who Built The Moon has just been released and this track features a guest appearance by Johnny Marr, a harmonica and suitably festive jingle bells in the mix. 


6) Sweet Harmony by She Drew The Gun
This green cover from the Liverpudlian indie band is a warning of ecological damage being done to the world and the call for all people and nations to come together and fix the problems.  It is still relevant nearly twenty five years later.  The original was The Beloved's biggest hit back in 1993.

7) Phantom by Sarah Blasko
The excellent Sarah Blasko is back with her first track from her sixth album Depth of Field due next year.



8) Golden Slumbers by Elbow
Taken from a Christmas advert in the UK this Beatles Song is perfect for his gravely Manc voice.

9) Room In My House by Shed Seven
A great comeback song taken from the new Instant Pleasures album.  Bluesy guitar riffs announce their first new material in 16 years.  The Yorkshire Britpop survivors even inject some humourous lyrics to help blow off the cobwebs.

10) Rage by Freestylers & Deekline
Loved the Freestylers B-Boy Stance back in the 90's and they have now strayed into dnb territory and I have been playing this track constantly and my kids are now singing the  to themselves.  "On the stage I rage and I'm rollin'."

11) The Next Time We Wed by The Fratellis
The best thing they've done since Chelsea Dagger.  Sounds like the Scissor Sisters if they had just gone through a messy divorce.

12) Like Gold by Vance Joy
Another glorious indie pop song that Vance Joy seems to churn out effortlessly.

13) Would You Be Mine by Turin Brakes
Adopting an electronic vibe this indie folk band are now having new adventures in hi-fi.

14) Friday On My Mind by San Cisco
Fremantle indie band with a cover of a 1966 worldwide hit for Australia's swinging sixties rockers - The Easybeats.  Founding member, songwriter and guitarist George Young died in October. George was the elder brother of AC/DC's Angus and Malcolm.  Malcolm also passed away this year leaving Angus Young in his school boy outfit as the only remaining original member of Acca-Dacca.

15) Pulsar by Ride
Shoegazer legends continue the new music with this single that doesn't appear on their 2017 Weather Diaries album.  This is a single edit so expect the full track to be twice as long.  I was just getting into it when it annoyingly faded out!

16) The Blackout by U2
Every now and then U2 release an interesting record - usually about once a decade.  The dirty bass sound and apocalyptic lyrics raise it above their regular output.  New album Songs of Experience is released on 1st December and it won't be automatically loaded onto every itunes account this time.

17) January 26 by A.B. Original
Trials and Briggs have been picking up awards for their excellent Aussie Hip Hop album Reclaim Australia and this track was released a year ago critical of holding the national day on January 26 - the anniversary of the British Invasion in 1788.  Australia Radio Station Triple J have just announced they are moving the date of their Hottest 100 Countdown to the following day and the culture war shit is just hitting the fan!       



18) Photosynthesis by Frank Turner
The Wessex Boy who proves that if you had an acoustic guitar it meant that you were a protest singer.  He's very angry and he's taking a stand against sitting down, capitalism and the aging process.

19) Tic Tac Toe by Django Django 
First track taken from their third album Marble Skies due in early 2018.

20) Hell To The Liars (Kolsch Remix) by London Grammar
Playing out the year with a 12 minute Danish techno remix that elevates London Grammar's music onto my radar.

Mixtape November 2017

G'day, as this month is Australian Music Month, the playlist is totes true blue ridgy-didge Aussie.
We have trippy tunes, jazz reggae, indigenous skip hop, dirty rock, a splattering of indie and several genres that I fail to identify.  I expect many of these artists to reappear in Triple J's Hottest 100 countdown - or I would if it didn't get worse every year.  Did I mention I was a grumpy old indie kid?

Aussie Rock

1) Aunty Tracey's Cookies by Joyride
Funky jam from a band who obviously enjoy their space cookies.



2) Mystik by Tash Sultana 
That Tash is so hot right now! This reggae rocker breaks out into electronics and saxophone solos - it sounds bad on paper but at this stage she can do no wrong.

3) Shred For Summer by DZ Deathrays
Queensland hard rockers come out with killer riffs and a chorus celebrating the arrival of Summer.

4) On A Lock by Winston Surfshirt
This Sydney Band have just released Sponge Cake their debut laidback trippy album which is my tip for further listening this month.

5) Turn Up Your Light by Boo Seeka
Soulful trip hop from a very cool band currently touring Australia and New Zealand.

6) Lay It On Me by Vance Joy
Vance Joy's latest anthem has the potential to top Triple J's Hottest 100 and repeat the success of Riptide.

7) Marryuna by Baker Boy
The highly anticipated second single from Baker Boy whose debut song Cloud 9 deservedly won the NT's Song of the Year award.  The hype is also well deserved - this guy is going to be huge!

8) 105 by Sloan Peterson
Debut single by this Sydney band with a love of classic pop drenched in garage rock.

9) Not Worth Hiding  by Alex The Astronaut
With the non mandatory postal survey on the issue of same sex marriage due to be announced in early November, this is a topical and sweet song about coming out rather than living a lie. An antidote to the vitriol of the last couple of months.

10) The Future by Motez featuring Antony & Cleopatra
A chilled hit worthy of reuniting the greatest double act of the Roman Empire... Fair dos - I know nothing about any of these guys. 

11) November by Super Cruel featuring Lisa Mitchell 
Lisa Mitchell has been releasing folk-pop songs for the last ten years and is the featured vocalist on this electronic music - I'm too old to know how to describe it let alone dance to it.  Is it dubstep?  The title is November which is co-incidental - but pleasing.     

12) This Thing We Got by The Kite String Tangle 
One of the first tracks that I've enjoyed by The Kite String Tangle.  I've always like the band's name and now their music has caught up with it.

13) Into The Sky by Pnau
Now this is just warped trippy dance/rock crossover with slabs of synth and sampled vocals - Old school!

14) R.Y.K. by GUM
In a similar vein - this is another track from a Perth musician who is also a member of both Tame Impala and Pond - Lucky bastard!

15) 2 Black 2 Strong by A.B. Original 
Briggs is a legend and very funny comedian who often shows up to have a rant on the ABC.  His political hip hop band A.B. Original is the Australian equivalent of Public Enemy.  Check out their awesome album Reclaim Australia.



16) Dawning by DMA's
Another track from the DMA's who are following their usual formula on this latest release.  Innovation is for other people.

17) Hold On by The Money War
This has a Sleepy Jackson vibe to it.  Speaking of the Sleepy Jackson - weren't they meant to be reforming?  It's all gone very quiet on that front.

18) Black Lake by Wallace
Wallace has a great sultry voice and this track sounds like a lost James Bond theme.

19) Mechanical Bull by Stella Donnelly 
Singer songwriter recently nominated for best single in the West Australian Music Awards.  Gets a little bit PJ Harvey around the two minute mark.

20) Get High Like An Angel by The Bennies 
Melbourne Punk Ska band with their anthem to mediocrity and getting high.

That's it - now clear off and come back next month for my final monthly roundup and my end of year album and singles lists. 

Mixtape October 2017

There is an electronic flavour to this month's playlist with many groups releasing new tunes in the last few weeks.  The second half is a more mixed bag of indie scmindie covers and full on rock.

1) Everything Is Never Enough by Goldfrapp
Goldfrapp's latest single taken from their seventh album "Silver Eye".

2) Non Believer (Groove Armada's Remix) by London Grammar
Never been a fan of London Grammer, to me they are a moany version of The XX.  Luckily Groove Armada have the skills to improve any source material they remix.

3) Be Friends by Alice Ivy
Summertime good vibes with samples, raps and beats.

4) Chameleon by Pnau & Mele
Pnau are a funky Sydney dance outfit who deliver the goods on this remixed single.
The original version and video are below.



5) Black Rainbows by Cut Copy
Another Australian dance act from Melbourne who have been releasing tunes since 2004.
They have just released their fifth album "Haiku from Zero" and this track is quality.

6) Dive (Colorama & Shawn Lee Remix) by Saint Etienne
St Etienne need no introduction.  This remix is a mint eight minute workout of their recent single.

7) Lullaby Horizon by Way Out West
Bristol dance veterans doing what they do best - trancey chillout tracks.

8) Strange Waves by Shock Machine
Another slice of synthetic pop genius.

9) Poor Man Dan by Diane Coffee
When the drummer left Foxygen to form his own band he seems to have taken the pop spark with him and Foxygen have been in decline ever since.

10) No Diggity by Alice Jemima
I read recently that people who enjoy this song are more likely to be psychopaths - It's a fair cop!



11) Auld Reekie Blues by Reverend And The Makers
Single taken from their 2017 album "Death Of A King".

12) Waterfalls by Kyle Craft
A cover of the excellent TLC song.

13) Stop by Lisa Mitchell
Another cover by an Australian songstress who has just released an EP of cover versions tackling songs by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds and Placebo.  This one sounded familiar and I couldn't believe who sang the original until I google it.  If you can pick it then shame on you!

14) Up All Night by Beck
The wait is almost over - Beck will release his long awaited new album on the 13th October.  It will include the hits "Dreams", "Wow", "Dear Life" and this one "Up All Night".



15) Isn't Love by Citizen Kay
Australian skip hop artist Citizen Kay originally came from Ghana before he moved to Canberra asa child and has just released his "Belly of the Beast" album.

16) Asshole by The Creases
One of the highlights taken from the Brisbane band's "Tremolow" album.  Such a joyous chorus to sing along to.

17) The Line by Foo Fighters
The singer used to play drums for Nirvana.  This is how he spends his retirement.

18) How Far Must We Go? by Horsebeach
Taken from the Manchester band's third album "Beauty & Sadness".

19) Chateau by Angus & Julia Stone
Taken from the album "Snow" which is becoming one of my favourites of the year.

20) The Finish Line by Embrace
It is now the twentieth anniversary of the release of the first Embrace singles and they are back with a single taken from their eighth album expected in early 2018.

The Indie Years 1980

I grew up loving indie music but I couldn't always explain what it meant or where the term came from.  "Indie" can be applied to a wide variety of artists and genres but the term originated in the method of distribution of physical records/ tapes from the recording studio to the consumer.

To explain how the Independent record labels were distinct from the Major record labels in the late Twentieth Century, l have to paint a brief picture of the record industry in the 1970's.  I will keep it brief partly because it is fairly dull and mostly because I am not an authority.

The Major labels had whole corporations set up to produce, package, distribute and promote popular music if they believed they could could make huge profits. This was when people paid for music before the internet, downloading and streaming destroyed the profitability of the record industry. Therefore the music that appeared on the Majors was generally the established mainstream artists where the audience was known and financial risks were low.  The Majors had contracts with the artists and they wanted each album to be, as Kurt Cobain put it, a "Radio Friendly Unit Shifter".

The Majors would often pay radio stations to play their latest singles on heavy rotation to promote the accompanying albums.  Most radio stations rely on commercial money so needed to kelep audience numbers high.  As a rule most people who tuned in to the stations wanted songs they knew to hum along to whilst they got on with their day.  These factors meant that the airwaves were full of middle of the road adult orientated rock and probably still are, on the whole.

There was very little chance of new unknown and unsigned bands playing experimental music and inventing new sub-genres from breaking into such a market.  The Majors would only be interested if they could see something they could flog by the container load to the youth market. 

Some punk and new wave bands were "picked up" by the Majors, (or "sold out") however, in exchange for huge advances, they usually lost their artistic control.  The Clash and the Sex Pistols both signed with Majors in the 1970's and were both majorly pissed off with the interference that was exerted on them.  The songs Complete Control and E.M.I. were written in  reaction to The Man.  

So if you wanted to remain as an independent artist in control of your destiny and record a triple album of techno, jazz and punk then generally you needed to find or form an independent label.

The Do It Yourself spirit extended beyond playing the music to recording it, mixing it, creating the record sleeves, promoting it and delivery.  

The music charts in the UK were made up from the sales returns of the chain record stores so if independent labels weren't getting their records into the high street shops then they were also excluded from the charts.  In 1980 the first Independent Music Chart was compiled by the independent record stores consisting of any genre of music that was released on the independent label.  The term Indie music came into popular usage in the 1980's.  It has also been associated with a style or sound but the term was more about independence or lack of commercial appeal!

In this blog I am selecting twenty Indie tunes from the year 1980 and explaining why I think they are ace. I'm also not being overly fussy about whether the record was originally released on a Major or Independent label - if it has the spirit of Indie it's in.  To borrow the quote from Primal Scream's Come Together...

"Today on this program you will hear gospel and rhythm and blues and jazz.  All those are just labels, we know that music is music..."

The Indie Years 1980 Spotify Playlist

1) Love Will Tear Us Apart (Martin Hannett Sessions) by Joy Division (Factory)
Joy Division's biggest hit with a singalong chorus is a tale of Ian Curtis's marital breakdown
Producer Martin Hannett recorded and remixed multiple versions trying to find the perfect definitive mix.  He encouraged Ian Curtis to croon the song like a punk Frank Sinatra. Synthesizers replaced Bernard Summer's guitar and indicate the musical direction that the band were heading in.
Ian committed suicide soon after the single was released and their second album Closer made the Manchester band world famous and successful commercially.  The Joy Division story is told in the excellent film 24 Hour Party People.  

2) Final Day by Young Marble Giants (Rough Trade)
From out of Cardiff comes this song about a woman preparing her home and family against the onslaught of nuclear Armageddon in a short minimalist masterpiece accompanied by synthesized whines and a picked guitar.  The final day promises total devastation followed by peace at last.

3) Redemption Song by Bob Marley and The Wailers (Island)
The reggae is gone in Bob Marley's classic acoustic lament beloved by the campfire guitarists of the world.   The song's message is to strive to overcome hardships with faith, courage and self belief.
Bob had been losing a battle with cancer when he recorded what would become the closing song on his final album before he died in 1981.  He implores the listener to take up the causes he believed in after his time. "Won't you help to sing these songs of freedom?"

4) A Forest by The Cure (Fiction)
Robert Smith took tight control of the The Cure's direction for their second album.  Where Three Imaginary Boys had been a compilation of material written over their formative punk years, the new album Seventeen Seconds would be a more considered offering of minimalist atmospherics, sketchy instrumentals and some standout songs like this haunted gem.

5) D-7 by The Wipers (Park Avenue)
I don't understand the lyrics to Dimension-7 but this punk song is awesome.  The Wipers were formed in Portland, OR by guitarist Greg Sage who craved the underground and stayed well below the radar.  D-7 was covered by Nirvana which is the only reason I have even heard of the band.

6) Police On My Back by The Clash (CBS)
In 1980 The Clash were calling the shots and released Sandinista, a triple album with thirty-six songs influenced by hip hop, dub, jazz, folk, and every type of world music.  For me they went too far and the quality suffers but there are a handful of tracks that cut through including this anti-police rocker sung over a siren.  Career Opportunities played on a xylophone and sung by some kids is another highlight on the album.

7) Echo Beach by Martha and the Muffins (Dindisc)
A song from a Canadian band daydreaming about escaping the drudgery of the life as an office drone to return to a fantastical beach paradise that seems faraway in time.  

8) Ace Of Spades by Motorhead (Bronze)
The jewel in the crown of Motorhead's career is the gambler's anthem The Ace of Spades.  With its tumbling drums, dirty guitar riffs and howling vocals of the filthiest rock n rollers on the planet it became an instant "live fast, die young" classic.

9) Cool by Pylon (dB)
Hailing from Athens, Georgia, Pylon played jagged guitar music with a yelping female vocalist.  This was their debut single.  Two obscure 80's albums were released and if it wasn't for R.E.M. championing them and their cover of Crazy on Dead Letter Office then I wouldn't have heard of them either.


10) People Who Died by The Jim Carroll Band (Atco)
Jim Carroll was a New York poet who briefly formed a band and recorded this vicious album.  This song is a tribute to all his friends that had died too soon.  Jim's autobiography "The Basketball Diaries" was made into a film in 1995 starring a very young Leonardo DiCaprio and is well worth watching.  (Rotten Tomatoes disagrees 46%).





11) Shark Attack by Split Enz (Mushroom)
Another gem from Split Enz.  Comparing his love to a deadly shark that will chew you up and spit you out. Contains the best lyrics ever written about being nibbled by sharks.

12) Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps by Splodgenessabounds (Deram)
A joke that wears thin on repeat listening but I recommend listening at least once a decade.

13) The Earth Dies Screaming by UB40 (Graduate)
This was the third single from UB40 in 1980 released on the independent Graduate label.  The British Reggae band went on to become one of the biggest Reggae acts in the world from humble beginnings on the doll in a Birmingham bedsit.


14) Sketch for A Summer by The Durutti Column (Factory)
Manchester guitarist Vini Reilly released the debut album with a sandpaper record sleeve so it would destroy the other records in your collection.  "It's good music to chill out to", says Steve Coogan in Twenty Four Hour Party People. Vini would later work with Morrissey on his debut album after the break up of The Smiths.




15) I Will Follow by U2 (Island)
Early track by U2 taken from their debut album Boy.  I Will Follow has been their most played song through their live career according to some statto with far too much time on their hands.


16) Everybody's Got Something To Hide (Except For Me And My Monkey) by The Feelies (Stiff Records)
The New York band played frantic jittery guitars released the Crazy Rhythms album in 1980 which includes this Beatles' cover.  The Feelies album cover looks like Weezer's Blue Album but pre-dates it by 15 years and don't they look like a Mid-Nineties Blur?  The record stiffed on release and the band resisted pressure to make commercial hits and split up instead.  They reformed for a follow up in 1986 produced by R.E.M.'s Peter Buck who was another Feelies fan.

17) World Up My Ass by Circle Jerks (Frontier Records)
I discovered this L.A. hardcore punk band whilst compiling this blog and I did LMAO when I heard this defiant blast of extreme noise terror.  Well worth seventy-two seconds of your day.

18) There Goes Concorde Again by ...And The Native Hipsters
A home recording that took the ear of DJ John Peel and entered the Independent charts in August 1980. They recorded further material but not even I've ventured that far left-field. (lol)



19) Baggy Trousers by Madness (Stiff)
Beloved by 80's school kids a nutty song about getting through school (teachers and pupils) and much more fun than Pink Floyd's Another Brick In The Wall. Madness were massive in the early 80's and had many hits between 79 and 86.  They reform all the time and still release new music to their hardcore fanbase.





20) Going Underground by The Jam
Rivaling Madness in UK chart success were The Jam who released singles ever few months and a new album every year.  Going Underground went straight to number 1 on its first week of release.
This is a rant about turning your back on society and literally going underground and leaving the politicians, the media and the general public to deserve each other.


Further Reading...
The Indie Years 1977
The Indie Years 1978
The Indie Years 1979
The Indie Years 1981
The Indie Years 1982
The Indie Years 1983
The Indie Years 1984
The Indie Years 1985
The Indie Years 1986

Mixtape September 2017

Twenty tracks to fill the void left by the end of the Game Of Thrones season.

1) Something More by Shock Machine
The former Klaxon, James Righton, has just released his first album under the Shock Machine moniker.

2) The Devil's Shelter (Young Galaxy Remix) by Elephant Stone
Canadian band remixed by another Canadian band resulting in some hypnotic rhythms.

3) Spanish Town Rocking by Chronixx
Laid back and smooth Jamaican reggae taken from Chronology the debut album by Chronixx.

4) Across The Multiverse by Dent May
Dent May makes a welcome return with an excellent album of the same name.

5) Dear Life by Beck
Beck continues his slow drip feed of singles from his forthcoming album.  This is the third single in three years.  Just do it already.

6) Put Me Together by Everything Everything 
A band named after the opening words from Radiohead's Kid A, creating music in the same vein.

7) Whiskey, Wine and Ham by Black Grape 
No idea if it means anything but it is prime Shaun Ryder akin to A Big Day In The North.

8) Love Me More by Chase & Status featuring Emeli Sande
Like a drum n' bass I Will Survive but better than that sounds.

9) You Can Be Your Silhouette by King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard
Taken from the stoner-jazz Sketches of Brunswick East album. Only the third album released this year by King Gizz and the Liz Wiz.  Sad to say they are slowing down.

10) Up All Night by The War On Drugs
Finally The War on Drugs have released A Deeper Understanding, their follow up to 2014's Lost In The Dream.  If you have a couple of days to spare why not enjoy one of their guitar solos.  Still can't put my finger on why I like them so much - it must be old age!  

11)  In My Car by The Creases
Brisbane indie pop by numbers.  It's alright I guess but will I remember it in years to come?  I've just listened to it and I can barely recall it.  It goes "der dur der dur dur dur" and then I forget.

12) Remedy by The Allergies featuring Dr. Syntax
I keep hearing new tunes by this band and they always sound fresh mixing up genres and adding guest vocalists - can't believe they are not world famous yet.

13) Instant Crush by Cage The Elephant
Taken from a live covers album Unpeeled, they take on the Daft Punk song originally sung by Julian Casablancas.  They can't match the vocals but it is interesting to hear it played by a indie band.

14) Heroes by Motorhead
This David Bowie classic is turned up to eleven and tastefully reproduced by Motorhead from their Under Cover album.

15) Stupid Things by INHEAVEN
The band look like a glamourous version of  the Senseless Things if such a look was possible or even desirable.  Crusties in make-up basically.  But in this feedback drenched track they manage to include a catchy pop song.  It sounds like early Jesus and Mary Chain playing Friday I'm In Love.

16) Lust For Life (The Avener Rework) by Lana Del Rey
I do like her voice but the original version left me as cold.  The song is about climbing the Hollywood sign in the buff and instantly forgettable.  But when The Avener remixed it it is subtley transformed into a groovy and mildly funky dancefloor pleaser.  The Avener, it appears can polish a turd.

17) Beatnik Trip by Gin Wigmore
A little gospel tinged number from New Zealand's Gin Wigmore.

18) Into The Sky by Pnau
Australia's Pnau have been going for nearly twenty years and are better known as half of Empire of the Sun.  This track was inspired by their love of Madchester and the Happy Mondays but despite these influences - it sounds different.

19) Over Everything by Courtney Barnett & Kurt Vile
A stoner duet by two of indie rock's most rough sounding singer songwriters.

20) The Rains Of Castamere by The National
Finally, The National perform The Rains Of Castamere from the Game Of Thrones Soundtrack.  A song beloved by the Lannister Army retelling the grisly fate of House Rain who betrayed them.  So wallow in this and lament another long wait until the final season is leaked.

But if you haven't already seen it then check out Coldplay's Game of Thrones Musical.

The Indie Years 1979

Twenty punk and new wave songs selected songs all culled from the final year of the 1970s.  

The third in the ongoing series of The Indie Years.  Spoiler...1980 is next!

The Indie Years 1979

The Indie Years 1979 Spotify Playlist

1) Boys Don't Cry by The Cure (Fiction) An early single from Robert Smith's gothic pop band. Despite being totally awesome, it wasn't a big hit until it was re-released in 1986 with a new video.  The Cure didn't even include it on their debut album Three Imaginary Boys

2) Are 'Friends' Electric by Tubeway Army (Beggars Banquet)
Gary Numan's new wave outfit with a synthetic anthem.  I once owned this 7-inch which I picked up whilst browsing the second hand racks in a record shop.  I miss that - it's not the same now that almost all of recorded music is available at the end of a search engine.  However, the flip side is I purchased a lot of lame music back then on a hunch without hearing it.  The keyboard riff was later used by the pop group Sugababes on their Freak Like Me single in 2002.



3) Guns of Brixton by The Clash
The Clash were at their creative peak in 79 when they recorded and released the classic London Calling double album.  This reggae rock rebel song dealt with a common theme of fighting The Man.   It references the reggae movie The Harder They Come and poses a recurring question asked by The Clash - Are you going to surrender meekly to unjust authority or go out kicking and screaming, in a hail of bullets and a romanticized blaze of glory?





4) California Uber Alles by Dead Kennedys (Alternative Tentacles)
The West Coast Punk band sing an unflattering tribute about their State Senator Jerry Brown comparing him to Hitler.  They create a terrifying vision of the future which evokes images of a satanic hellhole worse than the alternative 1985 in the Back To The Future movies.  Jerry Brown had political ambitions as a Democratic Party's Presidential candidate but he never had enough support to be the front runner - this song may have hindered his appeal.   Amazingly he is still Californian Senator today having been re-elected in 2011.

5) Sound of the Suburbs by The Members (Virgin)
Back to England for a song about the punk explosion in the suburbs.

6) Video Killed The Radio Star by The Buggles (Island Records)
Buddy Holly glasses and a synth pop lament on new technology and obsolescence made this a worldwide hit for these one hit wonders.

7) Oliver's Army by Elvis Costello and The Attractions (Radar)
Another anti-war song inspired by The Troubles in Northern Ireland.

8) The Monochrome Set by The Monochrome Set (Rough Trade)
In Britain, there was a band called the B-Sides who morphed into Adam and The Ants.  Not all the B-Side band members wanted to be involved in the Ants and The Monochrome Set was established by the members who were opposed to spending the rest of the decade wearing make-up and dressing as pirates and highwaymen.



9) Gangsters by The Specials (2-Tone)
2-Tone ska revivalists from Coventry who sang about social issues and mashed up mod, punk and ska.  Gangsters was their debut single taken from the debut album The Specials produced by Elvis Costello who was having a busy year.

10) One Way Or Another by Blondie
Debby Harry sings her Stalkers Anthem.

11) Damaged Goods by Gang Of Four (Fast Product)
Political and dance-able post-punk from Leeds.

12) Cities by Talking Heads (Sire)
Where over a relentless beat the lead singer of Talking Heads deliberates on which city he should live in.  He considers both good points and bad points.  Options explored include London, Birmingham and Memphis.  Who doesn't enjoy a list? The song fades out before any conclusion is reached so I'm sure he just stayed in New York.

13) I'm Bored by Iggy Pop 
Where Iggy is bored with it all and sick of all the stiffs.

14) Dead Souls by Joy Division (Factory)
The intense sounds of Joy Division's music stands out above all peers at this point. Their classic debut album Unknown Pleasures was released in '79.  This song would later be covered by Nine Inch Nails in the Nineties for the excellent soundtrack of The Crow.



15) I See Red by Split Enz (Mushroom Records)
New Zealand's greatest band return with this unhinged colour coded rocker. Tim Finn's song of being used and abused by an older woman.

16) The Eton Rifles by The Jam (Polydor)
Paul Weller sings about class warfare recalling a fight between an unemployment march and students of the elite Eton College.

17) Up The Junction by Squeeze (A&M)
A three minute love story - "boy meets girl, domestic bliss, pregnancy, poverty, heavy drinking, girl meets soldier, betrayal, bitterness and regret". Love the rhyming couplets especially the ones that seem strained!

18)  Into The Valley by Skids (Virgin Records)
Stirring Scottish punk rock with dueling guitars and undecipherable lyrics.  Written about a friend who died during a tour of Northern Ireland.

19) Banana Splits (The Tra La La Song) by The Dickies (A&M)
Kids TV themes were fair game for otherwise obscure punk artists who needed a hit.  The same tactics were used in the early 90's by otherwise obscure rave artists.



20) Rebellious Jukebox by The Fall (Step Forward)
Manchester's must cultish band recorded their debut album in a studio in a single day - can you tell?  The band had just recruited their 16 year old roadie (future Radio DJ and co-founder of The Shirehorses) Marc "Lard" Riley on bass guitar.







Further Reading...

The Indie Years 1977
The Indie Years 1978
The Indie Years 1980
The Indie Years 1981
The Indie Years 1982
The Indie Years 1983
The Indie Years 1984
The Indie Years 1985
The Indie Years 1986

Mixtape August 2017

The Soundtrack to August is here featuring both new uncovered bands and seasoned campaigners supplying a mixture of the tastiest indie pop rock dance and trip hop nuggets available.    

Minidiscs - Format of the Future

1) The System Only Dreams In Total Darkness by The National - Perfect!

2) We Were Beautiful by Belle and Sebastian - An unexpected new drum and bass direction from Belle and Sebastian.  The slide guitars are unnerving but once the horn section kicks in you start to accept it.

3) Head of the Horse by The Drums - The Drums are now reduced to a one man band who plays jangling indie laments.  Taken from the new album Abysmal Thoughts.

4) The Way You Used To Do by Queens of the Stone Age  - Hard rock veterans are about to release their seventh album Villains in August, their first in four years.

5) Slam by Way Out West -  It is fantastic to see these 90's trancers producing tunes to rival their glory years.  This is a banger.

6) Can't Do by Everything Everything - Manchester, once again, deliver the goods.

7) Avant Gardener by Gordi - One Aussie artists covers another.  Gordi's cover somehow enhances Courtney Barnett's original version.

8) Humongous by Declan McKenna - Talented Brit who has just release his debut album.

9) Signs of Life by Arcade Fire - The new Arcade Fire album is out now and it's restored order to the cosmos.  I may have oversold it - it doesn't suck.



 10) Less Than by Nine Inch Nails - Trent Reznor returns to expand the influence of the Audio-Industrial Complex.

11) I Wanna Be Like You by Black Grape -  Shaun Ryder and Kermit bring the disposable good time vibes.  But will Bez rejoin them or release his own tambourine solo album?

12) Entitled to That by The Allergies - Like a cross between Big Beat and Motown.  The Allergies can't do wrong in my book.

13) All The Pretty Girls by The Darkness - The debate rages as to whether The Darkness are cheesy because they are ironic or just because they are cheesy.  I tell myself it is the former which is how I live with myself.

14) Don't Delete The Kisses by Wolf Alice - A hypnotic swirling storm of bliss.

15) Oh Lord by Club Sport - Great Aussie band with a gospel number.

16) Leave (Alternative Version) by R.E.M - The original version appeared on 1996's New Adventures In Hi-Fi album and was sung over a loud siren.  It was a pleasure to find this alternative arrangement of a personal favourite - enhanced by not having that bloody siren ringing throughout.

17) Cowboys or Indians by UNKLE - Creepy trip hop from UNKLE's sixth album.

18) Groove Is In The Heart/Californian Girls by Crocodiles - I stumbled over this wonderful cover of Dee-Lite and The Beach Boys recently and can't get enough of it.

19) Spook City by Moses Gunn Collective - Psychedelic pop from Queensland. 

20) Flash by The Belligerents - More infectious indie pop from Brisbane.

The Indie Years 1978

This is the second blog in the series The Indie Years - I am going to create one blog and playlist for each year.  Inspired by the original punk bands there was an explosion of new talent that embraced the D.I.Y. ethos and didn't see lack of musicianship as a reason not to get up and perform.
The term post punk was used as a catch-all phrase as the new bands playing the most interesting music were all heading in different directions and leaving the limited pure punk behind.

The Indie Years 1978

The Indie Years 1978 Spotify Playlist

1) Shot By Both Sides - Magazine
In Manchester, Howard Devito had left the Buzzcocks and formed Magazine in 1977.  This is their classic first single which reached the dizzy heights of #41 in the UK Charts in January 1978. 



2) (White Man) In Hammersmith Palais - The Clash
This song showcases a remarkable progression the The Clash had made since their debut album the previous year.  The lyrics are savage - they were no longer predicting a riot, they were documenting the decline of the country.

3) The Saints Are Coming - Skids
The third single by these Scottish punks was later a world-wide hit when covered by U2 and Green Day.   Southampton FC used to play this before emerging on the pitch at St Mary's Stadium.

4) Hong Kong Garden - Siouxsie and the Banshees
Oriental tinged post punk ditty in homage to their favourite Chinese takeaway.



5) Alternative Ulster - Stiff Little Fingers (Rough Trade)
Northern Ireland's best punk band were the Stiff Little Fingers who found shot to fame after John Peel played their debut single Suspect Device on high rotation.  Island Records paid for the recording of their debut album but refused to release it as they didn't think it would sell.  Their manager then walked off with the master recordings and they were mixed and released on Geoff Travis' independent Rough Trade label. Inflamable Material became the first independent album to chart reaching #14 the following year.

6) Ever Fallen In Love (With Someone You Shouldn't Have) - Buzzcocks
Pete Shelly took control of Manchester's Buzzcocks and had a big hit pairing the energy of punk rock with the winning pop subject matter of unrequited teenage love.  It is a sub-three minute masterpiece.

7) Another Girl, Another Planet - The Only Ones
In the same vein is this gem from an otherwise forgotten band who released three albums between 78-81.  They gained a cult following so may be worth some investigation but I haven't found the time yet.

8) Teenage Kicks - The Undertones
Another Norther Irish punk band and this song was beloved by Radio 1 Indie champion John Peel.  They had a bit of a rivalry with the Stiff Little Fingers who they accused of exploiting the conflict of Northern Ireland.  In return the Stiff Little Fingers accused The Undertones of ignoring it.


9) Down In The Tube Station At Midnight - The Jam

Paul Weller's social commentary and storytelling was at its peak with mid period The Jam.  This was a single taken from their third album in under two years which shows either the unstoppable work ethos or lack of quality control.  This tells a tale of a young man who gets a late night kicking from some thugs in an underground station.

10) Solitary Confinement - The Members
It's a joy to discover songs as fresh and funny as this four decades later.  A punk rock story of a lad who moves to the big city for the excitement but the dream doesn't live up to expectations.  Includes a spoken verse that would later become the trademark of Jarvis Cocker.

11) Digital - Joy Division (Factory)
Joy Division's first release was on the debut release from Tony Wilson's Factory Records on a double seven inch released in December 78.    

12) Part Time Punks - Television Personalities
One of my favourite songs about indie snobbery - sneering at the trend following rich kids.

13) Okay - The Shoes
This is a long way from punk - A sweet power pop song by a US outfit with a sound that would be adopted by a number of indie bands in the 1980s.


14) Walk On By - The Stranglers
A cover of Dionne Warwick's 1964 R&B pop song.  The Stranglers version has dirtier guitars and the punk vocal delivery.  However The Stranglers were never a real punk band and had been touring the pub circuit for most of the decade.  Doubling the length of the original with packing it with long winded organ solos reveals their true prog rock pretensions.



15) Because Of The Night - Patti Smith Group 
Patti Smith's biggest hit was partially written by Bruce Springsteen whilst he was in a dispute with his record company and unable to record his own material.  Patti Smith finished off the lyrics recorded it as a rock ballad to worldwide approval.

16) Take Me To The River - Talking Heads (Sire)
Another cover - This one was originally by Al Green and the Heads make it their own with this stripped down take.

17) Hanging On The Telephone - Blondie
Blondie's broke into the mainstream with a series of classic singles in 1978-79.  Hanging On The Telephone was written by a LA band called The Nerves and it was this pile-driving cover that helped Blondie crack the UK top ten.

18) Be My Girl, Sally -The Police
An early album track, with another spoken word interlude, telling the tale of Sting's passionate relationship with a blow up doll.  You won't find this on any of the later coffee table compilations!


19) You Can't Put Your Arms Around A Memory - Johnny Thunders
Ex New York Doll's member Johnny Thunders with backing support from Peter Perrett of The Only Ones.

20) Public Image - Public Image Limited
The Sex Pistols had imploded after their first album.  Sid Vicious had murdered his girlfriend and died of a heroin overdose whilst of bail. Johnny Rotten had reverted to his real name of John Lydon and formed Public Image Limited in 1978.  This was their debut single.

Further Reading...
The Indie Years 1977
The Indie Years 1979
The Indie Years 1980
The Indie Years 1981
The Indie Years 1982
The Indie Years 1983
The Indie Years 1984
The Indie Years 1985
The Indie Years 1986

The Indie Years 1977

This will be the first of a series of blogs focusing on the best alternative / independent records from each year.  I have started forty years ago in 1977 when punk rock went mainstream in the UK.  The first handful of UK punk records were released in '76 and I have previously blogged about those here.

For each year I will provide a playlist on Spotify restricted to twenty tracks from 20 different acts. Most years will necessitate hard decisions to select the tracks.  For other years I was struggling to reach 20 so have gone exploring the internet for hidden gems which has also been rewarding unearthing new (old) music.

The Indie Years 1977

The Indie Years 1977 Spotify Playlist

                                                   
1) God Save The Queen - Sex Pistols (Virgin)
Released during the month of the Queen Elizabeth's Silver Jubilee this became the biggest hit of the punk scene. The single was immediately banned by the BBC and many other British radio stations which resulted in it shooting to the top of the charts.  The official charts were rumoued to have been tampered to ensure it did not reach the top spot. The band were arrested as they attempted to play this song from a barge on the River Thames during the royal celebrations.  Despite being published by Richard Branson's Virgin Records, this didn't stop the Queen from knighting Branson years later.



2) Love Comes In Spurts - Richard Hell & The Voidoids (Sire)
A snotty US punk rocker from whom Malcolm McLaren copied the look for the Sex Pistols.  Richard Hell had stints in both The Heartbreakers and Television before releasing the Blank Generation album from which this spunky song was the lead track.


3) Teenage Lobotomy - Ramones
One of the original US punk bands formed in Queens, New York in 1974 and the new punk rock sounds were in such contrast to the predominant prog rock that they changed the game and inspired the first UK punk bands.  This track is one of their most famous and was taken from their second album Rocket to Russia.

4) Psycho Killer - Talking Heads (Sire)
New York's Talkin' Heads first hit was a live recording of this unhinged murder ballad.

5) Boredom - Buzzcocks (New Hormones)
English punk band from Bolton who issued their early singles on their own record label and was produced by Manchester legend Martin Hannett.  Original member Howard DeVito soon became bored with the limitations of the punk movement and quit shortly after this release - later to form Magazine.

6) Motorhead - Motorhead
Lemmy was a member of the space prog rock band Hawkwind during the early 1970s.  When he was arrested for drug charges on a US tour, he was kicked out of the band.  He formed Motorhead and mixed hard rock with the trash and speed of punk inventing the Trash Metal genre.  This song was later covered by Primal Scream on their Vanishing Point album.

7) Chinese Rocks - Johnny Thunders & The Heartbreakers
Richard Hell announced to Dee Dee Ramone that he was going to write a drug song better than Lou Reed's "Heroin".  Inspired Dee Dee wrote Chinese Rocks but the rest of the Ramones said it was too obviously about drugs to include in their set.  They obviously were feeling a bit paranoid for some reason!  Richard Hell helped finish the song and it was eventually recorded by the Heartbreakers after Richard Hell had left the band.  The Ramones later recorded their own version. Presumably after they had hidden their stash.


8) Uptown Top Ranking - Althea and Donna
A Jamaican reggae song with a couple of teenage girls freestyling over an old 1960s song called Three Piece Suit by Trinity.  Uptown Top Ranking was played accidentally by legendary indie champion DJ John Peel on his radio show and ended up topping the UK singles charts.

9) Marquee Moon - Television
Richard Hell had been kicked out of Television following arguments with Tom Verlain due to musical differences - but this was the lead single from their second album.  At over ten minutes long and full of intricate guitar licks it stands out from the short sharp shock of the traditional punk song.



10) The Passenger - Iggy Pop
The Stooges front man went solo after hanging out in Berlin with David Bowie and created most of his best songs on the two albums he released in 1977 (The Idiot and Lust For Life).

11) Oxygene Pt.2 - Jean-Michel Jarre
Spaced out electronic melodies from the French composer.  My Dad used to play this album whilst I would stargaze out from the car window.


12) Natural Mystic - Bob Marley & The Wailers (Island)
Bob Marley relocated to London after he survived an assassination attempt in Kingston, Jamaica where he stayed in self exile for a couple of years.  Bob Marley & The Wailers became International stars after the success of the Exodus album.



13) Police and Thieves - The Clash
The Clash infused their punk rock with reggae influences including covers.  This album track from their debut album was originally recorded the previous year by Jamaican singer Marvin Junior and the lyrics fit with their outlaw image.  "Police and Thieves in the street, fighting the nation with their guns and ammunition".
Live footage of The Clash's debut single is below as a bonus.

14) No More Heroes - The Stranglers
Pub Rockers who jumped on the punk nihilist bandwagon but still incorporated an organ solo to rival The Door's Light My Fire and penned the immortal lyrics, "Whatever happened to Leon Trotsky?  He got an ice pick that made his ear's burn."  Classic!

15) Three Girl Rhumba - Wire
English band Wire released their first album Pink Flag in 1977.  This was influential on many groups that followed including Elastica who ripped off the opening of Three Girl Rhumba on their  1994 single Connection.



16) World Wide World - Wreckless Eric (Stiff Records)
A punk unrequited love song.

17) In The City - The Jam
The debut single from Paul Weller's first band.  The mod/punk trio was the vehicle for Weller's songwriting.  They didn't dress like punks and donned suits and ties.  The Jam's sincerity and style were later questioned in the mocking lyrics of The Clash's (White Man) In Hammersmith Palais.  "The New Groups Are Not Concerned With What There Is To Be Learned, They've got Burton Suits, They Think It's Funny, Turning Rebellion Into Money".



18) My Mistake - Split Enz (Mushroom Records)
Before Crowded House, Tim and Neil Finn were members of the theatrical cabaret pop Split Enz who released many albums over ten years but struggled to find success outside of New Zealand and Australia. My Mistake was their first single to bother the charts.

19) I Feel Love - Donna Summer
A worldwide disco hit produced by Giorgio Moroder.  The high tempo, mechanical beats and icy synths resulted in a highly influential record in dance music, 80's synth pop and later techno.

20) Two Sevens Clash - Culture
Playing out with some classic Rastafarian roots reggae.

Further Reading...

The Indie Years 1978
The Indie Years 1979
The Indie Years 1980
The Indie Years 1981
The Indie Years 1982
The Indie Years 1983
The Indie Years 1984
The Indie Years 1985
The Indie Years 1986