1st August 2008

This weeks niggling oddities from the world of music. It's been a weird week, I've been mostly listening to the same two albums, but as always there's a few that have got in from somewhere.

Eels - Susan's House


There's something quite surreal about Eels' songs. Many are quite simplistic even childlike in their music with sophisticated lyrics,like Flyswatter. Then some are really dark and need a certain frame of mind to enjoy. Susan's House was my first exposure to Eels and is perhaps my favourite as to me it's a perfect pop song. There's the bass only intro, and it's slack bass with a bit of warp in there, then there's the spoken word verse about walking to his friends house and the people he encounters from mad people to teenage moms , and then there's the Degrassi Street piano intro to sung chorus. It's a bit like a David Lynch film in a three minute pop song, and it's perfect.

Belly - Super Connected


Because Tanya Donelly is a goddess. I saw her her once at Portsmouth Wedgewood Rooms when she was touring the Lovesongs For Underdogs album, and it was perfect, and as well as her solo material she did some Belly tracks. This is one of them. Not my favourite of hers, that's Mysteries of the Unexplained, but the best Belly song, and a weird ass video.

Julianna Hatfield 3 - My Sister



I have a thing for angry shouty female singers, so in the early 90s I was a walking bag of hormones and very happy. Here, Hatfield is hacked off with her sister because she's not around, then she's happy with her because she takes her to gigs and is cool. Make your mind up, love.

Great guitar riff met by really dodgy dancing. Americans, eh?



Peaches - Fuck The Pain Away


I first became aware of Peaches through Soulwaxs 2ManyDJs project. It's therapy through song, or is it her just saying "Check me out boys and girls, I'm looking mighty fine." ? Saying that her other songs include Slippery Dick. Make your own minds up, kids.


Pulp - This Is Hardcore


There is no such thing as a bad Pulp song, and with so many to chose from here's the band getting Ali sleazy and pervier than normal. This is off the album of the same name that nobody really liked, except the true Pulp aficionados who realise it's the best post fame album they did, and while not my favourite - that's the epic My Legendary Girlfriend - it's more than deserving another airing. Nobody does the sleaze of modern life better than Pulp.

Born Ruffians - Hummingbird


Better known as the Orange Animals advert theme, this follows the tradition known as Babylon Zoo Syndrome, where the best bit of the song is the only bit on the ad. However these boys are smart and put the good bit at the end so you have to sit through the song to get to it. Mind you it's still good summery jangly pop.

The Vines - Ride


Ending with another advert theme, this one is a belting rocker from the antipodeans. Big guitars and belting screams of a chorus. Love it.

25th July 2008

This week has been a tough one for the Friday 7 as I've not really had that tune running through my head feeling, mainly through being busy as ever with other stuff. I've not had my MP3 on much so there's not been my skipping too and fro through the play list that much. Also, as I've banned anything I review on a, I'm excluding the only gig I've been to this week from the list.

Pendulum - Propane Nightmares



There's not a lot to say about Pendulum, they annoy me with basically the same song just different words. This, however, has even stolen the riff off Rock Lobster by The B-52s. Unoriginal populist toss.

The Flaming Lips - The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song



I love the Flaming Lips. They bring fun and the ethos of good time pop rock to intelligent music. Basically a call- response song,with a vocoder hook, it's about where your morals lie, but without the preaching. It's also very uplifting.

Jane's Addiction - Been Caught Stealin'



1990 wasn't a great year for music. Amongst the shite and dreck of KWS, Bitty McLean and Patto Banton we got little gems. This is one of them. Perry Farrell would go on to form Porno For Pirates and Perry Farrell's Satellite Party with the bloke from Extreme. He's obviously mental. So here, enjoy him at his best.

Flowered Up - Weekender

Part 1


Part 2

In the days of the baggy there did stride from the lands a bunch of really bad coat tail hanging on shit bands who thought any vague or blatant mention of drugs got a hit. Out of the chaff came the wheat, and Weekender by Flowered Up is off to make Kingsmill Seeded Batch, not Tesco Blue Stripe Medium Cut. Before The Streets, Flowered Up were telling tales of bored kids and getting blasted at the weekend. Rather than a video they made a short film, told here in two parts with the song split over the two. The 12" version was an almighty 24 minutes long, proving they were willing to pay out rather than fleece the fans with their value for money policy. Or Not.

Milltown Brothers - Which Way Should I Jump?



In the early 90s I lived in a shit hole in Lancashire called Colne. It was a typical one horse town where the only industry was the pound shop. These lads were the local heroes, and they were still one of the better bands to come out of that period dominated by Oasis copyists who weren't very good.

The Frank and Walters - Fashion Crisis Hits New York



There was a time when bands looked like they'd rather cook a casserole than get pissed and fight. TFAW looked like one of those bands, they uses phrases like hippy-diddly, and although they had dreds and mushroom haircuts were probably quite harmless and decent people. They also wrote really good indie pop songs, like this one.

Sugar - Changes



Over the last couple of years I've seen Bob Mould a couple of times and it reminded me how great a band Sugar were. Here's one of their two big hits off of Copper Blue, the other being the more laid back If I Can Change Your Mind. I was just out of art college when this came out,it was a phase I was going through.

July 18 2008

Something a little different this week for the Friday 7. I run a clubnight, and this week my partner has been in the States so I had to DJ the full night on my todd. So here's the set list I made to make sure I didn't repeat any artist too soon. In the set is my Friday 7, not the songs that are niggling me noggin, but just the ones I don't play that often that I'd like to share


Lust for Life - Iggy Pop
No Fun - The Stooges
Rockaway Beach - The Ramones
Oh Bondage Up Yours! - X Ray Specs
I Fought The Law - The Clash
Orgasm Addict - The Buzzcocks
Stand & Deliver - Adam and the Ants
Dear Prudence - Siouxsie and the Banshees



Teenage Kicks - The Undertones
And She Was - Talking Heads
Dance Magic Dance - David Bowie
Safety Dance - Men Without Hats
Enjoy the Silence - Depeche Mode
Friday I'm In Love - The Cure
Give It Away - Red Hot Chilli Peppers
Epic - Faith No More
Pretend We're Dead - L7
Been Caught Stealin' - Janes Addiction
Start Choppin' - Dinosaur Jr



Sugar Kane - Sonic Youth
Mrs Robinson - The Lemonheads
Planet of Sound - The Pixies
Another Love Song - Queens of the Stone Age
Monkey Wrench - Foo Fighters
All The Small Things - Blink 182
The Kids Aren't Alright - The Offspring
Neat Neat Neat - The Damned



7 Nation Army - The White Stripes
The Bucket - Kings of Leon
Special K - Placebo
Direct Hit - Art Brut
If The Kids Are United - Sham 69
This Charming Man (NY Vocal) - The Smiths
New England - Kirsty McColl
Away From Here - The Enemy
Na Na Na Na Na - Kaiser Chiefs
Bandages - Hot Hot Heat



Creeping Up The Backstairs - The Fratellis
Our Velocity - Maximo Park
Freakin' Out - Graham Coxon



Generator - The Holloways
Cassius - Foals
Brianstorm - Arctic Monkeys
Kill The Director - The Wombats
Don't You Wanna Be Relevant - The Cribs



Shut Up and Let Me Go - The Ting Tings
Destroy Everything You Touch - Ladytron



Let's Make Love and Listen to Death From Above - CSS
Kids - MGMT
We Share Our Mother's Health - The Knife
Tracey Jacks - Blur
GIRLFREN(You Know He's Got a...)- Everybody's In The French Resistance NOW

what is the friday 7?

Welcome to the new home of the friday 7. For the last few weeks tf7 has been at my main blog fast broads, but now, due to the fact that it takes up window space it has it's own shiny sparky home.

So what is the friday 7? Basically it's the seven songs that have been nagging me throughout the week. Songs that are in my head and stuck there, refusing to let go. Like the little alien that clings to John Hurt' s mush. You can catch up on previous entries here or if I were you I wouldn't bother. Just start here with



Robots In Disguise The DJs Got a Gun

One of three of their tracks that have been doing me nut in proper the last week or so. Noel Fielding's mates - so I should detest them cos I can't stand him, he's a cock - are the electropop Shampoo.



They look like a band who are all about the hair - Townsend spent thousands on guitars, these two spend thousands at Toni and Guy. For a better song try The Sex Has Made Me Stupid

Shed Seven Chasing Rainbows

York's finest* at their best. They may have had their moment, but this was their moment. Forget the football terrace anthems and the swagger attitude of Disco Down and She Left Me On A Friday this is what Shed Seven will always be about.





Gene Olympian

Somewhere in the underground bunker owned by the men in black suits is a room where all the really good bands who showed promise are kept. The room is decked out with a single 50"plasma screen showing clips from Top Of The Pops and CD:UK of boy bands and slaggy girls at No 1 in the charts. These bands are strapped to chairs with their eyes forced wide open like in Clockwork Orange, while in a corner a man in white lab coat berates them for having ambition, and how they should cower under the glory of processed pop before being released into the community, broken and beaten, to take up jobs in accounts departments and HR. Gene are one of those bands. And it's a shame because they could have been contenders



Roxy Music Virginia Plain

You know how sometimes you love stuff and you don't know why? That's how I am with the Roxy Music. Pity they went really shit because Ferry's voice is so smooth and rich, and the music is some hodge podge of styles, and they look completely bonkers. Here's one of their best

David Devant and His Spirit Wife Cookie

The natural successors to Roxy Music's crown. You can hear the ghost of Eno in there. Pop should be balls out and big, and here we are with big hairy gonaded pop

The Wedding Present Brassneck

I've just decided I don't trust you anymore.
I've just decided I don't love you anymore.

Glad to see old Gedge's got his priorities right.

Beatmasters Featuring Betty Boo Hey DJ, I Can't Dance (To That)

The 80s saw pop go from bad to worse to half decent again. The end of the 80s saw the UK dance explosion, and the Beatmasters were one of the few good dance music makers, normally co-opting a cool act for vocals such as The Cookie Crew and Merlin. Here, they launched a whole new career by showcasing the talent of one Alison Clarkson. Check the video for the campest table top dancing

BONUS

The weather is fucked, so here's something to bring memories of summers past. Summers of sun, warmth, barbequeues and playing in an inflatble pool in the back garden, wearing just your pants.

*Has there been another band from York, apart from the chocolate factory brass band?