A Very Festive 50

Friday - last day of term - arrived and with it .....SNOW!! We rarely get much snow here so it was very exciting, and meant the holiday started a day early. The temperature has stayed officially 'bloody freezing' so the snow is still here several days later. This has led to the usual snow related jinks, such as sledging (difficult in the flattest village in England), snowballing and watching Mrs Kev fall over on the way to the shop.

Santa should be loading his sledge by now, and en route he may well be listening to the Festive Fifty from the good people at the Contrast Podcast. So far we have had numbers 50 - 36, but part two should be arriving shortly. I'm worried that Animal Collective may get top spot - still can't see fuss myself - and gutted that my number 1 is unlikely to feature.

So, for the delectation of all, and the derision of a few, here is the 50 I submitted. It has made a great playlist on the ipod. Unlike many bloggers I shall resist the temptation to tease by posting only 10 at a time. Instead, glut and gorge on the full sugary delights in one mighty feast of reading......

1. Music Is A Princess - Prefab Sprout
2. Cutting Ice To Snow - Efterklang & The Danish National Chamber Orchestra
3. Light Of Love - Music Go Music
4. Earth, The Story So Far - Prefab Sprout
5. A Matter Of Time - Leisure Society
6. Let There Be Music - Prefab Sprout
7. Charlie Darwin - The Low Anthem
8. She Came Along - Kid Cudi & Patsy Cline
9. Dominos - The Big Pink
10. Nina and Her Very Long Hair - The Heart Strings
11. Too Blue - 7 Worlds Collide
12. The Last Carnival - Bruce Springsteen
13. Solitaire - Wilco
14. Love Vigilantes - Iron & Wine
15. Sweet Disposition -The Temper Trap
16. The Wanting Comes In Waves/Repaid -The Decemberists
17. This could be the day - James Grant
18. The Liberty Of Norton Folgate -Madness
19. The Darkest Place I Know -Leisure Society
20. Lust For Life - Girls
21. Love etc. - Pet Shop Boys
22. Your Love My Girls (Frankie Knuckles Mashup/Remix) -Animal Collective
23. Hellhole Ratrace -Girls
24. Jetstream -Doves
25. Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up) - Florence & The Machine
26. Wild young Hearts - Noisettes
27. The '59 Sound The Gaslight Anthem
28. Crazy In Love (Beyonce Cover) Antony & The Johnsons
29. Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It) Beyonce
30. Kingdom Of Rust Doves
31. A Day In The Life Easy Star All-Stars
32. The Last Of The Melting Snow Leisure Society
33. Outlaw Pete Bruce Springsteen
34. I Want To Go To Marz (Demo) John Grant (featuring Midlake)
35. Intro The XX
36. Dog Days Are Over Florence & The Machine
37. Jump In The Pool Friendly Fires
38. Shiver Me Timbers Southside Johnny With LaBamba's Big Band
39. 1901 Phoenix
40. Wilco (The Song) Wilco
41. Jose Fernandez The Heart Strings
42. Remedy Little Boots
43. Young Adult Friction The Pains of Being Pure At Heart
44. Symmetry Little Boots & Philip Oakey
45. To Ohio The Low Anthem
46. This Love Is Fucking Right The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart
47. The way it used to be Pet Shop Boys
48. Gangsters (live) The Specials
49. Heart Skipped A Beat The XX
50. The Hazards Of Love The Decemberists

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Something Different

Sunday night....spent all day preparing for work tomorrow so grabbing a few minutes to add a new blog entry. I thought that tonight I would offer the world a couple of slightly different sounding tracks.

First up. You know how most free CDs from magazines are a bit dodgy? Well, Mojo have bucked this trend this month with a re-recording of 'The Wall'. The tracks are covered by a range of acts, most unfamiliar to me and the whole thing is remarkably consistent, both in style and quality. It opens with 'In the Flesh' as covered by (mercury nominees) Sweet Billy Pilgrim. They offer a percussive take on the song, which unfolds nicely and sets the tone for what follows. (They also have a very good picture of a ship on their album cover, as you can see. )Part 2 follows next month - I wonder who will tackle the mighty 'Comfortably Numb'?. Inside the mag itself Roger Waters reveals he is looking into the logistics of an arena tour for 'The Wall' which would be very exciting. Yes, we all know it's overblown and a bit silly, but it's still awesome.

Secondly. Efterklang. Danish I think, and hailed by Mojo. I was intrigued enough to download a sample track,and it has sneaked into my 'Festive 50' in a very high position. I've since bought the album, which comes with a live cd. This features the band joining forces with a danish orchestra to re-produce their album 'Parades'. Somewhere between post-rock and contemporary classical and scandinavian ambience lies this wonderful track which is the climax of the set. The DVD reveals the orchestra and band on a set that features stylised mountain peaks and a maypole, and everyone is dressed in bizarre Scandinavian modernist costumes, with facepaint and cone hats. Weird in a good way. However, the guy who seems to be directing the whole shebang also has a very dodgy thin moustache.

Both of these songs are worth a download and a couple of plays

Efterklang & The Danish National Chamber Orchestra - Cutting Ice To Snow

Sweet Billy Pilgrim - In The Flesh

A Springsteen Quicky

In the world of Bruce there are some things that rarely happen and cancelling shows is one of them. However, Bruce's cousin, a member of his road crew, died suddenly a couple of days ago and the show in Kansas City was pulled. I think the last time a show was pulled was when Danny Federici died last year. Bruce hits the stage again tonight at the Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame show in Madison Square Garden - sure to be a good 'un.

Elsewhere in Bruceland an interesting remix of State Trooper has emerged from Trentmoller. I have a soft spot for Trentmoller's moody electronics so this is well worth a listen.

Bruce Springsteen - State Trooper (Trentmoller remix)

My New Favourite Old Singer

This week's Contrast Podcast features songs about the stomach and guts and at last I have found a way to offer a song by the late and great Jake Thackray. I first heard Jake on Steve Wright's Sunday Love Songs of all places; a god-forsaken audio location filled with repeat plays of 'Move Closer' by Phyllis Nelson, 'True' by Spandau Ballet and 'I Will Always Love You' by Dolly or Whitney (to ensure some variety). However, for some reason Mr Wright played 'La-Di-Dah' by Jake Thackray and my ears tingled (metaphorically of course). I explored further via the interthingy and found that he was a) dead and b) highly regarded, with a dedicated following of er...followers.

Amazon were offering a compilation for £3.99, so I took a gamble and that night listened to this in bed. I should explain that Mrs Kev sleeps easier than I and so I tend to spend a while listening to my ipod in bed each night before I finally drift off. Such are the pleasures of married life after 17 years! Anyway, Jake Thackray's songs are often, as I found that night, hilarious and I began to chuckle during 'On Again On Again' which begins with the wonderful line 'I love a good bum on a woman'. Shortly afterwards came 'Sister Josephine' and I was weeping with laughter. Unfortunately Mrs Kev felt my shudders and grumpily, but not unreasonably, asked what the hell I was up to. Anyway, since that evening I have explored much more of his music and am currently enjoying the 4 disc compilation 'Jake In A Box' available from itunes for the incredible price of £7.99 for 97 tracks!

Now, I have spent all my life as a music fan and thought I'd heard of everyone. So I assumed Jake Thackray was some little known artiste. I began mentioning him to others and my uncle, father-in-law, and mate at work all said -- 'Oh yes, I remember him'. It turns out he was on telly quite a lot in the 70s, on shows like 'That's Life' and from what I can gather was a sort of Northern Richard Stilgoe. But...and here's the important bit...that was all bollocks. Listening now, you can hear that his work has a deep and at times dark, sensuality, a wicked humour and an ability to employ language which is as profound at times as Alan Bennet. In short, he is way more than simply a comic folk singer, and instead deserves to be seen as a man who, like many great artists, viewed the ways of the world with a detachment that allowed him to both mourn and celebrate what it means to be alive in this strange world we have created. Imagine if Bob Dylan wrote lyrics you could understand - that's Jake Thackray. Admired by such people as Morrissey, Alec Turner, Jarvis Cocker and Ian McMillan, it's clear that this is a man who's work needs to be heard by more people.

And so my campaign begins to have Mr T recognised by the movers and shakers of the modern music world i.e bloggers. So download and share, explore further, and revel in the wonder of the sampled songs below.

Or as Dirk would say....Enjoy!

On Again! On Again!
Sister Josephine
The Blacksmith and The Toffee Maker

Sunday Night Blues

I'm one of those saddoes who enjoys checking out unusual reimaginings of great songs (see Hungry Heart cover below). And there are few songs greater than New Order's Love Vigilantes. A recent version appeared by Iron and Wine and it is a stripped down version that flags up the melancholic genius of the original. It is currently popping up on various blog sites and I'm nothing if not a sheep who follows the cool crowd...er, flock. In a recent interview Bernard Sumner gave this version his seal of approval, and if it's good enough for Bernie.......

Also for your delectation a gentle string version that doesn't quite work, but may help soothe restless grandparents. This is the version they will probably be playing when I am finally slumped in a chair in a retirement home, 99 years old, drooling, smelling faintly of wee and wondering when New Order will be touring again.

There is also a nice version by Laura Cantrell on Spotify but I don't have an mp3 of that. I think if I ever get round to forming a band I too will cover Love Vigilantes.

Enjoy

Love Vigilantes - Iron & Wine

Love Vigilantes - The String Quartet

More Jockos!

I'm feeling patriotic tonight so I thought I'd offer up more music from the land of tartan, shortbread and bagpipes. Most of the cool music from Scotland is found under discussion at The Vinyl Villain, but The Proclaimers? At first glance they seem, as they did when they first appeared, geeky and very un rock 'n' roll. However, from day 1 they have always been passionate about what they do and their great gift has been to convey that to more and more people. The Proclaimers now have a huge fan base and whilst I wouldn't claim to be a huge Proclaimers lover, I have always admired them. But Sunshine On Leith I DO love.

When it appeared in 1988 it was reviewed in the NME and I still remember them raving about its heady mix of sex, politics, love, loss, all wrapped up in a musical mix that evoked peak Van Morrison and Prince. It remains one of those few albums that is strong throughout, and even though the style of songs vary, the quality is maintained. Special mention goes to Oh Jean, the literal climax of the album. The tale of back of the bus conjugals with a willing young lady it offers a 'musical orgasm' to match The Beatles' more famous attempt on Sgt Pepper. I'll leave you to seek that on your own.

Instead, two lovely tracks. First a cover of Steve Earl's 'My Old Friend The Blues' which tops the original, and 'Sunshine On Leith' a beautiful song about my home town. Glasgow has the upper hand when it comes to music in Scotland, but this song about Edinburgh tips the scales a little towards the East coast for a change. The music of The Proclaimers has been turned into a stage musical which apparently is excellent, and I hope to see it one day. The Reid brothers tour later this year so maybe I'll pop along.

The Proclaimers - My Old Friend The Blues

The Proclaimers - Sunshine On Leith

Something Different

I Can Hear Your Heart by Aidan John Moffat is a curious beast. It contains a short story which you are invited to read first, then listen to the CD from track 2. (track 1 tells you to go and read the story). The tracks that unfold tell the tale of a fumbling Glaswegian love story, fueled by illicit lust and desire - these are of course the best type of love stories. There is a mix of spoken word, fuzzy orchestral pieces, and insane but hilarious phone calls, short songs, a couple of covers and finally an extended vignette to complete the tale. None of the tracks are particularly great, the short story is ok and the covers are definitely not for the squeamish - as you will hear.

But......as a whole it really works and I keep coming back to it and losing myself in the world it conjures. I like the way the language is both offensive and curiously erotic, and whilst the CD is clearly labelled ADULTS ONLY I suspect this is as much to do with the subject matter as the language. In other words it probably only appeals to those who have experienced the infidelity, misplaced lust and hungover shame that the album evokes. (Obviously I have lived a saintly life so have to call upon my imaginative powers to fully dig it!)

I know that part of my affection for this lies in the dialect. I do enjoy the way the English language is adapted in so many ways and as I am Scottish myself can appreciate (and understand) Moffat's Falkirk brogue. The two tracks below give a flavour of the piece, and even though many will shudder, I always like to hear Springsteen covers.

Enjoy

Aidan John Moffat - Good Morning
Aidan John Moffat - Hungry Heart