song du jour 08/12/10

this song was born, as was i, in 1981 amidst the systematic closure of industries, unemployment and race riots; released that summer it went to number one! a true state of the nation address, it is amongst but a handful of songs that completely capture the mood and sentiment of the time they were written whilst still being relevant now.

song du jour 07/12/10

formed in antwerp, belgium, in 1991, deus' debut album "worst case scenario" was released on september 16, 1994 to critical acclaim. their second outing named "in a bar, under the sea" followed two years later. it was around then that i got a tape free on the front of some music magazine (i can't even remember the name) which was an island records sampler. it contained loads of tracks by bands that didn't even rate space in my memory (except i remember there was a tindersticks track on there too). one track that did make an instant impression was this track i have chosen today.

song du jour 06/12/10

jason lee here, showing signs of obvious disappointment that the latest series of "my name is earl", set in the amish community, is not doing well.

i just stumbled upon this new-ish band chief and i'm in love already! if you are a fan of fleet foxes then these guys are probably for you. if you are not (shame on you!) then think the close harmonies and jangly guitars of buffalo springfield, CSNY, grateful dead, etc. their debut album is out now and it looks like this:

with that in mind my song du jour is chief's "night & day" from their debut album "modern rituals".

song du jour 03/12/10

another great find from la blogoteque. this is john grant the former frontman of the czars an extremely talented guy and not just musically either (he is a gifted linguist, speaking german and spanish as well as russian). this guy's voice is superb. i do love a good baritone. heartfelt, yet powerful. it's nice to hear some simple piano led music that isn't just the opening of some over blown rock opera. truely art, for art's sake.

song du jour 02/12/10

i freakin love the cold war kids. this guy has got arguably the best voice since jeff buckley. maybe not fully realised on this track but check out some of the slower, sweeter tracks from the first album where he sings more falcetto and you'll see what I mean. feckin' love this track though for it's pure dirtyness. and that's another reason why he is so great: his voice can go from sandpaper to honey in the blink of an eye.

so with that in mind my song du jour is "hang me up to dry" from the album "robbers and cowards"

- click here for the youtube video -

song du jour 01/12/10

an old friend of mine lent me the album that contains this song a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. i copied it to my lap top and i listened to it about once and didn't think much more of it. years later i kept getting this melody keep coming to me, no words just the tune. i kept thinking this is such an amazing little tune what the hell is it!

video killed the radio star

la blogoteque is a french vlog or as they say "a collective weblog broadcasted on youtube and elsewhere". 

they take bands out of their usual performance spaces and catch them on the fly, in derelict buildings, singing acapella, etc, and always live, raw and unique.