Monday 31 December 2012

HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM TUNEDR!!

Happy New Year from all of us at Tunedr! Thanks for stopping by, taking the time to comment (it's always welcome) and more importantly sharing some fantastic music with us (want to recommend something to us or want to share a story? Submit a guest spot here...we love to hear from you). Here's hoping for more of the same for 2013! 

Flycasual, Old Pa's Corner, Sfw, Shell Hunter and London Scouser.



Why not subscribe to the Spotify playlist of a our best tracks of 2012??





DYLAN COVERS # 81 - 3 from 2012 - Jimmy Lafave/Mariachi El bronx/Eric Bibb

Its a tough call picking the 3 best Dylan Covers from 2012 especially when you have had such a high volume of great releases, think the 78 track.Chimes of Freedom: Songs of Bob Dylan  for starters. I had to pick one from there, didn't I, it would have been rude not to.

 So here are 3 from 2012, maybe not your best, but I liked them  :


 
JIMMY LA FAVE - Red River Shore

I love Jimmy Lafave's voice and he is one of the top interpreters of Dylan songs and in fact any other song he puts his mind too. I would say Red River Shore is probably my favourite Dylan Cover of the Year. It is just a great song. It is amazing it did not get a release and we had to wait until a Genuine Bootleg (well most of us). It can be found on Jimmy's album 'Depending on the Distance'. A cover of  'Tomrrow is a Long Time' can also be found on this album. Great stuff!

The Mariachis
 
MARIACHI EL BRONX - Love Sick

This is from the amazing project for Amnesty,  Chimes of Freedom: Songs of Bob Dylan, 78 bleeding covers. Christmas came early this year. There are of course many more gems here, but I have chosen this one simply because I like it. Well that's my excuse.

Eric Bibb
 

ERIC BIBB - The Times They are a Changin'

The Eric Bibb cover I chose as he is kind of personal. I was introduced to a Bibb concert by a dear friend, two weeks later we also went together to see Bob himself in London Docklands.  Sadly within 6 month my friend had succumbed to  the dreaded Big C.

This exellent cover can be found on Bibb's album 'Deeper in the Well'

It has been a great year for Dylan Covers, I keep discovering gems all the time and as long as I am still keen, I  will share them with you. Too late to stop now.....oh no! that's Van.


What is your best 3 Dylan Covers this year. Let me know! I am always looking for ones I have missed. I have now gathered quite a large catalogue of Bobby covers (MP3 etc). If I have it I will share.

For more Dylan Covers

Sunday 30 December 2012

GUEST SPOT BEST OF 2012 The Allah-Las - Vis-à-Vis

In the essence of our blog, we asked a few friends and blogs we follow to share with us their top tracks of the year. We are always interested in what makes people musically tick and hear to the stories associated with them, at the same time maybe learn a thing or two or catch something we've missed. So a big thank you to you all for taking the time to contribute.


Here we have Brendan Barry's suggestion for Track of the Year. Brendan was Flycasuals & SFW's English Teacher when they lived in Saudi Arabia.  Thank you, Sir!

The Allah-Las - Vis-à-Vis 

Top One Track of the Year 2012
As a Doctor you probably already know that 'Nostalgia' is officially recognised by the WHO as a bona fide medical condition, and ever since I started listening to the Allah-Las, it’s been coming over me in waves.
It’s a bit like 'Melancholia', except that instead of feeling very bad you feel very good.
So don’t bother sending me one of your famous prescriptions. I don’t want the symptoms to end.






Saturday 29 December 2012

GUEST SPOT BEST OF 2012 - 'Brian'

In the essence of our blog, we asked a few friends and blogs we follow to share with us their top tracks of the year. We are always interested in what makes people musically tick and hear the stories associated with them. At the same time maybe learn a thing or to or maybe catch something we've missed. So a big thank you to you all for taking the time to contribute.

Thanks to Brian for a very colourful contribution! I have him to thank for sharing PSB to me which I featured on our TOTW. What a revelation! Come on Brian, tell us a story......
Would I like to select my top three tracks of 2012 and write a few words asked Shell Hunter, no problemo, two tracks came immediately to mind, however, I have since dismissed one for Alt (sic) the wrong reasons. Firstly triangles ∆ are not my favourite shape, I prefer the more macho dodecahedron, secondly a Mac is a fabulously powerful piece of kit and to sit around pressing AltJ ∆ is a terrible waste of it’s limitless potential ∆. Mac is also the name of my totally hopeless and spineless boss so, to have the luxury of three guns of which only one goes off and still misses the target I so want it to hit is such an anticlimax that the song has to be dismissed ∆.
 My next dilemma occurred when checking the release dates on the stuff I’ve been listening to, the realization of living in the past suddenly hit me, some of the tunes I’ve been really enjoying this year are positively ancient, but, despite the all too frequent senior moments and the, ahem, middle age spreading wherever it wants to, this significantly assisted me by narrowing the scope of my choices.

Public Service Broadcasting - 'Spitfire'

So my three tracks of 2012, in no particular order are Spitfire by Public Service Broadcasting, great track from the War Room E.P.  R.J. Mitchell would be proud to associate this great track with his iconic machine.

Show Of Hands - 'Company Town'

Second track is by Show of Hands a band I somehow keep missing on their numerous tours, Company Town from the album Wake The Union, ticks most boxes for me, fantastic musicianship, great vocals from Steve Knightley, and I adore Phil Beer’s haunting, melancholy fiddle pulling everything together.

Jack Savoretti - 'Knock Knock'

Finally, Knock Knock by Jack Savoretti. I was lucky enough to catch Jack and his band at the Guildford Boiler Room earlier this year before they set off around Europe supporting Jake Bugg then back to the Royal Albert Hall supporting Jools and his Big Band. Great voice, especially live, great songwriter and a great gig, looking forward to hearing lots more from Jack.
So to finish have a wonderful and most importantly safe Christmas and a Peaceful, Happy, Prosperous and Musical New Year. Wherever you are on New Years Eve…….Let’s Tessellate ∆

Friday 28 December 2012

GUEST SPOT BEST OF 2012 - 'DJ Biltong Man'

In the essence of our blog, we asked a few friends and blogs we follow to share with us their top tracks of the year. We are always interested in what makes people musically tick and hear the stories associated with them. At the same time maybe learn a thing or to or maybe catch something we've missed. So a big thank you to you all for taking the time to contribute.

Thanks to my good friend Gavin, or DJ Biltong Man, faves of 2012! Hmm Monsters, Madness and The Killers. Are you a bit of a horror film freak Gav?!
 
 
Of Monsters And Men - 'Mountain Sound'

Of Monsters and Men is a five-piece indie folk/indie pop band from Iceland. Brilliant catchy track that was perfect to listening to when I was driving in Canada ‘watching the sun go down’ as per lyrics. The scenery was magical and this seemed to be the ‘perfect’ song for the moment.


The Killers - 'Here With Me'

Yet another powerful ballad type track from these guys.

I heard this on YouTube just last week whilst surfing the internet about 2am.Must have been drinking at the time…… If I could sing….. and have a band…… I’d want it to be The Killers.


 Madness - 'My Girl 2'

First time I listened to this was at the concert a few days ago. Mental evening that will not be forgotten. Hooray for Madness!

Thursday 27 December 2012

GUEST SPOT BEST OF 2012 - 'London Scouser'

2012 has been an odd year for me and music. As I have now hit the big Four Oh, I find myself tuning my radio to Talk Sport instead of xFM. But thankfully towards the latter part of the year I was introduced to the wonders of Spotify and all it can do. And now I have the honour of being invited to become a semi regular contibutor to this most eclectic of music blogs. Here are my 3 faves of the year, followed by my overall Best Of 2012. Check the site periodically for my Cover Nerd posts and please feel free to submit your own cover choices as we would all love to hear from you.




Bonjour, we like Neo's choice a lot
I’ll admit that I only came across this by chance. My usual taste in music doesn't extend to French Electro Pop, so maybe I should stop being a snob and branch out as this is proof that a change does do you good. I was on You Tube looking at random songs, when this came up as a recommendation. Because I saw that the video featured Jake Gylenhall I thought I would give a try and I'm so glad that I did, as it blew me away. The video is pretty graphic in parts but it grabs you straight away. Jake Gylenhall's character is a bit loco, and for me the video adds to the excellent track.



Ratiug, it gives you wings
Ex Red Hot Chili Pepper guitarist is a prolific solo artist  and his 2009 release 'The Empyrean' was my absolute standout album of that year, and I was really happy to find his latest album 'PBX Funicular Intaglio Zone' late this year. It’s very different to The Empyrean, but equally great to listen to with some rap and drum n bass. This is my standout track and I urge you to give it a listen.



We are gonna be huge
I was driving home late one night and was listening to Unknown Pleasures with Geoff Lloyd on Absolute Radio. This came on and I was immediately impressed, it was finally released in October and I can’t wait for more from them. 2013 will be huge for them.

Wednesday 26 December 2012

GUEST SPOT BEST OF 2012 - 'Jon'


In the essence of our blog, we asked a few friends and blogs we follow to share with us their top tracks of the year. We are always interested in what makes people musically tick and hear to the stories associated with them, at the same time maybe learn a thing or two or catch something we've missed. So a big thank you to you all for taking the time to contribute.



Here we have Jon, a very good friend of my wife and I who we don't see as much as we'd like. A father, a Jedi, a former axe wielder for his band 'Fluorescent Black' and an all round good egg!!



Karen O / Trent Reznor / Atticus Ross - 'Immigrant Song'

OK, so technically it was released in December 2011 but I associate it much more with the first part of 2012. Love this beautifully dark cover of a Led Zep classic.




Maccabees - 'Pelican'

Had not really paid the Maccabees much attention until this gorgeous track grabbed my attention. Funnily enough I think it was Tune Doctor that alerted me to it.





OK Go - 'Needing/Getting'

Now I love OK Go, but the album version of this track didn't really do it for me. This re-scoring for the video however is a totally different matter, and it still blows my mind to think of the maths involved in laying out the track to the car hits each instrument at the right time. And yes, that's 288 open tuned Gretsch guitars with mini amps at 2'28"...

There's a series of "making of" clips for the video - the best one is here:



Have a look at some of Jon's brilliant guest spots he has done for us here...

Monday 24 December 2012

MERRY CHRISTMAS 2012 FROM TUNEDR

HAPPY CHRISTMAS from all at Tune Doctor!!!


Flycasual:-
Lou Rawls - 'Santa Claus Is Coming To Town' (1967)




"The elf on the shelf has his eye on you little man...always, even in August and there's still time for him to report back to Santa".

Naughty list, good list, toy TV adverts, Slade's 'It's Christmas' on repeat, strobe like fairy lights and the bloody Cadbury's Advent calendar that gives him an almighty sugar rush at 0730 in the morning before his assault on nursery. I'm sure the Christmas frenzy is messing with his brain, turning my cherub into a marauding little tyrant. I blame the parents, I'm just as worked up as he is, a chance to relive my youth which just adds to all the hysteria. Jazz/Soul singer Lou Rawls, gets the nod for his rendition of this Yuletide classic, if only for the verse near the end telling the kids not too blow it!! A phrase I have used all to often in December...

Old Pa's Corner:-
Van Morrison - 'Glad Tidings'

 

Is it possible to follow up the Astral Weeks?, It sure is,  The Moondance  album is as good,  in the same way as Blonde on Blonde is to Highway 61 Revisited or Sargent Pepper is to Revolver. This festive treat is taken from the Moondance. Check the full album out, there will be no disappointment, guaranteed.

Shell Hunter:-
Augie Rios - 'Donde Esta Santa Claus?' (1958)



It wouldn't be Christmas without this classic! I used to love it growing up and I still do now. I can't believe its so old! Christmas used to be such an exciting time but the older you get, the less that Christmassy feeling washes over you. Having to go to work whilst everyone around you has a nice few days off is also a bummer. But despite this "Bah Humbug" attitude, I will be donning my Santa hat at the airport and trying to inject a bit of Christmas cheer into the office. I will be fuelling myself with as many mince pies and Quality Street chocs that I can stomach and will look forward to rushing home to down my first glass of champers and rip open my pressies! Merry Christmas everyone and here's to a very prosperous New Year to all!

SFW:-
Bob Dylan - 'It Must Be Santa'


This lyrical play on all things Holidays never stops to make me smile and is a must for the Christmas Playlist.  This 'jig', is somewhere in between The Pogues and Highway 61, and if it doesn't make you want to tap your feet, drink Mulled Wine and get Merry, you need to watch Elf and re-discover your Christmas spirit!

Sunday 23 December 2012

GUEST SPOT BEST OF 2012 - 'Singing Bear'

In the essence of our blog, we asked a few friends and blogs we follow to share with us their top tracks of the year. We are always interested in what makes people musically tick and hear the stories associated with them. At the same time maybe learn a thing or to or maybe catch something we've missed. So a big thank you to you all for taking the time to contribute.



We have the mighty 'Singing Bear' from the musically eclectic blog, 'Grown Up Backwards'. He reveals about his choices that "There is not a lot I want to say about them because they are so good they speak for themselves". However, for a comprehensive round-up of Singing Bears best of 2012, just click the link above to visit his blog. Boom!




First Aid Kit - 'The Lion's Roar' 
from the album The Lion's Roar




Paul Buchanan - 'After Dark'
from the album Mid Air




Lambchop - '2B2'
from the album Mr. M

See some of Singing Bears guest spots he has done for us here.....

Saturday 22 December 2012

GUEST SPOT BEST OF 2012 - 'The Swede'



In the essence of our blog, we asked a few friends and blogs we follow to share with us their top tracks of the year. We are always interested in what makes people musically tick and hear the stories associated with them. At the same time maybe learn a thing or to or maybe catch something we've missed. So a big thank you to you all for taking the time to contribute.

We have 'The Swede' from the 'Unthought of, though, somehow' blog. It's just like walking into your favourite record store! 



Night Works - 'I Tried So Hard'

Former Metronomy bassist, Gabriel Stebbing, chose Record Store Day back in April to formally introduce his new band, Night Works, via the seductive single 'I Tried So Hard'. After a first play, I came away thinking that it sounded like a composer's demo, with tune and chorus in place and just the verses needing to be added to fill it out. Silly me. Hasty me. I very quickly re-evaluated that initial opinion and now consider that any half-decent dictionary should have this tune referenced as the definition of the word Earworm. Once it has you, you'll want it to go on forever and indeed there is an excellent, fairly straightforward, extended version available, amongst the usual plethora of remixes and re-imaginings, on the Night Works Soundcloud page, which I highly recommend you check out. Here though, is the single edit, complete with accompanying video, which, like the tune, is mysterious, engrossing and faintly unsettling.

Night Works release their 4th single 'Long Forgotten Boy' in January, followed by their debut album, 'Urban Heat Island' in March.



Tenniscoats - 'Yume wa Sukkiri'

Tenniscoats are a Japanese duo who make music together, individually and with an  assortment of collaborators. I picked up on them in 2008, with their 6th release, the  superb 'Tan-Tan Therapy'. Since that time there's been a further six albums, including  two in 2012 alone! From the second of those, 'All Aboard', comes the beautiful 'Yume wa Sukkiri', which translates as either 'Neat Dream' or, even better, 'Dreams Are Neat'. The tune, particularly the long, languid melodica outro, certainly does have a dream-like quality, only spoilt a little by the uploader jumping in a bit early and snipping the last few seconds from the end of the track. 



Lord Huron - 'Lonesome Dreams'

To show that it isn't all moody introspection over at Swede Towers, here's a more uptempo recent discovery - so recent in fact, that the album isn't even out in the UK until January. Thanks, however, to this new-fangled internet thing everyone's talking about, I've been digging 'Lonesome Dreams' by Lord Huron since it's US release in October. The lead track, 'Time to Run', has a Paul Simon feel while the album as a whole has an Fleet Foxes vibe about it. A strong set of songs and a band to watch.




I know I've missed some corkers, but here are the other 17 in no particular order...

Clock Opera - Once and For All 
Graham Coxon - What'll It Take 
Sam Lee - The Ballad of George Collins 
Leonard Cohen - Going Home 
Richard Hawley - Down in the Woods 
Bill Fay - Never Ending Happening 
Toy - Motoring 
Beak - Wulfstan II 
Father John Misty - Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings 
Beth Orton - Call Me the Breeze 
Milk & Biscuits - White Noise 
Tim Burgess - A Case For Vinyl 
Teen - Roses and Wine 
Howler - Back of Your Neck 
Jagwar Ma - Come Save Me 
Pete Seeger - Fields of Harmony
Stealing Sheep - Rearrange

                                    Compliments of the season to everyone! 

Friday 21 December 2012

GUEST SPOT BEST OF 2012 - 'C'

In the essence of our blog, we asked a few friends and blogs we follow to share with us their top tracks of the year. We are always interested in what makes people musically tick and hear the stories associated with them. At the same time maybe learn a thing or to or maybe catch something we've missed. So a big thank you to you all for taking the time to contribute.

Here we have 'C', from the blog Sun Dried Sparrows, a pot-pourri of music, art and fantastic nostalgic stories!



I won’t be sorry to see the back of 2012. It’s been quite a crappy year, with some false starts and forced endings, anxieties and sadness. Perhaps that’s why I’ve fallen for feel-good songs and guilty pleasure moments more than usual. I’ll even confess to getting a kick from… watching Rylan on the X Factor. Not listening to his singing – NO! – but enjoying his androgynous appearance, his candid Essex boy banter and (“d’ya know what?”) seeing him disarm Gary Barlow with his flirting… But please don’t be put off by this admission, I really do have quite cool taste usually ;-)

In spite of that weakness for dubious gratification, I’ve struggled to think of many 2012 releases that really do it for me. My current musical indulgence is something that’s actually far from current: I’ve been on a Suede trip for some months now, and can’t stop listening to their albums which all but passed me by in the ‘90s. I’ll return to this infatuation a little later.



Lana Del Rey - 'Million Dollar Man'

I’ve been trying to keep up-to-date, though! At the start of the year, Lana Del Ray released the album ‘Born To Die’. I don’t know much about her and hadn’t paid much attention to her output but when I heard the song ‘Million Dollar Man’ I was immediately smitten by it. Sultry and cinematic, classy but very slightly trashy at the same time, it came as a surprise to these ears and for those reasons it makes the grade.





Saint Etienne - 'Popular'

Less surprising is the sheer pop brilliance to be found on Saint Etienne’s 2012 album, ‘Words And Music’. They always know what to do and they do it well. It was hard to choose a track from this consistently good album; I’ve plumped for ‘Popular’. It’s not the most original sounding song but that’s fine. It’s bittersweet but uplifting, nostalgic and evocative, and makes you want to dance round the living room with a faraway look in your eyes. Never mind if it’s ten o’clock on a Sunday morning and you’re wearing those mangy slippers and a baggy old jumper that really should have been in the wash a week ago. For those three and a half minutes you’re in a slinky gold number shimmying and shimmering under a glitterball. My motto is: if a song makes me feel good it’s done its job. And this makes me feel good!




Joseph Arthur - 'Mother of Exiles'

But I’m also a complete sucker for a deep, rough-edged male vocal! Someone I’ve been into for many years now is American singer/songwriter Joseph Arthur. In spite of being incredibly prolific and collaborating with several people of note, he’s remained fairly underground which I think is due to his truly artistic nature and dedication to doing things his way. It would be too easy to categorise him as merely singer/songwriter, or as folk, or as rock - or as folk-rock? Oh, I HATE all those labels! I’ve been to so many of his gigs I’ve lost count, but every one has been a completely different experience and never without a surprise or two. Anyway, this year he released a double album, ‘Redemption City’. I don’t mind admitting, in spite of an inherent loyalty to him, that it’s not all my cup of tea. However, I’ve picked out ‘Mother Of Exiles’ as a great example of Joe’s occasional penchant for a good old-fashioned mad guitar freak-out…and my own penchant for those deep, rough-edged vocals. Mmm.





Suede - 'Asbestos'

Finally, it’s over ten years old now so this choice can’t qualify for a track of THE year, but it’s a track of MY year, so I’m dropping it in even if it IS cheating… Of course, it has to be Suede. There’s so much to choose from but, in keeping with that guilty pleasure vibe, I’ve gone for ‘Asbestos’ from the album ‘Head Music’ (1999). Whilst commercially successful, ‘Head Music’ received a fair amount of criticism - mostly attributed to Brett Anderson’s addiction to crack and heroin at the time. Coming at it retrospectively I think it’s a brilliant album and I can’t fault his creativity, whatever state his head was in. ‘Asbestos’ stand outs to me most for its striking atmosphere – there’s something dark and forbidden about it - slightly sleazy, perhaps.



“Suburban girls and they’re making noise and they’re making eyes at suburban boys…” sings the beautifully androgynous Brett, whom I can picture dancing provocatively to this wearing a pretty satin blouse, all lines of gender blurred. And funnily enough, Rylan has just come back to mind. I’ll leave you with that thought.

PS - 2012 got so much better for me in the last couple of months, by the way. Here’s to a positive 2013 for all.


Thursday 20 December 2012

FLYCASUAL'S Best of 2012


It's been quite a year, from a crappy start with family health scares to the collective goodwill and euphoria surrounding the amazing Olympics/Paralympics. That was quite something, which I'm quite sure I will never experience again. It's also been musically amazing so it has been devastatingly hard to whittle it down to just 5 tracks for this post. It's bit like having to selfishly let go of some of your good friends.....

damn, I forgot to go for a wee!

Excluding 'Gangnam Style', these are my top 5 tracks in no particular order.




The Pond - 'Circle Round a Tree'

Folky Hip Hop from Folk Songstress, Kathryn Williams' side project, which hit the tickle spot for me this summer. Like chasing bees through a field of long grass on a blissful sunny day, on the way to a country pub for the promise of a cider fuelled adventure.



Rocket Juice & The Moon - 'Lolo' Feat Fatoumata Diawara and M.anifest

Marvellous Afro-Funk from another Damon Albarn fronted super group. With Mali singer Fatoumata Diawara, Ghana/US's rapper M.anifest, bassist Flea and legendary drummer Tony Allen, the band is tighter than a mermaid's brazier. More importantly however, it reminds me of a time spent with friends in Florida for a wedding earlier in the year. Perfect fo gettin' yo groove on during a cider fuelled adventure.




Diiv - 'Air Conditioning' 

This is a wonderful Krautrock inspired track from Brooklyn four piece DIIV. It knocked me out on the way home from work, nice melodious guitar drones on and you don't want it to stop...sorry officah for driving erratically, blame it on rock n roll man! Suitable for when things get a little weird during a cider fuelled adventure.



Mark Lanegan Band - 'The Gravedigger's Song'

Pounding drums, buzzsaw bass, Mark Lanegan's gruff voice, it's dark, it's menacing, it sounds a bit like Nine Inch Nails. Like reluctantly stumbling home through a graveyard on the aftermath of a cider fuelled adventure.



Plan B - 'Ill Manors' (live on Jools Holland)

Fantastic musical chaos! A wall of noise from the intimidating strings to the claustrophobic beats making you feel slightly uncomfortable. But there's nothing chaotic about the talented Ben Drew's truthful and socially conscious lyrics. The best hard hitting, no nonsense, shit kicking, political Rap since Public Enemy's heyday!
No cider fuelled adventures recommended unless it's extra strength White Lightening.


Why not have a listen to my top 20 tracks of the year?? It's nice!



Wednesday 19 December 2012

SFW'S Best of 2012

2012, What a year! Olympics, Jubilee and the end of the Mayan Calendar.
It's time to pick my top 5.... 




Astronauts, etc - You Can Yell

Astronauts is the musical persona of 21 year-old Berkeley student Anthony Ferraro.  You Can Yell is impossible to dislike, it is total brilliance!

Check out more of his tracks on Soundcloud


Hudson Taylor - Drop of Smoke

Brothers Alfie & Harry Hudson knocked me for six with this uplifting folk-pop 3-minute masterpiece.  I see great things ahead for these Dubliners! 


Cat Power - Ruin

In 2012, Chan Marshall (a.k.a. Cat Power) returned with a curve ball in the shape of her brightest sounding album yet - Sun (pardon the pun).  Ruin has a infectious rhythmic piano melody, lyrics based on travel and has everything you should want in a song. Unfortunately, she's recently been unwell and had to cancel her European Tour. We hope you get well soon!




M.Ward - The First Time I Run Away

One of musics hardest working grafters sent me on a marathon with this track from his 2012 album A Wasteland Companion.  Mostly known for his work with Monsters of Folk, She and Him and a plethora of others, this beautiful song (& video) got me running again and again!



The Leisure Society - We Were Wasted

Trust me to end the year on a downer! This completely bewitching track featured in the brutal Paddy Constantine masterpiece, Tyrannosaur.  I just totally adore this song.  Were we wasted? Nah!

Subscribe to SFW's Best Of 2012 Spotify Playlist below!

Monday 17 December 2012

SHELL HUNTER'S Best of 2012


Come on Team GB!!!

What can I say? It's been a pretty heavy year for me. With the usual ups and downs during the year came a new more responsible job, I turned 30, learned how to scuba dive and got my first (and last) tattoo! We had the most amazing summer surrounding the Olympics that made me feel patriotic for the first time in my life and the best thing is, I have a year's worth of great music to show for it all. Impossible a feat as it was to whittle it down to my TOP FIVE, here they are! Cue gospel like singing....aw aw awwwwww!




Alt-J - Tessellate

It all started with a low rumble, who was this Alt-J I had heard of but never listened to? I thought the name was gimmicky and they probably wouldn't be that good, but bloody hell how wrong was I?! I gave Tessellate a quick whirl and was instantly hooked, the quirky lyrics, gripping piano chime and little ticks and clicks made it so unique. It was also one of my favourite albums of the year and lo and behold a Mercury Music Album of the Year Winner! You can't say fairer than that, triangles are now my favourite shape!



Ben Howard - The Wolves

Okay, this was probably a re-release but I missed the boat the first time round. Sfw had pointed Ben Howard out before but singer songwriters were not really my bag. This song though, has real significance to me. The beginning of this year was a difficult time in my household and having to prove myself in a new role at work was extremely stressful. I used to hear this on the radio at work and sing a long, instantly feeling transported to somewhere calmer and I thought that the "wolves" referred to in the lyrics were all the things and people trying to get me down. I never get sick of hearing it, oooo oooo oooo oooo oooo!




Dan Croll - From Nowhere

2012 has been a real year of discovering new music and new artists. Reading about Dan Croll's story winning £5000 in a Musicians Songwriting Award competition in Uni and his ambition to use this money to record his debut album really inspired me. Who needs the X-Factor and a free ride? Hard work and great talent goes a long way and this song has got success written all over it. It's got a fantastic feel to it with it's electro sounds and instruments in the right balance for a perfect holiday song. I'll be watching out for more from Dan thats for sure!


Hot Chip - Motion Sickness

My favourite dance geeks were back this year with, for me, a very long awaited album. Although I also love Flutes and Night and Day, Motion Sickness has to be my favourite from it. I remember being so excited about listening to the album In Our Heads and worried that I may be disappointed. As soon as I heard this, which is the first track, I was relieved and instantly smitten! It also reminds me of going to see them at Heaven in London as it was the first track they played. A sighting of 2 of the band members whilst trying to find a pub was a bonus! Any bad memories from previous gigs, truly erased!


King Creosote & Jon Hopkins - John Taylor's Month Away

You'll have to excuse the arty video, but at least it adds a little interest to the music! When I first listened to it on Old Pa's choice for Tracks of the Week, I thought, yeah its okay and its got some sea gulls in there. I later listened to our TOTW playlist whilst in my car and it came on again. I was absolutely banjaxed by it. I was hypnotised by the mantra of the 2 chords and gentle voice singing of these poor young sailors who "dream of woman they cannot afford and cannot have". I was literally in tears and find it very difficult not to cry when I hear it. The waves and when it fades away then comes back in is pure genius. A real surprise contender for me but the whole world should hear it.

Subscribe to Shell Hunter's Best Of 2012 Spotify Playlist below!



Sunday 16 December 2012

TRACKS OF THE WEEK - 16-12-12 - Big Boi and Little Dragon, Tom Odell,Paul Banks, Winterhours

Four tracks that were like 'Taste the Difference' brandy butter deep filled mince pies....I want another!


Flycasual:-
Big Boi - 'Mama Told Me' feat Little Dragon (live on Jimmy Fallon) (2012)


This is a great a track, smothered in 80's style funk all thanks to Big Boi's Southern Charm and Little Dragon's quirk. Sweden's Little Dragon are probably one of my favourite bands from the last few years. I don't really know what it is that would make me gladly share a sauna with them, maybe their style or lead singer Yukimi Nagano's voice, either way they push my buttons. So I was suitably excited when I read that they have contributed several tracks to Big Boi's 2nd solo album (3 if you include Speakerboxxxx, released as Outkast along side Andre 3000), 'Vicious Lies and Dangerous Rumours', of which 'Mama Told Me' is the first single. However, I was disappointed when I found out that Little Dragon had been dropped from the album cut of this song, only to be replaced by Kelly Rowland. Apparently due to record company 'suits' disagreeing business terms, a real shame as this song is perfectly suited to their style. The original, as seen above is taken from the Jimmy Fallon show on Dec 9th, so they are still friends....you can't stop the music.

SFW:-
Tom Odell - 'Can't Pretend' (2012)

Tom Odell is one to watch in 2013.  He's been included on the BBC Sound of 2013 long list.  Its not quite the Mercury Prize, but previous winners will often become household names - Winners include Adele, Jessie J, Ellie Goulding and Michael Kiwanuka. The male singer-songwriter genre is very crowded house at the moment, but as a fan of this a genre, I'd happily build an extension.

Old Pa's Corner:-
Paul Banks - The Base (2012)

 

Paul Banks the voice from Interpol has a solo album out called simply Banks. This track reminds me in bits of Genesis but I can't remember the song. Nevertheless this is a nice taster from that the album. Paul has such a distintive voice. Time to get these Interpol albums out I think. 'Hey Rosemary'


Shell Hunter:-
Winterhours - 'Ocean Heart' (2013)


It's great to know that there is already going to be some killer tunes out in 2013. When I saw this video for the new Winterhours track 'Ocean Heart' due for release on 7th Jan next year (see their official site here www.winterhours.co.uk), it really struck a chord with me! I recently went to Brighton with my other half and we did all the traditional fun things you should do by the seaside, the open top bus tour, playing on the arcades on the pier and a few drinks followed by another few drinks. Whilst I wish it ended up with us romantically sharing a swig or two from a bottle of wine watching the sunset from the pebble beach like in the video, it was more us stumbling out of a chav infested Wetherspoons pub. Sigh, will we never learn? That asides, I love this track and get all the best elements from it similar to other faves of mine such as Dry The River and The Doves. I really hope 'Ocean Heart' launches these guys into the big time because after seeing them live at an intimate venue The Boileroom in Guildford last year, I know they've got a lot to offer. Check out our 30 Second Interview after that gig with the band here!

Saturday 15 December 2012

COVER NERD! - Pearl Jam - 'Last Kiss'

We welcome back Neal (AKA London Scouser or Neo), our very own Covers Nerd! Keep an eye out for his posts which will feature his favourite covers old and new! Are there any we should know about?? 


 
Pearl Jam - 'Last Kiss' (1998)

I was nervous, I wanted to impress but I also wanted to show off a little. I was going on holiday with my girlfriend (now wife) and her parents for the first time. We made a now customary holiday CD and had to choose 4 songs each.

My choices were Del Amitri - Just Before You Leave, Alice In Chains - No Excuses. Both of which have been previously featured on Tune Doctor. My third was David DeVant & His Spirit Child - Ginger (not my finest moment) and this song by (nearly) everyone's favourite Seattle band.
On the first couple of plays of the CD, I hadn't got the reception I'd hoped for especially from Shell Hunter. I guess it wasn't what you'd expect from Pearl Jam. But now I'm pleased to say that the song is very well received by all parties. I later discovered it was originally by Wayne Cochran in the early 60's.

I'd bought the song on a CD single which had a double A side with the song Soldier Of Love. It was a Fan Club single release and both tracks featured on a charity album called No Boundaries: A Benefit For The Kosovar Refugees.

Oh where oh where can PJ be?


The holiday had many great memories from the Chav's on board the aircraft who thought they could freestyle rap (they so couldn't) to the Pub Quiz at a bar (which will remain nameless) that ended with Old Pa saying the line "by the way, love the hair" (which I'm sure he paraphrased from Hannibal) to the bar owner as we left. Oh and not to forget the breaking of the white plastic chair. Old Pa again !!!

NERD ALERT! - In the film Singles, the members of Citizen Dick (Matt Dillon's band) were played by the guys in Pearl Jam!

 

Thursday 13 December 2012

DYLAN COVERS #80 Counting Crows/Bruce Hornsby - Girl from the North Country

Its a Hard Candy

 
COUNTING CROWS - Girl from the North Country(2012)

Here are a couple of very very good covers of the classic Girl from the North Country there are many great covers of this song but both these version stand up against the very best. First up is the 'sometimes brilliant' Counting Crows, this is taken from their album Underwater Sunshine(2012) and comes as a bonus song. There is another Dylan Cover I shall be released also on that album.

Next is by Bruce Hornsby and if taken from a concert on the 31 October 1998. It can be found on The Best of Mountain stage live vol 6.  I really liked his song The Way It Is when it first came out but kind of lost track of him. Welcome back Bruce.

The Lone Ranger
 
BRUCE HORNSBY - Girl from the North Country(1998)

HIP HOP CLASSICS - Pete Rock and C.L. Smooth - 'They Reminisce Over You'

Hip Hop Classics....straight outta Surrey Heath!!



Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth - 'They Reminisce Over You' (1994)

One of my all time favourite Hip Hop records courtesy of two of New York's finest, Pete Rock and C.L. Smooth. Regarded as a Hip Hop classic, T.R.O.Y is an incredibly heartfelt and soulful track written about the death of one of their close friends. It's distinctive bassline and sax break are taken from a clever sample of Saxophonist, Tom Scott's cover of Jefferson Airplane song, 'Today'.

Unfortunately, 'T.R.O.Y.' reminds me of a mini musical Armageddon I once had when I was at school in Jeddah in the early 90's. I had, on tape, an exclusive Pete Rock 30 minute mix he did for Pete Tong's Radio 1 Hip Hop show. On it was an incredibly enchanting (if that term can be coined in Hip Hop) instrumental version of T.R.O.Y. which I played to death, musical bliss. Then a new kid came to our school, the usual buzz and rumours went around about how he was hard as nails, liked rap and that he was a sponsored skateboard champ, damn that didn't sound good! But instead of easing himself in, he wasted no time in making his presence known. I mean we've all been there, you're the new boy, you don't want to be making any waves, the fact people know nothing about you being a distinct advantage. I was like Peter Carradine in Kung Fu when I joined my school, quiet and discreet but quite obviously without the skills. This guy however was brash, loud, dressed like MC Hammer and looked like Vanilla Ice for the ridiculous quiff and shaved lines in his eyebrows he sported (I hated both artists for sullying Hip Hop's name), he also carried a cheap skateboard around. I had nothing to fear!


Pete Rock and C.L. Smooth

He used to bring in a little stereo to school to show off his dance moves to his aforementioned Hip Hop idols and schmooze all these short sighted girls (obviously) with some R&B love ballad hell. One day he heard that I was quite handy on a skateboard and made the mistake of challenging me to a skate off at break time. In a scene not too dissimilar to a teen flick, a crowd gathered to see who'd be alpha male. He kicked over his crap board and said 'let's see what you can do?'. His skateboard was clearly for show as it didn't take long, one frontside kickflip and it was all over. He came over shook my hand and we chatted for a bit (you know what, despite his appearance, this cat is alright I thought). I told him I had a tape with some serious Hip Hop tunes that he could borrow to ween him off Hammer and Ice as they were wack! Months had passed and he still hadn't returned it and I missed it terribly, what's more those serious tunes had no effect on him...... When it was eventually returned, he apologised for keeping it for so long and oops, recording over some of it. You did what!!!??! I went home and played the tape and to my horror the sounds emanating were not Pete Rock but various mixes of Ice Ice Baby and Boyz II Men, I went cold, I was about to vomit my heart out, it felt like he had exacted the ultimate revenge, however inadvertedly. It took a long while to recover from that disaster and I still haven't found that particular mix anywhere. I still hold the scars to this very day.

Come and reminisce with some more Hip Hop Classics...here 
or listen to the Spotify playlist below!!



Wednesday 12 December 2012

WEDNESDAY CLUB - The Walker Brothers - The Sun ain't gonna shine any more/No Regrets

- WEDNESDAY CLUB - No Pass Required -
No Regrets


WALKER BROTHERS - 'The Sun Ain't Gona Shine any More' (1966)

Phil Spector may be locked up in a prison somewhere but his legacy remains. This is as good as it gets in the pop/rock world, as far as I am concerned. It is so good you never get tired of hearing it, it has got the lot. Fabulous backing and a magnificent lead singer, in the great Scott Engel, it is another one of those which I would call a perfect pop record.

The Walkers knocked out some pretty good ones in the mid-sixties, 'My Ship is Coming in', 'Make it Easy on Yourself'. They were I suppose, in there time a bit of a girlie group but they had some great songs and I liked them too.

When I lived in Inverness in the sixties we did not get too many groups visiting us but we did get the Walker Brothers but unfortunately Scott had left by then. There was John who stood out like a beacon with his backing band who seemed like a hand picked pimply bunch to make him look good. (sorry guys no disrespect meant). The concert was pretty much a disaster really, how can you have the Walker Brothers without Scott. It was like the Stones without Jagger or British Tennis without Andy Murray! I could not resist that one!

They briefly reformed in 1975 and did an album with a sublime version of probably the greatest break up song ever, Tom Rush's 'No Regrets'. click to hear that Gem.  

Scott went on to do some very interesting solo albums which were more Tom Waits than ???

WALKER BROTHERS - 'No Regrets' (1975)

Click to hear the Walker Brothers covering Dylan

And for the good news all you Scott Fans, he has a new album out now called Bish Bosch. Click here to see a video from it and further info...

For more Wednesday Club easy on your self

Tuesday 11 December 2012

TUESDAY BLUES!! Beck - Looking for a sign

Do you like Singer/Songwriters, or do you have a unhealthy affection to the sadness, if so you may have a case of the Tuesday Blues!

Beck - Looking for a Sign (2012)


I've had a difficult few weeks. Driving, long days, exhaustion are all taking there toll.  I've also found myself in a Zombie like state and have, for the first time in ages, have not been enjoying music.  I cannot listen to music without thinking about work.  The long drive home, which used to be filled with listening to the latest Spotify playlist, now is filled with Radio 4 - and not the Brooklyn Dance-Rock type.

However, is this the light at the end of the tunnel? It popped up on a playlist and has put the twinkle in my xmas lights.

It was released in March and features on the Jeff, Who Lives at Home soundtrack and bears similarity to his 2002 melancholia album Sea Change.  Neil Young-esq, banjo, strings & big acoustic guitar - what's not to like?

He has recently released a sheet-music album (is there such a thing?) called Song Reader.  You can download some of the sheet music through SongReader.net, but you need to be handy with a musical instrument.  I might try to play some on my Jazz Flute!  




Like Singer Songwriters? Like a bit of Misery? Like Men with Beards?  
Subscribe to the Spotify playlist and read more Tuesday Blues here!

Sunday 9 December 2012

TRACKS OF THE WEEK 09/12/12 - Gabriel Bruce, Masters In France,Evitan,The Lumineers

Four tracks that busted our chops this week. What were yours??



Old Pa's Corner:- 
Gabriel Bruce - Perfect Weather (2012)


 

This is all a bit dramatic even the video is a bit odd, you are waiting for the poor lad to jump. But I like it and after a couple of hearings I found myself singing along to the very catchy chorus. There are elements of  a Van Morrison song in some of the backing too.  I am not that familiar with Gabriel Bruce but I like his Nick Cavesque vocals. I am a sucker for these dark vocal singers in the Ian Curtis, Stuart Staples mould. I can't get enough. Apparently he has a new album out shortly so I will be looking out for it.  

Whats the weather like with you?. I look out I see a clear blue sky and it is very warm. Perfect Weather, I say!

Shell Hunter:-
Masters In France - 'Playin' With My Friends' (2012)


When watching the telly, I usually flick channels during the boring adverts but not for this one. I loved this track with its funky bass line and cowbell. Ok the vocals sound a bit like Gorillaz but don't use that against them! The video is pretty cool and compliments the track nicely, also being in the top ten of most viral tracks in the UK! It reminds me of when I was a little 'un and thought my toys were alive. Make sure you never say anything bad about them to their faces, who knows what they'll do to you in your sleep, I used to think! Anyway, the band Masters In France are not from France, but in fact from Bangor in Wales. They're working on a new single called Flexin which should be released early next year. Bring it on I say!

Flycasual:-
Evitan - 'Hot Damn' (2012)



From the late eighties to the early nineties the Native Tongues were a popular Hip Hop collective and probably the most successful one of all time. They consisted of De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest, Jungle Brothers and Black Sheep to name a few. So when I was on a Diet Coke break the other day and I read that Dres (one half of Black Sheep) and Jarobi (sometime member of ATCQ) had released an album under the name Evitan (native backwards), I burped with excitement. That's huge news for an ageing Hip Hop head like myself. Dres was always renowned for his unique style and clever wordplay and it's fantastic to hear he hasn't lost any of that fervour. Whilst Jarobi was an early member of ATCQ, responsible for a number of their popular tracks, he never did rhyme so it's a nice surprise to hear him here. It's a great track, chorus especially as they both sing lines from each others respective hits from back in the day. Old schoolers, still sounding fresh and showing some of the current pretenders out there how it's done.

official site here....

Sfw:-
Lumineers - Stubborn Love (2012)


The roots revival of the last few years has introduced the masses to Banjo-Pop.  Led by Mumford & Sons/Arcade Fire, The Lumineers have added to this genre with their excellent self-titled debut, The Lumineers.  With two Grammy Nominations, The Lumineers, are also gaining attention in their homeland. If I had my way, this would be a must-play at the Works Xmas party Hootenanny!


Check out our Tracks Of the Week playlist on Spotify!

Saturday 8 December 2012

SATURDAY NIGHT JUKEBOX! - The Charlatans - 'Then'



The Charlatans - 'Then' (1990)

It was Reading Festival '99 and as is customary with music festivals we had spent most of the day drinking warm cider and catching the bands that we loved. As the day drew to a close, I really wanted to see The Charlatans who were headlining the main stage. My best friend at the time looked like she had had more than her fill of booze when I suggested we head over to see the final band of the night. I was practically holding her up and she begged me to take her back to our tent or 'HQ' as we affectionately called it. Our other friends had already retired for a night cap but I was adamant I was going to see them perform my favourite track of theirs. I promised her that as soon as they played Then, I would escort her back. Selfishly I was really enjoying the gig, they played all their hits whilst she was swaying and half stumbling besides me. Again she pleaded, Please lets go back, I fell like sh*t! I said, they should be playing it soon, its their best song after all. After watching the whole set, the band walked off. Surely they will play it for their encore? They came back and thrashed out a couple more corkers, every one was a winner. I waited patiently for the intro to start, but it never came! I was robbed! My mate was pretty pissed off that I had forced her to stay the entire gig for a song that never came! Gutted!

Wake up, The Charlatans are on mate!

The Charlatans and especially Then, reminds me so much of growing up in Saudi and fond memories of sitting with my parents whilst they were having drinks in our home made bar. I put it on our recent holiday playlist and it was met with approving comments. A classic of all classics and I still think its a fantastic song, worthy of playing as their last encore, even if the band didn't on the night!

We're so pretty, oh Vanity!