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DJ Martian's Page

Intro: A diverse music positive weblog for the discerning listener with an interest in creative artistic music across the contemporary sound spectrum: Goto New Content Section for DJ Martian's Page

Electronic & Dance Music: drum n bass/ jungle, electro, breakbeat/ nu skool breaks, industrial/ electro-industrial/ ebm, synth pop/ electroclash, techno/tech house/deep house/progressive house, psychedelic trance, IDM/ experimental electronics/ ambient/ glitch sounds/ folktronica/ downbeat, jazztronica/ electro-jazz, leftfield/ instrumental/ electronified hip-hop/trip-hop.
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Other Orbits: Kozmigroov, avant / free jazz, dub, modern composition, improvised music and many other hybrids and musical mutations.

Age: I entered this world in 1970. A British Blogger.

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ALBUM RELEASE DATE INFORMATION

New & Forthcoming Music - Listings [More Links: bookmarks tagged: forthcoming * forthcoming]
Brainwashed Releases CMJ.com: New Releases Drowned in Sound - Releases 2009 Gothic, Darkwave, Synthpop, & Industrial Releases on musicfolio.com Metacritic Upcoming Release Calendar New Music Tipsheet Pause & Play On the CD Front Pause & Play On the CD Front: What's New Prefix This is Corrosion Upcoming Jazz Release Center 2009 in music - Wikipedia
Metal: Metal Storm - Upcoming Releases PRP Release Dates

UK Music Distributors: Cargo CWNN Kudos Shellshock Southern Southern: Recent, New & Forthcoming Releases
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US Online Music Stores: Coming Soon/ Pre-Orders AB-CD Darla Forced Exposure Insound Siren Disc Future Releases

New Releases/ This Week [UK Music Stores] Boomkat Juno Records Norman Records Piccadilly Records Rough Trade Smallfish
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2009 ALBUM RELEASES: 2009 FORTHCOMING ALBUMS
using rateyourmusic.com: 2009 Album Releases [Updated Regularly] This information is updated on a continual basis.

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2009 MUSIC
2009 Albums: 2009 Albums - DJ Martian - 2009 Expected - 2009 Music Lists
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2009 Album Reviews: a2009 Music 2009: b2009 m2009 Release Info 2009: r2009

Saturday, July 31, 2004

Lambgoat report the next High on Fire album: tentatively titled Blessed Black Wings is expected February 2005 on Relapse Records.

# posted by DJ Martian 6:05 PM

BBC Collective review Mike Ladd - Nostalgialator

# posted by DJ Martian 5:15 PM

Saturday's The Blue Room show on Radio 1: The Blue Room Tracklistings includes classic tracks from Penguin Cafe Orchestra, Bob Marley, Sabres of Paradise, Aphex Twin and Fleetwood Mac.

Listen Again @ The Blue Room

# posted by DJ Martian 5:13 PM

This Week's New Releases @ Boomkat

This week's new releases @ Boomkat - A Pelicanneck Online Music Store include:

ALBUM OF THE WEEK!
Pandatone - Lemons and Limes
Neo Ouija

Pandatone is the latest in a small line of artists that have, over the last year or so, delicately sliced, diced, re-worked and pieced together fragmented sounds and diverse ideas into something you could more or less describe as home listening for the 21st century. It's not quite 'folktronic' or 'Post' anything in particular, more the result of a thirst for new sounds and a love of more styles of music than could possibly be condensed into one album, at least if you're to stick to traditional ideas of what an album should sound like. One listen to this debut album by Trevor Sias, however, confirms what many felt on hearing his initial contributions to the Cottage Industries compilation series - here was a voice begging for a bigger canvas. Fitting into the latest currents of the new york leftfield flora and fauna, moments here bring to mind a more electronic take on the activities of Tomlab's amazing "The Books", perhaps comparable at points to some of Zammuto's own early cdr only releases. Check 'Bureen' or the benign strummed and recorded folk-tinged 'Broadwalk' for an idea. Equally 'go f7' keys into some of the elements of new york serialism a la steve reich, yet adding some 'dance' chording bringing the style fully up to date. Eclectic-acoustic sound collages, glitched laptop shenanigans, inexplicably strange and yet curiously warm feeling - here's an album that dispenses with rules and formulas, instead delivering blissed out charm and diversity on a musical whim that gloriously fits in with the sound of the moment. Lovely.

ALBUM OF THE WEEK!
Xela - Listen With Xela Volume 1
Boomkat Selected Mixtapes

And now for something completely different. For the 6th installment in our mix cd series we head deep down and low into an out of focus world of modified symphonies, alien soundtracks, smokey jazz basements and electric lullabies. This extremely special mix from John Xela acts as a perfect bridging point between the sublime electronic minimalism of his debut album "For frosty mornings....' and the rewired acoustic lovesongs of his recent "Tangled Wool" album for CCO. It's a journey that perfectly reflects Xela's cinematic obsessions, offering a narrative that spans almost a century's worth of music, taking in a lifetime supply of neon folk, jazz vapours, midnight minimalism through to reduced pop, Twin Peaks oddities, Berlin-bound electronic pulses and everything in between. For late night loveliness, the selection just doesn't get any better......or more inspired. Perfect.

Various / Merck - Merck Mix 3
Merck

The 4-year anniversary of merck brings us their third mix cd, composed entirely from tracks from the label's extensive back catalogue and some tasty first tasters of things to come. The mix includes tracks adam johnson, aphilas, blamstrain, deceptikon, esem, frank and bill, ilkae, landau, lackluster, machine drum, md, mr projectile, proem, proswell, secede, sense, syndrone, tiki obmar and more. Spanning the merck time-line, the full spectrum of styles is represented, with the extra bonus of exclusive previously unreleased tracks by sense, lackluster and a remix of ilkae by landau thrown in for that collectable vibe. This is the second merck mix by ben cormier and dan hartrell from toronto, who displayed their killer mixing skills on the last volume. Ace

Various / Virtu - Virtu : See Level
Virtu

Ran from NYC this label (with help from Matthew Herbert's Accidental crew) are offering a new high design factor into compilation albums, taking them from the supermarket shelves and placing them in your home amongst your other prized musical collectables. While the music stays within a certain respectable and hardly revolutionary style the choices do show a knack for audio story telling and mood. The first CD subtitled, 'Below See Level' drops into aquatic downtempo waters, perfectly kicking it off with the amazing Cinematic Orchestra track 'Burn Out' from the 'Every Day' album. Other tracks on disk 1 come from amongst others Charles Webster, Wax Poetic f/ Norah Jones, Dani Siciliano, Arto Lindsay, Recloose, Boom Bip, Mum, Notwist with an exclusive from Inertia records Hefner. The 2nd disk includes tracks from Akufen, Metro Area, Jazzanova, Blaze, Chris Brann, Luomo with an exclusive track from Herbert's archive '24 Hrs', which is smoothed out funk house halfway between his Phono sides and 'Around The House'. The packaging is amazing, just like the Accidental CD's, and with an exclusive Herbert track it makes for really rather good summertime listening. Check it.

Brotzmann Clarinet Project - Berlin Djungle
Unheard Music / Atavistic

Latest amazing reissue from Atavistic's Unheard Music division. A concert from 1984 that linked up legendary free jazz maniacs Peter Brotzmann and John Zorn along with an array of equal legends of avant jazz such as Tony Oxley, William Parker, Toshinori Kondo, Tony Coe and Louis Sclavis. The CD contains one continuous piece lasting just short of 50 minutes, only broken up to reflect the sequencing on the original vinyl issue. Six clarinet players meet trumpet, trombone, bass & drums. From reflective, lyrical and open _expression to all out thrash rage. A big recommend.

Christian Marclay - DJ Trio
Asphodel

'DJ Trio' is the long awaited Asphodel follow up to Christian's 2000 duo album with Otomo Yoshihide titled 'Moving Parts'. As you'd guess by the name this CD showcases trio performers utilising turntables in a style completely removed from most standard hip hop deejays to make sounds that really spark your imaginantion. Joining Christian for each of the trio's featured are DJ Olive, Marina Rosenfeld, Toshio Kajiwara and Erik M. Musically up there with the best 70's electro acoustic sounds, imagine tape edit style John Cage mixed with an amalgam of Phillip Jeck and D-Styles. Completely wigged out sounds but also essential for fans of the outer reaches of turntablism and high quality improv. Highly recommended.

Herve Boghossian - Mouvements
Raster Post

French sound artist Hervé Boghossian makes his debut for Raster Noton's Post edition after works for labels such as Beau Rivage and his own label List. Like Akira Rebelais, Keith Fullerton Whitman and Christian Fennesz this CD is made from the subtlety altered sound of guitar playing. Of the artists listed above Herve's guitar sounds the most removed from the original sound source and thus feels more mysterious and strangely humanist. The tracks act as gliding drones of sound - long classically framed notes that seem to be spliced into shards of sound in their thousands. This makes a mirage connection to the natural world in your mind. For example imagine grains of metallized sand individual recorded as they hit a tin roof, a different listen through speakers or headphones. Though not harsh, this is experimental music at it's warmest and lushest. A quiet release, recorded in the treble end of the soundscale. One of the finest Raster Noton releases in the last couple of years. Massively recommended.

Various / Musica Futurista / Musica Futurista - The Art Of Noises
LTM

"Musica Futurista: The Art of Noises" is a 73 minute collection of music and spoken word from the Italian Futurist movement 1909-1935,including original recordings by Marinetti, Russolo and Balilla Pratella. As well as period recordings,including "free verse" readings by Futurist figurehead F.T. Marinetti and the celebrated "intonarumori" created by Luigi Russolo which influenced Stravinsky, Stockhausen and John Cage, the CD includes contemporary performances of other key Futurist works.This is a definitive collection with all material digitally remastered and a deluxe booklet with many rare images and detailed sleeve notes by noted author James Hayward.

Cage And Tame One Are Leak Bros - Waterworld
Eastern Conference

Though their output is less hectic you can always rely on Eastern Conferance to hit you full on like Def Jux did back in their early days. Cage's last album 'Movies For The Blind' was awesome though slept on and the same could be said for Tame One's 'When Rappers Attack'. Together they create lyrical heat on this album that's helped no end by some amazingly deep and full production from Camu Tao, J-Zone, Mondee, El-P, Mighty Mi, Reef and on large form RJD2. If street rap from NYC was consistently this good then I'd die as a homeless destitute, as that's not the case here's more reason to love this album. Fourteen tracks of pimp sh*t.

Wax Poetics
Issue 9 Summer 2004
Wax Poetics

Latest volume from the finest publication on the planet. This edition nearly tops all previous simply for it's in depth interview of Dante Ross. Office boy at Def Jam, a&r at Tommy Boy and Elektra. This man had had a hands on involvement with nigh on all the classic albums released between 1989 and 1992 (the mid school golden years), peep De La Soul 'Three Feet High and Rising' (he also co signed Digital Underground but left Tom Silverman's label prior to 'The Humpty Dance'). On his arrival at Elektra he signed KMD, Leaders Of The New School, Brand Nubian, Del and each of those artists dropped classic debuts. The best thing about this interview is the secrets he reveals, many completely incendiary, others will bring a smile to your face. I've been waiting nearly 15 years for this interview and it answers all my questions even touching on the KMD 'Black Bastards' fiasco. You might also want to read the two part MC Serch interview in Grand Slam to get a different side to topics touched on here as Dante gives the man a rough time. If that's not enough elsewhere in this issue are in depth features on legends such as Joe Zawinul, Pucho and Willie Mitchell. Plus interviews with RJD2, the second part of Phillip Sherburne's article on avant turntable playing and so much more. You know what you need to do. Completely, utterly essential.

Mercury Rev - Yerself Is Steam (+ Bonus CD)
Mint

The excellent, CLASSIC debut from Buffalo's finest available for the first time shrink -wrapped with free compilation 'Mint Humbucker' with Mercury Rev & friends.Bonus cd featuresfeat: Dean Wareham, Radial Spangle, Cellophane, Mutton Gun & Sterling Roswell plus Mercury Rev's rare debut single 'Car Wash Hair'.

Spectrum - Refractions: Thru the rhythms of time 1989 - 1997
Space Age

Sonic boom/spectrum/pete kember started producing solo work shortly before the end of spacemen 3 and released his first solo project, sonic boom 'spectrum' in 1990. from the success of this release he signed to silvertone records and released the highly sought after and respected 'soul kiss (glide divine)' in 1991 and continued releasing work through silvertone until 1994 when the unique 'highs, lows & heavenly blows' was released to rave reviews. Later on spectrum moved to space age recordings where he released the groundbreaking 'forever alien'which remains a perfect example of the use of technology in experimental music.'Refractions' takes the best and hardest to find output of spectrum on one fascinating cd. Check.

Sufjan Stevens - A Sun Came
Asthmatic Kitty

More goodness from one of the most gifted singer-songwriters of the generation, here displaying his excellent debut from 1999 "A Sun Came". The album here has been skillfully re-mastered, with two previously unreleased tracks and new art by Stephen Halker. Recorded on 4-track while still in college, A Sun Came first demonstrated Sufjan's eclectic instrumentalism - he plays over a dozen instruments here -- noted production skills, and heartfelt songwriting. Though little known until listeners and reviewers discovered Michigan last year, A Sun Came foreshadows Sufjan's later work, and stands on it's own as an _expression of his unique talents. A Brilliant debut, thankfully available once again.

Marcus Belgrave - Gemini
Universal Sound

As I just recently mentioned to a close colleague 'there's so much good music around these days'. Take for example this wicked reissue of trumpeter Marcus Belgrave's 1974 album for Detroit's Tribe label. To be honest it's worth your money for the title track alone, 'Space Odyssey' is an outright classic track, so much so that Carl Craig covered it on The Detroit Experiment album. This ain't no one track album scenario. The band on this album is stupid, joining Marcus is Phil Ranelin, Wendell Harrison, Roy Brooks (Horace Silver's drummer on so many classic Blue Note albums) plus the don of the electric piano Harold McKinney. From downhome modal blues numbers like 'Odoms Cave' to Max Roach protest jazz and wicked spiritual inclined post bop. It's all here. Thanks Soul Jazz, killer material from start to finish.

# posted by DJ Martian 3:36 PM

The latest Mixing It show on Radio 3, includes tracks by DJ Spooky, Jaga Jazzist, Univers Zero, Squarepusher and Fripp & Eno.

# posted by DJ Martian 12:21 AM

The 2004 Shortlist Prize selects Judges

Billboard report on the judges for the Shortlist Prize

2004 Judges, known as listmakers include:

The Cure's Robert Smith
System Of A Down's Serj Tankian
Massive Attack's 3D
Perry Farrell

and numerous others.. including bland adult rawker John Mayer and Norah Jones, Miss MOR easy listening.

The criteria for eligibility for this year's Shortlist Prize:

» any artist's full-length release that came out between July 1, 2003, and June 30, 2004 [released in the US]

» that at the time of its nomination has not been certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America.

Official website: 2004 Shortlist Music Prize

To give you an idea of what albums could be selected these are my 4 quarterly summary lists: [however remember some albums get released in the UK prior to a US Release, and vice-versa]

Q3: 2003
Q4: 2003
Q1: 2004
Q2: 2004

US Release dates for particular albums can be checked @ Amazon.com

# posted by DJ Martian 12:10 AM

Friday, July 30, 2004

Leonard's Lair review Junior Boys - Last Exit with a 5/ 5 review.

# posted by DJ Martian 11:52 PM

BBC Collective have an Amon Tobin interview.

# posted by DJ Martian 11:18 PM

Life Blood for The Manics

NME.com report Manic Street Preachers have named their forthcoming album: Life Blood due for an October release.

Nicky Wire commented:
It's modern, shiny, pure pop, elegiac pop, It really is the poppiest album we've ever done. The mixer of Goldfrapp (Tom Elmhirst) has been working with us, and he's really given it a lovely sheen and a modern edge. We've been listening to The Associates, early New Order, Joy Division. It's 'The Holy Bible' for 35 year olds!"

# posted by DJ Martian 11:17 PM

VOTE: I Love Music: Top 100 Albums & Tracks 2000-2004

Organized by stevem @ ILM you can vote for this decade's best music: nominations are listed: I Love Music: Top 100 Albums & Tracks 2000-2004

The voting system allows 15 choices each for the Tracks and Albums listed.

The deadline for submissions is Monday 16th August, 12pm BST.

The nominations were selected by ILM users. The methodology of the nominations has it's limitations - only one nomination each [for an album/ track] per ILM user was permitted.

# posted by DJ Martian 3:40 PM

Next week's releases are reviewed @ Norman Records

# posted by DJ Martian 2:18 PM

Marc Riley's Rocket Science show tomorrow on 6 Music features:

Geordie from Killing Joke will be talking about the band's new album

[Update: Geordie was busy so Raven deputized]

[That will be the Killing Joke - For Beginners compilation - due for release next week]

This will get Nick @ Auspicious Fish excited Embrace will be coming into the studio to play two tracks

# posted by DJ Martian 2:10 PM

Luke Vibert - 6 Mix

This coming Sunday, Luke Vibert is on the 6 Mix on BBC 6 Music.

# posted by DJ Martian 1:37 PM

Dusted Features spotlight the listening interests of Clinic

# posted by DJ Martian 1:31 PM

Almost Cool review Deathprod - Deathprod

# posted by DJ Martian 1:29 PM

Pitchfork review Comets on Fire - Blue Cathedral

Sub Pop debut from these chaotic Santa Cruz psych-feeders beefs up their production values to touch down as their hardest-hitting record to date. Drawing influence from Zeppelin, Hendrix, and Hawkwind, Blue Cathedral scales back the wanton experimentation of their previous albums to fire off post-Vietnam rounds of knotted feedback, monolithic riffs and outer-space jams. And perhaps its most impressive feat? At 53 minutes, it almost feels short.

# posted by DJ Martian 1:12 PM

The Guardian review Spring Heel Jack - The Sweetness of the Water

# posted by DJ Martian 12:35 PM

Thursday, July 29, 2004

The Independent interview Tuxedomoon

The US avant-rock band Tuxedomoon have sustained a 20-year career by turning their backs on their homeland. Andy Gill meets them in Rome

# posted by DJ Martian 11:45 PM

The Independent interview The Futureheads

# posted by DJ Martian 11:43 PM

Mansun - Kleptomania: September 27th

DiS have further info on the Mansun 3CD set: Mansun - Kleptomania

# posted by DJ Martian 11:05 PM

BBC Jazz Awards 2004 - The Winners

Winners anounced: BBC Jazz Awards

The Independent report on the BBC Jazz Awards

# posted by DJ Martian 10:58 PM

New Releases @ Piccadilly Records

Some new releases listed in the weekly guide [via e-mail] from Manchester's music emporium: Piccadilly Records

Sufjan Stevens - A Sun Came
Asthmatic Kitty

Hope you're already familiar with Sufjan? Last year's "Michigan" (given a proper UK release this spring) and this year's "Seven Swans" are already dead certs for our End Of Year Top Ten. Now comes the reissue of his debut LP. Where "Seven Swans" is a more distilled effort and "Michigan" simply one of the best records in recent times, on his debut, recorded straight to four-track but overflowing with multi-instrumental magic, Stevens sets out his stall and amazes us again. It's insanely ambitious folk music with celtic, middle-eastern and even Chinese motifs, crazy Sonic Youth-ish atonal-ness and sweet, soft ballads. It's got that totally non-mainstream, try-it-and-see D.I.Y. musical toyshop feel, but amidst the madness true beauty lies. It's not as good as his last two meisterworks, and some of it will have you reaching for the 'skip' button but the mind-boggling magic easily outweighs the quirkiness factor and this still comes through as a thing of wonder. He's a wizard!

Bardo Pond / Tom Carter (Charalambides) - 4/23/03
3Lobed

Both Bardo Pond and Tom Carter have been luminaries of their respective subgenres of the resurgent underground psychedelic movement over the better part of the past decade. Bardo Pond has not been afraid to explore the interplay between complex musicianship, volume and tranquility. Tom Carter, as a solo artist as well as within the framework of his band Charalambides, has created soundscapes built on the combination of delicate tones. "4/23/03" marks the first product of these like-minded artists working together.

Bark Psychosis - Codename Dust Sucker
Fire

The release of "Codename:Dustsucker" marks the return of Bark Psychosis after a ten year retreat into virtual obscurity. The previously released LP, "Hex" has spent that time sustaining the sense of enigma that has become synonymous with the name and garnering the warm reverence of critics and fans alike.

Ltd CD - FIRECD90X
Special limited edition CD includes an 8 page booklet lovingly tucked into a full colour 6 panel digi-pack.

Beats For Beginners - Don't Fly Into The Sun
Faith & Hope

Manchester's Beats For Beginners bring us their debut album for Faith & Hope, creating a delicious mix of 70s pop, 80s electro-pop and 00s indie-pop sounds. NME say 'A surprisingly tender electronic indie-pop crossover'. Includes the singles "Summer Lovers" and "Kill All DJs".

Logh - The Raging Sun
Must Destroy

Second album from Swedish post-hardcore band Logh. "The Raging Sun" expands upon their trademark slide guitar and Television-esque guitar interplay to veer between moments of piano melancholy, gentle ambience and sub-hardcore ferocity.

The Memory Band - The Memory Band
Hungry Hill

The Memory Band features Stephen Cracknell, Adem (from Four Tet / Adem), assorted members of Hot Chip and Polly Paulusma. Gorgeous folk-tronica for fans of James Yorkston, Adem, Fence Collective etc.

Polysics - Poylsics Or Die
Sur La Plage

Polysics, three mysterious characters, half animal, half machine, transported back through time from Neo Tokyo making music that will flatten cities, drain oceans and split atoms. Think Devo locked in a lift with Kraftwerk with the wardrobe designer of The Residents on board for a laugh and you are there. This is 21st Century new wave. Nine mini and full albums in their five year career form the basis for this best of collection, which features 18 audio tracks, plus two videos.

Sunburned Hand Of The Man - The Trickle Down Theory Of Lord Knows What
Eclipse

The second album from this Massachusetts-based multiple-piece gang of free, social sound explorers. Five heady tracks of celebratory and spiritual music played with guitar, pipes, keyboards, percussion, horns, bass, and an assortment of extras. A breath of the same exhaust huffed by No-Neck Blues Band, Suntanama, Michael Hurley, and others of the same persuasion. One-time pressing of 1,000 copies, packaged with an insert in full-color sleeves with artwork by the band.

Jody Wildgoose - Lovely White Teeth
Sketchbook

Another gem from the Sketchbook label. Jody Wildgoose is one of Britain's best kept secrets, a curious mix of woolly charm and ambition. This album is compiled from a huge collection of songs, instrumentals and weirdness. While some tracks are just one-minute sketches, others are perfectly formed lo-fi masterpieces. Jody's work is a surreal melting pot of Led Zep, Beck, Syd Barrett, Skip Spence, Motown, a bit of Prince, a smidgen of hip hop and the kind of psychedelia that shone before it lost it's pop heart.

Various Artists / Unearthed - Liverpool Cult Classics Vol 3
Viper

Another storming collection of Scouse nuggets from the 70s to present day. Vol three begins back in 1977 with The Spitfire Boys featuring future Frankie Goes To Hollywood member Paul Rutherford on vocals. It ends with one of the best of Liverpool's current crop of talent, The Hokum Clones. Also included are "Up" by Shack, thought to be destroyed in a fire in 1991, The ID, an early incarnation of OMD with the original version of "Electricity" and "Hey Disco Joe" by Wah!Heat live at the last night of Erics along with many more gems.

Pan American - Quiet City
Kranky

"Quiet City" is the fourth album from Mark Nelson's (Labradford) Pan American project. Combining the computer-centric approach of Pan American's last album "The River Made No Sound" with the organic instrumentation that characterised Nelson's work in Labradford.

2xCD - KRANK065
The CD is accompanied by an exclusive DVD produced and directed by Mark Nelson. It is a series of 'visual medetations' for each of the albums eight tracks.

Far - Water And Solutions
Immortal/Epic

The second release for Epic was still granite hard and the arrangements every bit as engagingly eccentric as their opener "Tin Cans With Strings To You", but it was more textured. The little extra effort demanded of the listener was definitely worth it though - and if you're prepared to take my word for it enough to get your sticky hands on a copy of this passionate, multilayed 1998 groundbraker, you'll find out why.

CD - IMM003CD
Deluxe edition includes a bonus DVD featuring unreleased live performances, bootlegs and photos.

JR Ewing - Calling In Dead
Coalition

One of the most talked about bands in the European indie / hardcore scene finally get a UK release for their brilliant debut album. Hailing from Oslo, Norway, JR Ewing have taken everyone by surprise with their superb songwriting abilities that mix latter period Refused's indie rock and groove feel with the heaviness of modern hardcore heavyweights such as Botch and Dillinger Escape Plan.

Mara Carlyle - The Lovely
Accidental

Opening with the enchanting vocal and saw duet "Saw Song", "The Lovely" goes on to use subtle lounge jazz trio backing, forties-style harmonies and pop hooks, while sounding totally contemporary with co-production by Plaid, who add an electronic edge.

Steve Reid - Rhythmatism
Universal Sound

Originally released in 1976, this is one of four albums Reid recorded for his own Mustevic label. Only 1000 copies were pressed up at the time, making it a jazz collectors must have LP ever since. Jazz drummer Reid played with such luminaries as Sun Ra, Freddie Hubbard, Gray Bartz, Ornette Coleman, Lester Bowie (Art Ensemble Of Chicago), Fela Kuti, Leon Thomas and Miles Davis, even backing James Brown at The Apollo! Sounding similar to Tribe and Strata East records of the time, "Rhythmatism" brings us a mix of free and spiritual jazz tracks, with Les Walker (piano), David Wertman (bass), Michael Keith (trombone), Arthur Blythe (sax) and guests all taking their turn to add improvised solo work.

Alvin Curran - Lost Marbles
Tzadik

A compilation of Alvin Curran's wildest musical projects from 1987-2003. Featuring a seductive work for chorus and ensemble, an incredible piece for eleven shiphorns(!), an electro-acoustic tribute to John Cage using the sound of his laughter and the purring of Merce Cunningham's cat, the strangest orchestral music you've ever heard, etudes for diskklavier, dance music for Trisha Brown and much more. This long overdue release will surely confirm Curran as one of America's most courageous and outrageous musical mavericks.

Faultline - Closer Colder
Leaf

Originally released in 1999, Faultline's debut album was a groundbreaking release for the Leaf label. Five years on, it still sounds utterly fresh, and compares favourably with the recently released "Your Love Means Everything" album.

The Necks - (Music From The Feature Film) The Boys
ReR

Sound-track to the prize-winning movie "The Boys". The Necks break with convention here and put several shorter pieces on one CD. All gems and all pared back to the imperfection that is the Necks' unique and glorious signature. This is a band that seems to be coming into its golden age.

Wax Poetics / Issue Number Nine, Summer 2004 [Magazine]

This issue has RJD2 giving us an insight into his influences on Record Roots, interviews with legendary hip hop A&R man Dante Ross, Henry 'Pucho' Brown, Poppa Willie Mitchell and jazz keyboard king Josef Zawinul (who's also the cover star), a history of "Love Money" by the Funkmasters, features on experimental electronic turntablists Janek Shaefer and Philip Jeck, Jamaican / Canadian funk-soul man Wayne McGhie, the NYC Record Show, collecting 78s from the lost provinces and jazz / soul covers of The Beatles.

# posted by DJ Martian 10:35 PM

New music blog: ArtsJournal: Critical Conversation Classical Music Critics on the Future of Music

# posted by DJ Martian 6:15 PM

Sonic Youth / Mats Gustafsson Album Out September 27th

As announced @ Smalltown Supersound

The Mats Gustafsson/Sonic Youth 'Hidros 3' album on Smalltown Supersound will be released the 27th of September. It contains 9 tracks of sonic delights and some amazing vocal from Kim Gordon.

[Alerted via It's a trap]

# posted by DJ Martian 5:44 PM

ALT*CTRL @ The Brixton Telegraph

Details of an electronic music event happening in London: AltCtrl

ALT*CTRL @ The Brixton Telegraph
Saturday 31st July 2004
CLICK for e-flyer

Doors: 6pm – 6am
Tax: £8 after 9pm

ALT*CTRL Outdoors >>>
Come down before 9pm and get some nosh in for the night ahead while the Paul Louth and the Inhale crew gently warm your ears with their distinctive brand of low-slung electrofied funk. (www.Inhale.org.uk).

CLUB >>> Electro, Acid, Breaks, Bass
Mr Velcro Fastener LIVE (UK Exclusive Gig)
Tim Wright LIVE (Novamute)
Chris Clark LIVE (Warp Records)
Debasser LIVE (Novamute / Haywire)
Cursor Miner LIVE (Lo Records)
ALT*CTRL Soundsystem LIVE (Showcase)
Addictive TV (AV Set)
Sigma (Uglyfunk)

BAR: Wheels Instead Of Hooves >>>
Markus (Rephlex)
Buddy Peace (Lex)
John (Soul Jazz)
Tomp (Warp DJ)

Sheik Ahmed (absorb.org)
Wheels DJs
Plus very special guest!

Visuals >>>
Kurst
The Men In The Corner
Adverse Camber VJs
Proscan Lighting

More Info: www.altctrl.co.uk / Click for Map
@ The Telegraph, 228 Brixton Hill, London SW2 1HE www.thebrixtontelegraph.com

Nearest Tube is Brixton
Nearest Overland Train Streatham Hill
Buses 133, 159, 45, 59, 109, 118, 250, 333

ALT*CTRL regulars are in for a treat with a new venue and an excellent line up featuring many of the artists previously heard on vinyl, now playing live. With an all-live attitude to the presentation of electronic music, ALT*CTRL provide a rich alternative to normal club nights.

The spacious new home at The Telegraph in Brixton is well regarded as a top live and club music venue and for its top quality sound system. The space and the bass will definitely be needed on the 31st as the event features a total of six live acts, six VJs and eight DJs across the two rooms.

The line up is a sparkling list of unique performers, including Finnish electro act Mr Velcrofastener playing an exclusive rare UK show, Warp records wunderkind Chris Clark, Novamute’s Debasser and Tim Wright, fresh from his recent Fabric performance, and the phenomenally entertaining Cursor Miner. The ALT*CTRL Soundsystem will also feature, while visuals come from Addictive TV, Kurst, Sunny V and the Men in the Corner.

The omnipotent presence of the Wheels Instead of Hooves crew on the London electronica scene is maintained in room two, featuring DJs from Warp, Rephlex, Soul Jazz, Lex and Kraked records, and Wheels VJs. All of which makes this one of the most interesting and lively underground nights on in London this weekend.

# posted by DJ Martian 5:35 PM

Iceland Airwaves Festival, October 20-24, Reykjavik, Iceland

Intuitive Music have the latest line up of Iceland Airwaves Festival taking place in Reykjavik - October 20-24.

Iceland Airwaves celebrates it's 5th year with another outstanding showcase of new music and great musicicians. This year's festival will include names like Four Tet, Thievery Corporation, Fatboy Slim, Sigur Rós, Gus Gus, and many others.

Official website: Iceland Airwaves

# posted by DJ Martian 5:05 PM

Southern Newsletter, August Edition

The latest newsletter from independent music distributor Southern: SOUTHERN | word including:

news
recent and upcoming releases
tours roundup
hanalei interview
a letter from france
sunn 0))) feature
tours & live reviews
what's on the southern stereo

# posted by DJ Martian 2:00 PM

The latest releases are reviewed @ NYC's Other Music: The Other Music Update including:

NEW RELEASES
Adem
Comets on Fire
Kings of Convenience

# posted by DJ Martian 1:39 PM

Radio 1's Annie Nightingale has a feature on breaks music: Slam on the Breaks

Annie Nightingale has been supporting the worldwide Breaks scene since its inception and describes it as 'the most exciting musical journey she's been on'. With her new show moving to an earlier slot she is about to take breaks to a whole new level. Here she explains her inauguration in to this global movement.

Reminder: As of this week Annie Nightingale show on Radio 1 moves to a new slot:

Don't miss Annie's new show starting this Thursday night/Friday morning 01.00 - 03.00...

# posted by DJ Martian 10:34 AM

Annie Mac - Radio 1

Radio 1 launches a new show presented by Annie Mac at the 9pm - 11pm slot each Thursday. The first show is later today.

Apparently it's focus is to provide a diverse outlook on new dance/ beats music.

Annie Mac - Biography

With a show that bridges the gap between daytime and specialist for dance music heads, Annie presents every Thursday night from 9pm to 11pm on Radio 1.

Her show takes a light-hearted look at the tracks that are filling every kind of dancefloor up and down the country, playing the very best of house, hip hop, bass and beats. "I couldn't have asked for a better show that defines me and what I stand for, I am absolutely over the moon and can't wait to get started."

# posted by DJ Martian 12:39 AM

Wednesday, July 28, 2004

Terrorizer Issue #121 - August 2004

» Terrorizer magazine.

Details of the new August issue of Terrorizer that features Dillinger Escape Plan on the front cover.

FEATURES:
DARKTHRONE: STUDIO REPORT
THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN
QUORTHON TRIBUTE
SADISTIK EXEKUTION
QUEENSRYCHE
INSISION
KRIEG
HEARSE
BORKNAGAR
CARNAL FORGE
THERION
ATREYU
PELICAN
BAD RELIGION
NOSTROMO
KILLWHITNEYDEAD

Also Terrorizer: Next Issue [on Sale late August]

COMING NEXT MONTH...
TAKE A LOOK IT THIS! IT'S FUCKING AMAZING! WE'RE PINCHING OURSELVES AND WE'RE THE ONES WHO ARE PUTTING THIS LOT TOGETHER!

MASTODON | MEGADETH | OLD MAN GLOOM | TODAY IS THE DAY | BLUT AUS NORD | ST VITUS & THE HIDDEN HAND | MORTIIS | VIKING MENTALISTS | WHAT JUSTIN BROADRICK DID AFTER GODFLESH

# posted by DJ Martian 11:33 PM

dense promotion, Berlin: newsletter 048

Upcoming releases are profiled @ dense promotion

ALEXEI BORISOV & ANTON NIKKILÄ - Typical Human Beings
[CD N&B Research Digest]
B. FLEISCHMANN and HERBERT WEIXELBAUM present DUO 505 - Late
[LP/CD morr music]
COBRA KILLER - 76/77 [CD/LP Monika Enterprise]
FRANK BRETSCHNEIDER - Looping I-VI [CD 12k]
JULIAN FANE - Special Forces [CD Planet Mu]
KAMMERFLIMMER KOLLEKTIEF - Hysteria [CD Quecksilber]
KLAUS FILIP / RADU MALFATTI / MATTIN / DEAN ROBERTS - Building Excess
[CD GROB]
MAX EASTLEY / DAVID TOOP - Doll Creature [CD Bip-Hop]
MINIT - Now Right Here [CD/LP Staubgold]
MÜLLER_MÖSLANG - boom_box [CD GROB]
OUTPOST - Time-based Landscapes [CD Institute for Transacoustic Research]
PETER SZELY - Welcome To My World [CD mosz]
RADIAN - Juxtaposition [CD Thrill Jockey]
SWOD - Gehen [CD/LP City Centre Offices]
TAYLOR DEUPREE & CHRISTOPHER WILLITS - Mujo [CD Plop]
THE BEANS - Bassplayer [intr_version]
THE GO FIND - Miami [CD/LP morr music]
TRANSFORMER DI ROBOTER - Metal Kings [CDEP deco 008]
V.A. - BiP_HOp Generation [v.7] [CD Bip-Hop]
V.A. - AMµNITION [CD Planet Mu]
YANNIS KYRIAKIDES / VEENFABRIEK - The Thing Like Us [CD Unsounds]

# posted by DJ Martian 11:24 PM

BBC Jazz Awards are announced tomorrow.

# posted by DJ Martian 10:41 PM

Kirsty MacColl box set

Ananova report EMI to release Kirsty MacColl box set

Titled: From Croydon to Cuba the three-disc box set of recordings by Kirsty MacColl will be released by EMI on October 11.

# posted by DJ Martian 5:35 PM

OSLO JAZZ FESTIVAL 2004

The Wire Magazine are co-sponsoring part of The Oslo Jazz Festival in Norway 9th - 15th August.

Annual Oslo jazz bash featuring mainstream jazz and avant garde sounds
alike, spread over various venues in the Norwegian capital. The Blå
club space hosts a Smalltown Superjazzz (sic) label launch night with The
Thing, a punk rock inspired jazz trio featuring Mats Gustafsson, Paal
Nilssen-Love and Ingebrigt Håker Flaten (12 August), an eclectic night
featuring Chicago jazz giant Fred Anderson, electric avant funkers
Spektrum and Four Tet (13), and a Saturday night blowout with Mats
Gustafsson & Hamid Drake, Fred Anderson & Paal Nilssen-Love, LCD Sound System
and Mental Overdrive (14). Other highlights of the festival include a
Rephlex night (featuring Aphex Twin, Luke Vibert and Russell Haswell) plus
Farmers Manual and Nils Petter Molvær. A number of the events to be
held at Blå are sponsored by The Wire.
Oslo various venues, 9-15 August

Source: The Wire conduit e-mail

Official website for Oslo Jazz Festival 2004 include artist profile summaries.

# posted by DJ Martian 5:16 PM

DiS relay the latest Aereogramme news: Aereogramme sign new deal

A five track EP, 'Seclusion', is due in September.

# posted by DJ Martian 12:24 AM

Tuesday, July 27, 2004

NME Executive admits that they can't stand out and be Alternative !

The Independent provide an insiders perspective of NME/NME.com

The NME publisher Neil Robinson tells Chris Gray how he transformed the ageing music title into a global brand

In the article both Robinson and McNicholas state the NME is [blatantly] aimed at 19 year old male students.

Robinson sees that as the magazine simply being more honest about where it lies in the "supply chain" between record companies, retailers and fans; but former writers like Paul Morley insist such language had no place in the NME world they inhabited.

Paul Morley:
"I would never have considered there was such a thing as a supply chain," says Morley. "NME then was coming out of the Sixties and Seventies and it had a radical spirit. It is now an odd combination of a commercial enterprise with a fanzine level of enthusiasm. It has lost the idea that it was about writing. Now it is more like a weekly guide."

This supply chain questions raises ethical questions: i.e relationships NME has between record companies/ PR companies and also relates to matching the editorial content with advertising sales strategy.

Neil Robinson:

It's not NME's fault that the world has moved on as it has. We can't stand out there and be alternative; commercially that would be suicide now. The irony is we are still more alternative than anything else.

What an admission ! alternative to anything else - what can this mean Q magazine or Virgin Radio?

What can be said about this - NME has become a stagnant fixed lifestage mag: where the contents are always skewed to the lowest common denominator male student - aged 19, who is not particularly alternative.

What a hideous concept for a music magazine - it's no wonder that people in their 20s/ early 30s - find the NME such a useless magazine. [cross reference with various music boards: BBC Collective/ Onetouchmusic/ Jockey Slut and ILM etc]

it begs the question - why hasn't a publisher launched a new weekly music magazine - that has higher aspirations for music? There is a massive gap in the market for a diverse, radical, informative weekly music magazine - many music fans don't want to wait for the monthlies - they would like a more regular reading fix.

# posted by DJ Martian 11:44 PM

In the City - Manchester, September 17th - 21st

Official website for: In The City - the UK's International Music Convention

In The City is the UK's international music convention - a meeting point for music industry professionals from across the world to come and talk, debate, argue and experience the world's premier new music showcase

# posted by DJ Martian 5:46 PM

Bark Psychosis - Hex

Ned Raggett @ Stylus Magazine spotlights Hex album by Bark Psychosis: Bark Psychosis - On Second Thought

on Second Thought replaces the classic reviews section with a more focused look at albums from the past. Each week we’ll be taking a look at an album over two years old which has been unjustly ignored, unfairly lauded or misunderstood in some fundamental way. With it, we aim to provide a fresh look at albums that need it.

In the wake of the Britpop and trip-hop booms in England of the early 90s, Bark Psychosis’ Hex fell through the cracks for many years, available only to a select few on disc. Stylus is proud to let AMG contributor Ned Raggett say “on second thought” to this underheard gem.

# posted by DJ Martian 1:46 PM

Music critic Tom Hull has updated his Music Year 2004 webpage.

# posted by DJ Martian 1:34 PM

Orbital Live

Alert: Orbital are on the John Peel show, tomorrow at 11.pm.

# posted by DJ Martian 1:07 PM

Cult of Luna provide Salvation this October

Lambgoat report Cult Of Luna finishes full-length

Cult of Luna have named their upcoming album: Salvation - that is due for an October release.

# posted by DJ Martian 12:56 PM

The UMA (Urban Music Awards)

BPI announce BPI support new Urban Music Awards .

The UMA (Urban Music Awards) is a new award ceremony supporting the best of UK Urban and Dance music.

Strangely this includes jazz, rock and ambient - that could all reflect non urban music ! Does the UK need another music awards ceremony !

UMA Awards 2004 November 9 2004, Barbican (London), 9-12.30pm
Deadline for Nomination Entries September 7 2004

-Best World Music Act 2004
-Best UK Radio DJ
-Best Jazz Act
-Best R&B Act
-Best House DJ
-Best Hard Dance DJ/Artists
-Best Ambient DJ/Act
-Best Underground Producer
-Best Rock Act (New)
-Best Gospel Act
-Best Club/Radio DJ
-Best Club Night 2004
-Best Radio Station
-Best Music Video 2004
-Best Independent Record Label
-Best Hip Hop Act
-Best Drum & Bass Act/DJ
-Best Nu-Soul Act
-Best Crossover Chart Act
-Best Garage Act
-Best Underground DJ
-Best Compilation
-Best UK Nationwide Unsigned Act 2004

# posted by DJ Martian 12:39 PM

RollingStone.com report John Cale - Hobosapiens album will finally get a US release. [Apparently it's due September 7th]

# posted by DJ Martian 12:21 PM

The Wire - August 2004 Issue

Finally The Wire have updated their website, to reflect the new issue - the worst The Wire front cover in terms of design and content - in living memory.

It's weird Wilco, one can only think that The Wire are going for the US Magnet magazine crowd - with this dreadful choice.

# posted by DJ Martian 12:17 PM

This week's flavourpill LONDON a weekly email magazine covering music, art, and cultural events

# posted by DJ Martian 12:10 PM

Monday, July 26, 2004

This week's new releases @ Rough Trade Shops

# posted by DJ Martian 5:20 PM

This week's new releases @ Fopp

# posted by DJ Martian 5:09 PM

Tiny Mix Tapes review Comets on Fire - Blue Cathedral with a 5/ 5 score.

# posted by DJ Martian 4:51 PM

Technorati: Searching the World Live Web

Technorati has a new look.

# posted by DJ Martian 2:07 PM

Bark Psychosis - Graham Sutton Interview

Stylus have a Bark Psychosis interview article.

# posted by DJ Martian 1:30 PM

Nick Southall @ Stylus reviews Bark Psychosis - ///Codename: Dustsucker

# posted by DJ Martian 1:26 PM

musicOMH.com review The Album Leaf - In A Safe Place

# posted by DJ Martian 12:38 AM

musicOMH.com review Mojo Jazz Boxset: Take Four - Various

This is a Mojo magazine branded 4cd compilation set - that provides an introduction to some of the key canonical jazz artists. Released July 26th [today].

# posted by DJ Martian 12:37 AM

Sunday, July 25, 2004

SPOTLIGHT...KEY NEW RELEASES [July 12th]

Key new album releases for July 12th [A more detailed release listing including other new releases, compilations and reissues - can be found further up this webpage.]

Oren Ambarchi - Grapes From The Estate (Touch)
Kenny Barron - Images (Emarcy)
Billy Mahonie - Dust (Tritone)
Bloc Party - Little Thoughts (Wichita) Single/ EP
Candiria - What Doesn't Kill You (Type A) [US Release]
Charalambides - Joy Shapes (Kranky) [UK Release Date]
Crisis - Like Sheep Led To Slaughter (Blackend) [UK Release Date]
Eight Frozen Modules - The Abduction Of Barry (Orthlorng Musork) [UK Release 2004]
Mike Fellows - Limited Storyline Guest (Vertical Form)
The Futureheads - The Futureheads (679)
Kim Hiorthøy - For The Ladies (Smalltown Supersound)
Charlie Hunter Trio - Friends Seen and Unseen (Ropeadope)
Loose Cannons - Make The Face (Island)
Paik - Satin Black (Strange Attractors Audio House) [Available at Amazon.co.uk]
Pitchtuner - Spiny Lure (Doxa)
Prince Po - Slickness (Lex)
Rico - Violent Silences (Manufactured)
Sagor & Swing - Orgelplaneten (Hapna)
Secret Mommy - Mammal Class (Orthlorng Musork) [UK Release 2004]
Seelenluft - The Way We Go (Klein)
Sex In Dallas - Around The War (Kitty Yo)
Sigur Ros - Ba Ba Ti Ki Di Do (EMI) EP
Today is the Day - Kiss the Pig (Relapse)
Patrik Torsson - Kolväteserenader (Hapna)
Marshall Watson - The Time Was Later Than He Expected (Highpoint Lowlife)
Winds - Imaginary Direction Of Time (Blackend) [UK Release Date]

# posted by DJ Martian 11:20 PM

Marshall Watson - The Time Was Later Than He Expected

Just released on Highpoint Lowlife Records an album from Marshall Watson

Marshall Watson - The Time Was Later Than He Expected

Marshall Watson describes his music as "crunchy, pretty, emotive, nostalgic, bittersweet, childlike, sad and smoky." and we heartily agree!

The sound of machines in love; Beautiful melodies layered with the grittiest electronic beats to create works of extreme joy and inspiration. Marshall Watson leaves you with the impression that he has mastered his technologies to the point of allowing the machines to step aside and become secondary -- the medium is not the message -- with his aching sense of awe and wonder at the world, an eternal optimism in his sound, the melodies careen and bound around your head, as the music draws you in.

"The music changes with the seasons. The same song that works in the spring, will work in the fall, and have a completely different meaning. I am highly affected by the weather, and Seattle has great weather for staying inside and working on music obsessively. Lots of gray skies and rain, but when it is sunny here, there aren't words to describe how beautiful it can be."

Marshall Watson has been busy cultivating his sound for many years now -- from the regular club nights he ran in New Orleans (from '96 - '98, which involved a mutant hybrid of keyboards, sequencers, and the then-innovative pioneer CDJs) to his dub techno project Polar Frequencies to now. Having settled in Seattle, where he has befriended local hip hop producer and label owner Jeremy Moss of Zero BPM records, Marshall released his first track on a compilation of Seattle hip-hop and down-tempo.

Marshall Watson's music indelibly leaves his unique mark on the indie-electronic landscape and injects a healthy dose of originality, soul, and a kick up the arse for anyone who thinks all you need is the correct software to make beautiful music!

Rough Trade Shops:

fresh, melodic and intricately woven textures that recall early ulrich schnauss or b.fleischmann crossed with jan jelinek, quality, rhythmically forceful electronica on highpoint lowlife

# posted by DJ Martian 10:36 PM

More Music Blogs Added

Some more music blogs added to my music blo.gs updating list:

A Million Love Songs
The Catbirdseat
Clash d'Urbaine
Dog Latin's Epic Rant
Ear in Sound
looking askance from '63
Marx vs. The Monorail
MPC
Music For Torching
The Number One Songs In Heaven
popshots dot org
VitaminQ

# posted by DJ Martian 10:17 PM

Norberg Festival 04

Norberg Festival 04 takes place in Sweden next week [28-31th of July 2004] - has an impressive line up of electronic artists.

5th Norbergfestival, we are proud to launch the complete line up.

Around 110 artists will spread electronic vibes around and
inside the Mimerlaven iron mine and don´t miss the gurus of
the masterclasses this year:

Fennesz (AUT), Pole (DE), Luke Vibert (UK), DJ Food (UK),
Andreas Tilliander (SE), Europussy band (DK), Philip Jeck(UK),
Guds Söner (SE), Strafænn Hákon (ISL), Råtasseriet (NO),
Dead Letters Spellout Dead Words (SE), Meat Katie (UK)
and J m´apelle Mads (DK).
Also pay attention to newcomers on Norberg,
DJ Tom Collins (DK) - electro(Funk/Punk), Donna Summer (US) (Cockrock disco),
SK/UM (ISL), Tench(UK)(Expanding) and Benge (UK).
And for installations fans:
Rytmobile (SE) and Touch installation by Mike Harding (UK).
And of course night visuals, heavy lighting and doomesday fireworks !

Styles: Ambient, noise, dub, click-hop, looping, 8-bit, (micro)house, tech, avant-garde and loads of weird stuff...

Norberg is: 170 km from Stockholm.

Norberg Festival 04 - Full Line Up

# posted by DJ Martian 9:54 PM

Dusted review Comets on Fire - Blue Cathedral

According to Amazon.co.uk this album will now be released on September 6th in the UK.

# posted by DJ Martian 6:17 PM

The Blue Room - Radio 1

The latest The Blue Room show on Radio 1 is now available on listen again: The Blue Room Tracklistings includes tracks from Kings of Convenience, Two Lone Swordsmen and The Earlies.

As of next weekend The Blue Rooom - will gain an extra show as part of the new Radio 1 Schedule.

Next weekend: The Blue Room shows will come from The Big Chill Festival

» Saturday Morning Fever with Rob Da Bank
» Sunday Morning Chills with Chris Coco

Reflecting ten years of BIG CHILL Festival

» The Big Chill Festival @ Eastnor Castle, Malvern Hills, Herefordshire.

# posted by DJ Martian 3:07 PM

Playlouder review Campag Velocet - It's Beyond Our Control

# posted by DJ Martian 2:48 PM

The Secret Machines vs The Flaming Lips

The Secret Machines have a new single: Nowhere Again - that virtually lifts/copies the melodies of: The Flaming Lips track: The Golden Path

# posted by DJ Martian 2:44 PM

Brainwashed Releases has been updated.

a listing of recent & upcoming electronic/experimental/etc. releases

# posted by DJ Martian 2:19 PM

New Releases @ Piccadilly Records

Some new releases listed in the weekly guide [via e-mail] from Manchester's music emporium: Piccadilly Records

[New releases for July 19th]

The Earlies - These Were The Earlies
Names

This is Music! No room for their romantic, cross-continental story (oh, ok: Texan / Manc. 4-piece combine on either side of the Atlantic and release a handful of 7" and 10" EP's which stun and awe those of us with record players) because this isn't 'lifestyle' or 'personality' fixated rock, this is pure music-loving artistry. If you like Mercury Rev or Spiritualized for scope, ambition and magic, then prepare yourselves to be blown away. The Earlies' sound is more a blend of folk and electronica than those two, but it shares a similar woozy, other-worldly, baroque, chamber-pop landscape. It's an enchanted place. They also pull in proggy, Krautrock directions (see Neu! for grooves and Stereolab for a love of melody) with long instrumental passages, cinematic and roving, stretching between the gorgeous lullabies which make up most of the songs on this album. All the singles are here, and they most certainly are Pop, but how many bands do you know that are capable of furnishing their songs with mellotron, melodica, flutes, oboes, sax, cellos, accordians, Hammond and mini-choirs? And no other band this year could even come close to the melancholic majesty of "One of Us Is Dead" or the insistent, pulsating groove and splendour of "Morning Wonder". The whole record really flows together; this is a proper album to be listened to all the way through, and with beautiful packaging and evocative lyrics (included) embellishing the lush widescreen soundscapes, you'll be going on a journey. You'll absolutely love it!

...Bender - Run Aground
Loose Lips

Debut release for this new collective, featuring James Johnstone (Gallon Drunk, the Bad Seeds), Geraldine Swayne, and Steve Gullick (photographer). The results can only be described as dark, heavy cinematic folk music.

The Chinese Stars - A Rare Sensation
Three One G

The Chinese Stars include Craig Kureck and Eric Paul formerly of Arab On Radar, already legendary for disbanding at the height of their popularity, and Rick Pelletier formerly of the severely under rated Six Finger Satellite, a band considered far and wide as 'the founding fathers of chaos'. This debut displays all the taut avant rock as dealt with by its formative bands, but with a more skewed take on the pop / rock slant.

Comes With A Smile : #15 - Summer 2004

Another quality issue of CWAS, this time with features on: AC Newman, Blonde Redhead, Vic Chesnutt, Johnny Dowd, 50 Foot Wave, The Innocence Mission, Iron & Wine, Mission Of Burma, Mountain Goats, Papa M, Sufjan Stevens, Sonic Youth and Laura Veirs. The free CD includes rare and previously unreleased tracks from Bauer, Andrew Bird, Blonde Redhead, Daryll-Ann, Johnny Dowd, 50 Foot Wave, The Flucts, The Innocence Mission, Iron & Wine, Dawn Landes, The Last Town Chorus, Mission Of Burma, The Mountain Goats, Papa M, (The Real) Tuesday Weld, The Scene Is Now, Sufjan Stevens, Laura Veirs and The Wisdom Of Harry.
Magazine - £4.49

Mike Fellows - Limited Storyline Guest
Vertical Form

Vertical Form pull off an almighty coup by nicking this exceptional album from under the noses of the alt.country 'establishment'. Maybe the occasional presence of glitchy drum machines put them off (it's no surprise then that the record was mastered by Stefan Betke AKA techno minimalist Pole!), but they can hardly fail to have missed the melodic magic of "Chinese Houses" or the bluegrass blues that infiltrate "Way I Love". Past associatons with Royal Trux and Silver Jews might not be apparent straight away, but you can't ignore the presence of one Stephen Malkmus, guesting on guitar on one track, or the nods to Bonnie Prince Billy (he extends special thanks to Paul Oldham). So, with connections like that, all that's left to say is that this is one of the most beguiling, casually graceful and best records we've heard all year.

Fiery Furnaces - Blueberry Boat
Rough Trade

Second album from brother / sister duo Fiery Furnaces.

Exclusive, upfront import copies.

Kinky Disco - Pleasures Unknown
Kinky Disco

You could call it sleazed up electroclash or jacking robo-punk but somehow the term 'Kinky Disco' seems to fit the band like a leather-studded glove.

Lake Trout - Another One Lost
Palm Pictures

On "Another One Lost", this accomplished songwriting fivesome mine wholly uncharted terrain. The album's rock experimentalism will quite naturally elicit comparisons to Talking Heads, Pixies, Pink Floyd and Sonic Youth. But the live drums somehow manage to evoke both John Bonham's thunder and Aphex Twin's drum machine. Elsewhere moody atmospherics will recall Amon Tobin, Kool Keith, and DJ Shadow. While the groups sonic explorations bring to mind Steve Reich and Brian Eno.

Limn - Joyranch
4th Harmonic

The second release from 4th harmonic is an EP by London-based instrumental avant-rock group Limn, whose five members comprise a brass section of trumpet and trombone in addition to guitars, bass, drums, vibraphone, and synth. This EP demonstrates the different aspects of Limn's sound, which pursues a sometimes angular, often beautiful and always intriguing approach to rhythm and composition. Influences include Steve Reich, Stereolab, Television, The Sea and Cake.

Low - A Lifetime Of Temporary Relief - 10 Years Of B-sides And Rarities
Rough Trade

An exhaustive collection of B-Sides, rarities, out-takes and demos from the past ten years of Low's career. Featuring more than 53 songs assembled by the band, this box set contains three audio discs and a DVD. "A Lifetime Of Temporary Relief" includes Low's first bedroom recordings (1993), all the way through to vinyl-only tracks from their recent CD, "Trust" (2003). Combined with a DVD that includes 11 Low videos, live footage and a series of documentaries, along with notes and images in a 32-page booklet compiled by the band, this box set truly encapsulates all that is Low.

Mellow - Perfect Colors
Atmospheriques

After getting a first film soundtrack out of their systems (they provided the music to Roman Coppola's film 'CQ' last year), Mellow have taken time in piecing together their grand statement. The result of two years of intense nurturing in their Paris basement studio, "Perfect Colours" is a tapestry woven from pastoral psychedelia, electronic jazz-punk, old film scores, 80s pop, tubas, clavichords and string sections in excelsis. This is the album they've been threatening to make since they came to the world's attention in 2001 as purveyors of retro tinged futuristic soundscapes with meshed electronics and horns, lounge and psychedelia.

Metal Boys - Tokio Airport
Acute

The definitive re-issue of Metal Boys, the avant-new wave spin-off project of Paris' Metal Urbain, containing their original LP from 1980 plus nine unreleased bonus tracks on CD for the first ever time!

Modest Mouse - Good News For People Who Love Bad News
Epic

A fantastic album from Modest Mouse, who have sculptured an amazing epic sound that will be loved by fans of cool indie guitar bands such as Mercury Rev and Yo La Tengo; this could well see them break through to the big time.

Rivulets - You've Got Your Own
Acuarela

Rivulets is composed basically of dusty bedroom folk and two thirds of the band Low. Featuring what is probably the most focused Rivulets to date, these are five compelling and emotional songs, stemming from a guitar with old wood reminiscences and haunted vocals bordering between whispers and agonic vibrations.

Der Plan - Die Verschworung
Marina

Pioneers of German 80s electronica / avant garde pop are back with a brand new studio album on Marina, their first in 15 years.

Doctor Mix & The Remix - Wall Of Noise
Acute

Trading in the electro-punk of Metal Urbain for true metal machine music in 1979, Paris' Eric Debris, known as Dr. Mix, unleashed his new concept, Dr. Mix And The Remix. With nothing more than a distorted guitar and a fuzzed-out drum machine, Dr. Mix and the remix mixed originals with drastically distorted and deconstructed cover versions of 60's garage and avant-rock staples (Stooges, Bowie, Velvet Underground, et al.)

The Flesh - Sweet Defeat
Gern Blandsten

For fans of the Faint, the Rapture, !!! (Chk Chk Chk), Gogogoairheart, etc. A smouldering crossbreed of keyboard driven death disco and frenzied punk rock mania!

Glenn Jones - This Is The Wind That Blows It Out
Strange Attractors

Most folks know Glenn Jones as guitarist extraordinaire for Cul De Sac. A scholar of sorts of the acoustic steel string tradition, Jones has written extensively on the subject, as can be found in the wave of Robbie Basho and John Fahey reissues on fantasy (not to mention the great essay on Fahey that accompanies his final album, "Red Cross"). Jones befriended his idol John Fahey in the mid-70's, eventually collaborating with him via Cul De Sac. Upon Fahey's passing in 2001, Jones went back to the acoustic guitar with renewed earnest. This album winds its way through rich expanses of varied stylistic terrain, charting a rich and unique course.

Lucky 15 - Colour Code White
Blow Up

This London based trio hailing from Japan and the UK, have created digital hardcore cinematica, a combination of symphonic arrangements and sultry vocals merged with heavy dance beats. Influenced by such artists as Debussy, Serge Gainsbourg and the KLF, Lucky 15 incorporate pseudo-classical ideas with authenticity, not parody. The result is an exhilarating eclectic mix of lusciously designed pop music.

Dennis Young - Old Dogs: New Tricks
Day & Nite Music

Dennis Young is best known his for work with NY band Liquid Liquid, from the same school as ESG. With eight additional musicians (including vocalist Salvatore Principato of Liquid Liquid), Young has created this eclectic collection of 12 songs reflecting his broad interest in alternative, jazz, and world music. His trademark marimba and percussion are heard through out the recording. The CD is taking the inventive sound of Liquid Liquid to the next, more mature level.

Various Artists / I Robots - Italo Electro Disco Underground Classics
Irma

Conceived and compiled by Gianluca Pandullo, this collection brings together some ace Italo electro-disco tracks. Very influential to the early 80s Detroit techno pioneers, these gems and are finding a whole new set of fans in the electroclash community at the moment. He's gone for a less well known, and consequently more rare selection (Klein & MBO and Alexander Robotnik being the most well known tracks here), mixing up gay electro-disco, proto-electro / techno, and electro-new wave: Charlie "Spacer Woman", Capricorn "I Need Love", Sun-La-Shan "Catch", 'Lectric Workers "Robot Is Systematic", Kano "Ikeya-Seki", Peter Richard "Walking In Neon", Dharma "Plastic Doll", Scotch "Penguins Invasion", Sphinx "Collision" and more.

MC5 - Best Of - The Big Bang
Rhino

The band for whom the term "high-octane rock'n'roll" must surely have been invented, this lot came out of Detroit ('Rock City!') in the late Sixties wanting to stick it to the man, blow away the West Coast hippies, and get high and have fun along the way! Three incredible albums are all well represented here, and there's the bonus of super-rare early single "Looking At You" (an ear-splitting, punk rock, noise and melody clash) and the previously unreleased "Thunder Express". They were a huge influence on Punk and indeed anyone for whom Rock'n'Roll was about more than just the music. That's all you lot, then. Buy it!

Simon Finn - Pass The Distance
Durtro / Jnana

The official legit re-issue of this incredibly rare dark acid folk masterpiece, originally released in England on the legendary Mushroom label in 1970, has been remastered from the original two-track tapes. Four extra unreleased tracks, including the never-released seven-inch single of which only a solitary acetate remains, are also included on this 54-minute CD. There's also a 20-page booklet, with full-color cover reproduction of the original artwork, all the lyrics to the album, photographs of the musicians, and extensive liner notes by Simon Finn, David Toop (who also plays on the album), Vic Keary of Mushroom records, and David Tibet of Current 93 (who has released this CD on his own Durtro imprint as a collaboration with Mark Logan's Canadian Jnana label).

3 Chairs - 3 Chairs Album
3 Chairs

Yep, it's another album from the Detroit squad in 2004. The misnomer that is the 3 Chairs present their first full length together, as Moodymann, Theo Parrish, Rick Wilhite and Malik Pittman come mob-handed with Amp Fiddler, Bubz Fiddler (his brother), Norma Jean Bell, Sherad Ingram and Andres in tow! The tracks here are the natural collision of Kenny Dixon Jr's inherent jazziness and Theo Parrish's more submerged rhythms, as the producers turn each other on in ways that none would be able to accomplish alone. Where else would you go from the slurred disco of "System Sauce" to the half-live riffing of "Midday Blues At Midnight"? The increased number of jerky techno joints like Moodymann's Planet E work is another welcome factor. Buy now so as not to be disappointed in the future...

2xCD - 3CHCD1
The second CD features Theo Parrish's white label 12" only, 9/11 tribute "Instant Insanity", Rick Wilhite's "Good Kiss", plus four previously unreleased (we think) tracks!

Various Artists / Fabric 17 - Akufen
Fabric

This is the first ever DJ Mix CD by the hugely respected Akufen, one of the hottest properties in cutting-edge electronic music. Featuring 21 tracks by artists like Philippe Cam, Matthew Dear, Cabanne, Krikor, Pantytec, Kalabrese, The Rip Off Artist, Herbert, Freaks, Crackhaus, Mossa, Luciano and Serafin, Soul Center, Horror Inc. and more (including five unreleased tracks), this is a collection of up to the minute click-house, minimal techno and glitchtronics.

Various Artists / Florian Keller Presents Party Keller Vol 1
Compost

German label Compost employs longtime Munich DJ Florian Keller to compile this release, which acts as an overview of his Party Keller club nights. This collection features some rare, sampled and influential tracks, as well as being an eclectic party rockin' mix up. There's reggae by Althea & Donna and Greyhound, funky stuff from Dorondo, Ellen McIlwayne and Hypnotics, boogie by Chanson, hip hop / electro by Daniel Sofer (featuring a young Dr Dre scratching things up), Tyrants In Therapy, Paulett & Tanya Winley, Black Sheep and Freddie Love, The Giorgio Moroder produced "Tears" by Children Of The Mission - where DJ Shadow sampled his famous "Organ Doner" - and more.

El-p - Feat. The Blue Series Continuum: - High Water
Thirsty Ear

As part of seminal hip hop group Company Flow, El-p blew onto the scene in 1997 with the release of "Funcrusher Plus", and anti-industry rhetoric that cemented the stature of Rawkus Records. Emerging from the ashes of Rawkus he set up Definitive Jux, focussing on uncompromising raw and edgy acts. Shifting gears yet again, he teams up here with jazz outfit The Blue Series Continuum to make this abstract hip hop / experimental jazz LP for Thirsty Ear. Includes the single "Sunrise Over Bklyn".

Various Artists / Larry Levan's Paradise Garage - Classic West End Remixes
West End

Nine rare Larry Levan mixes of all time classic West End disco tunes, the definitive collection of Paradise Garage anthems from the pioneering New York label. The tracklisting yields some essentials that have never been officially reissued on 12", such as Taana Gardner's "No Frills", "Work That Body" and "When You Touch Me" (the latter being the the amazing 10'39" mix!). It also includes her "Heartbeat", Ednah Holt's "Serious, Sirius, Space Party", NYC Peech Boys' "Don't Make Me Wait", Loose Joints' "Is It All Over My Face", Sparque's "Let's Go Dancin'" (mixed with Francois Kevorkian) and Billy Nichols' "Give Your Body Up To The Music". Every self-respecting disco fan should have a copy.

Starbase 109 - Starbase 109
Starbase 109

Twelve track album from the strange Manchester phenomonon that is Starbase 109. A music never before heard to the human ear. It can only be described as industrial futurism.....

Fred Frith / John Zorn Duo - 50th Birthday Celebration Volume Five
Tzadik

Working together since 1978, the partnership of Zorn and Frith is one of the most enduring musical partnerships in the downtown scene. Their periodic duo concerts have always been special events in themselves, but when it happens in celebration of Zorn's 50th birthday, it takes on even greater meaning. Two masters of improvisation meet head to head in the red hot crucible of Tonic for an hour of telepathic communication and exploration.

# posted by DJ Martian 1:43 PM

This Week's New Releases @ Boomkat

This week's new releases @ Boomkat - A Pelicanneck Online Music Store include:

ALBUM OF THE WEEK!
Pan American - Quiet City
Kranky
CD + DVD

Mark Nelson, longtime man at the controls for Labradford and his own Pan American project, has long been developing his interest in quiet sounds and delicate expanses : a strange, individual, mindblowing mix of electronics and acoustic soundscapes - drifting along in a harmonious stretch of opulent melodic textures and precious found sounds. Somehow you can't call these pieces 'ambient', although in many respects they perfectly sum up the ambience of both vast open spaces and intimate hideaways. While on his last album 'River Made No Sound', Nelson explored the furthest reaches of electronic reduction, 'Quiet City' is a much more organic affair, re-introducing luxurious instrumentation and space echoes showered with love, even a lone melodica makes it's way to turn things even more ageless, beyond categorisation. Rarely has quiet, minimal music sounded as rich or as overflowing with as much warmth or evocative intensity for its vocabulary - a language that Nelson has spoken fluently for a good few years now, but has never managed to express with as much other-worldly beauty or compassion as found on this incredible album. 'Quiet City'is a vast, expansive album, an intimate huddle of ideas illustrated with fireglow red and icy-blue surrounds. A masterpiece of its kind - utterly breathtaking from start to finish and hugely, massively recommended. Breathtaking music. **CD Version comes with a bonus DVD produced and directed by Mark Nelson in collaboration with U.S. visual/audio artist Annie Feldmeier. The DVD features a series of distinct "visual meditations" for each of the album's tracks**

ALBUM OF THE WEEK!
Various / Xela / Ludvig Elblaus / Andreas Tilliander - Skane Revisited
New Speak

New Speak's insistance on developing it's own individual roster of artists over time, plus selection skills to die for, has placed it in the top tier of labels to watch out for right now. The label has already delivered two of the most devastating electronic debuts of the last few years from Ola Bergman and Ludvig Elblaus, and is now finally releasing it's first cd issue - a long-in-the-making collection of tracks taking as their starting point the amazing "Skåne" track drawn from Andreas Tilliander's 1998 album 'Vena'. Tilliander himself lays the first card with a dubbed out reduction of the theme, while Ludvig Elblaus (one half of skam/merck operators Frank & Bill), continues his self-evident spate of good form, with a killer, drum-tricky, submerged stepper - awesome. Fridge collaborators Pluxus tease out an electropop throbber, filled with the sunburst ice melodies we've come to expect from these talented swedes, while Xela soothes the agitation of the preceding tune with drifting chords and a poised, soft-stringed ambient sense of bliss. Its left to the original, Tilliander's prescient roller, to close and fully mash up proceedings. Ace.

Asteroth - Songs From The Belfry
Float

There are unfortunately very few homespun CDR labels worth their salt that pass our way but then one day along comes a release that flips that negative realisation on it's head. As Asteroth this artist ventures forth into areas populated by artists such as Max De Wardener, Keith Fullerton Whitman, The Remote Viewer and Oran Ambarchi - rich, incredibly lush drones revolviong around minimal classical undercurrents that reveal acres of subtle depth and shimmering keys. 40 mins long and not a second wasted, it's been out for a while and we've shamefully taken far too long to list it - but we'll try and make up for it by telling you it's an absolutely sublime debut and one of the nicest surprises we've had this year. Highly recommended, if you don't already own this it's an absolute must

Bark Psychosis - Codename : Dustsucker
Fire Records

Jeez, this is good. I remember picking up "Scum", perhaps the best known Bark Psychosis release, when I was still in my teens working the xmas holidays at Virgin Megastore on the Totenham Court Road in London. At the time I couldn't quite believe what I was listening to - a 21 minute epic that seemed to be recorded in a warehouse, abstract found sounds seeping into a mix of incredily rich instrumentation and a quiet/loud ambience that must have preceeded its time by a good 5 years. Only Talk Talk employed a similarly opulent, brave, dense layering of textures - creating a sound that seemed to tower above anything else available to my eager ears. Since then, and we're talking a good 10 years or so, Graham Sutton veered off into the heady underworld of Drum & Bass (as a DJ and under his Boymerang alias), looking at the darkside fron an entirely different perspective. Hard to fathom, then, quite how he's managed to resurrect Bark Psychosis without a hint of desperation or uncertainty. Codename : Dustsucker is an incredible listen - a blend of everything he sparked off and all the slight generic revolutions that have taken place since. It's post-rock re-invented, electronica re-written, soundtrack music writ large and new - and without question one of the most astonishing records of the year. If you're into Talk Talk, Hood, Tortoise, The Remote Viewer, My Bloody Valentine, To Rococo Rot, or if you just want to hear life-changing music from one of the scene's greatest unknown operators - we implore you to check this out without delay. Magnificent.

Donna Summer - This Needs To Be Your Style
Irritant

Now re-pressed and finally available again. Classic release from Donna summer, aka jason forrest of brooklyn, new york. Currently the most talked about producer on the electronic underground after his groundbreaking debut cd "to all methods which calculate power" on omeko records of japan, album of the month in germany's influential de:bug magazine, jason has surpassed himself with this follow-up cd, a sublime mix of hardcore breaks, prog rock, and free jazz (with disco handclaps). But that's not to tell the whole story, for this is an album of such impressive originality it is set to become an all-time classic of electronic mastery. Jason forrest first received attention via his weekly radio show on wfmu, broadcasting across new york and new jersey, entitled "advanced d&d with donna summer", featuring live sets and interviews with the likes of Hrvatski, David Grubbs, Doormouse, Kevin Blechdom, Goodiepal, End, etc. One show featuring DJ/Rupture has been downloaded over 7,000 times from the archives.Fans of Kid 606, DJ Rupture, Venetian Snares, Hrvatski and Knifehandchop should check this out without delay! Ace.

Jody Wildgoose - Lovely White Teeth
Sketchbook

Wildgoose is a curious mix of open woolly charm and ambition. 'Lovely White Teeth' is compiled from a huge collection of songs, instrumentals and weirdness, while some tracks are just one-minute sketches, others are perfectly formed lo-fi operas. While Jody willingly admits the influence of Hendrix and Ween, his work is a surreal melting pot of Led Zep, Beck, Syd Barrett, Position Normal, Motown and even a bit of Prince... a smidgen of Hip Hop and the kind of Psychedelia that shone before it lost its pop heart. Strange, but very true. Well, kinda.

Mara Carlyle - The Lovely
Accidental

One of those oddball classics that feels like an old, strangely familiar friend, this fabulous Plaid-produced album from Mara Carlyle has been glued to our stereo's for weeks on end and is a firm office favourite. Known for her work with Plaid and more importantly and most relevantly the Matthew Herbert Big Band, Mara Carlyle makes her solo debut with this completely wondrous and haunting album. Taking the jazz elements associated with Herbert's most recent work this music takes it to a new level evoking the spooked out David Lynch soundtrack work of Angelo Badalamenti. Mara's highly tuned and trained vocals might just catch you off guard but it will enrapture you with the power and purpose. The band appears to be piano/organ, bass, drums and other strange instruments like ukelele, saw, mbira plus some luscious string arrangements. Many musicians feature but shamefully i've only heard of Alice Russell and the amazing Max De Wardener. Weirdly the music shares the lushness of Norah Jones' debut but being on Accidental you know there are other forces at work. Mysteriously provocative lyrics with multiple meanings are sung by an angel with a dark twist. An album that even, hard critic of todays music, Joni Mitchell could take heart from. One for dreamy late nights and subtle sunday morning wake up calls. Highly recommended - a magnificent record.

The Album Leaf - In A Safe Place
Labels

So, famously, the Album Leaf's Jimmy La Valle was invited to hang out with Sigur Ros in their native Iceland and ended up recording an album's worth of material at their recording-studio-inside-a-swimming-pool together with the band's vocalist Jon Thor Birgisson, Sigur Ros' breathtaking string section (called Amina) and various members of the Black Heart Procession and fellow loveable Icelanders Mum. The result is a moving, spacious album that veers from instrumental reflective euphoria (at times reminiscent of a more restrained Ulrich Schnauss) to cinemascopic film scores (completely dominated by Amina's incredible string arrangements) to broken vocal pop-songs littered with all the quasi-eccentricity and organic construction your favourite Sigur Ros / Mum moments have delivered in spades. It's a deceptively easy listen, every repeated play revealing another quirk of production or layer of instrumentation, fusing together to form one of the most enjoyable albums of its kind this year. For fans of Ulrich Schnauss, Mum, Herrmann & Kleine, Sigur Ros, Telefon Tel Aviv and Tortoise - this is a hugely recommended listen. Lovely.

The Memory Band - The Memory Band
Hungry Hill

The Memory Band are the latest in this year's seemingly endless line of post-folk-tronic-hybrid sorta band's, one half Devendra Banhart one half Four Tet, twisting and mangling folk music into a world of broken instruments, re-wired laptops and drug-addled songwriters taking a long siesta out on a lilo somewhere in the middle of the ocean. It's a lovely collection of tracks featuring Adem, Polly Paulusma, members of Hot Chip and orchestrated by Badly Drawn Boy's ex cohort Stephen Cracknell. You know the sound by now - if you're into it, you'll love this album. Lovely.

B.C. Gilbert - Ordier
Table Of The Elements

Reviewed while listening to Blair wriggling his way out of blame re: The Butler Report this seemingly random patchwork of sound gained some extra spooked out relevance maybe not contained in the CD itself. The work of Bruce Gilbert of Wire this crazily packaged CD wooden case with slider opener test's the frequency levels of your amp and speakers. Recorded for the label in 1996 but subsequently believed lost, 'Ordier' lets loose a wild swarm of electronics. As Gilbert writes: 'I'm taking a very, very minimalist approach and really getting inside some of the sounds and chasing them to destruction. It's done mostly with effects, guitar pedals pushed to the absolute limit.' Hard work but rewarding.

Fred Frith & John Zorn Duo - John Zorn 50th Birthday Celebration Vol 5
Tzadik

Wow! Hardcore jazz interaction from John Zorn and Fred Frith (both improv masters). Ten tracks recorded live at Zorn's 50th birthday celebrations. Amazing noises spurting forth from alto saxophone and guitar in a manic cartoon style. Really you'll be dragging your chin around for days after you've given this hatstand CD your time and attention. Completely original and very frightening.

Mike Ladd - Nostalgialator
K7

'Nostaligialator' (dodgy title) is Mike Ladd's new album for K7. Eleven tracks of wayward hip hop hugging outside flavors such as emo-pop, gutter rock, poetical balladry and glam electro. The opening cut 'Dire Straits Play Nuremberg' go eh?!? hits shouty agro pop with right on political comment. 'Off To Mars?' pleading vocals over trip hop with live instrumentation (nice horns). Outrageously eclectic without really hitting any bullseye's. It's as far off hip hop as recent Anticon (aka Why? and Passage). Though where they wander off into whinging diy indie pop Ladd chooses a pompous avenue of plagiarism and other bewildering musical influences. Peep the samples and check it yourself but I'm going to stick with 'Welcome To The Afterfuture'.

Archie Bronson Outfit - Fur
Domino

Drawing on vintage folk and blues influences, gritty vocals and a ferocious New Wave exacting rhythms, the Archie Bronson Outfit give it up for Domino with their debut album, produced by Hotel, of The Kills. For some fashion-building British psych-blues - look no further. Check.

Tanya Donelly - Whiskey Tango Ghosts
4AD

In which ex-Breeder, Ex-Throwing Muse, Ex, er, Belly woman, Tanya Donelly gives up her third album in a singer-songwriter, almost alt.country stylee. "Whiskey Tango Ghosts" is, indeed, Donelly's most stripped down and (heaven help her) 'Mature' album to date, making the sugar-coated poppin' of Belly seem like a lifetime ago. Some moments here work beautifully - the reflective title track, or the lovely reflection of "The Promise"- but it's just a tad toooooo M.O.R. For this particular set of ears to enjoy from start to finish. Check.

Steve Reid - Rhythmatism
Universal Sound

Originally out in 1976 as a small edition on Steve's own Mustevic label, Soul Jazz get digging and pull out an obscure one from the vaults. Steve Reid is a lesser known, but no-less integral figure in US deep jazz from true left-field. Having worked within the heady environs of Sun Ra's Arkestra, as a Motown session drummer and behind James Brown at the Apollo [!] his career has seen some of the highest heights possible within the realms of music. No doubt, when you check a cv that further extends to work with Miles Davis, Leon Thomas, Fela Kuti, Ornette Coleman, Gary Bartz and so many more undisputed greats. Personnel includes Les Walker on piano, Michael Keith trombone, Arthur Blythe on alto sax, with guest spots from Charles tyler and Melvin Smith on the cosmic ensemble style piece 'Center of the Earth'. this is a great opportunity to check some real outside playing from a genuine unsung veterans of the free generation.

# posted by DJ Martian 12:46 PM

The latest Radio 1 - Essential Mix features breakbeat types Stanton Warriors

# posted by DJ Martian 12:23 PM

jazz music blog: night passage

# posted by DJ Martian 11:50 AM

Music blog to check: Jazz Thinks

# posted by DJ Martian 11:45 AM

DJ John Kennedy from Xfm 104.9 now has a blog: X-Posure

X-Posure Mon-Thurs 11pm-1am 104.9 Xfm

# posted by DJ Martian 11:37 AM

Saturday, July 24, 2004

Fly Pan Am: New Album !

Canadian Avant-Rock collective band: Fly Pan Am will release a new album: n'ecoutez pas on September 6th.

Fly Pan Am - n'ecoutez pas LP | CD Constellation CST031-1
10 trks, 49 mins.

Monolithic slab of trouble-dub, mind-meld noise incantation ala Boredoms, with stranger rhythmic exerc ises. Feat. electronic efforts from Tim Hecker +Alex St Onge

Source: SOUTHERN | upcoming releases

Additional: front cover art & tracklising info

Constellation Records provide further info:

N'Ecoutez Pas is a collection of songs pushed to maximum density, marked by dark shoegazer guitars, distorted organ stabs, rubbery basslines, motorik drumming and various shrouded voices whispering, screaming and singing along the way.

N'Ecoutez Pas contains the band's most intense sounds yet; while each side of the record is anchored by a long, non-linear piece juxtaposing the band against tape and electronic treatments, a number of other tracks are the closest the group has come to traditional rock/pop structures, with 'chorus' breaks, melodic 'hooks' and vocals. Of course, being Fly Pan Am, all of this is duly bracketed - there is nothing traditional about the results and the various elements are pushed forward or pulled back in anything but conventional ways. These are careening, carnivalesque tunes that somehow wed the browns and pinks of FSA-style guitar washes with yéyé pop, Boredoms noise-incantations and hardcore punk.

N'Ecoutez Pas features a long list of local guest vocalists to supplant the band's own oral action, as well as electronic interventions from fellow Montrealers Tim Hecker (intr_version, Mille Plateaux, Force) and Alex St.Onge (alien8, Ambiences Magnétiques, Locust).

# posted by DJ Martian 3:55 PM

BLACK TAPE FOR A BLUE GIRL: New Album

Details of the new Black Tape for a Blue Girl album:

BLACK TAPE FOR A BLUE GIRL - Halo Star [Projekt]

Black Tape For A Blue Girl's 9th album, ''Halo Star'' is at once a departure and a return. Prominently featuring male vocals for the first time in more than a decade, songwriter / lyricist Sam Rosenthal meshes driving, male goth vocal-stylings with heavenly female voices and detailed percussion and acoustic guitar to create an involving album filled with songs that are both rhythmic and lyrically engaging. Twelve stark songs ( less washed in reverb and synthesizers ) which take a melodic route while the rhythm hammers in dangerous nails. In this the band return to their origins while incorporating elements of apocalyptic folk and goth rock. A stunning new album from one of Americas originators in the darkwave genre.

Full Tracklisting:

01.Glow
02.Tarnished
03.The Gravediggers
04.Your Love Is Sweeter han Wine
05.Indefinable, Yet (click to listen)
06.Knock Three Times (click to listen)
07.Scarecrow (click to listen)
08.Damn Swan ! (click to listen)
09.Already Forgotten
10.The Fourth Footstep
11.Dagger
12.Halo Star (click to listen)

RELEASED 31st August 2004.

Source: e-mail newsletter from Music Non Stop

# posted by DJ Martian 3:35 PM

Clan of Xymox - Best of Compilation

Details of a Clan of Xymox best of compilation:

CLAN OF XYMOX - Best Of [Pandaimonium]

20 years have gone by, since Dutch Gothic / Wave superstars Clan of Xymox first stormed the charts with their first 4AD- single ''A Day / Stranger''. Two highly infective albums on 4AD, several albums on Major labels and a number of very successful releases on their own Pandaimonium label have been released since, and there seems just to be no end to the creativity and the popularity of this gifted and legendary act. 13th September 2004 sees the release of this very overdue and essential ''Best Of'' compilation which goes one step further than usual compilation by offering completely NEW and RE-RECORDED versions of some of their most classic tracks - including the all-time favourites ''A Day'', ''Stranger'', ''Muscoviet Musquito'', and also their last 4AD single ''Louise'' ! A long overdue album that explains, why Clan of Xymox after more than 20 years in existence have lost nothing of their relevance and appeal.

Full Tracklisting :
01.There's No Tomorrow
02.Jasmine and Rose
03.I Want You Now **
04.A Day *
05.Louise *
06.Consolation
07.This World
08.Innocent
09.Into Extremes **
10.Out Of The Rain
11.Muscoviet Musquito *
12.Back Door *
13.Farewell
14.Stranger *

* Recorded & Mixed 2004@Torture Chamber
** New Mix 2004@the Torture Chamber

RELEASED 13th September 2004.

Source: e-mail newsletter from Music Non Stop

# posted by DJ Martian 3:31 PM

Summer Sundae Weekender

The event takes place over the weekend of August 13-15th at De Montfort Hall and Gardens in the City of Leicester.

BBC 6 Music are an official media sponsor: Summer Sundae Weekender

AngryApe have the full confirmed line up. Artists appearing include The Beta Band, Magnet, Adem, Kings Of Convenience, Blue States, Super Furry Animals and Dogs Die in Hot Cars.

# posted by DJ Martian 2:57 PM

This month's All About Jazz newsletter: All About Jazz: Highlights | July 2004

# posted by DJ Martian 2:29 PM

The Haunted - rEVOLVEr

BW & BK have info on the upcoming album from Tha Haunted titled: rEVOLVEr that is due for release October 18th on Century Media.

# posted by DJ Martian 2:18 PM

Wagon Christ

This Is Cornwall have a feature on Wagon Christ: WAGON CHRIST - SAVIOUR OF MODERN DANCE MUSIC?

By the way, Wagon Christ [AKA Luke Vibert] is scheduled to be on Xfm's Flo-Motion show tomorrow doing a live laptop set.

Flo-Motion starts at 9pm to 12pm on Sunday - and can be listened to online via the Xfm website.

# posted by DJ Martian 2:15 PM

BBC Collective review The Earlies - These Were...

# posted by DJ Martian 2:00 PM

Friday, July 23, 2004

opus review Bark Psychosis - CODENAME:dustsucker

# posted by DJ Martian 4:48 PM

mp3 music blog: The Daily Charlie

# posted by DJ Martian 4:08 PM

music blog to check: infinite thought

# posted by DJ Martian 4:05 PM

Discuss Bono is stoopid: Ananova: U2 will rush release album if it's leaked

Bono has no understanding of the logistics required to release a new album, even if he is referring to the end of August - this would be a massive logistical event - to manufacture/ market/ promote/ arrange press etc.

As for releasing the album on iTunes immediately - I am sure that Universal/ Island would never sanction this - before a retail release.

# posted by DJ Martian 3:45 PM

Next week's releases are reviewed @ Norman Records

# posted by DJ Martian 2:08 PM

A contemporary culture blog that includes some music: Old Rottenhat

# posted by DJ Martian 1:38 PM

From Rome a music blog: A New Order Fan Blog

# posted by DJ Martian 1:21 PM

The Guardian review Phil Manzanera - 6pm

# posted by DJ Martian 12:13 PM

Musique Machine review The Dillinger Escape Plan - Miss Machine

# posted by DJ Martian 12:09 PM

The Durutti Column - The Definitive Durutti Column

Cerysmatic Factory relay the news that a compilation for The Durutti Column is coming in September:

WEA releasing the Definitive Durutti Column on Monday 20 September.

This will be a 32 tracks - double CD set.

# posted by DJ Martian 12:03 PM

JAGA JAZZIST RECORDING NEW ALBUM IN NOTWIST STUDIO

The latest Jaga Jazzist news @ Smalltown Supersound

Jaga Jazzist is now recording music for the new album that will be released early 2005. Jaga Jazzist and producer Marcus Schmickler of Pluramon will spend two weeks in Uphon Studio, Germany where the beautiful album 'Neon Golden' by the Notwist was recorded and one more week in Schmickler's studio in Collogne. A taster of the album will be released late 2004.

# posted by DJ Martian 1:31 AM

Ars Electronica 2004: Festival for Art, Technology and Society

ARS Electronica FESTIVAL takes place in Linz, Austria - 2nd - 7th September.

Ars Electronica

Timeshift – The World in 25 Years
To mark the festival’s 25th anniversary, Ars Electronica’s 2004 encounter with art, technology and society will span an arc from the past to the future. Numerous innovations in the festival format, additional featured presentations and special events make it possible to add almost two full days of activities and even more fascinating takes on the “Timeshift” theme to the program lineup.

2004 Ars Electronica Festival – The Theme

TIMESHIFT – The World in Twenty-Five Years” is the title of the 2004 festival; transformation, upheaval and the future are its programmatic concepts. The point of departure is reflection upon the past 25 years; the aim is to identify the developments that promise to be the driving forces in art, technology and society over the next quarter century.

Will key technologies like nanotechnology lead to another technological revolution that will change our lives as fundamentally as digital media have done? What areas of social confrontation can we anticipate? Does the way we deal with new technologies change in light of our ever-increasing experience or do we still lapse into the same automatic reaction mechanisms of enthusiasm for or hostility towards innovation?

What conclusions can be drawn from the past and utilized in addressing these emerging issues? Ars Electronica has 25 years of development and experience behind it, and has amassed an enormous archive documenting its unique breadth as a discussion forum. On the basis of the experience thus gained and in keeping with its mission as an instrument of social analysis, Ars Electronica 2004 will also be dedicated to the question of whether ongoing social development—in the sense of a learning curve derived from the past and applied to the future—is possible.........

# posted by DJ Martian 12:50 AM

Cybersonica 2004 - International Festival of Music & Sound

The closest London gets to a Mutek or Sonar: Cybersonica - have announced the dates for Cybersonica 04:

Wednesday 10th - Sunday 14th November

CYBERSONICA 04 FESTIVAL OF MUSIC AND SOUND London UK

Cybersonica 2004 will be taking place in November at a fantastic new London space. This site will be relaunched in August with more information, lisitings and information about the event.

Cybersonica brings together the whole community of sonic innovation - from musicians, artists, DJs and VJs, to designers, academics, software makers and record labels.

The festival programme, gathered through our call for entries and by invitation brings challenging new work to an international audience, encourages fresh, new talent and supports established sonic creators, innovators and developers.

Cybersonica 2004 includes:

» Symposium
» Live performances
» Alternative club nights
» Screen-based soundtoys.net exhibition
» Sonic installations
» Workshops and presentations
» Cybersonica Web TV and Radio

# posted by DJ Martian 12:15 AM

Thursday, July 22, 2004

Eternal Fusion on SpydaRadio

The latest Eternal Fusion show is now available to listen online @ SpydaRadio

:: Latest Show: July 23 2004 ::

Playlist @ Eternal Fusion

Sixtoo - 'The Honesty Of Constant Human Error
Larry Coryell - 'Dragon Gate'
Trapist - 'Time Axis Manipulation Part 2'
Fridge - 'Tone Guitar & Drum Noise'
Ozric Tentacles - 'Celtic Jam'
Can - 'Oh Yeah!' (Sunroof Mix)
Holger Czukay - 'Persian Love'
Muslimgauze - 'The Girl Who Sleeps With Persian Tulips'
The Album Leaf - 'Thule'
Mice Parade - 'Milton Road'
Campag Velocet - 'Sunset Strip Eclipse'
Brian Eno - 'Driving Me Backwards'
Phil Manzanera - 'Cissbury Ring'
Jaga Jazzist - 'Jaga Ist Zu Hause'
Tied And Tickled Trio - 'Motorik'
The Necks - 'Headlights'
Simon Finn - 'Hiawatha'
Vetiver - 'Amour Fou'
Devendra Banhart - 'When The Sun Shone On Vetiver'
Nick Drake - 'Three Hours'
Gravenhurst - 'The Diver'
Black Forest Black Sea - 'Hung Far Lowish'
Hala Strana - Millstones'
Glenn Branca - 'Light Field (In Consonance)'
Macha - 'Now Dissapearing'
Legendary Pink Dots - 'Soft Toy'
Basement 3 - 'Closer'
The Memory Band - 'Catch As Catch Can'
Animal Collective - 'Baby Day'
TV On The Radio - 'Dreams'

Next Scheduled Show TBA

# posted by DJ Martian 11:39 PM

XLR8R - Issue 79: Michael Mayer

New issue of XLR8R features Michael Mayer on the front cover: XLR8R 79: Techno Is Back

Issue 79 focuses on the labels and artists that really get XLR8R’s motor running. Find out how cover star Michael Mayer and his Kompakt co-horts have made Techno juicy again. Don’t miss the annual 25 Best Independent Labels feature, an all-you-need guide to the best music out there. Other highlights include features on Trax Records, Jazzanova and Sonar Kollektiv, Holland's Clone and Rush Hour label groups, Talib Kweli, Neotropic and the baddest gunman ever–Ninja Man. Plus coverage of M83, Trevor Loveys, Brooks, Proptronix, Dom & Roland, Prince Po, DJ Zeph, John Selway, Brooks and Australian visual artists Rinzen.

With Muzik and Jockey Slut magazine Gone, the UK could do with a similar mag such as XLR8R.

# posted by DJ Martian 11:22 PM

Issue 27 of Earplug

JULY 22 - AUGUST 4

Earplug is a biweekly email magazine, delivering a handpicked selection of news, sounds, videos, and original features for the international electronic music community.

# posted by DJ Martian 11:18 PM

Dusted Features: Dusted's Editorial Mid-Year Roundup

Dusted editors Otis Hart and Sam Hunt speak freely about their thoughts on the first half of 2004.

# posted by DJ Martian 8:58 PM

jess harvell is back blogging @ blackie lawless fanclub

[Found via Dip Dip Dive]

# posted by DJ Martian 8:45 PM

The latest releases are reviewed by NYC's Other Music: The Other Music Update

Sufjan Stevens (Reissue)
Melchior Productions
Low (Box Set)
Simon Finn (Reissue)
A Certain Ratio (Reissue)
Baby
Tom Lucas (Reissue)
United States of America (Reissue)

# posted by DJ Martian 5:20 PM

2 Upcoming UK Music Festivals

The number of UK music festivals in 2004 continues to increase:

The Bestival Festival - September 10th - 12th

Organized by Rob da Bank's Sunday Best: The Bestival Festival takes place on the Isle of Wight - remember if you go there - travel via the superior City of Portsmouth !

Artists appearing include: Basement Jaxx, The Bees, Magnet, Mylo.

The Green Man Festival - August 21st - 22nd

The Green Man Festival takes place in Hay-on-Wye, Powys - near the Welsh/ English border.

Artists appearing include: Four Tet, Adem, Pedro, Colleen, The Earlies, The Memory Band, Lone Pigeon, Gravenhurst.

i.e concentrating on artists in folktronica, electro-acoustic psychedelic rock, acoustic rock.

# posted by DJ Martian 1:42 PM

Pitchfork review Sunn 0))) - White2

# posted by DJ Martian 1:14 PM

One World: Evil 9, DJ Shadow, The Album Leaf

This week's One World show on Radio 1 features: One World: Evil 9, DJ Shadow, The Album Leaf

# posted by DJ Martian 12:58 PM

BBC Music review Biosphere - Autour De La Lune

# posted by DJ Martian 12:52 PM

filter magazine report the latest Beck news: Beck Records New Album With the Dust Brothers

# posted by DJ Martian 12:48 PM

Stylus review The Earlies - These Were The Earlies

# posted by DJ Martian 12:40 PM

Ben Christophers - The Spaces in Between

Folktronica artist Ben Christophers will release a new album: The Spaces in Between on Cooking Vinyl on September 13th.

Ben Christophers has come along way since his humble beginnings in Wolverhampton. With two critically acclaimed albums under his belt - "My Beautiful Demon" and "Spoonface", he is back and set to woo the critics and fans once again with his third offering - the beautiful and seductive new album, "The Spaces In Between" , which is due for release on 13 th September 2004.

Featuring his most innovative work to date: "The Spaces In Between" shows Ben in a totally different light. "This is the most upbeat and optimistic record I've written," explains Ben. "The biggest difference between this one and my two previous albums is that I had so much material written, I had a really clear feeling for the sound a lot sooner because of it"

# posted by DJ Martian 12:34 PM

Isis - Panopticon

Pitchfork report Isis have titled their upcoming album as: Panopticon. This is due October 19th on Ipeacac.

# posted by DJ Martian 12:28 PM

Stina Nordenstam - The World is Saved

The latest news concerning Swedish artist Stina Nordenstam: the album 'the world is saved' will be out on v2 worldwide ex japan and will be officially released on october 11th 2004. the release date for japan is october 20th.

» Stina Nordenstam

# posted by DJ Martian 12:19 PM

Matthew Dear Interview

Philip Sherburne in Seattle Weekly interviews Matthew Dear

# posted by DJ Martian 12:12 PM

Wednesday, July 21, 2004

Radio 1: New Schedule

Reminder: As of new week changes @ Radio 1: Radio 1 - Schedule Change:

On July 26th Radio 1 is changing its evening and over night specialist music shows.

Full new schedule: Radio 1 - New Schedule

Peel starts at 11pm Tuesday/ Wednesday/ Thursday

There are some daft time slots such as The Breezeblock and The Rock Show and One World - all on 1am - 3am slot, - i guess MOST UK people will have to use the Listen Again feature on the BBC Radio Player.

Strangely these time slots are ideal for US listeners in the Eastern Time Zone such as NYC as these programmes start at 8pm !

# posted by DJ Martian 10:55 PM

The Brainwashed Brain

Time to recap the last 5 weeks, including reviews of these albums:

V07I24 - 06202004 The Brainwashed Brain

The Album Leaf - In a Safe Place
Sub Pop

Richard H. Kirk - Earlier/Later
Mute

Mitchell Akiyama - If Night is a Weed and Day Grows Less
Sub Rosa

Ölvis - Ölvis
Resonant

V07I25 - 06272004 The Brainwashed Brain

Black Dice - Creature Comforts
DFA (US) / Fat Cat(UK)

DNA - DNA ON DNA
No More

aMute - A Hundred Dry Trees
Intr_version

V07I26 - 07042004 The Brainwashed Brain

Charalambides - Joy Shapes
Kranky

Neutrino - Neutrino
Mush

V07I27 - 07112004 The Brainwashed Brain

Pan•American - Quiet City
Kranky

EINSTÜRZENDE NEUBAUTEN - Kalte Sterne
Mute

EINSTÜRZENDE NEUBAUTEN - Tabula Rasa
Mute

This Week:

V07I28 - 07118004 The Brainwashed Brain

Adem - Homesongs
Domino

Charles Atlas - To the dust: from man you came and to man you shall return
Ochre

Fixmer/McCarthy - Between the Devil...
Metropolis

Tom Carter - Monument
Kranky

Eyvind Kang - Virginal Co-ordinates
Ipecac

Sex In Dallas - Sex in Dallas
Kitty-yo

Mike Fellows - Limited Storyline Guest
Vertical Form

Metal Boys - Tokio Airport
Acute

Glenn Branca - Lesson No. 1
Acute

# posted by DJ Martian 10:34 PM

Slam - Year Zero

Slam have a new album Year Zero due August 30th on Soma: info @ Anglo Plugging: Slam - Year Zero

# posted by DJ Martian 7:37 PM

Michael Alan Goldberg reviews Neurosis - The Eye of Every Storm

# posted by DJ Martian 4:00 PM

Kultureflash - Headlines from London [No. 98/ 21.07.04]

This week's kultureflash

KultureFlash is a free, weekly newsletter covering happenings and openings in and around London. Each week we track down some of the most interesting and unusual events taking place in the capital and deliver them straight to your inbox. Featuring art, gigs, films, talks, clubs and more -- we are committed to bringing you an eclectic mix of the best of what's on in London.

# posted by DJ Martian 3:25 PM

Good to see Andy K back blogging now @ Doubt Beat

Andy any chance of pinging to blo.gs? [so I can add it to the Music Blogs updating list]

# posted by DJ Martian 3:00 PM

My Verdict: The Mercury Music Prize 2004 Nominations

It's my turn to provide the snapshots:

Amy Winehouse - Frank

Amy Whine-house - after listening to her music for more than 30 seconds - the listener pain threshold kicks in, all the OTT fake emotion and obvious cliched dramatic stylings. Yuck.

Basement Jaxx - Kish Kash

On ILM this album probably generated the longest thread by a British artist in the past year, dance music in terms of significant albums has been going through a fallow patch recently, but there is no denying the distinctiveness of the Basement Jaxx sound.

Belle & Sebastian - Dear Catastrophe Waitress

I have never understood the appeal of B & S twee music, produced by Trevor Horn - this time around - made their music more smooth - but I find their music snoring boring.

Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand

The no brainer this was always going to be on the Mercury Prize shortlist - yet their music is still vastly overrated by critics. Of it's time FF are harmless radio friendly pop - and are hardly revolutionary - as Paul Morley stated recently they are The Student Union Josef K - and the K standing for Karaoke.

Jamelia - Thank You

Liteweight poppy R & B uptempto muzak, hardly an innovative concept.

Joss Stone - The Soul Sessions

An album that includes covers, a young 16/17 year old sounding like a middle aged American soul singer - what is the point of xeroxed secondhand Soul muzak. It may be well done for it's type - but offers absolutely NOTHING fresh or different.

Keane - Hopes and Fears

Oh dear, it's R2's /Virgin radio's dream idea of rock music - all the blandness of Coldplay and Aqualung combined.

Keane remind me of a slick mid-to-late 80s Northern Irish band: The Adventures like them their music is all surface gloss and sickly packaged up for smug radio executives to add to their heavy rotation playlists - no threat a harmless comforting conformist sound.

It's a travesty that Britain has a rock band as artistic and creative as Anathema - that gets overlooked in favour of such plastic emotion obvious dullards such as Keane and Snow Patrol.

Robert Wyatt - Cuckooland

I tipped him in my ideal shortlist and had this album down as a possible nomination. It could be argued that Robert Wyatt's 1997 Shleep should have made the Mercury Music Shortlist previously, this time around Wyatt's musical maverick genius gets rewarded - a distinctive vocalist, a hybrid sound sculptor and intelligent thought provoking lyricist partnership with collaborator /partner, Alfreda Benge - Wyatt is a welcome addition to this year's shortlist.

BBC Music review Robert Wyatt - Cuckooland

Snow Patrol - Final Straw

What is this doing here? insipid bland so called indie-rock - the only people that could get something out of this cliched mess are either too young to know any better [teenagers] or 40something dad rockers who are clueless Virgin radio listeners.

The Streets - A Grand Don't Come for Free

Another critics fave, but a second album of a man talking over a casio keyboard - is not my idea of musical creativity. There is one track on the album that sounds as naff as a East 17 ballad circa 1992.

Ty - Upwards

Thoroughly deserved nomination Ty's music has a unique approach - he is doing something special, the flow of his music delivery both in vocals and musical production is immaculate and addictive.

If the Mercury Music Prize does have a good point is that maverick talents sometimes get nominated and their music achieves a national/ global platform. Good luck Ty.

BBC Music review Ty - Upwards

The Zutons - Who Killed...... The Zutons

Scally rockers from Liverpool, it's enough that Scousers have inflicted the British nation with The Coral - but to have two bands doing the retro psychedelia and poppy songs approach is surely unnecessary.

What one can only think that certain members of the Mercury Music panel have a weakness for Scouse accents and cliched retrospective rock music. Remember, The Coral previously made the Mercury Prize shortlist.

# posted by DJ Martian 12:23 AM

Tuesday, July 20, 2004

Kings - Rock & Rap Writing

New music mag alert: Kings Magazine

ISSUE ONE ON SALE AUGUST 3rd 2004
FIRST ISSUE CONTENTS:

Interpol, Radio 4, Edan, Rick Rubin, The Libertines, Beastie Boys, Ghostface, Regina Spektor, TV On The Radio, Adam Green, Lil' Flip, Saigon, Har Mar Superstar, Kanye West, White Stripes Connect The Dots, Young Heart Attack, Beta Band, David Banner, In Search Of Paul McCartney, Cat Power, !!!, Grand Royal Magazine, Cornershop, Chopped & Screwed, Bubba Sparxxx, Croydon Hip-Hop History, The Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players, Consequence, Mash Out Posse, Boom Boom Satellites, Nou, Samantha Ronson, Roxy Saint, Aspects, Rogue Wave, The Martinis, Classic NES Games, Animal Crossing, Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Mysterious Cities Of Gold

FREE CD!

Issue one's free CD includes new and exclusive tracks from Radio 4, Edan, Chicks On Speed, Lambchop, Dooley-O, Cinnamon, Automato, Mando Diao, Insight, Asian Dub Foundatoin, The Album Leaf and more

# posted by DJ Martian 7:48 PM

Playlouder interview Pan Sonic

# posted by DJ Martian 7:44 PM

Gareth /1471 has moved his blog to a new location: 1471

# posted by DJ Martian 6:22 PM

Music blog: State of the Music Industry [found via NYLPM]

# posted by DJ Martian 6:15 PM

Positive Spin: Mercury 2004 Nominations

Chris Heard @ BBC NEWS bizarrely tries to positive spin the 2004 Mercury Prize Nominations: UK shows the way with Mercurys

Heard would be better off working in PR [for a major label] with sycophantic spin like this - there is no need for Simon Frith's soundbite snapshots !

You can now read Simon Frith's soundbite album profiles on the Official Mercury Prize website: 2004 Shortlist

This is the unintentionally comical summary:

This is an exceptional year, most dramatically illustrated by the emergence of several new and varied bands together with outstanding work by three powerful female singers. The shortlist also recognises the continued good health of the gloriously eclectic world that is British and Irish music."

Simon Frith, Chair of Judges

Who writes the most OTT cliched copy Heard Vs Frith?

IMHO with some of the awful nominations this year - some media critics are going to have a field day.

# posted by DJ Martian 5:34 PM

Blinkx

A new innovative search tool has just launched: » Blinkx

About: Blinkx
(www.blinkx.com) is a new company with a new vision: to redefine the way people find and use information on the internet and their own computer. Free-to-download, blinkx is able to understand and link to relevant information anywhere and in any format: on the web, in the news or on the desktop - automatically, accurately and quickly.

The Guardian report All eyes on Blinkx

# posted by DJ Martian 4:33 PM

This week's flavourpill LONDON a weekly email magazine covering music, art, and cultural events

# posted by DJ Martian 2:55 PM

The Specials to Reform ?

The Independent report Too much, too old? The Specials set to reform

# posted by DJ Martian 2:26 PM

Comments on Mercury Music Prize 2004 Nominations

Radio 1 ask Mercury Prize nominations: Have they got it right? - Britain's youth give their verdict with interactive comments [on a rather predictable Shortlist]

BBC News ask Mercury Music Prize 2004: Who should win? - with more interactive comments from the public.

# posted by DJ Martian 1:40 PM

Mercury Music Prize 2004 Nominations

Breaking news: nominations in:

Basement Jaxx - Kish Kash
Belle & Sebastian - Dear Catastrophe Waitress
Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand
Jamelia - Thank You
Keane - Hopes And Fears
Snow Patrol - Final Straw
Joss Stone - The Soul Sessions
The Streets - A Grand Don’t Come For Free
Ty - Upwards
Amy Winehouse - Frank
Robert Wyatt - Cuckooland
The Zutons - Who Killed The Zutons

Media reports:

BBC News report Ferdinand head Mercury Prize list

The Guardian report Franz Ferdinand and the Streets favourites for Mercury prize [with links to The Guardian reviews for the selected albums]

NME report RACE FOR THE PRIZE!

Xfm report Mercury Music Prize Nominees Announced

# posted by DJ Martian 11:48 AM

BBC NEWS start their Mercury Music Shortlist coverage: with a few predictions: Mercury Music Prize shortlist due

Among the favourites to make the shortlist are Scottish rock band Franz Ferdinand, teenage soul artist Joss Stone and jazz singer Jamie Cullum.

Other possible contenders this year include Mike Skinner's UK garage outfit The Streets, indie band Keane and dance duo Basement Jaxx.

Outside bets

Others tipped for possible success include pop act McFly, former Smiths singer Morrissey, R&B artists Jamelia and Amy Winehouse, and indie bands Snow Patrol and Razorlight.

Irish singer-songwriter Damien Dempsey and female garage newcomer Shystie are also outside bets for the shortlist

# posted by DJ Martian 10:11 AM

BBC NEWS report Sony and BMG merger backed by EU

# posted by DJ Martian 12:17 AM

Monday, July 19, 2004

Media Predictions for The Mercury Music Prize

London based alt-rock radio station Xfm: Mercury Music Prize On The Way seem to play the predictions very safe:

Belle And Sebastian (‘Dear Catastrophe Waitress’), Franz Ferdinand (‘Franz Ferdinand’), The Streets (‘A Grand Don’t Come For Free’), Muse (‘Absolution’), Keane (‘Hopes & Fears’) and Razorlight ( Up All Night’) to be flying the flag for the alternative acts.

Elsewhere, either McFly or Busted seem likely to get nominated, with Jamie Cullum’s ‘Twentysomething’ probably being the token jazz release. ‘Thank You’ by Jamelia would be a safe bet to represent RNB and Beverley Knight’s ‘Affirmation’ and Katie Melua’s ‘Call Off the Search’ have been undisputed big sellers from the mainstream.

London based music website: Playlouder have a few more suggestions:

We've been having a think and we expect Morrissey, Wiley, Franz Ferdinand and The Streets, and probably Muse to be in the running, with possible appearances for any of the following: Basement Jaxx or Orbital, Razorlight or Keane, Jamie Cullum or Katie Melua, Jamelia or Beverley Knight, and maybe even McFly or Busted.

# posted by DJ Martian 11:05 PM

Mercury Music Prize 2004 Shortlist Predictions

The Mercury Prize 2004 Shortlist of 12 Albums will be announced tomorrow [11.30 am] at a press conference at the Royal Commonwealth Club in London's West End.

These are all vastly overrated by the media/ critics, this would be the MOST predictable 12 based on hype/ high media profile

Belle & Sebastian - Dear Catastrophe Waitress
Jamie Cullum - Twentysomething
Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand
Hope of the States - The Lost Riots
Keane - Hopes & Fears
Joss Stone - The Soul Sessions
The Streets - A Grand Don't Come for Free
Wiley - Treddin' On Thin Ice
Amy Winehouse - Frank
Plus token classical entrant
Plus token folk entrant
Plus jazz entrant

24 possibles that the panel could well select: going back on my above cynicism, i would expect a few of these to be included

1. Julian Arguelles - As Above, So Below (Provocateur Records)
2. Denys Baptiste - Let Freedom Ring (Dune)
3. Basement Jaxx - Kish Kash (XL)
4. Beta Band - Heroes to Zeroes (Regal)
5. Broadcast - Haha sound (Warp)
6. John Cale - Hobosapiens (EMI)
7. The Delays - Faded Seaside Glamour (Rough Trade)
8. Elbow - Cast of Thousands (V2)
9. The Futureheads - The Futureheads (679)
10. Grand National - Kicking The National Habit (Sunday Best)
11. Jonny Greenwood - Bodysong (EMI)
12. Jehst - Falling Down (Low Life)
13. LFO - Sheath (Warp)
14. Phil Manzanera - 6pm (Expression)
15. John Martyn - On The Cobbles (Independiente)
16. Morrissey - You are the Quarry (Sanctuary)
17. Mylo - Destroy Rock & Roll (Breast Fed)
18. Oceansize - Effloresce (Beggars Banquet)
19. The Psychonauts - Songs for Creatures (International DeeJay Gigolos)
20. Richard X - Presents His X Factor Volume 1 (Virgin)
21. Dani Siciliano - Likes (K7)
22. Ty - Upwards (Big Dada)
23. Willis - Come Get Some (679)
24. Robert Wyatt - Cuckooland (Hannibal)

DJ Martian's Outsiders
25 albums that deserve attention but will probably be overlooked, [or maybe not even entered into the competition in the first place] - if any make it to the official Mercury Music Prize Shortlist - I will be pleasantly surprised.

1. Amplifier - Amplifier (Music For Nations)
2. Anathema - A Natural Disaster (Music For Nations)
3. Broadway Project - The Vessel (Memphis Industries)
4. Capitol K - Happy Happy (Faith & Industry)
5. Claro Intelecto - Neurofibro (Ai)
6. Dave Clarke - Devils Advocate (Skint)
7. The Creatures - Hái! (Sioux Records)
8. The Cure - The Cure (IAM records/ Geffen)
9. Cursor Miner - Cursor Miner Plays God (Lo Recordings)
10. Dom and Roland - Chronology (Moving Shadow)
11. Envoy - Shoulder2Shoulder (Soma)
12. The Fall - 'The Real New Fall Album' - Formely Country on the Click (Action)
13. Guapo - The Five Suns (Cuneiform)
14. Peter Hammill - Incoherence (Fie)
15. Jon Kennedy - Take My Drum To England (Grand Central)
16. Kerrier District - Kerrier District (Rephlex)
17. The Magnificents - The Magnificents (KFM)
18. My Dying Bride - The Thirteenth Chapter (Peacevile)
19. Soulsavers - Tough Guys Don't Dance (San Quentin)
20. Squarepusher - Ultravistor (Warp)
21. Two Banks Of Four - Three Street Worlds (Red Egyption Jazz)
22. Two Lone Swordsmen - From The Double Gone Chapel (Warp)
23. Luke Vibert - Yoseph (Warp)
24. The Workhouse - The End Of The Pier (Bearos)
25. Zoot Woman - Zoot Woman (Wall of Sound)

Also in terms of idealism and a well balanced mix of styles, imagine a 12 Shortlist as follows:

Julian Arguelles - As Above, So Below (Provocateur Records)
Anathema - A Natural Disaster (Music For Nations)
Beta Band - Heroes to Zeroes (Regal)
Broadway Project - The Vessel (Memphis Industries)
John Cale - Hobosapiens (EMI)
Claro Intelecto - Neurofibro (Ai)
Dom and Roland - Chronology (Moving Shadow)
Envoy - Shoulder2Shoulder (Soma)
Guapo - The Five Suns (Cuneiform)
Ty - Upwards (Big Dada)
Robert Wyatt - Cuckooland (Hannibal)
Zoot Woman - Zoot Woman (Wall of Sound)

# posted by DJ Martian 11:01 PM

Arcturus website has an interview with their new vocalist Øyvind Hægeland [alerted via it's a trap]

# posted by DJ Martian 9:30 PM

The MP3Blogs Aggregator

50 Quid Bloke has organized a MP3Blogs Aggregator

An aggregated feed of mp3 weblogs: updated every hour on the hour. Read online or via our RSS feed. Never miss a link to your new favourite tune again. If you'd like your blog to be listed on here, scroll down to see the rules for inclusion.

# posted by DJ Martian 7:25 PM

BBC Collective interview The Earlies

# posted by DJ Martian 6:32 PM

BW & BK report the latest Madder Mortem news: MADDER MORTEM To Begin Mixing In Late August

# posted by DJ Martian 6:21 PM

Dusted review Arve Henriksen - Chiaroscuro

# posted by DJ Martian 5:30 PM

sonomu review Robert Fripp & Brian Eno - The Equatorial Stars (Opal/DGM)

# posted by DJ Martian 5:09 PM

New Order = Album Due March 2005

Peter Hook speaking on BBC 6 Music stated that the next New Order album is scheduled for a March 2005 release.

# posted by DJ Martian 2:34 PM

Swung by Seraphim music blog [currently in construction: just putting the foundations in i.e template]

# posted by DJ Martian 12:56 PM

Splendid review Comets on Fire - Blue Cathedral

Now, Comets on Fire have returned with a more complex and fully-developed album than either predecessor -- an album that blends prog, jazz and psyche into the band's volcanic mix.

Come the end of the year - this will be one the landmark rock albums of the year.

# posted by DJ Martian 12:11 PM

Junkmedia interview The Rapture

# posted by DJ Martian 12:07 PM

This week's new releases @ Fopp

# posted by DJ Martian 12:02 PM

Metal Underground.com report the latest A Perfect Circle news:

Maynard James Keenan mentioned A Perfect Circle are in the process of recording a collection of political songs, which they hope to release by November this year.

# posted by DJ Martian 12:18 AM

Sunday, July 18, 2004

Laibach - Anthems

Laibach will release a compilation album: Anthems on 27th September 2004, info @ this Laibach fans website.

A double album featuring Laibach's 'Best Of' collection. Alongside the main highlights from Laibach's long and illustrious career will be many rare and unreleased tracks. Within, a forty page booklet containing photos, paintings and text written by Alexei Monroe.

# posted by DJ Martian 9:43 PM

Stafraenn Hakon - Ventill/Poki

Resonant will release a new album from Iceland's post-rock artist Stafraenn Hakon titled Ventill/Poki in September.

Olafur aka Stafraenn Hakon has finished mixing his new album at his current home in Copenhagen. The album is scheduled for UK release on September 6th and will be called 'Ventill/Poki'. The album contains 10 tracks in total all of which were recorded/mixed with Dialect @ Code Red Studios earlier this year.

MP3 alert: There is an exclusive mp3 preview of the new album download full track 7: 'Kjammi'.

From listening to this track it is sounds similar to Sigur Rós, i.e epic spatious glacial music.

Elsewhere on the Resonant website - it looks like the album will be coming out on September 13th

Stafraenn Hakon will be touring UK & Ireland in September.

Official website Stafraenn Hakon

# posted by DJ Martian 9:03 PM

The Beat Surrender have a profile on a Jaga Jazzist reissue album: Jaga Jazzist - Magazine

This album will be released in the UK on September 6th.

# posted by DJ Martian 8:26 PM

Garbage - Hands on a Hard Body has a September 6th release date.

According to info @ AlbumVote.co.uk: Forthcoming album releases

[This is also confirmed @ HMV.co.uk]

# posted by DJ Martian 8:21 PM

Todd Burns of Stylus has started a blog @ Mondrian's Sketchbook

# posted by DJ Martian 8:11 PM

silence is a rhythm too has started a blogspot powered blog: silence is a rhythm two

# posted by DJ Martian 8:09 PM

Assemblage 23 - Storm

Details of a new album from Assemblage 23

Following quickly after the release of the new Assemblage 23 single ( "Let The Wind Erase Me" ), comes the brand new full length eagerly awaited album "Storm". Heralded as the most complex Assemblage 23 release to date, "Storm's" upbeat and danceable vibe is sure to please all A23 fans and newcomers alike. Exploring new sound compositions and elements, "Storm" remains true to the electronic dance music that the name Assemblage 23 is synonymous with, a sound that has quickly made them THE most successful American Electro / EBM act ever ! "Storm" looks set to propel A23 even further into the hearts and minds of their ever expanding fanbase.

Full Tracklisting :
01. Human ( 5:40 )
02. Skin ( 6:50 )
03. Ground ( 5:03 )
04. Let the Wind Erase Me ( 4:43 ) (click to listen)
05. Infinite ( 5:05 )
06. Complacent ( 6:05 )
07. You Haven't Earned It ( 5:30 )
08. Regret ( 4:58 )
09. Apart ( 5:07 )
10. 30kft ( 3:15 )

RELEASED 27th September 2004.

Source: e-mail newsletter from Music Non Stop

# posted by DJ Martian 8:00 PM

Tim Bowness - My Hotel Year

Tim Bowness of No-Man releases an album My Hotel Year on September 20th

Tim's debut solo album, 'My Hotel Year', is now scheduled for release on One Little Indian Records on September 20th 2004. The catalogue number will be TPLP425CD.

Recorded in collaboration with David Picking, Peter Chilvers and Stephen Bennett, 'My Hotel Year' also features contributions from Roger Eno, Hugh Hopper, Markus Reuter, Bernhard Wostheinrich and Brian Hulse. More information on 'My Hotel Year' is available here, and there is now a dedicated page in the discography section for the album, featuring full tracklisting and performer details - click on the cover artwork to the left to visit this page.

Also: No-Man have two releases lined up for late 2004.

The first of these is a No-Man retrospective compilation, which has finally been confirmed as a double CD release on Snapper Music. This will be a career-spanning set covering No-Man's recordings from 1988-2003, including a strong selection of music from the out-of-print One Little Indian singles and albums. All tracks will be remastered, and the album will also include two previously-unissued tracks from the 'Together We're Stranger' album. For the time being, this project will take the place of any full-blown reissuing of the One Little Indian-era material.

The second is a reissue of 'Speak', the band's album of near-ambient, pre-One Little Indian recordings made in 1987-1988.

# posted by DJ Martian 7:02 PM

The Associates - Singles: Double Compilation

This The Associates fansite: mdmmedia has the full tracklisting info for this 28 track singles compilation/ collection:

The Associates - Singles

Warners have announced the release date for the long awaited Singles CD and now they can atone spectacularly for their less then perfect Popera compilation with this comprehensive double several years in the making and bedevilled with all manner of licensing problems, acquisitions dramas and nearly scuttled in the 11th hour by of all things a squabble over Genesis and their "love songs" all tracks have been digitally remastered from the original masters

Due for release by Warners/ Warner Strategic Marketing on July 26th.

# posted by DJ Martian 6:03 PM

The Great British Music Debate 2004

Reminder: The Great British Music Debate 2004 takes place live on Radio 2 on Wednesday June 21st 7.00 pm - 10pm.

Looking at THE PANELLISTS I would say most of them are indicative of the problems with the way media/the music industry presents/ represents/ control music in Britain, so their answers to any questions will not be particularly insightful.

# posted by DJ Martian 3:03 PM

This week's Freak Zone show on 6 Music features:

...we've got music from Van Der Graaf Generator, Stockholm Monsters, Yes, Talk Talk and Plaid. Our Featured Album is Brian Eno's Another Green World. Plus Todd Rundgren and Robert Fripp are our Live Freaks

Broadcast: Sunday 18 July 10pm
Listen Again: anytime for 7 days after broadcast

# posted by DJ Martian 2:13 PM

Clash Magazine

Dundee, Scotland based music magazine: Clash reaches Issue 3, with The Streets on the front cover.

Clash magazine still has a low profile/ hardly any brand awareness in the UK, e.g it is hardly mentioned on music message boards or on blogs.

Clash magazine's closest comparison in format is the long gone 90s music mag Select magazine or Xfm's currently defunkt X-Ray magazine.

# posted by DJ Martian 2:07 PM

OMM/ Observer Music Monthly Reviews

Selected reviews from this month's Observer Music Monthly:

The comeback Prodigy album gets reviewed: Prodigy - Always Outnumbered Never Outgunned

Barney Hosykns gives a mixed review for the new The Blue Nile album: Blue Nile - High

A compilation album from Norwegian jazztronica artist Nils Petter Molvaer: Nils Petter Molvaer - Streamer

Also from Norway: Susanna and the Magical Orchestra - List of Lights and Buoys [This album is only available on Import and still awaiting a UK release date]

# posted by DJ Martian 1:50 PM

SPOTLIGHT...KEY NEW RELEASES [July 5th]

Key new album releases for July 5th [A more detailed release listing including other new releases, compilations and reissues - can be found further up this webpage.]

Amusement Parks On Fire - Amusement Parks On Fire (Invada)
Aspects - Mystery Theatre (Antidote)
Carla Bley - The Lost Chords (ECM)
Capitol K - Happy Happy (Faith & Industry)
Dom and Roland - Chronology (Moving Shadow)
John B - In Transit (Beta)
Kim Hiorthøy - Live Shet (Smalltown Supersound)
Karda Estra - Voivode Dracula (Cyclops)
Landau - Thepicompromise (Merck)
Melchior Productions - Meaning (Playhouse)
Silje Nergaard - Nightwatch (Emarcy)
Neurosis - The Eye Of Every Storm (Neurot/Relapse)
The Open - Silent Hours (Polydor)
Pan-American - Quiet City (Kranky)
Daniel Patrick Quinn - Severed From The Land (Suilven)
The Red Masque - Feathers for Flesh (Big Balloon) [US Release]
Scorn - List Of Takers (Vivo)
Vandermark 5 - Elements Of Style, Exercises In Surprise (Atavistic) [Import]

# posted by DJ Martian 1:35 PM

Saturday, July 17, 2004

6 Mix - 4 Hero

4 Hero present the 6 Mix this week on 6 Music

Sunday [18th July] 2000-2200

Friday [23rd July] 2300-0100
(rpt)

[and listen on demand online after Sunday's show]

# posted by DJ Martian 7:43 PM

The Observer Music Monthly: OMM

A reminder for Brits, tomorrow's Observer newspaper includes the July Issue of The Observer Music Monthly unfortunately Badly Drawn [Boring] Boy is featured.

# posted by DJ Martian 7:17 PM

Boomkat PRE-ORDER FEATURES

Boomkat have started a pre-orders section on their website, plus a new weekly "Available Soon" newsletter.

# posted by DJ Martian 4:48 PM

This Week's New Releases @ Boomkat

This week's new releases @ Boomkat - A Pelicanneck Online Music Store include:

ALBUM OF THE WEEK!
DJ Miles - Boombox Mix
Boomkat Selected Mixtapes

The fifth in our series of specially selected and recorded mixtapes (the first four installments have come from Gescom's Rob Hall, Bitstream, Spezialmaterial and Modeselektor) is the one we've been holding up our sleeves with most glee. Miles has been on the scene for quite some time and anyone who has witnessed him DJ will tell you that he's quite simply a one off, fusing anything and everything into the deepest kind of dancefloor devastation witnessed for time! His DJ set at Sonar 2002 was described by the Wire magazine as the unexpected highlight of the entire festival and every time we've seen him play out he's changed the rules, always employing his incredible box of delights in some new, unexpected way. Miles is also sometimes known as one half of electronic operators Pendle Coven, as a DJ for the City Centre Offices and Morr Music labels and as part of the Baked Goods crew - his barely believable knowledge of everything from Detroit Techno through to classic Electro, House, Jazz, dub, breaks, dubstep, hardcore, jungle, IDM, and experimentalism has always imbued his unique style with sheer brilliance - classics mingled with fresh whites - dropping in maverick, entirely unexpected ways. This first mix from Miles for the series gives off the classics in inspired, informed, incredible fashion - you just can't mess with the master! If you want a comprehensive trawl through some of the finest dancefloor tracks released over the last 20 years - chewed up and spat out in a completely fresh way - you need this killer mix! Buy!!!!!!!!!!

ALBUM OF THE WEEK!
The Beans - Bassplayer
Intr-Version

Mitchell Akiyama's Intr Version label has quietly built itself a masterful catalogue of inspiring, beautifully packaged and always striking releases from artists often unknown to anyone but a selected few. This sublime album from The Beans is actually the band's 5th full-length (although it's the first that's come to our attention) and is quite simply a masterpiece of blissed-out home listening. The band have been recording in Canada since forming in 1995 and have been an integral part of the axis dominated by Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Do Make Say Think and the constellation imprint ever since. Their sound revolves around a spacious layering of acoustic harmonies and instrumental shards of sound that make for a breathtaking variation on the post rock formula. At times employing familiar Godspeed-inspired conceits, at others sounding like an instrumental Hood, or Tortoise and Jim O'rourke drifting together quietly...or even a slightly less introspective Talk Talk, The Beans employ delicate modifications, backward loops, electronic augmentations and dusty narrations that lift you into a warm place. "Bassplayer" is a gorgeous album, discovering it is one of those rare moments where you feel you've stumbled across something new yet oddly familiar, like it was written just for you. A very special album indeed that comes highly recommended.

Atom Tm / The Rip Off Artist / Small Rocks - Dub tribunl
Inflatabl

Coming out on Matt Haines (aka The Rip Off Artist) own imprint: the Inflatabl Labl - after several albums to his name, and well over 100 tracks released so far. This debut release, dub tribunL, a unique spin on the concept of compilation album. Three like-minded artists agreed on a style of music they're not currently known for, something challenging and outside their current remit. From this starting point, each creates four tracks. The result: three different interpretations and lots of interesting music. dub tribunL uses dub music as its source material, but it finds itself spun out into new and exotic shapes by: Atom TM (aka Uwe Schmidt, Atom Heart, Señor Coconut, LB, Geeez n Gosh, etc.), Small Rocks (aka Matt Wand, one half of Stock, Hausen & Walkman, Hot Air Records), and The Rip Off Artist (aka Matt Haines, Vertical Form, Mille Plateaux artist, Dean Martin's 'Sway' remixer. Look no further for some straight ege bouncement, with the inspired curve balls we're by now accustomed to from messrs Schmidt, Wand and Haines. Inspired match up and top execution - dub it and scrub it!

Biosphere / H.I.A.- Birmingham Frequencies
Headphone

Following up their erm, chilled 'Polar sequences' this collaboration between Bobby Bird of The Higher Intelligence Agency and Biosphere's Geir Jenssen brought their isolated take on early electronica and ambient dub to the Rotunda tower in Birmingham. As a record of this performance this works fine, but more so as a telling reminder of the extent to which these guys pushed the early shapes of this scene we hold so dear - an important document of a time when things seemed perhaps that much more straightforward. Plain goodness.

Subskan - Repaired
Mirex

Starting with drony, abstract soundscapes, this latest release on the malladjusted Mirex label takes a change of direction half-way through and descends into an intricate mesh of mashed-up breaks, breakcore emissions and some killer percussive edits - all in the name of jackin', of course! Fans of Venetian SnareS, Enduser and so on will dig this - give it a listen!

Morton Feldman - Patterns In A Chromatic Field
Tzadik

80:42 minutes of deeply moving music from the late minimalist composer Morton Feldman. This piece dates from 1981 and though many of Morton Feldman's pieces can seem to follow a similar path of spacious and seemingly random notes this piece snaps into your headspace via the more forceful layering of notes and tones via the sole cello and piano instrumentation. Though heavily notated there seems to be elements of improvisation in the playing of cello and piano by the musicians Charles Curtis and Aleck Karis. Not an easy listen by any means but get yourself into the zone and you'll be rewarded in multiples. Highly Recommended.

Oren Ambarchi - Grapes From The Estate
Touch

Oren Ambarchi acts as a good antithesis to that other great Touch luminary - Fennesz.Both artists use the guitar as a starting point for minimalist discovery and post-abstract innovation, though where Fennesz relies heavily on distortion and catharsis, Ambarchi's focus is on a much more refined, clean building of layers and delicate augmentations. For his third outing on Touch, Ambarchi's immense achievement is through his sense of timing, pace and definition - slowly building pieces up to warm, glowing echoes that use dronelike beginings and head into sumptuous soundscaped vistas. "Grapes from The Estate" is neither minimal nor abstract in the difficult sense, the added arrangement of piano, organ and even drums transforming his familiar self-restraint into an hour-long process of transformation and deep ambience. Incredible stuff from Touch once again - highly recommended.

EL-P - High Water
Thirsty Ear

Finally available on cd. First up this is not simply El's Def Jux beats with some freestylin' jazz solo's on top. That'd be too simple. Instead it's a deep genre blast - El on the boards, beats and additional synth work and the Blue Series Continuum (including Matthew Shipp, William Parker and Daniel Carter) laying down the jazz sounds - ranging from modal beauty to searching jazz soloing. Sounding a little rough round the edges only adds to the appeal. The mighty 'Sunrise Over Brooklyn' dominates the a-side but equally dope is the uptempo 'Get Modal' and the blunted hip hop jazz winner 'Get Your Hand Off My Shoulder, Pig' (top title). 'Intrigue In The House Of India' starts the b-side, like a modern day Yusef Lateef eastern jam with added contemporary dread - tune. 'Something Is Wrong' is the most free display here, a random drum machine fights against Shipp's piano riffs and Steve Swell's trombone blasts. El's father Harry Keys appears on 'When The Moon Was Blue' singing in a gruff voice part Tom Waits and part Louis Armstrong, the track a somewhat sentimental journey for all concerned. Finally there's 'Please Leave (Yesterday)' a drifting trip into jazz ambience. Not what you'd expect at all but a thoroughly rewarding listen. One to check.

Der Plan - Die Verschworung
Marina

Der Plan, often cited alongside Kraftwerk as one of the most influential German bands of all time, finally return with a brand new studio after 15 years of silence. Der Plan pioneered 80's avante-garde electronica and synthpop - their legendary debut album "Geri Reig" from 1980 paved the way for a whole new musical style and movement , the "Neue Deutsche Welle" , which brought the world DAF and Einstuerzende Neubauten, among others, and went on to heavily influence many 80s synth bands and acts like To Rococo Rot and Mouse On Mars. "Die Verschwoerung" (The Conspiracy) features 15 brand new tracks including an amazing electro interpretation of the famous German children's poem "Dunkel Wars". Recorded with vintage analogue keyboards and sequencers, this is a surprisingly good album that you should check out if you have an interest in a movement that's still hugeley relevant today. Check.

Low - A Lifetime Of Temporary Relief - 10 Years of B-Sides and Rarities
Rough Trade
3CD + DVD //

The much revered Low at long last deliver an exhaustive, majestic and thorough compilation of B-Sides, rarities, outtakes and demos from the past 10 years of their career. Featuring more than 53 songs assembled by the band, this box set contains 3 audio discs and a DVD. `A Lifetime of Temporary Relief' includes Low's first bedroom recordings (1993), all the way through to vinyl-only tracks from their recent CD, Trust (2002). Combined with a DVD that includes 11 Low videos, live footage and a series of documentaries, along with notes and images in a 32-page booklet compiled by the band, this box is not only a must for the seasoned Low fan, but also for anyone who wants to acquaint themselves with one of the most restrained, understated and important acoustic bands of the last decade. The most striking thing about this collection comes with the realisation that despite the vast tracklisting you never get the feeling that you're listening to second rate fillers - the quality is quite breathtaking, a testamant to the sheer vision and quiet brilliance of this wonderfgul band. Essential Purchase - a massive recommendation.

United States Of America - United States Of America
Sundazed

A band that's perhaps best known round these parts for being the inspiration, (some would even say blueprint) for the work of Broadcast, United States Of America were always fueled by the avant-garde sonic ammo of keyboardist/composer joe byrd and the haunting vocals of dorothy moskowitz. Their sound fuses space-age electronic music to the heart of rock and roll, something displayed perfectly on this remarkable self-titled 1968 debut. Byrd's kaleidoscopic musical excursions and Gordon Marron1s searing violin orbit around the icy vocals of moskowitz, who at times really does bring to mind so much that we've heard since - a testament to the influence exerted by the band. This edition sports 10 amazing bonus cuts and comprehensively fascinating liner notes by Byrd himself. The full cd has been newly mastered from the original analog source tapes.

3 Chairs - 3 Chairs
3 Chairs

**CD version - includes bonus tracks** The other project of the deepest heads in house, the 3 Chairs, finally drops a triple album after two twelves and a double-pack of liquid soul. Comprising of Malik Pittman, Theo Parrish, Kenny Dixon Jr, and Rick Wilhite, there's no shortage of pedigree, and I really shouldn't have to tell you how good this record is, as the names above speak for themselves - but I like it too much not to. Opening the LP is the `3 Chairs Theme' which sets the mood perfectly with a sub 120bpm groove, dirty drums and expertly layered rhodes piano, add soulful vocal loops and a dash of freestyle keys while the strings fade in KDJ style and the night gets started. `Blackbone Waltz' takes the whole of the b-side and has Theo Parrish written all over it, the subby thudding kicks, low down acid bass and absolutely beautiful instrumental layering with ethereal droning voices over the top, truly a Master At Work. Next up head `System Sauce' for a KDJ classic, funked up disco loops, bar-like crowd samples and awesome filtering across the drums all smacks of KDJ, and the deep vibe that stems from all the correct ingredients is here in spades, groove and soul in copious amounts. Also the late night vibe of `Underwater People' sits superbly as a late night groove, slow kicks, lo-fi percussion and looped detuned organs all make that perfect cocktail, and the crowd samples and harp samples in the middle breakdown add's a touch of light to the dark and smoky atmosphere. With a further 6 tracks, and way too much goodness for one record, it's a superior release from the Detroit camp, what else do you expect with this line up? Not cheap, but incredibly good.

Akufen / Various Fabric 17
Fabric

The latest luminary asked to make the selctions and man the decks for Fabric is Marc Leclair, better known as Akufen and purveyor of that finest kind of hiccup-funk-micro-house, a sub-genre he more or less single-handedly popularised. The lineup is much what you'd expect, featuring tracks from fellow dancefloor technicians Matthew Dear, Cabanne, Ark, S-max, Freaks, Atom Heart, the Rip Off Artist, Matthew Herbert and and so on, but the mix is expertly handled and paced perfectly. Surprisingly, this is the first commercially available mix from Akufen - let's hope we hear some new studio material from him soon. In the meantime, this'll do very nicely indeed.

# posted by DJ Martian 12:44 PM

Friday, July 16, 2004

There is a new Boredoms album due in September, as reported on ILM: NEW BOREDOMS!!!!!!...

# posted by DJ Martian 4:47 PM

Pitchfork review Glenn Branca - Lesson No. 1

# posted by DJ Martian 2:03 PM

The Independent review Phil Manzanera - 6pm

# posted by DJ Martian 2:00 PM

Metaluk.com report SHADOWS FALL New album In September

The Art Of Balance has a confirmed September 20th release date.

# posted by DJ Martian 1:54 PM

BW & BK report the latest Tool News: New TOOL Will Be "Heavier-Sounding" according to comments made by TOOL drummer Danny Carey.

# posted by DJ Martian 1:50 PM

Next week's releases are reviewed @ Norman Records

# posted by DJ Martian 1:47 PM

The Guardian review The Futureheads - The Futureheads

# posted by DJ Martian 1:21 PM

New Services @ Bloglines and Feedster

As blogs continue to grow in popularity in 2004 and the increased adoption of RSS/Atom syndication - the need for innovative search tools/ content organization to meet web users needs is a strategic challenge that faces all internet content/search technology companies, i.e the big 3 [Google/ MSN/ Yahoo] and niche offerings from smaller companies such as Bloglines, Feedster and Technorati.

Microsoft have still not launched their MSN Blogbot blog search engine and Google remain mysterious on their future plans for a similar service - but with a research/ innovative culture - they are constantly [R&D] Researching & Developing new services, see Google's Mission. Meanwhile this week Yahoo are stepping up their future intentions as Clickz.com report Yahoo! Acquires Oddpost

Oddpost is a ..San Francisco-based start-up offering a combined e-mail client and RSS reader.

Wired News: report Yahoo Buys Web E-Mail Firm

Yahoo aim to incorporate Oddpost's technology into Yahoo Mail and I would suggest there is scope to improve the RSS organization of the My Yahoo portal, and use Oddpost's expertise re: Yahoo Search and RSS organization/ search capabilities.

In the meantime it's left for search tools such as Bloglines and Feedster to innovate NOW and offer new services. This month both have redesigned with new User Interfaces and now offer additional services.

Tip: if you have a blog/ website with a RSS/ Atom Feed it is worthwhile adding your blog to both Bloglines and Feedster - as this will improve your blog's web visibility and increase both casual [via search results] and long term readership [via subscribing].

The advantage of using both Bloglines & Feedster as a search engine - is that information is constantly indexed 24/7 due to the utilization of RSS/ Atom XML content, therefore search results are fresh and uptodate.

Bloglines

Bloglines relaunched last week with a new look UI [User Interface] and additional services.

Bloglines is the most comprehensive, integrated service for searching, subscribing, publishing and sharing news feeds, blogs, and rich Web content. It's free and easy-to-use.

My blog @ Bloglines: DJ Martian's Page currently has 20 subscribers. Subscribe to DJ Martian's Page using Bloglines:

Feedster

Feedster the RSS Search Engine has added some new features and also has a new UI/User Interface.

751,329 feeds indexed and fully searchable.

These changes are overviewed in this article.

Subscribe to DJ Martian's Page: if you use Feedster as a RSS Reader:

# posted by DJ Martian 12:30 AM

Thursday, July 15, 2004

Music blog to check: Stereo Sanctity

# posted by DJ Martian 9:57 PM

Killing Joke: the next album !

Exclusive breaking news, Jaz speaking live on Total Rock radio tonight stated that writing for the next Killing Joke album will commence in Morocco soon !

# posted by DJ Martian 8:16 PM

Dillinger Escape Plan - Miss Machine

Pinnacle Entertainment provide info on the upcoming Dillinger Escape Plan album: Miss Machine due for release in the UK on August 2nd.

Merging unparalleled musical bravery, prodigious musicianship, flawless execution and an array of forward thinking ideas, Dillinger reinvent the rock 'n roll idiom while pleasing their harshest critics: themselves. ‘Miss Machine's modernist clang proves once and for all that the Dillinger Escape Plan is a paradigm to be followed and a yardstick by which other bands are measured. If you can suspend your musical belief, you may never return.

# posted by DJ Martian 7:43 PM

U2 Lose Album at Photo Shoot in Nice

I noticed this on U2log.com earlier, but many media outlets have picked it up: including Launch/ dotmusic U2 lose album

Yep, U2 have lost a copy of their new album at a Photo Shoot in Nice - Southern France. Imagine if this gets into the wrong hands, ends up on filesharing programs, or some underworld pirated CD manufacturer - months before the release in late November. The whole pre-launch build up promotion would be blown - i.e NO radio exclusives or offering exclusive selective tracks for streaming on the weeks leading up to release.

A spokesperson for the local Nice gendarme apparently commented: "i still haven't found what i am looking for"

Latest reports at BBC News

About 20 people are being questioned about the material's disappearance at the Victorine studios on Tuesday.

Official statement by Edge: U2.com

# posted by DJ Martian 6:46 PM

King of Woolworths: New Album in September

AngryApe relay the news that King Of Woolworths will release a new album: Rediffusion on September 27th on Lo Recordings.

# posted by DJ Martian 3:56 PM

Playlouder interview Polysics

Buzzing with radioactive energy, Polysics fuse charged guitars, playful sequencers and downright insanity.

# posted by DJ Martian 3:31 PM

FeedBurner Adds Headline Animator

A demonstration of a new service available @ FeedBurner:

Check out Headline Animator. It's our newest feature for FeedBurner publishers. Promote your feed any where you can post HTML with this handy, dynamically generated GIF image.

This is powered by FeedBurner a combined RSS/ Atom Feed organizer.

# posted by DJ Martian 2:38 PM

Mojo - August 2004

New Issue of MOJO Magazine now in the shops features Jimmy Page on the front cover.

# posted by DJ Martian 12:42 PM

Todd Burns of Stylus has now ranked his favourite 2004 Albums by grade.

# posted by DJ Martian 12:29 PM

Stylus review Moodymann - Black Mahogani

# posted by DJ Martian 11:52 AM

Pitchfork review Charalambides - Joy Shapes

# posted by DJ Martian 11:49 AM

The latest releases are reviewed by NYC's Other Music: The Other Music Update

NEW RELEASES
Camberwell Now (Reissue)
Matthew Dear
Sublime Frequencies (4 New Comps)
Antena (Reissue)
Lali Puna
Pharaoh Overlord
Rogue Wave
Channel 3 (Output Compilation)

Wagon Christ
Ebony Rhythm Band (Reissue)
Nicolas Collins
Polyphonic Spree
The Flesh
The Roots
Doctor Mix & the Remix (Reissue)

# posted by DJ Martian 11:37 AM

Playlouder interview Campag Velocet

# posted by DJ Martian 11:31 AM

Also: a guy called gerald has been working on a new album this year for release on k7 records.

# posted by DJ Martian 11:28 AM

808 State - Prebuild

Mancunian electronic band 808 State will release an album: Prebuild on Rephlex on September 27th.

info @ A Guy Called Gerald Unofficial Web Page:

During 2001, Massey recovered 60 minutes of unreleased acid material from the '88 era. Richard James (Aphex Twin) loved it and so, through his Rephlex label, it is going to get released! The CD will include bonus material in the form of the Lounge Jays' 'Massage-A-Rama' and 'Sex Mechanic' (both for the first time on CD) as well as a recording from 808 State's first ever gig at the Boardwalk club in Manchester! Possibly it will be supported by a vinyl EP. Hopefully those unreleased Newbuild re-mixes (from 1999) by Graham, Gerald & Martin will finally see the light of day!

# posted by DJ Martian 12:05 AM

Wednesday, July 14, 2004

Nine Inch Nails: Bleedthrough Album now due Early 2005

MTV.com report the latest Nine Inch Nails news: New NIN Album Due In Early '05, But First Some Reissues

# posted by DJ Martian 10:36 PM

Bjork - Medulla = Late August Release Date

Billboard report the release date for Bjork - Medulla as August 31st - they also have additional info including the full tracklisting.

[August 31st is a Tuesday for US, therefore UK/ Europe Monday August 30th.]

# posted by DJ Martian 10:17 PM

Jester Records: Forthcoming Releases

it ' s a trap! relay the latest Jester Records news:

New albums on the way from Bogus Blimp, When, Kåre Joåo, Origami Galaktika

Jester Records reports that Bogus Blimp have completed their new album, but unfortunately it will also be their last. Expect 'the most circus band in the circus' to get it ready for release by the end of the year.

Also from Jester comes word that When is ready with their new album 'Whenever', due out in October. There's a new one from Kåre Joåo (title tba) on the horizon as well and the new Origami Galaktika album 'Horisont' is out in September, or from the label's webshop in August.

Source: Jester Records who have a warped sense of humour to say the least, they are vague on Ulver:

ULVER just occupies space

So no news on a release date for Ulver - Blood Inside !

# posted by DJ Martian 9:53 PM

SuperSonic, Birmingham 22nd - 24th July

PLAN B MAGAZINE are a media sponsor for next week's SUPERSONIC FESTIVAL in Birmingham, UK.

# posted by DJ Martian 4:15 PM

Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds Double Album and New Single

Playlouder have the confirmed release dates for the upcoming Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds double album and the first single taken from it.

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds will be releasing a brand new two album set 'Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus' on the 20th September.

A single, 'Nature Boy' proceeds it on the 6th September.

# posted by DJ Martian 3:59 PM

Norwegian band Noxagt are in session tonight on The John Peel show.

# posted by DJ Martian 3:40 PM

music blog to check: Beyond the Implode

# posted by DJ Martian 1:10 PM

Absorb - July 2004

A new online issue of music webzine absorb with a whole set of new reviews.

album of the issue: junior boys - last exit (kin)

Also reviewed:

lp - air liquide: let your ears be the reciever
lp - alexandroid: false starts
lp - bitstream: one third standard lux
lp - black dice: creature conforts
lp - black dog + black sifichi: genetically modified
lp - blue states: the soundings
lp - capitol k: happy happy
lp - cinelux: pardon my french, volume 1
lp - james t. cotton: the dancing box
lp - paul duncan: to an ambient hollywood
lp - dykehouse: midrange
lp - eternals, the: rawar style
lp - fax: ruido de fondo
lp - mike fellows: limited storyline guest
lp - luc ferrari: les anecdotiques
lp - c.m. von hausswolff: three overpopulated cities built by shortsighted planners...
lp - helios: unomia
lp - oliver ho: the soft machine
lp - jet black crayon: inaccuracies of the mind machine
lp - junior boys: last exit
lp - larvae: fashion victim
lp - lasse marhaug: the shape of rock to come
lp - momus and anne laplantine: summerisle
lp - murcof: utopia
lp - narrominded split lp series #2: hydrus / kettel
lp - original instrument, the: original instrument, the
lp - post industrial boys: post industrial boys
lp - gregor samsa: 27:36
lp - san serac: ice age
lp - slowblow: slowblow
lp - solvent: apples and synthesisers
lp - spectre: retrospectre
lp - subskan: repaired
lp - syndrone: salmataxia
lp - team shadetek: burnerism
lp - teargas & plateglass: teargas & plateglass
lp - tu m': pop involved (version 3.0)
lp - unit: i came here to tell you how it's going to begin
lp - robag wruhme: wuzzelbud 'kk'

# posted by DJ Martian 12:38 PM

Pitchfork report the latest Sigur Rós news: Sigur Rós Hard at Work on Fourth Album

..The album is expected to be released in spring 2005

# posted by DJ Martian 12:35 PM

DJ Alchemi - An individual brew of learning, culture and technology

blog to check: DJ Alchemi combines interests in Music & Multimedia, HCI [human computer interaction] and E-learning.

» about
This site contains a series of bulletins and essays that deliberately mix up my business activities — as DJ Alchemi Ltd — and the stuff that excites me as a consumer, punter or amateur. It's deliberate because these feed off each other, and interesting stuff happens in the interstices between culture and business. Whisk them up in an unholy brew and create opportunities for alchemy to happen.

# posted by DJ Martian 12:29 PM

musicOMH.com review Amon Tobin - Solid Steel Presents

# posted by DJ Martian 12:22 PM

allmusic/ AMG have relaunched their website allmusic with a total new look.

# posted by DJ Martian 12:20 PM

Kultureflash - Headlines from London [No. 97/ 14.07.04]

This week's kultureflash

KultureFlash is a free, weekly newsletter covering happenings and openings in and around London. Each week we track down some of the most interesting and unusual events taking place in the capital and deliver them straight to your inbox. Featuring art, gigs, films, talks, clubs and more -- we are committed to bringing you an eclectic mix of the best of what's on in London.

# posted by DJ Martian 12:53 AM

Tuesday, July 13, 2004

New Releases @ Piccadilly Records

Some new releases listed in the weekly guide [via e-mail] from Manchester's music emporium: Piccadilly Records

Bloc Party - Little Thoughts / Storm And Stress
Wichita

The last single must be one of the most sought-after indie records of the year, in our shop. Here's the reason why; punky for energy and drive, but with nagging guitars, a touch of skank, and the catchiest refrain, this is left-of-centre pop that's as surprising as much it's exhilarating. It's 1979, OK, all across the U.K!
CDS - WEBB067SCD - - limited cheap price
The CD single also includes "Banquet (Phones Disco Edit)".

A Certain Ratio - Sextet
Universal Sound

Originally released on Factory Records in 1981, "Sextet" mixes post-punk funk, heavy African, latin and Brazilian influences with New York dance sounds, all played with that scratchy, atmospheric ACR sound, showing them to be way ahead of their time, and one of the most influential bands of the 80s.
CD - USCD22 - limited cheap price
CD includes bonus tracks "Kether Hot Knives" and "Funaezekea".

Amusement Parks On Fire - Amusement Parks On Fire
Invada

Heavy fuzzed to the max guitars collide with melodic vocals, and brings to mind supercharged versions of shoegazers such as Ride or Swervedriver.

The Beta Band - Out-Side
Regal

Thats' The One With The Barking' to you, sir, and very good it is too! Sounds like a straight forward three chord indie romp until you get to the beautiful 'i love your way' bit, and really there's so much fun and love of sound, packed into these three minutes, that they put other bands to shame.
CDS2 - REG110CDS - £2.99
CD2 includes the 'Roman-Nose' remix and the Depth Charge remix alond with the enhanced video.

Billy Mahonie - Dust
Tritone

An unlikely mix of musics- hardcore metallics, krautrock accents, progressive rock, electric folk melodies, and a nod and a wink at jazz rock. "Dust" features great new tracks like the brooding, slow fused crescendo of "We Totally Almost Died", the glitschfolk of "Semapho", the off-kilter boogie of "Red Crow", and the extended, exploratory moodswings of "No Blood For Dust" and "Lullaby". The new Billy Mahonie is sharper, tighter, more focussed, and producing its best work yet.

Clinic - The Magician
Domino

The Grammy-nominated scrubs-wearing quartet return with two minutes of hypnotic, psych-disco! "The Magician" is taken from "Winchester Cathedral" the third album from Liverpool's masked lords of mutant-pop.
CDS - RUG179CD
The CD single includes "Golden Rectangle" and "Nicht".

Dogs Die In Hot Cars - Please Describe Yourself
V2

This is produced by Langer and Winstanley (Madness, Moz, Dexys) and keen (alright, older!) music observers will know their name is synonomous with pop. That's Good Pop; clever, melodic and thoughtful. O.K the sound is slick but it's always nicely offset by a huge quirky / madly-arranged quotient, you could never call this lot bland. The band they most remind me of is X.T.C (but with a bit of a skank-lite touch) so this is brainy, big-hearted, imaginative pop. No-one else is even attempting this stuff now.

Empress - The Sounds They Made
PEHR

Empress are based in Leeds and have had various line ups over the years. Currently Nicola (ex Hood / Boyracer) and Chris (Halkyn). Chris lives in Wales, and they composed the sounds they made by taking the train back and forth. Their stripped down sound has remained intact whilst sampled beats and loops have come to the surface. This does not however detract from the lovely minimilist compositions that have previously drawn comparisons to Low, Cat Power and Ida.

The Futureheads - The Futureheads
679

One of the most talked about bands at this year's 'South By South West', The Futureheads finally release their long awaited eponymous debut album.

Glass - Gun In A Paper Bag
Soviet Union

Following the likes of I Am Kloot, Marian and Haven the band preceed this release with a residency at Manchester's Night And Day, just across the road from us incidently! This is the bands first recorded output - they've not even recorded demos before, but that's not say that this release is at all amatureish, in fact, quite the opposite. The EP feautres five sonically perfect and blistering anthemic songs with the vocal angst of, at times Thom Yorke, and at others Kurt Cobain. An excellent, assured debut.
CDS - SOV009
Now gets an official distribution release.

Mad Action - ...And Begin
Loog

More top retro rock'n'roll, this time from two brothers in Philadelphia. Well it's indie-pop with classic aspirations (no bad thing) and a tasty lo-fi edge that recalls Guided By Voices grappling with The Jesus And Mary Chain. Throw in those Sixties sounds (Who, Beatles) then add an Ian Broudie production and you have a very fine power-pop record. And one that boasts, in "Smile" a contender for song of the year. Pretty good, hey?!

Missed-Her-Bliss - If Destroyed Still True
Soviet Union

The influence of Sonic Youth, Girls Vs Boys, Kyuss, harsh Northern weather and the hill of Pendle (which undoubtedly cast a spell of fortune on the trio), all played vital parts in providing the band with an aura of mystique. This seven track mini CD is the follow up to releases on Holier Than Though and Addiction Records.

Nectarine No 9 - I Love Total Destruction
Beggars Banquet

I Love Total Destruction" is the latest dispatch by NN9, and is their strongest work to date. They are joined by ex-Pop Group majordomo and free-jazz spirit, Gareth Sager, who contributes fuzz clarinet and piano. Former Josef K and Postcard alumni, Malcolm Ross, guests on guitar. It follows on from last year's "Society Is A Carniverous Flower" EP, which featured deconstructs by an eclectic array of artistes (Twitch, Bill Wells & Norman Blake, Transelement, Scientific Support Dept, Colditz, and Future Pilot AKA).

Sparta - Porcelain
Geffen

Having relentlessly rehearsed and toured to a punishing schedule they are now ready to unleash their new album. Staying true to their roots, "Porcelain" is a punk rock opus, overflowing with energy through all the tracks. The follow up to the critically acclaimed "Wiretrap Scars" shows Sparta now as an established band with honed songwriting skills - ready to take on the world.

Battles - EP C
Monitor

Simple yet complex, stripped and then layered, Battles is not like anything heard before. Simple computer blips, keyboard rhythms, looped and grooving walls of guitar and precise backbeats. Created by former Don Caballero frontman Ian Williams Battles is made up of members whose input and playing are pertinent to the whole. Solo artist Tyondai Braxton contributes matching keyboard and guitars to Williams', while ex-Lynx player Dave Konopka adds a more clean solid guitar sound. The steady beats are provided by John Stainer (Tomahawk / Helmet). The music resembles foreign folk songs, hyper jazz, intelligent rock simply put this is the next level sh*t.

Charalambides - Joy Shapes
Kranky

Texan desert improv duo / trio Charalambides are the most highly regarded band to come out of the Kranky stable since Godspeed. "Joy Shapes" is a brand new studio recording, their first in several years. A painfully unique album, five songs stretch over 75 minutes, with Christine Carter's vocals bringing to mind Patty Waters or the early work of Meredith Monk.

Sagor & Swing - Orgelplaneten
Hapn

Mad accordian, drums and moog mash up of sounds which sounds like one of those weird 70s electronic experimental albums.

Sigur Ros - Ba Ba Ti Ki Di Do
EMI

Intricate and evolving soundscapes from Sigur Ros, this is 20 minutes of new music written for Merce Cunningham's Split Sides performance.

Electronic System - Disco Machine
Musique Belgique

Telex's Dan Lacksman recorded this long lost Moog album in 1977, combining a relentless, driving electro-disco rhythm and lush, atmospheric electronic synth sounds for a futuristic (well, futuristic if it was still 1977), cinematic feel. There's also a few mellow tracks too, for even more of a Bladerunner sound.

Sex In Dallas - Around The War
Kitty Yo

Sex In Dallas (Adrienne Walter, Jean Marc Soulat & Mohini Gesiweiller) are French-born electro slackers. The trio came together in Paris, 2003, driven by the desire to make a different sound to the typical French house music. Instead of staying in bed all day they stayed up all night to hang out in bars and clubs and soak up all the input. The result is their previous two singles (big with John Peel, Laurent Garnier, Trevor Jackson, Andrew Weatherall, Miss Kittin and Mark Moore to name but a few) and this LP, which combines techno, electro and mellow poptronica. Mastered by Stefan Betke (Pole).

Prince Po - The Slickness
Lex

The other, non-Pharoahe Monche, half of legendary 90s rap group Organized Konfusion, Prince Po, finally delivers his debut solo LP for Lex, after two years in the making. Produced by Danger Mouse, Madlib & J-Zone, as well as featuring guest MC slots from Raekwon (Wu tang Clan), MF Doom (Madvillain, King Geedorah), Jemini, J-ro and J-zone. It's a fully formed hip hop LP, with inventive rhythms and fresh lyrics.

The Roots - The Tipping Point
Okayplayer / Geffen

The Roots follow-up the phenomenal "Phrenology" with a concept album, the concept being to record an LP while they were on tour! And here it is, featuring rough-and-ready joints like "Duck Down!" and the single "Don't Say Nuthin'", warmer soul-induced songs like "Guns Are Drawn" and "Somebody's Gotta Do It" (with Jean Grae) plus a mad cover of George Kranz's bonkers disco cut "Din Da Da"! Plus, there's a secret, uncredited cover of the Booker T breakbeat fave "Melting Pot", which is a real bonus.

Alice Russell - Under The Munka Moon
Tru Thoughts

Here Tru Thoughts collect together Miss Russell's finest recordings to date, and some exclusive material recorded especially for this LP. There's new versions of Quantic Soul Orchestra's "Take Your Time, Change Your Mind" and "Something That's Real", Quantic tracks "Apricot Morning" and "Search The Heavens" and her own single "Sweet Calling" plus many more raw soul / funk and wonky grooves (recorded with TM Juke, Nature Boy and Quantic) that highlight her amazing voice.

Various Artists / Solid Steel Presents Amon Tobin
Ninja Tune

The respected "Solid Steel" mix series brings you a unique recording of Amon Tobin live in Melbourne, Australia. This dark and dirty DJ mash-up features heavy breaks, hip-hop acapellas, weird electronic noises, classic d'n'b bangers and exclusive live reworkings of his own material. The set was performed using a software and hardware bundle called Final Scratch which meant that Amon could timestretch, tickle, tune, tweak and generally f*ck with his tunes on the fly in an entirely new way.

Dillinja - My Sound (1993 - 2004)
Valve

14 tracks covering releases on Deadly Vinyl, Philly Blunt, Metalheadz, Pain Recordings, Hardleaders, Prototype and his own Valve imprint, this CD shows the evolution of the Dillinja sound, from the subtle beginnings of "Soverein Melody" to the more recent Big Bad Bass punishers like "In The Grind" and "All The Things".

Various Artists / Shimon Presents Ram Raiders - The Mix
Ram

The second CD round up of the Ram Raiders double pack series sees Shimon mixing up tracks from volumes four, five and six. There's 20 tracks here, including Night Breed's "Pack Of Wolves", Ram Trilogy's "Titan" and "Night Vision", Fresh's "Signal" and much, much more.

Various Artists / Sex, Sleaze And Soul
Nice Treat

Nice Treat have scoured the B-movie archives to come up with this 41 track double album, crammed full of exploitation film oddities, trash flick themes, dialogue snatches, blaxploitation sounds, drive-in trailers and radio spots. A goldmine of sample material, DJ use sounds and general kitsch goodness

Eight Frozen Modules - The Abduction Of Barry
Orthlorng Musork

The Abduction Of Barry" is a frenzy of hyper-creative sound, edits, and beats - clearly the product of a disturbed mind. Required listening for friends of the darkside and the digital mess that lives in the wake of gabber-infused-IDM.

Kim Hiorthoy - For The Ladies
Smalltown Supersound

'Noises' are very important for Hiorthoy's music, and he has been collecting sounds for his music for a long time. Collecting all these sounds he came up with the idea of doing an album with just these sounds and no music. The result is "For The Ladies". A different release maybe, but also an important part of the work of Kim Hiorthoy. The album comes in slim-line card packaging with a booklet with beautiful drawings as well as a poster. Note there is no music on this album, just sounds.

Merzbow - Offering
Tantric Harmonies

Material originally made for Masami Akita's Merzbow concert in Tokyo. It is inspired by the novels of Juran Hisao, especially his dark detective story called "Kinro" (Golden Wolf). Opening with dark ambient drones "Offering" moves through massively dense frequencies mixed with killer beats to the wall of pure noise. A hypnotic journey to the dark core of subconsious.

# posted by DJ Martian 11:04 PM

[woxy] 97X has returned - as a webcasting only radio station. They recommenced broadcasting yesterday.

Q: Who is on and when? [Times are US eastern]
A: Barb is 9a-2p, Mike is 2p-6p, Shiv is 6p-11p. The overnight and weekend hours will be preprogrammed.

# posted by DJ Martian 5:11 PM

Forthcoming One World shows on Radio 1

15th July
Way Out West live, John B, and Stabilizer

22nd July
DJ Shadow mix, Evil 9, and The Album Leaf

NEW TIME SLOT
Sunday 1st Aug
Big Chill at Eastnor Castle

# posted by DJ Martian 4:37 PM

This week's flavourpill LONDON a weekly email magazine covering music, art, and cultural events

# posted by DJ Martian 4:30 PM

The Breezeblock - Turning Japanese special

The latest The Breezeblock show on Radio 1 features a Japanese music special. Now available to listen again online.

LIVE IN SESSION - MU
LIVE IN THE MIX- KEN ISHII LIVE FROM THE LIQUID ROOMS

» The Breezeblock

# posted by DJ Martian 1:11 PM

VH1.com on the forthcoming Helmet album: Helmet Album Preview: Musically Mature, But Still Tough As Nails

# posted by DJ Martian 12:50 PM

Pitchfork review Paik - Satin Black

# posted by DJ Martian 12:36 PM

Monday, July 12, 2004

Eternal Fusion on SpydaRadio

The latest Eternal Fusion show is now available to listen online @ SpydaRadio

:: Latest Show: July 12 2004 ::

Playlist @ Eternal Fusion

Wire - 'On Returning'
Captain Groovy & His Bubblegum Army - 'Bubblegum Theme'
Spectrum - 'New Atlantis'
Boredoms - 'Acid Police'
Durutti Column - 'Trip For An Opera'
University Of Errors - 'Hope For Happiness'
Future Sound Of London - 'Her Face Forms In Summertime'
Antibalas - 'Big Man'
Dr Didg - 'King Tut'
Spring Heel Jack - 'Quintet'
Loscil - 'Cloister'
Tom Waits - 'Oily Night'
Glenn Jones - 'Sphinx Unto Curious Men'
John Cale & Terry Riley - 'Church Of Anthrax'
A Certain Ratio - 'Genotype/Phenotype'
Pram - 'Little Angel, Little Monkey'
Sun City Girls - 'Blue Mamba'
Comets On Fire - 'Blue Tomb'
The Polyphonic Spree - 'Section 20: Together We're Heavy'
Supersilent - '6.6'
Arve Henriksen - 'Parallel Action'
Brent Gutzeit - 'Piano Motor Skills #2'
Jack Rose - 'Hart Crane's Old Boyfriends'
Tim Jones & Krom Lek - 'Future's Now'
Adrian Shaw - 'Saving Grace'

Next Scheduled Show: TBA

# posted by DJ Martian 10:51 PM

Fopp Shops: Fopp News

UK Music retailer Fopp have started to send out a weekly e-mail newsletter.

It is worth signing up as you may have a chance of winning £100 Fopp Vouchers...
Each month, one lucky subscriber to Fopp News will be drawn out of the hat to win £100 worth of Fopp vouchers.

The Fopp website was relaunched in 2003, but was built using Macromedia Flash - that I detest due to poor usability, i.e navigation and direct URL linking problems.

In the e-mail newsletter they provide a direct link to the new releases section for this week.

# posted by DJ Martian 10:16 PM

Lambgoat report the latest Codeseven news: Codeseven completes new album

# posted by DJ Martian 6:29 PM

Playlouder report on the line up changes of The Fall and ....The band will be recording a Fall session soon and are working on a new album.

Fall session - probably for John Peel?

# posted by DJ Martian 6:10 PM

music blog to check: *drip*drop*drap

# posted by DJ Martian 5:53 PM

I have added mick mercer's Journal to my blo.gs list.

People of my age and older will remember Mick Mercer as a Melody Maker writer in the 80s.

# posted by DJ Martian 2:29 PM

MonkeyFilter: Lists Music Blogs

MonkeyFilter have a massive info thread on music blogs: The (in)complete musicblog list

# posted by DJ Martian 2:00 PM

The Start of the Debate - Mercury Music Prize 2004

The Mercury Music Prize Nominations shortlist of 12 albums will be announced on Tuesday July 20th. It is guaranteed to get critics/ punters debating the poor selections - and what should have been nominated.

In some respects, it's the debate of what should have been nominated is more interesting the 12 chosen - as it concentrates debate to evaluate the previous 12 months releases.

Later this coming week - I will try to predict what the Mercury Music Prize Nominations will be, have a look at some possibles and what they should be selecting i.e some personal faves of my mine.

In the meantime, all these albums are eligible [Brit/ Irish artists] in the time frame for the Mercury Music Prize i.e August 2003 - 19th July 2004. [I have deliberately left off some of the obvious names/ overhyped media artists - i.e The Streets, Amy Winehouse, Keane, Jamie Cullum, Wiley, Joss Stone, B & S, The Zutons, Razorlight.]

Take a look through the list: and consider what albums should/ will be nominated. When ILM reopens on Friday - let the debate begin, or let's see the [British] Music Blogs start the debate early? take up the challenge, get thinking....and then get blogging

150 Albums: that are eligible for entry

1. Adem - Homesongs (Domino)
2. Akercocke - Choronzon (Earache)
3. Marc Almond - Heart on Snow (Xiii)
4. Amplifier - Amplifier (Music For Nations)
5. Anathema - A Natural Disaster (Music For Nations)
6. And Also The Trees - Further from the Truth (And Also the Trees)
7. Anjali - The World of Lady A (wiiija records)
8. Arc - Blaze (Din)
9. Julian Arguelles - As Above, So Below (Provocateur Records)
10. Ascoltare - Visceral Vendor (Tripel Records)
11. Attrition - Dante's Kitchen (Invisible) [Due July 19th]
12. John B - In Transit (Beta)
13. Denys Baptiste - Let Freedom Ring (Dune)
14. Basement Jaxx - Kish Kash (XL)
15. Django Bates - You Live & Learn Apparently (Lost Marble)
16. Jeff Beck - Jeff (Epic)
17. Beta Band - Heroes to Zeroes (Regal)
18. Black Grass - Black Grass (Catskills)
19. Peter Blegvad/ Andy Partridge - Orpheus the Lowdown (Ape House)
20. Blu Mar Ten - The Six Million Names of God (Exceptional)
21. Blue States - The Soundings (Memphis Industries)
22. Matthew Bourne - Electric Dr M (Sound)
23. Broadcast - Haha sound (Warp)
24. Broadway Project - The Vessel (Memphis Industries)
25. John Cale - Hobosapiens (EMI)
26. Campag Velocet - It's Beyond Our Control (Pointy Records) [Due July 19th]
27. Capitol K - Happy Happy (Faith & Industry)
28. Claro Intelecto - Neurofibro (Ai)
29. Chris Clark - Empty The Bones of You (Warp)
30. Dave Clarke - Devils Advocate (Skint)
31. Client - Client (Toast Hawaii)
32. Corker Conboy - Radiant Idiot (Vertical Form)
33. The Creatures - Hái! (Sioux Records)
34. Crispy Ambulance - Power Blind Dream (LTM)
35. Cubic Space Division - Cubic Space Division (Undergroove)
36. The Cure - The Cure (IAM records/ Geffen)
37. Cursor Miner - Cursor Miner Plays God (Lo Recordings)
38. The Delays - Faded Seaside Glamour (Rough Trade)
39. Tim Deluxe - The Little Ginger Club Kid (Underwater)
40. Dillinja & Lemon D - Killa-Hertz (Valve Recordings)
41. Dom and Roland - Chronology (Moving Shadow)
42. Dub Pistols - 6 Million Ways To Live (Distinctive Breaks)
43. The Durutti Column - Tempus Fugit (Kooky)
44. Dynamite MC - World Of Dynamite (Strong)
45. Elbow - Cast of Thousands (V2)
46. Electrelane - The Power Out (Too Pure)
47. Rob Ellis - Music For The Home Vol. 2 (Leaf)
48. Envoy - Shoulder2Shoulder (Soma)
49. The Fall - 'The Real New Fall Album' - Formely Country on the Click (Action)
50. Faze Action - Broad Souls (Bar De Lune)
51. Fiel Garvie - Leave Me Out of This (Foundling)
52. Fluke - Puppy (One Little Indian)
53. Fort Lauderdale - Pretty Monster (Memphis Industries)
54. Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand (Domino)
55. The Futureheads - The Futureheads (679)
56. FZV - Precedent (Ai)
57. Rachel Goswell - Waves Are Universal (4ad)
58. Grand National - Kicking The National Habit (Sunday Best)
59. Jonny Greenwood - Bodysong (EMI)
60. Guapo - The Five Suns (Cuneiform)
61. Peter Hammill - Incoherence (Fie)
62. Matt Harding - Commitment (Moshi Moshi Records)
63. James Hardway - Big Casino (Hydrogen Dukebox)
64. PJ Harvey - Uh Hu Her (Island)
65. Holkham - Komatta Saru (Expanding)
66. Horsepower Productions - To The Rescue (Tempa)
67. Hot Chip - Coming On Strong (Moshi Moshi)
68. Gary Husband - Aspire (Jazzizit)
69. Hybrid - Morning Sci-Fi (Distinctive)
70. Icarus - I Tweet The Birdy Electric (Leaf)
71. IQ - Dark Matter (GEP)
72. Isan - Meet Next Live (Morr Music)
73. David Jack - Without Vocabulary (KFM) [this album was a delayed released 4th August 2003]
74. Jehst - Falling Down (Low Life)
75. J Xaverre - These Acid Stars (Memphis Industries)
76. Karda Estra - Voivode Dracula (Cyclops)
77. Mick Karn - More Better Different (Invisible Hands)
78. Jon Kennedy - Take My Drum To England (Grand Central)
79. Kerrier District - Kerrier District (Rephlex)
80. Basil Kirchin - Charcoal Sketches States Of Mind (Trunk)
81. James Kirk - You Can Make It If You Boogie (Marina)
82. Koma & Bones - Shutterspeed (TCR)
83. Jonny L - 27 Hours a Day (Piranha)
84. Lamb - Between Darkness & Wonder (Mercury)
85. Large Number - Spray on Sound (White Label Online)
86. LFO - Sheath (Warp)
87. The Lithium Project - Many Worlds Theory (Hydrogen Dukebox)
88. Lone Pigeon - Schoozzzmmii (Whizz Kidzz)
89. Loose Cannons - Make The Face (Island)
90. Chick Lyall - Broken Poems (Caber)
91. Kevin Mackenzie's Vital Signs - Another New Horizon (Caber)
92. The Magnificents - The Magnificents (KFM)
93. Phil Manzanera - 6pm (Expression) [July 19th]
94. Marillion - Marbles (Intact)
95. John Martyn - On The Cobbles (Independiente)
96. John McLaughlin - Thieves & Poets (Verve)
97. Mojave 3 - Spoon & Rafter (4ad)
98. Morrissey - You are the Quarry (Sanctuary)
99. Motorhead - Inferno (SPV)
100. Mountaineers - Messy Century (Mute)
101. Mountain Men Anonymous - Krkonose (My Kung Fu)
102. Movietone - The Sand & The Stars (Domino)
103. Murder Of Rosa Luxemburg - Everyone's In Love And Flowers Pick Themselves (Undergroove)
104. My Dying Bride - The Thirteenth Chapter (Peacevile)
105. Mylo - Destroy Rock & Roll (Breast Fed)
106. National Forest - National Forest (Faith & Hope)
107. Normal Position - Rave Killed The Romance (Deep Water Recordings)
108. Nucleus And Paradox - Esoteric Funk (Reinforced)
109. Oceansize - Effloresce (Beggars Banquet)
110. The Opposition - Blinder (Mrs Jones Records)
111. The Orb - Bicycles Ands Tricycles (Hexus/ Cooking Vinyl)
112. Orbital - Blue Album (Orbital Music)
113. Ozric Tentacles - Spirals in Hyperspace (Mascot/ Magna Carta Records)
114. Piano Magic - The Troubled Sleep Of... (Green Ufos)
115. The Psychonauts - Songs for Creatures (International DeeJay Gigolos)
116. Richard X - Presents His X Factor Volume 1 (Virgin)
117. Quantic - Mishaps Happening (Tru Thoughts)
118. Seb Rochford Polar Bear - Dim Lit (Babel)
119. Sia - Colour the Small One (Go-Beat)
120. Dani Siciliano - Likes (K7)
121. 2nd Gen - Flicknives (Quatermass)
122. SikTh - The Trees Are Dead And Dried Out, Wait For Something Wild... (Unparalleled Carousel/Gut label)
123. Soulsavers - Tough Guys Don't Dance (San Quentin)
124. South - With The Tides (Sanctuary)
125. Spring Heel Jack - The Sweetness of the Water (Thirsty Ear)
126. Squarepusher - Ultravistor (Warp)
127. Colin Steele - The Journey Home (Caber)
128. Stereolab - Margerine Eclipse (Duophonic)
129. The Stranglers - Norfolk Coast (EMI)
130. Syntax - Meccano Mind (Illustrious)
131. Technova - Electrosexual (Hydrogen Dukebox)
132. Tracer AMC - FLux And Form (We Love)
133. Two Banks Of Four - Three Street Worlds (Red Egyption Jazz)
134. Two Lone Swordsmen - From The Double Gone Chapel (Warp)
135. Ty - Upwards (Big Dada)
136. Umod - Enter The Umod (Sonar Kollektiv)
137. UNKLE - Never, Never Land (Mo Wax/ Island)
138. Luke Vibert - Yoseph (Warp)
139. Vibracathedral Orchestra The Queen Of Guess (VHF)
140. Wagon Christ - Sorry I Made You Lush (Ninja Tune)
141. Mike Westbrook - Chanson Irresponsable (Enja)
142. Williams - Love Crisis (Glasgow Underground)
143. Willis - Come Get Some (679)
144. The Workhouse - The End Of The Pier (Bearos)
145. Tim Wright - Thirst (Novamute)
146. Robert Wyatt - Cuckooland (Hannibal)
147. Xela - Tangled Wool (City Centre Offices)
148. Richard Youngs - River Through Howling Sky (Jagjaguwar)
149. Zinc - Faster (Polydor)
150. Zoot Woman - Zoot Woman (Wall of Sound)

# posted by DJ Martian 1:43 PM

Sunday, July 11, 2004

More Music Blogs !

These music blogs have been added to my Music Blogs Updated 24/7 list.

ACME - The London News Review
Chromatic Musings
Crooked Timber
Cyclone of Indifference
Jessica Duchen's classical music blog
86400 Seconds
Encounterculture
Fingertips
The Freelance Mentalists
idle thoughts for idle moments
j u s t i f y m y t h u g
pop (all love)
Senses Working Overtime
Soul Sides
Teaching The Indie Kids to Dance Again
What I Like About...

also newly added to my blogger template: [but unfortunately not in the blo.gs system at the mo]
EmptyFree.com
Plan B Magazine - Frances May Morgan
Alex Ross: The Rest Is Noise
3hive
twang twang twang

also added to my blogger template:
KINGBLIND: Music, Art & Entertainment

# posted by DJ Martian 11:33 PM

Jazz Entrants - Mercury Music Prize

Jazzwise blog, connected with UK's monthly Jazzwise magazine - have published a list of jazz albums entered by their record labels to be considered for The Mercury Music Prize nominations

The albums entered by their labels are:

Acoustic Ladyland - Camouflage
Alec Dankworth - If You're Passing By
Ben Castle - Blah Street
Bill Bruford's Earthworks - Random Acts of Happiness
Clare Teal - The Road Less Travelled
Colin Steele - The Journey Home
Courtney Pine - Devotion
Denys Baptiste - Let Freedom Ring!
Django Bates - You Live and Learn Apparently
Eric Roche - With These Hands
Evan Parker - Memory/Vision
Gary Husband & Friends - Aspire
Huw Warren - 100s of things a boy can make
Jamie Cullum - Twentysomething
JohnTaylor/Charlie Haden - Nightfall
John Williams - El Diablo Suelto
Phil Robson - Screenwash
Polar Bear - Dim Lit
Tony Kofi Quartet Plays Monk - All Is Know

The one album that I would have expected to be entered and would have a serious chance to make the shortlist is NOT entered ! Matthew Bourne - The Electric Dr M

It would be interesting to know - if Jazzwise consulted with the records labels, or have they insider music industry contacts with The Mercury Music Prize organizers.

To my best knowledge - they have never published a list of all the albums entered each year - merely stating that X number of albums have been entered usually between 150 - 200. Considering there is an entrant's fee to be paid - surely the should be granted some publicity.

As I said last year the existing methodology of the Mercury Music Prize is woefully inadequate - they should open it up to include an element of public qualitative debate - with message boards at an early stage pre the shortlist nominations etc

# posted by DJ Martian 9:47 PM

SPOTLIGHT...KEY NEW RELEASES [June 28th]

Key new album releases for June 28th [A more detailed release listing including other new releases, compilations and reissues - can be found further up this webpage.]

Noel Akchote / Roland Auzet / Luc Ferrari - Impro-Micro-Acoustique (Blue Chopsticks)
Django Bates - You Live & Learn Apparently (Lost Marble)
Black Dice - Creature Comforts (FatCat)
Charles Atlas - To The Dust: From Man You Came To Man You Shall Return (Ochre)
Coti - Lido / Lato (Poeta Negra)
The Cure - The Cure (IAM records)
Daedelus - A Gent Agent (Laboratory Instinct)
DAT Politics - Go Pets Go (Chicks On Speed)
Earshot - Two (Reprise) [Import]
George - All Good Things (Lejos Discos) EP
Gravenhurst - Flashlight Seasons (Warp)
Lali Puna - Micronomic (Morr Music) EP
Bill Laswell - Brutal Calling (Avant)
LMNO - Economic Food Chain Music (Up Above) Now available on cd
Joseph Malik - Aquarius Songs (Compost)
Magic Malik - 13 Xp Songs Book (Label Bleu)
Mission Of Burma - Four Hands (Matador) EP
Molasses - Trouble At Jinx Hotel (Alien 8)
Murcof - Utopia (Leaf )
Quantic - Mishaps Happening (Tru Thoughts)
Secret Machines - Now Here Is Nowhere (679) [UK Release Date]
David Simons - Prismatic Hearing (Tzadik)
Martin Solveig - Sur La Terre (Defected)
Spatialize - Dryad's Bubble (3rd Stone)
Sunn0 ))) - White 2 (Southern Lord)
Trademark - Trademark want More (Truck)
Tuxedomoon - Cabin In The Sky (Crammed)
Writer's Block - En Route (Up Above)

# posted by DJ Martian 7:43 PM

BBC Collective review The Futureheads - The Futureheads

# posted by DJ Martian 7:04 PM

BBC Music review Fred Everything - Light Of Day

It you are looking for comparisons, it would be fair to mention this alongside the Black Science Orchestra's 1996 opus, Walter's Room. There, as in here, the skilfully produced album created a common ground between house and its '70s forebear, with strings, vibes and keyboards adding to the atmosphere. Whisper it quietly: Light Of Day may well have the makings of a classic dance album.

# posted by DJ Martian 6:45 PM

BBC Music review Max Eastley and David Toop - Doll Creature

# posted by DJ Martian 6:37 PM

This Week's New Releases @ Boomkat

This week's new releases @ Boomkat - A Pelicanneck Online Music Store include:

ALBUM OF THE WEEK!
Mike Fellows - Limited Storyline Guest
Vertical Form

'Limited Storyline Guest' is an album of sublime collisions : John Fahey-esque country-folk guitar picking set against gossamer laptop processing; lonesome instrumental passages ceding to rich, multi-harmony choruses; parlour piano one minute, alien drum machines the next. Somehow Mike Fellow's wry ache of a voice and consistent musical judiciousness unite the disparate threads into a thing of beguiling, toe-tapping homogeneity. Key moments? Try 'Sunshores' unlikely JJ Cale-meets-Aphex Twin shuffle, 'Chinese Houses droll rusticity' (anyone who can rhyme "Desert Storm" with "Yves St.Laurent" is doing something right), the gorgeous guitar figures and dolorous vocal harmonies of "Our Crank".... In truth, there is - quite literally - never a dull moment on this delightful album; another arresting musical event or ear catching turn-of-phrase is always but a moment away. But who exactly IS mr fellows? His name is one to conjure if you're a fan of the Drag City/Domino back catalogue, his multi-instrumental élan has graced some of the most significant records in the US underground canon - though, where most would accentuate the reflected glory, Fellows insists on keeping his famous paymasters off his CV. Suffice to say, without him neither the Silver Jews nor the world we know as alt.country would sound the same. A tremendous, beautiful album, and another notch in Vertical Form's display of selection savvy and unrivalled good taste. Essential purchase.

SINGLE OF THE WEEK!
Sigur Ros - Ba Ba Ti Ki Di Do
Emi

And so with typical Icelandic perversity, Sigur Ros mark their debut release on a major label with perhaps their most personal and esoteric release to date. It's also one of the most involving, gorgeous collection of tracks the band have ever recorded. Written for US choreographer Merce Cunningham's Dance Company's 50th gala performance, "Ba Ba Ti Ki Di Do" features 3 tracks across 20 minutes of instrumental bliss based around music-box piano lines, percussive sounds derived from ballet shoes & the fractured syllables & tap dancing feet of Cunningham himself. Bringing to mind the earlier work of fellow Icelandic's Mum, the opening 'Ba Ba' shimmers with a twinkle of music box cascades and sombre piano chords, drifts of found sound and twilight strings that drift into a lullaby chorus of alien beauty. Absolutely sublime music. 'Ti Ki', meanwhile, reduces to a pitter-patter of shuffling feet and sparkling traces of sound, eventually enveloped by warm tones and fractured drops of silver paint - moving, radiant, unusual blissout. 'Di Do', finally, fractures even more into a weave of dense field recordings, distorted voice and even, eventually, a percussive crescendo. Breathtaking.

King Tubby's - in fine style
Trojan
2CD

WERD! Now that's what we'd call king tubby's - an awesome 2 hours of the finest music filtered through osbourne ruddock's self-engineered soundboards, what a wicked intro if you're a beginner. Spanning work with Niney on the epic Dubbing With The Observer sessions, Perry's Upsetters Blackboard Jungle Dub, Pablo's king tubbs meet rockers uptown and the 'big rip off' tommy cowan dub we covered with some euphoria a couple weeks back on 7", legions of Bunny Lee cuts with the aggrovators - 46 tracks count them, but above all check out the stuff you don't know already: a couple of killers from office favourites - Glen Brown on a funde 'tel aviv drums' version to 'wicked run away' - wayne jarrett's 'satta dread' and keith hudson's awesome cut of 'i'm alright' with those shades of the ultimate funk of 'melody maker' coming in, even Leroy Smart's 'channel one feel it' jammy's special are just magical, mercurial, alchemical sides. There's only so many people around who can make you feel like tubbys does, and for shocking sound and genuine baddest music, on this form you just can't even begin to touch him - sheer greatness.

A Certain Ratio - Sextet
Soul Jazz

Factory denizens on perhaps their definitive album, Martha Tilson puts the band fully in the no-wave funk ether, Donald Johnson's trap drumming just oozing some lowdown polyrhythms next to Simon Topping's space-driven percussive effects. Deeper than brazilian and groove based basslines intersect with the vestigial off centre factory early eighties ethos, playing as a full band at their most vital and live sounding - wythenshawe fusion meets south hulme soul poets at revolution studios cheadle. Wicked.

Amon Tobin - Solid Steel Presents...
Ninja Tune

The fourth episode of the world famous and much trusted Solid Steel mix series is here and this time it comes from the Silent Brazilian, Amon Tobin. After a year and half of performing, tweaking and perfecting his DJ set, Amon found himself in Australia in the final stages of a long but rewarding tour. Every night of this antipodean leg was recorded, and it was decided that this memorable and sweaty night in Melbourne, with Amon under the distracting influences of drugs, alcohol and Ozzy girls, would be the perfect opportunity to add to the Solid Steel series. The whole dark and dirty episode was performed using Final Scratch which, combined with his laptop and a set of decks, means Amon can mix two special time coded records on the turntables in the normal way while in fact triggering music files on his computer. Amon has effortlessly incorporated many of his favourite aspects of drum and bass and heavy, heavy beats in the mix along with lush downtempo and even some Velvet Underground. The recording includes tracks he considers classics - old and new - with Suspicious Circumstance's 'Completely Real', Danny Breaks' 'Science Fu' and T Power's 'Cuba' getting a look in. As this set was made as a DJ alternative to Amon taking a band out on the road he includes his own material alongside the music that has influenced and inspired him. This mix reflects all of Amon's musical passions and showcases his superb DJ skills coupled to cutting edge technology. The CD booklet also has a unique entry code to a section of the Ninja Tune website where you can download an exclusive track and enter a competition to win Final Scratch itself. Recommended.

Charalambides - Joy Shapes
Kranky

This latest album from the mesmerising Charalimbides stretches across 75 minutes of inspirational, dense and harrowing drifts of musical smoke and Christine Carter's harrowing vocal swathe - bringing to mind the early work of Meredith Monk. Joy Shapes is the first studio album recorded by Charalambides in quite some time and features 5 long tracks (the shortest is 10 minutes, the longest is over 20 minutes long) that edge between the sublime and the intense - fusing a weave of chimes, pedal steel guitar, effects, bells and a host of acoustic instruments that caress Carter's delivery with an almost devotional, spiritual effervescence. Kranky are doing no wrong at the moment and it's nice to see them put a release to vinyl at long last - a record to get lost in during sleepless nights and troubled afternoons. Highly Recommended.

Dijf Sanders - Mating Season
DUB

Finally available on cd! Dijf Sanders is a young classically trained musician from antwerp, who records at home without influenece of or connection to any particular musical scene or technological trend. he doesn't own any autechre cds, never goes to clubs, and is not part of the internet revolution. his calmly self-absorbed domestic state shines through on this highly original debut album, filled with sweet melodies and innocent tunes... don't expect the latest word in high-end programming or a splattering of beats shredded for their own sake, don't expect pseudo-"insightful" hip hop loops or moody jazzatronica... do expect a distillation of the finer elements of modern instrumental electronic music, blended with the impulses of a very talented, expressive and individual composer. Very nice indeed.

Eight Frozen Modules - The Abduction Of Barry
Orthlorng Musork

Over the last month better known as [A]pendics Shuffle, Ken Gibson delivers his second long player for Kit Clayton's Orthlorng Musork label. A dark suite of skewered ambience and heavyweight laptop jamming. A frenzy of hyper-creative sound, edits, and beats, clearly the product of a disturbed mind. The playful schizophrenia present on his first Orthlorng album 'Thought Process Disorder' has been overtaken by an overwhelming wave of fear. Required listening for friends of the darkside, Dario Argento movies, and the digital mess that lives in the wake of gabber-infused-IDM. Recommended.

Kim Hiorthoy - For The Ladies
Smalltown Supersound

The third in a triumvate of summer releases from Norway's wunderkid Kim Hiorthoy follows hot on the heels of the wonderful 'Hopeness' and 'Live Shet' EP's - both released over the last few weeks. "For The Ladies", perversly, is a collection of quiet field recordings made by Kim over the years, laid bare without interjection or modification. Anyone who's followed Hiorthoy's music since his sublime debut 'Hei' will appreciate his trademark use of field recordings and environmental sounds in his music. As XLR8R Magazine recently explained in their Future Folk article : "Hiorthoy`s album "Hei" is characterized by the random, ramshackle sounds heard around the house: refridgerator doors opening, answering machine messages, pots and pans clanging. But where Matthew Herbert, Akufen or Matmos might transform these sounds into virtually untraceable items, Hiorthoy leaves them as they are". These "noises" are an integral aspect of Kim's music and the idea of doing an album with just these sounds and no interferemce or music has been on his agenda for some time. The result is "For The Ladies". A different release maybe, but also an important part of the work of Kim Hiorthoy. The album comes in slim-line card packaging and a booklet with beautiful original drawings made by an artist known foremost for his tender graphic skills. If you're after a quiet slice of life, a hum of interference and the delicate pottering of day to day things - 'For the Ladies' is for you. A quiet, at times barely-audible snapshot of scandinavian life.

Patrik Torsson - Kolväteserenader
Hapna

Interesting debut from Patrik Torsson inspired by five years spent at sea, meeting and talking with people, strange weather phenomena, and microscopic observations. "kolväteserenader" was made with instruments such as guitar and piano, electronic sounds and field recordings, and the sound is deliberately left unpolished - a personal, organic "cassette recording" vibe that imbues the album with much of its charm. Check.

Sagor & Swing - Orgelplaneten
Hapna

4th album from Sagor & Swing, "Orgelplaneten" ("the organ planet") is a charming hodgepodge of moog and accordion, 8-bit beats and spoannered toys hooked up to the bands familiar use of organ and drums. This album marks the end for Sagor & Swing. Echoes and shadows will certainly turn up in the future, but "orgelplaneten" is the final record from the group as we remember them.

Secret Mommy - Mammal Class
Orthlorng Musork

The mentalist secret world of Secret Mommy bring us their second full length on Orthlorng Musork. A world where everything is an instrument. Animals, pop-stars, appliances, house hold objects. Listen to a cat and Britney Spears duet as a bull plays a trumpet. In his world, everything is abused. Things are beaten, stretched and manipulated until a sound that can be mistaken for a melody is brought forth. Imagine the bastard offspring of Kid 606, Dat Politics and Matmos - that's Secret Mommy. Be afraid - demented pop is go!

Various / Planet E - Planet E Presents Intergalactic Beats
Planet E

The famed early Planet E compilation gets re-issued on CD, and features among others Kenny Larkin as Dark Comedy with his epic mix of War Of The Worlds, the breakbeat classic from Carl Craig's Piece moniker titled `Free Your Mind', the brilliant and early `Clinically Inclined' track from Kirk De Giorgio's Future/Past project, and the outright classic `Nort Route' from the Black Dog under their Balil alter ego. Also Carl's 69 project contributes the ace `My Machines', the robofunk of `Ladies and Gentlemen' and a tidy little outro, and his seldom used Shop moniker delivers the ace and rare track from the flip of the original Bug in the Bassbin 12" titled `Nitwit'. Top artwork, genius music and some rare CD appearances = sheer classic. Buy.

Electronic System - Disco Machine
Musique Belgique Archive

Finally available on cd! A real electronic collectors item. Dan Lacksman was a member of the highly influential Telex band from back in the late 70's, who delivered such classics as `Moscow Disko' a Carl Craig fave, here his very rare solo album of Moog style disco cuts gets a timely re-issue on Belgiums Archive series. 7 tracks of Giorgio Moroder basslines, lush Manuel Gottsching style strings and a hint of the old Telex funk are all on here, especially the lead cut `Flight to Tokyo' with its uplifting 4/4 vibe and vintage emotive strings that deliver a fine taste of the LP. Also the ambient start of `Sailing to an Unknown Planet' evokes the classic Moog period, with a deeper edge, and is a fine example of the tracks to be found. Check!!

Sex In Dallas - Around The War
Kitty Yo

Sex In Dallas (Adrienne Walter, Jean Marc Soulat & Mohini Gesiweiller) are French born electro slackers. They formed in 2003 in Paris and combine elements of Punk, House, Hip Hop, Detroit Techno and turn it into a dark but fashionable electronic longplayer. Not quite electropop or electroclash, their influences come from a more refined corner of the pop globe and, despite dipping at times into a trashy discoid bounce, there are some ace moments here - like the grimey, filthy bassline driven 'Lost In LA Playa' or the Barbara Morgenstern-esque cutesy of '5 O Clock'. Check.

Enik - Without A Bark
Wonder

... and not much else either. The man who was the icing on the cake of the awesomely poor 2004 Funkstorung album has been let loose in a studio to create this miss match of a mini album. Much live instrumentation (thankfully without Funkstorung's played out glitch worshipping) feels ill at ease against Enik's theatrical voicings - a male Bjork at one moment and a poor interpretation of Tom Waits the next. Weak.

EL-P - Collecting The Kid
Delabel

Rumoured to drop on Def Jux earlier this year, this collection of instrumental work from El-P finally drops on the Def Jux approved Delabel from France. This compilation of mostly exclusive works from El-P includes samples of his soundtrack work for the 'Bomb The System' graf movie, his rockier edged new collaboration with Camu Tao called 'Central Services' plus a track from the Thirsty Ear album (the wicked 'Sunrise Over Brooklyn'). 'Death Of One Fifty' is eerie ambience with a purpose, 'Jukie Skate Rock' drops mad bugged lyrics over an edgy doom filled production and 'Leaving This Place' is evil instrumental hip hop. The devilish atmosphere is continued on 'Feel Like A Ghost' with the genuinely spooked keyboards upfront. 'Constellation' features female vocals and Charlie Parker samples on what is one of most mainstream El-P tracks to date - wicked stuff. Twelve tracks, one hour. Excellent stuff.

Prince Po - The Slickness
Lex

Pharoah Monche's ex-partner in the classic duo Organized Konfusion has finally released his long promised solo debut on Lex = potential completely realised. The Prince Poetry here drop's a refreshing amalgam of his early 90's post daisy age lyrical flow with a contemporary NYC street bump relevance. The Jel (Anticon) produced opener 'Hello' is wicked - a slugged out lowblow jazz shuffle track with buzzing noises amongst the addictive rapping. Madlib up next with the first of his three contributions - 'Too Much' is a 1991 hip hop track revision with subtle sampling references - the sway and pulse is pure Lib' but there's an extra element at play here - awesome. 'Love Thang' is up next, a summery track that brings to mind those innocent days of De La ala 'Roller Skating Jam Called Saturday' - pure sunshine hip hop with Danger Mouse on the controls. J-Zone is the next production wizard stepping up, 'It's Goin' Down' is pure jeep bumpin' aggression with some sick early hip hop sample stabbing. The title track is another Madlib Invazion, a reflective track with some eastern music samples and the final Madlib track is the bomb tune 'Bump Bump' which even get's Raekwon on board for some Wu club rockin' action. Also featured are the hype Richard X produced 'Hold Dat' in two versions plus the previous sneaky 7" 'Social Distortion' with MF Doom and Jemini. The artwork (cd version) is once again a work of art, in an eastern devotional music style through it's use of graphics and gold foil and mat card textures plus pop out supports. Fantastic stuff.

Bloc Party - Little Thoughts
Wichita

The hotly tipped Bloc Party make their debut for the Wichita label with another limited release (their last 7" is fetching tidy sums up on ebay). Both cd and 7" formats feature exclusive tracks - the CD includes the much sought after `Banquet' remix , while the blue-coloured 7" features 'Storm and Stress' on the flip.

Empress - The Sounds They Made
Pehr

In our opinion one of the most overlooked bands of the last few years, Chris Coyle and Nicola Hodgkinson have been delicately weaving their gentle tapestry of acoustic guitar, lilting piano and barely recognisable electronics for almost a decade. Nicola sings on a part time basis for both the Remote Viewer and Hood and has honed her style into an instantly recognisable glow of broken fragility and complete individuality - something which has been perfected for this quietly breathtaking new album. It's hard to describe 'The Sounds They Made' without resorting to cliché - the result of quite obviously intimate and introspective recordings, there are small, gentle chords interwoven with breathless popping echo effects, distant piano's and that torn, ageless vocal. Empress manage to convey downtrodden dejection and majestic self-assurance at the same time - affecting the tones and space of isolation with a radiant warmth that's impossible to contain. Finally available in the UK in good supply - if you like your music precious, personal, delicate, homespun, deeply moving - look no further. Highly Recommended.

Radio 4 - Party Crashers
City Slang

`Party Crashers' is the comeback single of Radio 4 - a band that defines the New York guitar and dancefloor collision of the Zeitgeist without ever boxing themselves in. The 12" single features mixes from Ashley Beedle and Headman, who also records as Manhead for Output Recordings. The CD single offers the exclusive track `Rise Up'

Sons & Daughters - Love The Cup
Domino

And so the Domino licensing machine speeds on, this time giving Sons & Daughters a special re-mastered and re-packaged version of their much praised "Love The Cup' album - previously released on Ba Da Bing. Drawing from Scottish and American folk, fused with an array of blues, funk, country, and rock'n'roll, Sons & Daughters create songs with a dark, spatial and brooding atmosphere. Check.

Venomous Concept - Retroactive Abortion
Ipecac

Mike Patton's Ipecac label unleashes the most intense thrash metal supergroup you'll here in time! the lineup of Venomous Concept features members of Napalm Death, Melvins, Fantomas and Brutal Truth. 'Retroactive Abortion' contains 16 tracks in total, with a bonus experimental quicktime video, and praises the likes of Gause, Gism, Discharge, Anti-Cimex and the mighty Poison Idea. Ace adrenalin freakout!

Wild Planet - Transmitter
430 West

A class re-issue from the Submerge camp - deep and ageless techno from Simon Hartley that fits in to the Detroit scene perfectly, a true undiscovered gem. Just head for the title track and its lush strings backed by brilliant percussion and drums for a proper soulful techno number, with the key changes taking the track a level further and the tweaks subtly perfected, it displays the skills of Wild Planet to a tee. Also step to `Genetic' for its old skool electroid vibe, with solid techno noises and a steppers groove it's a real jacker, and is only held in check by the very Mayday-esque pitchbending synths that drop a sliver of soul into the mix. Last but certainly not least, head to `Frozen Signal' with its superbly timed delays that sync to the groove and make for a simple but classic beat workout, and when the break drops and the strings arrive, pure killer techno. Ace.

# posted by DJ Martian 4:53 PM

New Releases @ Piccadilly Records

Some new releases listed in the weekly guide [via e-mail] from Manchester's music emporium: Piccadilly Records

[New releases for July 5th]

Free Moral Agents - Everybody's Favourite Weapon
GSL

Isaiah 'Ikey' Owens is familiar to many as the flamboyant, boisterous keyboard maestro in the Mars Volta, and their reggae-tinted alter-ego, De Facto. "Everybody's Favourite Weapon" is a vibrant, colourful journey through the rainbow of sounds lurking within Ikey's brain. Jazzy piano interludes give way to throbbing beats and lush instrumentation, while the vocals range from Saul Williams-inspired political poetry to spacey, angelic harmonies.

Galaxie 500 - Don't Let Our Youth Go To Waste. 1987-1991.
Plexifilm

Over four years, Galaxie 500 created a body of work arguably as influential as fellow Bostonians the Pixies even if their record sales didn't reflect that. Their brand of icy, minimal rock owed much to the Velvets, Joy Division and Jonathan Richman and had a massive influence on Mercury Rev, Yo La Tengo, Radar Brothers and the emerging slo-core movement (Low, Codeine etc). This two disc DVD set brings together a plethora of live recordings of over 40 songs (official and bootleg, but the quality is very high throughout), TV appearances, music videos along with two previously unreleased songs and a booklet containing exclusive photos and an interview with all three members. Anyone with more than a passing interest in this most enigmatic and engaging band will find much to love here, a superb visual partner to the box set brought out by Rykodisc in the 1990s.

The Hold Steady - Almost Killed Me
French Kiss

Brooklyn based The Hold Steady put Springsteen, Psychedelic Furs, Girls Against Boys, Kiss and Thin Lizzy on repeat and emerge with a raucous album rife with heavy guitar licks and more cultural reference points than "Paul's Boutique".

Is This Music? / Issue 11: Summer 2004

Features on Mull Historical Society (on the cover), Calexico, Sons And Daughters, British Sea Power, Scatter, Multiplies, the Kitchen, Freestyle Master, Kasino and T In The Park preview. On the CD: the Kitchen (new band featuring Amanda out of Bis), James Yorkston / HMS Ginafore (Fence records artistes), Hoboken, Kasino, Twisterbait (Simon Hanson from Death In Vegas' new technometal project!), Ally Kerr, Freestyle Master (winner of Radio 1 Xtra's MC competition), Catter (features a member of Franz Ferdinand), Red Bee Society, Desc (Kraftwerk cover from ex-Khaya types on Ballboy's label).

The Open - The Silent Hours
Loog

You've got to admire The Open for their unashamed love of the Eighties so-called Big Music. Y'know, Doves love it too, they just disguise it better! So this is passionate, ringing, echoey, rocking, emotive stuff. They sound like The Bunnymen, Teardrops, Tears For Fears (now cool again, anybody?!) and even The House Of Love in places. Spacey, rich and vast, this music breathes, thanks to a dreamy production from Cocteau Twin Simon Raymonde. They like to build too, with guitars piled high, minor chords chiming and cascading, or groove gothily with roving, rumbling bass, doomy piano and Talk Talk keyboards. They're not concerned with fashion; this is music from the heart, not the head. It's Northern Soul Music!

Terra Diablo - Terra Diablo
Zuma

Formed in Glasgow at the turn of the millennium, Terra Diablo (literal meaning: Devil's Earth) are one of Glasgow's best kept secrets. Terra Diablo are vocalist Ian Fairclough, guitarist Dave McAuley, bassist Stu Mileham, drummer Gordon Turner, and guitarist Paul Wilson, five school friends who have built a devote following north of the border with their unique sound and incendiary live performances. With a series of limited edition singles already under their belt, they now release their debut album, recorded with Chris Gordon and Dave McClean.

The Thermals - F***in A
Sub Pop

The Thermals were formed in May of 2002 in Portland, OR. This crack three-member outfit released their debut album "More Parts Per Million" on Sub Pop last year after being brought to the label's attention by Ben Gibbard of the Postal Service and Death Cab for Cutie. Their second album, "Fuckin' A" was recorded and mixed in all of four days at Avast Studios by Chris Walla, who shares Gibbard's Death Cab pedigree and has lent production duties to Hot Hot Heat, Nada Surf and many others. On this album the band retains their raw energy and charisma, while upping the fidelity ante significantly. In short, it is a perfect sophomore record.

Trademark - Want More
Truck

Trademark are from Oxford and are barely out of their teens, they've created electroclash-esque synth infused pop music heavily influenced by the sounds of the 80s.

Black Dice - Creature Comforts
Fat Cat

"Creature Comforts" is another autonomous, stand alone release – pushing in yet another direction, at once unmistakeably Black Dice, and noticeably different. Eight exclusive tracks, heading further into their own increasingly electronic / psychedelic world, this full length LP is as immersive, experimental and structurally unique as its predecessor, but more playful and accessible. "Creature Comforts" shares affinities with Syd Barrett's Interstellar Floyd jams, Manuel Gottsching's organic, flowing "E2E4", or the hypnotic repetition of Spacemen 3, as well as displaying dub, industrial and tropical influences.

Capitol K - Happy Happy
Faith And Industry

Following on from releases for the Planet Mu label this is a homemade, kaleidoscope hybrid of precision electronics and avant noises all held together by an eclectic four piece band.

Metalux - Waiting For Armadillo
Load

Clipped and chopped radio beamings from a middle American bunker, Metalux bring a rodeo of galactic proportions home to your speakers. M.V. Carbon and J. Graf play a dual synth / tape soundtrack to an uneasy nation. The vibe is dark, alien, slightly demonic and painful (hurrah!) and the recording on this record is top notch. Crazy voices and spectacle mounting live action! Ballpark reference points include Chrome and the Residents, Whitehouse, Duotron and the Scissor Girls. This is some real noise damage, and once again load is at the forefront of this new underground American scene.

Piney Gir - Peakahokahoo
Truck

Piney Gir goes solo from Vic Twenty and hits the studio with a bunch of machines and instruments to make music of her own beautifully twisted design. She is a classically trained multi-instrumentalist who gave up Monteverdi for a moog. This strange musical journey explains Piney's individual brand of electronica / electroclash jumbled with accordions, melodicas, recorders, duets with Simple Kid, baby casios and vocal beauty. Piney Gir turns the world of electronica pop on its head with a cracked but wonderfully melodic mix of beauty, angst, joy and pure oddness.

Various Artists / Channel 3
Output

Output continue their first-rate, err, output with this third compilation in the series. The brainchild of Playgroup head Trevor Jackson have remained at the forefront of the nu-electro scene, and here he assembles a collection of tracks for your aural pleasure. Included are unreleased remixes of Circlesquare and The Rapture, classic tracks (including the sublime "Base For Alec" from Yello), alongside future tracks from Black Strobe, Colder, Manhead (aka Headman) and Manchester's very own Mu. Ecletic listening and a worthy follow up to last years' equally brilliant "Channel 2".

Various Artists / The Outlaws - Too Many Fools Following Too Many Rules
Outlaw

Like 2 Many DJs before them, The Outlaws cut, paste and blend their way through a whole load of genres, glueing them together with total abandon: DJ Shadow and the Chemical Brothers, Ils and the Sugarbabes, Prince and Freq Nasty, Michael Jackson and Dave Clarke, Donna Summer and Josh Wink, Abba and Prisoners Of Technology, Raw Deal and Britney and much more. There's pop-breaks, pop-techno and even pop-drum and bass fusions - it's not one for the purists then! Mixmag are already calling it the mix album of the year!

Various Artists / Masters At Work - In The House
In The House

Defected continue their relentless assault by providing another quality release in their "In The House" series, this time from the legendary Masters At Work. There's way too many tracks to mention, with the CD including all the tracks from both LPs (mostly MAW mixes or productions) and then a whole load more! Buy the LPs if you want to get a wedge of MAW classics at a knock down price, buy the CD if you want a couple of hours of pre-club garage grooves for a Saturday night!

Various Artists / Jeff Mills - Choice
Azuli

The Detroit techno don picks out some tracks that have influenced him, from his time as a warm up DJ playing disco in the early 80s, to late 80s / early 90s techno classics that he still carries in his boxes when packing them in at round the globe. As with many, if not all, of his Detroit contemporaries he didn't arrive fully formed in a techno world but took his love of disco, electro-pop and soul and chanelled it into making new sounds. This compilation includes Starflight "Dance To The Beat", Jackie Moore "This Time Baby", Blake Baxter "Sexuality", Deodato "Keep It In The Family", King Sun "On The Club Tip", Slick "Space Bass", Telex "Moskow Diskow", DJ Q "We Are One" (Carl Craig Mix), Geraldine Hunt "Can't Fake The Feeling" and lots lots more!! NB Neil Howard's "Indulge" is ONLY on the CD.

2xCD - AZCD29 - limited cheap price
25 track double mix CD. Extras include my favourite techno record EVER; Neil Howard's "Indulge", Insync & Mysteron's "Audible Illusion", Florence "Analogue Expressions", Joey Beltram's "South Pacific" and more

Aspects - Mystery Theatre?
Antidote

Bristol-based four-piece hip hop group Aspects are back with a brand new album on Antidote Records. Mixing up everything from surf guitar sounds to mellow soul and pastoral folkiness (check the sun-drenched "Off The Lip" with The Bees) through to fat hip hop, raw funk (with Little Barrie) and more, all topped off with their West Coast (UK) meets East Coast (US) vocal style. Includes the single "Impact", which has already been awarded single of the month in Hip Hop Connection magazine.

Various Artists / Tru Thoughts / Zebra Traffic Sampler
Tru Thought / Zebra

There's bargains and there's bargains, and i'll think you'll agree that £1.99 is a givaway for a 12 track round up of recent 12" / 7" only releases from Tru Thoughts and hip hop offshoot Zebra Traffic. Includes Alice Russell, Nostalgia 77, Cappo, Phi-Life Cypher, The QSO, Diesler, Quantic, Flevans, TM Juke and more.

Federico Aubele - Granhotelbuenosaires
Eighteenth Street Lounge

This breathtaking album takes in the latin sound of Argentina (think Gotan Project accordions) and melds it with Jamaican dub stylings to create an intricate, soulful and flowing piece of work. It's produced by Thievery Corporation - the first time they've ever produced another artists work - and it has their trademark mellow, dreamy sounds throughout.

Boom & Birds - Confetti
Rice And Beans

Coming from the Beta Bodega / Botanica Del Jibaro camp, Roberto Carlos Lange creates downtempo breaks that land somewhere between Climber and Ammon Contact with their would-be acoustic Balearics, hyper-processed beats and hazy mirage soundscapes. Includes a remix by the aforementioned Climber.

Various Artists / Back To Mine - Lamb
DMC

Lamb's Andy Barlow wipes away his Glastonbury farewell tears and digs out some corkers for this "Back To Mine" compilation: African Headcharge's On-U-Sound global dub on "Dinosaur's Lament", Dr John, Nina Simone (MAW's mix of the ever popular "See Line Woman"), a wicked Bristol style version of Dawn Penn's "No, No, No", but in French (Melaaz), a clutch of global and world music sounds from Nabintou Diakite, Nitin Sawhney and Omar Faruk Tekbilek, and (just in case you were chilling out, lying on the sofa) The Bug Vs The Rootsman's monster raggaclash bomb "Killer" to wake you (and the neighbours) up.

Various Artists / The Outernational Sound - Thievery Corporation DJ Set
Eighteenth Street Lounge

From warehouse parties in Caracas to elegant soirees in Honalulu and rootdowns in Jamaica, Thievery Corporation's Garza and Hilton have played a lot of wax to a broad spectrum of people. Now they distill their soundsystem selections into this one hour mix CD, blending easy listening, cinematic funk, global mellowness, smooth drum and bass, dubwise grooves, sweet bossa, Indian psyche-soul and gentle latin. Includes David Snell, Gimmicks, Thunderball, Truoblemakers, Crazy Penis, Block 16, Boozoo Bajou, Beatfanatic, Major Force, Karminsky Experience, Bobby Hughes and more.

Freestylers - Raw As F**k
Against The Grain

After the massive selling "We Rock Hard" and "Pressure Point" LPs, Freestylers headed back underground, making tunes under disguises like Million Dan ("Dogz & Sledges") and Punks ("Raw As F**k", "The Slammer"). This LP includes everything from the massive Prince-esque "Push Up" to the dirtier "Get A Life" (featuring Onalee from Reprazent), from the old skool Junglist / ragga-rave sounds of "Warrior Cahrge" or "No Replica" and to mellower moments like "Too Far". F.A.T.

Breakestra / The Live Mix Part 1
Root Down

New reissue of the rare, rare, rare first cassette-only 'album' from This Kid Named Miles and his primo funk and soul band Breakestra. The eight main tracks are all energetic covers of jazz, funk and soul classics that have been mined for classic hip hop breaks over the years. Versions of Herbie Hancock, the Meters, Jimmy Smith, Bobby Byrd, Marvin Gaye and more are melded into a mini Brainfreeze style romp, except it's all live! This CD issue also features three singles from the Stones Throw issued "Live Mix Pt.II".

Kim Hiorthoy - Live Shet
Smalltown Supersound

Having played all over the world the last four years, both Hiorthøy and Smalltown Supersound have received many requests for his live material. That is why Hiorthøy has now collected and recorded his favourite live tracks. The material on this CD has been performed at venues in Barcelona, Bergen, Berlin, Brussels, Chicago, Copenhagen, Gothenburg, London, New York, Normandy, Oslo, Rome, San Francisco, Skotbu and Stockholm during 2002 and 2003. In a way it works as a new album, as it isn't recorded live, but also it differs from the music he is known for on record.

ATM - Issue 60 [Magazine]

Issue 60 includes a Shimon mixed cover mounted CD and features on Hospital, MC Det, Dynamite MC, Dillinja, Shimon, Keaton, Dom & Roland, Fifth Element, Pascal and Inspektah Deck, plus all the usual reviews.

# posted by DJ Martian 4:20 PM

BBC 6 Music have developed a new promotional microsite: Introducing 6 Music with a tagline Closer to the music that matters

The content is rather basic, I notice that 6 Music are currently cross advertising on BBC Radio Five Live [BBC's 24 hour sport/news/current affairs radio station] so it's probably aimed at 20s-30s-40s men with some interest in music.

# posted by DJ Martian 3:31 PM

BBC Music review Crazy Penis - 24 Hour Psychedelic Freakout

Under their various guises (including Neon Height and amillionsons), Crazy Penis has further pushed the envelope on Brit-dance. Few attempt to fuse '70s funk influences with deep house rhythms, pop-melodies and soul instrumentation and even fewer succeed, yet Crazy Penis offer enough subtle variations in the rhythms and arrangements to keep 24 Hour Psychedelic Freakout a mesmerising listen time and time again.

# posted by DJ Martian 2:33 PM

The latest The Blue Room Show on Radio 1 features exclusive TV on the Radio session tracks.

Listen on demand online @ The Blue Room

» The Blue Room Tracklistings

# posted by DJ Martian 1:43 PM

musicOMH.com review The Earlies - These Were The Earlies

This band seem to be picking up considerable good press, they are likely to crossover/ appeal to fans of The Flaming Lips and Mercury Rev.

The Earlies are signed to Wea/ Warners so they have the resources to expect a significant break through this year. John Kennedy on London's Xfm is a big fan of the band.

Their unique selling point is they are a 4 piece band with 2 members each from Texas [USA] and Manchester [UK].

# posted by DJ Martian 1:25 PM

Swayzak - Loops From The Bergerie

Backspin Promotions have the front cover design of the forthcoming Swayzak Album: Loops From The Bergerie

This album will be released September 14th in the US, so UK probably September 13th on K7.

Swayzak are one of the finest British electronic artists of recent times, this will be their 4th album - and follow up to 2002 album: Dirty Dancing.

San Francisco Examiner provide a brief overview of the album.

# posted by DJ Martian 12:57 PM

6 Mix - Jazzanova

This week's 6 Mix on 6 Music features Jazzanova in the Mix

Sunday [11th July]
2000-2200

Fridays
2300-0100
rpt

[and listen on demand online after Sunday's show]

Jazzanova are a Berlin based collective with a core of six DJs and producers that first got together at a Berlin club in back in 1995.

Finding they shared a "love for deep jazz and modern beats", they set out to "search for a common language of international club music".

# posted by DJ Martian 12:27 PM

Lambgoat report the latest Isis news: Isis finishes recording new album

# posted by DJ Martian 12:25 PM

Metafilter have a discussion/ info thread on MP3 Music Blogs: MP3 Blog Roundup

# posted by DJ Martian 12:17 PM

Saturday, July 10, 2004

Next week's new releases are reviewed @ Norman Records

# posted by DJ Martian 6:13 PM

Issue 26 of Earplug

JULY 9 - JULY 21

Earplug is a biweekly email magazine, delivering a handpicked selection of news, sounds, videos, and original features for the international electronic music community.

# posted by DJ Martian 5:54 PM

DJPeanuts.co.uk - The UK Music Database

DJPeanuts.co.uk - The UK Music Database is an Amazon.co.uk affiliate. This website has a fast search engine and the information architecture is simplistic yet smart/ functional.

The front cover of The Blue Nile - High

# posted by DJ Martian 4:41 PM

Music Blogs NOT Currently in the blo.gs System

I am on a mission to encourage the music bloggers listed below to update to blo.gs a system that powers my Music Blogs updating list 24/7.

There are thousands of others that also use the blo.gs system, so you will be making your blog more visible and generate new or more regular readership.

Currently blo.gs tracks over 2.1 Million blogs for just over 7, 000 blo.gs list users.

What is blo.gs

You will notice that blo.gs collects data directly from a number of systems including antville, weblogs.com, pitas, blogger. So blogs/ journals/ websites etc once in these systems, will automatically update on blo.gs.

the automatic system:

If you run your blog on a platform such as Movable Type, Typepad, Livejournal etc - check your settings to see if you can automatically ping to e.g weblogs.com, or directly to blog.s - each time you add a post to your blog/ journal/ website etc. Once you have updated the settings - that's it - no more effort is required.

Other Options

If the web publishing system you use, doesn't provide these services you have a number of options: [If you use the below options, blo.gs will ignore automatic system [third party] updates for a period of 3 days - so for consistency stick to one system]

either ping manually [you can use a bookmark system for future use, so just a simple click will update] or program your blog to automatically update: for details refer to Blog.s ping

or you can ping manually using ping-o-matic a multiple pinging/ updating service that alerts many updating services such as Technorati, Blo.gs, My Yahoo, BlogShares, Blogrolling, BlogStreet, PubSub etc [i.e select the options that apply to your blog.]

[This is the system I use - as it offers instant updates on these services. However I leave Weblogs.com as Blogger does this automatically - and that gets picked up by other systems such as Updated UK Weblogs that my blog is included on.]

Music Blogs: Not Currenly Updating to Blo.gs [to the best of my knowledge]

Avant Music News
Backspin Promotions
Braquage
Click Opera [Momus]
The Digital Music Weblog
Elastique
electronicablog.com
erase
EVERGREEN DAZE
Fighting Against Making the Pie Higher
Ground and Sky
I Feel Love
ijamming
JahSonic's Blog
Lexical.org.uk/blog
MelodyNelson.com
mt. disappointment
Nightclub Jitters
The Original Soundtrack
Plan B Magazine - Everett True's Blog
PostClassical
Sandow
shards, fragments and totems
silence is a rhythm too
David Stubbs
tomorrowJazz
uncarved.org blogginess
voltage: electro culture
WOEBOTNiK

Multiple Contributors: [Other]
ArtsJournal.com - Music
Bagatellen
The Beat Surrender
De Subjectivisten
Linenoise
Rocknerd
Static Beats
the turntable

Also these Music Blogs:
Absintheur's journal
anglepoised.com
Basement Galaxy
daily refill dot com
Eyes That Can See in the Dark
50 Quid Bloke
first impressions on listening Collating Bones
Global Pop Conspiracy
THE HORN FARM PASTE MOB
House of Hotsauce
Josh Blog
Kon-tent
Null Device
ol'-eth-ros :: blog
Opus Weblog
Other Side of Life
Popdrone
Popshots
Rob's Blog
Stop the Noise
Transistornet
Underground - A Weekly Transit of Sound
Zero Interrupt

If you add your blog to the blo.gs system and it's correctly showing the updates, drop me an e-mail with Add blo.gs in the subject header - and I will add your blog to my Updated 24/7 Music Blogs list.

Another Service for The Music Blogosphere: RSS Feed using FeedSweep

This is also available as RSS Feed you can

use FeedSweep to incorporate this feed into your blog.

See my blog archive of an example of this implemented. [I have set it to a last 25 default, using a tagline: Music Blogs Updated 24/7]

The only draw back FeedSweep seems to be using GMT timezone and not BST [British Summer Time] so times are 1 hour behind for the UK.

FeedSweep refreshes every 10 minutes, so updates are fast.

# posted by DJ Martian 4:02 PM

More Music Blogs: Added to My 24/ 7 Blogs Updating List

The music blogs listed below have recently been added to my Music Blogs updating list powered by blo.gs

aeki tuesday
allrecordlabels
Advanced Theory Blog
&so this is christmas
Artifakts
The Big Ticket
Broken Face
catchdubsdotcom
Cerysmatic Factory
Cloud Two
Deterritorialized Music
Dirrrty Pop
droplets in the diamond sea
electrolog
Fat Planet
Fear of the Future.
Glueboot
Helsinki Station
HIP/STER/EO
I'm A Cuckoo
im losing my edge
the jean genie
Kid Shirt
konvolut m
The Lounge Of Pleasure
loveecstasycrime
The Lusitania
Musical Perceptions
No Frontin', Just Music MP3 Blog
Opacodex.com
Out of Range
The Paper Cities
Phonopsia
Rock n Roll in the Real World
Royal Magazine
Royal Music
Running The Voodoo Down
sir mildred pierce's
SIXEYES
#644
Stumblings in the dark
The Suburbs Are Killing Us
Talent in a Previous Life
Telephone Thing
This is Jim Cassius
Uncritical
Vague Space Music
What I'm Listening To
wise old tramp

# posted by DJ Martian 1:33 AM

Friday, July 09, 2004

Almost Cool review Fennesz - Venice

# posted by DJ Martian 12:47 PM

Dusted review the Deathprod box set: Deathprod - Deathprod

# posted by DJ Martian 12:30 PM

Reuters report on the rise of mp3 music blogs: MP3 blogs serve up rare songs

# posted by DJ Martian 12:24 PM

The Globe and Mail have an article on Junior Boys: Junior Boys skyrocket in the blogosphere

On the current Metacritic scores, Junior Boys - Last Exit is ranked 6th best album of 2004.

[Considering both M83 and Dizzee Rascal are not real 2004 releases, but are counted as 2004 US releases - Junior Boys should be ranked higher]

# posted by DJ Martian 12:18 PM

The latest Fast 'n' Bulbous ratings of albums released in 2004.

I am shocked at the new number 1 - a lightweight throwaway singalong Britrock garage rock band [Razorlight] at Number 1 !

This London band were IMHO correctly written off in the latest edition of Uncut by John Mulvey as mundane indie rock, implying a comical NYC 70s punk rock style Karaoke machine.

# posted by DJ Martian 12:29 AM

Thursday, July 08, 2004

DAVID BOWIE DAY ON 6 MUSIC

BBC 6 Music are holding a DAVID BOWIE DAY on Saturday 10th July

Throughout Saturday 10 July, we're celebrating David Bowie with music, an excluisve interview with Marc Riley, an hour-long concert from Canada and the chance to win his entire back catalogue on CD!

# posted by DJ Martian 11:44 PM

The Breezeblock

The latest The Breezeblock show on Radio 1 includes an Old Skool Junglist Takeover mix. [Now available to listen to on demand online - until next Monday's Breezeblock show]

The next 2 The Breezeblock shows:

July 12th
The Breezeblock turns Japanese
Mu live in session.

July 19th
Glade Festival Glasto’s Glade Stage spin-off festival.

# posted by DJ Martian 7:08 PM

It's the end for music blogs: technicolor and World of Stelfox

# posted by DJ Martian 6:54 PM

Diesel-U-Music Awards

Xfm report Diesel-U-Music Awards Winners Announced including:

Outstanding Contribution To Music Award: John Peel

# posted by DJ Martian 3:27 PM

Terrorizer Magazine - July Issue

New issue of Terrorizer Magazine features Carcass on the front cover.

FEATURES:
CARCASS
SUFFOCATION
CADAVER
MELVINS
MINISTRY
SUNN0)))
NIGHTWISH
ENOCH
MALEVOLENT CREATION
ESOTERIC
CRISIS
DEVIL DRIVER
PETER BESTE
SUSPERIA

Terrorizer magazine break with tradition of the last few years - there is no combined July/ August [Summer] Issue - this year. Instead an August Issue will be on sale - on the last Thursday of July.

Next Issue

A TRIBUTE TO THE LATE, GREAT QUORTHON | THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN | DARKTHRONE | SADISTIK EXEKUTION | BORKNAGAR | QUEENSRYCHE | HEARSE | CARNAL FORGE | AND MORE!

# posted by DJ Martian 2:28 PM

Stylus review Cyann and Ben - Happy Like An Autumn Tree

# posted by DJ Martian 1:28 PM

Stylus review The Cure - The Cure

# posted by DJ Martian 1:26 PM

Dusted review Loscil - First Narrows

# posted by DJ Martian 1:25 PM

Wednesday, July 07, 2004

Fall of Because

FALL || OF || BECAUSE is a new music portal dedicated to obscure dark experimental music. [as alerted by It's a trap]

At this moment things are leaning towards harsh noise, dark ambient, death industrial, power electronics, apocalyptic folk

# posted by DJ Martian 10:42 PM

Festival Internacional de Benicassim Heineken 2004

The latest confirmed line up of FIB Heineken 2004 that takes place in Spain, August 5th - 8th. BENICASSIM is nr VALENCIA, SPAIN.

Interesting to note the line ups for some of the European Summer Music festivals such as last week's Roskilde festival in Denmark and the above linked FIB in Spain - seem to be more eclectic and esoteric that many of the British festivals.

# posted by DJ Martian 6:04 PM

Splendid review Pan*American - Quiet City

# posted by DJ Martian 4:07 PM

Todd Burns [of Stylus magazine] has updated his grades for 2004 Albums

# posted by DJ Martian 3:36 PM

Dusted review Matthew Dear - Backstroke

# posted by DJ Martian 2:50 PM

I must update this blog in my blogger template: Shards, Fragments and Totems

# posted by DJ Martian 11:02 AM

Music blog: One Louder has redesigned with a new template.

# posted by DJ Martian 12:38 AM

Way Out West: The Bristol Underground

Today on Radio 2 part three of a documentary on Bristol music: looks at the rise of dance/ trip hop music in the 90s:

22:00 Way Out West: The Bristol Underground

3/4. Tonight's programme continues the journey of Bristolian musical discovery.

The sound of hip hop has arrived like a nuclear bomb on the Bristol music scene.

We hear how the collective initially known as the Wild Bunch began to take themselves more seriously, throwing off the traditional Bristol value of apathy and getting organised. We hear how members came and went until only a hardcore was left: 3D, Mushroom and Daddy G, who became known as Massive Attack.

Another of their cohorts, Adrian Thaws, is known as 'Tricky Kid', who shortens his nickname to the much simpler Tricky.

We hear from Ray Smith of pioneering Bristol duo Smith and Mighty on how their track Anyone (a cover of Anyone Who Had a Heart predated the 'trip hop' sound by a few years.

Contributors include Mark Stewart, Massive Attack, Tricky and Neneh Cherry

# posted by DJ Martian 12:22 AM

Kultureflash - Headlines from London [No. 96/ 07.07.04]

This week's kultureflash

KultureFlash is a free, weekly newsletter covering happenings and openings in and around London. Each week we track down some of the most interesting and unusual events taking place in the capital and deliver them straight to your inbox. Featuring art, gigs, films, talks, clubs and more -- we are committed to bringing you an eclectic mix of the best of what's on in London.

# posted by DJ Martian 12:20 AM

Playlouder review The Cure - The Cure

# posted by DJ Martian 12:03 AM

Tuesday, July 06, 2004

Billboard provide a System Of A Down news update.

# posted by DJ Martian 11:30 PM

This week's flavourpill LONDON a weekly email magazine covering music, art, and cultural events

# posted by DJ Martian 2:44 PM

Stylus review Neurosis - The Eye of Every Storm

[This is Stylus magazine's ALBUM OF THE WEEK – JULY 5 – JULY 11, 2004]

# posted by DJ Martian 11:17 AM

Brainwashed Releases has been updated.

a listing of recent & upcoming electronic/experimental/etc. releases

# posted by DJ Martian 12:24 AM

BBC Nottingham have a Stellastarr interview

# posted by DJ Martian 12:03 AM

Monday, July 05, 2004

BBC Manchester have an Interview with Guy Garvey from Elbow

# posted by DJ Martian 11:19 PM

BBC Music select Fripp & Eno - The Equatorial Stars as Album of the Week

This album is now available @ Eno Shop

# posted by DJ Martian 11:12 PM

Dusted review John Abercrombie - Class Trip

# posted by DJ Martian 10:36 PM

musicOMH.com review The Open - The Silent Hours [album released July 5th]

The debut album from Liverpool's The Open is picking considerable praise in the UK, but as the above review implies this band lack their own distinctive sound. The album is produced by Simon Raymonde ex The Cocteau Twins.

Reference points: Puressence: second album, Verve, Doves, Echo & the Bunnymen: Ocean Rain, Modern English: circa 1983/84.

Another Liverpool band, Echo & the Bunnymen - released an epic sounding album: Ocean Rain - 20 years ago in 1984 - i can't see The Open being referenced in 20 years time.

Press release info for The Open by hall or nothing.

# posted by DJ Martian 5:27 PM

GUTTERBREAKZ has redesigned with a smart new template.

# posted by DJ Martian 12:46 AM

The Red Masque - Feathers for Flesh

Details of a new album from an outstanding yet obscure avant rock group from US, The Red Masque.

The Red Masque are likely to appeal to fans of ambitious female fronted art-rock types such as Kate Bush, Thinking Plague, Siouxsie & the Banshees, The Gathering, As Divine Grace, Madder Mortem, The 3rd & the Mortal etc

» The Red Masque - Feathers for Flesh

Feathers for Flesh is an avant rock masterpiece and is the band's most sophisticated and sinister album to date. With monster bass lines, thunderous and intricate drum work, slinky and psychedelic guitar craft, unique vocals, creep organ keyboards, mutated mellotrons, and a masterful arsenol of unexpected aural sound effects utilizing non-traditional rock instrumentation (everything from the Chinese erhu to the bowed psaltery, pots and pans, and a slinky toy). Engineered by bandmembers Vonorn and Kiarash Emami, and produced by Vonorn at his studio, the sound quality of the album is top-knotch and is sure to please audiophiles. The cd, which features an 8-page full-color booklet, was designed by bandmember Lynnette Shelley, and is complete with original illustrations, photographs, and lyrics.

Track Listing information:

HOUSE of ASH (12.07)
i. Corridors
ii. Judgement
iii. The King's Lament Pt. 1
iv. The King's Lament Pt. 2
PASSAGE (14.12)
YELLOW ARE HIS OPENING EYES (14.47)
i. The Summoning
ii. Outscream
iii. Vacant
BEGGARS & THIEVES (9.38)
SCARLET EXPERIMENT (3.46)

SELECTED REVIEWS
Visit www.seaoftranquility.org to read the full reviews.

:: “This music won't appeal to everyone, but this is important music and everyone should hear it. Open your mind. Get Feathers For Flesh and brace yourself for a rollercoaster ride of styles, genres and experimentation that just might give you an important glimpse into the future of progressive music.”

:: “The music that this band creates could easily wind up as the soundtrack for the next Dario Argento slasher thriller”

:: “The band seems to be hitting their stride with this solid offering. Fans of the darker side of progressive rock, yet who still want plenty of melody and superb vocals will want to prepare their offerings for the gods by July 9, 2004; when this macabre musical masterpiece will be made available. Highly recommended.”

:: A few comments by RER USA founder Dave Kerman: “Unfortunately: it's all too seldom that an American rock band will come on to the scene, seemingly out of nowhere, to shake things up on some sort of level. Fortunately: we DO have The Red Masque, who have a penchant to do exactly that.”

:: “Singer Lynnette Shelley's vocal prowess is so extremely formidable, that it stands unrivaled in today's world of advancement-based music (what some folks still stubbornly refer to as "Progressive Rock"). Her vocal delivery, both strong and passionate, is insistently astounding, and whilst never overbearing to the intent of her lyrical matter, often lends a helping hand of credence to it. This is a sign of musical maturity, and far too few are willing to examine this presentation, or to strip away their own influences in the hope of creating something new; Thankfully, Ms. Shelley helps her style of music to break its own mold.”

:: “The band alongside her is comprised of top-notch musicians [Brandon Ross, Kiarash Emami, and Vonorn], who compose and play a fresh new slant in a school of music whose major proponents lost their sense of immediacy long ago. Within the framework of "normal" instrumentation (meaning guitars, keys, bass and drums), and a few not-so-ordinary (like the erhu), The Red Masque exceed the parameters which time and again have reproduced formulaic results, and therefore go well beyond the norm of their contemporaries.”

:: “The Red Masque's music is probably not for everyone's tastes, but in a perfect world it would be. Highest recommendation.

[Source: Press Release from The Red Masque on Progressive Ears forum]

Sea of Tranquility reviews for The Red Masque - Feathers for Flesh

Available to order @ Big Balloon Music [released July 9th]

Official website: Red Masque

# posted by DJ Martian 12:20 AM

Sunday, July 04, 2004

Cranes - Particles and Waves has been delayed to August 16th.

# posted by DJ Martian 10:57 PM

SPOTLIGHT...KEY NEW RELEASES [June 21st]

Key new album releases for June 21st [A more detailed release listing including other new releases, compilations and reissues - can be found further up this webpage.]

A Hawk And A Hacksaw - A Hawk And A Hacksaw (Leaf)
Agata - Spike (Tzadik)
Agathodaimon - Serpents Embrace (Nuclear Blast)
Apparat - Shapemodes (Neo Ouija) EP
Black Strobe - Chemical Sweet Girl (Output) EP
Borknagar - Epic (Century Media)
Kyle Bruckmann - Gasps and Fissures (482 Music) [US Release]
Call And Response - Winds Take No Shape (Badman)
Damn! - Youth Style (Raw Fusion)
Max Eastley & David Toop - Doll Creature (Bip Hop)
August Engkilde Presents - Electronic Panorama Orchestra (EPO)(Pop Scape)
Glide - Curvature Of The Earth (Cooking Vinyl)
Intuit - Intuit (Compost)
Kettel - Volleyed Iron (U Cover)
Kings of Convenience - Riot on an Empty Street (Source)
Loscil - First Narrows (Kranky)
Gd Luxxe - Between Zero & Eternity (Ersatz Audio) [UK Release Date]
Memory Band - Memory Band (Hungry Hill) [via Southern/ SRD]
Milosh - You Make Me Feel (Plug Research)
Ministry - Houses of the Mole (Sanctuary)
Juana Molina - Segundo (Domino) [UK Release Date]
Mr 76 - Hits of 76 (Skam)
Motorhead - Inferno (SPV)
o9 - Church of the Ghetto P.C. (Schematic)
Orbital - Blue Album (Orbital Music) [with Sparks and Lisa Gerrard guests]
Peccatum - Lost in Reverie (Mnemosyne) [UK Release]
Pharoah's Daughter - Out of the reeds (Tzadik)
Rudimentary Peni - Archaic (Himalayan) EP
Wagon Christ - Sorry I Made You Lush (Ninja Tune)

# posted by DJ Martian 6:49 PM

Music Blogs: Added to My 24/ 7 Blogs Updating List

The music blogs listed below have been added to my Music Blogs updating list powered by blo.gs

An Idiot's Guide to Dreaming
An impressive music blog to check: An Idiot's Guide to Dreaming

radio babylon
music blog: radio babylon,

"radio babylon,
mp3s and derailed trains of thought"

robot is smashed by booze
mp3 music blog: robot is smashed by booze

scenestars
Mp3 music blog: scenestars

scissorkick
music blog to check: scissorkick

Daily updates of seemingly disconnected things like new underground music, classic online audiovisual clips, and exciting design developments. Updated five times a week, scissorkick is a tool for people with better things to do.

Spoilt Victorian Child
Mp3 music blog: Spoilt Victorian Child

# posted by DJ Martian 3:51 PM

Paul Morley is a stand in DJ on 6 Music today between 5-8pm

Bob's off this week, but taking his place we have the dulcet tones of Mr Paul Morley for you.

As usual, we'll have 3 hours of the best music spanning the last half century.

# posted by DJ Martian 3:28 PM

BBC Collective have a feature on the future of the album

# posted by DJ Martian 2:36 PM

BAREFOOT IN THE HEAD - THE SURPRISING STORY OF BALEARICA

An Ibiza documentary narrated by DJ Danny Rampling on Radio 2: Barefoot in the Head - The Surprising Story of Balearica

BAREFOOT IN THE HEAD - THE SURPRISING STORY OF BALEARICA
Show airs on Saturdays 3rd & 10th July 2004, 2100-2200

The first show is now available to listen to on demand, to be honest it is more a Sociology/ Cultural Studies lesson than music history it takes a journey from the 50s through the decades upto about 1985/86. Strangely The Cure get a mention for a track: The Blood on their 1985 album: Head on the Door.

NEXT WEEK is part 2, the show will probably paint this type of story:

Next week it will move to the summers of 1987/ 1988 and onwards that the early british dj types started going over to Ibiza to experience the BALEARICA music spirit - where all sorts of music where mashed and mixed up: acid house, rock, techno, ambient, industrial, acoustic, latin, disco, funk, electronic, synth pop etc - it was anything goes liberating spirit.

The Ibiza spirit influenced New Order's landmark 1988 album: Technique and rise of Happy Mondays and Stone Roses in 1989 can be traced to the Balearica spirit. Andy Weatherall transformed Primal Scream from Leather Jacket wearing going nowhere rockers into an intoxicating dance-rock hybrid.

As each year moved on Ibiza become more popular with Brits, 1990 saw Indie-Dance types The Farm go over to Ibiza to film a documentary for Channel 4.

By about 1994 The Superclubs formula in Britain showed signs of hijacking the culture - and Ibiza become a mass Summer destination for Brits - as the 90s rolled on - Ibiza became more commercialized, promoted and lifestyle packaged by Mixmag and Radio 1.

By the late 90s and into the 21st century the original Balearica spirit had been crushed and Ibiza was overrun by British casual plebs. Ibiza had become cliched / mainstream: a money making machine to cater for British late teenagers / early 20somethings - to spend 7 days/ 10 days/ 2 weeks in the sun, drink lots of lager, have easy sex and the music was tagged on - way down the priority list.

The mostly British promoters charged a fortune to get into their heavily promoted clubs - hiring superstar djs that played formula dancefloor music - that was completely different to the original Ibiza spirit.

# posted by DJ Martian 2:07 PM

Zongamin 2nd Album on the Way

Info from the latest newsletter e-mail from XL recordings: regarding Zongamin

Finally, Zongamin has nearly finished his second album for XL, the follow up to his self titled debut. Having recently supported Franz Ferdinand at their request, Susumu is due to head out to both Ibiza and Japan with his band for a handful of live dates.

# posted by DJ Martian 12:35 PM

This Week's New Releases @ Boomkat

This week's new releases @ Boomkat - A Pelicanneck Online Music Store include:

ALBUM OF THE WEEK!
Kim Hiorthoy - Live Shet
Smalltown Supersound

The endearingly titled "Live Shet" is, surprisingly enough, a collection of live pieces from the man formerly known as graphic designer extraordinaire - Kim Hiorthoy. In a mark of true originality and consideration for his fans (though evidently not the fella whose hilarious email spreads across the back of the packaging..) Hiorthoy's live material takes quite a departure from his more homespun, cutesy recorded material. What we have here are developed electronic pieces and acoustic cut-ups with a more uptempo trajectory designed for the floor, though not in any traditional sense. With suitably eccentric track titles ("Kim is Designer", "Kim Is Crazy", "Kim Is Rune Grammofon" etc...) we go from the twinkling subtle hip hop padding of the opening track to the inspired To Rococo Rot meets Max Tundra determination of "Kim Is Live" to the post-rave frenzy of album closer "Kim is Svensk Naiv". The man can do no wrong - pick this up for more ever- endearing jacking with a quirky smile. Ace.

Capitol K - Happy Happy
Faith and Industry

Following albums for both Planet MU and XL, "Happy Happy" is the first album release from Capitol K delivered for his very own Faith and Industry imprint. There's a loveable home-made sound here that feels at ease with both guitars and banks of effects, not scared to fuse all manner of sensibilities and styles into a mesh of beats, tweaks, strums and singing that find pop music re-defined once again in a year seemingly determined to explore every nook and cranny the genre has to offer. Offering a kaleidoscopic hybrid of precision electronics rendered boldly and beautifully live by an eclectic four-piece band, "Happy Happy" sees personal twists with a global perspective and psychedelic excursions interrupted by impromptu all-night parties in the parts of the city you can only reach by bike. Good stuff.

Grooves - Issue 014
Grooves

Latest issue of America's premiere electronic music magazine. Features on Pan Sonic, To Rococo Rot, Two Lone Swordsmen, Daedelus, !!!, Animal Collective, Black Dice plus shedloads of reviews, live roundoups, latest gear news and more.

Jeff Mills / Various - Choice
Azuli

In which Jeff Mills solves one of the great mysteries of the modern Techno age and goes through a selection of tracks that have been the biggest musical influence on him through the years. The selection is inspirational from The Wiz, and not surprisingly he takes some time to visit some early offerings from the electronic and soul spectrums. Latin and Brazilian cuts from Ramirez, Vince Montana Deodato and Gerardo Frisina are very enlightening when it comes to understanding Jeff's rhythmic and percussive mastery, and actually the evolution of detroit techno as a whole. The Frisina cut is rare as hen's teeth and supreme. There's well aired formative deep disco from the likes of Slick and Starflight, yet its fully fleshed out with more soulful cuts from the likes of Teddy Prendergrass, Jackie Moore, Geraldine Hunt, Goldie Alexander and even the don daddy of Morgan Heritage, Denroy Morgan himself with some funking for jamaica on 'I'll Do Anything For You'. Fast forwards through the eighties and the fuel for Mills musical enhancement seems scarily prescient, Telex, Change and jacking Blake Baxter morph into the prototype uk techno sounds of Insync vs Mysteron, Neil Howard and perhaps surprisingly Bandulu. The quest for the newest records, the most future sounds available has defined the man's own output, and part ways through this excellent collection the original seam of influences here begins to make itself very plain indeed. The man even turns his hand to hip house pulling out the splendid King Sun piece 'On The Club Tip', which had us all going in the office. Some great sleeve notes as well, filled with priceless reminiscence from the ruling deejay himself. Excellent - past, present and future in perfect synopsis. Illuminating stuff.

Landau - Thepicompromise
Merck

Clocking in at over an hour in length, Landau's debut for the Merck imprint represents six years work from a loose collective of mysterious operators whose line-up is forever evolving. Landau's work balances intimate acoustic playing with electronic craftsmanship that seamlessly pays proper homage to a chronologically diverse spectrum of musical styles. Landau brings the fruits of hearty negotiation between lush melodies and gritty hip hop beats, resulting in a twisted funk of electronic percussive depth that's augmented by a standout melodic musicianship that takes them to another level. Another excellent Merck debut - recommended!

Multiplex - With Hands And Feet - Remix EP
Multiplex Music

The first release on Christian and Roland Dormon's self-titled Multiplex imprint features a collection of remixes of "Hands and Feet" provided by Digitonal, Shitmat, Proem, Safety Scissors, Fizzarum, Novel 23, Dictaphone and more. Fellow Toytronic operators Digitonal offer up a beautifully executed string-laden reworking that infuses the squashed beats of the original with densly layered Murcof-driven strings. Planet Mu's Shitmat offer up two remixes - splitting heads with splattercore beats and some nifty edits, while Safety Scissors abandons the House code momentarily and unleashes some 8-bit malfunctions in fine style. Fizzarum (where have they been?), meanwhile, layer padded bass and sublime melodies beautifully - but it's Dictaphone, however, who provide the finest remix on this collection - a sublime microscopic ghostly jazz echo drenched in a haze of late night smoke. Recommended.

Scorn - List Of Takers
Vivo

New album from mick harris, ex-napalm death drummer who's been larging it with the heavy bass and mashed beats for a good while now following from his work with John Zorn and Bill Laswell as Painkiller. "List of Takers" was originally recorded exclusively for Breaks FM and is a continuous hour-long mix that slips through Scorn's familiar fascinations : dense soundscapes, incredibly heavy bass stabs and darkcore beats. Scorn's sound works well as a continuous mix, allowing him to shift from ambient scene-building to dirty percussion with ease. Heavy.

Various / Mirex - Carbon
Mirex

Gargantuan messed-up and ill-in-the-head compilation from hardcore terrorists Mirex, featuring 21 malladjusted tracks from Fanny, Hecate, Drop the Lime, Enduser, Donna Summer, Xanopiticon, End, Xingu Hill, Duran Duran Duran and loads more. Hecate roars forth on "devil whore" with a throng of chanting demons, a grinding guitar and mechano-bass pummeling from hell, while Xanopticon brings the pain on "ex nihilo" with a needle bouquet of slivered aphex twin tracks, and donna summer slobbers breaks, guitar pieces, and hip-hop flava all over your hardwood floors on "drieze cassette." There are calmer moments like line 47's "taken away," complete with tense power breaks and soothed long lullaby synth themes, before Carbon throws down a doozie of a fit, dev/null's appropriately titled, "no, seriously, i'm like, wicked, evil and sh*t..." scares the life out of you and End's morricone-styled spy theme, "you only live once," sends you off in style. Be afraid...!

Radioinactive And Antimc - Free Kamal
Mush

This is Radioinactive's third album to date (after 'Fo'Tractor' and 'Pyramidi') and it's my fave Mush album since Awol One and Daddy Kev's 'Slanguage' and before that Boom Bip and Dose One's 'Circle'. A totally refreshing take on leftfield hip hop that even with it's many extra influences does not throw away it's hip hop base like both Mush and Anticon often do. The production of Anti Mc is wicked, an awesome array of sampledge with subtle live touches that weirdly alongside the rhymes and songs brings to mind Beck's 'Odelay', a Dust Brothers production masterclass. Add some sunshine psych moments to the mix and serve chilled. Twelve tracks. Very warmly recommended (2LP vinyl to follow).

Black Dice - Creature Comforts
Fat Cat

`Creature Comforts' is another autonomous, stand alone release from Black Dice - pushing in yet another direction - at once unmistakeably Black Dice, and noticeably different. Eight exclusive tracks, heading further into their own increasingly electronic / psychedelic world, this full length LP is as immersive, experimental and structurally unique as its predecessor, but more playful and accessible. 'Creature Comforts' shares affinities with Syd Barrett's Interstellar Floyd jams, Manuel Gottsching's organic, flowing E2E4, or the hypnotic repetition of Spacemen 3, as well as displaying dub, industrial and tropical influences. Quietly mental.

Galaxie 500 - Don't Let Our Youth Go To Waste
Plexifilm
2 X DVD

`Don't Let Our Youth Go To Waste' is a comprehensive visual document spanning the history of Galaxie 500, one of independent music`s most influential and beloved bands despite their incredibly short lifespan. The 2-disc DVD set is a compendium of all their music videos, a rare TV appearance and an archive of over 40 songs performed live, including two songs that have previously never been released. From fan footage to professionally-produced segments, the live material was curated by the band from well over 30 hours of performances to best represent their brief but illuminated career. Two tracks are exclusive to the DVD: an unreleased original song, `Buzz in My Head' and a live version of Jonathan Richman's `Back in Your Life', both of which were never recorded or released in any other form. The booklet contains exclusive photos and an interview with all three members, Dean Wareham, Damon Krukowski and Naomi Yang, conducted by Yo La Tengo's James McNew. Disc 1 features the following : MUSIC VIDEOS (4 music videos directed by Sergio Huidor) Tugboat, When Will You Come Home, Blue Thunder, Fourth of July. LIVE ARCHIVE (Twenty songs from five shows). TAPING FOR UK TELEVISION London, February 9, 1990 Tell Me, Strange, Here She Comes Now plus interview with the Band. While Disc 2 features Bootlegs : Two full concerts from 1990. The Point, Atlanta, Georgia - January 26, 1990 and ULU (University of London), London, England - Nov 15, 1990. Absolutely classic stuff - if you're a fan of the band this is a must own piece of history, if you're new to them - dip in and immerse yourself in the story of one of the most influential bands of the last 20 years. Essential viewing.

Melchior Productions - The Meaning
Playhouse

Long time friend and collaborator of Baby Ford, Thomas Melchior releases his debut long player on the high quality Playhouse label. With 11 tracks on the CD, Melchior has displayed his range of skills out in the open, from the super deep and quite dubby `Zukunft In English' which has deep stabs and a padded analogue bassline, all backed by solid yet dry drums, in that Perlon style, to the very housey and quite light strings of `Over The Rise' which conjures a 4am vibe out of the deep 4/4 groove. Also the tight and minimal disco-funk of `The Party' with its clipped vocal samples and jacking bassline works a treat on the dancefloor, a top example of minimised funk. Also the wild plastic acid synths on `Never Give Up' make a wicked old school house groove, with a looped vocal and dry drums its another facet of Melchior's skills. Also included in the CD package is a bonus CD with a retrospective of Melchior's earlier collaborations, like the Soul Capsule material which was written with Peter (Baby) Ford, the Soft Core, M-core and Dark Boys projects all deliver a few tracks and make this a very special bonus release, as some of these cuts are pretty hard to find now, top tackle.

# posted by DJ Martian 12:27 PM

Saturday, July 03, 2004

The Great Bleep Forward

Next week on 6 Music a 4 part documentary The Great Bleep Forward [9.30pm - 10pm Monday - Thursday]

This week, our 4 part documentary is entitled The Great Bleep Forward presented by Andrew Collins which explores in a refreshing way the history of electronic music. It features interviews with some of the key players in its development including Radiohead's Johnny Greenwood and Kraftwerk's Ralf Hutter.

The series includes a look at the first electronic instruments including the Hammond Organ and the Theremin, a foray into how a generation of synth bands took over the world and a sense of the sound of the future.

# posted by DJ Martian 4:12 PM

This week's Stuart Maconie's Critical List show on Radio 2 selects BEFORE AND AFTER SCIENCE by BRIAN ENO as Featured Album of the week.

# posted by DJ Martian 3:43 PM

Xpander report Justin Berkovi will release a new album: Passion on September 6th.

# posted by DJ Martian 3:15 PM

Playlouder review The Futureheads - The Futureheads

The Futureheads debut album is only 33 minutes long, and consists of short, sharp and spikey infectious music ala early Wire/ XTC.

# posted by DJ Martian 2:51 PM

Billboard report on the new Phil Manzanera album: Four-Fifths Of Roxy Music Reunite

# posted by DJ Martian 2:15 PM

Way Out West - Don't Look Now

Progressive Sounds spotlight the forthcoming Way Out West album: Way Out West - Don't Look Now - due for release August 30th.

# posted by DJ Martian 1:56 PM

Lemon Jelly - 64-95

Pause & Play's On The CD Front list a release date for the third Lemon Jelly album: 64-95 as October 5th [i.e Oct 4th for the UK]

# posted by DJ Martian 1:50 PM

The Mars Volta

According to info @ Pause & Play On The CD Front

The Mars Volta - are due to release an album on October 26th.

Will this be a second studio album, or a stop gap compilation album of ep tracks/bsides and/ or live material?

# posted by DJ Martian 1:45 PM

Forthcoming Singles

Musicmen.co.uk have a comprehensive listing of upcoming singles to be released in the UK upto September 6th.

# posted by DJ Martian 1:34 PM

Side-Line / Issue 48

A new issue of Side-Line magazine is now available:

Side-Line #48 released in july 2004 has FIXMER/McCARTHY on cover and furthermore feature other interviews with EINSTÜRZENDE NEUBAUTEN, SKINNY PUPPY, DE/VISION, AIBOFORCEN, Jean-François SOYEZ, PORTION CONTROL, INSEKT, MONOFADER, PANDIQUE, PANZER AG, POW(D)ER PUSSY, RUN LEVEL ZERO, FREEZEPOP, ANY QUESTIONS?, THE MIRROR REVEALS, CESIUM:137, C-DRONE-DEFECT, THE RETROSIC, MIND IN A BOX, INERTIA, OTX, BLIND, FAITH & ENVY, WAITING FOR WORDS, SWARF, THEE HYPHEN, FINAL SELECTION, GENETIC VARIATION, DISPLACER, THE PAIN MACHINERY, VIRTUAL_EMBRACE, STOCHASTIC THEORY, LOWE, PROVISION and tons of reviews & news.

# posted by DJ Martian 12:54 PM

Cabaret Voltaire Fans Vote for best Cabs Album

A recent poll of Cabaret Voltaire fans on a Yahoo discussion group - who voted for the their favourite Cabaret Voltaire albums, the results as follows:

1. The Crackdown - 91 points
2. The Covenant, the Sword and the Arm of the Lord - 78 points
3. Micro-phonies - 71 points
4. Code - 46 points
5. Red Mecca - 44 points
6. Drinking Gasoline - 43 points
7. Plasticity - 36 points
8. 2X45 - 35 points
9. International Language - 31 points
10.Eight Crepuscule Tracks - 30 points
11.Groovy, Laidback and Nasty - 27 points
12.The Voice of America - 25 points
13.The Conversation - 20 points
14.Mix-Up - 16 points
15.Drain Train/Pressure Company - 14 points
16.Body and Soul - 11 points
17.Original Sound of Sheffield 83/87 - 10 points
18.Listen Up with CV - 8 points
19.Hai - 5 points
>20.Methodology - 4 points
>20.Live at the Hacienda - 4 points
>22.Colours - 3 points
>22.Living Legends - 3 points
>22.Technology: Western Reworks - 3 points
>25.Original Sound of Sheffield 78/82 - 1 point
>25.1974-1976 - 1 point

# posted by DJ Martian 12:34 PM

milkfactory.co.uk interview WIBUTEE

"Led by Norwegian saxophonist Håkon Kornstad, one of the most talented musicians of his generation, Wibutee have been, since Newborn Things, their first album released in 1999, merged jazz and electronica to create something totally unique. As they are about to unveil their third and most accomplished album, Playmachine, we caught up with the four members as they were touring Canada to talk about the evolution of jazz in recent years, the fierce independence of the Norwegian scene, the impact of technology on their work, and how their respective side projects all fuel Wibutee with energy and new ideas."

# posted by DJ Martian 12:27 PM

milkfactory.co.uk Interview RJD2

With its seamless syntheses of vintage sounds, RJD2’s 2002 debut Deadringer heralded the arrival of a singular hip-hop talent and upped the ante for all would-be beatmakers. Using hip-hop as an approach rather than a stylistic constraint, the Ohio producer crafted wonderfully organic and impeccably arranged aural collages which often replicated the sound of a real band. Two years, and a hundred freelance productions later, RJ is back with an even more ambitious album, the near indefinable, genre-hopping frenzy that is Since We Last Spoke. We caught a few precious minutes with the tireless sonic explorer, who obliged us with a little insight into his ideas, his methods and his hatred of the Internet.

# posted by DJ Martian 12:22 PM

themilkfactory.co.uk - July 2004 /Issue 58

themilkfactory.co.uk deliver another fine selection of reviews. [The summaries below are from themilkfactory.co.uk e-mail/website, to see the full reviews go to the link above]

ALBUM OF THE MONTH
Pan Sonic - Kesto (234:48:4)
Three years after their last album, Finn duo Pan Sonic return with a monumental piece of work spread well over four hours. Their most consistent and fascinating piece of work, Kesto is Pan Sonic’s masterpiece.

REVIEWS
A Hawk & A Hacksaw - A Hawk & A Hacksaw
This first album from A Hawk & A Hacksaw sees main man Jeremy Barnes builds a bridge between the musical legacy of rural France and the influence of the New World.

Baby Ford - Basking In The Brakelights
Six years after is last solo album and two years after his project with the Ifach Collective, acid house legend Baby Ford returns with a new collection of beautiful minimal techno.

Boom Bip - Corymb
More than a gap-filler between Boom Bip’s first and second album proper, Corymb collects remixes, Peel Session recordings and a handful of new tracks to explore and redefine Bip’s sonic scope.

Gravenhurst - Flashlight Seasons
New signing for Warp, Gravenhurst is the solo project of Bristol-based Nick Talbot. Recorded in his bedroom, Flashligh Seasons is a superb exercise in lo-fi guitar pop.

David Grubbs - A Guess At The Riddle
Gastr Del Sol founder David Grubbs returns with a new solo album, his eleventh in seven years, of oblique indie-pop.

Murcof - Utopía
Following his superb debut album as Murcof, Fernando Corona returns with this collection of remixes, provided by the likes of Jan Jelinek, Deathprod, Sutekh, Icarus or Colleen, and recent tracks and builds expections for his second proper album.

Orbital - Blue Album
This is the end of the road kids. After fifteen years and seven albums, brothers Paul and Phil Hartnoll have decided to turn the Orbital switch off for good, returning to the source of their sound one last time and scanning their entire work in the process.

Laurent Pernice & Jacques Barberi - Drosophiles & Doryphores
French experimental musician Laurent Pernice teams up with writer/saxophonist Jacques Barberi to create an interesting electronic/jazz hybrid

Slowblow - Slowblow
Slowblow is an Icelandic duo and this self-titled album is their third in ten years. Acoustic and austere, the pair create here an engaging piece of work.

Wagon Christ - Sorry I Make You Lush
The last year has been Luke Vibert’s most prolific period of his career, and he now finally unleashes the latest in his Wagon Christ adventures.

Wibutee - Playmachine
Returning two years after the superb Eight Domestic Challenges, the Norwegian jazz quartet present another collection of avant-garde jazz in which they incorporate elements of electronica.

# posted by DJ Martian 12:15 PM

Friday, July 02, 2004

Eternal Fusion on Spydaradio

The latest Eternal Fusion show is now available to listen to @ Spydaradio

Current Show: Friday 2nd July 2004

Playlist @ Eternal Fusion

Daevid Allen - 'Introdrone'
Flaming Fire - 'There Is A Sky'
OOIOO - 'I'm A Song'
Tuxedomoon - 'Misty Blue'
Sonic Youth - 'I Love You Golden Blue'
Blue States - 'Leaning In'
Legendary Pink Dots - 'The Region Beyond'
Glide - 'Spirit'
Color Filter - 'Going Out Of My Head'
Amon Düül II - 'Cerberus'
Stereolab - 'Retrograde Mirror Form'
Nick Drake - 'Made To Love Magic'
Ghost - 'Piper'
A Hawk And A Hacksaw - 'To Pine In Time'
David Grubbs - 'Wave Generators'
The Album Leaf - 'On Your Way'
Pan American - 'Inside Elevation'
Labradford - 'Sliding Glass'
Blockhead - 'Bullfight In Ireland'
Headset - 'Jaw Modulation'
Hood - '...The Cliff Edge Of Workaday Morality'
The Remote Viewer - 'It Occured To Me Then Went Away'
Throbbing Gristle - 'Hamburger Lady'
Hovercraft - Wire Trace'
This Heat - 'The Fall Of Saigon'
Laika - 'Honey In Heat'
Silver Apples - 'Cannonball Noodle'
Black Dice - 'Live Loop'

Next Scheduled Show: TBA

# posted by DJ Martian 7:53 PM

This week's Jazz on 3 show on Radio 3 features an exclusive recording by Chicago Underground Trio

# posted by DJ Martian 7:30 PM

Mixing It - 2 July 2004

This week's Mixing It show on Radio 3 is an all CD edition.

# posted by DJ Martian 7:27 PM

BBC Collective review Quantic - Mishaps Happpening

# posted by DJ Martian 5:20 PM

indieworkshop.com interview Neurosis

# posted by DJ Martian 5:16 PM

filter magazine report Tom Waits to Release New Album This Fall

Tom Waits - Real Gone, has a scheduled October 5th release date on Epitaph's Anti-Records.

# posted by DJ Martian 4:13 PM

Next week's new releases are reviewed @ Norman Records

# posted by DJ Martian 1:51 PM

BBC Manchester have an Interview with Alison Goldfrapp

# posted by DJ Martian 1:15 PM

Robert Smith - Xfm Interview

For a limited time you can listen to Robert Smith discuss each track on the new Cure album @ the Xfm website: Robert Smith on 'The Cure'

It's been called their best record since the classic 'Disintegration', hear Robert Smith talk John Kennedy through The Cure's twelfth studio album, 'The Cure'.

# posted by DJ Martian 12:58 PM

This week's Dusted Features spotlights the listening interests of Schneider TM

Former rhythm-section member for several German indie rock bands Schneider TM (a.k.a. Dirk Dresselhaus) stepped up with his first full-length solo recording with 1998's Moist (City Slang). However it was his second album, 2002's Zoomer, and the 130+ shows that he played in support of it, that really helped put him on the map. His blend of sensitive pop and complex electronics takes inspiration from all ends of the musical spectrum. His newest album, Reconfigures (Ear Sugar) finds Dresselhaus reworking songs from such unlikely candidates as Lambchop, pulseprogramming, the Faint, Boss Hog, and many others.

# posted by DJ Martian 12:42 PM

6 Music has revamped it's Dream Ticket show - as of next week: Jane Gazzo's Dream Ticket

This week, Jane Gazzo takes over the Dream Ticket as it becomes live and interactive! There are still the glories of the BBC Archive but we'll also showcase the best new music.

# posted by DJ Martian 11:59 AM

This week's 6 Music - The Great Debate asks: Why are The Cure suddenly so fashionable?

# posted by DJ Martian 11:54 AM

Almost Cool review Biosphere - Autour De La Lune

# posted by DJ Martian 11:44 AM

Almost Cool review Animal Collective - Sung Tongs

# posted by DJ Martian 11:44 AM

Almost Cool review Bark Psychosis - Codename: Dustsucker

# posted by DJ Martian 11:43 AM

ILM: Closing Down for 2 Weeks

ILM & related ILXOR hosted boards are closing down for maintenance for 2 weeks, a temp forum can be found here: i love music

# posted by DJ Martian 11:40 AM

Pitchfork review Max Richter - The Blue Notebooks

Recently released on UK powerhouse Fat Cat Records (Animal Collective, Black Dice, Múm), Max Richter's The Blue Notebooks may seem conceptually precious: German-born composer mixes contemporary classical compositions with electronic elements in a dreamscapy journalogue featuring excerpts from Kafka's The Blue Octavo Notebooks. But in practice, its hypermelodic Sigur Rós-ian string sections, crystalized harpsichords, stately organs, and subterranean basslines shrug off all contrivances, revealing a nobly traditional beauty.

# posted by DJ Martian 11:29 AM

The Guardian review The Open - The Silent Hours

# posted by DJ Martian 11:24 AM

The Guardian give a 5 star review for: Secret Machines - Now Here is Nowhere

# posted by DJ Martian 11:20 AM

Thursday, July 01, 2004

The Independent interview Phil Manzanera

Phil Manzanera: Dance away the heartache
The death of a friend has driven Phil Manzanera to make his best solo album. Andy Gill talks to the Roxy Music guitarist

Phil Manzanera '6PM' is out on 19 July on Hannibal

# posted by DJ Martian 11:01 PM

Uncut Magazine

A new issue of Uncut magazine is on sale today, Robert Smith is on the front cover - inside there is an extensive interview/ feature looking back on 25 years of The Cure.

There is also a free CD, themed on Americana - from the tracklising most of it looks to be boring Alt.Country/ Trad Americana rock types - however there is an Explosions in the Sky track.

» Uncut and details of Uncut - This Month

# posted by DJ Martian 1:56 PM

Marcello has started a new music blog @ Koons Really Does Think He's Michelangelo

Like Dr Who, Marcello has regenerated again - having previously been: The Naked Maja and The Church of Me

# posted by DJ Martian 1:52 PM

The latest releases are reviewed at NYC's Other Music: The Other Music Update

NEW RELEASES
Galaxie 500 (DVD)
Jazzanova
The Bees
Boom Bip
Thievery Corporation (mix CD)
Donna Mcghee (reissue)

DJ Spinna & Bobbito (Wonder of Stevie 2)
Stavely Makepeace (reissue)
The Concretes
The Kinks (reissue)
Slicker
Tony Aiken (reissue)

# posted by DJ Martian 1:45 PM