Bon Iver - Wolves (Act I & II)

Bon Iver - Wolves (Act I & II)

Bon Iver Tuesday Blues Tune Doctor TuneDoctor

TUESDAY BLUES

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

Bon Iver - Wolves (Act I & II) (2008)
It is a day for sad songs.  I was just catching up on "music news" and read that Justin Vernon's Bon Iver will be "winding it down" for an extended break.  Whether that is a real breakup or a maybe-we'll-have-a-kiss-around-the-sheds-every-now-and-again ---- it is a sad day for fans of the winter loving maestro.  Just in case you've forgot of his genius, give this a spin and you'll be out in the garden building a camp fire sooner than you can say Ray Mears.

sfw Pada 22:00 1 Komentar

TRACKS OF THE WEEK - 01/09/13 - Emiliana Torrini, Dreadzone, Belle and Sebastian, Volcano Choir

TRACKS OF THE WEEK - 01/09/13 - Emiliana Torrini, Dreadzone, Belle and Sebastian, Volcano Choir

Belle and Sebastian Bon Iver Dreadzone Emiliana Torrini Mick Jones Tracks of the Week Volcano Choir

Four tracks that got us twerking this week

Old Pa's Corner :-
Dreadzone Ft Mick Jones - Too Late (2013)

I have followed Dreadzone ever since I heard the track 'Life, Love and Unity' from their album, Second Light (1995) and if you haven't heard that track, do it, it's a must hear!

This track, 'Too Late', I am glad to say, features none other than Mick Jones Ex The Clash and you can see him in all his glory in the video. It is a nice little sampler from their new album Escapades (2013) which is due to be released in a weeks time. Great to see them still rocking.

London Scouser:-

Belle And Sebastian - 'Your Covers Blown' (Miaoux Miaoux Remix) (2013)

At the time of writing I'm a very happy bunny, not just cos I'm on holiday in Montego Bay, Jamaica but cos I've been listening to a new Belle And Sebastian album (The Third Eye Centre). It's a collection of 19 rare tracks and b-sides, most of which I've heard and have somewhere but it's great to have them all together. The original version of this was on the CD single of 'Books' released in 2004 and it was probably my favourite song of that year. It seems to be a few different songs all put together to make for me a perfect pop song. When Shellhunter and I first saw them live in Hammersmith in 2006, this was my highlight. They've been busy touring the US & Canada and doing a bunch of European festivals this summer, hopefully they will do some gigs in the UK soon. If so, I'll be there with Belle's on.

SFW:-

Volcano Choir - Comrade (2013)

The collaboration of Collections Of Colonies Of Bees and Bon Iver are back experimenting with their second album, Repave and this is the second single. It has all the hallmarks of Bon Iver, yet slightly more experimental. I believe Justin Vernon is a genius. If you told me 10 years ago that one of my favourite artists would use tribal drums, Gregorian chanting and auto tune when creating his masterpieces, I'd tell you to go back to the madhouse.

Flycasual:-

Emiliana Torrini - 'Speed of Dark' (2013)

The humdrum of work is made a lot easier when I manage to hijack the office radio to BBC6 Music. So with one ear on Lauren Laverne's show last week, I hear this song come on and it's one of those that instantly grabs my attention, getting me up like a flustered meerkat who has heard a rather unusual noise. I'm seduced by the vocal hook and the sultry tone of Emiliana Torrini, reminding me a bit of Roisin Murphy and Little Dragon, two of my favourite female artists. 'Speed of Dark' is taken from the Icelandic songstress' fourth album, Tookah, out on Sept 9th.

Speed to her website now!

Subscribe to our 2013 Tracks of the Week Spotify Playlist

sfw Pada 07:34 5 Komentar

TRACKS OF THE WEEK - 11/03/2012 - The Chieftains Ft Bon Iver, Lost Prophets, Blood Red Shoes, Grimes

TRACKS OF THE WEEK - 11/03/2012 - The Chieftains Ft Bon Iver, Lost Prophets, Blood Red Shoes, Grimes

Blood Red Shoes Bon Iver Grimes Lost Prophets The Chieftains Tracks of the Week

FOUR TRACKS THAT PEE PEE'D OUR PO PO'S

Flycasual:-
Grimes - Genesis (2012)

This is a fabulous piece of dreamy electronic psychedelica. I heard this cute song on BBC6 radio a few times and it definitely got my attention, though Canadian Claire Boucher, aka Grimes may have something to say about her song being referred to as cute (you think cute you think of disgusting viral emails of cats in suits and sunglasses so she has every right to be upset). But it's the first word I thought of when I heard it cute, with an edge though, maybe it's the catchy piano melody or her amazing voice, very unusual and compelling. 

Genesis is taken from her forthcoming album, Visions which is out on March 12th. It's her fourth EP/LP release in two years and I have to say I'm really looking forward to hearing it. Big ting gwan for Grimes I think.

Check out her cute blog here and her official website here where you can catch her new video 'Oblivion', It's well worth your time.


SFW:-
Lostprophets - 'Bring 'em down' (2012)

Pontypridd's finest have just released a video for their first single off their upcoming album "Weapons".  The video reminds me of a typical saturday night out down Taff Street, minus the chips & curry sauce! Tidy mun!

Old Pa's Corner :-
The Chieftains Ft Bon Iver - 'Down in the Willow Garden'

I have always loved the Chieftains they have such a unique sound maybe it is the harp and the whistle (good name for an Irish Pub) that does it, but it is a fabulous traditional sound. This is taken from their new album 'Voice of Ages' released in April. They have several albums out where they have guests, I have them all and they are superb. Here they include a few alt country artist amongst their other guests. See the outstanding list below. They even throw in a cover of Dylan's 'The time they are a changin' with the Decemberists.' Down in the Willow Garden'  is tailor made for Bon Iver and the boys. I will tell you this for nothing, this album has been given top priority by Old Pa.

Shell Hunter:-

Blood Red Shoes - 'Cold' (2012)

I'd heard some of Blood Red Shoes' stuff before but nothing really excited me. The 'power drumming' intro on this track though is so refreshing! There's seems to be so many of of these girl/boy twosome and threesome stripped back groups at the moment (see Band Of Skulls here, She Keeps Bees here, The Civil Wars here) but it is a winning combination to me. I've included 'Cold' recorded from their BBC1 live session and check the drummer's bare chest in 80's power drumming style! Their new album 'In Time To Voices' is out on 26th March. Everytime I hear Blood Red Shoes though it makes me think of The Wizard of Oz for obvious reasons. However there is a twist, I think of Dorothy because of two pub quizes I visited recently. One question was "What Is Dorothy's surname?" Not only did we get it wrong the first time but in the second quiz, we still got it wrong as we'd forgotten the answer! Very annoying! Oh it's Gayle by the way...

Hello chooms, why not take a sneaky peaky at our other tracks of the week!!?

sfw Pada 05:46 3 Komentar

TUESDAY BLUES! Bon Iver - Blood Bank

TUESDAY BLUES! Bon Iver - Blood Bank

Bon Iver Tuesday Blues

Bon Iver - Blood Bank (2009)
I've been listening to this a lot on my long drive to work and this video seems to capture that journey perfectly.  So it is apt that last week, I caught the 'entertainment' news on the radio and was pleasantly surprised to find out that Bon Iver had won two Grammys.

I always have a wry smile when 'alternative' crosses over to the mainstream as I take a little pleasure in knowing I discovered them before they made it big. It must have been great for Justin Vernon (aka Bon Iver), when he won Best Alternative Album, but surely he would have been a little bit embarrassed when he won Best New Artist? (The criteria for best new artist must mean you can get nominated, as long as you've never been nominated before!)

"I didn't realise this was a black tie event...anyway this is my best suit!"

Any new 'fans' must check out his amazing debut (2008's) For Emma, Forever Ago and 2009's Blood Bank EP.  This track features on that EP and was originally due to feature on his debut but was dropped due to it "not feeling right"....though it sounds perfectly all right to me!

Was that a bit to happy for you? try some more Tuesday Blues here

sfw Pada 22:00 5 Komentar

GUEST SPOT'S Best Of 2011 part 3

GUEST SPOT'S Best Of 2011 part 3

Adele Arctic Monkeys Best of 2011 Bon Iver Christina Perri Foo Fighters Gavin Guest Spot Hurts Jon Linkin Park Maroon 5 Miles Kane OK Go Peter Gabriel Russ SBTRKT Sophie

We did not want this site to be all about us, we wanted people to contribute their musical experiences, favourite tunes, musical memories, legendary gigs etc and as a result we have compiled a number of excellent posts which have enhanced our site and our music collection. It's with great thanks to you guys for putting in the time and effort to write and share these experiences with us. Thanks again for contributing for the best of 2011 post too. Remember, feel free to submit any contributions at any time, they are always welcome and we enjoy them greatly.

Jon:-
Husband, father and part time Jedi trainer to his two daughters, Jon has contributed and eclectic mix of guest spots which you can check out here.... (Dub War, Steve Earle and Kings of Convenience)
Bon Iver - 'Holocene'
I originally dismissed Justin Vernon prematurely before I'd really given him much of a listen. However, Peter Gabriel's "Scratch My Back Album" - covers of a pretty eclectic mix of songs with an amazing orchestral arrangement and exposed vocals introduced me to his track "Flume". I immediately sought out the original from the "For Emma, Forever Ago" album and loved it. "Holocene" off the current album the self titled "Bon Iver" has been a regular on my playlist. It's just a beautiful track and you can completely immerse yourself in the vocals.

Peter Gabriel - 'Wallflower'
Continuing the Peter Gabriel vibe (as I very often do), Kate,my brother Aidan and I saw him touring the "Scratch My Back" album at the O2 in 2010. In the second part of the show he played some of his own tracks - not all of them obvious choices for an orchestral re-imagining but pretty much all of them worked really well. I was particularly pleased to hear a number of tracks off his 1982 release "Peter Gabriel 4" / "Security" which is probably my all time favourite album of his. These tracks have been released in 2011 as a live DVD/Bluray and album, titled "New Blood". "Wallflower",  about the mistreatment of political prisoners is one of the stand out tracks on the new album, possibly even more powerful with the orchestral backing than the original.

OK Go - 'All Is Not Lost' 
Not an obvious choice I admit, but OK Go really do it for me. Their ever-inventive videos (from the now legendary and much imitated treadmill video for "Here It Goes Again" to the "Incredible Machine" style video for "This Too Shall Pass") combined with catchy indie-pop/rock songs are a joy to watch. Even my 2 daughters (aged 6 and 4) now get excited when I tell them there's a new OK Go video, although that could be down to the cultural brainwashing programme. They both have their favourites - Eva's is "White Knuckles" (with the dogs) and Meg's is the ghillie-suited marching band version of the video for "This Too Shall Pass". Seek them out on YouTube - you will not be disappointed. This track, "All Is Not Lost" is best viewed in the Google Chrome browser as it takes advantage of some nifty Chrome features during the song to great effect, click here to see!!

Sophie:-
Er' indoors has supported and put up with me and this blog so a big thank you goes to her. She always has an ear for a tune and the ability to surprise a few gems of her own over the years...Check out her guest spots here...(Roddy Frame and Degrees in Motion)
SBTRKT - 'Pharaohs' Feat Roses Gabor
Given that 2011 was the worst Summer in ages, this song transported me to sunnier climes and to younger, funkier times.

Adele - 'Someone Like You'
Adele’s performance of this song at The Brits is all you need to know – incredible!

Maroon 5 - 'Moves Like Jagger'
I have detested every Maroon 5 song before this but I just couldn’t help myself this time! Maybe it’s the fact that Christina has a hand in it or just that it makes you want to dance – either way, a great pop song.

Russ:-
He has kept the peace in the Falklands (Verve guest spot) and comes out with the 'Best Northern Slang' but he also has 3 belters for you to enjoy!
Foo Fighters - 'Rope'
At last back to the food I love!!

Arctic Monkeys- 'Don't Sit Down'
Always heed the warnings, it's dangerous!!

Miles Kane - Come Closer
Opened my eyes to a newer artist style and I like it!

Gavin:-
Biltong Man is quite partial to a bit of Swiss cheese as his guest spot revealed (Yello) but put these choices on yo' crackers!!
Hurts – 'Sunday'
Brilliant and can’t believe they are not bigger than they are. Apart from Man Utd these guys are the best thing out of Manchester in recent years.

Christina Perri – 'Arms'
New sound, new voice and full of tattoos, a voice that can make you feel all sorts of emotions in one album. It's in my car CD at the mo.

Linkin Park – 'Iridesent'
Picked up a ticket off eBay for this concert for £18.90 a couple of days before the show. Sat in the front of the O2 and heard this song for the first time then … blew me away hearing it live.

sfw Pada 05:34 5 Komentar

SFW's Best of 2011

SFW's Best of 2011

Best of 2011 Bon Iver Chad VanGaalen Jools Holland Lana Del Rey Other Lives Ryan Adams

When Flycasual & I first started this blog back in March it was to recreate the 'listening' sessions of our past - we'd have a few beers and play a sort of Musical roulette, one of us would play 3 tracks, then another 3, then another 3, whilst catching up, we'd often find ourselves stopping the conversation and asking "What is this great track?", as you can imagine those boozing sessions would often go on far too long and the musical discoveries would often get lost within the hangovers.

"...a typical Tune Doctor listening session..."

Tune Doctor gave us an outlet to continue this  tradition - but allowed us to share & remember it!

However, when Old Pa & Shell Hunter joined, it didn't just continue the memory, it enhanced it - it gave us a wider range of musical discoveries, some would appeal, some wouldn't, but importantly, it wasn't the score, it was the taking part.

Our Guest spot has become the icing on the cake. When someone says "...you have to listen to this track, because....", I'll listen to it over and over and see if I can get a glimmer of why that song has tattooed itself onto that individual or it could be just how a particular song reminds us of someone, a situation, or a place...we all have them, let us know!

Finally this a thank you to Flycasual, Old Pa, Shell Hunter, our Guest Spot writers & finally the many people who have read or commented on the blog.....as the internet can be a lonely place!

Bon Iver - Holocene
"...Pure Sonic Medicine, Prozac for your ears...beautiful!"

Ryan Adams - Invisible Riverside
"..Ryan's back and better than ever with the album "Ashes & Fire" - up there with Heartbreaker!"

Lana Del Ray - Video Games
"...Internet sensation? Pouting Songstress takes over the world!..."

Chad VanGaalan - Peace on the Rise
"2011 has been full of Musical discoveries - Musician/Artist Chad VanGaalan was up there!"

Other Lives - For 12
"This struck me like an Arrow to the head, with it's sweeping strings, Americana has never sounded so good!"

sfw Pada 01:00 7 Komentar

TRACKS OF THE WEEK - 11/09/11

TRACKS OF THE WEEK - 11/09/11

Blood Orange Bon Iver James Blake Ry Cooder Tracks of the Week

Three saucy tracks for you to dip your chips in this week! Do you have any we should know about? Let us know...

Flycasual:-

Blood Orange - 'Sutphin Boulevard' (2011)

Sunday morning, nothing better than a bit of Blood Orange to get your tastebuds going. This is a real grower, the vocals, beat and bassline all compliment each other well and the more I listen to it the more I like it. Shades of Massive Attack maybe? Sutphin Boulevard is in Queens, NYC, not sure what it is about but from the video, I think I have a fair idea that it's maybe a saucy type rendezvous, as Mr Orange plays in front of drag queens. Sounds right up my alley! This is the latest project of Dev Hynes, ex Lightspeed Champion and now Blood Orange and it is the 1st single of the Coastal Grooves album. Which, according to him, is cross between Chris Isaacs and Billy Idol doing stripped down 80's influenced electronica. Interesting indeed, enough to don a frock and go down Sutphin Blvrd, whos' coming?

Phwoar!

Sfw:-
Bon Iver & James Blake - Fall Creek Boys Choir (2011)

I'm a huge fan of Bon Iver - but I still don't get James Blake (probably lots of people out there the other way round), but they've now combined their 'superpowers' and like ying & yang, it might balance out. Do you love it? I don't know..... it could be like surfing, you may stand up straight away and love it, it might take you a few times and you're in, or maybe just get fed up of being pummelled by the white water and wish you never bothered! hmmm...

"Surfs up...dude"

Old Pa's Corner:-
Ry Cooder - Humpty Dumpty World (2011)

A new Album by Ry Cooder is always a welcomed thing 'Pull up some dust and sit down' is Cooder back to his very very best. This album sees a return to the funky area of "Bop til you drop" with an excellent gospel base, a nice Mexican tinge and a nod to the folk protest of Woody himself. I have chosen the track 'Humpty Dumpty World' with its nice reggae feel, it is the first one to instantly 'hit' but there are plenty other gems waiting for your edification. If you are not familiar with Ry also check out 'Bob till you Drop' it is probably his most accessible.

Ry before the fall

                                               

sfw Pada 01:47 1 Komentar

TUESDAY BLUES! Bon Iver - Holocene

TUESDAY BLUES! Bon Iver - Holocene

Bon Iver Tuesday Blues

Bon Iver - Holocene (2011)
This is Bon Iver's new single and is the stand out track from the 2nd Album. I became a huge fan after hearing "Skinny Love" a few years and whether you like men singing falsetto or not, you can't deny the "sonic soundscape" that he creates. I usually like things to sound clear and crisp, but when I heard "for emma for ever ago" it changed everything - The singing-in-a-box reverb, acoustic guitars ringing and audio quality that was so bad, its good. Whereas the second album is more polished - I absolutely adore this song, especially the part where the shakers kick in, the double drummers playing soldier beats and the fella on the trombone/percussion adding more layers and flavours than an "all you can eat pizza".  Listen to it on headphones, I'm sure there's pepperoni in there!

Holocene

More Tuesday Blues

sfw Pada 22:00 10 Komentar

TRACKS OF THE WEEK - 03/07/11

TRACKS OF THE WEEK - 03/07/11

Bon Iver Lana Del Rey The Horrors Tracks of the Week

These are our tracks of the week. Do you have any? Let us know!

Flycasual
The Horrors - 'Still Life' (2011)

I imagine this from a cut scene in an 80's film where a lovelorn protagonist, white jacket (sleeves rolled up) and Wayfarers on, is driving dazed through the city. Hmmm anyway that was probably me fantasing on the way back from Camberley with the weekly shopping . There's an abundance of bands recreating 80's style Synth-Pop but I took an instant liking to this track, perhaps it has that right mix of all those 80's bands at the darker end of the spectrum. A slow stomping beat culminating to an anthemic ending..huge!

Definately in the mix in this song:-
Jesus and Mary Chain, Gary Numan, Joy Division

SFW

Lana Del Rey - 'VideoGames' (2011)

My wife put me onto this (she heard it on Fearne Cottons show) and although the song as nice as a chilled glass of Chardonnay it needs a few listens - fortunately the video is worth a watch and it could easily be targeted at the male audience - it features pouting, video games & skateboarding. Which are 3 things that I enjoy.....enough said! 

Old Pa

Bon Iver - 'Calgary' (2011)

This is taken from the new self titled Album 'Bon Iver'. Two eagerly anticipated albums this year was this one and the new one by the Fleet Foxes. Both were hard acts to follow. There does not apear to be the standout Tracks that were prominent in their last outings. Saying that, I have heard enough from both, that, with a little bit of 'work' (I mean work with pleasure) the rewards will be forth coming. The Calgary track hit me right away  and gets better with each hearing.

More Track Of The Weeks

sfw Pada 00:43 5 Komentar