Birdmen, Tomatoes, Drums, Brass and Serpents

A new mix for your delight - more or less a distillation of what I played last time I DJ'd.
I'll bung up a playlist later if anyone wants it.

Birdmen, tomatoes, brass, drums and serpents.mp3

end of year stuff ...

... well I'm not going to contribute to the ubiquitous end of year lists, partly because they are ubiquitous but mostly because I can't be arsed.
And I actually don't really believe that you care what I think.
I can't resist reading them though. Mainly so I can shout "you must be joking - there is NO WAY that is the best album this year!", or "why the fuck haven't they included ...".
It's also a way for me to catch up on stuff I've missed. Although at least half of it I realise that the reason I've missed it is that it's just not very good.

Talking of catching up on stuff, for some reason I missed Marianne Faithfull's Easy Come Easy Go album last year. The stand out track on that is a duet with Nick Cave of a Decemberist's song - you can't go wrong with a combination like that can you?
Here's a recording of her doing it live (sadly with out Cave buts it's a great performance) -



Some good tracks I've missed this year and discovered on end of year lists include Hard Times by Patrick Wolf -

Patrick Wolf - Hard Times

Animal by Miike Snow (there's a nice dubby remix by Mark Ronson too) -

Miike Snow - Animal (Mark Ronson remix)

... and Day Light by Matt & Kim -

Matt & Kim - Daylight.mp3

Along with loads of list compilers Animal Collective's Merriweather Post Pavilion is one of the year's high lights - the new EP "Fall Be Kind" sounds pretty good too -

01 What Would I Want Sky - BBC session.mp3

Same goes for Fuck Button's Tarot Sport -


I'm surprised Mumford and Sons aren't in more lists - I love their album -


I'm equally surprised that the Bat For Lashes album features high up in a load of run-downs. It just didn't do it for me - but I'm going to give it another go to see if they're right and I'm wrong.

Another oft' listed album that I was also disappointed in was Bill Callahan's "Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle" - and I love Bill like a brother - but the production on this album, the drum sound in particular, I find really distracting.

Cue more surprise that We Gave It All Away... And Now We Are Taking It Back by Mungolian Jetset didn't appear outside dance oriented lists - it deserves a wider listening -


All that and I haven't mentioned Grizzly Bear or Fever Ray yet ...

... and a tip for 2010 - banjos are the new ukuleles ...

McDonald & Giles

I noticed Robots In Heat had included "Flight of the Ibis" by McDonald & Giles in one of their podcasts.

It reminded me how much I used to listen to and love the McDonald & Giles album back in my teens. It's one of a few albums from that era that I still have in my possession so I dug it out. I know that there's a real danger digging out old stuff and that, once you've got over the nostalgia and remembered you were probably stoned last time you listened to it, it turns out to be a bit rubbish. Specially true of prog-rock. Surpisingly this has stood the test of time really well. The drumming is out standing throughout, there's little in the way of prog self indulgence. Pete Sinfield's lyrics do get slightly hippy at times although at their best they are reminiscent of Ray Davis or Pink Floyd era Syd Barret. It's quite funky in places and I reckon Tomorrow People would make a good edit - if only I could get my head round how to do that stuff.
The Birdman Suite (taking up all of side 2 on the vinyl) is the real stand out for me - the Birdman Flies builds beautifully and still has the wow effect I remember from my youth.

Am I just a sad old hippy or am I right that this is an over looked minor masterpiece?

You can judge for yourself from this Youtube upload



Or you can come and hear me DJ at Nelson's Wine Bar in Hebden Bridge on Christmas Eve where I plan to open my set with The Birdman Flies!

Record player ....

An old Bush valve record player from the late 50s or early 60s.

A couple of additions if you look closely.

.. open it up ...

Fuck Buttons

Tarot Sport

The new album from Fuck Buttons had me dancing round the office this morning like a demented uncle at a wedding disco.

Having seen Fuck Buttons a couple of times performing stuff from their Street Horrrsing album and been completely captured by their "machine noise with a human edge", I've been looking forward to hearing this new album. I wasn't disappointed.
The Andy Weatherall production doesn't seem to have changed their sound too much - and I much preferred the original of the Street Horrrsing single "Sweet love for planet earth" to his remix anyway.

There are real tunes here and there and, unless I'm mistaken, the track Olympians is a re-working/tribute the Vangelis music for Chariots of Fire! But don't let that put you off - Fuck Buttons always have a load more grit than Vangelis's plinky plonky synth anthems.

You can get a taste for the album from this 7" edit of Surf Solar.

Fuck Buttons - Surf Solar (7_ Edit).mp3

Go and buy the album

Bally Ear Ache

Here's a "mix tape" I've done - 'cept it's obviously not a tape it's a mp3 ...
It was recorded "live" from Traktor (1st time I've done that) - the only audience I had was a fat black cat and he didn't seem too impressed ... see what you think.

Bally Ear Ache.mp3

here's a track listing -

1 Velvet Belly - This Mortal Coil
2 I Need A Life (Four Tet Remix) - Born Ruffians
3 Solsbury Hill - Kyte
4 Cello Song - The Books
5 Alone Again Or - Love
6 Brother Sport - Animal Collective
7 Take a Heart - The Sorrows
8 I Just Can't Take It Anymore - The Lemonheads
9 Roll Bus Roll - Jeffrey Lewis & The Junkyard
10 Spinning Away - Brian Eno & John Cale
11 This - Brian Eno
12 Vitamin C - Can
13 Bell Bottom Trousers - Jack Hylton & His Orchestra
14 Bad Bernie - Load
15 She Don't Use Jelly (Lounge-A-Palooza) - Ben Folds Five
16 Don't You Worry 'Bout A Thing - Stevie Wonder
17 Moon Song (The Gospel According To Mung 2012 Live At The Hacienda Version) - They Came From The Stars (I Saw Them)

Roast Chicken Risotto

This is based on a Nigel Slater recipe and is my favorite way of using up left over roast chicken. A perfect Autumn Monday supper.

Arborio or Carnaroli Rice (I prefer the latter)
3 shallots finely chopped
Chicken Stock made from the picked roast chicken carcass, an onion, a carrot, a stick of celery and a bay leaf boiled together for 30 minutes to an hour.
Bits of roast chicken
Butter
Parmesan
Salt & Pepper
Wine or Vermouth
Flat Leaf Parsley

Strain the stock and keep warm.

Sweat the shallots in some olive oil and when they start to turn transparent add a big knob of butter and continue frying for a few minutes.

Add the rice to the pan and fry, stirring continuously, for a minute or two until the grains start to look opaque round the edges.

Turn the heat up and add a glass of wine so it sizzles. Turn the heat back down, stir gently until wine is absorbed.

Add a ladle of stock and stir gently and continuously. As each ladle is absorbed, add another.

When the rice is looking nearly done, add the chicken to warm through.

When the rice is done (it takes between 30 and 45 minutes depending on the rice), turn off the heat, add a generous knob of butter, a big handful of parmesan, and a big handful of chopped parsley. Season.

Put a lid on it and leave for 5 minutes. Stir, check seasoning, serve with more parmesan on top.