unpopular

Bang your head here

 

I am a genius

 

Cheer Up with a Random Act of Vinyl

Who’d have thought that 2013 would have brought a new 7” by Wolfhounds? What a wonderful way to start a year. ‘Cheer Up’ sounds like vintage Wolfhounds which really ought to come as no surprise. After all, their reappearance in 2006 blew the roof off the ICA and I am sure that their sporadic ventures into the dimly lit basements of London bars in the six years since have been equally perfect pop squalls. If you have not already got your copy, they can be had from the ubiquitous Bandcamp page of OddBox Records.

 
Somewhat terrifyingly (for me at least) was digging back into my own last and discovering that is now getting on for some 17 years since my friend Daniel wrote this lovely short piece about Wolfhounds’ ‘Blown Away’ set (itself seven years old when Dan wrote those words).

Also in the mail this week was a CD promo for a 7” by Beat Hotel. Featuring former Loft, Weather Prophets and Rockingbirds drummer Dave Morgan alongside Jasmine Minks’ Jim Shepherd, Beat Hotel sound pretty much as wonderful as you would expect. The 7” is out on Monday (14th January) from Random Acts of Vinyl.

 

Just how much piss are they taking?

So then, Flies On You, eh? Groovy stuff, no? You followed through from the ‘Dead Pop Stars’ cover and you listened to their ‘Nothing To Write Home About’ set, didn’t you? And then you dragged your jaw back from the floor, hit ‘repeat’ and grinned broadly, right? Right. 

 

It’s thanks to Burning World that I came across Flies On You. Or more accurately the Scottish mate. Nothing better than having a Scottish mate to shine a wee spotlight on music that might have passed you by, right? Again, right. Everyone needs a wee Scottish pal.

Not that there is much Scottish about Flies On You. At least not that I know of. I don’t really know much to be honest and care even less. I understand they are from Leeds. Perhaps. There is something of the Gang of Four about them. Early Gang of Four that is. When they were making Fast Products. Spiky. There is something too of Scars in them. Certainly I can’t listen to the excellent ‘Frying Tonight’ without one part of my brain humming ‘Adult/Ery’.

 

Continuing on the Yorkshire tip, I really ought to have told you more about my wee obsession with York’s Mark Wynn before now. In the weeks before the festive holidays his ‘"James Dean makes me insecure, why does he have to be so shexy" the album’ was on almost endless rotation on my stereo. It drove me to pick up a whole collection of his self-released CDs and poetry booklets, all of which are shot through with the same self-deprecating humour and wickedly accurate and poignant observations of the world.

  

I’m even willing to just about forgive him about the John Lennon photo on his guitar. Just about. Just about.

Anyway, arsing around on YouTube looking at some clips of Mark playing I came across this short film about The Inkwell shop in York.

 

Looking at the website it strikes me I have stumbled across it in the past. The website I mean, not the actual shop. I haven’t actually been in York since I was six. Maybe I should give it a visit this year. The shop reminds me in many ways of the kind of thing The Duchess and I once talked about one day doing during the idle alcoholic afternoons of our youth. Ours wouldn’t have had any Beatles or Doors records though. Or books about Paul McCartney. We would have had ludicrous rules about what to stock and what not to stock. Business was never our strong suit... 

One Hundred and Fifty

One hundred and fifty years old today you say? Blimey, that makes me feel positively young and spritely. Just the ticket for early January (did you see what I did there? ‘just the ticket’. ‘Ticket’. London Underground... oh, suit yerselves).

There are lots of celebratory pieces on the Interwebs today of course and I’m sure some of them will even have the same YouTube clips and links as this post does. Well, one can hope, can’t one?

First up, the Pyramids. Now Kevin Pearce hipped me to this in his wonderful year long exploration of London in song ‘The London Nobody Sings’. He gave us a link to the wonderful version by Mood Reaction and the link to that track is still live, even if the YouTube video has disappeared. There are several other Underground songs referenced in Kevin’s blog and I’d encourage you to explore. 

 

And then there’s Rodney Allen. His ‘Circle Line’ remains a favourite, although admittedly I have any number of personal reasons for that, not least for the fact that the cover photo (taken on Bristol bus station forecourt) was inspired by one of my letters, written on the back of a photocopy of the classic Phil Ochs album cover. Funny the little things that stay with you.

 

more Dead Pop Stars

Caesar reminds me that the 1980 Peel Session version of 'Dead Pop Stars' is the one. He's right you know.

 

Dead Pop Stars

'Dead Pop Stars' is one of my very favourite Altered Images songs. This cover by just-discovered Flies On You more than does it justice. Expect to see this on the second Unpopular mix of 2013.

  
And what's that? You want to hear the original as well? Oh, go on then.

 

White Horses

 

A typical first morning back at school...

A Million Times

 

So, you've pre-ordered your new Alpaca Sports single, haven't you?

New Years Greeting from Dawlish.

Today's ride took me down the estuary out to Dawlish, the home of the Black Swan. See, there it is flying above the breakwater in the photo. Oh no, hang on, that's a seagull. Whatever. 

It will probably come as no great surprise to many regular readers of a certain age that Dawlish always makes me think of The Triffids, if only because of their lovely 1989 album 'The Black Swan'. Here's a fitting track from that set.