Veronica Falls - Found Love In A Graveyard

Veronica Falls are from London and have a cool single out, Beachy Head. It's on the new Rough Trade compilation. 'Found Love In A Graveyard' is from a new EP. They sound a bit like Crystal Stilts with a female singer.

Found Love In A Graveyard mp3

New Order - Chosen Time

1981 Ukrainian National Home New York.

Solex Vs. Cristina Martinez + Jon Spencer - Amsterdam Throwdown King Street Show Down

The good news is that Solex has a new record out the 5th of February. She recorded it with Jon Spencer and his wife Cristina Martinez over the last three years. She says it's a very funky and freaky record. Good!
Below the video for 'Honkey Donkey' from The Laughing Stock Of Indie Rock. Get that one here.

Solex Myspace

Crystal Stilts - Departure / Converging In The Quiet

The best song from Crystal Stilts' first EP is 'Converging In The Quiet'. It's the perfect dreamy popsong, beautiful drums and great vocals. They recorded it again for their debut LP and renamed it 'Departure'. This version is a bit harder and faster, the guitar is more prominent. I still don't know which version I like best.
I'm very happy with the Crystal Stilts, I hope they release a new LP soon. This year they also released the single Love Is A Wave, which you can get from RCRD LBL.

PJ Harvey - 1993

I heard 'Reeling' from 4-track Demos on the radio in 1993 and went to the recordshop to buy it. A week later I bought Rid Of Me. These two records really impressed me, the artwork is great and the songs are very intense, I never heard something like it before and since.
Steve Albini produced Rid Of Me and said that PJ only ate cooked potatoes. He was fascinated by her guitar playing and thought it was a shame she left this sound when she recorded To Bring You My Love without her band.
Below a live version of 'Rid Of Me' on an American TV show, 'My Naked Cousin' live in Chicago and then the documentary Reeling in ten parts.

Adorable - Homeboy

1992.

Japandroids - Daytrotter Session

Japandroids cover Big Black in a Daytrotter Session. Illustration by Johnnie Cluney.

Japandroits DS

Factory Floor - Lying + Francis Francis

Factory Floor have a new single out, Lying. You can get it from The Fader here. It's quite dark and they seem to have a female singer now.
You can get the older single 'Francis Francis' here.

The Victorian English Gentlemens Club - New Blood Session

The VEGC play the singles 'Watching The Burglars' and 'Parrot' plus ' I Say What I See' from Love On An Oil Rig.

New Blood Studio Session - The Victorian English Gentlemens Club from Converse Music on Vimeo.

50 Foot Wave - Golden Ocean

Golden Ocean is 50 Foot Wave's debut LP from 2005. It includes some re-recorded songs from the 50 Foot Wave EP. It's a very fast and hard record.

Golden Ocean free download on CASH Music.

Salad - I Want You EP

Salad released I Want You in 1996, between their great debut Drink Me and second and final album Ice Cream. Most songs on this EP are great and it's strange that only 'A Size More Woman Than Her' ended up on Ice Cream. My favourite is the lesbian ballad 'One In The Bag'.

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I Want You

Salad | MySpace Music Videos

An Experiment On A Bird In The Air Pump - Buy A Life EP

An Experiment On A Bird In The Air Pump released their second EP last week, it was recorded by Tim Burgess and it includes the track 'Smear', which to me sounds a lot like Sonic Youth. I'm looking forward to their debut album which was recorded by Steve Albini.

Hatcham Social - Till The Dawn

Hatcham Social's third single Till The Dawn didn't end up on their supergood debut, but the b-side did. It's a shame because I think it's their best and it would have fitted well.

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Le Tetsuo - Sometimes I'm Walking Around I Feel Like I'm Going To Open Up And Crack

Le Tetsuo's great new single is their catchiest song so far. Sometimes I'm Walking Around I Feel Like I'm Going To Open Up And Crack sounds a bit like an early Rapture song. It's streaming on their myspace and you can buy the 7" from Parlour Records here.

Below the video for their last single.

The Chap - Builder's Brew

Builder's Brew is a cool EP by The Chap, it features the single 'Proper Rock' from Mega Breakfast, some unreleased songs and remixes. 'Nice Face' is the most striking new track (nice face, shame about the haircut, nice body, bad conversation) but the best treat here is the Electroware remix of Ham's 'Auto Where To', it adds some electro to the original but keeps the strong build-up of the song. The last track is a weird Chap-style cover of What's Love Got To Do With It.

The EP is a mixed bag but as always with The Chap, a lot of fun.

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Four Tet - There Is Love In You

The good news is that Four Tet has a new record out the 25th of January. First single 'Love Cry' sounds less playfull than his previous work and more moody and droney, maybe a bit closer to his recent Burial collaboration.

McLusky - Club Lek Session 25-9-2002

This is McLusky live in a Dutch radio show in 2002 when they just released McLusky Do Dallas.

Club Lek Session

Plug - You Keep The Beats

Plug released two nice singles on Parlour Records, Fresh Pleasures and B-Boy. The first one is already sold out but you can get B-Boy here.
They make simple post-punk songs somewhere between ESG and Young Marble Giants.
I really like the voice of the singer and the lyrics (So who gave you drugs that you didn't trust? B-boy! B-boy!).

You Keep The Beats mp3

The Victorian English Gentlemens Club - Love On An Oil Rig

The Victorian English Gentlemens Club's first self titled LP from 2006 is a record I deeply love. On their second album Love On An Oil Rig they are as genius as in 2006. They take their inspiration from Wire, The B-52's, Sonic Youth and the Pixies and add their own idiosyncratic personality to it. Their songs are raw and energetic with a lot of shouts, great great drumming, cool basslines and mean guitars. The lyrics are funny and sharp, Simple fly he lost his life in white paint, singer Adam shouts in 'Periscope Envy' and in 'Worker' : A swimmingpool is all he needed for the body part he'd lost. All songs have these strange witty sentences that don't seem to make a lot of sense but add a lot of substance to the unpredictable songs.
Love On An Oil Rig is a very, very cool record, probably the best I've heard this year. I bought the vinyl directly from the band here.

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Hatcham Social - Sidewalk EP

Finally Hatcham Social release the best track from their debut You Dig The Tunnel, I'll Hide The Soil on single. The Sidewalk EP is now out on Fierce Panda.

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Weekend - All-American / Youth Haunts

This 10" is out in december on Mexican Summer. The A-side is a poppy Jesus & Mary Chain song, the B-side is even better. 'Youth Haunts' sounds like Lee Ranaldo singing Murmur. Very cool new band.

Link expired, All-America on iTunes.
(buy the 10" of 'All-American' here.)

Chemikal Underground Records - Out Of Our Heads On Skelp

This is a compilation from 2003 from the Chemikal Underground label. It features Arab Strap's first single 'The First Big Weekend' and Cha Cha Cohen's 'A=A'. The last track 'Cunts' is a poem by Aidan Moffat from Arab Strap.

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Magic Wands - Daytrotter Session

Magic Wands' 'Blackmagic' was a single I played to death last year during work. To me they sound like a happier Raveonettes. This Daytrotter Sessions includes 'Blackmagic' and two songs from their record Magic Love And Dreams.
The illustration is by Johnnie Cluney.

Daytrotter Session

Best Coast - When I'm With You

When I'm With You MP3

Arab Strap - New Birds

You just have to be sure you're doing the right thing.
I mean it's very easy to forget - she's just sitting there in the pub with her new friends and her new life and her new hair, and it's been five years but you'd know just to look at her.

I wasn't even sure it were her at first, I was ready to walk away but she smiled and called me over and we said hello for a bit. When we went back to our tables we were trying not to look over at each other and told our friends to stop staring. I didn't see her for the rest of the night, but by closing time the beer's kicked in so I go up and speak to her and we end up going for a walk and talking about our new homes, our new jobs and our new birds.

She says she's been going out with him now for about two and a half years, but they don't live together so he'd never find out. And you think about chasing her about school when you were wee and lying in your bed and listening to love songs and pretending they were about you. And the first time you asked her out she said no but one night you went to a wedding and when you came back to the pub she's changed her mind and you went out. You remember the way she swung her arms when she held your hand but you can't remember how she kissed and now you've got the chance to find out.

But you have to remember there's this other kiss. She's at home, wondering where you are and what you're doing. And you work hard on this kiss and you know it inside out, it's as much yours as it is hers. And it took a long time to get right, it took months of practice and months of embarassment but now you've got it perfected and you've been looking forward to that kiss all week.

You can see her breath in the air between your faces as you stand in the leaves and she just asks you straight out if you want to come and stay at her flat. But you make sure you get separate taxis and you go home and there might be a slight regret and you might wonder what you missed but you have to remember the kiss you worked so hard on - and you'll know you've done the right thing.

New Birds

The Ex - Hidegen Fujnak A Szelek

Dutch punk band The Ex is 30 this year and they released a 2cd compilation which is streaming here. It includes 'Gonna Rob The Spermbank' and my favourite Ex song 'Hidegen Fujnak A Szelek'.

#84.1 - The Ex
door lablogotheque

Gene - To See The Lights

To See The Lights is a compilation of early singles, b-sides and radio sessions. It was released after Gene's excellent debut Olympian from 1995. 'How Much For Love' and 'This Is Not My Crime' are really good songs.

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Kristin Hersh - Flooding (2)

So, Kristin recorded this beautiful song 'Flooding' that she was playing live recently. I blogged about a live version before here. It's the typical Hersh song that puts my hairs up. The studio version is slower and has no guitar but instead piano.

Flooding

Vic Chesnutt - Sponge

I spilled a whole cup of coffee over my laptop and then my phone fell in a canal. Vic Chesnutt has a sponge.

#74.1 - Vic Chesnutt - Sponge
door lablogotheque

50 Foot Wave - 50 Foot Wave EP

In 2003 Kristin Hersh started a new band with Throwing Muses bassist Bernard Georges and drummer Rob Ahlers. The songs are distinctive Hersh songs but the context is rawer and faster than her previous work. They sound like a very fit band, the usual tempo changes that define Hersh's style are pushed to their limits in straight forward muscular punkrock songs. This EP is their first recording from 2004 with the foammouthed angry single 'Clara Bow'.

50 Foot Wave EP

Disconcerts - Human Figure In Motion

Disconcerts' new EP A. Medic is out tomorrow on Parlour Records. Below the video for their last single.

Myspace

The Drums - Let's Go Surfing

This is quite addictive. Don't know for how long, but it's a cool track and video.

Let's Go Surfing

Atlas Sound - Shelia

'Shelia' is Atlas Sound's new single. I woke up very well with it this morning, it's a beautiful song. It's the first track off his new record Logos which is out at the end of this month.

Last year the demos of Logos leaked and Bradford Cox got a bit angry about that, because he wanted to present the record finished and then give away the demo's on his blog. He later apologised for his reaction, he gives away most music he records anyway. If the real Logos sounds like the demo's, it's gonna be a very good autumn.

Shelia

Metronomy - Not Made For Love EP

I'm having a hard time loving the new Metronomy EP Not Made For Love. It sounds a bit boring to me and that's not a qualification you could easily put on Metronomy before. Luckily there are some cool remixes that add salt and pepper to the tracks. RCRD LBL has a good remix of 'Do The Right Thing' here and this is the Astronomer remix of 'Not Made For Love'.

The Soft Pack - Pull Out + Sessions

I discovered The Soft Pack when they were playing on a festival curated by The Breeders. I can imagine Kim Deal sitting on a couch listening to the guitar solo in 'Extincion' lighting up another cigarette.

Below a video of a new song 'Pull Out'.

Here you can download a cool LaundroMatinee session with a couple of new songs and here you can download their Daytrotter session.

Prinzhorn Dance School - Crackerjack Docker EP

Cool PDS EP here. B-side 'Service, Service' has a guitar line that always sticks in my head. It's also on the session I posted before.

'Crackerjack Docker' remains their catchiest tune yet and the video is as well timed as their shouts and guitarlines.

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Stereolab - John Cage Bubblegum

Stereolab influenced Atlas Sound and Broadcast. 'John Cage Bubblegum' is one of their earlier singles. This version is from ABC Music Radio 1 Sessions.

John Cage Bubblegum

Broadcast & The Focus Group Investigate Witch Cults Of The Radio Age

Broadcast have a new record out next year, this mini album with The Focus Group is out now. They'll tour in October with Atlas Sound. You can download a collaboration between them from Atlas Sound's blog here and a trailer of the new mini album here.

Kristin Hersh - Glass

New hunting Kristin Hersh song.

Glass mp3

Flinch - Faking / Jamie D / Skin Deep

Here are the three Flinch singles that I did find. All three are really good mid nineties guitarpopsongs. After their fifth single 'Skin Deep' the band broke up and formed Feline, they broke up again and formed Ultraviolet, and after that they became Die So Fluid.

Faking / Jamie D / Skin Deep

Flinch - Ordinary

I've been looking for this single since 1994 - so if you sell it please email me at youandmeintheecho@gmail.com.

Dirty Projectors - Jolly Jolly Jolly Ego

I saw Dirty Projectors today - a really nice gig. They played 'Rise Above' and the new single 'Stillness Is The Move' in a row and a couple of songs I didn't know yet. Their recent LP Bitte Orca is a weird and beautiful record. Here is a song from The Getty Address. Also check out their Daytrotter Sessions here and here.

Jolly Jolly Jolly Ego