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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