The 52nd edition of the regular RW/FF round-up features the astonishing new album from ex-Babybird man Stephen Jones, Morrissey‘s inconsistent ‘World Peace Is None Of Your Business’, and the third LP from The Cambodian Space Project, plus fresh selections from Richard Fearless, Gang Of Youths, Night Sports, Interpol, Lee Coombs And Kostas G, Echaskech, and False-Heads. As well as all that, the Eels live, my thoughts on La Roux‘s misguided comments about “underground music”, a special Summer edition of The RW/FF Compilation and a load of recent RW/FF Radio shows for you to catch up with… There is also a chance to vote for the winner of RW/FF’s new Track Of The Month. Plus the Rewind part of the round-up features hit singles from 1996 by Lush, Baby D, Dubstar, The Chemical Brothers and more…
The first full-length album to bear ex Babybird cult hero Stephen Jones‘ own name since 2003’s ‘Almost Cured Of Sadness’ finds the Sheffield-based musical genius delivering a breathtaking set of strange, beautiful and transcendental pieces.
As well as recording under the familiar Babybird moniker, Jones has also made music as Death Of The Neighbourhood, The Great Sadness, Trucker and Black Reindeer, each project offering something a little different. As well as releasing at least 13 albums under the latter alias over the last couple of years, the bafflingly underrated songwriter and musician has long been promising a new project that “will replace” Babybird, but this is not it. It’s nothing like ‘Almost Cured Of Sadness‘ either. Instead, it’s something beautifully unique that Jones recorded at home and released via his BandCamp page. Don’t be fooled by the low key nature of the release, this record is a superb piece of work, and one of Jones’ finest. There is no press release accompanying ‘Ambition Expired’, just a doodle and some jotted words that describe this work as “an album with mind altering musical substance” that “involves no effort from the listener” since “ears will throw aside the mind for one simple hour”. On BandCamp, a short blurb lists it as “a trip, not an album”.
It’s not as moody and cinematic as Black Reindeer, nor is it anything like the twisted pop songs of Babybird, what ‘Ambition Expired’ offers is an hour of music to lose yourself in. Before listening, you must free yourself of all distractions. Relax. Put on a pair of headphones. Press play and don’t do anything else for the next 60 minutes.
The magnificent opener ‘Manchester I’m Sorry’ exudes a blissful radiance, close to an ambient shoegaze sound where captivating guitars reverberate around the glowing vocal as slowed lo-fi drums crash underneath the dawning euphoria. An invitation to “leave the church of Atheism and walk out into the light” is offered on the beautifully sparse ‘If You Think I Believe In Jesus’, a country-flavoured hymn where a piercing vocal soars to spine tingling effect, before the eerie ‘Days That Never End’ demonstrates tricks that Jones has perfected with his run of Black Reindeer albums. Crafted around unsettling hip hop beats, cinematic electronics and a heavy mood that builds with intensity throughout, it’s almost like Death In Vegas remixing Mogwai. Except it’s not of course, because Jones’ music really isn’t like anything else.
On an album where the vocals are used as more of an instrumental element, ‘A Beautiful War’ provides the closest thing to a traditional verse-chorus-verse song, a blindingly pretty moment where fluttering electronics combine with blossoming sounds of nature. It’s haunting, charming and uplifting all at the same time. It also highlights his ability to fashion odd, indistinguishable noises into strangely beautiful musical elements. The exquisitely hypnotic 16 minute soundscape ‘Thank You For Trying To Love Me’ is given plenty of room to breathe, taking its time to mesmerise and enchant as elements tesselate harmoniously, building into a dazzling glow of bittersweet euphoria. As well as its lilting serenity, it’s hard not to be moved by the sentiment behind the title, reprising a familiar character Jones has excelled at portraying in the past; the unloveable fuck-up well aware of his mistakes, failures and bad habits.
Even these tracks that clock in at around quarter of an hour each seem to take hold of the senses in such a way, that you’re always happy to stay wherever the music takes you. The time and room given to these freely flowing song structures allow the listener to soak up the growing, evolving atmospheres for maximum impact. The stunning ‘Endless Summer Day’ misleadingly begins with heavily-treated vocals, as well as some ominous and rather acidy synth bass. Within a few masterful chord movements, the shadowy mood makes way for soft electronic tones shifting into glitchy, spellbinding patterns. Carrying the listener peacefully into misty eyed tranquility, it’s a mesmeric treasure that flows with a twinkling poignancy and could quite happily go on for twice its already epic length. Grand in its power, but completely opposed to being overblown. On the climactic ‘London Underground’, sleepy guitars ring out to create a heavenly ambience amongst perfectly placed field recordings, ghostly drones and minimal vocals that drift to the surface like rising gasps of air.
Some of the moods and emotions are too strange to even put into words, and trying to pin a definitive label on these tracks isn’t easy either. It’s ambient music done the Stephen Jones way. After the hour is up, we’re given the ‘High Energy Crucifixtion’ remix of ‘…Jesus’, a bit of an ill-fitting cut and paste of dance beats and orchestra samples, which we’ll ignore since it’s clearly intended as a bonus track.
Despite selling over two million records worldwide, Jones has never compromised the intelligence of his music for the mainstream, and has a deep hatred of mass marketed insipidness. With his talent for the unusal, why would he want to conform to sounding like everyone else? We need people like this man, who make this world a more interesting place by challenging the norm and going against the grain. It’s not likely to sell truckloads of copies and you’re not going to be hearing any of it on the radio. It’s one of those well kept secrets tucked away in a weird little corner of the internet that you might be lucky enough to discover. Treat yourself to something different and let Stephen Jones take you on a journey that many others are unfortunate enough to be missing out on. ‘Ambition Expired‘ is immersive, euphoric and magical. 8.6/10
Go HERE to read an exclusive interview with Stephen, where he talks about the past, the present and the future… When people talk about music with a “lost history”, they often refer to obscurities that were too ahead of their time to be accepted into mainstream culture or to be widely documented. However, the tragic tale of Cambodia’s musical past runs a lot deeper than that. During the Khmer Rouge’s brutal reign in the 1970s, artists, intellectuals and musicians were ruthlessly executed, and their works destroyed, leading to a huge chunk of the country’s cultural history being wiped away. With various compilations and books bringing the music to people’s awareness in the last few years, The Cambodian Space Project celebrate and feed from the country’s lost musical history, bringing the sounds and spirit back to life in the 21st century. They were formed in 2009 when Tasmanian musician Julien Poulson heard the voice of Srey Thy singing in a karaoke bar in Phnom Penh. She’s lived in a tank, she’s been kidnapped, narrowly avoided a sex trafficking ring, been a women’s rights activist and has even worked as a Good Will Ambassador for UN Women’s UNiTE, rather an eventful life you’ll agree. On their third album ‘Whisky Cambodia’, the duo augment their Khmer-rock and 60s Cambodian pop with a Motown flavour, supplied by an array of musicians including former Funk Brothers guitarist Dennis Coffey.
Although it’s good having players who featured on some of the greatest soul classics, it doesn’t prevent the fact that they are essentially session musicians, something all too apparent on this album, which lacks a certain edge as a result. However, there are times when that barely matters, for example the highlight ‘Longing For The Light Rain’, a moody slice of laid back groove, embellished with colourful touches of brass, a fetching sax solo, some fine percussion sounds, and a sound in which the ghost of Curtis Mayfield can be heard. The pace slows for the yearning power pop moment ‘If You Go I Go Too’, while the cool, memorably infectious ‘Here Comes The Rain’ would be a surefire hit single in a sane world, a commanding slice of savvy soul that provides another standout. Reverberating with more unsettling vibes is the climactic title track where brooding drones meet the chimes of darkly atmospheric guitars, before the slow, spacious intensity transforms into West Coast soul towards the end, finishing the album on a high.
Although those famed session players add an authentic sheen to Whiskey Cambodia, in other places their presence makes things sound a bit more ordinary than they should be. A lot of people will consider Srey Thy’s vocals to be an acquired taste as well, but her often-haunted tones are perfectly matched to the well-executed melodies and effective arrangements. For something that’s a bit less Detroit and a bit more Cambodia, maybe the first two albums are worth seeking out instead, but Whiskey Cambodia does its own job well. Read the full 6/10 review HERE. Other albums that I have been getting my ears around recently include the debut full-length from the South Carolina duo Tape Waves, the new Moons LP ‘Mindwaves‘, To Rococo Rot‘s long-awaited ‘Instrument‘, and Morrissey‘s ‘World Peace Is None Of Your Business‘. It’s certainly an interesting album in places, containing a handful of classic Morrissey moments and more than a few underwhelming ones.
The glorious opening title track provides a highlight, while the brilliant ‘Earth Is The Lonely Planet Of All’ benefits from a fantastic arrangement. The influence of Latin music is more prominent than on any of his previous records, there are interesting hints of Bowie here and there, and this one certainly has an angrier and more vitriolic edge than 2009’s ‘Years Of Refusal’, not surprising considering the spats, illnesses and troubles of the last few years. Ugly lyrical imagery makes for uncomfortable listening at times, and the overlong ‘I Am Not A Man’ will undoubtedly make some cynics chuckle, as Moz suggests that (among other things) the world doesn’t see him as a proper man because he doesn’t eat meat. ‘Staircase At The University’ shines with its glorious melodies and grim lyrics, but the “cram in, jam in, pack-em-in, ram in” refrain towards the end dampens the whole thing. ‘Istanbul’ is certainly a grower, it’s insistent rhythms bound to get stuck in your head, recalling an Eastern-tinged funk flavoured mixture of ‘How Soon Is Now’ and Bowie’s ‘Station To Station’. However its lyrics let it down badly, as is the case with the uninspired ‘Kick The Bride Down The Aisle’.
‘The Bullfighter Dies’ offers an accordion-aided echo of The Smiths, where both songwriting and performance lack conviction in a way that’s reminiscent of 1997’s ‘Malajusted’. And I’m not talking about the good parts. When I listen to a Morrissey record, I expect the work of a lyrical genius, something that we get a disappointingly small amount of here. I really did expect more than “Kiss me a lot, kiss me a lot, kiss me all over my face, kiss me a lot, kiss me a lot, kiss me all over the place”, a shame, since the music itself and the verses of ‘Kiss Me A Lot’ deserved a much better chorus. ‘Smiler With Knife’ is a sparse, likeable moment that sets lullaby verses to bursts of drama to provide a decent moment rather than a great one.
On a lot of albums, the second from last track can often be the most lacking. At least that isn’t the case here, for the captivating rise of ‘Mountjoy’ is one of the standout moments, as is the magnificent, uplifting closer ‘Oboe Concerto’, which almost presses into psychedelic dub territory near the end. A few of the bonus tracks on the deluxe edition are better than most of those on the album itself, the tough, brooding waltz ‘Scandinavia’, the lyrically intriguing ‘Forgive Someone’, and the superb urgency of ‘Art Hounds’, where his falsetto on the chorus delights. So in terms of quality, a mixed bag from the former Smiths legend. At times he sounds lost, wounded and unsure of his next direction, but a handful of great moments prevent his tenth solo album from being a complete disaster. I’ll give it a very generous 6/10.
Another album I’ve been playing over recent weeks is La Roux‘s long-overdue second full-length ‘Trouble In Paradise‘, which is indeed a mighty fine pop record. So it’s a shame that the music should be overshadowed by some highly misguided comments Ellie Jackson recently made. Jackson hit out at “underground music” and the way that pop stars do (quite rightly) not enjoy the same level of credibility as non-mainstream artists. Her unfortunate comments saw her rallying against critically adored albums that sell poorly and, in her opinion, fail to be memorable.
“I like the ambition of making pop. Underground music gets all of the respect and critical acclaim, yet the stuff which sells shitloads of records doesn’t,” she told Time Out. “It’s the challenge of writing music that’s quality, but also pop, that I want to take on.” Asked specifically what her problem with underground music is, Jackson continued: “There are too many underground records. I’m sick of people saying, ‘That record was so great,’ and yet it only sells 4,000 copies. I don’t see what’s cool about not writing hooks; if you’re really fucking clever, where’s the fucking melody that I can remember? I woke up today and forgot your whole album – genius! I don’t get it.”
As much as I love La Roux and think her music is brilliant, these comments only serve to make her look stupid: “I’m sick of people saying, ‘That record was so great,’ and yet it only sells 4,000 copies…” so in her eyes, a record is automatically of lesser quality if it sells less copies? I think you’ll find it’s all to do with the lack of promotion most of these “underground” records receive. And of course you’re going to “forget” something if you’ve only heard it once, which is often the case in 2014 with non-commercial music. “Underground music gets all of the respect and critical acclaim, yet the stuff which sells shitloads of records doesn’t”… And I wonder why? Look at the people who sell “shitloads” of records these days. Cheap, talentless, manufactured acts who only sell off the back of over-exposure to the mainstream. That’s why they don’t get respect from music lovers and critics. Simple.
Interestingly, ‘Trouble In Paradise’ has only managed to sell just over 8,000 copies, due to not being stocked in the supermarkets, and a lack of support from mainstream radio. Does this mean that Jackson now has to suddenly disown the album for being too “underground”? It only sold a few thousand, and it was generally well received by critics. So that MUST mean that her new songs were too forgettable, right Ellie? While it’s a shame for a great album to sell disappointingly, at least it’s happened to someone who needed to be taught a lesson. Karma exists.
Last weekend (Sunday July 27) Mark Everett (aka E) and the Eels visited Salisbury for the last date of their recent tour. I’ve heard of bands taking a slight detour while on the road, but it seems that Eels played Bristol on Friday before jetting off to New York to play a song on ‘CBS This Morning’, and then flying back to England for a show in Gateshead on Saturday night, and journeying back down south for the Salisbury show. I’m surprised the band had any energy left. The show at the City Hall was wonderful, beginning with a selection of heartfelt and rather downbeat numbers, mostly from the recent album ‘The Cautionary Tales Of Mark Oliver Everett’.
Old classics were given new arrangements, the new songs sounded brilliant next to the fan favourites, and the strength of their set and the songs they DIDN’T play just shows how stellar the Eels back catalogue is. Big hits such as ‘Susan’s House’, ‘Mr E’s Beautiful Blues’ and ‘Souljacker’ were left out of the set, and yet nobody minded. After a beautifully uplifting ‘Fresh Feeling’ and an energised ‘I Like Birds’, E and his band went on to treat the audience to a stunning reworking of 1998’s ‘Last Stop: This Town’ that actually had me in tears. A mad moment near the end saw Everett shouting “give me a hug!” before running arms aloft into the seated crowd, many of who got up to embrace their hero. Finishing with a emotional ‘Daisies Of The Galaxy’ and a terrific cover of Harry Nilsson‘s ‘Turn On Your Radio’, this was a superb set that showcased the new and revitalised the old. Before last night, I hadn’t seen the Eels play live in nearly 14 years. The gap won’t be as long next time… Go HERE to see photos and a few videos from the show…
Here’s an outstanding new track from the Death In Vegas legend Richard Fearless, which is being released via his own Drone imprint. A intense, cold, percussive pulse is set to dark, atmospheric electronic notes which grow into a minimally textured rhythmic soundscape. ‘Gamma Ray’ is released digitally on August 18, and follows the excellent ‘Higher Electronic States’, which was released at the start of the summer. Discussing the second single Richard says “With ‘Higher Electronic States’ I wanted to make a record to end my sets with, Gamma Ray is something much deeper. I wanted to create a timeless stark, minimal, desolate landscape of a track.”
A press release describes it as “of those rare things in electronic music, a song with longevity. A piece of finely crafted techno of the highest order.” Having recently taken part in an RBMA lecture in their Russian headquarters and an appearance at the hallowed turf of Golden Pudel planned for later in the year, the world of Richard Fearless and Drone is in its ascendancy. Dancefloor distortion and other musical explorations, created in the Metal Box studio, Drone releases oscillations in many forms, further transmissions incoming…
I find it hard to believe that 12 whole years have passed since I first heard of The Vines. Taken from their upcoming double album ‘Wicked Nature‘, the impressive ‘Out Of The Loop’ an abrasive rock n roll banger, as no-nonsense as it gets really. They still sound a bit like The Beatles doing Nirvana and sometimes a bit like Nirvana doing The Beatles. And yet somehow their sound hasn’t outstayed its welcome. At 1 minutes and 21 seconds, neither does the song.
‘Wicked Nature’ clocks in at 22 tracks, and is produced by frontman Craig Nicholls. The album will be released on September 2 via new label that the band have set up to release the album, which shares its name. It will be available worldwide digitally and also as a physical release on both double CD and double gatefold vinyl in the UK, Europe, USA, Japan, and Australia. It’s their first release in three years since 2011’s ‘Future Primitive’.
A member of The Freakazoids, and a founder of the Thrust label, Lee Coombs began his career in the British dance music scene in 1989, immersing himself in the era’s acid house culture. Varied influences make their way into his music: breaks, house, electro, techno and acid flavours. His new track ‘Phunked!’ (in collaboration with Kostas G) comes from an upcoming album entitled ‘Kaleidoscope‘, and serves up a meaty, addictive chunk of acid breakbeat blazing with 90s vibes. According to Kostas G, the album has been mastered and will see the light of day in September. Meanwhile Coombs’ group The Freakazoids are currently working on a new album project called ‘In Freakz We Trust‘, and you can get involved here: http://www.fundanything.com/thefreakazoids. Here is an absolute beauty, lifted from a brilliant digital compilation called ‘Music For A Good Home Vol 3‘. The original version of ‘Weathering’ was originally released about 3 years ago on Epic45‘s album of the same name, but now enjoys a new lease of life thanks to a lovely remix by Bracken, aka Chris Adams of Leeds indie band Hood. A graceful, soothing and additively rhythmic beauty that glows like hazy rays of sunshine, this fine version of ‘Weathering’ can be bought along with 30 other tracks for just £7.99, with every penny going to homeless charity Shelter. Other acts who feature include Thought Forms, Six By Seven and Esben And The Witch… Buy it at the Audioscope Records Bandcamp page HERE. False-Heads are a trio based in East London, who released a new EP entitled ‘Tunnel Vision‘ on July 28. Consisting of Luke Griffiths (vocals/guitar), Jake Elliott (bass) and Daniel Delgaty (drums), the group’s sound falls somewhere between thrashy grunge and energetic punk, displayed brilliantly on new track ‘Fall Around’. Bearing heavy shades of the Pixies, early Feeder and even a touch of 90s britrockers Symposium, noisy guitars and calm, cooling bass combine with snotty vocals to supply a rough n’ ready slice of summer grunge-pop brilliance. It’s also available to download for FREE via their Soundcloud page. ‘Tunnel Vision‘ was released through Hi4Head Records, available from all good digital stores and as a limited edition CD release with bonus tracks.
23 July – BRIGHTON – Green Door Store
25 July – UXBRIDGE – Crown and Treaty
01 Aug – UXBRIDGE – Crown and Treaty
02 Aug – KENT – Stepping Stone Records (in-store)
06 Aug – LONDON – Tooting Tram and Social
09 Aug – LONDON – Aces and Eights
23 Aug – CRAWLEY – The Black Dog
26 Aug – DARTFORD – Bull and Vic
13 Sept – BRIGHTON – Fitzherbets
25 Sept – LONDON – The Purple Turtle
17 Oct – PORTSMOUTH – The Cellar Rooms
A beautiful helping of electronica, which comes from the London-based duo Echaskech. Their third album ‘Origin‘ was released back in February, and from it comes the wonderful ‘Sovereign System’, which also provides the lead track on a new EP. Released a few weeks ago on July 7, this EP also features remixes of the song by Submerse and Krimson, as well as a Magic Panda remix of ‘Telomere’ and Seyr‘s take on ‘Voyager’. Although the music is created by the duo of Dom Hoare and Andy Gillham, Echaskech are effectively a multimedia trio with the addition of visual artist Mach V, who provides the visuals during live performances.
“We kept some central ideas in mind when writing our album ‘Origin‘, mainly the classic thematic / musical match of space exploration and discovery of new worlds,” explains Gillham. “Our minds filled with astronauts and space ships when pondering a video to “Sovereign System” so we were delighted to chance upon Stephen Smith via Radar Music Videos who delivered beyond expectations with his cheeky inter galactic visual take on the track…”
Quite simply one of the best indie rock songs I’ve heard in a long time. Gang Of Youths are a five piece indie rock outfit from the Australian city of Sydney. The band only formed in 2012 but musically have come such a long way in such a short space of time, as the epic six and a half minute single ‘Poison Drum’ confirms. 12 months ago they were “playing to nobody in an inner-city garage”, and have recently found themselves touring with Cloud Control, Smith Westerns, Vampire Weekend, Manchester Orchestra and Frightened Rabbit. The group have been working with producer Kevin McMahon in upstate New York on what is to be their debut full-length, planned for release later in the year. With swooning indie romance, chiming guitar hooks, sprinting energy and a strident, breathtaking surge of a chorus, ‘Poison Drum’ brings to mind Springsteen collaborating with a more gutsy Arcade Fire, and provides the perfect introduction to this great band.
Negative Lovers are a band who I discovered after one of their members kindly dropped me a Facebook message to inform me of their existence. Glad I had the time to check them out, because this four piece from the Indonesian city of Jakarta are rather brilliant indeed. Their new EP ‘Faster Lover‘ was released on July 27, and features six new tracks. The legendary Jagz Kooner has remixed the EP’s lead track, and provides two new remixes for this EP, which also includes this pacy burst of woozily colourful shoegaze, which glows with sunny surf-pop vibes, fuzzed-out guitars and bright melodies.
Negative Lovers are signed to Picture In My Ear records and consist of Tony Setiaji (Vocal,Guitar), Benedict Pardede (Guitar), Yoga Indrista (Drums) and Respati Nugroho (Bass). According to their press blurb: “this Indonesian noise-rock outfit harbours dense feedback, explosive sonic layers and sheets of sky along with a voice that calls out to you from the urban shadows…” I’d say.
I’m becoming increasingly tired of people in indie bands who keep claiming that “guitar music is dead” before putting themselves forward as the saviours of the genre. Utter nonsense. If people looked a bit more closely at the UK’s music scene, they will find that there are in fact indie guitar groups out there who are producing music that will knock many socks off. From my local city of Bath comes The Family Rain, made up of three uber-talented brothers Will, Tim and Ollie Walter. Following on from an impressive debut album ‘Under The Volcano‘ (released a few months ago in February) the band haven’t wasted time in delivering a set of follow-up tunes, which comes in the form of their brand new ‘Hunger Sauce‘ EP. This new release is out now on Mountbatten Recordings and includes the superb ‘You Should Be Glad You’ve Got A Man’, an upbeat, vitalised slice of indie rock that brings to mind a hybrid of early Franz Ferdinand and a (much-improved version of) The Killers, but buzzes with a vibrant yet melodic intensity that the trio are developing as their own. The video was directed and edited by the band themselves, while the track (as with the rest of the EP) was recorded, produced and mixed at NAM Studios by Tom Dalgety.
The song can be downloaded for FREE via the band’s Soundcloud page HERE. A glorious, smart and highly infectious slab of synth pop, all the way from Denmark. ‘Youthquake’ is the debut single from Night Sports, a solo project from Caspar Bock, who is also known for being one half of the acclaimed duo Champagne Riot. With savvy vocals from Nanna Frimodt Kristiansen, ‘Youthquake’ is quite simply one of the best pop songs to emerge in recent years, and promises great things to come from this gifted artist. The Copenhagen-based Bock has been described as “a demonic Rick Astley(!)” and produces all the Night Sports material himself. The B-side ‘Alcohol Kisses’ was premiered on The 405, and can be listened to HERE. Both tracks are available to download now after being released a few days ago on July 28. Interpol‘s new track ‘All The Rage Back Home’ has struck me harder and more instantly than anything I’ve ever heard from them before. Can anyone else hear a hint of Britpop in this, a bit of Suede perhaps?
This intense burst of post-punk is the first studio taste of their new album ‘El Pintor‘, which will be released on September 8. The album was produced by the band themselves and is the first to feature singer Paul Banks on bass following the departure of founding bassist Carlos Dengler shortly after the release of their self-titled previous album in 2010. ‘All The Rage Back Home’ is one of three new songs which have been previously aired live, and I can remember hearing some rather encouraging new material when I saw the group play the NME Awards Tour earlier this year. Following on from a Glastonbury set a few weeks ago, Interpol have just finished a tour of Europe, and will be embarking on a seven-date US tour today (July 30).
This new summer special of the RW/FF Compilation will provide the perfect soundtrack for long sunny days. Struggling to hear good new music? In need of some fresh sounds? I believe in 2014 is the best time for new music we have had in years, but thanks to the people in control of the mainstream, not many people are hearing the good stuff. The regular RW/FF Compilation is here to help. It showcases the music that has featured on the site over the last few weeks…
First Aid Kit – ‘My Silver Lining’
Spies – ‘Moosehead’
Tape Waves – ‘Looking At The Sun’
Stephen Jones – ‘A Beautiful War’
Goat – ‘Hide From The Sun’
Tony Allen ft. Damon Albarn – ‘Go Back’
James – ‘Curse Curse’
Night Sports – ‘Youthquake’
Lee Coombs and Kostas G – ‘Phunked!’
Epic45 – ‘Weathering’ (Bracken remix)
Echaskech – ‘Sovereign System’
Manic Street Preachers – ‘Between The Clock And The Bed’
False-Heads – ‘Fall Around’
THE PHANTOM BAND – (Invisible) Friends
Gang Of Youths – ‘Poison Drum’
Mat Motte And The People Who Hate Him – ‘Summer Song’
Negative Lovers – Hit And Run
Hell Death Fury – ‘Marijuana’
Those listeners who tuned in this Monday night (July 28) will have no doubt noticed that Melksham Town Sound was off air… This was due to some very annoying technical issues, which meant that both RW/FF Radio and Dance Class with Jason B had to be recorded as if they were going out live, and uploaded to the internet instead. Better than no show at all I suppose… This edition brings new sounds from the likes of Goat, Echaskech, Télépopmusik ft. Mark Gardener, Stephen Jones, Tony Allen ft. Damon Albarn, The Vines, Epic45, False-Heads, Gang Of Youths and The Amazing Snakeheads. Music from the past comes from Wolfgang Riechmann, Underworld, Mid Day Rain and Frank De Wulf.
The previous week’s show (on July 21) was very fun indeed. To celebrate the first birthday of Melksham Town Sound, we thought it would be good if some of our presenters swapped shows for the week. So my old school friend Jason B took over the reigns at RW/FF Radio for the night, playing an eclectic selection of tracks ranging from pop punk and soul to Madchester anthems and electronica. Expect music from Mansun, Jimi Goodwin, Goldfinger, Jane’s Addiction, Booker T. And the M.G.s, Ghosts Of Dead Aeroplanes, The Franklys, Gorillaz, The Stone Roses, The Pretty Reckless, Labyrinth Ear, Transplants, The Secret Sisters and Boots ‘N All…
Following on from that, I returned the favour by hosting Jason B’s regular Dance Class show, where I bathed in nostalgia and played a number of tracks from my days as a very young club DJ in the mid 90s. Featuring dance classics from Baby D, The Bucketheads, Ken Doh, Souvlaki, Stretch N Vern, Tori Amos, Josh Wink, Strike, Duke, Pete Heller, Alcatraz, The Lisa Marie Experience, BBE, Berri and DeLacy.
I do RW/FF Radio every Monday night at 7pm, before Jason B returns with Dance Class from 8pm until 9pm. More info about the station’s other shows can be found at the website HERE.
Regular and longterm RW/FF readers will know all about the daily Track Of The Day selections, featuring only the very finest new music. And from now on, each month, one chosen song will be crowned by RW/FF readers as the winner of the brand new Track Of The Month feature. Voting will be open until Aug 6, when the winning track will be unveiled. The top 10 most-voted-for songs will also be listed, making up The RW/FF Chart. Just choose one song (and one song only ) from the shortlist HERE to make your vote count…
RW/FF is very proud to be one of the music blogs taking part in Universal Horse‘s monthly Alternative Top 40. As well as blogger folk like me, you too can be part of the Top 40 and make your current musical turn-ons count towards the chart each month…
The Alternative Top 40 is a monthly music chart shared across multiple music blogs, and a great way of discovering music you might not have heard elsewhere. You can contribute to the #AltTop40 by simply naming your favourite tracks of the moment – for full details of how to nominate music, see the latest post about the chart at Universal Horse.
The Alt Top 40 is not based on sales, or radio play – or, indeed, any form of objective measure. Instead, anyone who wants can simply tell us the tracks they want to see in the chart, and the more people we hear about a track from, the higher up it goes. July’s Top 40 is HERE.Rewind: 1996
The next instalment of my Musical Memories From 1996 is still being written. At this rate I’m not going to reach 1997 for another decade… Oh well, taking my time over it is better than rushing things and missing out lots of important bits. So until then, you can read the most recent 1996 memory piece HERE and listen to some of my favourite new chart entries from January ’96 below… 
When people talk about music with a “lost history”, they often refer to obscurities that were too ahead of their time to be accepted into mainstream culture or to be widely documented. However, the tragic tale of Cambodia’s musical past runs a lot deeper than that. During the Khmer Rouge’s brutal reign in the 1970s, artists, intellectuals and musicians were ruthlessly executed, and their works destroyed, leading to a huge chunk of the country’s cultural history being wiped away. With various compilations and books bringing the music to people’s awareness in the last few years, The Cambodian Space Project celebrate and feed from the country’s lost musical history, bringing the sounds and spirit back to life in the 21st century. They were formed in 2009 when Tasmanian musician Julien Poulson heard the voice of Srey Thy singing in a karaoke bar in Phnom Penh. She’s lived in a tank, she’s been kidnapped, narrowly avoided a sex trafficking ring, been a women’s rights activist and has even worked as a Good Will Ambassador for UN Women’s UNiTE, rather an eventful life you’ll agree. On their third album ‘Whisky Cambodia’, the duo augment their Khmer-rock and 60s Cambodian pop with a Motown flavour, supplied by an array of musicians including former Funk Brothers guitarist Dennis Coffey.
