The Soundtrack To My Life. 07/03/2015.

Record: Girls In Peacetime Want To Dance.
Year: 2015.
Artist: Belle And Sebastian.

Belle And Sebastian’s best record in some time, if you ask me. I was pretty surprised and impressed to find a Euro-Disco track in the middle of the album but yep, that’s just what they’ve done. Suits them too…

Record: A Mighty Wind (OST).
Year: 2003.
Artist: Various.

I’d never seen this film until recently. LOVED IT! Loved ALL the songs in it! Especially this one…

Record: Dracula’s Deuce.
Year: 1964.
Artist: The Ghouls.

I went looking specifically to find some sort of Horror themed Surf music and found ‘Dracula’s Deuce’ by The Ghouls. It’s exactly what I was after! Imagine an entire album of tracks by a band that sound like early Beach Boys meets early Chuck Berry where every song sounds a bit like ‘The Monster Mash’? EXACTLY what I was looking for…

Record: Foundations Of Burden.
Year: 2014.
Artist: Pallbearer.

I found Pallbearer through Pitchfork. I never read Pitchfork reviews but they seem to keep a better eye out for new bands than I do so I occasionally drop by there to see if anything catches my eye and the artwork to Foundations Of Burden did just that.

I liked this band just fine. I think they’re musically interesting. I think they have a good sound. I think they can be hard and rough when they want to and gentle and melodic when they try. But the only thing is that Black Sabbath did all of this years ago.

Record: Shadows In The Night.
Year: 2015.
Artist: Bob Dylan.

For the first time in YEARS, Dylan has made a record that does almost zero for me. What we have here is a collection of Sinatra songs that have been covered hundreds of times before by various artists and that’s kind of my problem with it.

Dylan says that they’ve been covered so many times that these songs have almost been buried. I think he was aiming to put a bit of life back into these songs and I love that he recorded them all live but for me personally, Dylan doesn’t add anything to the likes of ‘What’ll I Do’ for me. But then again, nobody could add anything to that song for me. Not since I first heard Harry’s version…

Record: It’s A Big World Out There (And I Am Scared).
Year: 2013.
Artist: Kurt Vile And The Violators.

Kurt Vile. That name stood out to me in a Reddit forum thingy in which Tom Waits fans were recommending music to each other so I got this album. I don’t see why so many fans of Tom Waits’ music recommended Kurt Vile. I thought it was all a bit bland but I like this track…

Record: Hide.
Year: 2013.
Artist: The Bloody Beetroots.

I got a hold of this record solely because I heard and liked the name, The Bloody Beetroots. I dunno what I was expecting. That’s the fun of going in blind like that. This was the only track I liked from the record…

Record: Dawn Of The Dead (OST).
Year: 1987.
Artist: Goblin.

I’m a sucker for soundtracks and I like to listen to Horror soundtracks especially when I can’t sleep and wander around Glasgow. But y’know, Goblin’s music for “Dawn Of The Dead” doesn’t really do anything for me on its own without the film. I dunno why because I really like the soundtrack! It just doesn’t work for me on its own without the film…

Record: EP.
Year: 2005.
Artist: The Fiery Furnaces.

I’ve liked The Fiery Furnaces ever since I heard their ‘Bitter Tea‘ record years ago…

Record: Harry.
Year: 1969.
Artist: Harry Nilsson.

I’ve always had lots of time for Harry Nilsson and last week I found this record in Glasgow for £2.00. A Canadian Import seemingly. It has Nilsson’s great cover of The Beatles’ ‘Mother Nature’s Son’ on it…

Record: Fox Confessor Brings The Flood.
Year: 2006.
Artist: Neko Case.

When Andrea recommended the soundtrack and film, “A Mighty Wind”, she also hit me with hundreds of other artists and albums she thought I may like and I’m working my way through those at the moment. I was glad to be introduced to Neko Case and this ‘Fox Confessor Brings The Flood’ album. I don’t like the album cover and so I bet I’ve passed this by when I’ve been record hunting. Anyway, I’m glad I found it eventually because it’s a brilliant record and really well produced too! So far, this is my favourite track from it…

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The Soundtrack To My Life. 07/01/2015.

Record: Storytone (Deluxe Edition).
Year: 2014.
Artist: Neil Young.

Old Neil Young sure does know how to convince me into getting a ‘Deluxe Edition’ of a record like nobody else. In the case of ‘Storytone’, he’s released the album twice. Each version being completely different.

The first record is a solo effort with Neil on the type of form he was on when he did ‘Philadelphia‘, and the second record, (Maybe my favourite), is that record again with overtly lush and downright Disney-esque orchestration. And it completely works!

Here’s my favourite song from ‘Storytone’…twice…

Record: Bathtub Love Killings.
Year: 2014.
Artist: Olivia Jean.

Olivia, you had me at “The name of my album is called ‘Bathtub Love Killings’, based on a serial killer from the 1800’s.”

Olivia Jean fronts (Or fronted?) one of my favourite bands of the last few years, The Black Bells, and this is her solo record. I think I read somewhere that she had these songs kicking around and thought they weren’t suitable for The Black Bells and so, encouraged by Jack White, she put this record together.

So far, this is my favourite song from ‘Bathtub Love Killings’…

Record: Mysteriis Alienis Mundi.
Year: 2013.
Artist: The Taikonauts.

I was listening to Man Or Astroman recently and I decided that I needed more bands like them in my life so I went looking and found The Taikonauts! That was a fucking piece of luck because y’see, I always thought that ‘Psychobilly’ was something that it isn’t. I remember someone telling me about ‘Psychobilly’ being a genre of music and I remember being very interested just on the word alone! But Psychobilly was nothing like I’d imagined it was gonna be. To me, it was a total letdown. What I was really after was Horror/Sci-Fi Surf music! That’s what I originally thought Psychobilly was! But it wasn’t. And that’s where The Taikonauts come in…

Record: Absurdistan.
Year: 1997.
Artist: Laika And The Cosmonauts.

After discovering The Taikonauts, I was hooked on Sci-Fi/Horror Surf music so I went on the hunt for more and immediately found Laika And The Cosmonauts. At first I thought they were a late 60’s band. They’re not. But the reason I originally thought they were was because the first thing I saw of theirs was this video…

Record: Songs From Zombex (OST).
Year: 2014.
Artist: Various.

“Zombex” is a zombie film by Jesse Dayton who is the main man behind one of my favourite horror bands, Captain Clegg And The Night Creatures. The film is not for me. It’s cheap and the acting is terrible and not in the good way. However, the soundtrack is right up my street and Captain Clegg And The Night Creatures even feature on it! You can only download this album right now but you can listen to a sample HERE.

Record: Yells From The Crypt.
Year: 2005.
Artist: Various.

Listen To This…

Record: Pura Vida Conspiracy.
Year: 2013.
Artist: Gogol Bordello.

I like Gogol Bordello but this record is too tame for me. Nothing stood out. I’ve come to expect shit like THIS from them…

Record: Tomorrow’s Modern Boxes.
Year: 2014.
Artist: Thom Yorke.

I wasn’t into Thom’s first solo record, ‘The Eraser’, but I fucking LOVE this new one! It was released via BitTorrent and at just over £3.00, you can’t argue with that…

Record: Clangers. Original Music from The TV Series And More…
Year: 2001.
Artist: Vernon Elliot.

Record: The Bootleg Series Vol.11: The Complete Basement Tapes. (6 Disc Version).
Year: 1967/2014.
Artist: Bob Dylan & The Band.

I’ve been waiting for YEARS to hear these tapes like this. 6 Discs is probably gonna be a bit much unless you’re a Dylan nut like I am but there’s a lot of treasure here. So dig it up!

This is one of my very favourite songs…it’s not lost on me that I say that about hundreds of songs but this really is one of my very favourites…

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The Soundtrack To My Life. 18/01/2013.

Hi folks! Here are some of the records I’ve been listening to over the past few weeks…

Record: Fashion Nugget.
Artist: Cake.
Year: 1996.

Cake? What kind of a name for a band is that? I heard Cake’s ‘Frank Sinatra’ song on an episode of “The Sopranos” years ago and always liked it. I never bothered to investigate the band any further than that until last week when I got “Fashion Nugget”. They’re an okay band but I think I only like the Sinatra song…

Record: The Black Belles.
Artist: The Black Belles.
Year: 2011.

I found The Black Belles because they’re signed to Third Man Records which is home to one of my favourite bands Pokey LaFarge & The South City Three. Jack White (Of Jack White fame) is also part of Third Man and I think he even signed The Black Belles.

I like Jack White. I like to listen to him talk but his music doesn’t really do much for me. That’s okay but what’s weird is that The Black Belles do a lot for me and I know that their music sounds a lot like Jack White’s music. Strange. Maybe it’s because The Black Belles are girls. Maybe it’s because they all look great in those black hats. Maybe it’s just because they have better songs than Jack White.

I think that The Black Belles are a band to watch out for in the future!

Record: Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards.
Artist: Tom Waits.
Year: Recorded 1985-2005. Released 2006.

My mate Sean go me into Tom Waits. I think it was maybe last year. I remember asking him which albums I should get and he said: “All of them. Get ALL of them.” So that’s exactly what I did.

“Orphans” is a big ballsy 3 record set and there’s something for everybody on there. This is my favourite track from the set and probably my favourite Tom Waits song in general…

Record: That’s Why God Made The Radio.
Artist: The Beach Boys.
Year: 2012.

Everybody loves The Beach Boys don’t they? How could a person not? It’s nice to see that they’re still capable of writing a good tune when they want to…

Record: Live At The Meadowlands.
Artist: Frank Sinatra.
Year: Recorded 1986. Released 2009.

Frank Sinatra Live At The Meadowlands is such an incredibly good recording that I can’t even find any videos to represent it on Youtube. If you’re even a casual Sinatra fan the you should buy this record.

Because I can’t find anything to do with it on Youtube, here’s a video of Frank recording the song “It Was A Very Good Year”…

Record: Old Ideas.
Artist: Leonard Cohen.
Year: 2012.

Y’know how Leonard Cohen’s early records were sort of mournful and acoustic? And then remember how his early 90’s records were more synthesizer based? Well “Old Ideas” is a sort of mixture of both.

Record: In The Jungle Groove.
Artist: James Brown.
Year: Recorded 1969-1971. Released 1986.

James Brown at his fonkiest!

Record: Dirty.
Artist: Sonic Youth.
Year: 1992.

Would you believe me if I told you that I only heard this record for the first time 2 days ago? I’m 31 years old. The only thing I can think of is that this record must have been very popular at the time. If something’s popular, I avoid it like the plague and then ‘discover’ it YEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRSSSSSSSS later when nobody is interested anymore. Good band that Sonic Youth!

Record: Hellbilly Deluxe II.
Artist: Rob Zombie.
Year: 2010.

Rob Zombie is never not on my MP3 player. I regularily jam this on in my ears…

Record: Flash Gordon (OST).
Artist: Queen.
Year: 1980.

Is the soundtrack to “Flash Gordon” underated? Nobody ever mentions it. I love it. I love the multi-tracked guitars, the dreamy synths and the pounding drums! I love it all! Especially this track…

Record: Doom And Gloom.
Artist: The Rolling Stones.
Year: 2012.

A solid rocker from The Rolling Bones!

Record: Live At The Harlem Square Club 1963.
Artist: Sam Cooke.
Year: Recorded 1963. Released 1985.

A (excuse my French) fucking excellent live album from Sammy here! It’s so…LIVE! I know that’s not the greatest description for a live record but I’m no writer. Obviously. Look, just listen to this:

Record:  Where Are We Now?
Artist: David Bowie.
Year: 2013.

I didn’t know what to think when I first heard David Bowie’s latest release. It’s always the same. Bowie releases something, I dunno how to take it and then 5 years later I eventually get it! I did happen to notice something about Bowie’s latest, “Where Are We Now” but before I tell you what it is, let’s see if you can spot it for yourself…

Did you spot it? When I heard the song for the first time it seemed familiar to me. But how could that be?
And then it dawned on me…

Does this mean that Ricky Gervais had a hand in writing “Where Are We Now?”

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