Electronic - Getting Away With It 12"

One of the best 12" singles ever?

A wonderful collision of expert studio production techniques, brilliant songcraft and Johnny Marr's guitar. Not to mention the wonderful Peter Saville sleeve.

Marr, Sumner and Tennant. Now THAT was a SUPERGROOP!


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The Sundays - Goodbye CDS

I've posted a 7" of this before, but here's the shiny CD single with an additional rare track, "Noise", which is brief but fucking lovely.

This in addition to the jangle-spectacular that is "goodbye". Also let us not forget that this EP features their cover of The Stones' "Wild Horses". I'm not going to spoil it by mentioning the recent cover version of this track, but for those in any doubt, rest assured that this is the version that you will return to. There is beauty here. All you have to do is turn it up.

320 Kbps.


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Virginia Astley - Love's A Lonely Place To Be 7"

Beautiful synth/chamber pop from former Ravishing Beauty, Virginia Astley.

I saw the Ravishing Beauties supporting the Teardrops at Lancaster University about a hundred years ago. Kate St. John was also in the band and went on to play on Julian's immense first solo record to earth shattering effect. I was definitely a little bit in love with Virginia.

I met her at the Armoury Show gig where I got this. She was going out with former Skid and Armoury show bassist, Russell Webb. Look! There she is on the left, stood next to Webb and my mate, Michelle.



This is a wonderful, lovely song with a truly great lyric.

Go here for more.

Vinyl rip at 320 Kbps.

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The Housemartins - There Is Always Something There To Remind Me 12"

Late period brilliance from the wonderful Housemartins.

I saw them live in Manchester and they blew the roof off. An amazing band. Some of that energy is captured on the three live tracks featured as B sides on the twelve, taken from a BBC recording in Nottingham from Septemeber '87. The very month I moved to London.

Vinyl rip at 320 Kbps.

Artwork included.

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Spider And The Flies - Something Clockwork This Way Comes

This seven track mini-album is a massively underrated offshoot project from Spider and Tomethy Furse from The Horrors, with typically insane synth abuse production from Barry 7 of Add n to (x).

"Spider And The Flies are the result of a freak accident in which two scientist explorers and their clockwork laboratory were sucked into a cataclysmic black hole only to emerge in a foreign universe as monstrous half-human-half-insect creatures. On their adventures they recorded these many reverberations and sonic fluctuations of the galaxy and the strange planets and life which do inhabit it. Their sound is one that mixes the basic and minimal sounds of Daniel Miller's The Normal with the weird and wonderful world of Delia Derbyshire's work with the Radiophonic Workshop and Joe Meek-produced instrumentals."

In summary, it's beautifully horrible. You will fucking love it.


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Beyond The Wizards Sleeve - Birth

Fresh new rip from the virgin pink vinyl.

This wonderful album is still sounding great. C'mon boys, we need some new stuff!

The file includes full vinyl porn artwork.

I know exactly who I am.

Vinyl rip at 320 Kbps.


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Lindstrøm - It's A Feedelity Affair.

I'm still TOTALLY obsessed with Lindstrøm. He is both massively prolific and immensely talented. This roundup of the choicest moments from his Feedelity releases is such a wonderful, uplifting record. I've written here before about the healing power of music, and this music has truly helped me through a few dark times over the last months. I'm a total fanboy over this guy. Why is everything Scandinavian so cool?

Now go and buy this.


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Save BBC 6Music

I should have done this earlier, but there is still time to act and hopefully make a difference.

The best place to go is here.

Phill Jupitus: “Closing 6Music is an affront to the memory of John Peel”

I also think The Asian Network is a crucially important station as well.

Act now!

The Bathers - Fancy Dress Promo 12"

The story of how I came to love this record is a strange one. I was crate digging in a local junk shop (Harry Vincent's on Rawlinson Street) circa 1985 and came across this promo on The Housemartins'/The La's label, "Go! Discs". To find a promo in this far flung corner of the British Isles at all was weird, to find one that was modern and had a connection to a couple of bands that I really loved was even more strange. I duly paid my pound and took it home. I was in for a wonderful surprise.

This is a beautiful, perfect, soulful pop song. I played this to death at the time and based upon the majesty of this track, I was one of the couple of hundred of people who bought their first album. Alas, to my ears the album was a patchy affair and indeed the flipside songs on this 12" only confirm that the band were inconsistent. Not terrible, but not great. I seem to remember there was a long track at the end of side one which was similarly awesome, but I just didn't feel the emotional attachment that I felt to this song. I tried, people, I really did, but I just couldn't fall in love with it. I'd love to hear a copy of it now if anyone could point me in the right direction, though.

But my friends, this song here, this song here, well I played it a few times on the morning of my wedding. It seemed appropriate. She looked beautiful. She did indeed have a fancy dress. Deep emotional attachment for me here. I hope you like it.

I'm sure you will, there is much to love. Chris Thomson's vocal for one thing. The strange arrangement and the perfect way in which the tune and melody slowly reveal themselves. The shrill and awkward keyboard parts. Thomas's "Huurr" after the line "You'll keep her captive in the bower". The double stalling chord at the very denouement. This is clever stuff. Didn't we fall over at your fancy dress? I ripped this last night and played it on the iPod on the way to work this morning.

I cried.
On public transport.
I'm not ashamed of that.

Brief Wikipedia entry here.

Vinyl rip at 320 kbps.


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Biosphere - Seti Project

"Can you imagine an extra terrestrial disc jockey? Like listening to radio waves from space? Unbelievable."

There's not many of these around. Stunning stuff.

I'm still not mentioning frozen wastelands.


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Cocteau Twins - Evangeline

Late period "cathedrals of sonic beauty" from the Cocteau Twins.

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Biosphere - Novelty Waves

People, sorry for the break in posting. No real reason other than laziness and just the general upheaval and turmoil that is our life these days.

Hope you're all well and happy. I'll going to try and cram in a few thing this weekend and this seems like a great place to start. I've been listening to a lot of Biosphere over the last few weeks, and while I think all of his output is very, very good, it's still those early works that are having the best effect on me.

I reckon this single marks the end of his amazing high point. As the man once said, "Money changes everything".

And no, I'm not going to use the phrases "Frozen landscapes" or "Levis commercial".

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