Twenty Stripped Songs
Twenty Songs, 11th June 2006
A combination of having a visitor over, some sporting tournament in Germany or something (curling? showjumping? dressage! must be), the recent theft of my spare phone (not as bourgeois as it sounds) and this stupid British weather (why isn't it ever like the stereotype anymore) means that this week's Twenty is A Bit Rubbish. As always, that isn't to say the songs are duff, just, they were selected in a very arbitary, last minute way. To be honest, at the time of writing we're not even sure exactly how all these songs go. No offense.
It's weird but having just downloaded a load of new songs and remixes from Bleep and iTunes (sick), about ten of these songs wouldn't even make it into this chart if it wasn't for the fact that putting a song in on the basis of one play seems a bit harsh. Still. Except some MSTRKRFT next week (something I never expected to say) and definitely some more Simian Mobile Disco, unless next week's purchases and new releases put paid to that idea. Which is also possible.
So. At the bottom of the chart but still a big dancefloor favourite (except, no dancing this week to remind us) is The Automatic's Monster, or, what's the coming over the hill, is it is a mosque as we know it. The Oxford Glamour Models were granted another Twenty showing thanks to the pretty interesting Artrocker cover CD this week, It's All About The Label, featuring luminaries Dance To The Radio, Transgressive and No, Really favourites Marquis Cha Cha, on whom the Models released the excellent Kick Out The Grams.
Being 747 didn't sell us completely with their Brit-pop-esque new album (in approach rather than style specifically) but certainly it had enough songs on there to find a favourite in any home. Ours was probably Strangers Have Never Been Stranger, at the moment at least. Ooberman's showing was due to the coolness of finding Serotonin Smile after all these years, although I'd prefer to find my original CD of it. The KBC's infectious Not Anymore keeps a spot but in its original guise this time, while Union Of Knives and Tunng both pop up from the also reasonably interesting Ones To Watch Vol. 2 on this month's Clash magazine. Jeremy Warmsey pops up from Artrocker. Can't remember what he sounds like right now but it's certainly a band not a he and they were the more interesting of the bunch, of those we'd never heard of*. Simian Mobile Disco's remix of Diefenbach (whoever he is) is up next because, well, Simian Mobile Disco are excellent. We got this tonight but put it in anyway. Sorry.
*apparently he's a he and not a band (but listening to this song we're not convinced) and he sounds like dirty big fat basslines and girl boy vocals with wicked little snags and electronic switches. a bit goodbooks vs justice. possibly.
Booka Shade are the second highest entry of the new compilations and were from the Crash CD but were surprisingly good. Like. We expected not to like them, especially with a name like Booka Shade, which sounds a bit, euro dance but nope, The Birds And Beasts / At The Window was a fine slice of bassy leftfield. Ladyfuzz's album got opined upon this week so they had two chart placing. However we've been listening to them non-stop for a fortnight now so, well, we don't expect many more for a wee while. Still, they play round these parts soon so that's good. Fingers crossed for a Fuck-Off Machete support.
Higher up than Booka are Fury Of The Headteachers with Fables, which was retailing for sixteen quid on eBay when I last went to buy it so it's good to finally have it, on CD no less, for all of a twentieth of three quid. It's a good track, too, we look forward to more from them. Simian Mobile Disco are up again with their superb reinterpretation of Ladyflash by Brighton's yet-to-inspire The Go! Team. We love Simian, after a massive post-first-album hibernation they emerged, truly, as disco butterflies of the highest order.
Up next is The Knife with what is essentially the toppermost compilation entry, since Neverland is from a HMV CD, but since we're putting it in in place of Heartbeat, which we don't own, it's okay. However I include The Knife in general as a sly homage to my dancing partner who, due to not actually going out dancing for a bit, I haven't seen for ages. Shame.
Into the top three and we have Spacek with Eve, which, really, is on the back of having to sit through Steve Spacek's album over and over. It's a really nice album in places but, ultimately, Eve is The Good Shit when it comes to Spacek of any denomination. It's an absolutely luscious, glorious piece of work. Hot Chip are next with the superlative The Warning, which we love almost exclusively for the hot chip will break your legs refrain. We also finally "get" Over And Over which, to be honest, I think the video spoiled for us previously. Oh well. That's behind us now at least. We can simply sit back and enjoy. The sublime and the ridiculous, right there.
Speaking of which, at four and one, we have Sarandon, who once again are all over this site this week with their remarkable small gem of a work, The June Bride. Seven songs all under a minute and a half and yet the fact they're so short is far from the most noteworthy thing about them, it's just the first thing you notice before you press play. Once you listen to the songs you realise you're listening to some pretty damn fine music with both Dance, our number one, and Angela, the number four, being mere examples of the songwriting prowess on display here. Superb.
A combination of having a visitor over, some sporting tournament in Germany or something (curling? showjumping? dressage! must be), the recent theft of my spare phone (not as bourgeois as it sounds) and this stupid British weather (why isn't it ever like the stereotype anymore) means that this week's Twenty is A Bit Rubbish. As always, that isn't to say the songs are duff, just, they were selected in a very arbitary, last minute way. To be honest, at the time of writing we're not even sure exactly how all these songs go. No offense.
It's weird but having just downloaded a load of new songs and remixes from Bleep and iTunes (sick), about ten of these songs wouldn't even make it into this chart if it wasn't for the fact that putting a song in on the basis of one play seems a bit harsh. Still. Except some MSTRKRFT next week (something I never expected to say) and definitely some more Simian Mobile Disco, unless next week's purchases and new releases put paid to that idea. Which is also possible.
So. At the bottom of the chart but still a big dancefloor favourite (except, no dancing this week to remind us) is The Automatic's Monster, or, what's the coming over the hill, is it is a mosque as we know it. The Oxford Glamour Models were granted another Twenty showing thanks to the pretty interesting Artrocker cover CD this week, It's All About The Label, featuring luminaries Dance To The Radio, Transgressive and No, Really favourites Marquis Cha Cha, on whom the Models released the excellent Kick Out The Grams.
Being 747 didn't sell us completely with their Brit-pop-esque new album (in approach rather than style specifically) but certainly it had enough songs on there to find a favourite in any home. Ours was probably Strangers Have Never Been Stranger, at the moment at least. Ooberman's showing was due to the coolness of finding Serotonin Smile after all these years, although I'd prefer to find my original CD of it. The KBC's infectious Not Anymore keeps a spot but in its original guise this time, while Union Of Knives and Tunng both pop up from the also reasonably interesting Ones To Watch Vol. 2 on this month's Clash magazine. Jeremy Warmsey pops up from Artrocker. Can't remember what he sounds like right now but it's certainly a band not a he and they were the more interesting of the bunch, of those we'd never heard of*. Simian Mobile Disco's remix of Diefenbach (whoever he is) is up next because, well, Simian Mobile Disco are excellent. We got this tonight but put it in anyway. Sorry.
*apparently he's a he and not a band (but listening to this song we're not convinced) and he sounds like dirty big fat basslines and girl boy vocals with wicked little snags and electronic switches. a bit goodbooks vs justice. possibly.
Booka Shade are the second highest entry of the new compilations and were from the Crash CD but were surprisingly good. Like. We expected not to like them, especially with a name like Booka Shade, which sounds a bit, euro dance but nope, The Birds And Beasts / At The Window was a fine slice of bassy leftfield. Ladyfuzz's album got opined upon this week so they had two chart placing. However we've been listening to them non-stop for a fortnight now so, well, we don't expect many more for a wee while. Still, they play round these parts soon so that's good. Fingers crossed for a Fuck-Off Machete support.
Higher up than Booka are Fury Of The Headteachers with Fables, which was retailing for sixteen quid on eBay when I last went to buy it so it's good to finally have it, on CD no less, for all of a twentieth of three quid. It's a good track, too, we look forward to more from them. Simian Mobile Disco are up again with their superb reinterpretation of Ladyflash by Brighton's yet-to-inspire The Go! Team. We love Simian, after a massive post-first-album hibernation they emerged, truly, as disco butterflies of the highest order.
Up next is The Knife with what is essentially the toppermost compilation entry, since Neverland is from a HMV CD, but since we're putting it in in place of Heartbeat, which we don't own, it's okay. However I include The Knife in general as a sly homage to my dancing partner who, due to not actually going out dancing for a bit, I haven't seen for ages. Shame.
Into the top three and we have Spacek with Eve, which, really, is on the back of having to sit through Steve Spacek's album over and over. It's a really nice album in places but, ultimately, Eve is The Good Shit when it comes to Spacek of any denomination. It's an absolutely luscious, glorious piece of work. Hot Chip are next with the superlative The Warning, which we love almost exclusively for the hot chip will break your legs refrain. We also finally "get" Over And Over which, to be honest, I think the video spoiled for us previously. Oh well. That's behind us now at least. We can simply sit back and enjoy. The sublime and the ridiculous, right there.
Speaking of which, at four and one, we have Sarandon, who once again are all over this site this week with their remarkable small gem of a work, The June Bride. Seven songs all under a minute and a half and yet the fact they're so short is far from the most noteworthy thing about them, it's just the first thing you notice before you press play. Once you listen to the songs you realise you're listening to some pretty damn fine music with both Dance, our number one, and Angela, the number four, being mere examples of the songwriting prowess on display here. Superb.