This Is Recycled Plastic

Keeping with yesterday's feelgood theme, a jaunt to Japan and the, well, fantastic Fantastic Plastic Machine with L'Aventure Fantastique from 1997.

This is the second video, which is very different but equally cool.

L'Aventure Fantastique was released in the UK on the Bungalow label, run by Marcus Liesenfeld and Holger Beier aka Le Hammond Inferno, who provided a Recycled Soft Rock Mix of the song on the 12" single.

Rounding out the vinyl issue, Bungalow label mate The Maxwell Implosion aka Torsten Heller delivered a remix of Nova Bossa Nova aka Pura Saudade, the closing track of Fantastic Plastic Machine's debut, self-titled album.

Doesn't that put a spring in your step, even if Spring hasn't quite sprung yet?

Just Another Gig In Another City On Another Saturday Night....

...and just another bearded old guy in a beanie wandering onto the stage, just as you're coming to the end of your set.

Except, when you're Michael Shannon, Jason Narducy and band, performing the songs of R.E.M., and the bearded old guy in a beanie is Michael Stipe, it's going to be a rather special night.

If you were an audience member at Brooklyn Steel in New York on Saturday (7th), this is exactly what happened.

Michael Shannon and Jason Narducy are currently touring Life's Rich Pageant on its 40th anniversary, and Michael performed a reprise of These Days (track 2, side 1) followed by The Great Beyond, one of R.E.M.'s last great singles of the 20th Century.

The band, sans Stipe, subsequently returned to the stage to play six (count 'em) songs for the encore, but honestly, how do you follow that?!

To quote from another R.E.M. song, "take comfort in your friends". 

And we all have a friend in Michael Stipe.

Take The World At 45

I have JC at The Vinyl Villain to thank for my love of Sister John.

It all started innocently enough on 12th March 2022, with #298 of JC's epic Saturday's Scottish Song series (still going strong, with #495 dropping yesterday).

Sister John were that week's featured artist and JC was spot on when he wrote that,

"I’m guessing that, for the vast majority of you, this will be your introduction to Sister John.  I thought that it would therefore be worthwhile to post one song from each of the three albums, and should you find yourself enjoying and liking what you hear, then perhaps you might be tempted to place an order with LNFG for some vinyl."

I did like what I heard but wasn't sufficiently moved to go to LNFG, aka Last Night From Glasgow, to place an order. After all, I hadn't bought any vinyl for years!

That all changed before the year was out, when JC enthused about the imminent debut album from HiFi Sean & David McAlmont, which was available to LNFG subscribers in 2022, ahead of a general release in 2023. 

Suitably motivated, I took out an annual subscription, and got the album - Happy Endings - and was introduced to a load of other artists that I'd either not heard of at all, or not for a very, very long time.

One of the perks of LNFG membership is access to their digital vault of pretty much everything the label has released since day 1. And it was in the vault that I rediscovered Sister John, namely the three albums mentioned in JC's post, plus singles and one-offs.

2025 saw the release of fourth album, Don't Worry, It's Forever, the first that I've received in glorious vinyl and it maintains the high standard of the previous releases.

Sister John is a four-piece, comprising multi-talented multi-instrumentalists Heather Phillips, Jonathan Lilley and Sophie Pragnell and, at the core, Amanda McKeown.

Amanda also writes all of the songs, which manage the balance between achingly sparse and deeply moving. JC reflected on "particularly enjoying [the music] when I’ve needed to, or wanted to, slow things right down."

He's absolutely right. Sister John's albums would fit comfortably in a playlist including Nick Drake, late period Talk Talk, or Portishead, yet sounds like none of these. And chances are, Sister John may have passed me by altogether, were it not for the recommendation from the blogging community, which would have been a tragedy.

Today's Sister John selection has been sitting on my hard drive and on my phone for well over a month. It was a last minute decision to go ahead with posting it today and it was only when referring back to The Vinyl Villain that I realised that it's pretty much 4 years to the day since that fateful Saturday's Scottish Song post. Sometimes, these things are just meant to be.

So, this is me paying forward. As with JC's original post, I've sampled three songs, one from each of the four albums, plus a 2016 single that also ended up on their debut. More by accident than design, the first half focuses on Sister John's earlier recordings, the second half their output in the 2020s.

I had half a thought to match the compilation title by bringing the selection in 45 minutes. Sensibly, I went with a sequence that seemed to flow and play well as an album in it's own right, so the running time went a bit over, but no regrets.

The closing song here is also the closing song on the current album and is as good a sentiment as any, in a world where it's easy to become paralysed by fear and self-doubt. I should take Amanda's advice myself.

And if you like what you hear, but are unsure whether to buy a Sister John album or, better still, subscribe to Last Night From Glasgow, you know what? Just do it anyway.

1) Gone (2017)

2) Silver Whistle (2019)

3) He Came Down (Single Version) (2016)

4) Lost And Won (2019)

5) Backstreet Swimmers (2017)

6) The Other Side Of Love (2019)

7) Strange Ideas (2021)

8) Thinner Air (2017)

9) Grief (2025)

10) The Bud (2021)

11) Me And Nevine (2025)

12) How Can I Keep It Alive? (2021)

13) Just Do It Anyway (2025)

2016: He Came Down EP: 3

2017: Returned From Sea: 1, 5, 8

2019: Sister John: 2, 4, 6

2021: I Am By Day: 7, 10, 12

2025: Don't Worry, It's Forever: 9, 11, 13

Take The World At 45 (46:43) (GD) (M)

Live It Well

Not a lot of chat today as I've been plagued by power cuts whilst composing this post and it's accompanying selection. Only brief ones, but they've knocked out the PC every time and it's taken increasingly longer to get everything up and running again. And it's raining again.

"Arse!" as Father Jack was inclined to say, well, shout.

In that spirit, here's some joie de vivre courtesy of a dozen songs that have already brightened up my 2026; some only just so as they were released for Bandcamp Friday.

Again, I've found myself with an embarrassment of riches and have compiled 12 of them for your listening pleasure today, and this weekend.

Spare Snare's cover of Say My Name by Destiny's Child has been knocking around since 2001, but it's just reappeared on brand new compilation, Love Your Later Stuff, so it gets in on a technicality. That, and it segues beautifully into the dub of Jezebell's Turn It Yes by Justin Robertson's Five Green Moons.

It was a chance check in with the official Gavin Friday website that led me to the David Holmes remix of The Church Of Love, which snuck out earlier this year. 

And if you enjoy the song by Al MacKenzie (D:Ream) which gives today's post it's title (well, half of it at least) I will be coming back to the Evil Acid Barons album, which is an early contender for compilation of the year... and only a handful of tracks have been released so far.

1) Protector: SAULT (Chapter 1)

2) Life Is Short, Live It Well (Vocal Mix): Al MacKenzie (Evil Acid Barons)

3) Program 70: Pye Corner Audio (Program 70 EP)

4) Love To Watch U: A_M_B_O_S_S (Machine X Human EP)

5) Nothing Ever (Tom Sharkett Remix): GLOK / Timothy Clerkin (Alliance Remixed)

6) Surrounded By Spies (Richard Norris Dub): Placebo (Surrounded By Spies EP)

7) Song Of Siraba (Cosmikuro Remix): A Space Age Freak Out (Song Of Siraba EP)

8) My Electric Dreams (Airsine Remix): Pete Bones (My Electric Dreams EP)

9) The Church Of Love (David Holmes Remix): Gavin Friday (The Church Of Love And Dancing EP)

10) Say My Name (Cover of Destiny's Child): Spare Snare (2001) (Love Your Later Stuff)

11) Turn It Yes (Justin Robertson's Five Green Moons Dub): Jezebell (Turn It Yes Remixes Vol. 1 EP)

12) Môgôya (BOM Nation Remix): Namian Sidibé (Remix EP)

Live It Well (1:07:07) (GD) (M)

Unexpected Item In Bagging Area*

* Before Swiss Adam's solicitor takes further action, I state for the record that this post relates to Bandcamp Friday, not their client's illustrious blog.

Yes, it's that time again when I wade through the mass of emails, all telling me about music that I should be spending my pennies on in the next 24 hours.

Sometimes they're expected. I often receive similar communications in the weeks, sometimes months, leading up to release. Sometimes, they're unexpected, literally dropped in whilst I've been asleep. And knowing how little I sleep, that's no mean feat.

Lots to choose from, here are five that will be ringing through the checkout this Friday:

First up is Bristol's Diz Undone, formerly known as Dizraeli, who I've come to late but feel very glad that I made it. By his own admission, Diz Undone has made a career of (artistically speaking) "distributing explosions that journalists find hard to describe."

He's right, but I like what I hear and Normal, featuring Grove andTom Caruana hits the spot, with a cracking video to boot.

I'm biased, as I'll buy anything that has Bedford Falls Players aka Mark Cooper's name attached to it, but North Star is another satisfying bass-heavy seven minutes "Inspired by The North Star of Andrew Weatherall".

From Maidenhead, Berkshire to Gydnia in Poland and reggae/dub specialists Muflon Dub Soundsystem, with Empty Church. There's a vocal and dub version, both featuring Karolina; the latter edges it slightly for me.

Another "no need to try, go ahead and buy" is anything on the Paisley Dark Records label, and Engage by Krabberz is the latest addition to the list. I'm not familiar with Krabberz but the line-up of artists on this remix EP are firm favourites: Airsine, Högt I Tak, Jay-Son and 10:40. All for three quid. A steal!

Lastly, a new single from Transglobal Underground that's so fresh that it's not yet available at the time of posting. Head over to their Bandcamp page after 10.00am GMT to discover double A-side Doin' The Moonshine / Darjeeling Train.

Style Is Surely Our Own Thing, Not The False Disguise Of Showbiz

Well, if I thought yesterday's music heralded the start of Spring, then I'd missed the fact that 3rd March was official De La Soul Day. At least, if you were there for their Tiny Desk Concert. And boy, do I wish I was.

Whilst it's sad that De La Soul is now fronted as a 2-piece of Posdnuos aka Kelvin Mercer and Maseo aka Vincent Mason following Trugoy The Dove aka Dave Jolicoeur's passing in 2023, the latter is with them throughout, whether through frequent name checks, a "would Dave approve?" check when assembling the setlist, boldly emblazoned on Maseo's T-shirt and a name card on the desk, front and centre.

It's a joyous performance, an impressive seven musicians and singers crammed in behind the desk with Pos and Maseo, and a whopping ten tracks in 20-odd minutes, a reminder why De La Soul were - and remain - such a vital force and hugely influential in music.

1) YUHDONTSTOP (3:00)

2) Will Be (1:27)

3) Much More (2:25)

5) Sunny Storms (2:17)

6) Different World (1:45)

7) Breakadawn (2:43)

8) Pony Ride (1:55)

9) A Quick 16 For Mama (2:24)

10) Me Myself And I (3:21)

All You Need Is...

...love, if you subscribe to The Beatles' time-honoured testament. Bobby Thorpe and Psychederek, 21st Century realists and therefore much more pragmatic, assert that all you need is a little emotion.

In fact, so sure of this are they that they've collaborated on a new 4-track EP of the same name, with the title track (actually song 2) as a preview. It's a cheery, chuggy number built around that sampled refrain and the promise of the spring and summer to come.

The EP is available on 12" vinyl and digital and not out in full until April, but you can pre-order and download A Little Emotion now.

This is the first I've heard of Bobby Thorpe, which is my loss as I've discovered that he released the equally wonderful Salford Balearic, last July, self-described as a "100BPM summer chugger". Bobby's not wrong, it's a beauty.

With Bandcamp Friday arriving imminently, you should seriously consider adding this to your shopping cart. I have.

Psychederek aka Lewis Olsen is like an old friend to this blog, always welcome. As a reminder, here are a couple of songs, a wonderful cover (with full band) of 808 State's Pacific State and Screamadereka from 2021, the one that got me hooked in the first place. This and lots more to enjoy - and buy - on their Bandcamp site.

 

"I Used To Listen To This During Thunderstorms A Lot"

Another entertaining and enlightening episode of What's In My Bag? arrived on Monday, thsi time featuring Peaches aka Merrill Nisker.

I have relatively little music by Peaches and the majority of that is her remixes of other artists, but I'm always interested in what she's up to and this 12-minute dip into her shopping bag is no exception.

This one's quite heavy on music-related books and films, so I've added videos for four of her her picks, plus the title track of her seventh album, which arrived last month. All great choices, but I especially enjoyed Eartha Kitt's performance.

1) Sat In Your Lap: Kate Bush (1981)

2) See That My Grave Is Kept Clean: Diamanda Galás (1992)

3) I Want To Be Evil: Eartha Kitt (1962)

4) The Real Me: The Who (1979)

5) No Lube So Rude: Peaches (2026)

 

 

 

 

I Fought The Law And The Law Won

Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros performing I Fought The Law on Later... With Jools Holland, broadcast on BBC2 on 13th May 2000.

I don't post about Joe Strummer nearly enough, but this random shuffle seems apt for a whole host of reasons, at home* and away.

The energy just bursts from the screen and clearly infused the audience and fellow performers. Jools on keyboards is no surprise, he does it all the time but yes, that's Warren Zevon on piano at 1:02 and Joe beckons Tracy Chapman to join in at 2:20, as the closing credits roll.

Jools' show frequently comes in for a lot of stick for being a chummy smugfest, but when I don't watch it (I was otherwise engaged on 13th May 2000), I miss out on magical moments like this.

* Metaphorically speaking, I'm not expecting a change of accommodation at His Majesty's Pleasure any time soon!

Tekno Tronik

A welcome return to this blog for Tronik Youth aka Neil Parnell, with a very belated follow up to the first Dubhed selection that I posted in August 2024.

Neil also heads up the NEIN Records label, which has been a go-to for me since discovering it on Bandcamp approx. 6 years ago. I've been on the mailing list since and NEIN releases are a regular addition to my shopping basket.

Last week, I received an offer that I couldn't refuse, an opportunity to buy the entire NEIN Records back catalogue at a frankly unbelievable discount. Even allowing for the considerable number of releases I've previously purchased, it was still such a bargain that I would have been silly not to.

Transaction completed, I've now added well over 1,500 tracks to my collection. It's going to take a long time to sift, sort and listen to it all...!

Tronik Youth music alone is a daunting prospect, with dozens of solo and collaborative EPs and albums, standalone releases, scores of edits and a remix CV that probably edges into three figures on NEIN Records alone.

 

Rather than feel overwhelmed by the sheer volume, much of which I haven't heard yet, I've instead followed my original rule of thumb in creating a snappy, 45-minute selection that can pair with my previous effort as a C90 cassette-friendly side.

As before, today's selection is a mix of Tronik Youth tracks, edits and remixes (of and by), 8 songs in total, spanning 2017 to 2026.

If you like what you hear, head over to NEIN Records on Bandcamp and buy.

Given the treasure trove of music, I can guarantee that I will posting further artist selections from the NEIN Records roster throughoout 2026.

1) Arabia Felix: Sarv + Tronik Youth ft. Monixa (2024)

2) Zulu Whiskey Zulu (Gemini Brothers Remix): Tronik Youth (2017)

3) Bumpy Rider: Tronik Youth (2023)

4) Seedling (Tronik Youth Remix): MAN2.0 (2017)

5) Electric Baby: Tronik Youth (2017)

6) Kill It (Single Version): Tronik Youth (2022)

7) Don't Space (Ands Mega Remix): Tronik Youth (2017)

8) Happy Days (Tronik Youth Remix): Ackerman (2026)

Tekno Tronik (45:37) (GD) (M)

You can find the previous selection, Elect Tronik, right here.

For those of you poised to ping your letters of complaint that I'd hoodwinked you in thinking today's post was all about Belgian rap/dance popsters Technotronic, I offer a crumb of consolation.

The cover art is a crop of the cover for their 1991 album Body To Body, which I put through a LunaPic filter and then further played around with lighting and exposure.

The hand and leg in question belongs to Reggie aka Réjane Magloire, the voice and face of Technotronic for their second album. In looking this up, I was sad to read that Reggie died of a heart attack in October 2023.