There's Nothing Wrong With An Ordinary Life

Another shout out for Emily Breeze. As tomorrow is the last Bandcamp Friday of 2023, this is a further plug for an album that has been a highlight in a year of frankly great music.

Rapture, Emily's third album, was released on 10th February and in a post on 6th March, I wrote that Rapture was "a great album and deserving of a more detailed post in it's own right later on". I didn't intend "later" to be nine months but here we are...

If you search for info about Emily online, you'll inevitably pick up on the Bristol connection and comparisons to the likes of Patti Smith, PJ Harvey, UK soap Hollyoaks (!), Johnny Cash, Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazlewood, Scott Walker... you get the gist. I stand by my comment in July 2022 that "none of those really do justice to Emily, her incisive and reflective lyrics or the band themselves". 

There may be nothing new about an artist or band who write songs that examine the minutae and mundanity of everyday life, that musically mine the depths of the blues, country, rock and punk, that gathers a set of people that alchemically create something different and special in the studio and on stage. And yet, and yet...

Rapture opens with the single Ordinary Life, released in September 2022 and which I enthused about the following month. It's a powerhouse of a song, drawing parallels with Emily's own experience as a striving artist entering their fourth decade, reflecting on and reclaiming their definition of "success". Here's a live performance of Ordinary World from Emily and band's gig at Newport's Le Pub in February 2023.

 

Emily writes all ten songs on the album, collaborating with Rob Norbury (lead/rhythm guitar) on half of them. Confessions Of An Ageing Party Girl is one of the co-writes, originally released as a single in 2020 and re-released this year to great acclaim (and radio play) with a shiny new remix by Daddy G (Massive Attack) vs Robot Club (Stew Jackson). It's another song chock full of musical hooks and narrative treasures. It sounds pretty fantastic on stage too, as this performance at The Phoenix in Exeter (also February this year) amply demonstrates. 

 

As someone who was born in Bristol and spent my callow youth in the heart of the city, I love that Emily's songs are peppered with local references, not least The Bell pub in Stokes Croft, which lends it's name to the second song on Rapture and where I spent many memorable (and not so memorable) times back in the day. 

 

Ordinary World is a tough act to follow, but The Bell proves very early on that it's more than up to it as a song in it's own right and an indication that this album will be something very special indeed. Here's an earlier version of the song, road tested live at The Cavern, located in the basement under The Crown pub in the city centre (another venue with great personal resonance), circa November 2021.

The Oxford Dictionary definition of rapture is "to feel or express extreme pleasure or enthusiasm for someone or something". If forty minutes in the company of Emily Breeze and band playing the album doesn't provoke a similar reaction then call 999 as you may be in need of urgent medical attention.

Rapture is available on vinyl, CD and digital formats via the brilliant (and Bristol-based, natch) Sugar Shack Records. I cannot recommend Rapture highly enough. You need this album in your life.

 

Oh, and whilst you're there, pop over to Emily's own Bandcamp site and pick up her previous releases. You can also find my Dubhed selection from June 2023 here.

 

If you are lucky enough to have tickets for Sleaford Mods' gig tonight at the O2 Academy in Bristol, get there early as Emily Breeze is on stage at 7.20pm.

If not, then Emily and band are touring again in February and March 2024, taking in London, Bristol, Nottingham, Cardiff, Leeds, Brighton, Bedford and Cambridge. It promises to be fabulous.

Praise You

Namian Sidibé hails from Bamako, the capital of Mali, and released her debut self-titled album in May this year. 

 

Being on Sahel Sounds, a label that has frequently featured on fellow blogs par excellence 27 Leggies and Unthought Of, Though, Somehow and subsequently here in the past couple of years, I suspected that I was in for a treat and I wasn't disappointed.

 

Presented in the promo as "Another side of modern Malian praise songs", I've subsequently discovered that Namian Sidibé's first album is something of a departure for the artist herself.

 

Were I not an ageing, creaking sack of flesh and bones on an inexorable stumble to obsolescence, I might already be familiar with Namian as one of her 527,500 (and counting) followers on Tik Tok, regularly entertained by her singing and her rather wonderful wardrobe. But I am and I'm not, so it was my regular shopping visit to Sahel Sounds on Bandcamp Friday that introduced me to Namian Sidibé and her music. Or "another side" of it, at least.

 

The album is 8 songs and a little over half an hour, recorded at home and accompanied by her cousin Jules Diabaté on acoustic guitar. There's an earthy ambience throughout: you can feel the ambience of her environment, the sounds of traffic, people and the occasional mobile phone bleeding into the overall sound. Jules' playing is pitched to the required level of providing a simple framework for the songs, never showy and leaving plenty of room for Namian's voice.

 

Squinting at a grainy scan of the vinyl album's sleevenotes on Discogs - I bought the digital version - opening song Souna appears to be about the titular character, "a famous maker of fetish objects" who lived in Ségou. He also apparently practised "occult sciences" and helped people all over the world. This is one of many praise songs that have continued long after his death.

 

Djougouya Mangni is "a general warning not to attach evil to the good" and "to be good once and for all", which I can get with.

  

Whilst the basic stylings of the songs means the album skirts close to the borders of repetition at times, Namian Sidibé's vocal performance imbues each song with an individual character and drive. This is even more evident with the closing song, an a capella version of Môgôya, just Namian's voice and Bamako's background hum. 

 

Môgôya "describes the duplicitous, hypocritical nature of human beings" and "their propensity for destruction, harm and stubbornness". Not quite the lyrical theme that I was expecting, but it's a moving listen and a testament to Namian's voice that I've frequently pressed repeat on this song as a single listen just isn't enough.

  

Here's a version of Môgôya from 2020. Still fairly restrained in respect of the musical palette, but personally not a patch on the a capella version.

 

Last month, Namian Sidibé released the video for a new song, Furu. Trusting in a free online tool, I believe furu translates as marriage. The narrative of the video itself may also be a clue...

All good stuff, but there's something about Namian Sidibé's "unplugged' debut that resonated with me and has borne repeated listens since the summer. Bandcamp Friday is here again in a couple of days, when Sahel Sounds make their catalogue available as a name your price purchase. I'd recommend adding Namian Sidibé's album to your shopping cart.

You Think You're Right But You're Just Numb

At 1,154 seconds (that's 19:14 in common parlance), When It's Going Wrong by Marta and Tricky is a strong contender for the shortest album of 2023, but it's packed full of great ideas, delivered with a assurance that's come from years of studio collaboration and on-stage performance.

Marta Złakowska is based in Krakow, Poland and her musical journey took a markedly different route when she met Tricky in November 2017. Marta has been a staple of Tricky albums and live concerts since and, despite the co-credit, When It's Going Wrong is her debut album, produced by the visionary Bristolian.

 

Like Tricky's own releases, there's an instantly recognisable sound and feel that runs through his music without ever sounding repetitive. None of the songs outstay their welcome: the longest is 2:42; nearly half are under the 2-minute mark.

 

The title track falls into the latter and presents a challenge for video director Mateusz Miszczyńsk, who presents a short sharp narrative set on a night-time bus, the camera panning a couple of times to Marta as the story comes to an inevitable rest.

 

Moving Through Water is another highlight, the opening riff coming on like Man Size by PJ Harvey, Marta's voice against a steady back beat and Tricky's backing vocals. The song hits even harder when you realise that it's a homage to Tricky and Martina Topley-Bird's daughter Mazy, who's life tragically ended in 2019 at the age of 24. 

 

Now I'm swimming, I'm moving through water
And I'm singing, I sing for my daughter 

 

A video was also released for the album's second song, Today. It's a visually arresting montage of early 20th century clips given a 21st century spruce up and again, an interesting companion piece to the words and music. If the lyrics sound vaguely familiar, it's because Today is a cover version of a 1967 song by this band.

When It's Going Wrong closes with a another cover, this time of  of a Polish song, Czarno Czarny, presented here almost as a lullaby and a ray of hope that things can move on and be better.

For all it's brevity, this is not an album of musical sketches and half-formed ideas. When It's Going Wrong is a full and enriching performance, all the more astonishing given that some albums deliver less with twice (or more) the running time.

 

As a complementary set, here's an utterly engrossing hour in the company of Tricky, posted on 5th March this year for the ARTE Concert YouTube channel. There's a 10-song live set filmed at Ground Control in Paris, Marta sharing the stage and giving a powerfully understated performance. Moving Through Water and When It's Going Wrong get a preview ahead of the album's release later that month. 

 

The gig is peppered with cutaways to Tricky being interviewed in a record shop. Tricky is still the Knowle West Boy, never losing the Bristol burr or his grounding, success measured by the ability to do what he wants (musically) and keep collaborating with other artists and continue to release records, year on year.

When It's Going Wrong by Marta and Tricky is an incredible album on many levels and worth repeated listening. Track down a physical copy if you can in your favourite record store or add the digital version to your shopping list for the upcoming Bandcamp Friday.

Pain & Joy & Sorrow Mingle

Celebrating Kevin 'Geordie' Walker, 18th December 1958 to 26th November 2023. 

 

Geordie is (in)famous as a founding member of Killing Joke in 1979 and the only one to stick with Jaz Coleman through over four decades and numerous line-up changes and reincarnations.

The first I heard of Geordie's untimely passing was a tweet from Jah Wobble on Sunday evening. Jah and Geordie played together in industrial 'supergroup' The Damage Manual in the early 2000s. Further reading and news reports reveal that Geordie suffered a stroke a couple of days ago and died at home in Prague, with his family by his side.

It's impossible to imagine Killing Joke without Geordie. Whilst the band's music has spanned multiple genres from post-punk to Middle Eastern-inspired instrumentals to industrial to Goa trance to hardcore rock to dub, Geordie's singular guitar playing has been the unifying thread and complement to Jaz's unique vocal expressions.

You'll find better articulated tributes elsewhere so I'll let the music do the talking. By sad coincidence, my previous - and first - Killing Joke selection was posted barely a year ago, on 1st December 2022. You can listen to that here by way of a companion piece to today's offering.

RIP Geordie.

 

1) New Cold War (2015)

2) Empire Song (1982)

3) Jihad (Beyrouth Edit) (1988)

4) Democracy (Conspiracy Theory Mix) (1996)

5) Darkness Before Dawn (1985)

6) Hosannas From The Basements Of Hell (Radio Edit) (2006)

7) Requiem (Album Version) (1980)

8) Follow The Leaders (Dub) (1981)

9) Millennium (Cybersank Edit) (1994)

10) Are You Receiving (1979)

11) Another Cult Goes Down (Portobello Mix) (1994)

12) Adorations (The Extended Mix) (1986)

 

1979: Turn To Red EP: 10

1980: Killing Joke: 7

1981: Follow The Leaders EP: 8

1982: Revelations: 2

1985: Night Time: 5

1986: Adorations EP: 12

1988: America EP: 3

1994: Exorcism EP: 11

1994: Millennium EP: 9

1996: Democracy EP: 4 

2006: Hosannas From The Basements Of Hell EP: 6

2015: Pylon: 1

 

Pain & Joy & Sorrow Mingle (57:23) (KF) (Mega)

Without Anything But The Love We Feel

A very happy 70th birthday to Keith Strickland, songwriter, guitarist, bassist, keyboard player, drummer and founder member of The B-52's, born 26th October 1953.

The B-52's played what I think are now their definitively final shows this year, though Keith formally retired from touring in 2012. If the band never tour or record again - and goodness knows they've earned a rest - the legacy of The B-52's is immense and lasting.

It could have all come to an end in 1985 when guitarist and musical genius Ricky Wilson tragically died of AIDS at the age of 32. The B-52's were part way through recording fourth album Bouncing Off The Satellites when Ricky's health severely declined. Although Ricky had previously confided in Keith, the band was largely unaware of his illness. The album was released a year after Ricky's death to little promotion and no touring by the band. Keith later recalled that with Ricky's passing, 

 

"we felt that the band was finished. We couldn't imagine continuing without him. So, we each went our separate ways."

 

After a three-year hiatus, the band reformed as a quartet, recording fifth album Cosmic Thing and having their biggest success to date with the single Love Shack. Keith switched from drums to guitar, recreating Ricky's virtuoso parts on stage and assuming a lead role in writing the band's music. As Keith later described it, 

 

"Ricky and I used to write the music together, but now I write the individual instrument parts and arrange the instrumental compositions myself. I'm trying to convey a feeling when I compose. I think of my instrumentals as soundscapes – the chord progressions, rhythms, harmonics and musical direction are used to evoke various sonic atmospheres or moods."

 

I think Keith's being a bit modest. What he and The B-52's have always done is create quirky pop earworms like nothing I've heard before or since, whilst not being afraid to drop in more challenging and thought provoking aural and/or lyrical notes. Listening to their music is an uplifting and positive experience, which I hope the next forty five minutes will amply demonstrate.

Keith's contribution cannot be underestimated and this selection is a celebration of him and his rather wonderful bandmates. 

Click on the song title links to find one official video, a few fan-made videos, some live performances and a Top Of The Pops appearance with arguably a rare wardrobe faux-pas from the usually super cool Mr. Strickland. But hey, it was the 1980s, get over it!

Have a good one, Keith, here's to many more!

 

1) Nip It In The Bud (Remix By Tom Durack) (1990)

2) Runnin' Around (Album Version) (1980)

3) Theme For A Nude Beach (Album Version) (1986)

4) Queen Of Las Vegas (Album Version) (1983)

5) Roam (Album Version) (1989)

6) Girl From Ipanema Goes To Greenland (Single Edit) (1986)

7) Party Out Of Bounds (Party Mix) (1981)

8) 52 Girls (Album Version) (1979)

9) Dirty Back Road (Album Version) (1980)

10) Detour Thru Your Mind (Album Version) (1986)

11) Downtown (Album Version) (Cover of Petula Clark) (1979) 

 

1979: The B-52's: 8, 11

1980: Wild Planet: 2, 9

1981: Party Mix!: 7

1982: Mesopotamia (remixed in 1990): 1 

1983: Whammy!: 4

1986: Bouncing Off The Satellites: 3, 10

1986: Girl From Ipanema Goes To Greenland EP: 6

1989: Cosmic Thing: 5

 

The Love We Feel (45:03) (KF) (Mega)

Girls +£÷ Girls =$& Girls

Keren! Sarah! Siobahn! Yes, it's Bananarama!

 

My tenuous 'friend to the stars' claim this week is that I went to same secondary school as Keren Woodward and Sarah Dallin. Ignore the fact that they are nine years older than me and therefore long gone by the time I rocked up in my pristine school uniform, wet behind the ears and in for an education in more ways than one. 

 

When I started there, Bananarama were already having hits. Mr. Wagner, the white haired, tweed-jacketed Science teacher who had beehives at home and had a sideline in selling jars of the sweet stuff to kids, would particularly enjoy sharing an occasional reminisce of when Keren and Sarah sat in his Biology class, causing mischief no doubt.

Local connection aside, it wasn't Keren or Sarah but Siobahn Fahey that I was going to marry when I properly grew up. I loathed Dave Stewart of Eurythmics when the two got married in the late 1980s. Bananarama were cool, but Siobahn was the coolest in my opinion. And the strange additional attraction of not knowing at the time how to pronounce her name. I was obviously a little distracted when the band were introduced in the numerous kids' TV show "interviews" that they participated in....

Anyhoo, here's a 10-song, 45-minute bounce through the Bananarama back catalogue. I've intentionally focused on their first five years, avoiding the Stock Aitken Waterman years and the time when Siobahn left and was briefly replaced by Jacquie O'Sullivan. Poor Jacquie, she didn't deserve the shit she got... There are some moments of greatness in those later years, to be honest. However, it was the first half of the 1980s when I really liked Bananarama, even if as a proto-indie/Goth/electronic music fan I had to begrudgingly admit that to myself let alone others.

A smattering of covers, including their first single Aie A Mwana, a surprisingly faithful recreation of the the 1975 song by afrobeat/funk/soul/disco outfit Black Blood. It took another couple of covers with Fun Boy Three before Bananarama had a hit, but they replicated the magic with a further cover of Na Na Hey Hey (Kiss Him Goodbye), which beat Steam's original UK chart placing of #9 by giving the girls another Top 5 smash. 

The third cover was tucked away on the soundtrack to the 1982 film Party Party, starring Billy from EastEnders and Caroline Quentin. The fact that it's a cover of Sex Pistols is perhaps less surprising than it may seem, as Paul Cook co-produced their debut single.

The rest of the selection spans a couple more of Bananarama's 10 Top 10 singles, 12" versions, album cuts and a B-side, all of which highlight the trio's pop songwriting chops. 

 

Boy Trouble seemed like an appropriate starter and, similarly, the closing song couldn't be anything other than Cheers Then. I was taken about to see that the latter only managed a peak of #45 in the week of my 12th birthday back in 1982. Not Christmassy enough, clearly, but if pushed I may say that it's my favourite Bananarama song.

 

1) Boy Trouble (Album Version) (1983)

2) Aie A Mwana (Extended Version) (Cover of Black Blood) (1981)

3) Shy Boy (Extended Version) (1982)

4) Cruel Summer (Album Version) (1984)

5) The Wild Life (Single Mix) (1984)

6) Na Na Hey Hey Na (Dub) Hey (Cover of 'Na Na Hey Hey (Kiss Him Goodbye)' by Steam) (1983)

7) No Feelings (Album Version) (Cover of Sex Pistols) (1982)

8) Scarlett (Extended Version) (1986)

9) True Confessions (Razormaid Mix) (1986)

10) Cheers Then (Extended Version) (1982)

1981: Aie A Mwana EP: 2

1982: Cheers Then EP: 10

1982: Party Party OST: 7

1982: Shy Boy EP: 3

1983: Deep Sea Skiving: 1

1983: Na Na Hey Hey (Kiss Him Goodbye) EP: 6

1984: Cruel Summer: 4

1984: The Wild Life EP: 5

1986: More Than Physical EP: 8 

1986: Razormaid Chapter 10.5: 9

Girls +£÷ Girls =$& Girls (45:06) (KF) (Mega)

 

(with apologies for any Elvis Costello fans expecting a post celebrating the compilation that I shamelessly ripped the title from)

Believe (For Adam And Andrew)

Over at Bagging Area for the past six months, it's been Weatherall Remix Friday, a veritable treasure trove of deep cuts and 'lost' classics from the mighty Lord Sabre.

As a tribute and thank you to Swiss Adam and Andrew Weatherall, here's a 65-minute excursion on the version, some early(ish) favourites from 1990 to 1993 with an additional tip of the hat to Jagz Kooner, Gary Burns and Hugo Nicholson.

Apologies for the shonky quality of some of the vinyl rips (not all mine) and the slipshod segues (all mine), hopefully compensated in part by the great tunes and smattering of audio Easter eggs, courtesy of this excellent 2013 interview with Mr. Weatherall.

Peace and love to you all.

 

1) Imperfect List (Unlisted Version By Andrew Weatherall & Hugo Nicolson): Big Hard Excellent Fish (1990)

2) What It Is (Ain't Losin Control) (The Big Bottom End Mix By Andrew Weatherall): Word Of Mouth ft. Linda Love (1990)

3) Regret (Sabres Slow 'n' Lo - Dub Half) (Remix By Sabres Of Paradise aka Andrew Weatherall, Jagz Kooner & Gary Burns): New Order (1993)

4) Everything (Everything's Gone Quiet Remix By The Sabres Of Paradise aka Andrew Weatherall, Jagz Kooner & Gary Burns): Stereo MC's (1993)

5) Transient Truth (Death Of A Disco Dancer) (Remix By The Sabres Of Paradise aka Andrew Weatherall, Jagz Kooner & Gary Burns): One Dove (1992)

6) Fall (Let There Be Drums) (Andrew Weatherall Mix): Deep Joy (1990)

7) Come Home (Skunk Weed Skank Mix By Andrew Weatherall): James (1991)

8) Find 'Em, Fool 'Em, Forget 'Em (The Eighth Out Mix By Andrew Weatherall): S'Express (1991)

9) Shine Like Stars (Andrew Weatherall Remix): Primal Scream (1990)

Believe (For Adam And Andrew) (1:04:55) (KF) (Mega)

Who-ray

At 5.15pm on Saturday 23rd November 1963, Doctor Who made it's debut on BBC One.

 

Incredibly - and notwithstanding a 16-year 'rest' from the small screen, bar a one-off movie in 1996 - Doctor Who is celebrating it's 60th anniversary not alone as an ongoing series but arguably bigger than it's ever been before, with the Disney boosting the BBC's financial and global reach even further.

 

If you're a fan, whether that began during the TV series' first run from 1963 to 1989 or with the hugely successful reboot in 2005, there is much to enjoy at the moment. BBC iPlayer kicked off November by adding most of the original run of Doctor Who episodes to the 150+ of the current series to watch for free.

 

Tonight on BBC Four, the first appearance of The Daleks from 1963 will be re-presented as a 75-minute edit in colour for the first time. The technology available now to produce the current TV series and repackage the old for a new audience could only be dreamed of six decades ago.

 

The icing on the cake is of course the double whammy two new Doctors before the end of 2023. First up is David Tennant, who played the Tenth incarnation of the Doctor from 2005 to 2010 and is returning as the Fourteenth iteration. Looks similar but not the same...

 

Tennant made his first 'full' on-screen appearance, in a brief encounter with Davros (kind of) and the Daleks (well, one of the them) for BBC's Children In Need telethon. It was short, it was irreverent, it was fun and a nice way to kick start the 60th anniversary.

 

The BBC also chose Children In Need to celebrate Doctor Who's 30th anniversary in 1993. The show had been off-air since 1989 so anticipation was high. This is what we got.

The original broadcast was in 3D, though arguably most of the acting was of the 2D variety with dialogue that would have had the cast frequently chewing the scenery. Not the revival that fans were hoping for, to say the least.

 

David Tennant will appear again on Saturday and will be on our screens for the next three weeks. From there, Ncuti Gatwa will make his debut as the fifteenth Doctor, including the return of the Christmas Day special which became a staple during the first decade of the revived series.

 

I thought Jodie Whitaker was a great Doctor Who but that period of the show suffered from episodes that looked fantastic but were frankly a bit dull and unengaging, miscast in some cases and didn't give the lead actor enough to work with. Although it may feel like a backwards step, with the return of former showrunner Russell T. Davies, the energy and buzz around the series is palpable and personally, I'm excited to see what's ahead.

As this is supposed to be a music blog, I should add something more than the opening video by The Timelords (aka The KLF), shouldn't I? 

 

Last February, as a birthday gift for my mate Shane, I posted a 20-track, 60(ish) minute mish-mash of Doctor Who songs and snippets, including Matt Smith (Doctor #11) appearing with Orbital at Glastonbury, Jon Pertwee (Doctor #3) teaching Dry Cleaning a thing or two about sprechsang, The KLF unofficially celebrating 25 years of Doctor Who and getting a UK #1 for their trouble and of course that classic theme tune (twice). As I'm in a celebratory mood, you can find it again here.

 

Happy birthday, Doctor, all of you!

The Hooded Antiquarian

Not content with the surprise drop of a new album, Robin Hood, in July, Julian Cope released the fifth in the excellent Cope's Notes series in October, a few days before his 66th birthday (which I celebrated here).

Subtitled "How I Wrote The Modern Antiquarian...And Why", this issue is another celebration, this time marking 25 years since the release of the titular tome in 1998. 

 

At the time, the book was something of a departure of Cope, if a characteristic one. Disappointed with the quality of the guidebooks on offer during a visit to Avebury Stone Circle, Julian decided to write his own. The Modern Antiquarian was the result of what eventually became an eight year mission, collating and condensing his journey across and around Great Britain to 300 significant sites. 

In the mid-2000s, Julian also featured in an hour-long documentary, also called The Modern Antiquarian. I missed it at the time of broadcast but thanks to YouTube, it's been available to a wider, tardier audience. It's well worth watching, if you haven't seen it before. Cope's passion is palpable and makes me wish he'd been commissioned to do more documentaries for TV.

 

I didn't buy The Modern Antiquarian in 1998 - or since - and it's never been reprinted. (Hopefully dog-eared and well-thumbed) copies are now going for silly money online so I possibly never will. Therefore, the Cope's Notes edition is even more welcome to someone like me, who is pretty much ignorant of the source book.

 

For £15.00 plus postage, you'll get another lavishly produced 48-page booklet containing notes, song lyrics, site photos and snapshots of his meticulously recorded notebooks, as well as a memoir, The Story Of The Modern Antiquarian, which racks up over 6,000 words. It's a fascinating read.

As if that is not enough, each Cope's Notes comes with a cover mounted CD. Whilst previous editions have contained contemporary musings and musical outtakes, The Modern Antiquarian contains a dozen brand new songs "inspired by megalithic culture". A combination of spoken word "theatre pieces" with some out-and-out (Kraut)rockers, it's every bit as enjoyable as Robin Hood, which I enthused about in July and again in October.

For a brief time, here's a 10-track selection, five from each album, to whet your appetite; Needless to say, I strongly recommend that you get yourself over to Julian Cope's Head Heritage site and buy both Robin Hood and Cope's Notes without hesitation. As the Arch Drude observes on the cover of the latter, "Surely such a comprehensive overview of the ancient world [can] only benefit our collective mind?"

 

1) An Inventory Of Megaliths

2) The Death Of Death

3) How Chor Gwar Became Stonehenge

4) Four Mohammeds And A Funeral

5) A Trial At Stenness And Brodgar

6) Ballad Of Fat Paul

7) Raised From The Inundation At Seahenge: Arminghall

8) Julius Geezer

9) Windmill Hill Culture

10) I Was A Punk Before You Was A Hippie

The Hooded Antiquarian (29:25) (KF) (Mega)

Every Place Of Good And Not-Good

Polly Jean Harvey.

 

James Johnston.

 

John Parish.

 

Tiny Desk Concert, NPR, Washington D.C.

 

Friday 17th November 2023.

 

0:00 I Inside the Old I Dying.

 

3:30 A Noiseless Noise. 

 

7:49 A Child's Question, August. 

 

10:52 I Inside the Old Year Dying. 

 

13:05 White Chalk.

 

Moved to tears.

 

'Nuff said. 

 

Buy 'bye.

Help Me To Find My Way

A multi-disciplinarian who seemingly doesn't require sleep, Jesse Fahnestock is back with a new single, Other Skies, a collaboration with Emilia Harmony as Electric Blue Vision. 

 

It would be understating things slightly to say that Jesse's creative fires have been burning brightly and strongly in 2023. February saw the third full-length 10:40 album Transition Theory. In April it was Jezebell's turn, Jesse and Darren Black unleashing the brace of Trading Places EPs, swiftly followed in July by the widescreen epic Jezeblue and then August's 20-track magnum opus Jezebellearic Beats Volume 1. Remixes for Högt I Tak & Jamie Tolley, Perry Granville, Pim Secle & Orchid and Warriors Of The Dystotheque have plugged the gaps and a just over a month ago, Jesse launched a new project, Powder Wax, collaborating with S.A.A.R.A on the single Little Black Dress.

 

Other Skies is the second single from Jesse and Emilia, following 2021's inaugural release Electric Blue Visions. This time, the original is accompanied by a trio of remixes from Hardway Bros Meet Monkton Uptown (Sean Johnston and Duncan Gray), Tambores En Benirras (Graham Newby aka DJ Gripper) and Balearic Ultras (Mike Bradbury and Duncan Paterson).

 

The original version of Other Skies contains all of the elements that made Electric Blue Visions and At The Turning Of The Tide (from Transition Theory) so enjoyable, not least Emilia's breathy vocals which border on sprechsang and carry you over the gently undulating synth washes. Dr. Rob, of the excellent Ban Ban Ton Ton music site, provides a spot-on promo copy for the release and conflating two of his reference points, Other Skies is like the lovechild of Century by Instastella (especially the Adamski remix) and One Dove's White Love. It's that good.

 

Needless to say, the remixes are all superb. Balearic Ultras really play up the aspects of the above comparison, whilst Messrs. Johnston and Gray draw in elements of Augustus Pablo and inevitable reminisces of Star by Primal Scream. The EP was previewed with the Tambores En Benirras remix and it's a monster, built around the vocal refrain "Up down, spin around, bring it back together" and chugging along irresistibly for an all-too-short five minutes. All very different from the source version but, as a package, Other Skies is an absolute bargain at £4.00 for the lot. You can buy it now from Higher Love Recordings via Bandcamp.

 

It's been 18 months since I posted my first selection of Jesse's music and given the sheer volume of music that's been released since then, a return visit is well overdue.

 

I previously struggled to whittle the selection down, ending up with 16 tracks over an hour and half. I was determined to be more ruthless this time and provide a shorter yet still representative sample of music spanning Jesse's solo and collaborative work. The selection below is 17 tracks and just shy of an hour and three quarters, which pretty much tells you how well that went for me.

 

I've topped and tailed the mix with the two Electric Blue Vision releases and the segued and sequenced tracks in between feature Jesse and friends from the early releases in 2020, my slightly belated jumping on point in 2021, the birth of Jezebell and a handful of tracks from this year. As before, you can hear and feel the forward momentum and evolution of the music but also the connections. I think the opening four songs sit well together and illustrate as well as any how consistent - how consistently good - the music has been from the start without ever settling for repetition, tropes and safe options.

 

If this is your introduction to Jesse Fahnestock, Emilia Harmony, Darren Bell and friends then fasten your seatbelt, you've one hell of a flight ahead.

1) Other Skies (Original Version: Electric Blue Vision (2023)

2) The Knack (Jezebell's Feeling Moody Mix): 10:40 (2022)

3) Bone Cutter (Album Version): 10:40 (2021)

4) See Me Through (Sirens And Soldiers Dub): 10:40 (2020)

5) At The Turning Of The Tide: 10:40 ft. Emilia Harmony & Matt Gunn (2023)

6) Too Shy (Jezebell's 'Hush Hush' Edit): Kajagoogoo (2023)

7) Drugskill (Album Version): 10:40 (2020)

8) The First Step: 10:40 (2022)

9) Trading Places (5AM): Jezebell (2023)

10) Figure It Out (10:40's QED Edit): Royal Blood (2022)

11) Deliverance (10:40's Walk Off Dub): S.A.A.R.A (2022)

12) Picking Flowers: 10:40 (2023)

13) Loft Music (Jezebell's DC Metro Mix): Ian Vale (2022)

14) Dumbell (Original Version): Jezebell (2022)

15) Submissive Background (Jezebell Remix): Pete Bones & The Stones Of Convention (2022)

16) Coat Check: 10:40 (2022)

17) Electric Blue Visions (Original Version): Electric Blue Vision (2021)

2020: Found Time: 7

2021: All Of Us: 3

2021: Electric Blue Visions EP: 17

2022: 10:40's Advent Calendar: 4, 10

2022: Deliverance EP: 11

2022: Diavol Edits Vol. 7 EP / Jezebellearica Volume 2 EP: 6

2022: Higher Love Vol. 2: 8

2022: Hyena Hopscotch Remixes: 15

2022: Jezebellectro EP: 14

2022: Kissed Again EP: 16

2022: The Knack EP: 2

2022: Loft Music EP: 13

2023: Other Skies EP: 1

2023: Trading Places EP: 9

2023: Transition Theory: 5, 12

Help Me To Find My Way (1:42:15) (KF) (Mega)

You can find my previous selection from May 2022 featuring Jesse and friends right here.