A Song For You

Another selection of 2024 highlights, the theme being names in song titles.

 

Many of the usual suspects - Barry Adamson, Momus, Julian Cope, HANN - and a couple appearing here for the first time, with 100 Poems (aka Mike Wilson) and Mat Ducasse (best known to me for his work with Skylab). 

 

A Man Called Adam originally released Estelle in 1998 and it reappeared again this year with some new versions and contemporary remixes that had been gathering dust in a box for decades. I've included the traditional 7" version here, a reminder of summers past and the summer that never quite materialised here in 2024.

Another 'comeback' of sorts was China Crisis, who revisited their back catalogue with lush orchestral arrangements, a common practice these days perhaps, but not always successful. No such worry here though, China Greatness is a delight. A second CD supplied alternative mixes of the album tracks, including Christian, which closes today's selection.

I'll be coming back to some of the artists featured here over the next week, to wax lyrical about their respective albums. Gosh, it's been a good year, musically speaking.

 

1) Amen White Jesus: Barry Adamson (Cut To Black)

2) Trump: Momus (20 Frisky Whiskies)

3) Iris: Future Islands (People Who Aren’t There Anymore)

4) Estelle (7 Inch Edit): A Man Called Adam (Estelle EP)

5) Four Jehovahs In A Volvo Estate: Julian Cope (Friar Tuck)

6) Song For Claire (Your Life Is Your Life) (Album Version): 100 Poems (Balearic As A System Of Belief)

7) Rebecca's Desk: Xan Tyler (Holding Up Half The Sky)

8) Reka: Kito Jempere ft. Moral Kiosk & LINAMARI (Part Time Chaos Part Time Calmness)

9) Steve: Billy Reeves (Steve (A Weekend In Egham, 1996))

10) This Is Liam: HANN (Forever In A Glance)

11) Song For David (Single Version): Mat Ducasse (Song For David EP)

12) Christian (WW1 Mix): China Crisis (China Greatness)

A Song For You (47:30) (KF) (Mega)

What Will I Do Without The Weight Of You?

Today's selection is inadvertently a dozen highlights from 2024, connected simply by virtue of incredible voices.

 

All of the albums, EPs and one-offs deserve a post in their own right, but suffice to say here that every single one is worth tracking down. It's been an embarrassment of riches these past twelve months, without a doubt.

 

Many of the artists here have become firm favourites thanks to the discerning taste and recommendations of my fellow travellers in the blogosphere. A shout out therefore for the following: HANN (C @ Sun Dried Sparrows), Humanist (Mike @ well, here pretty often), Nana Benz Du Togo (Ernie @ 27 Leggies) and Acid Klaus (Swiss Adam @ Bagging Area). Legends, all of you!

There's a connection to my birthplace Bristol, too, as three of the artists are based there: Emily Breeze, tor aka Tor Maries aka Billy Nomates and Katy J Pearson. I've been fortunate to see Emily and Katy live in concert. I was hoping to see Tor perform an intimate hometown gig last week at the wonderful Strange Brew, but unfortunately couldn't make it. One day, one day...

 

It was hard to narrow this selection down to a mere twelve, given the quality and quantity of great music. Criminal omissions include albums from Beth Gibbons, Ibibio Sound Machine, Isobel Campbell, Jane Weaver, Jo Bartlett, Sam Morton, Starless and Xan Tyler, and many more singles and EPs. Needless to say, I'm already thinking of a companion selection...

For today though, enjoy the next three quarters of an hour of subllime sounds.

1) Shade To The Sunshine: HANN (Forever In A Glance)

2) When I Look At You: Gates Of Light (Gates Of Light II)

3) Love You More: Humanist ft. Isobel Campbell (On The Edge Of A Lost And Lonely World)

4) Wicked Game (Cover of Chris Isaak): The Anchoress (Versions: Encore EP)*

5) Graceland (Single Version) (Cover of Paul Simon): Emily Breeze (Second Rodeo EP)

6) Tite (Kiledjian 'The Womb' Remix): Nana Benz Du Togo (Tite (Kiledjian Remixes) EP)

7) Aerodromes (Single Version): Acid Klaus ft. Philly Piper (P.T.S.D By Proxy EP)

8) Trance Stance (Single Version): Electric Blue Vision (Trance Stance EP)

9) wwid: tor (wwid EP)

10) In The Countryside: Kito Jempere ft. Lena Tronina (Part Time Chaos Part Time Calmness)

11) Sylvia (Album Version): Lisa Moorish (Divine Chaos)

12) Sky: Katy J Pearson (Someday, Now)

What Will I Do Without The Weight Of You? (44:40) (KF) (Mega)

* Yes, I know that Catherine Anne Davies originally recorded and released Wicked Game as a standalone single during lockdown in 2020. However, the song received it's first physical release at the weekend, on the 6-track Versions: Encore, a limited edition of 500 12" EPs on eco-vinyl. Each 12" is manufactured from leftover wax pellets, resulting in a completely unique colour combination, and hand signed by Catherine. But hurry up, only 17 left at the time of this posting!

Choirs Of Drunks On Heat

HANN's latest single Shade To The Sunshine came out a couple of days ago, which to this admittedly biased blogger is another three and a half minutes of perfect pop. 

It's driven by Hannah Fitzpatrick's soft and deep vocals and an urgent acoustic line, propelled by a tapping percussion line and sweeping strings. It's a darker, more melancholy tune in some respects, capturing the sleeplessness of the narrator and replete with the clever wordplay and aural picture painting that has become HANN's stock in trade.

Even better, Shade To The Sunshine heralds the long-awaited debut album, Forever In A Glance. I was thinking of posting a full album review today but to be honest, I need more than a hastily grabbed 30 minutes at the PC to do it justice.

Suffice to say that, if you've enjoyed HANN's music to date, you'll be very happy. A proper album, 12 songs, 40-odd minutes, it's already nestled into my heart. 

More platitudes soon, but in the meantime you can find out for yourself by heading over to Bandcamp.

Spin Around The KItchen Banging Things

More from HANN, courtesy of Two Minutes To The News, the second single of 2024 and a precursor to debut album, Forever In A Glance, due in the summer.

 

This is the video for We Were Seventeen, which came out in January.

 

I jumped on board the HANN wagon in late 2022 and I really enjoy the mix of hummable tunes, slice of life narratives and ace one-liners, delivered in a wonderfully deadpan style.

I don't want to miss anything but I really need a wee

(Will She? Won't She, 2022)

Hannah Fitzpatrick avoids the current vogue for sprechsang, yet it's still like being with your mate down the pub, catching up on their latest (mis)adventures in love and life. 

Ooh Daddy's mad at me

Coz Daddy walked straight in

And caught me taking

Daddy's drugs

(Daddy's Drugs, 2021)

If you're new to HANN and have enjoyed the above, these and loads of other songs are available on Bandcamp and all are well worth checking out. 

 

I've no idea what the mix of brand new and previously released songs will be on the album, though I'm guessing Two Minutes To The News and We Were Seventeen will be shoo ins.

 

What I do know is that Forever In A Glance will be going straight into the shopping basket the first Bandcamp Friday after release and promises to be one of 2024's most fun releases. And goodness knows we need that in our lives right now.

All These Has Been Towns Strewn Around Like Dog Crap

"Bless my polycotton socks, I'm in the nude".

HANN released a new song/video, Down To Nought, on Monday and with an opening line that parodies/homages one of the greatest singles of all time, it's a winner from the first few seconds in.

In contrast with the upbeat, full band songs HANN has released to date, this is a downtempo, folky affair, just Hannah Fitzpatrick with her acoustic guitar. The only other song that inhabits the same aural space (and pace) is February's single I've Got A Cold. 

Lyrically and narratively, Down To Nought is a rich and reflective experience, without losing HANN's characteristic wordplay and wit, and a nicely framed and in-step video (shot in Todmorden) to complement.

Down To Nought is currently available on YouTube and Spotify, with presumably a wider release including HANN's Bandcamp shop to follow. I'm poised to purchase from the latter on Friday 1st December.

Music Is The Cure

All this week I've been plugging albums that I've purchased in 2023, so time now for some singles and EPs that I've bought (or will buy) via Bandcamp Friday.

 

Cupid Home Delivery by HANN has been a summer pleaser since it was released in July, with a rather lovely video edited together from fan contributions, Hannah and friends and a special appearance from Frank Sidebottom and Little Frank...kind of. I've been a recent but enthusiastic HANN fan and I'm looking forward to the debut album, due soon-ish.

 

deary describe themselves as "dream pop from London". This is pretty on the nose, listening to their debut single Fairground, which emerged blinking into the winter sunlight back in January. 

A rather fine reworking by Saint Etienne followed in March, the wonderfully titled "Saint Etienne Meet Augustin Bousfield At The Top Of Town Mix". I held out until May for the full 4-track EP release, which includes both versions plus an extended mix and the shimmering, ambient Hide In Glass Mix, both by deary themselves.

 

deary's second single and video, Beauty In All Blue Satin, followed in May and is equally lovely. Both of these and a new track Sleepsong are also available for pre-order as an eponymous 6-song EP, ahead of a full release in November.

 

SCALER is a Bristol 4-piece who release a new single Loam, produced by Daniel Avery, on 20th October. It's a banger, as they say. If the sound is familiar, it's because I first wrote about the band in March, having accidentally discovered their music whilst looking for something else. In September, as reported by Crack magazine, the band changed their name from SCALPING to SCALER and retrospectively applied this to their entire back catalogue. SCALER is on tour in November and December.

 

 

Laura Mikučionytė is from Vilnius in Lithuania and creates music as Hairdressa, a nod to her other profession. Somehow It Feels Important was released at the end of September, an 8-track EP featuring 4 original songs and remixes of each by fellow Lithuanian artists Auren, Cport, Cistema and Pletnev, as well as Lauer (not Lithuanian).

 

Laura provides full vocals, with the blurb describing "a low, deep voice that easily reminds listeners of early Madonna". I kind of agree, though personally I think the songs are more reminiscent of late 90s Madge, a specific touchstone being Nothing Really Matters. The remixes are all good and, all in all, considering that I first heard this about ten minutes before starting this post, it's been an intriguing introduction to Hairdressa, her Lithuanian peers and the Vilnius-based Electric Shapes label in general so I will be going back for more.

 

Peah was released on the Stereo MC's Connected label back in February, teaming South African house artist Diamond Dealer with Kenyan musician Idd Aziz. It's a monster 8-minute track, with stabbing chords, a pulsing beat and Aziz's vocals flying just above the surface. Peah translates from Swahili as 'to give', which this song does and then some.

 

Justin Robertson has been treating listeners to a steady stream of music this year, a dozen releases via Bandcamp as at September and I suspect at least one more dropping on Friday. A mix of new and unreleased music from the archives, the most recent EP was a brace of 'lost' Deadstock 33s songs, Lone Raver In Dub and Golden Twilight 23. Justin describes them as "Dub acid thumper and trippy dream house"; I'd add "essential purchase". I've been buying them one at a time but if you've not yet discovered this 2023 treasure trove, I'd recommend the full digital discrography bundle. Currently at 30% off and worth every penny.

 

More Bandcamp Friday recommendations tomorrow.

#45sUnder3

I wouldn't say I put 100% into maintaining a presence on Twitter (or X or whatever Ego Musk is calling it these days, but I have participated in a couple of themed series, inviting people to share music. 

The first was a month-long celebration of 12" mixes from the 1980s and it was a lot of fun, sharing some old favourites and criminally forgotten or underrated tunes. This month (July), the theme has been singles that come in at 3 minutes or less. I didn't have a particular plan and was pretty much selecting a song at random on a daily basis. This in turn frequently informed many of my posts this month, more often than not leading me to get carried away with my "research" and deviating significantly from the song that prompted it.

Again, it's been good fun to see what other people would come up with each day. Needless to say, some stone cold classics have been well represented through the month: Boys Don't Cry by The Cure, Destroy The Heart by The House Of Love, Outdoor Miner by Wire, Monkey Gone To Heaven by Pixies, Reward by The Teardrop Explodes, Town Called Malice by The Jam, pretty much everything by Buzzcocks. Most genres have also been served well: reggae, soul, pop, punk, dance; not much prog, but to be fair 3 mins would be barely enough for the intro.

So, the series ends today and I chopped and changed my mind about what to include, mindful that I'd not yet included anything by Pixies, Julian Cope and dozens of other favourites. In the end, the choice was obvious: a band that has informed my love of music ever since I was a toddler, was a highlight of this year's Glastonbury (on TV) experience and who have released yet another brilliant album, up there in my 2023 'best of'. Oh, and with a great video to boot. Yes, of course, it's Sparks.

Despite being a daunting 31 song selection, the #45sUnder3 theme means that the entire thing comes in at under an hour and a half. The opening track is a bit of a red herring, but then where else would you heard Nine Inch Nails followed by Sub Sub featuring Melanie Williams?! The remaining selection is eclectic, jumping decades and genres with gleeful abandon and yet... I quite it. I hope you do too.

1) March Of The Pigs (Album Version): Nine Inch Nails (1994)

2) Ain't No Love (Ain't No Use) (Original Edit): Sub Sub ft. Melanie Williams (1993)

3) Sign Of The Times (Album Version): The Belle Stars (1983)

4) Nothing To Worry About (Album Version): Peter, Björn & John (2009)

5) Bizarre Love Triangle (Cover of New Order): Devine & Statton (1989)

6) The Pictures On My Wall (Single Version): Echo & The Bunnymen (1979)

7) Hyper Lust (Album Version): MOTOR ft. Billie Ray Martin (2012)

8) You've Got My Number (Why Don't You Use It!): The Undertones (1979)

9) Dusk Till Dawn (Album Version): Ladyhawke (2008)

10) Souleater: Clouds (1991)

11) Simply Thrilled Honey (Single Version): Orange Juice (1980)

12) D-Days (Single Mix): Hazel O'Connor (1981)

13) The Ugly Bug Ball: Burl Ives (1963)

14) Heart It Races (Album Version): Architecture In Helsinki (2007)

15) Action Time Vision: Alternative TV (1978)

16) Blue Boot (Single Version): Eric Donaldson (1972)

17) Hot Fun In The Summertime (Single Version): Sly & The Family Stone (1969)

18) Cybele's Reverie (Single Version): Stereolab (1996)

19) White Knuckle Ride (Single Version): Danielle Dax (1988)

20) I Helped Patrick McGoohan Escape (Album Version): The Times (1982)

21) (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman: Aretha Franklin (1967)

22) The Music (Single Version): Hifi Sean ft. Celeda (2018)

23) Mellow Doubt (Album Version): Teenage Fanclub (1995)

24) I Want Everything: The Godfathers (1986)

25) Thinking 'Bout You (Album Version): Dua Lipa (2017)

26) Lava (Album Version): Silver Sun (1996)

27) She’s A Fighter: Robert Forster (2023)

28) Triple Trouble (Album Version): Beastie Boys (2004)

29) Beak: HANN (2019)

30) Backwards Dog (Single Version): The Soup Dragons (1989)

31) The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte: Sparks (2023)

 

#45sUnder3 (1:23:12) (KF) (Mega)

HANN-tastic

I was introduced to HANN aka Hannah Fitzpatrick a last October by C, creator of the rather wonderful Sun Dried Sparrows blog. I then snapped up everything that she had released on Bandcamp and enthused about her music here.

The good news is that HANN is back with a new single and video, Saddle-Billed Stork, following February's one-off song, I've Got A Cold. Both are available on Bandcamp, with Saddle-Billed Stork coming in two versions, the original and an extended Long Leggy Mix. Great stuff.

 

Wham! Bam! I'm A HANN Fan!

In response to yesterday's Nico selection, C of the excellent Sun Dried Sparrows blog posted a link to My Mum Was Nico's Driver by Manchester band HANN, released in March this year. It was the first time I'd heard of the song or the band and I lost the next hour or so immersing myself in their music.

 

This is why I love the blogging community. As much as I love to share my passion for music, old and new, those lovely music blogs to your right (if you're viewing the web version) and the many people who comment here have also pointed me in the direction of artists or songs that might otherwise have passed me by.

 

HANN is formed around singer/songwriter Hannah Fitzpatrick and started releasing music in October 2019. Thanks to a global pandemic, it was April this year before the band got to play their first gig at The Golden Lion in Todmorden (which also got a very special mention this week over at Bagging Area, but I digress).

 

My Mum Was Nico's Driver is a true story and a great song. I've posted a 'live in the room' video which is dubbed with the single version. The full lyrics are available on YouTube and Bandcamp and include this fabulous vignette

Mum had to get narky with Mark E. Smith
when he just would not stop
fawning and falling all over [Nico] like a manky
tanked up scrawny monkey in a tank top

 

I'll bet Charles Shaar Murray wished he'd used that description when reviewing The Fall for NME back in 1979.

 

So far, HANN has released thirteen songs, all available on Bandcamp for around a tenner in total. All worth a listen and a purchase, especially as it's Bandcamp Friday today. 

 

Another favourite - and even more apt, given the current shitstorm facing us in the UK - is Skint In Winter, with a fantastically on-the-nose video where Hannah puts on layer after layer after layer of clothing for the entirety of the song. Brilliant. 

HANN has a strong musical predigree. As well as her mum's Nico connection, dad Neil was frontperson with late 70s new wave band The Smirks and founder of Distant Cousins in the late 80s. Keyboards on My Mum Was Nico's Driver are by Steve Hopkins, who also played with Distant Cousins but is perhaps better known as a core member - with Martin Hannett - of The Invisible Girls, who recorded and performed with Nico. HANN's latest single, Will She? Won't She? was mixed by Keir Stewart, whose own rich musical CV includes The Durutti Column and one-off 1999 project Inch, with an eponymous single featuring a certain Mark E. Smith. What a wonderful circle.

 

The other HANN fact that immediately drew my attention and piqued my curiosity is that Hannah's co-writer is none other than Manchester legend Edward Barton. Amongst Barton's many other achievements is It's A Fine Day by Jane, later covered by Opus III, in turn sampled to great effect by Orbital on their classic track Halcyon.

Earlier this year, the entire run of classic Channel 4 music show The Tube was posted on YouTube and I singled out Edward Barton's unforgettable appearance from 1987 for a post. As well as expanding my vocabulary, it provided a brilliant performance of I've Got No Chicken But I've Got Five Wooden Chairs. 

 

"The Man" soon put paid to our enjoyment of The Tube on YT and took it down faster than a failing Tory PM. I think the performance clip has been posted back up on YT somewhere, sadly minus Jools Holland's entertainingly awkward introduction with Edward beforehand. However, I've found a video from 2009 which, if anything, is even more compelling.

Barton and dad Neil have clearly had a positive influence on Hannah's songwriting, allowing her talent and narrative voice to shine through. Might be a while before we get a full HANN album or, here's hoping, a wider UK tour but I'm now signed up and looking forward to what comes next.

 

Thanks, C!