Break Chains, Don't Regret It

I'm feeling a lot of love for the Brighton-based Higher Love Recordings label, whose half dozen releases so far this year have been varied but beautiful gems.

Memories is a radio-friendly slice of pure pop from Polish pair Jazxing aka Jakub Sautycz and Mateusz Filipiuk, featuring Jakub Zwolan and Przemysław Bartoś on vocals. The Full Disco Purrefection Mix starts with synths, chords then congas, building and stretching out over nearly eight minutes. Lighter on vocals but heavier on groove, a perfect (purrefect, if you will) companion to the single version.

And We'd Be So Happy by Puerto Montt City Orchestra (Angus Murray and Tim Salter to their friends and family) is a heartwarming spoken word remembrance - by Tim's daughter Kitty - of family trips to the seaside, stuck in the car, eating homemade sarnies whilst the elements rage outside, but finding a simple pleasure and joy in the experience. As someone who spent many rain lashed summers on the sea front in South West England and Wales, I can relate!

Four mixes to choose from, all highly recommended, but I've plumped here for the Feelings Mix by Balearic Ultras aka Mike Bradbury and Ian Upfold, which strips everything back, eight minutes after the rain.

We're spoilt with not one but two releases so far this year from Hugo Nicolson. Field Of Dreams came in February, with superb remixes from David Holmes, Rude Audio and Hardway Bros. In June, Hugo followed up with the Black Stick EP, with three brand new tracks, plus a radio edit of lead track Little Kind.

Again, having to select just one to showcase here, I've gone for Zombie, lighter than than the other two tracks, Little Kind and Spanner, but don't mistake light for slight. Zombie has heft and a mesmerising melody, paired with an attitude that shouts 1985 as much as it does 2025, which is a very good thing. Hugo's on a real creative rip at present and I am very happy to see it continue.

Andres Y Xavi returned in September with the 4-track Cities EP. Joining Lagos (initially released as a standalone EP last October with new remixes of Bibbles) are New York, Chicago and then a transatlantic hop to Spain for the closing track.

Sant Antoni is a neighbourhood in Barcelona but this epic ten minutes and forty four seconds inevitably gives a wave to Sant Antoni De Portmany in Ibiza too, and feels at home in either setting...and your headphones, for that matter.

A new Andres Y Xavi release from Glenn Fallows and Steve Ellis is always something to look forward and the Cities EP will give even the armchair tourist the trip of a lifetime.

 

 

 

Read Many Books And Save Every Dream

A cultural tour de force from Fra Lippo Lippi, taking in Norway, Italy and Camberwell in Surrey...all in less than four minutes!

Shouldn't Have To Be Like That shuffled into play, a song that I haven't heard in a long time by a band I know next to nothing about....until Messrs. Google, Wiki and Discogs intervened.

When Shouldn't Have To Be Like That was originally recorded in 1985, for the band's self-financed third album Songs, Fra Lippo Lippi was a four-piece, comprising Per Øystein Sørensen, Rune Kristoffersen, Morten Sjøberg and Øyvind Kvalnes.

By the time that the band had signed to Virgin Records and re-recorded and re-released Songs for the European market, Fra Lippo Lippi were a duo of Sørensen and Kristoffersen. 

Shouldn't Have To Be Like That was their only single to dent the UK Top 100, albeit in the lower regions, spending four weeks in February 1986, bouncing from 97 to 81 to 90 to 86, then...bye bye.

In addition to the suitably wistful video, there's a great performance on legendary Netherlands music TV show TopPop, broadcast on New Year's Day, 1986. The audience is small but enthusiastic, and all clearly adhered to the strict wardrobe requirement of 'bright colours only'.

Fra Lippo Lippi took their name from the poem by Victorian writer Robert Browning (1812-1889), born in Camberwell, died in Venice. The poem itself was inspired by Italian Renaissance painter Fra' Filippo Lippi (c. 1406-1469).

I was surprised to find I have over a dozen Fra Lippo Lippi songs in my collection, all of which will have been acquired online and from other music blogs, mostly made of EPs, random album tracks and a few extended edits from The Spiral Tribe series of bootleg CDs in the 1990s.

Whilst hearing this song hasn't triggered an overwhleming urge to seek out the rest of their catalogue, it was a nice reminder that Norwegian pop wasn't all about a-ha in the mid-1980s.

Waves And Then Goodbye

Celebrating Stephen Luscombe, 29th October 1954 to 13th September 2025.

I was very sad to read on Sunday of Stephen's passing after a long illness. Although Stephen had been unable to continue beyond Blancmange's spectacular comeback album Blanc Burn in 2011, he remained a fervent supporter of Neil Arhur's continuing journey with the band they formed in 1979.

And what a legacy, not just as Blancmange, but also as West India Company with Pandit Dinesh and Asha Bhosle. Andrew Weatherall was an early adopter.

There is an informative tribute by Chi Ming Lai over at the Electricity Club blog. I've picked a single/video from each of the four Blancmange albums that Stephen recorded with Neil, in reverse chronological order, ending inevitably with Waves.

1) The Western (2011)

2) What's Your Problem? (1985)

3) That's Love That It Is (1983)

4) Waves (1982)

I've also reactivated links to a two Blancmange compilations that I've previously posted, focusing on their 12" singles and remixes.

Just Desserts (2005)

Please Sir, I Want Some More (2022)

Thank you for the music, Stephen, rest easy.

 

 

 

Wonderful Life

On the seventh day of the week, seven songs from Stevie Wonder.

A companion piece of sorts to The O'Jays selection from a couple of weekends ago, today's Dubhed delight delves into some deep, extended Stevie Wonder workouts.

Without making this an hour-long mix - which I could have, easily - I have had to miss out some landmark albums, namely Where I'm Coming From (1971) and Music Of My Mind (1972). Otherwise, Stevie's run of classics through the 1970s is well represented.

Nicolas Laugier aka The Reflex is hopefully a familiar name to most of you. He has been producing 'revisions' of classic songs for years now, initially as a labour of love, now as a full-time occupation.

Don't Make Me Wait Too Long was originally written and performed by Stevie Wonder for Roberta Flack, which she recorded for her 1979 album Roberta Flack Featuring Donny Hathaway. 

The Reflex Re√ision takes the multitracks from the original recording session, including Stevie's unreleased lead vocal. to create an nine-and-a-half minute, well, wonder. 

From the 1980s, I've included the promo 12" version of Master Blaster (Jammin') which extends the original Hotter Than July album version for another minute or so. Part-Time Lover is also represented by it's 12" mix, at eight minutes twice the length of the version which opens 1985 album In Square Circle.

And what other way to wrap things up than with the full length album version of Isn't She Lovely from Songs In The Key Of Life?

A soulful Sunday with Stevie. What could be better?

1) Maybe Your Baby (1972)

2) Don't Make Me Wait Too Long (The Reflex Re√ision By Nicolas Laugier) (2020)

3) Master Blaster (Jammin') (12" Version) (1980)

4) Boogie On Reggae Woman (Album Version) (1974)

5) Part-Time Lover (12" Version) (1985)

6) Visions (1973)

7) Isn't She Lovely (Album Version) (1976)

1972: Talking Book: 1

1973: Innervisions: 6

1974: Fulfillingness' First Finale: 4

1976: Songs In The Key Of Life: 7

1980: Master Blaster EP: 3

1985: Part-Time Lover EP: 5

2020: Don't Make Me Wait Too Long EP: 2

Wonderful Life (47:58) (GD) (M)

International Roots

I was gearing up for a Saturday night of great live music in the company of Pama International, and a second chance to see the legendary Misty In Roots.

Unfortunately, Friday brought the following sad news:

"We are sorry to announce that Misty In Roots 

Bristol show at The Lantern Hall 

has been postponed to Friday 27th March 2026, 

due to circumstances out of the bands, promoters and venues control."  

It's been a particularly rough ride for Pama International, who were due to play at The Fleece in February, only for that gig to be cancelled. 

The September date and change of location, although with the admittedly brilliant addition of Misty In Roots as headliner, came at financial cost and it's gutting to see that there has been another setback.

Tickets remain valid and can either be used for the rescheduled date or the upcoming shows in Brighton and London. Refunds have also been offered, as well as a request to keep hold of tickets to "support the band in these difficult times."

It's a sad indictment of the times we live in that those who bring such joy and happiness into our lives by making, performing and/or releasing music do so at great personal, emotional and financial loss. 

I didn't ask for a refund in February and I'm not going to now. In fact, the news prompted me to get over to the Happy People Records label on Bandcamp and plug some of the gaps in my Pama International collection. I also pre-ordered the vinyl re-release of the Misty In Roots classic, Live At The Counter Eurovision 79, due in October.

A small gesture in the scheme of things, perhaps but...

As a celebration of the music by both bands that I have previously acquired, I've created a fresh Dubhed selection called International Roots, split into two sides, each showcasing Pama International and Misty In Roots. 

I've also reactivated a couple of related selections. None of this is as good as seeing them in person, live on stage, but it's great music, through and through.

Side One: Pama International

1) Second Chance (G. Corp Mix By Brian Nordhoff & Roberto Cimarosti) (2005)

2) Neither High Nor Dub (Pama International Meets Manasseh) (Remix By Nick Raphael) (2007)

3) Happenstance (2009)

4) Never Think That You're Not Loved (ft. Jeremy Pena) (2022)

5) Desobedient Children (2006)

6) Questions Dub (Remix By Mad Professor aka Neil Fraser) (2016)

7) Warm & Tender Love (Album Version) (2022)

8) Dub As You Are (Pama Int'l Meets Wrongtom) (Remix By Tom Robinson) (2009)

Side Two: Misty In Roots

1) Live Up (Album Version) (1981)

2) Dreadful Dread (1983)

3) Wise And Foolish (John Peel Session) (1980)

4) Salvation (1979)

5) Lifeboat (John Peel Session) (1981)

6) Economical Slavery (1985)

1979: Rich Man / Salvation EP: B4

1981: Wise And Foolish: B1

1983: Earth: B2

1985: Musi-O-Tunya: B6

1995: The John Peel Sessions: B3, B5

2005: Dub Store Special EP: A1

2006: Trojan Sessions: A5

2007: Trojan Sessions In Dub: A2

2009: Pama Outernational: A3

2009: Pama Int'l Meets Wrongtom In Dub: 8

2016: Pama Intl Meets Mad Professor: A6

2022: 3: A7

2022: 6: A4

Side One (25:26) (GD) (M)
Side Two (26:34) (GD) (M)

Misty Ruts (Misty In Roots + The Ruts DC) (October 2024)

Dubby Happy People (April 2023)

Empty And Abstracted And Full Of Rage...We Think Too Much And Feel Too Little

Gorillaz? Sparks? Together on one song? How has this not happened before?!

And, unsurprisingly, The Happy Dictator is a brilliant collaboration and an exciting teaser for ninth (ninth!) album The Mountain, coming in March 2026.

The song title and the thumbnail image of Murdoc for the 'official visualiser' are of course a reference to Charlie Chaplin's 1940 film - and magnum opus - The Great Dictator.

Whatever your opinion of Damon Albarn, it's difficult to deny that Gorillaz, created with Jamie Hewlett in 1998, has been a game changer in the music world, and still has the power to surprise over a quarter of a century later.

I'm looking forward to The Mountain as much as I did their self-titled debut back in 2001.

I am the one to give you life again 

I am the one to save your soul, AMEN!

As the shadows they are forming come and join me centre stage

Oh what a happy land we live in

If you are empty and abstracted and your broken heart is full of rage

Oh what a happy land, oh yeah

In a world of fiction I am a velvet glove 

Oh what a happy land we live in

I am your soul, your resurrection, I am the love

Oh what a happy land, oh yeah

So look out to the west now, see where the devil lies

Oh what a happy land we live in

It’s pharmakon is with you and your empire it is paralysed 

Oh what a happy land, oh yeah

I’ll propagate eternity and seal it with my kiss

Oh what a happy land we live in

So look into the coffin and let me grant your wish

Oh what a happy land, oh yeah

 

No more bad news 

So you can sleep well at night 

And the palace of your mind will be bright

Everything is slowing down yet everything is faster

Oh what a happy land we live in

While everyone is consuming I’ll save you from yourself

Oh what a happy land, oh yeah

 

Upon this world of fiction my love I will bestow

Oh what a happy land we live in

And as we march into the future happiness will grow

No more bad news 

So you can sleep well at night

And the palace of your mind will be bright

Everything is slowing down yet faster 

Consuming us I’ll save you from yourself

My love bestowed upon this world of fiction

March to the future happiness grows

Are you not better off than ever 

Are you not better off right now

When have you felt this way I ask you

When have you felt better off than right now

I am the one to give you life again

I am the one to save your soul, AMEN!

No more bad news………

(Mountains and rainbows , palaces of love)

So you can sleep well at night and palace of your mind will be bright

So you can sleep well at night and palace of your mind will be bright

It's So Hard To Love When Love Was Your Great Disappointment

I found this review of Rattlesnakes (20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition) by Lloyd Cole & The Commotions that I wrote in February 2006, which I wanted to share.

The review's opening comment about my youth being firmly in the past is felt evenly more keenly by the sobering realisation that Rattlesnakes celebrated its 40th anniversary last year.

Anyhoo... over to my younger self.

A twentieth anniversary reissue for the band’s debut album, more evidence that my teenage years are rapidly retreating into the past. It’s difficult to place these songs in the glossy mid-1980s, thanks to a combination of sharp lyrics, an unusual (for a mainstream UK ‘pop’ band) predilection for country music and deft production from Paul Hardiman. 

During my “headphone years”, when songs were played in a dimly lit bedroom and the narrative meant as much as the melody, Rattlesnakes ranked up there with The The’s Soul Mining and The Smiths’ Hatful Of Hollow and, on reflection, has stood the test of time.

There’s no sense of filler, with ten songs clocking in at just over half an hour and a near flawless running order. The statement of intent is there from the outset, with Perfect Skin's declaration that 

I choose my friends only far too well 

I’m up on the pavement

They’re all down in the cellar 

with their government grants and my IQ

It was perhaps inevitable that, like The Smiths, Lloyd Cole & The Commotions would be pigeonholed as ‘student bedsit soundtrack music’, given the lyrical references to Norman Mailer, Love’s Arthur Lee and Eve Marie Saint, and love songs about girls with “cheekbones like geometry” who “know how to spell ‘audaciously’”. 

Yet Cole’s admittedly maudlin delivery is balanced with humour and strong melodies, arguably equalling The Smiths in this respect. 

Speedboat is a great example, with it’s swampy sound underscored by the narrator’s admission that 

It was just not my style to find surf in my eye

It was much more my style to get sand kicked in my eye

Another is closing track Are You Ready To Be Heartbroken?, where the central character, “pumped up full of vitamins”, is advised “If you really want to get straight / read Norman Mailer / or get a new tailor.” 

Writer Julie Burchill dismissed them at the time as a “country and western Velvet Underground”, though this is a fair – if simplistic – description. 

The second CD is a curiosity, containing demos, live tracks, radio sessions and B-sides from the era. The live tracks demonstrate that, as a performer, Cole sounded every bit as uncomfortable as his characters, but it’s interesting to hear an alternative take on Charlotte Street, with awkward, excess verses that were thankfully excised from the superior studio recording. 

The BBC Radio 1 sessions are enjoyable, particularly Forest Fire and Speedboat, but again do not surpass the originals. The B-sides themselves are mostly forgettable, with a few exceptions, notably Andy’s Babies and Jesus Said, though there’s no sense that the Rattlesnakes album would have been stronger for their inclusion. 

In that sense, the Deluxe Edition works well, by keeping the original album intact and separate from the generous quantity of bonus tracks. Another plus is the lavishly illustrated booklet, which features song by song commentary from the band members. 

There are some great quotes throughout, my favourite by keyboardist Blair Cowan, describing an encounter with goth gods The Sisters Of Mercy whilst recording Charlotte Street: 

“The [Sisters Of Mercy] were in the same studio 

and on a scorching summer afternoon 

we played them at tennis. 

We were in shorts, t-shirts and trainers 

and they wore Cuban heels, black drain pipes, 

black polo necks, black everything. 

They beat us.” 

Everything That Happens In Africa Is Extraordinary

Senegalese polymath Tidiane Thiam released the album Africa Yontii in May 2024 on the fabulous Sahel Sounds label.

Twelve months later, Sahel Sounds issued a second single and video for Néené Africa. The visuals mix footage of Tidiane with archive mobile shots of Pethity, a village in Fouta-Toro, the same region where Tidane lives.

Pulaar is a dialect of the Fula language spoken by the Fula and Toucouleur peoples in the Senegal River valley and surrounding regions, particularly in Senegal, Mauritania, Gambia, and Guinea. 

Africa Yontii is a Pulaar phrase that translates to “Africa, It's Time”.

"It’s time that Africa changes," Tidiane explains further. "It’s time our leaders change. Everything that happens in Africa is extraordinary. We have everything: water, earth, sun, fields of oil, gas. We have all this in Africa, but Africa is still poor. It’s time we change our way of thinking. It’s time for Africans to take their destiny into their own hands. If not, others will take it.” 

The beautifully intricate, disarmingly gentle sounds that emerge over the nine instrumentals on Africa Yontii may at first seem at odds with the strength of the message. 

Yet, it called to mind a place I worked nearly thirty years ago, and a Chief Executive who used to advocate mental gardening. It was the mid-late 1990s and I didn't really get on board with the concept; my equivalent up to then had been sticking on an ambient/chill out album and getting out of my head, not into my head.

Since then, I have a better understanding of where he was coming from, and whilst I still haven't embraced it in my life, Tidiane Thiam's music resonates with me for similar reasons. 

Listening to Africa Yontii isn't about escapism, it's more about allowing the listener to create a mental space - a plot of land, if you like - to plant seeds, nurture them and help them to grow. Only in this case, those seeds can be manifesting change, shaping and steering destiny on a personal level or, in the case of Africa Yontii, an entire continent.

If, on the other hand, you think the last four paragraphs and 184 words were a load of old bollocks, I am certain that you will not have the same opinion of Tidiane Thiam's album and music in general. Truly a thing of beauty.

 

An Eye In The Glass On The Parquet Floor

I still think of The Creatures as relatively recent, but in October it will be twenty two years since Siouxsie and Budgie released their fourth and final album, Hái!

October will also mark twenty seven years since the release of 2nd Floor, the lead single and opening track of third album, Anima Animus.

A remix of the song popped up on my random shuffle and a subsequent YT search unearthed the promo video, which I'd never seen before. Monochrome (mostly), make up and manic moves make for a compelling four and a half minutes. Then again, I need little motivation to watch a performance by Siouxsie Sioux, she is superb.

The promo 12" and CD single came with an extended version, labelled the 'Album Mix', by Siouxsie, Budgie and album co-producer Warne Livesey. Ultimately this was ditched in favour of the single version, so it remains a relative obscurity.

The flip side of the promo featured 2nd Floor (Siouxsie, Budgie And Warne's Club Mix). I've not been able to track down the original 9:43 version, but I have found a 5:24 edit by Erasercuts, synched with the promo video.

Another promo 12" single featured a further remix by Girl Eats Boy aka one half of The Drum Club and Slab, Lol Hammond...

...whilst the regular single release featured a 2nd, very similar Girl Eats Boy remix.

In 1999, The Creatures released Hybrids, a compilation of previously released and newly commissioned remixes. One of the latter was a fresh take on 2nd Floor by the mysteriously named Vito Bonito. 

Apartment door

Is left ajar

An eye in the glass

On the parquet floor

All the guests

Have left and gone

But I'm still here

On the 2nd floor

Aftermath

In an amber glow

A vodka bath

For this shipwrecked soul

Seconds fly

As the years flow by

But I don't care

I'm on the 2nd floor

2nd Floor

And I still want more

2nd Floor

Coming back for more

Why fear death

When death never hurt

No one

2nd Floor

There's A Lifetime Of Stories Here

I bought the latest album from James Yorkston on Friday and it's been on repeat throuout the weekend.

As the title suggests, Songs For Nina And Johanna features James duetting with Nina Persson (The Cardigans) and Johanna Söderberg (First Aid Kit); Nina gets five songs, Johanna four and there's one solo from James halfway through.

It's a joy from start to fiinish, and despite it's late August release, the album is the perfect soundtrack to what has really felt like the end of summer and the start of autumn these past few days.

Both voices are a fine complement to James voice, dry, wistful, on the cusp between spoken word and trying not to disturb the neighbours. Nina lends beautiful melancholy, Johanna an exuberant uplift; the combination is a treat for the ears.

I've pulled together seven videos, spanning four songs. Starting with a surprisingly and delightfully restrained remix of A Moment Longer by Vince Clarke, and including three songs performed for Monitor Sessions in Stockholm, Sweden in June.

Go on, buy the album, your life will be better for it.

1) A Moment Longer (Vince Clarke Remix): James Yorkston & Nina Persson

2) Oh Light, Oh Light (Official Video): James Yorkston & Johanna Söderberg

3) A Moment Longer (Monitor Session, Stockholm): James Yorkston & Nina Persson

4) Love / Luck (Monitor Session, Stockholm): James Yorkston & Johanna Söderberg

5) Love That Tree (Monitor Session, Stockholm): James Yorkston & Nina Persson

6) Love / Luck (Official Video): James Yorkston & Johanna Söderberg

7) Love That Tree (Official Video): James Yorkston & Nina Persson