Lord Rochester will open for New York Dolls in Edinburgh on Friday night. I believe that David and Syl will also be stopping at The Lemon Tree in Aberdeen in addition to the Inverness show.

It goes without saying that the following is not safe for work. Having said that, it’s not mean spirited and is in many ways quite uplifting. In addition, it’s a fantastic song – not unlike “Hey Ya” by Outkast.

All the news that's fit to print? Facts aside, Susquehanna Industrial Tool & Die Co. meets "The Gray Lady" -- with a nice bit in The New York Times for our show at Otto's Shrunken Head this week! And such handsome lads...

THURSDAY, AUGUST 26th / OTTO'S SHRUNKEN HEAD / 538 East 14th Street (just west of Avenue B) in ol' Manhattan /Two newsprint-free shows, from 8pm sharp until 10pm /
No cover!

Yours in home delivery, Michael

Susquehanna Industrial Tool & Die Co.

"Ballads, Boogies & Blues"

Thanks to Martin for the info.

RIP - Kenny Edwards

VARIOUS ARTISTS - 35 !!! Years BEAR FAMILY RECORDS - BCD 17035 PR

3-CD Box-Set (LP-size), 208-page hardcover book
GENRE: Various styles
TRACKS: 68
PLAYING TIME: 219:07

BEAR FAMILY celebrates its 35th year in the business
BEAR FAMILY boxed sets continue to set the standard for reissues, worldwide
Exclusive anniversary offer for our friends at a very special price
Musicians and songwriters join to pay tribute to BEAR FAMILY
Original recordings -- not available anywhere else

INFORMATION

BEAR FAMILY RECORDS came into being in the late summer of 1975.We want to celebrate the company's 35th anniversary with a very special release.

A CD/book edition has been produced just for this event. You may purchase this item at a special price. Our friends in the music industry, musicians and songwriters, have written and recorded a collection of 'Bear' songs especially for our anniversary. These original recordings -- 68 in all -- are available exclusively on this LP-sized BEAR FAMILY boxed set.

Especially interesting are the songs that deal not just with any old bear, but with our own BEAR FAMILY label -- Jim Diamond: Bear Family; Deke Dickerson: Bear Family Talking Blues; Roland Heinrich: Sixteen Discs, and Kim Lenz: What I Crave.

In the accompanying book, some of the world's leading music critics and experts pick their all-time favorite BEAR FAMILY releases. This CD boxed set is an unprecedented celebration because BEAR FAMILY is a record company without peer -- and because a 35th anniversary only comes once every thirty-five years!)!

RIP - Richard Lopez (Cannibal and the Headhunters)

RIP - Michael Been (The Call)

The Lola Dutronic “Musique” EP reconvenes some older material as new mixes with the title track based on the Martin Rev bedrock. Their mix of electro and europop is as lush as all get out. The way “Brigitte Bardot” sweeps out of the speakers is just about as groovy as you’re likely to be able to stand and that accent... jings, crivvens, help ma boab! The faux cha cha cha ending rocks too.

“Whisper” itself is chilling. It takes a "J’taime..." ambience into a Blade Runner as interpreted by David Lynch type setting. It’s a sensual assault that must sound monumental pumping out of a full-on club PA. Actually I’m not sure my heart could take it but I’d certainly be willing to give it a go. This is where Suicide intersects with Gainsbourg to create something genuinely not of this earth. Check out this clip but be reminded that its probably NSF most avenues of W.

Joe Franklin's real class and here's his encounter with Joey and Marky (Raymone)... check out the T-shirt Joe is wearing on the press photo (taken by Monte)... blimey. Brings us all back squarely to The Dictators without which, many of us over here would never have known who JF was. Popular culture works in mysterious ways. (Thanks to Marc Campbell via facebook)

I wonder. If I stare at that pile (points) of CDs for long enough, might they just disappear?

Sometimes I get very dejected but more often than not something comes along to revitalise the nerve endings that have been narked. Right now there’s a whole bunch of great stuff about to come out. It’s difficult to keep up with let alone keep a perspective on. Not really a problem or an iffy position, particularly on a Friday with an entire weekend ready to roll.

Matt and Kim are down south in Engerland this weekend at the V Festival. They shine like the proverbial stream of bat pee from an otherwise typical festival fare. Their new single “Cameras” will be available from August 31st.

Eric and Amy are in that same part of the world at the Rhythm Festival. I was listening to “Do You Remember That?” last night and thinking we should start a facebook campaign for it to be Christmas # 1. Yep. I said the C-word and I’m getting ahead of myself but as popular music goes, when it gets a release is likely to hit my all time favourites chart with a bullet. It tells a fantastic story that warms the cockles of my very hard to please heart.

And in keeping with the cool story theme, check out this one about Lorraine Ellison’s “Stay With Me” over at the So Many Records portal.

More when I figure out what it is that I ought to be doing.

More Beyond Punk.

(Thanks to Sir T. Phobic for the link)

RIP - Esteban “Steve” Jordan

RIP - Herman Leonard

RIP - Robert Wilson (The Gap Band)

(info via Patrice Mack's fb)

Having been out on two consecutive school nights, procrastination here in the bunker is just hovering below code red. This needs to be addressed this evening so today’s epistle will be puh-retty short.

Yesterday was a little frantic. I was pretty knackered before the show and fried after. A mix of the music and the activity of the day, the alarm actually woke me this morning or I might have caught up on something that’s apparently referred to as sleep.

Never saw Moon Unit, the openers. Already scratched that itch on the last Record Store Day. Although well attended, this wasn’t sold out by any stretch. Had it been in Glasgow, I think it would have. It was all a bit louder than expected and perhaps a touch of pastoral would have altered the states of the general movements. There was also the issue of the sound in that place too but where we were standing, in the pit, it was pretty good and on occasion quite disorienting in the positive sense.

Local commentator, Eno Sharples considered that Steve Shelley’s drumming was too rock here and there. Mini Cauldwell was unavailable for comment. While I agree in part, he does a pretty good job of approximating Dinger’s obviously singular style. The consideration that we’re gathered in 2010 witnessing this is not to be disregarded. My main criticism was that the electricity built up was just killed between songs. There needs to be continuity even if it’s was just a bleeps or three, maybe a little white noise. Just some kind of audible bond between the massive slabs of energy. Some of it soared, some of it glided but it was seldom less than invigorating.

This music still sounds pretty damn futuristic and despite the fact that jetpacks or any other similar form of transport haven’t been forthcoming, this soundtrack still makes it all entirely seem entirely likely that foreseeable needn’t be the end of the world. I'm of to do the ironing to a soundtrack of La Dussseldorf. Toodle pip.

Fending off recent press tosh regarding the fact that she is quitting music, Annika Norlin returns with her Säkert! crew to prove otherwise. Conclusively.

“Facit” is the second album by Säkert!, her Swedish language combo. Those of you who pay attention will already be on tenterhooks. It’s worth noting at this point, that versions of these songs in English will be coming down the pike in the not too distant future. You can be sure that the subtitles will be every bit as potent as these originals.

I’ve written about how you need to listen to Annika a lot over the life of this portal and make no apologies for that. In any lingo, her attention to detail and ability to turn me into an awe-struck fan is unsurpassed. If I ever feel like knocking this malarkey on the head, I listen to Annika and that reboots my faith in the thing called popular music.

“Fredrik” kicks the proceedings off, reminding me of an early Wannadies song that I must have seen that band play when I caught them first in Berlin at the 1990 BID. “Rotary” also employs this wonderful spirit. “Honung” (“Honey”) has a similar tempo to the Robyn cover that Ms Norlin did with Anna Järvinen on Swedish Television some time ago. It breaks in a choral wave against a chiming guitar that will undoubtedly pack quite a kick when they get it out on the road. “Isarna” (“Ice”) is a lyric trade off between Annika and Lovisa that’s anything but frosty with a beautiful, almost African guitar flourish below the main thrust. Adding to the majesty as it races toward the finish line.

“Fär Jag”(“May I”) is a quiet, symphonic song that uses her voice to maximum effect while the slow burn of the band bathes the track in a shimmer. “Riot” ultimately transplants a Black Angel Death Song screech into a brooding anthem that will undoubtedly become a staple. Imagine Nico with a warm mulled wine kind of accent. It never quite spills over but the tension is palpable. The recorded equivalent of the last few frames of the final episode of The Sopranos, I felt pretty wiped out after my first encounter with this one.

No sign of “Fallar Isär”. The vinyl version of the album will include an additional song, “Ner i gruvan” ("Down In The Mine" – According to Google translation!).

This band just swings from pillar to post. The way the guitar occupies each song is an utter joy and the percussion too. Nothing overstated, nada overdone. "Facit" is something that you can only chalk up to chemistry.

Burning many degrees hotter than The Arcade Fire for me, Henrik Oja has produced the perfect blend of folk and pop and makes sure the band lives up to their moniker. Nothing is more sure than this deserves to blaze a trail right across the planet. I’ve never been more certain of anything. Of course, If that doesn’t happen then I’ll hold each and every one of you accountable.

Out September 15th on Razzia Records. Pre-order it here.

Thanks Martina!

Beyond Punk, curated by Gaye Advert.

(Thanks to Tom for the link)

Thursday 26th August - Edinburgh

60's Garage Beat mini-festival, Henry's Cellar Bar, 8 Morrison St, Edinburgh. 8pm - 1am. £5.

Local French beat/yéyé combo Les BOF! are hosting this mini 3 bands garage rock festival. Opening with Lord Rochester (blues/R'n'R from Dumfries/Edinburgh) and headlined by The Carpet Sellers (garage rock from Paris) + DJ. A unique blend of French 60's beat served with a Bo Diddley style starter. Not to be missed!

BMX Bandits reissues with mucho additional trackage coming out tomorrow on Cherry Red.

RIP - Jack Parnell

Grand Mal’s “Clandestine Songs” (Groover Recordings) is like one of those old faithful New York City albums. Fans of old time Lou Reed and Elliot Murphy will find much to savour in Bill Whitten’s worldview. It has the feel of the pre-Guiliani metropolis before Manhattan got turned into a theme park that approximated that location’s one-time greatness. Cool stories set to hard boiled tuneage the way they almost never seem to make them anymore.

There’s a rumour of Television too in terms of the mercurial guitar interplay. The piano is what skews it and ultimately adds that all important x ingredient. These are head turning tunes alright. If you heard one on the radio then you’d stop the car so you could write down who it was.

“Praxis Tape” is the most peculiar cut, like Santana if they’d started out in CB’s circa ’65. “You Done My Head In” is like a cousin of Mose Allison’s recent “My Brain”. David Dundas’ “Jeans On” as realised by the Velvet Underground. “Children of Light” is St Marks Place Motown. Classy gear.

“Slowpokes” by Rebecca Turner is one of those albums that creeps up on you. It features my old friend Rod Hohl on guitars, that was a nice surprise. Some of you might recall his playing with Mary Lee Kortes way too long ago. 11 songs delivered without fuss or clutter in a pop Americana style.

Rebecca has a voice that’s easy on the ear, maybe a little downwind of Suzanne Vega or one of The Roches. She calls the content “a casserole of styles” and that pretty much sums it up. If comfort food were songs then they’d sound like this.





Ludwig Bell of Dreamboy (singular – not to be confused with the Peter Capaldi/Roddy Murray/Craig Ferguson combo) is just about to release his debut solo set on the rarefied imprint of Razzia. It’s a grandiose Aztec Camera-esque feast of sumptuous pop, all in Swedish.

I’m thinking of adopting “Jag är en Idiot” as my theme song, whaddaya reckon? Check out the video for “Kärlek Slutar Alltid Med Brak”. The Stockholm locations make me homesick for a session at Tranan. I am in relative awe of the roster that this label has a beat on.

Listen to all the upcoming Razzia gear...