Offmessage

This led me to this.  Which in turn led me to this, which led me to this, which ultimately led me to buy this, which is this week’s favourite album.

Like yer man Boon says, touches of Arcade Fire and Phillip Glass.  I’d add some Flaming Lips and even some Erlend  Øye. Lovely.

Florence and the Machine’s cover of You Got The Love is really starting to get on my tits.  If I hear one more gushing “ooh, what a great version” or, worse, one more person telling me what a great track it is, completely unaware of the original, I shall be moved to violence.

Here, ladies and gentlemen, is John Truelove’s original version – melding Candi Staton’s acapella vocal with Frankie Knuckles Your Love in the one true version. Re-released, remixed, re-recorded many many times this is, for me at least, the one we should all remember.

And please, if we’re going to get gooey about modern cover versions, sod Florence and The Machine and Joss Stone.  Try The XX version instead.

Another music post (hey, at least it’s not delicious links about Python…)

In 1969 Sandie Shaw (of Puppet on a String fame, no less) recorded her first self produced album – Reviewing The Situation.  Instead of the bubble gum pop she’d previously been recording this new project was a covers album of tracks by acts like The Beatles, The Stones, Bob Dylan and Led Zeppelin; think of it as an early All Back To Mine or Late Night Tales.

Some tracks are ill advised (Sympathy for the Devil) while others are just straight lounge (Love Me Do) but overall it’s an overlooked slice of the sort of sublime psychedelic pop that swinging London did so well. And there’s just something about her version of Your Time is Gonna Come (the first Led Zep cover ever released) that does it for me every time.

0.0000001, obviously.

Tim Minchin is a genius.

Will Woz become the new John Sargent?

I’m surprised he doesn’t use his Segway for this too…

Homer tries to vote for Obama.  Thing is, we’ve all read enough about Diebold to know this is true, so why’s it in the Simpsons?

Oh. Dear.

Thankyou, failblog.

Isaac Hayes has died.  It’s easy to remember him for South Park and the Scientology spat that followed, but his work as a session musician and writer for Stax and his own, darker sound made him one of the cornerstones of seventies soul. Here is Walk On By, the opener from his breakthrough album, Hot Buttered Soul. Get the whole album – four 10 minute workouts of dark, brooding, groove driven soul that hasn’t been bettered. This video doesn’t do it justice, but it will give you a taste.

Just seen the title track of the new Primal Scream album on The Culture Show.  Spent the first half wondering why I thought I’d heard it before and the second half marveling that the Quark, Strangeness and Charm-era Hawkwind sound is getting another outing.

Seriously, get yourself a listen to QS&C and you’ll see what I mean. Bobby Gillespie even manages to get that weird Dave Brock falsetto down pat.  Very odd indeed.

Feist’s 1-2-3-4 gets a tremendous amount of play in our office – not the original (used in the iPod ad), but the rather ludicrous Van She Tech Remix featured on the Kitsune Boombox compilation. This version’s the best yet though