This week's Spotify playlist is compiled by London-via-Brighton electro twiddlers (is that word? It is now...) Metronomy. Their album Nights Out received some fairly glowing reviews last year and now they're back with a new EP, 'Not Made for Love'. Their playlist is a suitably eclectic affair lurching from The Human League to Michael Nyman to Leonard Cohen to Chicks on Speed and on... Here's the tracklist. Enjoy!

1. The Human League - "Being Boiled"
2. Michael Nyman - "An Eye for Optical Theory"
3. Laurie Anderson - "Sharkey's Day"
4. Timbaland - "I Am Music"
5. Bootsy Collins - "I'd Rather be with You"
6. The Go Go's - "Vacation"
7. Out Kast - "She Lives in my Lap"
8. Foxy - "Get Off"
9. Chicks On Speed - "Chixmachine"
10. Leonard Cohen - "The Partisan"
11. Herman Dune - "Winners Lose"
12. The Flying LIzzards - "Hands 2 Take"
13. The Egyptian Lover - "I Cry (Night After Night)"

Click here to listen on Spotify (free, painless and not-at-all spammy registration required)

Every few years New York's finest, Sonic Youth, release a new album and music fans of a certain stripe (ie someone like me) go all warm inside. Their new one, the aptly named The Eternal was released this week and is being streamed here.

I was first introduced to Sonic Youth in my late teens when my history teacher, of all people, recommended I listen to EVOL; the first in a trio of glorious late 80s albums of strange noise, great rock tunes and weird experimentation that placed them at the top of the US alternative music scene. While EVOL remains my personal favourite, the third of those records, Daydream Nation from 1988 is probably their most revered.

I've put together a playlist of a few of my favourite Sonic Youth tunes. Though there are so many to choose from I could have come up with an entirely different list on a different day - I even managed to include the opening track from NYC Ghosts & Flowers, perhaps their most reviled album; Pitchfork awarded it a score of 0.0 (out of ten), however I rather like it and this review provides a good argument for its merits.

Click here to listen to the playlist on Spotify (free registration required).

Pitchfork has been enjoying something of a Sonic Youth week on their site - there's a live studio performance, an art film and a nice interview with the band up there thus far. Here's a bit of the interview (look out for the anecodote Thurston Moore tells about quitting his school flute class as a teenager because his teacher tried to make him wear a bow-tie for a performance - it's little wonder they became one of the coolest bands around).



Not surprisingly the web is a beacon for Sonic Youth fans. It's great to be able to find videos of the band that you're unlikely to ever see on TV. Their own website is a great resource too, while on YouTube is a great South Bank Show documentary about the band from the late 80s. 

Here's the video for "Dirty Boots", complete with an unlikely mosh-pit romance.



Here's the collage video for "Teenage Riot". How many musicians and counter-culture icons you can name? Answers on a post-card...

This week's Spotify playlist is compiled by Simmy Richman, music reviewer for The Independent on Sunday. It's a collection from various American bands which Simmy has entitlted "American Cosmic Music, Volume 1". Look out for further installments from Simmy at a later date on the Friday Playlist. Here's a full tracklist. Enjoy!

1. "Waiting for the Sun" - The Jayhwaks
2. "16 Days" - Whiskeytown
3. "Turpentine" - Brandi Carlile
4. "Imitosis" - Andrew Bird
5. "The Devil Never Sleeps" - Iron & Wine
6. "I've Been Riding With the Ghost" - Songs:Ohia
7. "Two Different Things" - Thad Cockrell, Caitlin Cary
8. "With Care From Someone" - Dillard & Clark
9. "Mykonos" - Fleet Foxes
10. "Roscoe" - Midlake
11. "White Daisy Passing" - Rocky Votolato
12. "Carry Me Ohio" - Sun Kil Moon
13. "Bad Education" - Tilly and the Wall
14. "Jesus, Etc." - Wilco

Click here to listen to the playlist on Spotify (free registration)

This week's Spotify playlist is compiled by Harriet Walker, a fashion writer at The Independent. Here's the full tracklisting. Enjoy.

1. "House Jam" - Gang Gang Dance
2. "Lights Out" - Santogold
3. "Xtatic Truth - Xtra Loud Mix" - Crystal Fighters
4. "Curly Tetth" - Micachu
5. "Zero" - Yeah Yeah Yeahs
6. "Cannonball" - The Breeders
7. "Good Fortune" - PJ Harvey
8. "Annie, I'm Not Your Daddy" - Kid Creole and the Coconuts
9. "Been Caught Stealing" - Jane's Addiction
10. "4th Chanber" - GZA feat Ghostface Killah, Killah Priest & RZA
11. "Courtship Dating" - Crystal Castles
12. "Banned From the End of the World" - Sleater Kinney
13. "You Gonna Want Me" - Tiga
14. "Son of a Gun" - Vaselines
15. "The Turtle" - Nathan Fake

Click here to listen to the playlist on Spotify (free registration)

Friend is the suitably vague moniker for Jesse Kanda, a music producer based in London. Tracks from his own EP "Shima", can be heard at myspace.com/friendddd. The EP is set for release in the coming months and is perfectly timed to soundtrack the summer, with floating vocals mixing with hazy ambient sounds and synths, along with some far-eastern inflections and the odd steel drum or two. Two tracks can already be downloaded; one from The Fader and the other from RCRD LBL.

Here's a copyright busting video for the track Doki which utilizes clips from various Wong Kar Wai films...



I dropped Jesse a line and sent him a few questions. Here's what he had to say for himself.

Tell me a little about yourself - what's your musical background?
Friend is just me - Jesse Kanda, 21, half Japanese half Canadian living in London. Music is my eternal love!

Have you been producing for long?
I've been making music for one year now.

Do you produce for bands or is it just remixes and making your own tunes?
So far it's been my own songs and remixes... I'd rather be part of a band than produce one, but who knows!

Do you dj as well? Did you begin by djing?
Yes I've been djing for about a year as well. I started getting invited to play as a result of making music. It was always an interest though, I used to make mixtapes for fun.

You've done remixes for some high profile people - how did they come about? Did they approach you?
Most of the time my manager Stephen goes "wanna do this? wanna do that?" and I pick out the ones I think I can work with or look fun to do.

I believe you are a photographer and film maker too; can you tell me a little bit about your work here? Do the three processes inform each other much
I'm really neither of those but I'm a graphic designer/visual artist so as a result have to dabble in those areas sometimes too. They're all the same in that it's coming up with an idea and figuring out a way to do it.

Tell me about Friend? Why Friend?
It was a terrible idea, you can't google it! I don't know, I'm not very creative with words and it felt like a sincere, simple name. I don't think some artsy band name would suit me anyway.

 When is the EP due?
It's finished but I'm thinking about what to do with it... I don't think there's a point in selling it unless it's a physical record and it's only a headache trying to deal with label people. I don't like waiting.

Are you planning an album?
Don't know! I like the idea of making music that I want to make and releasing it how I want to release it. Go with the flow I guess. But you know, I do prefer the format of EPs.. They're more frequent concentrated bursts of ideas instead of long drawn out pain and misery. Yeah, I want to stay away from misery and just be happy making music.

Where do the vocals come from? Samples? Your own? Do you get people in?
That's me!

The steel drum sounds and some sitar like and eastern sounds give the music an unusual feel - how did you land on these sounds? Are they from particular genres of music that interest you?
I just love the sounds that those instruments make. I think it's an interesting combination of origins, but it's only by chance that they sounded decent together. Yeah, I listen to all kinds of music from all different times, as long as its got qualities I like about it.

Are there other people making electro and ambient music at the moment that you like?
In new music, I think there are more Swedish artists that I relate myself to than any other country right now. Air France, Studio, The Tough Alliance, The Knife, Boat Club, etc. Musically, I don't think I belong in London. To me most new British indie sounds very angry and un-melodic. It's the complete opposite of the madchester days when everything was much cheesier. Not to say there isn't great new stuff.

The EP has quite a hazy/summery feel, was that intentional?
Yes, everybody loves summer!

There is quite a psychedelic feel to the music and to your images (on MySpace etc) - does early rave culture interest you? Is 60s/70s psychedelic a reference point?
Sure! Not so much the culture but the sounds from it are really beautiful. I can't get enough of electric guitar delays, tremelos, etc.

What further plans have you got?
Piña coladas on the beach.

The video for Doki uses images from Wong Kar Wai films - are you expecting a law suit soon?
I hope so! Even if it's in court I would love to meet him in person.

This week's Spotify Playlist is compiled by David Lister, Arts Editor of The Independent, editor of the weekly Arts and Books magazine, and also editor of the monthly Independent Music Magazine. Here is the tracklisting:

1. "Intervention" - Arcade Fire

This week's Spotify playlist is compile by Michael Savage, Political Correspondent for The Independent.

Michael writes, "Record label executives must shudder at the prospect of recruiting an artist in the 'low-fi' scene. They’re not exactly the most ambitious bunch, in the traditional sense at least. For most of them, the ideal night consists of playing in front of 20-odd enthusiastic fans.

Our latest Spotify playlist is compiled by Elisa Bray, Music Editor of The Independent. There's no theme to the playlist this time, it's just a collection of some of Elisa's favourite music; largely comprised of strident Scottish guitar songs and Americana. Enjoy...

Here's the full tracklist:

1. "Blue Boy" - Orange Juice
2. "Just a Boy" - Angus & Julia Stone
3. "White as Diamonds" - Alela Diane
4. "You're a Wolf" - Sea Wolf
5. "What I Have Left" - Mike Bones
6. "Slow Show" - The National
7. "Pull the Wires from the Walls" - The Delgados
8. "Run" - Broadcast 2000
9. "Hush the Warmth" - Gorkys Zygotic Mynci
10. "We are the Sleepyheads" - Belle and Sebastian
11. "Lake Michigan" - Rogue Wave
12. "Fast Blood" - Frightened Rabbit
13. "For Emma" - Bon Iver
14. "Lights Off" - The Dears
15. "Our Life is Not a Movie of Maybe" - Okkervil River
16. "Disembodied Voices" - Finn Brothers

Click here to listen to the playlist on Spotify (free registration)

Ooooh. This is all very hi-tech isn’t it? In honour of all this new-fangled online malarkey, here's a playlist that pays tribute to some artists who’ve really embraced the digital age. Most of the people on my list play guitars, I'm afraid, so do please suggest some tech-loving bands from other genres. I’ve put in a couple of muso Twitterers, including Mike Skinner aka The Streets, and John Mayer, who turns tweeting into a fine art, with such gems as...

and...

There are some acts who've appeared in the wonderful (and Webby-nominated) Black Cab Sessions, including recent additions Doves. Radiohead have to get a look in, of course, for their early and continuing commitment to the net. And for old times' sake I'll chuck in Lily Allen (who also tweets) and the Arctic Monkeys from the MySpace generation. The Lonely Island really must be seen to be appreciated because, like OkGo, they've harnessed the full publicity potential of YouTube. Trent Reznor recently launched an iPhone app for fans of his band Nine Inch Nails. James Murphy aka LCD Soundsystem released 45:33 as a download for Nike+ to go with their iPod nano software for joggers. It was years ago now, but I wanted an excuse to stick one of his tracks on the list. And I also wanted to include those old Luddites Metallica and the Beatles, for their final, grudging acceptance of the digital future in the form of dedicated videogames Metallica: Guitar Hero and The Beatles: Rock Band. Funnily enough, however, neither of their catalogues are available on Spotify yet...

Here's the full playlist:

1. "The National Anthem" - Radiohead
2. "Turn The Page" - The Streets
3. "Maple Leaves (EP version) - Jens Lekman
4. "I Keep Havin' These Dreams" - Micah P HInson
5. "I Could Say" - Lily Allen
6. "Someone Great" - LCD Soundsyatem
7. "Help Me Somebody" - Brian Eno, David Byrne
8. "The Lovecats" - OK Go
9. "Sax Man" - The Lonely Island, featuring Jack Black
10. "Ada" - The National
11. "10.03" - Doves
12. "Do Me A Favour" - Arctic Monkeys
13. "The Day The World Went Away" - Nine Inch Nails
14. "Good Love Is On The Way" - John Mayer

Click here to listen to the playlist on Spotify (free registration)

With new fangled websites like Spotify offering freely streamed, easily accessible music, (and apparently taking on iTunes in a vicious battle to the death), we've decided to give you a selection of music, new and old, to listen to every Friday for no better reason than to just pass the time with some nice tunes.

In today's paper there is a story about the first song of the bailout era - country singer, John Rich's "Shutting Detroit Down" (a caveat; he also sang "Raisin' McCain" during the US election). In light of this and the events of the week, I decided to theme the playlist vaguely on recession, politics, money, jobs and the like... Granted, some songs are fairly tenuously linked to the theme, but hopefully the music is still good.

Here's a tracklist:

1. "Free Money" - Patti Smith Group
2. "Straight to Hell" - The Clash
3. "Running the World" - Jarvis Cocker
4. "Golden Age" - TV on the Radio
5. "Teen Age Riot" - Sonic Youth
6. "Napoleon Says" - Phoenix
7. "I Want More" - Can
8. "Diamonds From Sierra Leone" (remix) - Kanye West, featuring Jay-Z
9. "Life During Wartime" - Talking Heads
10. "Ain't Got No/I Got Life" - Nina Simone
11. "Maggie's Farm" - Bob Dylan
12. "No Depression" - Uncle Tupelo
13. "That Black Snake Moan" - Blind Lemon Jefferson
14. "Life's A Bitch" - Nas
15. "Peace Piece" - Bill Evans

Click here to listen to the playlist on Spotify (free registration)

( Read more... )

In my Caught in the Net music article in the paper today I mentioned Kill It Kid, a five-piece from Bath, blending blues, country rock and pop. Signed to One Little Indian, their debut single "Send Me an Angel Down" is due in May, with a full album on the way later this year.

In the meantime, sample the band with two songs from their debut EP free to download - right click and hit "Save target/links as..." to download:

"Burst Its Banks"

"Private Idaho"

Monday saw the launch of (RED) Wire, a new weekly online music magazine that aims to help stop the spread of AIDS in Africa. A handful of the world's biggest artists are collaborating on the project which, inevitably, is being spearheaded by the philanthropist Bono, who I've been told was in a band, or something, once.

Here’s the deal: you get access to the magazine's exclusive content for a donation of £4 per month and for every five subscribers to the magazine one person with HIV will receive the antiretroviral drugs necessary to keep them alive.

Now, I realise that times are hard, so if that isn’t enough to get you to part with your hard earned £4, the music is excellent. To promote the website launch (RED) WIRE have made a number of tracks available to stream via MSN Music, these are the highlights:

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I have officially surprised my musical taste with a band which I formerly thought were a big pile of appalling musical rubble, toppled off with some poppycock; let's just say I wasn't very keen on, er, Keane.

But alas, and yes, alas, as admittedly I do take some joy in feeling passionate about hating bands, especially ones with dull names and bad looking people, who are all generally idiots and think they're cool, but I can now concur that Keane are actually alright, music wise anyway.

( Read more... )