Twisted Nerve - Christmas Stocking Filler 7"

I said I'd found it! I have genuinely been looking for this 7" for over a year. Not continuously, obviously, but you know what I mean. It's Twisted Nerve records' 1998 Christmas single, with five tracks from bands/people who have become variously more or less well known since. I know nothing of Dakota Oak, Sirconical or Mum & Dad, but I guess you folks might?

It's all good, and I recommend putting this record on repeat throughout Christmas dinner - granny will LOVE it! Actually, the first couple of songs are alright instrumentals, Badly Drawn Boy does his own festive composition, and Mum & Dad's one is, despite its name, probably the least jolly...

The highlight of this little offering, for me, is Elbow. This is the reason I spent so long searching for the record. They're not a band I'm that enthusiastic about most of the time, to be honest, but this song is great! The ending will make your Christmas.

Your songs are:

1. Weinachten im Moomintal - Dakota Oak
2. Silent Night - Sirconical
3. Donna and Blitzen - Badly Drawn Boy
4. Christmas - Mum & Dad
5. Baby Jesus - Elbow

Happy Christmas!

p.s. It seems that this single is worth upwards of £50! Consider that I have saved each and every one of you this much money; that is my present to you all.

The Soundtrack of Our Lives - Firmament Vacation 7"

This song is bloody great. From memory, this band are (were?) Swedish, and the singer is (was?) a big fat man who wears (wore?) huge carpet-type cloak things on stage. I heard this track before a Glastonbury festival many years back and went to see them because of it. The LP this comes from is loooong, and I'm not sure I ever got through it, but this song is a slice of rock goodness.

The b-sides are also good, the first one more than the second, but both worth a listen. I hope you like it.

1. Firmament Vacation (A Soundtrack of Our Lives)
2. Greatest Hits Providers
3. Cleaning Session Raga

Hear it here.

P.S. I have finally found the Christmas 7" I was searching for last year, and in the next couple of days it's going to be here. It's brilliant, and it's been worth y'all waiting a year...

DJ Shadow - Stem 7"

Hello again everyone. Sorry things have got a bit slack recently, but in my defence I'd like to say that I've become a father in the last month, and so much of my time is no longer my own. I'm guessing that a lot of you folks who are into mid-90s vinyl might have some sympathy... For the record, the only music which has possibly had any effect so far has been Brian Eno's 'Music For Airports', but seeing as babies sleep most of the time anyway I can't say with 100% certainty that it did much. I sang her some Guided By Voices in hospital and she didn't cry, which can only be a good sign.

That said, I'm going for quality, not quantity, and I've dug out a whole load of great singles recently. It's going to be a case of digitising them when I can, but I promise you there's some great stuff to come, both 7"s and 12"s are getting an airing right now.

For today, DJ Shadow's superb Stem single, this version is stuffed with samples from the film Heat, and is (in my opinion) even better than the original for just that reason. The b-side is also really good - great drums, an equally good title, and an excellent sleeve! Hope you enjoy them, and see you again soon with more from the vault...

1. Stem (Cops 'n' Robbers mix)
2. Red Bus Needs To Leave!

Here.