Super Furry Animals - The International Language Of Screaming CDS

Just a quick one today, as time is short. More Welsh goodness for you all, just in time for St. Patrick's Day (I know).

You gotta love Super Furry Animals, right? The single itself is obviously brilliant; it's an SFA single. The first b-side is just as good, though. I have no idea why it's not an album track, it's really good. The third track is a story which is sung in such a strong/stoned accent it's pretty much impossible to understand, but worth a try. Track four is a reminder of the good old days, when bands could get away with putting complete nonsense as a b-side and no-one cared. Three cheers for Creation Records.

1. The International Language Of Screaming
2. Wrap It Up
3. Foxy Music
4. nO.K.

Here it is.

Is anyone else who writes a blog annoyed by Google making posting both prettier and less easy in one swift redesign?

Gorky's Zygotic Mynci - Let's Get Together (In Our Minds) 7"

29th February, eh? Extraordinary. Who knows when this will happen again, so let's celebrate with some extraordinariness from the joint best band from Wales.

More Gorky's for y'all, as I find more of these 7" in the pile. All good stuff, this one a 1998 release in a laid-back style, is off the Gorky 5 album, which I actually don't know at all. What I do know, however, is that apparently Gorky's had 8 singles in the UK top 75, but never got in the top 40. That's what Wikipedia says, anyway, so it could be a lie.

The first b-side is a weird American country track, with violins and all, and is clearly a Welsh person singing in an American accent. Despite that, it's good. Or does that automatically make it good? Anyway. Good. The second b-side is a Welsh-language number, which appears to be a cover, but of whom I have no idea. Folky.

1. Let's Get Together (In Our Minds)
2. Billy And The Sugarloaf Mountain
3. Hwiangerdd Mair

Mynci is here.

PJ Harvey - A Perfect Day Elise 7"

Well done Pol. In (extremely late) celebration of her second Mercury Prize here's another single off 'Is This Desire?' from 1998.

This is one of my favourites of her songs, and I guess a lot of you may know it already. If you don't, you know what to do. Anyway, all about the b-sides, and there are a couple of them on this 7". The first is a real quiet one (sorry it's a little spoiled by some surface noise, but hey), and it's lovely. It sounds slightly like she's singing from the bottom of a fishtank or something, but it's good. The instrumental clocks in at about a minute, so make of that what you will. Sounds nice.

1. A Perfect Day Elise
2. Sweeter Than Anything
3. Instrumental #3

Right here.

Urusei Yatsura - Fake Fur (CDs 1 & 2)

I've been a bit lax recently. Sorry. Been busy, y'know. So by way of yet another apology, here's a double treat, both of the CDs of this single from 1997 from a band who I really like, still. Kind of Pavement-y, bit slack, sloppy, Scottish, tunes... Good stuff. This single is off 'Pulpo!' (it has an upside-down exclamation mark at the start. Don't know how to do that), which I actually don't have, but I love 'We Are Urusei Yatsura' from a couple of years before.

The a-side is great, and the other tracks are all good too - it's kind of a mini-album all on its own. 'Silver Krest' and 'Saki & Cremola' I like particularly. Hope you enjoy them. Back soon.

CD1:
1. Fake Fur
2. Silver Krest
3. Nova Static
4. Secret Crush

CD2:
1. Fake Fur
2. Pampered Adolescent
3. Bewitched
4. Saki & Cremola

The picture of CD1 doesn't do it justice, by the way; it's a rough cardboard sleeve with the picture of the tiger stuck on, as well as the info on the back. Nice.

Here's one, and here's two.

Palace Music - Palace Soundtrack free CD

Hello everyone, and happy new year to you all. As a special treat for the start of 2012, a departure from the usual 2-track vinyl goodness, and a dip into the freebies which I was lucky enough to get with various LPs. This is a film soundtrack for a film called The Broken Giant, which came out a couple of years after this was included with the LP of Arise Therefore in 1996. Apparently it was released as an EP later on, but I like to think this sounds a bit more special. Which of course it doesn't.

Sorry all the tracks are labelled as Will Oldham, which is what the thing that gives you CD track names called them. I only noticed after I'd uploaded it. I think they should be Palace Music. Although it's Will Oldham on his own. Well. And the EP's called Black/Rich Music, which it was called later. Well. And it has more tracks than a single. Well.

It's bloody great. Enough?

1. Organ: Watch With Me
2. Do What You Will Do
3. The Risen Lord
4. Organ: Allowance
5. Allowance
6. Black/Rich Tune
7. Organ: Black/Rich
8. Guitar: Do What You Will Do

Here it is.

Light - Turning/Presence 7"

Been a bit slack recently, as you might have noticed. Well, it's New Year's Eve, so I thought I'd wish you all a very happy 2012 with what can only be described as the ultimate party single.

I know nothing about this record, other than it was released on clear vinyl 7" by Wurlitzer Jukebox in 1995, and it sounds like Flying Saucer Attack. That alone is surely a good enough reason to check it out. It comes with a photocopied insert with a picture of a man with a big beard, and the word 'mono' written several times.

What more can I say. If any of that sounds interesting, and I hope it does, then see what you think. Happy new year, y'all.

1. Turning
2. Presence

Party!

Ash - Jesus Says 7"

Say what you like about Ash, but whatever stage of their career they've come up with some cracking singles. Their singles collection is a really good album, sadly unlike some of their actual albums...

This single is off 'Nu-Clear Sounds', from 1998, which I can only remember for this song. And the fact that the LP was on clear vinyl, which in itself is obviously a good thing, but I guess some of you purists will claim the music's important too. That said, I saw an advert for them playing this LP in order (plus other hits), so I guess it's only me that didn't really rate it.

Anyhew, the single's a good 'un, and you should take a listen if you can. The b-side is also surprisingly good, a little less straightforward/more metal than their songs usually are. It's a Charlotte Hatherley track, which she also sings, if you're interested in her pre-solo songs. All of which possibly means I should go back and check out the album again.

This is one super over-compressed recording. Who needs a dynamic range when you've got ROCK!

1. Jesus Says
2. Taken Out

Here they are.

Jon Spencer Blues Explosion - 2Kindsa Love 7"

Look me in the eye and tell me you don't already love a Jon Spencer Blues Explosion 7" on bright pink vinyl. Good. So do I. I've tried to scan the 7" itself, but the colour doesn't do it justice at all - it's really quite horrible in real life.

Now, if you don't know this track then you've been missing out for 15 years or so; it's bloody great. Everything about it, shouting, crazy guitar sounds, great production... Love it.

It's off his Now I Got Worry album, which is up there with his very best. The b-side is a poorly-punctuated but nicely-nuts slice of blues/punk madness, with some killer keyboard (at least that's what I think it is).

1. 2Kindsa Love
2. Lets Smerf

Here

The Flaming Stars - Sweet Smell Of Success 7"

I used to love this band. Still do, in fact, but back then they were one of those ones that I seemed to be into, but no-one else was, which always adds a certain something. Partly I loved them for the music, partly for the sound (all analogue equipment and so on - same studio the White Stripes used a lot, I think), and partly for their habit of releasing limited 7"s with four tracks on them. Needless to say, the one I've chosen only has two tracks, but they're both awesome. It's listed as a double a-side, which always seemed a completely pointless idea to me, but there you go. Still, it kind of makes sense on a record like this.

The first a-side is a killer tune, and sounds lush when the guitar really kicks in. The second a-side, however, is one of my favourite of their tracks, and completely different to the first. Great stuff. And both under 2:30!

You should listen to these, it's only 5 minutes of your life. You'll like them. And I'm glad y'all liked Teenage Fanclub.

1. Sweet Smell Of Success
2. The Day The Earth Caught Fire

Here it's.

Teenage Fanclub - Grand Prix Bonus 7"

Just when you thought I'd run out of Teenage Fanclub... Because I was/am kind of obsessed with this band, I picked up this LP pretty much the day it came out, and was lucky enough to get hold of one with the bonus 7". Here, for your (hopefully) equally obsessive interest, it is.

Track 1 seems to be a recording of some vocals and a shaker, with the rest of the music in the background somewhere. There's some whistling too. And clapping. It's kind of nice. Track 3 is another version of the album track, with louder drums, I guess it's also a demo. Tracks 4 and 6 I had to do some digging about to find names (there's nothing listed on the record) - both instrumentals.

I hadn't listened to this 7" in years, and it's got a real intimate feel to it. Maybe that's just me. I like it, and hope you do too.

1. Discolite (demo)
2. Answerphone message (to Norman)
3. I Gotta Know (demo)
4. Coffee Morning
5. Norman's outgoing answerphone message
6. Untitled

Hear them roar.