Cable - Arthur Walker 7"

This single's off Cable's second proper LP, 'Sub-Lingual' (third if you're counting the first EP). At the time I really wasn't into it as an album, suffering pretty badly by comparison to 'When Animals Attack', which you should check out if you don't know it already. However, listening again the other day I enjoyed it more, I guess time changes your appreciation of these things. This single is really good, and there are certainly some other cracking songs on it. Give it a go.

Anyway, the main reason for putting this up is the b-side, which is one of my favourite Cable tracks. They had some great b-sides over the years, and someone very kindly sent me a link to a compliation of them a while back. 'Vertigo' was in the compilation, and I knew I recognised it, but it wasn't a very good recording, and I didn't know where it was from. It's from here. And here's a good version of it. It's ace.

1. Arthur Walker
2. Vertigo

Hey ya.

PJ Harvey - The Wind 7"

Hello again. Here's a good one. It's a track off the 1998 LP 'Is This Desire?', and is a real standout song. The b-sides off this single are also very good, as is PJ's way. 'Rebecca' sounds lovely, especially the drums, and 'Nina In Ecstasy 2' (number 1 was somewhere else, I guess) is a beautiful little song, just simple organ and vocals; one of those little classics that used to turn up as the third track on a single every now and then.

Track 3 also contains portions of 'Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep', which I initially hoped was going to be some massively out of place sample, but it doesn't, sadly. Enjoy.

1. The Wind
2. Rebecca
3. Nina In Ecstasy 2

Here you go.

AC Acoustics - Stunt Girl 7"

I'm still here! Sorry again for the long gaps between postings, but just occasionally I have to give other things priority. Here's a little something to keep you going, a great single by a great (and greatly under-rated) band. The b-side is also good, more of the same really.

If you don't know them then I'd really recommend giving this single a listen and then searching out 'Victory Parts', which is the album it's taken from. Really good. The one after it is good too.

1. Stunt Girl
2. Shoka

Hear me now.

And 'Repeater' by Fugazi is an awesome track, isn't it?

Crescent - Sun 7"

Right folks. Another quick one, what with everything else happening at the same time, but this is really, really good. Really good. It's another from back in the day, back in the Westcountry, on Planet Records straight outta Bristol in 1994. Labelmates of Flying Saucer Attack, Movietone and the like.

You may well not have heard of this band, but if you have then you probably own this record already. If you don't know it, I can't recommend it highly enough, it's a superb slice of noisy, rocky, LoFi, shouty, home-made... And with a killer tune on top of all that. The b-side's well chilled.

Just try it.

1. Sun
2. They Are Rebuilding The City

Here it is.

Sebadoh - Beauty of the Ride 7"

Hello. Sorry it's been so long between posts, but I currently have very little time to eat, sleep or think, so it's taken a bit of a back seat.

Anyway, as an apology for the delay, here's something a bit special from Lou Barlow and the boys. The a-side is off Harmacy, their 1996 Sub Pop LP, and is one of their best tracks, I reckon. If you don't know them then it's quite a good example (as long as you're also prepared for a few touches of noisy nonsense along the way).

Your b-side is a cover of 'Riding' by Will Oldham/Bonnie 'Prince' Billy/etc., which is a great song in its own right, and this cover does it justice. It's off a Peel Session, I believe, and is a kind of slack, ragged, laid-back... you know what to expect. Good stuff. Enjoy it.

1. Beauty Of The Ride
2. Riding

Here it's. Let me know if you like it.

The Third Eye Foundation - Universal Cooler

Told you I'd found something special... I don't think I have anything with an Easter theme, so you'll have to make do with this. Think of it as the result of an Easter-egg hunt, but with records as little chocolate eggs and shelves of vinyl as mysterious wooded areas, with me as that weird uncle who's following you around and you're not allowed to talk to.

Those of you who know me won't be surprised, but this is some extra proof that I am a dumbass. For a long time I thought this record was by a band called Universal Cooler, and I didn't listen to it for years, on the basis that Universal Cooler is an awful name for a band (apologies if it's your band's name). It's not by Universal Cooler. It's called Universal Cooler, and it's actually the first single from The Third Eye Foundation (Matt Elliot), on Planet Records, from Bristol, back in the day.

It's bloody great.

1. Universal Cooler
2. I'm Not Getting In A Car With You

It's right yer.

Bivouac - The Bell Foundry 7"

I'll be honest with you, one of the main reasons I bought this record was the colour of the vinyl. Just look at it. Beautiful. You try doing that with an MP3.

Anyway, turns out I made a great decision, as this is a superb slice of noisy guitary mid-90sy ROCK! And, looking them up right now, it appears they ended up on Geffen for their third LP, which is actually the only one I have; it's called 'Full Size Boy', and I'd strongly recommend getting hold of it. Great stuff. They were from Derby, like Cable.

This is a couple of years earlier than that album, and is great. A-side's really good, first b-side also good, second b-side (happy days) is an acoustic track, which is a bit of a departure from anything else I've heard by these guys. Also good, but suffers from either shoddy recording or a shoddy needle.

By the way, I've found a great 7" in the pile, which will go up next...

1. The Bell Foundry
2. Lead
3. Saltwater Heal (acoustic)

Hear ye.

Verbena - Shaped Like A Gun 7"

I don't know anything about this band, so I thought I'd fake it by looking on Wikipedia. That's probably given it away, mind.

Anyway, this is a bloody great single, with a nice relaxing b-side. The a-side sounds a little like Elastica, but American with a boy singing. The b-side sounds like a quiet Foo Fighters track. Interestingly, Dave Grohl produced the LP after this one. Coincidence..? This one came out on Merge Records (everyone's favourite label), and was produced by Dave Fridmann of Mercury Rev/Flaming Lips/everyone else fame, so they have some pedigree in their production at least.

I think it's a really good song, very of its time (1997), but yeah, a good one. Hope you like it.

1. Shaped Like A Gun
2. Postcard Blues

Here it is. You love it.

Smog - Ex-Con 7"

Robster, here's your prize! It's a post dedicated only to you, and you alone. Other people might read it, sure, but this one's for you (and Steve Ogriz0vic). I hope you like it. I tried to gift wrap it, but I ran out of Sellotape (or sticky-backed plastic, if you're into the whole Blue Peter thing).

Mat, this is second prize. Squeethorp, this is third.

And this is Smog, who are generally quiet and acoustic, as far as I'm aware. This is a kind of demo-sounding tune, but it shows how important a bit of space in a good song is. You'll see what I mean. Anyway, it's really good, and was the first thing I ever heard by them/him - Bill Callahan is/was the main man, who is/was Mr Joanna Newsom, I think. Did I make that/up?

The b-side is a real rocker! Full of bashing the crap out of the drums and feedback. Seriously. I don't know if anything else of theirs sounds like this, but maybe it should have done.

1. Ex-Con
2. Just Like Napoleon

Here it is.

The Hitchers - You Can Only Love Someone / Strachan 7"

Not feeling too inspired today, but here's a couple of tunes to inspire all you folks out there in the world. The very Irish Hitchers are up today, with a good a-side and an absolutely brilliant b-side. The lyrics alone would be worth posting, but as I'm not going to you're probably best off listening.

If you don't know who Gordon Strachan is then you'll need to do some research to get the real benefit of this song. If you do then you'll get it fo sho.

1. You Can Only Love Someone
2. Strachan

Gordon. You like? Name the 'keeper for a special prize.