Sing me to sleep

Its only 12.39pm and i’m already having a pretty terrible day. My girlfriend and I have just broken up and as usual the only thing I can find solace in is music. This is why I love music so much, it can say everything my heart would like to – the things I can’t find the words to say or the emotions to express myself. It’s a release, and it’s quite often my only release.

Despite what you’re thinking this isn’t a negative entry, it’s positive because I’ve always got, and always will have music and it’s in times like this I appreciate it even more than normal.

In the immortal words of The Smiths:

Sing me to sleep

Sing me to sleep

I’m tired and I want to go to bed

Sing me to sleep

Sing me to sleep

And then leave me alone

Don’t try to wake me in the morning

cause I will be gone

Don’t feel bad for me

I want you to know

Deep in the cell of my heart

I will feel so glad to go

There is a better world

Well, there must be

Incidentally, as far as i’m concerned Asleep is the only good Smiths song but it is very, very good.

The Smiths - Asleep

Power Ballad Saturday 01

Here at Robot Soap HQ we have a little bit of a sense of humor and for the last few Saturday's I've been waking Elliot up on a saturday morning with selection of power ballads, the cheesier the better!

I refrained from waking Elliot up this Saturday because I was starting to fear for my life a little after the last time, so here we are with the first, in possibly a series of blog entries simply titled 'Power Ballad Saturdays'.

This weeks choice pick is Roxette's 'It Must Have Been Love (But It's Over Now)' as featured in the 'classic' film Pretty Woman. I remember my mum saying 'this is the song that makes the film' I think she was right.

Roxette - It Must Have Been Love

Roxette FACT:

The Song 'It Must Have Been Love' was originally called It Must Have Been Love (Christmas For The Broken Hearted) but was edited for the Pretty Woman Soundtrack. 9 Million copies of this track have been sold worldwide.

Seconds From Nothing - Finally a new mix!

Seconds From Nothing February Mix - You Break Me, You Break Me Down

I've just recorded this mix without any thought apart from 'I'm going to record a mix tonight'. Its a selection of new and old records that I just kept digging from the box at the side of my decks. Its a bit rough around the edges at times but I'm happy with it for a quick mix. Enjoy...

1) Turntablerocker - I Heard You Were Dead

2) Poni Hoax - Antibodies (Chateau Flight Remix)

3) Gucci Soundsystem - aCarpenter

4) Simon Baker - Full Range

5) Apparat - Arcadia (Boys Noize Version)

6) Burnski - Get Dum

7) Layo & Buskwacka - Life2Live (Green Velvet Remix)

8) Jori Hulkkonen - Enter The Fear

9) Claude Von Stroke - Deep Throat

10) Tiefschwarz - Ghost Track

Bonus:

11) Franz Ferdinand - All My Friends (LCD Soundsystem Cover)

Click Here To Download

Get back to bed...

It's very late on a rather cold Sunday/Monday night/early Morning. I'm back on the otherside of the Pennines and for some reason i miss my adopted city, and the people that are there. I'm fully aware that i have a dentist appointment tomorrow too, and yet i cant wait to go and sit in a waiting room, waiting for my mouth to be poked and maybe x-rayed, if i'm lucky that is.

Currently infront of me is a tv, with the adverts for late night phone lines, so far i've heard the jingles for hot babes, lonely wives and virgin teens. Its a bit of a desperate time when you need to give them a ring, thats what i think anyways. So in order to get these theme tunes out of my head i cracked open my itunes to have a listen to some tunes. Here's a few of what i dug up, 

Pulp - Dishes (zshare)

Skream - Midnight Request Line (zshare)

New Order - Thieves Like Us (instrumental) (zshare)

Mice parade - Galileo (zshare)

2 more for today

Lindstrom – Late Night Tales

This really is a lovely compilation and mix CD from Lindstrom. It’s been in and out of my CD player for a fair while now and while at first I was a bit disappointed with it, it has definitely grown on me to the point I see it a bit like an old friend of mine, slowing bringing me round on a hungover morning with a decent cuppa and a bacon sandwich.

Highlights include Carly Simon, Todd Terje & Prins Thomas but the stand out track for me is Lindstrom & Solale’s ‘Let it Happen’ (Vangelis Cover), a track that throb’s throughout chugging along with twisted deep house melodies. It makes me think of the dark and sweaty basement parties I used to attend a few years ago. Let It Happen seems to spiral away from you only to bring back the beat at that crucial moment.

Carly Simon - Why (12 Inch Mix)

Anja Garbarek - I Won't Hurt you

Band of Horses – Everything All the Time

I was talking to this about this to a friend the other day who asked me how I’d describe Band of Horses’ music my reply was ‘The Choruses of The Shins mixed with a little bit of spazzy weirdness of Modest Mouse’ and I’ll stand by that description. 

I first listened to Band Of Horses while playing SKATE on the PS3, their track Funeral features on the games soundtrack and I really enjoyed it, forcing me to go hunt out more music by the band. This is a great album and its been accompanying me on train rides to see my girl.

Band Of Horses - Funeral

Band Of Horses - St Augustine

a special mention should also go out to, the now defunct, Something Corporate. Their nine and a half minute epic story of love, loss and dreams known as Konstantine has been getting more than a few plays recently. 

I really don't like Something Corporate but this is a great song, and it very nearly ended up in the entry below for more than a couple of reasons.

Something Corporate - Konstantine

25 into 15

I was reading earlier this week that its 25 years since Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ Came out, a track that pre-dates my entire life by a whole year but the artist whose track it is played an influential part on my life back in the day because Jacko’s ‘Bad’ was the first tape I was ever given as a kid at age nine.

This is all one big tenuous link so that I can post the tracks that have defined my life in the last 15 years, I’d like to point out not all these tracks came out in the years I’m posting them in – They were just tracks that defined that year.

I've tried to find links for all of these, unfortunately i've been unsuccesful for a couple.

Age 9/1993 – Michael Jackson - Man In The Mirror
This was my favourite Track from Bad, and like i’d previously mentioned I loved this album, it was the first proper cassette I owned, up til that point I’d just stolen my mum and dads tapes.

Man In The Mirror - Michael Jackson

Age 10/1994 – Oasis – Cigarettes and Alcohol
I think listening to my cousins mixtapes warped my mind a little bit – he was putting acid house on there before I even had a clue what acid house was but this track always stuck out to me because of its attitude and rawness. Its a shame this was the only good album Oasis made.

Oasis – Cigarettes and Alcohol

Age 11/1995 – Blur – Charmless Man
I got my first ever CD player at the Christmas of 1994 but up til Blur’s The Great Escape album was released I spent most of my time still buying cassette singles. This is the best track from that album and it makes me very happy every time I hear it now. Its even managed to sneak into more than a couple of my sets at Robot Soap, always to a fantastic reception.

Blur – Charmless Man

Age 12/1996 – Meatloaf – I’d Do Anything For Love But I Won’t Do That
Yeah, this is cheesy but I don’t care. I love it for the memories attached to it. It also has one of my most embarrassing memories attached to it but that deserves a separate blog post all of its own... watch this space!

Meatloaf – I’d Do Anything For Love But I Won’t Do That

Age 13/1997 – NOFX – Liza And Louise
When you’re thirteen a song about two lesbians with the line ‘i’ll never forget the first time you kissed me, now i’m ready for you to fist me’ is the funniest thing in the entire world. I first heard this on one of my favourite compilations ever – Punk-o-Rama 3. I heard a lot of the bands that went on to be firm favourites of mine for the time ever on that compilation.

Age 14/1998 – The Offspring – The Kids Aren’t Alright
Its all about the guitar riff of this song, well that and the ‘woa-oh’s – proper pop punk perfection.

Age 15/1999 – Busta Rhymes – Extinction Level Event (Song Of Salvation)
This track, the title track of Busta’s Rhymes 1999 album made me jump around like a loon for a long time. It reminds of spending hours every night and every weekend skating the away with this playing along on our dodgy little ghetto-blaster covered in stickers.

Age 16/2000 – Underworld – Dark And Long
I saw trainspotting for the first time and aside from Blondie’s Atomic this track was the only one that really stuck with me, mainly because of THAT scene but also because it’s still one of the best techno records ever committed to vinyl.

Age 17/2001 – Jimmy Eat World – For Me This Is Heaven
Clarity, Jimmy Eat Worlds third album, is my favourite album of all time and this is my favourite track off that album. As far as i’m concerned its seven minutes of faultlessly good rock music.

Jimmy Eat World – For Me This Is Heaven

Age 18/2002 – Dugong – People Like You Are Hard To Find
Dugong, as I mentioned when we first started this blog defined an era for me. The Eastmoor Rules is the best album to ever come out of Wakefield. This is the music The Cribs only wish they could make. Proper solid pop rock, in the vein of early Get Up Kids. Bombed Out, the label this was released on is now unfortunately defunct but at the time it was releasing the best music from the UK which sadly went un-listened to by the mass population.

Age 19/2003 – Give Up The Ghost/American Nightmare – There’s A Black Hole In The Shadow Of The Pru
As Dugong defined a calmer time in my life, Give Up The Ghost defined the more erratic side of me. Proper hardcore punk, with proper 2 minute long songs and great lyrics to boot. Again, its a shame this band have already split up. I loved them.

Age 20/2004 – The Horrorist – One Night In NYC
Without this track there would be no Robot Soap. This track kickstarted my love of Techno, along with Sankeys and Tribal Sessions. Twisted and very, very dark this track is something special.

Age 21/2005 – Sigur Ros – Ny Batteri
I’d been listening to Sigur Ros’ ( ) album for ages by the time I came across this. The bassline drags you through one of the most emotional pieces of nearly instrumental music I’ve ever heard. At the time I couldn’t get enough of it and a a spark of love for the track has been reignited by Heima, The Sigur Ros film.

Sigur Ros – Ny Batteri

Age 22/2006 – Nathaniel Green – Down To You Then Supergirl
Nathaniel Green were a side project by a member of Dugong and Pylon. They made acoustic pop music which delights me every time I hear them. It’s as northern as music comes without ever being too much.

Nathaniel Green - Handwriting (The track I talk about here is unavailable but give this a listen)

Age 23/2007 – LCD Soundsystem – All My Friends
If you haven’t heard this already, why not? Its probably one of the best pop songs ever written and I mean ‘ever.

LCD Soundsystem - All My Friends

Age 23-24/2008 – Best track/album this year so far – Tunng – Bullets
I cannot get enough of the bouncy intertwined melodies and the hookiest of choruses that make up this track. It makes me smile and bounce around a little bit every time I hear it. lovely stuff.

Tunng - Bullets

There’s hundreds more of tracks I could have placed in these positions but the best thing about writing this blog entry has been rediscovering a bunch of bands/artists I don’t listen to anymore, that are not even mentioned on this list. Bands/artists like; My Vitriol, Fig 4.0, Joe Ninety, Planes Mistaken For Stars, ALL, MXPX, Split Lip, The Gloria Record, Pylon, Cable, Send More Paramedics, November Coming Fire, Grade... The list goes on and on!

Love Will Tear Us Apart

With ten minutes of valentines day left i've decided to post a link to the only cover of Joy Division's Love Will Tear Us Apart worth listening to. Make of that what you will but this is a truly outstanding reworking of one of Joy Division's otherwise untouchable classic tracks.

Susanna And The Magical Orchestra - Love Will Tear Us Apart

jolly music

Since i first heard this track, or rather watched the video, it's bought a really nice smile to my face. Elle S'appelle (apart from a name that doesn't start with "The" which has become the law with most new British bands these days) will be on the the Bosspop tour in 2008. Keep an eye out for them.

Elle S'appelle - Little Flames (zshare)

bien...

Air have always been a great passion of mine to listen to since high school. I heard some classic tracks of the french duo over the weekend and it  got the old memory cogs moving again. Summertime back in the hometown, driving along roads, pulling up to ice cream vans and devouring mr whippy's. 

here is some Charlotte Gainsbourg, wh Air produces, and Jarvis Cocker of Pulp fame writes. Her album "555" is pretty fantastic , i'd invest in a copy if i didn't have one.

Charlotte Gainsbourg - Songs That We Sing (zshare)

Its late... but strange...

"when you hear the first few moments, you worry, but give it a couple of minutes and it makes sense..."

Scout Niblett

There's nothing much to say really, just listen and enjoy.

Scout Niblett - Kiss (zshare)

wipeout and me

For those who know me, they know i enjoy playing videogames, the Wipeout series being one of them. Apart from looking amazing  for the time, both with style and actual gameplay, the soundtracks were THE soundtrack for dance at the time. I've been playing alot of Wip3out this evening, here are some bits and bobs from the soundtrack.

Sasha - Xpander (zshare)

Chemical Brothers - Under The Influence (zshare)

Underworld - Kittens (zshare)

i'm Hercules

More of a Guilty Pleasure for myself, Hercules And Love Affair, stationed on DFA and EMI Records, are certainly worth keeping and eye on. Its a rather extravagant track to say the least, but it makes a nice change to hear something a little bit, erm, what's the word... glamourous

For those who prefer a little less disco in their lives, try the club version

Hercules And Love Affair - Blind

Hercules And Love Affair - Blind (Hercules Club Version)

Polaroid do not make polaroid anymore

Depressingly, yes it is true, Polaroid have announced that they will stop production of instant film (though they've stopped making the cameras for a good long while). It's a shame but was going to happen, so dust down your camera and start to stockpile!

What can cheer me up after this independent photo disaster? Some indie beats, Del The Funky Homosapien  is a long time favourite of mine, heres some new and old bits and bobs for everyone. keep an eye out for his new album "The 11th Hour" due in March time.

Del The Funky Homosapien - Bubble Pop (zshare)

Del The Funky Homosapien - Working It (zshare)

Del The Funky Homosapien - Why You Wanna Get Funky (zshare)

Arcadia

Sometimes you just hear something and it stops you right there in your tracks and the hairs on your arms stand on end while your fingers tingle and your eyes roll back in pleasure.

Boys Noize 12 minute epic remix of Apparat's 'Arcadia' has just done that to me. I would love to link to it but everywhere I've found a link, its been taken down. Probably out of respect to both Boys Noize and Apparat, who between them have created one absolute monster of a tune which will be destroying dancefloors forever more. It has everything - Acid, Piano's, House vibes, Techno beats and little bit of the dirt of electro.

 

Hunt this down and you will not be disappointed. 

This Joy

None of the other Robot Soap lads will like this, I don't think but right now i'm loving Stephanie Dosen's music. 

I first came across her early last summer when a friend put on Andrew Bird at Club Academy, Manchester and she supported. I don't really know why her music appeals to me to be quite honest. Her music reminds me of a less produced Sarah McLachlan, you know, that folky acoustic balladesque noise that kind of sits in the background of my mind, that at the time I don't even really appreciate. It's only later that I find myself humming the melodies. Sarah McLachlan is a very, very lazy comparison but its late, and i'm tired from a pretty awful day but her noise (if you can call it that) is soothing on the soul.

She's probably destined for big things, considering the last time I saw her mentioned was on one of the MTV channels that I forget the name of but if you've got Sky Digital its the one after MTV2. So i'm sure this post will be redundant soon enough and the entire world will be sick of her sweet, never sacarine, melodies but right now i'm listening to her for what the music is.

She's never going to change the world but there's a time and a place for most things and right now at 01.33am on a Saturday morning, laid in bed wondering why i'm still awake and typing away on my laptop, the time and place is right.

So if after all that you still want to check her out just copy and paste her name into youtube or myspace and i'm sure you'll find a whole bunch of videos and music for you to make your own mind up.

What Happened? Volume Deux

"Is this another Goat The Head moment? Seriously, what happened?"

Liars - We Fenced Other Gardens With Bones Of Our Own

Plastic Operator

Having heard a little here and there on hypem and on tv, Plastic Operator have given me a little of pleasure this evening, havea listen and get involved

Plastic Operator - Home 0207 (zshare)

Plastic Operator - Home 0207 (Eile Remix) (zshare)

Sidenote, the previous posts Primal Scream track, i like it personally, except t does feature, Rather pointlessly, Kate Moss. She does need a word with herself, i dont really get her, but i would listen to some Tunng, you be off your tits on happyness.

Primal Scream - Some Velvet Morning (zshare)

Bullets to make you Scream

I Don't care if this song has been blogged to death by the rest of the interweb. I heard it in a record shop in Huddersfield on Saturday and its been making me very happy since. 

The chorus is sheer bliss...

As a sidenote (as Elliot would say) i'm currently watching Primal Scream's video for Some Velvet Morning, a track featuring Kate Moss. Its absolutely terrible, like a second rate Goldfrapp meets Gary Glitter trying to do something sexy with electro. Don't go listen to it, its four minutes of your life you'll never get back.

And what's worse than that is it completely ruined my happy about Tunng's 'Bullets' and I've forgotten just what it was I was going to say about their music.

Don't listen to Primal Scream, listen to Tunng - you'll thank me for it in the end, I promise.

Tunng - Bullets

kinky reeboks

Though the track has been out for a while now, i've just had the pleasure of hearing it again, Sebastien Tellier's "Sexual Sportswear" is as good as erotic dumbells and even tops X rated shot putting.

Sebastien Tellier - Sexual Sportswear (zshare)

Sebastien Tellier - Sexual Sportswear (Sebastian Remix) (zshare) 

Oh and here's a video for you too.