Phoenix – 1901 (MP3)

MGMT are so last year, and things are looking pretty cloudy for Empire Of The Sun. On May 25th Phoenix rise, well, phoneix-like from out of the ashes of ‘It’s Never Been Like That’ with ‘Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix’ and if 1 minute and 20 seconds into ‘1901’ is any indication: folks, they’re back.

Master bastards indeed.

* Apologies for the swearing but if music can’t make you giddy every once in a while then what’s the point? (And besides, it’s from a comment on their MySpace and it seemed to far more eloquently summarise in four words what I felt after the first three listens than I could in fifty four).

Eric Clapton – Behind The Mask (MP3)

Well, New Year’s Eve is fast approaching and yours truly has, seemingly be default, found himself on early doors DJ duties at Common that evening. Some might find a NYE 8PM until 10PM slot to be a bit of a bum deal, what with no-one likely to be there yet, but I’m thinking it’ll give me a nice opportunity to dry-run some potential new additions to the Best Foot Forward Official Party Music canon. And with no-one there to listen early on, no-one will be any-the-wiser when I stick a few of the best ones on again in the inevitable post-midnight drunken DJ free-for-all.

Currently top of my list of contenders is the fantastically pompous ‘Behind The Mask’ by none other than Eric Clapton. This record had a pretty interesting conception starting sometime on the early 80’s with Michael Jackson deciding he wanted to work with Kraftwerk. They unsurprisingly weren’t particularly interested in the proposed project so in stepped Ryuichi Sakamoto of Yellow Magic Orchestra instead. He took the original ‘Behind The Mask’ from YMO’s 1980 album ‘X∞ Multiplies’ and reworked it, with Jacko providing new lyrics based loosely around some of the originals. I’m not quite sure what happened next but Jacko never ended-up recording the song, although I’m so sure I’ve heard a version by him somewhere (I KNOW I’ve heard him singing that chorus but the whole internet doesn’t seem to know anything about it). Somehow the song found its way to Eric Clapton who then recorded it with, yes, Phil Collins not only on drums but also producing.

There seem to be quite a few videos for ‘Behind The Mask’ on Youtube, with I think my two favourites being this Yellow Magic Orchestra one (awesome outfits, awesome hexagonal electric drums and weird, but still awesome on-stage girl-behind-door action) and what it possibly the most 80’s gig imaginable with not only a fantastically-mulletted Phil drumming live but also, unless I’m very much mistaken, a rather fresh-faced Jools Holland on keyboard duties. You certainly don’t get gigs like that any more!

If I’m honest I much prefer the original YMO version for home listening. When it comes to choosing which to play out on a new Year’s Eve however, it’s got to be old Slow Hand. I reckon this’ll be getting played twice come December 31st.

Kev’s already made his apology and so here’s mine, in the form of a light-on-words 40 song clear-out of everything I’ve been going to post but just haven’t been able to come up with a suitable tenuous sexually ambiguous rant and pun post title for. And even with a 40 song post I still can’t manage any sort of real variety. Sorry.

Prints – Me & Ms Archer (MP3)

Not sure what to call this other than electronic indie pop. Anyway, it’s new and good and was apparently originally recorded with three others as b-sides to potential singles from their album from last year. It was decided that they were too good for that and so were released as the ‘Just Thoughts’ EP the other week.

David Byrne & Brian Eno – Strange Overtones (MP3)

The beats might be twenty years old but they’ve not lost it have they (and I’d say they’re very much IN fashion at the moment). I hope they take their tour outside the U.S.

Deerhunter – Nothing Ever Happened (MP3)

Deerhunter’s ‘Microcastle’ is officially the first album I’ve ever *ahem* “acquired” before its proper release. Much tighter than ‘Cryptograms’ but just as much of a grower (ever wondered if ‘growers’ are just albums you’ve just forced yourself to not dislike after repeated listens?) and check out the so-simple but so-ace guitar riffage at four minutes and five seconds through my current favourite song on the album: suh-weeet.

Eels – Mr E’s Beautiful Blues (MP3)

Hidden track stuffed on the end of ‘Daisies Of The Galaxy’. “Worst Eels album” my arse Rob Bailey.

Erlend Øye & Morgan Geist – Ghost Trains (MP3)

Yeah so I love Erlend Øye, what are you gonna do about it eh? This is what happens when two chaps who can do no wrong get together and, well, do no wrong in a seriously impressive fashion.

Heart – Magic Man (MP3)

My friend Ash makes me listen to stuff like this all the time in the office we share; and I love him for it. Check out the breakdown at around four minutes which heralds the arrival of some pretty fine keyboard work.

Jean-Fran̤ois Coen РLa Tour De Pise (MP3)

I discovered this on a DVD of Michel Gondry music videos and it took me damn ages to track down even a naughty MP3 of it let-alone a legit copy of the EP. Nice twee French pop music.

Jim Ford – I’m Gonna Make You Love Me (MP3)

Awesome 1970-ish country/psyche/soul foot-stomper with some mighty fine bass guitar work.

Julian Cope – World Shut Your Mouth (MP3)

Thanks to BBC 6 Music I wake up to gems like this every morning. God bless DAB radio.

Kate Bush – Watching You Without Me (MP3)

I think I speak for everyone here at beef towers in saying that each and every one of you should own a copy of ‘Hounds Of Love’. But ‘Hounds Of Love’ is actually only the name of the party-hit filled first side. The other side is called ‘The Ninth Wave’ and doesn’t really have anything you could play out on a Saturday night. It’s still good though as ‘Watching You Without Me’ attests.

Kelley Polar – Entropy Reigns (In The Celestial City) (MP3)

I meant to post this a good few months ago when I got the album from Dotshop but I forgot. It’s since had a 12″ release so you may well have heard it but it doesn’t stop it being awesome. You can just tell Mr Geist’s had his sticky fingers all over this.

Kylie – Breathe (MP3)

Always a sucker for a bit of Kylie.

Martha & The Muffins – Women Around The World At Work (MP3)

Nice Post Punk/New Wave complete with sax solo. Who knew feminism could sound so good?

Matthew Dear – Pom Pom (MP3)

If you haven’t already given Matthew Dear’s ‘Asa Breed’ album from last year a listen then you really should.

Mogwai – C.O.D.Y. (MP3)

From their ‘Come On Die Young’ album, even though it’s got singing on it I think this is probably my favourite Mogwai song.

Phil Cordell- Red Lady (MP3)

I heard this lovely 1969 psych pop song when I was round at a friend of a friend’s house for tea last year. Look out for it coming to the soundtrack to a Wes Anderson film near you soon. Probably.

R.E.M. – Me In Honey (MP3)

Let’s face it; their new album’s pretty rubbish. They did used to be pretty awesome though.

Rebelski – Little White Lines (MP3)

Martin Rebelski not only plays keyboards for Doves but also makes his own records. They’re nice.

Secos E Molhados – Amor (MP3)

The opener on the follow-up to the ubiquitous ‘Tropicalia’ compilation. And I’m sorry but she definitely sings “balls-up… magic magic balls-up”.

Speck Mountain – Summer Above (MP3)

“You’ll be in sun-drenched Indie bliss” Danny Webb told me when I asked him if Speck Mountain’s ‘Summer Above’ was any good. And he was right.

Televison – Glory (MP3)

My musical ignorance never fails to amuse me. Thanks to four 22 year old gents for introducing me to Television. Especially good of them considering the crap I subject them to.

The Real Ones – Theme From Mikal Telle – The Movie (MP3)

I don’t really know much about these other than their ‘Outlaw’ EP was mis-pressed by the naughty people at Tellé which sent this particular track on an endless, seamless loop which was great for doing the washing-up to.

The Blow – Pardon Me (MP3)

The Blow – Parentheses (MP3)

My two favourite songs from The Blow’s excellent ‘Paper Television’ album from 2006. ‘Pardon Me’ is all spiky and danceable and ‘Parenthesis’ has to be one of the geekiest love songs ever written.

TV-Resistori – Kontraposto (MP3)

Uusi Fantasia – Lattialla Taas (MP3)

Two little pieces of Finnish pop stupidity. And yes, the Uusi Fantasia track is the one on Erlend Øye’s DJ Kicks with him singing Shocking Blue/Bananarama’s ‘Venus‘ over the top of it.

Valerie Dore – The Night (MP3)

This is on some mix somewhere (ring any bells Mark?) but it’s begging for one of them trendy re-edits. If it just lost the chorus, the bit that goes “all my friends are talking to me… ” and then a bit of re-jigging. Just have a listen and you’ll know what I mean.

Chapterhouse – She’s A Vision(MP3)

Slowdive – Alison (MP3)

Some proper classic Shoegaze from Chapterhouse and Slowdive: all distorted guitars, metronomic drumming and pop hooks.

Paul Simon – All Around The World Or The Myth Of Fingerprints (MP3)

Sugarcubes – Hit (MP3)

Two from the Official Best Foot Forward Party Hits canon.

The Faces – Ooh La La (MP3)

The Kinks – Powerman (MP3)

Devo – Gut Feeling (MP3)

The Greenhornes Featuring Holly Golightly – There Is an End (MP3)

All songs from films with Bill Murray in. Three excellent selections by Wes Anderson (from ‘Rushmore’, ‘Darjeeling Limited’ and ‘The Life Aquatic’ respectively) and the magnificent ‘There Is An End’ opens Jim Jarmusch’s ‘Broken Flowers’.

Explorer – Enjaw J (MP3)

Fallout – Morning After (Sunrise Mix) (MP3)

Aphex Twin – Analogue Bubblebath (MP3)

Air РLe Soleil Est Pr̬s De Moi (Dopplereffekt Remix) (MP3)

Death In Vegas – Reigen (MP3)

A quintet of electronic treats in roughly chronological order.

There’s Tony Carey on his 1982 Explorer album (if you happen upon a copy at a car boot sale then by all means send it my why. Noooo, it’s not stupidly rare and worth a fortune at all).

It’s not that much of what’s on the ‘Warp+10 Influences’ hasn’t aged well, it’s just that I can’t listen to them without seeing stock footage of the halcyon days of the Hacienda in my head. I don’t find that a pleasant thing. 1987’s ‘Morning after(Sunrise Mix)’ by not-done-much-else Fallout doesn’t, and is also rather good. File alongside this.

Just some classic Aphex Twin.

Gerald Donald, choosing Dopplereffekt from his many pseudonyms, pretends to remix this early Air song by playing a filtered vocal sample from the original song and then he just does a whole new song that sounds like classic Drexciya.

This Death In Vegas track is from their otherwise pretty rubbish fourth album the name of which I can’t remember (or even be arsed to look up). I have to admit to being a bit of a sucker for their other three though, especially ‘Scorpio Rising’.

And that’s it. I hope there’s something in here for you. If not, well that’s what Mark’s here for.

M83 – Kim & Jessie (MP3)

Whilst the John Hughes film soundtrack reference made in every review of M83’s new album ‘Saturdays = Youth’ might not be the product of the most insightful journalism (the press release does a good job of making it more than clear that that was what Anthony Gonzalez was going for), I must agree that it does sound like that ultimate 80’s high school movie that, well, John Hughes never actually got around to making: and ‘Kim & Jessie’ would definitely be played over the closing credits. Just check-out what happens halfway through the bridge at 2 minutes 27 seconds, and then there’s that guitar that plays over the fade that you could swear he’s just lifted from one of Tears For Fears’ finest. Heck, it sounds like it could even have been in that episode of Futurama. And I mean all of this in the best possible way.

It still sounds like M83, but in many ways ‘Saturdays = Youth’ is also so so far away from what he’s done before (just look at the cover for starters). You might have to listen to the whole album to understand what I’m trying to get at, but he sums it up quite succinctly in this explanation of where ‘Kim & Jessie’ came from:

“A lot of people always tell me that M83 is always about melancholy music, so I wanted to write something happy with hooks.”

So apparently it’s that easy to put together something that conjures the very essence of those particular films (as directed by John Hughes or otherwise) as viscerally as one of my favourite scenes in any film (incidentally I’ve got that particular track on a rather ace four leaf clover shaped picture disc that you’d have to pry from my cold, dead hands).

And what’s even better is that it’s sung with the cutest little French accent: if only Monsieur M83 was a mademoiselle *sigh*.

On a couple of completely unrelated notes: the latest broadcast over on Radio Common comes courtesy of Naive Melody’s (and occasional Best Foot Forward super-subs) Slippery People; and Phoenix tease us by releasing a track from their yet-to-be-released new album via some convoluted promotional nonsense.

Magic Wands – Black Magic (MP3)

Rubies – I Feel Electric (MP3)

… but despite not getting a chance to put our disco first aid skills to use, giving Kev a hand with last night’s Best Foot Forward was fun anyway, and it also brings my adventures in DJing dangerously close to double figures (but don’t worry, there’s a clandestine society working to ensure that that never happens).

In between being asked if I’ve got anything by Oasis (and it was Kev that was asking! Okay so he was only passing on a request but it still burns), failing to decide what to play next before the current record finished, fading out the wrong records and wondering when Kev was going to get around to sticking on ‘Train In Vain’ (he didn’t! I know!), I actually managed to play some good music.

There was at least two and a half minutes of electrified scuzzle-gum pop perfection courtesy of American boy/girl beat combo Magic Wands.

And one Leslie Feist gave Rubies a hand sounding so much like Vince Clarke I thought it only fitting to play some early Depeche Mode straight after. I might go for Yazoo next time, that’s if the society doesn’t get to me first.

Kev played some good records too.