Blog: black country grammar

As you may have guessed, I'm pretty much through with this MP3 blogging lark. While it was awesome fun for the three years I was involved, work and life has generally caught up with me, meaning I don't have the time for pondering about the merits of the latest buzz band or genre. Those who are fans of my inane rambling can take comfort in the fact that while I'm not writing here about music, my opiniated musings can be found over at my new blog . There, I'm talking about all sorts, so there's a [...]

• You are the Generation that bought more ... » 01 You Are The Generation That Bought Mo....mp3

I'd forgotten all about this tune, and it's just come on the office stereo. A rather excellent homage by Sir David of Bowie to the region I'm from, which can be found on his album "the Man who Sold the World". At the end of the day, we should all know by now that the Black Country is the home of all things heavy, and upon hearing this, I'm rather proud to be from that place again. Rock on. MP3 David Bowie - Black Country Rock

• David Bowie - Black Country Rock

And straight into my first proper post about music we go. A good pal of mine over in NYC - the mighty Dev Sherlock - promised me a mix of Jamaican jams like, 2 FUCKING YEARS ago. So whaddaya know, last week he drops it into my inbox and is like all "so when you puttin' this joint up den badboi". I said "look dude, I ain't bloggin' so much at the moment, check me twitter". He wasn't having any of it. So, if you want to hear what summer sounds like in the mind of a Hype Machine radio [...]

It's been over 6 months since these pages saw anything that resembled new content. Not that I'm making excuses, but I've been so fucking busy with work I've really not had the time or the inclination to get anything new online. I'm also pretty horrified with the stance Google have taken with blogs by removing content as and when they see fit, which is a bit hard on those of us who take the time and effort to craft a well written post about something that they like. Still, it's not getting me down. I'm actually intending on redoing this [...]

It was Dig for Victory! last night, and James (Yermam!) let fly with this not-so-secret weapon. Wild stuff. MP3 Sticky (feat Ms Dynamite) - Booo! BONUS - Listen to Ms Dynamite's new single here .

Yeah I know, been a bit busy again. Yadda yadda yadda. Well, I'm back with a goody. Simply drop me a line here explaining precisely why you should be given the a pair of tickets for the Passion Pit/Hockey show at Ruby Lounge in Manchester this Wednesday. I'll throw in the above promo too just to prove how goddam serious I am. Innit. MP3 Passion Pit - Sleepyhead (The Knocks Remix) MP3 Hockey - 3am Spanish

Theme of the day. Check out his new "pay what you like" affair here . MP3 Cadence Weapon - Unsuccessful Club Nights

I love the Genius playlist feature in iTunes. Sometimes, a break it, as I'll be playing some bedroom remix of something obscure that there's no data on, but generally, it's top. Here's what it's thrown at me this morning. Meets my mood well. MP3 Nas - Where are they now MP3 Artful Dodger and Craig David - Woman Trouble MP3 Jay Z - December 4th MP3 Pharoahe Monch - Push

I felt the urge to listen to Brendan Benson's second album "Lapalco" when in the shower earlier. Can't figure out why, Maybe I missed it? I have spent a lot of hours listening to that record over the years. Hmm. MP3 Brendan Benson - Pleasure Seeker

I've written about Sky Larkin before, and it's no secret that I bloody love them. Their debut album, "the Golden Spike", dropped in last week, and it's been on constant rotation since. It's an album absolutely chock full of singles, and while it's titled inline with the "Gold" naming trend many bands fall into at the moment, it's certainly going to be up there at the end og the year as one of the best rock albums of the year. They're playing the Night and Day in Manchester on Tuesday night, so get yourselves down. MP3 [...]

After finally getting my top ten albums of 2008 done (boy, was that tough), I'm now able to go back to filling the blogosphere with half cocked attempts at thematic work, and generally moaning about little points in my life with accompanied by a suitably none-emo soundtrack. That said, I've precious little to whinge about at the moment, and in fact, one could say I'm the smuggest motherfucker in town. To accompany my feeling of uber-smugness the other day, I decided to begin listening to as much Arthur Russell as I could find in my collection. My obsession with the [...]

This is the winner. Why? Because it is. There wasn't an album that topped this for me in 2008, and for certainly the last quarter of the year, was the record I returned to most frequently. Yeah, it's arty, it's avant garde, but in all fairness, that's no reason to avoid it. In fact, it's what makes it such an essential record. As band, TVOTR continue to move from strength to strength, and have gone far further than their unfortunate description as a "Black Radiohead" suggests. Absolutely fucking essential, and a piece many will be talking fondly about in years [...]

Hey everybody, disco is back. Thanks to Hercules and Love Affair, in 2008 the music world got it's collective groove back, and learned to shake it to those disco house sounds again. Antony (of the Johnsons) turns in a star turn on the record too, possibly showing that full on disco-divaism is a role he suits better than that of morose troubadour. Singles such as 'Blind' and 'You Belong' have set the pace, and have shown true crossover potential, while 'Hercules' Theme' and 'Athene' have found their way into many an end of year best of. Can the band ever [...]

If 2008 has been the year of the heartbreak, then this is the album of the year for most guys feeling a little... emo about the whole thing. A folk record would never normally feature so high in a yearly best of, yet this is a true record of power, and heartfelt feelings about the loss of a relationship with someone you love. When compared up against the other big folkie release of the year (Fleet Foxes), it only demonstrates how ahead of the game Bon Iver actually is. He's got a new EP coming out soon, and if this [...]

Along with White Denim, No Age were the band that brought loud, visceral guitar music back to the forefront of many a hipsters mind in 2008. Following on from various EPs released through 2007, the release of "Nouns" set the Hype Machine alight with tracks like 'Eraser', 'Teen Creeps' and 'Cappo'. The album combines elements of Albini and Sonic Youth with a more modern sensibility, creating a truly exhilerating rock record - the kind which brings grunge fans of old along for the ride. While its delivery never lets up, underneath the metallic edge of the 2 piece is a [...]

2008 has been the best year for hip-hop and urban music for quite some time. Previous years have seen plenty of commercial releases, but not much in the way of abstract records which stretch across the board to listeners who wouldn't normally be into the genre. "Los Angeles" isn't a hip-hop record, but more of a traditional "lefty" trip-hop album in the mould of "Endtroducing", where the performer takes some of the genres more generic elements, and re-moulds the sound into something more vibrant and challenging. In a post Burial climate, "Los Angeles" packs the starkness and atmospherics required, yet [...]

This could very nearly turn into a "Best surprises of 2008" list, but actually it's been these great surprises that have actually made 2008 such an interesting year for music. The Walkmen have long been a band I've had an interest in, yet "Bows + Arrows" didn't float my boat as much as it did for others. The band returned this year following on from a covers record with 'You & Me', and sounds like a band that are really comfortable in their sound, and have accepted aging in the process. Tracks like 'Canadian Girl' and 'Long Time Ahead of [...]

Let's get this bit straight: I'm not the worlds biggest Elbow fan. In fact, I didn't really bother with them after 'Asleep at the Back', which while it's an album I loved very much at the time, it wasn't enough to give me the belief that they're a band I should pay loads of attention to. Hell, even moving to Manchester didn't sway me more in their direction. I was wrong to be so dismissive. 'The Seldom Seen Kid' is a tremendous piece of work, full of clever lyrics and sweeping soundscapes that sound great in the winter. They're probably [...]

Those that know me personally or follow me through other networks might be surprised that this album only reaches #8, let me explain. 2008 has been something of a "rock" year, and while I've listened to "Offend Maggie" an awful lot, there's been other albums that I feel are more significant releases. Not to take anything away from Deerhoof however, who consistently turn out great quality releases and generally make the artier side of the rock spectrum wig out just a little more. This is their most polished, accessible work to date, and well worthy of it's place in the [...]

After a few years in the wilderness, where the band found themselves either providing backing vocals for Primal Scream or dating supermodels, the Kills returned this year with an album some might consider a nice surprise. Not much was expected from the record, yet the band turned in their best work to date, and provided a couple of tracks that can easily be marked down as great singles. Give it a go, you'll be as surprised as I was. MP3 The Kills - Tape Song