Archives for May 2011

News

Adele Piano Songbook

12 of her songs as piano sheet music for iPad, complete with backing tracks to play along to. A good example of how music publishers are now interested in apps.

 Rah Digga's Street Spittin

The US rapper has lent her name to a rap battle app where people test their rhymes against each other over the mobile network.

(Please note that the BBC is not responsible for the content of external websites)

Following yesterday's Requestathon marathon our first free dowlnload of the week is from Oh Minnows, the new solo project of Chris Steele-Nelson from the band Semifinalists.

Decribed as 'Slowdive do Simple Minds', it's a taster for the forthcoming album For Shadows.

Today's session, again the first of the week, is provided by 21-year-old Londoner Elena Tonra who under the name Daughter has been posting songs on her social network sites for less than a year but has already gathered a string of complimentary reviews and a loyal live following, plus a spot on the 6 Music playlist with the track 'Landfill'.

Her debut EP His Young Heart gets an official release on Monday but is available to download now.

Stuart Dredge is on hand for all things app related. Look out for our separate posting with all of his links later in the show.

Oh Minnows - You'll Never Know Us

It's that time of the week when we provide you with five free downloads gleaned from various websites offering up tasters of forthcoming releases.

The final offering is a few songs for the price of one (or should that be none?). Soulwax have remixed a bunch of Roxy Music tracks in the way only Soulwax can. It clocks in at 13 minutes, and starts with over a minute of footsteps en-route to starting the car up for Love Is The Drug. It's something to be admired, and the link to get hold of it is below.

Our quintessential quintet brings you:

Robert Pollard - In A Circle

Dinah Washington - Slick Chick (Maximum Ballon mix)

Marissa Nadler - The Sun Always Reminds Me Of You

The Rosebuds - Woods

Soulwax - Roxy Music Remix

(Please note that not all of the tracks may still be available to download)

Today's Memory Taper is: Abbie Clarke, who writes...

"My boyfriend is a bit of a mixtape geek, he has always tried to thrust his music taste on me (with varied results). This particular instalment has songs that both of us really enjoy and is generally a bit less obscure than others I have been enthusiastically burdened with.

"It has some songs that I really love, like Postal Service and The Cure and songs that he particularly adores (Dismemberment Plan, Pixies, Unwound, Sonic Youth), and others that we mess about to (like Devo and Thin Lizzy)."

The tracklisting is:

1) Devo - Whip It

2) Arcade Fire - Power Out

3) Breeders - Cannonball

4) The Cure - Friday I'm In Love

5) Dismemberment Plan - Gyroscope

6) Holy F**k - Frenchy's

7) Les Savy Fav - Patty Lee

8) Million Dead - Smiling At Strangers on Trains

9) Minutemen - Corona

10) Pavement - Cut Your Hair

11) Pixies - Where Is My Mind?

12) Phoenix - Lystomania

13) Postal Service - Such Great Heights

14) Stevie Wonder - Superstition

15) Talking Heads - Once In A Lifetime

16) Unwound - Look A Ghost

17) Sonic Youth - What We Know

18) Sonic Youth - Sunday

19) Unwound - December

20) Thin Lizzy - Jailbreak

Inspired? Email Lauren your Memory Tape...

Wandering lonely as a cloud or in the style of 'People's' Poet' Rik are you like pollution and all "around?"

There's a poetry special on the People's Playlist to tie in with poet of a generation Bob Dylan's 70th birthday this week, which we hope has made you stop and think and ponder as you wander. (That's enough poetry stuff)

Frank Turner's known for his poetic streak too and he's along for a session playing tracks from his new album England Keep My Bones which comes out a week on Monday.

There's a poetry too about today's MPFree from North Carolinan group The Rosebuds, even though it's tinged with sadness. It will appear on the album Loud Planes Fly Low which is due out on Merge next month.

The Rosebuds - Woods

Dateline Wednesday and today's Webchat features Betty magazine, "an e-publication just for girls", formed by Charlotte and Hannah who met at university.

Keeping it on a girl theme today's music download sees the return of the Massachusetts singer Marissa Nadler who is set to release her new self-titled album on June the 14th.

Marissa Nadler - The Sun Always Reminds Me Of You

Today's session is by the New York electro duo Holy Ghost! They're perfomring in Hoxton tonight but if you're unable to get there make sure you listen on at around 11.40.

Tuesday. Sunday morning is far behind, Friday afternoon further still ahead but to ease you into the week's hump you can rely on a bit of smart phone fun to while away your morning.

Stuart Dredge is our guide to 'appiness and here's what he's bringing to our attention today.

NEWS

1. Rio Ferdinand has launched his own Android app - apps as a way for footballers / celebs/musicians to talk directly with fans (along with Twitter)

2. Appysnap - nifty 'share your photos and compete in a game' app, like Foursquare meets Instagram

3. Angry Hipsters - an iPhone game like Angry Birds, but with Shoreditch types (and music angle is it streams in music from Hype Machine as the soundtrack, letting you see who's playing)

REVIEWS

1) Deadmau5 remix app - Remix tracks from the Canadian progressive House DJ and put yourself in the frame to win an excluse Deadmau5 iPad.

2. Napster - it's been around for a long time and now Napster has an iPhone app too.

3. Patti Smith has a really nice 'virtual art exhbit'.

Before we get on to today's free music download from an iconic female singer, we're thrilled and delighted by the arrival into the studio of Deborah Harry and Chris Stein from Blondie who're here to talk about the release of their first studio album for eight years, Panic of Girls.

Stuart Dredge pops in with this week's installment of Planet of the Apps and we'll be commemorating Bob Dylan's seventieth birthday with a track from our Album of the Day, Highway 61 Revisted.

You may have heard Huey Morgan enthuse about the new video game LA Noire during his stint on the show last week. It has a fine 1940s-era soundtrack remixed for the 21st Century, from which today's MPFree comes.

Dinah Washington, perhaps best known for her definitive version of Noel Coward's 'Mad About The Boy' has been given the Dave Sitek remix treatment to make a pulsating, hypnotic version of Barney Kessel's Be Bop track which was originally released in 1945. (You'll have heard the TV On The Radio man's reworking of Dels' current single on the 6 Music playlist)

Dinah Washington - Slick Chick (Maximum Balloon mix)

We welcome back Lauren following her week off and it's also a warm welcome back to the former Guided By Voices frontman Robert Pollard.

Notoriously prolific during his time with GBV (averaging almost an album a year between 1987-2004) he's continued this track record on since his first post-band album in 2006 but he'd also been releasing albums under his own name since 1996.

'In A Circle' is a track taken from his second album of 2011, Lord of the Birdcage, which is set for a June the 7th release on his own Rockathon imprint.

It's a New Music Monday so we'll be treating you to some of the best tunes hitting the shops today including a chat with the brilliant young singer-guitarist from Devon Ben Howard and we'll also be starting the week with a session from the Oklahoma/Yorkshire combo Colourmusic, live at 11.40-ish.

Today's entry comes courtesy of listener Janet Ward, a self-confessed fifty-something new music fan, who submitted this compilation put together by her twin sons Ben and Joe just before their departure to university nine years ago.

She writes:

"On the compilation which I have now found - labelled Mummy's compilations - are an eclectic mix of tracks including some of Joe ( the muso's) compositions and a very memorable version of Tim Buckley's 'Hallelujah' which Ben sang and Joe accompanied on accoustic guitar - It brought the house down at their school leaver's concert! And a tear to my eye to see them perform it together (an unusual event) and dedicate it to their Mum in front of the whole school!

As a family we've always enjoyed listening to music together and have been to gigs together from Yes to Elbow. Our first joint gig being Eels when they were 17 (ten years ago). Joe performed in several bands at school and currently plays bass in a band called 'The Other Left' who play regularly in the Nottingham area.

Mummy' compilation:

Hallelujah - Jeff Buckley

Fragile - Sting

Hotel California - The Eagles

Wouldnt it be nice- Beach Boys

The Scientist - Coldplay

Good times, Bad times - Led Zep

Take the Weather - Crowded House

Are you in - Incubus

Five years - David Bowie

Sail away - David Gray

Road Trippin - Red Hot Chilli Peppers

"Dedicated to both sons - Ben and Joe , Ben's partner Laura, Joe's wife Niki and not forgetting Dad Graham".

Listen on to see which tracks Huey's featuring and why not submit your own by contacting the show?

Huey's been Shakin' shakin' shakin' all over the week but it's been business as usual, including a cracking selection of MPFrees. For the EP cover we asked you to send in a picture of shoes, preferably the pair you were wearing at the time, the tenuous connection being that Thursday's effort from I Break Horses was a classic piece of nouveau shoegaze. Congratulations to the anonymous texter who submitted a pair of white plimsolls framing a gorgeous sunrise/sunset.

Friday's selection comes from Thundercat, the current musical vehicle for Stephen Bruner, ex of veteran skate punkers Suicidal Tendencies. It's been produced by Warp Records name-to-drop Flying Lotus, with whom he has previously collaborated. We hope you enjoy this week's quintet. 

I Break Horses - Hearts

The Submarines - Shoelaces

Bon Iver - Calgary

Animal Farm - Test of Time

(Please note that not all of the downloads may still be available)

And as usual we tee up the weekend with out Friday Film Club, with Helen O'Hara from Empire Magazine doing the spade work whilst some of her colleagues recover from strenuous Cannes activities.

You don't need me to tell you that Sweden has a fine history of melodic pop so I won't. What I will do is draw your attention to the latest guitar drenched sonic slab of loveliness to emerge from central Scandinavia.

Stockholm based Maria Linden trades as I Break Horses and veers more towards early 90s shoegaze rather than the traditional shiney bright pop, with comparisons to early Slowdive and Ride.

Judge for yourself and download 'Hearts'. It's got a healthy beat.

By way of contrast you can immerse yourself in an entirely different rhythm as we trawl the history of breakdancing for today's Peoples' Playlist from 10.30 and an hour after that there's the highly regarded Philadelphia based singer Kurt Vile in session playing tracks from his new album Smoke Ring For My Halo.

You can't really accuse LA duo The Submarines of naval gazing (sorry) despite their lack of recent releases.

They've become a go-to group for soundtracking touchy-feely scenes in classy American TV dramas such as Nip/Tuck, Grey's Anatomy and Weeds. 

You may also recognise the band from the very good song You, Me, and the Bourgeoisie which soundtracked a popular travel telephone advert a few years ago, but new track Shoelaces shows what they're up to in 2011. It also appears on their new album Love Notes/Letter Bombs which is out now in America where they've been extensively touring.

Fear not, UK fans for you too can catch them live from Tuesday when they play half a dozen shows supporting the Mountain Goats.

The Submarines - Shoelaces

Huey continues to stand in for Lauren with all of her regular features and as it's a Wednesday there's a Web Chat. This week's featured site is Breaking News for all your breakdancing needs from the site's editor Zoe Roberts.

Most people may associate Justin 'Bon Iver' Vernon with bleak wintery landscapes following the success of his debut album For Emma, Forever Ago which was recorded in a log cabin in his native Wisconsin.

He's back with a new track, available as a free download which has more in common with the summery 'chillwave' movement than his earlier glacial harmonies. The track's called 'Calgary' and it's a taster to his forthcoming self-titled album which is set for release on June the 21st.

If you're lucky enough to be in the US in August he'll be touring extensively, but in the meantime gear yourself up with some free music here.

MPFree EP time! Happy Friday folks, have some free music to celebrate...

It's been a strong week, as always, and your final track comes from a show favourite. Memory Tapes (the band, not the feature) releases his new album Player Piano on 5th July through Carpark / Something in Construction. As you'd expect, it's glorious, and can be found below...

For the artwork we asked for photos of local landmarks that are near you. This tied in with our Locals Peoples Playlist. If you missed it yesterday, have a listen back; it was brilliant.

Anyway, the photo we went with came from Greg Morris which is of The Royal Liver Building in Liverpool:

Your tracks are...

Follow That Bird - The Ghosts That Wake You

Jessica 6 featuring Antony - Prisoner Of Love

The Phoenix Foundation - Buffalo

Smashing Pumpkins - Owata

Memory Tapes - Wait In The Dark

Not all tracks may still be available for download

This week's Memory Tape comes from a Uni in the 80s. Sarah Howerd sent it in, who writes:

"This tape was made for me whilst studying Graphic Design at art college in Reading (Berkshire College of Art and Design) during the 80's. Of course, being at art college means we used to make our own cassette covers with whatever we had to hand. Remember this was just before computers were used in design so everything was photocopied and stuck together.

"This tape was made by a friend called Glenn Emlyn in June 1987. He was a year or two above me but I think we shared an interest in The Police at the time. I still play this and love the little bits of film/tv excerpts he put in between the songs.

"So hello to all those at BCAD in 1987 and especially Glenn for this enduring memory tape."

Here is the artwork:

The tracklisting is thus...

FACE A:

Every Breath You Take - The Police

Rock the Kasbah - The Clash

Blackmail - 10CC

Metalguru - T Rex

Going Underground - The Jam

Killer Queen - Queen

You Got My Number - The Undertones

I Want To Tell You - The Beatles

Tesla Girls - OMD

Come Back - The Mighty Wah

Ed's Funky Diner - It's Immaterial

Duel - Propaganda

The More I See The Less I Believe - Fun Boy 3

Can't Stand Up For Falling Down - Elvis Costello

FACE B:

Taxman - Beatles

Let's Go Somewhere - R. Dean Taylor

I Love You - Yello

I Feel For You - Chaka Khan

KISS - Age of Chance

Rip It Up - Orange Juice

Zoo Look - Jean Michel Jarre

Party Fears Two - The Associates

Frozen Faces - Propaganda

Rock'n'Roll radio - The Ramones

Black dog - Led Zeppelin

Looking Back - Dr Feelgood

Love Lessons - The Police

Don't Stand So Close To Me - The Police

Tune in to the show to find out which tracks Lauren plays.

Inspired? Email your Memory Tape to Lauren.

On the show this morning Lauren was asking for your local colloquialisms to tie in with this week's Peoples Playlist. If you missed it, I advise you listen back. Below are a selection of our favourite words and phrases, compiled in to a glossary. Enjoy.

Plodging: A North Eastern term for paddling in the sea. Sent in by Tony Middleton

Nesh: An East Midlands term for someone particuarly susceptible to the cold. Sent in by Matt Gould

"Mind that gurt macky jasper, mind". Bristolian for "Beware of the danger represented by that rather large wasp". Sent in by Paul Radford.

Barmpot: A Lancashire/Manchester term that means idiot. Sent in by Elspeth Potts

Eatin' irons: A Co. Tyrone phrase for cutlery. Sent in by Ian McLaughlin

"She thinks she's no goats toe": A term for someone who thinks she's the best. Sent in by Ian Jones

"Yer tis snuh": A Somerset saying meaning 'yes it is, my good friend'. Sent in by Matthew Bowden

'The drewth': A Scottish term for being incredibly thirsty after a night's drinking. Sent in by Tony Middleton

Scritching: A cornish term which means crying, ie 'That maid never stops scritching. Sent in by Chris in Newquay

Forkytail: A Scottish name for an earwig. Sent in by Anna

Billy Corgan is at it again. There's a new song on offer from the Smashing Pumpkins' album Teargarden By Kalaeidyscope.

Tracks from the album have surfaced for download sporadically and Owata is the lastest offering. By recent standards, it's pretty poppy and pretty summery.

Have a listen for yourselves:

Smashing Pumpkins - Owata

It's a three track EP this week rather than your traditional five. Reason being, there's no MPFree today as everyone is at Worthy Farm, and Monday was a bank holiday.

Now, for your artwork this week, we asked for photos of yourselves with a paper Eavis beard. For some strange reason, this didn't catch on as much as we'd hoped, so we've gone with this offering from Mal Nicholson.

In Mal's words: "Sat at my desk, banana, Post it, My favorite photo from Glastonbury I took and hey presto....Eavis as a comedy fruit at Glasto!" It took me a while to work out what the photo actually was, but stick with; just like a Magic Eye.

Here's the artwork:

Here's your tracks to accompany it.

Washed Out - Eyes Be Closed

Chad Valley - Fast Challanges

Black Lips - Modern Art

Some tracks may no longer be available to download.

Your MPFree today comes from US four-piece Black Lips.

This song is the lead single from their fourthcoming album Arabia Mountain which has been produced by Mark Ronson. The single is out on the 7th June, but here it is now for free:

Black Lips - Modern Art

Yearning for those far off summer days of, er, the start of April? Relive those heady drought filled days with today's MPFree from a man who trades under the name of Chad Valley. (Not to be confused with the hard wearing childrens' toy manufacturer)

 Hugo Manuel also plies his trade as lead singer of the group Jonquil, but it's his blissed out ethereal pop that we're interested in today. The EP Equatorial Ultravox will be released by Loose Lips on the 20th of next month, but here's a taster from it in the form of Fast Challenges.

Today's Webchat features a site devoted to costume and identity in movies; clothesonfilm.com. It does pretty much what it says on the label, to quote founder Chris Laverty; "basically if you like movies and what people wear in them, there is something on the site for you," whether it's Sean Connery's blue towelling play suit in 'Goldfinger' or Robert Downey Jr's velvet waistcoats in 'Sherlock Holmes', Chris 'weaves' his way through the stories behind the costumes.

And finally in a packed show this morning there's a live session from Ninja Tune's new signing, Ipswich born rapper/arranger Dels whose new album Gobs was released on Monday. 

Stuart Dredge returns with this week's 'Dredge Report' of what's new and happening in the world of smart phone applications in two handy bite sized chunks.

First off is the news bit and the following are under our 5.4 megapixel lens:

Last week's story concerning the privacy issues over the iPhone's location data collection software has prompted this response from Apple, in particular question 8.

Test your pop trivia with the Official UK Chart's music quiz.

Planetary is a new iPad visualisation that turns your music collection into a 3D 'galaxy'

Reviews:

Tilt, shake and (Jah) wobble your phone to create some super heavy dub lines with dubbox.

7Digital for Android. A not-for-iPhones music app.

Al Gore's 'Our Choice' book app, a new version of his famous presntation.

More to come next Tuesday. 

Welcome back! We trust you're feeling fresh following the Bank Holiday bonanza. The first blog of the month brings you the return of the MPFree and the return of one of summer 2009's slow burning success stories.

Lumped in with the 'Chill Wave' scene, Washed Out, aka one time bedroom dabbler Ernest Green, produced the feel good airplay hit 'Feel It All Around' which received a fair amount of 6 Music support last year.

Now signed to Sub Pop (Domino Records in the UK) he's preparing to unleash his debut album proper, Within and Without in July. Please enjoy 'Eyes Be Closed'.

Elsewhere we welcome in Aloe Blacc for the first session of May, in to perform and talk about his new single 'I Need A Dollar', and Stuart Dredge returns with more app-based news and reviews.