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Lies, damned lies and statistics

Adam Walton

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This week's show is now available via the BBC iPlayer. Please listen again any time between now and the start of the next programme.

I was a right flipping swot in school.

I won eight of the 15 or so prizes in our secondary school's first year award ceremony (it was called an 'Eisteddfod'. We had to enter under pseudonyms: I was Bilbo). As you can imagine, from that moment on I was a marked boy, easy to find in the playground because of my overlarge head, oxymoronically un-Mold accent (despite having spent all of my post 12 month old life there), pristine blazer and National Health Specs.

I don't remember telling a lie until I discovered girls and fags.

I didn't really learn how to fabricate a convincing excuse until I discovered the joys of very late night drinking.

"Sorry I didn't get in until five, Mum. Faith No More's tour bus broke down in Mold and they were teaching us jazz chords" is one I remember with fondness.

I haven't got much better. I was going to tell you that the playlists for the last couple of weeks had been tardy, or non existent, because I had been in Venice touching up the Sistine Chapel ceiling, but - obviously - my lie-construction-kit doesn't include a Wikipedia interface, so I couldn't even be bothered to get the simple geographical details right.

The truth is that I've been in the Arctic tagging the ursines with my bare hands. Or bear hands, if you prefer.

Are you swallowing that?

Okay. OK! This time, the truth! I've been finishing my HND in tiptoes at the Royal Ballet. Took ages because we needed to find a special truss before I was allowed anywhere near the tights.

You're really not the gullible sort, are you?

Honest to god truth is that I had a couple of weeks off, neck deep in rubbish TV and Ben & Jerry's. Oh, that you believe! Thanks.

Excuses aside, this week's show contains sparkling flecks of ace. Marvel at the hitherto unplayed excellence of Karl Hyde, Sion Orgon, Aled Rheon, Unagi, Greg Ryan, Dylan Griffith, Rough Music, Rhodri Brooks, Matthew Pastkewicz and Carw.

I was determined to find and play more (really) new Welsh artists this year, and - so far - it looks like we're on course.

326 different songs/409 Total. 249 Artists in 10 shows since 1 January 2013 (~songs per:41, unique artists per: 25) Welsh:97% Cymraeg:8%.

Not that this is a box ticking exercise. Quality is the key qualifier here. Always.

Please submit any interesting/excellent recordings to me via the BBC Introducing Uploader.

Elsewhere in this week's show the indefatigable Ben Hayes plays us some John Paul Joans. That's not a spelling mistake. You don't believe me, do you? Here we go again...

IFAN DAFYDD - 'Celwydd (Feat. Alys Williams)'

Llanrug

MASTERS IN FRANCE - 'Flexin''

Caernarfon

ARTERIES, THE - 'Spare Ribs'

Swansea

JOHN CALE - 'Face To The Sky'

Garnant

SPARROW AND THE WORKSHOP - 'Shock Shock'

Wales

YMARFER CORFF - 'Hi Yw'r Haul'

Gwynedd/Pembrokeshire

NEON NEON - 'Mid Century Modern Nightmare'

Cardiff/Los Angeles

BYZANITE - 'Truth'

Dunvant/Swansea

TRWBADOR - 'To The Blue (Cornershop Remix)'

Camarthen/Cardiff

KARL HYDE - 'The Boy With The Jigsaw Puzzle Fingers'

Cardiff/England

SION ORGON - 'Into The Dark'

Bridgend/Cardiff

ALED RHEON - 'Poeni Dim'

Cardiff

CHARLI BICKNELL - 'Dreams'

Llangadog

REAPER IN SICILY - 'Horizons'

Aberdare

BENJAMIN DAMAGE - 'Extrusion'

Swansea/Berlin

UNAGI - 'It's Beautiful'

Newport

SUE DENIM - 'After The Rain'

Bangor

BLUEBOTTLE VEINS, THE - 'If You Only Knew'

Deeside

CHRISTOPHER OWENS - 'Here We Go Again'

San Francisco

WOBBLY HEARTS, THE - 'Boom On (With God On Our Side)'

Rhyl/Abergele/Liverpool

STAGGA & MONKY - 'Skipsville'

Cardiff

JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE FEAT. CIARA - 'Love Sex Magic (bodhi Remix)'

Welsh Remix

RALPH RIP SH*T - 'Floater (Featuring AH Fly)'

Cardiff

SHE MAKES WAR - 'Never Was (Cajita Remix)'

London

QUIET NOISE - 'Running For Something'

Pembrokeshire

GREG RYAN - 'Mountain Rain'

Newport

BRAXTON HICKS - 'Gone Fishin''

Rhyl

SWEET BABOO - 'If I Died Would You Remember'

Bangor/Cardiff

JOSHUA CAOLE - 'Farewell My Dear'

Cardiff

DYLAN GRIFFITH - 'Hilarity'

Bethesda

DAUWD - 'Heat Division'

Llangollen

ROUGH MUSIC - 'Welcome To Shanghai'

Cardiff

RHODRI BROOKS - 'Pretend That I'm Dead'

Cardiff

JOY FORMIDABLE, THE - 'Little Blimp'

Mold

PAPER AEROPLANES - 'Little Letters'

Milford Haven

H. HAWKLINE - 'Cric Yn Y Cymylau'

Cardiff

MATTHEW PASTKEWICZ - 'Sleepwalker'

Cardiff

CARW - 'Elevate'

Cardiff

DERREN HEATH - 'Clear Our'

Pembrokeshire

BEN HAYES - 'Spoken Contribution'

Ruthin

JOHN PAUL JOANS - 'Got To Get Together Now'

England

SOFT-HEARTED SCIENTISTS - 'The Caterpillar Song'

Cardiff

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