Saturday 12 December 2009

Christmas Songs - Day 12

We are back to another Paul Vickers project today. This one beats the heck out of Dawn of the Replicants and Paul Vickers and The Leg for oddness too.
Recording The Impossible describe them self as being "inspired by the likes of Ivor Cutler, the Jerky Boys, Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, Chris Morris and Tom Waits", so you should probably be able to tell you won't be in for something dull and mundane really. Today's Christmas song of choice is there, well, unique, take on good old Silent Night.

Recording The Impossible - Silent Night

Recording The Impossible - Website - MySpace - SL Records Bio


Friday 11 December 2009

Christmas Songs - Day 11

It seems every time I schedule these for a few days in advance, something new turns up in my inbox. Like tonight, just after I'd set up posts to take us through the weekend, I got an email alerting to me something else.
That isn't a complaint, it is huge fun getting new Christmas songs, it just means I'm often not sure what I have scheduled for when by the time I'm done!

Today's last minute entry comes from Withered Hand, Dan Willson.

Go over to the Withered Hand Website to grab It's A Wonderful Lie.

‘It’s A Wonderful Lie’ was recorded by Benni Hemm Hemm and features Rory from Broken Records and Chris from Meursault.

The Withered Hand album Good News is likely to feature on many people's Top 10 albums of the year lists. It missed out on mine mainly because I didn't get round to buying it until just recently. It is really good though.


Thursday 10 December 2009

Christmas Songs - Day 10

After a couple of hiccups over the past few days we are back on schedule.

Up until a few years back I'd never heard this song in my life. It's been around for way over 50 years, originally performed by Gayla Peevey. I was introduced to it by an American friend, so either I just didn't pay attention, or it's more popular there than here.

Paul Vickers is best known to me as one of Dawn of the Replicants. I was really into them about ten years ago, before losing track of them somewhat. They were a great band, impossible to categorise. We'll be hearing more from them in a couple of days actually.

Paul Vickers and The Leg are similarly difficult to describe, so I'll cop out by not even trying.

Paul Vickers and The Leg - I Want A Hippopotamus For Christmas

Paul Vickers and The Leg MySpace - SL Records Page


Wednesday 9 December 2009

Christmas Songs - Day 9

Messed up my scheduling of posts, so today's Christmas song is a bit later than normal.
You do forgive me, right?

Today is another cover version. The Cocteu Twins do a rather fine version of both Winter Wonderland and Frosty The Snowman, but for now I'm going with the former.

Cocteau Twins - Winter Wonderland

MySpace


Tuesday 8 December 2009

Best of 2009 - The Aye Tunes Top 10 Albums

The plan with this was to write a bit about all the albums before I published the final top 10, but time and laziness have gone against me, and if I try to write about everything then I'll keep changing my mind and never get the list done.
Instead, here's the top 10 with a couple of comments, and I'll get back to writing a bit about them all, and maybe a few that missed out, over the coming days and weeks.

The list has gone through umpteen different permutations since I started thinking about it, and has been complicated slightly by a good bunch of the stuff I've loved most this year being a single or EP rather than an album.I had to leave out a whole bunch of records I loved, and tried not to be influenced by other lists.
You can let me know what you think of my choices.

Before I can change my mind again, here's my top 10, after the jump:




Aye Tunes - Too Nice, Again

Hi everyone.
I just wanted to take a little time to say a huge thank you to all of you who stopped by to read me ranting at the weekend. An even bigger thanks to everyone who gave me feedback, both positive and negative.
Although I'm not very keen on getting emails insulting me I'm glad I had a chance to open up a wee bit of debate, and mostly to explain a bit more about why I do this, and how I do this.

It was genuinely touching to get so many comments and emails over the weekend. Whether they were encouraging or pointing out things I should work on, they were all appreciated. I can assure you that having set up this blog ages ago and then taking so long to actually do much with it I won't be losing interest or going away anywhere any time soon. You can decide for yourself whether that is good news or not.

Thanks again to everyone who left a comment or sent an email.


Christmas Songs - Day 8

First of all, because I don't think I'll be doing a review of it (thank goodness I hear you say) The Gothenburg Address were absolutely outstanding last night. And no, they aren't my pals, I even buggered off last night before I could talk to any of them.

It seems every time I build up a few of these posts someone else puts out a new Christmas song to disrupt my planning, like this one.

I couldn't slot it in any earlier than today, so here's Mitchell Museum, doing Stop The Cavalry. Normally I can hear this song maybe twice over Christmas and enjoy it, any more than that and it starts to do my head in. So far I'm enjoying Mitchell Museum's version, we'll see if I can still say the same in a few weeks.

Now working again, with a button to download it and everything!

Stop the cavalry by mitchellmuseum

Mitchell Museum MySpace

Coming up later today, (maybe, I need to update yesterday's this week's things post with new releases first) is the Aye Tunes Top 10 albums of 2009. Alright, it'll probably be tomorrow to be honest...


Monday 7 December 2009

This Week's Stuff

Records:
It's getting into a slow time of year for records, but a really busy time for gigs, so for the next few weeks this'll probably be quite lopsided.
Meursault have a pair of double A-side 7" singles out, featuring new recordings of William Henry Miller Parts One and Two along with A Few Kind Words and the Dirt & the Roots from Pissing on Bonfires/Kissing With Tongues. These have been on sale at gigs recently You should be able to pick those up in your local independent record shop, or at the Song, by Toad Records website. They are also available as a download too, for those of us without record players. Available from iTunes, eMusic and the like.
Today's Christmas Song of choice, El Dog's cover of Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow, is as mentioned previously available today, for the wallet pleasing price of free.
Camera Obscura have a Christmassy single out today too, a cover of the Jim Reeves song The Blizzard, backed with Swans from their last album My Maudlin Career.
He Slept on 57's Turn Your Back On All We Know EP is available on iTunes from today.
The Gothenburg Address album is available on all good download sites now. For a CD, go here.

Gigs:
I mentioned these two last week, but here's a reminder anyway. Monday December 7th, that's tonight, sees The Gothenburg Address launch their critically acclaimed debut album with a gig in Mono. Support comes from The Bucky rage and Loss Leader, with Aiden Moffat doing some DJing for good measure. You du not want to miss the Gothenburg Address album, you can order it here if you can't make the gig.
He Slept on 57 and City of Statues are also playing on the 7th at King Tut's.
On Thursday Malcolm Middleton brings his Long Dark Night tour to the Òran Mór. Support comes from some chap named Aidan Moffat.
You Already Know play their final gig of the year on Friday, in the 13th Note. Having missed their last Glasgow gig, I've been eagerly awaiting this one, and only being trapped under something heavy, or worse, will keep me from going.
If you like crap, well beyond their prime rock, then The Stereophonics are playing at the Classic Grand on Saturday. You need to win a competition to go.

The Edinburgh people have a few belters to look forward to this week.
On Friday eagleowl launch their new single, Sleep The Winter, with a gig in The Bowery. Glasgow folks, we get a single launch gig too, on Monday the 14th in the 13th Note. You might remember that I rather enjoyed that single.
On Saturday there is not only the Trampoline All Day shindig, but also the Song, by Toad Christmas Party. If you want to go to Trampoline, then on to the Song, by Toad bash, tell them at the door you'll only be there for a while and Euan will let you in a wee bit cheaper. Both have cracking line ups, and you can get hours of good live music for hardly any money. Your liver might hate you though.
The Aye Tunes Christmas Party won't be a patch on either of those, since it will mostly be me having a few pints in a pub on my own.


Christmas Songs - Day 7


Today's offering comes from El Dog, offering up their take on Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow, available as a free download below.

El Dog - Let It Snow by Lo-Five Records

Here's the video too:



El Dog


Sunday 6 December 2009

Christmas Songs - Day 6

Carrying on with this till I run out of songs.

Today it is the turn of Frightened Rabbit, who if you haven't been paying attention are quite popular round Aye Tunes towers.

It's Christmas So We'll Stop has been released twice in different versions, back in 2007 and again in 2008. I've plumped for the 2007 version for this post. No real reason why. If I panic I might end up using 2008's version later in the month too.

Frightened Rabbit - It's Christmas So We'll Stop (2007)

Frightened Rabbit MySpace