Episode 48 - Oddpod #2.

Another episode with no voice-over from me, however, if you're interested in any of the music, there are a few notes following the track listing.
Tracks
1. Whatever Makes You Happy 2:11 Alessi's Ark The Still Life 2013
2. The Veil 2:19 Lisa Gerrard Twilight Kingdom 2014
3. Night Bus 2:20 Burial Burial 2006
4. Grim Augury 2:32 Danger Mouse & Sparklehorse Dark Night Of The Soul 2010
5. Sunday St 2:33 Casiotone For The Painfully Alone Advance Base Battery Life 2008
6. The Golden Wedding Of Sorrow 2:46 Death In June Symbols And Clouds 2009
7. The arrow of time 3:12 Leyland Kirby Eager to tear apart the stars 2011
8. I Love My TV 3:16 Death Of The Neighbourhood Death Of The Neighbourhood 2008
9. End Of Time 3:20 CocoRosie Tales Of A Grass Widow 2013
10. Weakling Flier 3:23 Blanck Mass Blanck Mass 2011
11. Gone 3:28 Matt Elliott Failing Songs 2006
12. Bang Bang You're Dead 3:33 Dirty Pretty Things Waterloo To Anywhere 2006
13. Oh, Why 4:12 Balam Acab Wander / Wonder 2011
14. Big Eyed Beans From Venus 4:15 Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band Back To Mine 1972
15. Keepin' It Steel (The Anvil ) 4:29 Amon Tobin Supermodified 2000
16. Kicks 5:25 FKA twigs LP1 2014
17. Voice Games 6:38 Jocelyn Pook Ensemble Unknown Public 15 - Dancing/Listening 2003
18. Red Sex 5:37 Vessel Punish, Honey 2014

1. Alessi’s Ark:
Is singer-song-writer Alessi Laurent-Marke from Hammersmith. I nearly lived in Hammersmith, but in fact lived in Barnes, but very north Barnes – it went, our street, St.Pauls school playing fields, the River Thames, Hammersmith.
2. Lisa Gerrard
Frequent listeners will know of my love for the contralto voice and of Lisa. When in Australia recently, I found a DVD about her which is part documentary, part music and which is excellent in my opinion. This track is from her latest album which is for download only at this stage.
3. Burial:
is William Bevan from London. I've procured both albums so far and in the electronics field – they are top notch. This track’s from his first album
4. Danger Mouse & Sparklehorse
I rather liked Mark Linkous (Sparklehorse) and have all of his albums. He took his own life in March 2010. Danger Mouse has gone from strength to strength winning accolades and awards.
5. Casiotone for the painfully alone:
is American, Owen Ashworth. He retired the name & songs in 2010 and now performs under the Monika ‘Advance base’.
6. Death in June:
are a neofolk group led by English folky Douglas P(earce). They have been around since the beginning of the 80’s and through various members have greatly influenced the more Avant garde /Industrial/rock (Nurse with wound; Throbbing Gristle; Current 93…) but with their various phases of performance art, left a nasty taste with, seemingly, their enthrall with a sanitised Nazism back in the 80’s.
7. Leyland Kirby
again with his evocation of times past using piano, other keyboards a single voice. He recently turned 40 and produced for download an album which has since disappeared. To everyone who purchased & downloaded that album however, he sent a personalised thank you email. How things have changed.
8. Death of the Neighbourhood
is simply another one of Stephen Jones’s many guises – know now as exBabybird, he also releases work under the Monika’s of Black Reindeer; The Great Sadness; Deluder; Trucker as well as under his own name (and all to be found in my record collection)
9. CocoRosie
I came to CoCo through Anthony (Hegarty, of ‘& the Johnsons’ fame). Weird but wonderful with a confusing a website (probably down to Touch & go records) however, if you are prepared to wait for the download you will be rewarded with the girls singing. I’d stop there if I were you rather than clicking on!
10. Blank Mass:
is Ben Power, one the founding members of F*Buttons, now out there on his own but doing rather well. He supported Icelandic band Sigur Ros UK tour last year (2013)
11. Matt Elliott
Another of my favourite artists. Like Ben Power, another Bristolian. The music papers tend to bag him as ‘dark folk’. His early albums had a sound of the Eastern Europe and his latest a more Spanish Flamenco feel. This track is from his more Eastern Europe period and as most of his songs are over 8 minutes – this is one chosen for brevity rather than content. I still like it though.
12. Dirty Pretty Things:
For Carl Barat, this is what happened after the Libertines fell apart following his dispute with Peter Doherty. It lasted from that time; 2005 until itself fell apart in 2008.
13. Balam Acab
I think this track gives a wonderful atmosphere, sounding a little like Moby, except for the other-worldly vocals. Now overdue for another album I think.
14. Capt. Beefheart
The Captain was and still is different. Not for the feint hearted, Beefheart was different with a capitol D. He is part of what is now termed ‘outsider music’. I loved Strictly Personal his second commercial LP in UK (after Safe as milk – also very good, so why did I sell it?) and before the famous Troutmask Replica. Troutmask was too over the top for many and compared with his first two albums – it is. However, Strictly P points the way with such great numbers as Gimme dat harp boy. That track, available on a compilation album, Gutbucket gave me my first glimpse of Beefheart-world and I had to go there, own the album, sing the tunes…. I regret selling his later works (Lick my decals off & Clear Spot). The ‘Mirror man’ sessions have been re-released and ‘Electricity’ from Safe as Milk always makes me think about watching the first pylons being constructed in the West Midlands to carry the demand for electricity following the baby boom. It was interesting watching the steeplejacks construct these things, but when they had moved down the line one was left with a scar on the land which forever changed Britain. I’m always reminded of this when I visit Tuscany. Hardly a pylon in sight and yet in England, no beautiful scenic part of the island can be seen without these lumps of metal, stretching out across the landscape. I saw the Captain in concert and festival several times, back in the day. He’s gone now.
15. Amon Tobin
is a Brazilian musician, composer and producer of electronic music. He is described as a virtuoso sound designer and is considered to be one of the most influential electronic music artists in the world. I bought a box set of retro stuff which includes a dvd to his concert for his work Isam – unbelievable at the time and I haven’t seen anything like it since.
16. FKA Twigs
Formally Known As Twigs because, like Dirty Pretty Things of a few tracks ago – someone else disputed use of the name as they had been using it for longer – so unlike DPT who worked live under the name ‘Bright Young Things’ - Twigs opted for the ‘Prince’ like, FKA.
17. Jocelyn Pook Ensemble
The Unknown Public box sets are rather splendid in providing an introduction to the wonderful world of weird. This track is one of the more straight-forward on this set (Vol 15).
18. Vessel
Yet another Bristolian, Seb Gainsborough. I lived in Bristol for a year. Always thought I’d return one day – but doubtful now. Bristol seems to have moved from the home of Trip-hop and Bass to Electronica! Using techno and house as a jumping off point Vessel manages to twist these things into something unconventional and alien, often creating music that sounds as if it’s rhythmically out of control when in fact it’s all tightly controlled chaos. I love it.
19. Dropping out with Kevin Ayres
Enjoy,
Peter