Birth of the cool...

Last night (Tuesday 15th July 2008 for posterity) saw the arrival of a live phenomena that we hope will go on to be a regular part of the soundtrack to future years in the WNDC. Talk of the "Lost in Transmission" duo, comprising our very own Roger with Dan on base, buzzed over a weekend of alcohol and karaoke but there was a nervousness in the eyes of all but the men themselves as they took up places at the bar end of the pub. Musicians have to learn to live with expectation but the day you first stand in a public space with your friends in the audience to sing your own compositions has to be up there with the best and worst now or never moments. I was later told that they chose two easier less demanding songs to start but if they were worried about the start you would not have known it as they didn't miss a beat. R's voice perfect for the Neil Young-esk tracks, D's excellent backing giving the sound a polish on the way to an appreciative audience. If you have not heard the music check it out at http://www.myspace.com/lostintransmissionuk.
For me the highlights were R's homage to Mr Kerouac and the stylish cover of Radiohead's Creep. By the end feet were tapping throughout the pub as they finished with The Jam's That's Entertainment - which indeed it was, nice one guys.

The Swaps are further down the road than the above in performance and gigging and have now established themselves as regulars at the excellent Sommerville. The charismatic James confident singing and talking to an audience eager to listen. The poppy highly individual songs have barbed hooks and once you have heard them a few times you start to wonder if some of their songs are covers such is the sense of familiarity. In John Paul the band are lucky to have a talented guitarist and the songs are often bridged with his stylish play. For me the highlight of the set was John Paul's haunting Bottles of Beer which had an aching Pink Floyd quality. The band finished with the whole pub singing along to Love. Hard to top.
http://www.myspace.com/thebloodyswaps

This Week's Playlist

1.) The Hold Steady, 'Joke About Jamaica'

2.) The Hold Steady, 'Stay Positive'

3.) The Hold Steady, 'Constructive Summer' - including the lines 'Raise a toast to Saint Joe Strummer, I think he might have been our only decent teacher.' Yes, indeed.

4.) The Hold Steady, 'Sequestered in Memphis'

5.) The Hold Steady, 'Magazines'

6.) The Hold Steady, 'Slapped Actress'

This Week's Playlist

1.) Jay Z - '99 Problems'

2.) The Guillemots, 'Words'

3.) John Coltrane, 'I Want to Talk About You'

4.) Radiohead, 'Creep' (acoustic version)

5.) Lost in Transmission uk, 'Sitting in a Bar'

6.) Vaughan Williams, 'Five Mystical Songs'

Gram Parsons - long gone, but long remembered

This Week's Playlist

1.) Guns N' Roses, 'Better'

2.) Guns N' Roses, 'Chinese Democracy'

3.) John Coltrane, 'My Favourite Things'

4.) Albert Alyer, 'The Wizard'

5.) Joy Division, 'New Dawn Fades'

6.) Sonny Criss, 'Ballad for Samuel'

The Master

This Week's Playlist

1.) Albert Ayler, 'Ghosts (Second Version)'

2.) Sun Ra, 'The Magic City'

3.) Judee Sill, 'I'm Over'

4.) Gene Ammons, 'The Happy Blues'

5.) Phil Woods, 'Sweet and Lovely'

6.) Midlake, 'Van Occupanther'

This Week's Playlist

1.) Midlake, 'Head Home'

2.)Tim Hardin, 'It'll Never Happen Again'

3.) Wes Montgomery, 'West Coast Blues'

4.) Judee Sill, 'The Living End'

5.) Sonny Criss. 'Sonny's Dream'

6.) Bon Iver, 'Skinny Love'

This Week's Playlist

1.) The National, 'All the Wine'

2.) Ahmad Jamal, 'St. Thomas'

3.) Miles Davis, 'Shhh/Peaceful'

4.) Damien Rice, 'The Professor'

5.) Lynyrd Skynyrd, "Down South Jukin'"

6.) Lester Young, 'These Foolish Things'

This week's playlist

1.) Bon Iver, 'For Emma'
2.) Chris Wood, 'The Cottager's Reply'
3.) Cajun Dance Party, 'The Hill, the View and the Lights'
4.) Gram Parsons, 'Still Feeling Blue'
5.) The International Submarine Band, 'I still MIss Someone'
6.) The Volebeats, 'Two Seconds'

This Week's Playlist

1.) Jimi Hendrix, 'Axis: Bold as Love'

2.) Jimi Hendrix, 'Are You Experienced?'

3.) Led Zeppelin, 'The Rover'

4.) Led Zeppelin, 'Over the Hills and Far Away' (live)

5.) The Killers, 'Shadowplay'

6.) Ben Folds, 'Still Fighting It'

This Week's Playlist

1.) Delius, 'Sea Drift' (Bryn Terfel)

2.) The Allman Brothers, 'Whipping Post' (live)

3.) Cherry Ghost, '4.a.m.'

4.) The Redskins, 'Kick Over the Statues'

5.) Scouting for Girls, 'The Airplane Song'

6.) Peter Case, 'The Open Road Song'

This Week's Playlist

1.) Scouting for Girls, 'Keep on Walking'

2.) Chris Wood, 'Summerfield Avenue'

3.) The Rolling Stones, 'Let it Loose'

4.) Led Zeppelin, 'Achilles Last Stand'

5.) The Kinks, 'Alcohol'

6.) The Redskins, 'Take No Heroes' (Live, 1985)

This Week's Playlist

1.) John Coltrane, 'Resolution'

2.) Ryan Adams, 'Somehow, Someday'

3.) The Eagles, 'Long Road Out Of Eden'

4.) Counting Crows, 'Goodnight Elisabeth' (Live)

5.) Ben Folds, 'Army'

6.) Howlin' Wolf, 'Rockin' Daddy'

This Week's Playlist

1.) Justin Townes Earle, 'Who Am I to Say'

2.) James McMurty, 'We Can't Make it Here'

3.) Jay-Z 'Feelin' It'

4.) Joy Division, 'Ice Age'

5.) Jeff Buckley, 'Forget Her'

6.) Josh Ritter, 'Good Man' (Live)

This Week's Playlist

1.) Peter Case, 'Million Dollars Bail'

2.) My Chemical Romance, 'The End'

3.) Ryan Adams, 'My Winding Wheel'

4.) Counting Crows, 'Round Here' (Live)

5.) Berlioz, 'Requiem Op.5' 

6.) Portishead, 'Wandering Star'

This Week's Playlist

1.) Faure: Requiem (Kathleen Battle, Andreas Scholl, Philarmonia  Orch.)

2.) Counting Crows, 'Holiday in Spain'

3.) R.E.M, 'Houston'

4.) Gnarls Barkley, 'Would be Killer'

5.) Guillemots, 'Get Over It'

6.) Joy Division, 'Something Must Break'

This Week's Playlist

1.) Counting Crows, '1492'

2.) Counting Crows, 'Cowboys'

3.) The Raconteurs, 'Old Enough'

4.)Yeah Yeah Yeahs, 'Deja Vu'

5.) Black Mountain, 'No Hits'

6.) Joy Division, 'Walked in Line'

This week's playlist

1.) Black Mountain, 'Angels'
2.) Beirut, 'Nantes'
3.)Rush, 'The Twilight Zone'
4.)Joy Division, 'Day of the Lords'
5.)Billy Bragg, 'M for me'
6.) The Raconteurs, 'Five on the five'

This week's playlist

1.) David Bowie, 'Sweet Thing' (live 1974)
2.) Joy Division, 'Disorder'
3.) The Smiths, 'There's a light that never goes out'
4.) Led Zeppelin, 'Black Dog' (live)
5.) Joy Division, 'Dead Souls'
6.) Lost in Transmission, 'Kerouac'

This week's playlist

1.) Joy Division, 'Shadowplay'
2.) Joy Division, 'Twenty four hours'
3.) The Kinks, 'Do you remember Walter'
4.) The Beach Boys, 'I just wasn't made for these times'
5.) Fionn Regan, 'Be good or be gone'
6.) The Killers, 'Leave the bourbon on the shelf'

This week's playlist

1.) The Smiths 'Frankly Mr. Shankly'
2.) Joy Division, 'Transmission'
3.) Get Cape, Wear Cape, Fly, 'Find the Time'
4.) Gram Parsons, 'Return of the Grievous Angel'
5.) The Beatles, 'Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight'
6.) Fats Waller, 'I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter'