Avenue Podcast

Mini-Mix: Metal Mix No. 3

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 04:01:00 GMT

The big finish.... hope you've enjoyed the June Madness here at Avenue Podcast!

W.A.S.P. "Animal (I Fuck Like A Beast)"
Megadeth "Symphony of Destruction"
Accept "Fast as a Shark"

**PHEW!!**

I don't think we'll be doing THAT again anytime soon!....

Remember, Avenue Podcast will soon be moving to a new home at http://avenuepodcast.blogspot.com/ ...
It won't be automatic anymore, unfortunately, so downloads won't just happen with your iTunes... sorry! You'll have to download the podcasts manually, but it will stop costing me money... so that's the bottom line, folks!

Tune in next month for some new groovy full length podcasts and the occasional mini-mix, Monday Mash-Up, 2FER-Tuesday, and Friday Night Video... until then... Lovers: Unite!
(remember to support the artists you like and BUY the music legally!)

Mini-Mix: Metal Mix No. 2

Sun, 29 Jun 2008 04:01:00 GMT

Here's the second of the infamous Metal Mix Trilogy...

Dio "Rainbow in the Dark"
AC/DC "Moneytalks"
Metaliwankercrybabies "Enter Sandman"

(what else would you call the band that whined about Napster?)

Mini-Mix: Metal Mix No. 1

Sat, 28 Jun 2008 04:01:00 GMT

Here's something you don't hear everyday...

Iron Maiden "2 Minutes to Midnight"
Saxon "The Power and the Glory"
Judas Priest "Breakin' the Law"

Friday Night Videos: Psycho Le Cemu "Ai No Uta"

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 19:51:00 GMT

Friday Night Videos Presents:

Psycho Le Cemu - Ai No Uta....

Psycho Le Cemu.... where the "Legend of Zelda" meets J-Pop.....

Like it? Buy it!

The Greatest Hits CD comes with a free DVD that features most of their music videos! Get it from CDJapan!

Until Next Time... Lovers: Unite!!!

Mini-Mix: Alternative Mix No. 5

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 04:01:00 GMT

A quick 4-Song-Mix for your listening pleasure...

Front 242 "Headhunter"
Editors "Weight of the World"
R.E.M. "Wall of Death"
AC/DC "Touch Too Much"

Avenue Podcast presents: Asian Kung-Fu Generation Megamix!

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 04:01:00 GMT

Here, at long last, is the Asian Kung-Fu Generation Megamix that I have been working on!

Planet
Haruka Kanata
World Apart
Backstreet Rabbit (Rojiura No Usagi)
Shindou Satoshi
After Dark
Waltz in Code (Angou No Waltz)
Yoru Mo Mukou
Picture Classroom
Rewrite
The Flower that is Called You (Kimi To Iu Hana)
Sono Wake O
Kimi To Machi Made

Planet and After Dark from the album "World World World".
Haruka Kanata from the "Houkai Amplifier" EP.
World Apart, Backstreet Rabbit (Rojiura No Usagi) , and Waltz in Code (Angou No Waltz) from the album "Fan-Club"
Shindou Satoshi, Yoru Mo Mukou, Rewrite, and Kimi To Machi Made from the album "Sol-Fa".
Picture Classroom from the album "Feedback File".
The Flower that is Called You (Kimi To Iu Hana) and Sono Wake O from the mini-album "Kimi Tsunagi Five M".

As always, I recommend CDJapan for all your Japanese music needs!! Remember to support the artists you enjoy, and purchase their music legally.

Until next time... Lovers: Unite!

.

Mini-Mix: Disco Mix!!

Tue, 24 Jun 2008 04:01:00 GMT

Here is a change of pace just for fun...

A Disco Mix to groove to while you're doing housework... ;p

Foxy "Get Off"
Evelyn 'Champagne' King "Shame"
Musique "In The Bush"
Lipps Inc. "Funkytown"
The Bee Gees "You Should Be Dancing"
Vicki Sue Robinson "Turn The Beat Around"

Tune in tomorrow for a proper full-length Podcast
....featuring Asian Kung-Fu Generation...!!

Mini-Mix: J-Rock Mix No. 1

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 04:01:00 GMT

Here is a little change of pace for you... a mini-mix of Japanese Rock...

Asian Kung-Fu Generation "Haruka Kanata"
Orange Range "Viva Rock"
Hitomi Yaida "Lonely Cowboy"

...Look for the big Asian Kung-Fu Generation Megamix later this week!

Mini-Mix: Alternative Mix No. 4

Sun, 22 Jun 2008 04:01:00 GMT

Mini Mix from Alternative music's Heyday...

Anne Clark "Sleeper in Metropolis"
Depeche Mode "World In My Eyes"
New Order "Vanishing Point"

Mini-Mix: Alternative Mix No. 3

Sat, 21 Jun 2008 04:01:00 GMT

Just for fun... three random songs....

The Field Mice "Sensitive"
Blitz "Vicious"
Black Sabbath "Warning (Edit)"

Friday Night Videos: Psycho Le Cemu "Genkiai Merry Go Round"

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 20:01:00 GMT

It's always a visual treat from Psycho Le Cemu...

Here, it seems that "Starship Troopers" can sing and dance while blowing up bugs.... and the lead singer has already found the BFG.....

Psycho Le Cemu "Genkiai Merry Go Round"

Enjoy!!

Remember to support the artists you like! Are you enjoying Psycho Le Cemu? Their Greatest Hits CD includes a free DVD of most of their music videos... you can get if from CDJapan!

until next time... Lovers: Unite!

.

Mini-Mix: Alternative Mix No. 2

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 04:01:00 GMT

Here is another mini-Mix for you... Three random songs thrown together for fun!

Anne Dudley and Jaz Coleman VS Depeche Mode "Minarets And Memories (Birdienumnums Mash-Up)"
Joy Division "Wilderness"
Muse "Supermassive Black Hole"

Avenue Podcast Presents: The Yumi Matsutoya Megamix

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 04:01:00 GMT

Here is a mix that grew all out of proportion as I was creating what I thought was going to be a little 2FER. What can I say? I enjoyed listening to her music and finding songs that would fit together in a mix.

Yumi Matsutoya has been around for ages; she's been recording and performing in Japan since 1972! She is well known in Japan under her married name (Yumi Matsutoya) her maiden name (Yumi Arai) and even her nickname, Yuming.

If you like what you hear, you can check out her webpage here Yuming Sound Library and listen to samples of all her songs. Her music videos are also available (in full) via Real media or Windows Media Player (although, the streaming-video quality is kind of crap)... the menus and navigation is all is English, but unfortunately her biography and any information about her or her releases is all in Japanese.

For information about her in English, I suggest Wikipedia.

I hope you enjoy!

Acacia
Yasashisani Tsutsuma Retanara (Theme from Kiki's Delivery Service)
Hozho Goh
Tengoku No Doa (The Gates of Heaven)
Midori No Machi Ni Mai Ori Te
Manatsu No Yoru No Yume
Kanashi Mino, Route 16
Harujoon, Himejoon
Raga #3
Haru Yo, Koi
Rifurein Ga Saken Deru
Berubetto I-Suta (Velvet Easter)
Sweet Surrender
Sando Kyassuru

Acacia from the 2001 album "Acacia" and the greatest hits "Spring/Summer".
Yasashisani Tsutsuma Retanara from the 1974 album "Misslim" and the greatest hits "Spring/Summer".
Hozho Goh from the 1993 album "U-Miz".
Tengoku No Doa (The Gates of Heaven) from the album "The Gates of Heaven"
Midori No Machi Ni Mai Ori Te from the 1979 album "æãããããåæ Kanashi Ihodoo Tenki" and the greatest hits "Spring/Summer".
Manatsu No Yoru No Yume from the 1993 album "U-Miz" and the greatest hits "Spring/Summer".
Kanashi Mino, Route 16 from the 2006 album "A Girl in Summer".
Harujoon, Himejoon from the 1978 album "çé (ããããã) Kurenai Suzume (Benisuzume)" and the greatest hits "Spring/Summer".
Raga #3 from the 1999 album "Frozen Roses".
Haru Yo, Koi from the 1994 album "The Dancing Sun" and the greatest hits "Spring/Summer".
Rifurein Ga Saken Deru from the 1988 Album "Delight Slight Light Kiss" and the greatest hits "Fall/Winter"
Berubetto I-Suta from the 2003 album "Yuming Compositions: Faces" and the greatest hits "Spring/Summer".
Sweet Surrender from the 1999 album "Frozen Roses".
Sando Kyassuru from the 1991 album "Dawn Purple" and the greatest hits "Spring/Summer".

Enjoy the mix and remember to check eBay for her albums. If you want to pick up a brilliant album, I highly recommend Seasons Colours (Spring and Summer). It has everything you want from J-Pop; 50% fun bouncy songs and 50% mellow songs (AKA: kareoke favorites).... but as you can see from this mix, it has a high ratio of interesting songs.

As always, I recommend CD-Japan for your Japanese CD needs!

Enjoy and until nextime... Lovers: Unite!

Mini-Mix: Alternative Mix No. 1

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 04:01:00 GMT

Originally, these mini-mixes were done for broadcast on the Chiayi Planet Radio... but some of them were just too good to throw away. Instead I decided to throw them here for your listening pleasure.

So... just for fun... here is a mini mix... three random songs thrown together for no reason other than it was fun to do.

Enjoy!

Teddybears feat Iggy Pop "Punkrocker"
The Cure "Love Song"
Coldplay "Trouble"

Monday Mix: Yumi Matsutoya ''Manatsu No Yoru No Yume"

Sun, 1 Jun 2008 04:01:00 GMT

This is a little Mix I threw together to sing along to.

Don't ask me why I like this song so much because I couldn't tell you. I love the beat, I love the rhythm, and I love her voice (it has such an interesting quality to it!).

Yumi Matsutoya is practically an icon in Japan, having released over 33 albums in her 30+ year career. She began her career using her maiden name, Yumi Arai, but took her husband's name after she married her producer (she is also affectionately known as Yuming)!

Stay tuned for a 2FER sometime soon.

I discovered her by accident, and although a lot of her music is rather formulaic MOR, there are quite a few gems, including the wonderful closing theme from the Hayao Miyazaki film Kiki's Delivery Service (She also sang the opening theme, both released as Yumi Arai).

She recently released 2 double CD collections that collect many of her hits. The CDs are organized by theme, the theme being the seasons. Both packages are called Seasons Colours, with the first two CDs, released in March 2007,were Spring and Summer and the second set, released in October 2007, called Autumn and Winter.

This song, was featured in last month's Asian Extravaganza podcast and it is taken from her 1993 album ''U-Miz''. It can also be found on the Summer CD (see above) as well as on her 1998 greatest hits CD called Neue Muzik. It is among my favorites of hers.

Below are the lyrics so you can sing along too!!
**Note: any lyrics appearing in parenthesis are not part of the actual lyrics in Japanese. I've added them to help non-Japanese speakers sing along with her pronunciation. Enjoy!

Manatsu No Yoru No Yume (Birdienumnums' Extended Mix)

Manatsu No Yoru No Yume

Hone made tokeru youna
TEKIIRA mitaina KISU wo shite
Yozora mo musekaeru
Hageshii DAN'SU wo odorimanshou

Watashi tooi yume wa matenakatta

Saigo wa motto watashi wo mite
Moetsukusu you (O)âni
Sayonara zutto wasurenai wa
Kon'ya no futari no koto

Hanabi wa maiagari
SUKOORU mitai ni furisosogu
Kirakira omoide ga
Itsu shika owatte kieru made

Anata no kage watashi dake no mono yo

Saigo wa motto daite daite
Iki mo dekinu hodo
Sayonara zutto AMORE AMORE
Kono yo de anata hitori

(bonus verse from the remix)
      Saigo wa motto watashi wo mite
      Moetsukusu you (O)âni
      Sayonara zutto AMORE AMORE
      Kono yo de anata hitori

(guitar solo)

Odoru RAITO mawaru DAN'SU FUROA

KARIBIAN' NAI (TO) motto watashi wo mite
Moetsukusu you (O)âni
Sayonara zutto wasurenai wa
Kon'ya no futari no koto

Saigo wa motto daite daite
Iki mo dekinu hodo
Sayonara zutto AMORE AMORE
Kono yo de anata hitori

KARIBIAN' NAITO aa fukete yuku wa
Moriagaru-RI-ZUMU
Sayonara zutto wasurenai wa
Kon'ya no futari no koto

KARIBIAN' NAIâ.

Have fun... until next time.... Lovers: Unite!

Avenue Podcast presents: The Asian Extravaganza 2008!

Wed, 7 May 2008 04:01:00 GMT

As we reach the end of our month-long Asian Extravaganza, here is the finale and centerpiece!

It is a really big podcast, clocking in at just under an hour, and it features a full range of different styles!

This is an insanely eclectic mix of music from around Asia, encompassing Thailand, India, Pakistan, Japan, Okinawa, Taiwan, Korea, Hong Kong and er... Australia...?

For people living outside of Asia most of these songs will be completely new (and very, very odd, LOL!) but for people over here on the other side of the world, this is what we hear when we are shopping, waiting in the dentist's office, or wandering around the markets at night!

There are so many songs missing that I might have to do another one sometime.... seriously!

This mix begins slowly with mellower sounds, works its way into some rock flavoured pop, then busts out into full-blown dance music. I hope you enjoy it!

Here is the track listing:

Shima Uta - Natsukawa Rimi
Kern Sei Jai - Sine Charuenpura
Twiggy Twiggy (Twiggy VS James Bond) - Pizzicato Five
One Too Many Rain - Chocolat
Mayday - Bump of Chicken
Superstar - S.H.E.
Lonely Cowboy - Hitomi Yaida
Boro Boro - Arash
Manatsu No Yo No Yume - Yumi Matsutoya
Truly Madly Deeply - Savage Garden VS Jay Chou
Jande - Aneela
Kanfu Fighting - Kanjani8
Parade - Hirasawa Susumu
Kwai Le Xiong Bai - Will Wuha
Fantastic Cat - Takako Minekawa
Pretty China Doll - China Dolls
Run To You - DJ Doc
Wild Game - Jolin
You Are Not The One (Freedom) - Sammi Cheung

For more information about the artists, visit the Asian Pop Wiki. It is mostly about Chinese and Japanese artists, but if there is anything you'd like to know about where to obtain any of the music featured in this podcast, please feel free to contact me!

As always, for Japanese music, I recommend www.cdjapan.co.jp who are always quick, friendly and reliable.
For Thai music and films, I use http://www.ethaicd.com/
For Chinese, Indian, and Korean music I've had a good experience with Yes Asia or you can try your luck on eBay.

This mix was loads of fun to make and loads of fun to listen to. It starts with "Shima Uta", one of the most beautiful songs in Japanese that I have ever heard, and it ends with a real club stomper (in Cantonese) from Hong Kong movie star, Sammi Cheung, "You Are Not The One (Freedom)".

Along the way it runs the gamut of Dance hits from India, one in Hindi ("Jande") and one that definitely isn't ("Boro Boro"); to Chinese pop flavoured hip hop ("Kwai Le Xiong Bai"); to Thai pop music in Mandarin ("Pretty China Doll") and rock in Thai ("Kern Sei Jai"), to Japanese Rock ("Lonely Cowboy") and experimental Japanese indie pop ("Fantastic Cat"), to experimental Japanese film music ("Parade"), to Korean dance hits ("Run To You") and to Mandarin radio chart hits ("Wild Game" and "Superstar")!

There is Japanese pop music ("Twiggy Twiggy (Twiggy VS James Bond)" and "One Too Many Rain"), a mash up between an Australian pop band and a Taiwanese Hip Hop R'n'B singer ("Truly Madly Deeply"), and Japanese chart toppers that have been voted among the best ever summer songs in Japan ("Manatsu No Yo No Yume" and "Chinese Wind Fighting Song"). Not to mention a chart topper by a band called Bump of Chicken ("Mayday")... how can you not be amused by a band with a Jingrish name like THAT?

How can you not love this mix?? Put on your dancing shoes and get grooving... or cleaning and dusting... whichever you usually do when you listen to pop music.

Never mind that you can't understand a blessed word: the feelings really come through on these songs. You'll know what they're singing about just by the way that they make you feel. Enjoy!!

As an extra special bonus, here is a sneak peek at the next major Avenue Podcast... this is a little exclusive 2FER edited out of the big podcast due next month from Asian Kung-Fu Generation!! Click HERE to go get it from Media Fire, my favorite on-line storage site! Enjoy!

Until next time... Lovers: UNITE!!!

Friday Night Videos: S.H.E. "Superstar"

Fri, 2 May 2008 04:01:00 GMT

This is an extremely popular song here in Taiwan, and in the rest of the Chinese speaking world. It is performed by a Taiwanese band called S.H.E. (their name comes from the first letter of their "English" names Selina, Hebe, and Ella ...hmmm... can you say contrived? LOL!)...never the less, a lot of their music is quite good, though this song is still my favourite.

I actually bought their greatest hits CD when I was in Australia because they didn't have a comprehensive greatest hits compilation available in Taiwan at the time!

The package I bought in Sydney's Chinatown was imported from China and came with a bonus DVD that includes their music videos... so if anyone is astute enough to notice that the lyrics on the screen are written in simplified Chinese (used in Mainland China) instead of in traditional Chinese characters (which is used here in Taiwan) now you know why.

from Wikipedia:
It is a common misconception that S.H.E's 2003 hit "Super Star" is a cover song. German producer Roberto "Geo" Rosan composed "Super Star" for S.H.E.
After it became popular, Geo had the lyrics rewritten for his Euroband, Sweetbox, as the song "Chyna Girl".
In 2005, Canadian singer Skye Sweetnam re-recorded "Super Star" as "Superstar".

How about that??? So for all of you who know and like the song, here is the original version, in Mandarin (Chinese).... with TEENY TINY lyrics so you can sing along ...if you can read Chinese! ;)

Without further ado... please enjoy this week's Friday Night Video!

Superstar by S.H.E.

until next time... Lovers: Unite!

2FER-Tuesday: A-Mei

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 04:01:00 GMT

Here is the last little 2FER in our month-long Asian Extravaganza.

This 2FER features Taiwan's own A-Mei (Chang Hui Mei).

Xien Zao
Qian Shou

Interesting trivia: She is actually a princess of one of the native tribes in Taiwan. What better way to start winding up our Asian extravaganza?

2 more posts to go in the Asian Extravaganza: Stay Tuned!!

Until next time... Lovers: Unite!

.

Friday Night Videos Presents: Thailand's Sine Charuenpura

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 04:01:00 GMT

She is known as Intira Jaroenpura, Sine, and Sine Charuenpura.

In her native Thailand she is a famous supermodel, singer and actress; and yet she is almost totally unknown outside of Asia. This is one of Sine Charuenpura's greatest hits, from her indie-rock album D-Sine from 1998.

I like it a lot and I hope you enjoy it!

Kern Sei Jai - Sine Charuenpura

Until next time... Lover's Unite!

Avenue Podcast Presents: The Japanimation Mix 2008 !

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 04:01:00 GMT

Here it is! The follow up to the Japanimation mix from waaaaay back in October 2006.

Have you started watching Anime yet? I recommended enough good ones last time to get you off to a good start... nevertheless here is another chance for you to get started! This mix contains some exceptional music used in Anime (both television shows and movies) and the shows these come from are some really phenomenal titles for you to check into!

Set My Eyes on You (Anata Dake Mitsumeteru) - Maki Ohguro
Now I Can Breath (Iki Mo Dekinai) - ZARD
Kazahane - Shimotsuki Haruka
Shizuku Ippai no Kioku - Hirasawa Susumu
Berserk Forces - Hirasawa Susumu
Pain (Itami) - The Crayon Company
Viva Rock - Orange Range
Haruka Kanata - Asian Kung-Fu Generation
The World - Nightmare
Sora - Maki Ohguro
It Becomes the Wind (Kaze Ni Naru) - Ayano Tsuji
Make it Home - Kuniaki Haishima
Juuni Genmu Kyoku - Kunihiko Ryo
Dance of Curse - Yoko Kanno and the
For the Love of Life - David Sylvian
Lillium - Kumiko Noma

track 1 is the ending theme from the 1st ''Slam Dunk'' Movie
track 2 is the 2nd opening theme from the TV series ''Cooking Master Boy''
track 3 is the closing theme from TV series ''H20 Footprints in the Sand'
track 4 is the main theme from the Satoshi Kon film ''Paprika''
track 5 is the theme from the TV series ''Berserk''
track 6 is the closing theme from OVA ''Angel Cop''
track 7 is the 3rd ending theme from the TV series ''Naruto''
track 8 is the 2nd opening theme from the TV series ''Naruto''
track 9 is the 1st opening theme from the TV series ''Death Note''
track 10 is the 1st opening theme from the TV series ''Cooking Master Boy''
track 11 is the closing theme from Studio Ghibli film ''The Cat Returns''
track 12 is the 2nd closing theme from the TV series ''Monster''
track 13 is the opening theme from the TV series ''The 12 Kingdoms''
track 14 is the main battle theme from ''Vision of Escaflowne''
track 15 is the 1st closing theme from the TV series ''Monster''
track 16 is the opening theme from the TV series ''Elven Lied''

Please click on any of the titles above for more information about these amazing shows. There, you can read the synopsis and see rating score based on viewers' feedback. This will certainly help you to decide if it is something you want to invest any time in.

I have watched all of these shows except the Slam Dunk movie... basketball just isn't my thing... and with the exception of "Berserk" (which I really didn't like) I would highly recommend any and all of them, especially "The Twelve Kingdoms" and "The Cat Returns".

Bear in mind that, with the exception of "The Cat Returns", none of these shows are necessarily family oriented entertainment. One of the reasons that I have started to enjoy Anime so much in the last few years is that the stories and concepts are often way more intelligent than the less-than-average cartoons that I grew up with.

These shows are not aimed at children in Japan. They are often on later at night, and they have adults as their target market (a fact that seems to have escaped most of the people broadcasting these show in America).

"Monster", for example, is mostly dialogue and conspiracy theorizing. It deals with events surrounding the fall of the Berlin wall and a communist Czechoslovakian brainwashing experiment gone out of control. It is very compelling viewing, but kids would be bored before the first commercial break.

If you enjoy "The Twelve Kingdoms" and "The Cat Returns" (and believe me, you probably will) then I have a few other titles to recommend.

I would then recommend "Paprika" for something really strange and groovy about manipulating dreams.

"Cooking Master Boy", which is about a boy who becomes a premier chef in turn-of-the-century China ...think "Hell's Kitchen" set in imperial China, LOL! I warn you in advance: as you watch it, you will have the strong compulsion to eat a lot of Chinese food!

"Elven Lied" is a great story if you don't mind sci-fi with gratuitous gore and excessive boobage. Definitely an R-Rating there!

The English dub of "Angel Cop" is fun to watch, but the show itself is actually pretty awful. I enjoyed the show because it was just really over the top... unfortunately I felt my braincells slowly dying each time the opening credits rolled. It is excessively violent and full of foul language: kind of like American Football, but with guns, evil psychics with big hair, naked psycho murders, and Japanese robots.

Finally, I would recommend one of my favourite shows this year, "Death Note", if it hasn't been banned in your area because some dingbat thought that it was supposed to be for kids.

... and I am *STILL* recommending Fullmetal Alchemist!

Any questions and comments are encouraged and welcome!

Until Next Time... Lovers: Unite!

Friday Night Videos: Psycho Le Cemu "Dream Pinwheel"

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 14:30:00 GMT

Psycho Le CÃmu (ãããããããããã) is a band from Japan. They released 4 albums and a fistful of singles between 1999 and 2005 before going on hiatus. They were one of the few bands that broke into the American market, even touring there briefly, despite singing exclusively in Japanese.

They are well remembered for their outrageous costumes, which were often inspired by Anime and Video Games. You have to see these guys to believe it!

Here, for your viewing pleasure, is a music video for one of their hit singles!

Dream Pinwheel

If you enjoy this, you should definitely check out some of their other videos on You Tube. I recommend "Prism", "Roman Hikou" and "Gekiai Merry Go Round".

"Gekiai Merry Go Round" is especially fun as it looks like it could be a preview trailer for Japanese version of "Starship Troupers"!

One of my favorite videos is "Ai no Uta" which looks nothing short of a promo video for the latest Zelda video game, especially around 1:25 when the giant black flowers show up, LOL!

These guys do play their music a little heavier, though, so if you want harder rock, check out the videos for "Excalibur", "Kronos", or "Love is Dead"; none of which are as strong visually, in my opinion, as some of their later poppier songs.

Of course... you can always do what I did and buy their Greatest Hits CD! It comes with a DVD that includes nearly all their music videos (It doesn't include "Excalibur" or "Kronos"). I got mine here at CDJapan. Worth every eye-popping visual effect! :D

Until next time... Lovers: Unite!

2FER-Tuesday: Psycho Le Cemu

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 14:30:00 GMT

Here is a new 2FER Tuesdays for you!

This one features two songs by Japan's wonderfully amusing Psycho Le Cemu. These guys created some of the most visually appealing music videos ever... and the music was pretty good, too! (Which is always a plus these days!)

Psycho Le Cemu formed in Japan, in 1999 and created a style all their own, often appearing in colourful costumes reminiscent of characters from Anime and video games. After signing to a major Japanese record label, every single they released was accompanied by a brand new set of costumes. (You have to see them to believe it!)

They became popular enough to have toured in the United States in 2004 to sold out shows, despite singing exclusively in Japanese.

OK... the shows were actually at Anime conventions.... but they did sell out, so it still counts!

Here is the track listing for your listening pleasure:

Ai No Uta
Gekiai Merry-Go-Round

If you enjoy what you hear then by all means pick up their Greatest Hits from CDJapan! If you're feeling adventurous, you can check out one of their other albums instead, but I would personally stick with the Greatest Hits package, as it includes all the non-indie singles.

Until Friday... (tune in for a special treat, if you want to see what I mean about these guys being very colourful)... Lovers: Unite!

Chiayi Radio presents "Tom's World" (an Indie Megamix)

Sun, 23 Mar 2008 03:59:00 GMT

Tonight, I made a special guest appearance on Chiayi Radio with Greg and Nathan (AKA The Huggables). I was asked to give them some music that they might not have heard of, so I presented them with about 70 songs to choose from, LOL! Needless to say it was way too much, and we selected 14 tracks to be presented on the show.

If you were lucky enough to catch the show live, then you heard me promise that I would upload a podcast featuring all the music we played on the show today.

Here it is!

We were taking about the music between songs, as well as some other interesting things...

*PORN*cough! *PORN*cough!*PORN*

... and that took up a bit more airtime than anticipated. We only managed to air 11 of the songs in the alloted time, but I have included all 14 of the selected tracks in today's podcast..

I have also included links to get more information about the featured artists, as well as some links to purchase their music. Please remember to support the artists you like by buying their albums or singles!

Woman in the Window - Satellite Party
Mushaboom - Feist
Rewrite - Asian Kung-Fu Generation
Anxious - The Housemartins
Train Not Stopping - Harper Lee
Driverlights - Hearts of Black Science
You Have Killed Me - Morrissey
Shortwave Radio - Autohaze
Lenny Valentino - The Auteurs
Lloyd, I'm Ready to be Heartbroken - Camera Obscura
Fire Eye'd Boy - Broken Social Scene
You're Kidding Aren't You - The Field Mice
I Like a Boy in Uniform (School Uniform) - The Pipettes
Julia, We Don't Live in the 60s - The Indelicates

Please feel free to click on the artists' names above to open a page with more information about them. Below is a bit more information for you!

Track 1, "Woman in the Window", is from Steve Ferrel's Satellite Party's album Ultra Payloaded, which is widely available from sources such as Amazon. Satellite Party is the latest project from former Jane's Addiction and Prono for Pyros frontman, Perry Farrel! This, however, sure doesn't sound like either of those bands! It sounds more like the Doors! Steve Ferrel recently performed on stage with the remaining members of the Doors as part of their 4oth anniversary celebrations, could that have been the inspiration? This song sound like someone found an unreleased vocal track by the late Jim Morrison and added some modern music to it... and the song is complete with a Ray Manzarek sounding keyboard solo in the middle! This song was featured as part of a specil edition of the Avenue Podcast in October 2007 which can be found here. A special feature on the Doors was released that same month, and is available here.

Track 2, "Mushaboom" by Feist, is from her album Let it Die, which is widely available from sources like Amazon. Feist is a Canadian singer/songwriter who has been involved in millions of projects. She is worth investigating! What is fun about this song is that Mushaboom is actually the name of a small town in Nova Scotia (which according to Greg is probably in Manitoba)!

Track 3, "Rewrite" by Asian Kung-Fu Generation, is from their album Sol-Fa. It is also the opening theme song (fourth season) for the popular Anime show Fullmetal Alchemist (episodes 42 to 51). It is available directly from Japan (for a fairly reasonable price) from the good people at CDJapan. It is also available from JPOP Help in North America.
A little publicity never hurts in the music business, and Asian Kung-Fu Generation have been lucky enough to have their music used as the theme to the 2006 animated motion picture "Tekkonkinkreet" as well as in several Animated series.
Not only were they did they supply the theme from Fullmetal Alchemist, but they also contributed to the soundtracks of Naruto ("Haruka Kanata" from their EP Houkai Amplifier is the opening theme from episodes 26 to 53) and Bleach ("After Dark" from their 2008 album, World, World, World is the opening theme from episodes 144 to 167), so if their music sounds familiar, it might be because all three of these Anime series have aired in English, in both Canada and The United States, as well as in many other countries around the world in different languages.
Asian Kung-Fu Generation is part of the scene of rockers in Japan that are responsible for some of the awesome music that we hear as theme songs for Anime shows... they also release excellent albums that stand on their own from start to finish. Their music is catchy and fun, despite not knowing what they're singing about!

Track 4, "Anxious" by The Housemartins is from their album London 0, Hull 4. It also appears on their 2006 Greatest Hits CD. All of their CDs are widely available from sources like Amazon, and they are ALL worth getting! While they were together, they only released two actual albums. Since then, one compilation (Now That's What I Call Quite Good, which features loads of music not on either album) a Greatest Hits package which includes a DVD of their music videos, and previously unreleased CD called Live at the BBC have been released.
Though they were only together for a short while, the quality of their output was consistently excellent.
(**Interesting trivia, the Housemartins' bassist, Norman Cook, has in recent years become famous under his new stage name, Fat Boy Slim!**)

Track 5, "Train Not Stopping" by Harper Lee is from the single of the same name released on Matinee Records in the United States. It also appears on their excellent album, Everything's Going To Be OK.
It is available from such places as Amazon, Tone Vendor or directly from Jimmy at their record lable, Matinee Records (though at the time of this writing, it is out of stock at most places). If you see a copy for sale get it, as it has already gone out of print, and as you may or may not know, Indie albums often stay out of print for a long time once they're sold out.
Harper Lee features members of influential Sarah Records recording artist, Brighter.

Track 6, "Driverlights" by Hearts of Black Science is from their debut album, The Ghost You Left Behind, available from their record label, Club AC30, or for download from iTunes! This band of Swedes release music that sounds very modern, yet surprisingly like 80s New Wave. Quite a few songs (and a couple of videos) are available on their MySpace page, so you should check them out!
Hearts of Black Science have previously been featured on Avenue Podcast here.

Track 7, "You Have Killed Me" by Morrissey is from his excellent 2006 album, Ringleader Of The Tormentors, which is widely available from sources like Amazon. It's hard to believe that after all this time, he's still always moaning about something... LOL!

Track 8, "Shortwave Radio" by Autohaze is from their 1996 album Counter Clockwise. Most albums by this Melbourne, Australia, band are out of print, but I've managed to track them all down pretty easily via eBay, MusicStack, and eil. Tonevendor also has an interesting collection of vinyl still available, including my favourite song by them, the 7" version of "Undecided"!
Autohaze have previously been featured on Avenue Podcast here and contributed one track to an "Australian-only" Podcast here.

Track 9, "Lenny Valentino" by The Auteurs is from their 1994 album, Now I'm A Cowboy. Easily available from Amazon.

Track 10, "Lloyd, I'm Ready to be Heartbroken" by Camera Obscura is just one of the many outstanding tracks from their amazing 2006 CD, Let's Get Out Of This Country. For some reason, this Scottish indie band are signed to Spanish indie label Elefant. I don't know why I'm telling you that except that it amuses me for some reason. They are definitely well worth checking out, and are widely available from sources like Amazon.

Track 11, "Fire Eye'd Boy" by Broken Social Scene is from their self titled 2005 album, which is easily available from Amazon. This song has a really catchy riff/refrain in it, but I keep thinking there are two songs playing at the same time... it kind of gets on my nerves and sounds too busy for my liking, LOL!
Greg chose to play it because Feist is an occasional member of this band and we were going to feature her song, "Mushaboom".

Track 12, "You're Kidding Aren't You" by The Field Mice is from their album Snowball, released by Sarah Records in 1989. The Field Mice were one of a handful of extraordinary bands that recorded for influential indie label Sarah Records in the late 80s and early 90s. An excellent discography is available here, written by Matt Haynes, who used to run Sarah Records with his partner Claire Wadd.
The Snowball album was originally only released on the odd sized 10" vinyl, but a few were made on CD when the album was licensed by Midnight Music in France. Midnight Music went belly up and CDs stopped getting made... so for the longest time, vinyl was the only way to find this album.
It remained out of print for more than 15 years before being re-mastered and re-issued in expanded form, adding all the singles and non-album tracks from the same time frame, in 2005 by LTM records.
It is a classic recording from start to finish, especially with the new track listing which boosts the number of songs on the album from the original 8 to a mind-boggling 17! It is available through Amazon, or direct from the record company, LTM. (PS: If you were into the indie or alternative scene in the 80s and early 90s, then LTM is an awesome company for you to check out! They have reissued loads of cool stuff that will please and surprise you!)

Track 13, "I Like a Boy in Uniform (School Uniform)" by The Pipettes is from a strictly limited 7" vinyl release. There were 500 copies made and they have been sold out for ages. The last time one popped up on eBay, it sold for well over 120 Pounds Sterling. The version presented here is one that I played with a little. I expanded the harmonized sing-along ending a little because I felt the original ending was too abrupt.
This song is very typical of their sound, which is very 60s girl-group. Part of the charm and appeal of the Pipettes, for me, has always been the fact that, although they remain true to the sound and spirit of the 60s girl-groups, the lyrics will always leave you scratching your head. The Ronettes or the Supremes would have been blacklisted for singing songs with lyrics like "go away, you're just a one night stand", and "he loves a boy in uniform".
Now, just because this song isn't on it, there is no reason for you not to pick up the Pipettes amazing first album, We Are the Pipettes! In fact, the version that was recently released in the United States features 2 new songs and 2 bonus tracks, for a total of 4 songs more than the original UK release; so if you don't have it yet, it is worth buying the US release, which is easy to find and, of course, available from Amazon. You will love this one!

Track 14, "Julia, We Don't Live in the 60s" by The Indelicates was released as a single in 2007, and will appear on their upcoming album American Demo, which is due to be released in April 2008. It is available from Recordstore.co.uk as are their first 4 singles, the other three being "Sixteen", "The Last Significant Statement To Be Made in Rock and Roll" and "We Hate The Kids". "We Hate The Kids" is available on 7" vinyl only, but the others are available on vinyl or CD.
What's kind of fun about this song is that one of the founding members of The Pipettes, left that band to form The Indelicates, and rumour has it that one of the reasons she left was because she didn't want to be doing songs that all sounded like music from the 60s... hmmm.... It leads me to wonder where the inspiration for this track came from!

Well... That was exhausting, but I hope you enjoyed the music and the reading! Happy listening and until next time LOVERS: UNITE!

..as always comments are welcomed and encouraged... unless you want to complain... the you'll have to take a number and wait in the queue.

PS: The image used with this podcast comes from the Chiayi City Webcam which overlooks the busy town circle. The image is from the night of a major political rally in 2004.

Weeping Willows: When Did You Forget There's No One Better Than You?

Wed, 5 Mar 2008 05:01:00 GMT

Here is a nice introduction to Weeping Willows... a Swedish band that is relatively unheard of in North America (and whose CDs are really hard to find outside of Europe!).

Their sound goes from rockabilly and torchy-sounding 50s ballads (with beautiful lush strings) to Depeche Mode influenced dance floor stompers. They are definitely an independent music fan's delight: you never know what Magnus Carlson (singer, songwriter, and founding member) is going to come up with next.

Every album has it's own unique flavour, and they are all wonderful in their own right (although, you can probably guess which album is my favourite by checking the play list in this weeks podcast!), but one theme has remained constant throughout the band's decade long history: the longing for someone to love and the aching for a love that has been lost... there is, after all, a reason they're called WEEPING WILLOWS! They definitely know how to write sad songs (and sometimes make them sound so upbeat you can dance to them!).

Without further ado: here is the track listing!!

Lost Love
Broken Promise Land
Eternal Flames
Touch Me
Into the Light
Disconnected
True to You
Untouchable
Falling
The Truth in Your Eyes
How Could You Forget?

These tracks are taken from their first four albums.

Tracks 2 and 3 from Broken Promise Land 1997
Tracks 7 and 10 from Endless Night 1999
Tracks 4, 5, 6, 8 and 9 from Into the Light 2002
Tracks 1 and 11 from Presence 2004

2005 saw the release of an excellent compilation called Singles Again, which is available as a 2CD limited edition which includes b-Sides, remixes and live tracks from the band's singles.

2007 saw the release of their fifth album, Fear and Love, which is available from CD WOW, with free shipping worldwide!

All of the band's previous full-length releases are available from CD WOW for as little as Â4.99 with worldwide shipping included! If you are the kind of shopper who likes to shop-around to find the best prices, I would recommend that you just stick with CDWOW. Aside from the great deal of no additional cost for shipping, I haven't found any other place that I could order Weeping Willows CDs.

More information on this groovy band can be found at Wikipedia and a great discography is available on rateyourmusic.com, a site that I can't recommend enough!

Enjoy!

Until Next time Lovers: UNITE!

Friday Night Videos: Weeping Willows

Fri, 29 Feb 2008 05:15:00 GMT

Since it is a Leap Year... here is a second treat for you!

Broken Promise Land - Weeping Willows

Enjoy!! ...and tune in next week for a full-length Weeping Willows Avenue Podcast mix!

:)
Lovers: UNITE!

Friday Night Videos: Black Box Recorder

Fri, 29 Feb 2008 05:01:00 GMT

Here is a nice little indie treat for you!

The Facts of Life - Black Box Recorder

Enjoy!!

:)
Lovers: UNITE!

A Ridiculous Russian 2FER: Here's to you Sister HEY! Sister HO!

Tue, 26 Feb 2008 05:01:00 GMT

Who can resist original 70s Disco?

Here is a pair of songs by Germans about Russia.

What can I say? It's ridiculous and it's Russian in a way that only the Germans can get away with .

Rasputin - Boney M
Moscau (Birdie's Bilingual Mix) - Dschinghis khan

Enjoy ;)

Here are a couple of links for you:
"Moscau" live on Disco
"Rasputin" live on Top of the Pops

Until next time: Lovers Unite!!

Avenue Podcast's Annual Saint Etienne Valentine's Day Mix (2008)

Thu, 14 Feb 2008 05:01:00 GMT

We seem to have arrived, once again, at the annual Avenue Podcast Saint Etienne Valentine's Day Mix!

I love this mix. I have been playing with it and tweaking it for a few weeks now and I am really excited to finally be able to bring it to you!

In honour of Saint Etienne's latest release, the fan-club release "Boxette", this mix relies heavily on B-sides, rarities, and unreleased fan-club tracks!
Of course, that isn't to say that there are no hits or well known songs in the mix! In fact, a quick glance at the track list will surely bring a smile to your face!

Avenue (Birdie's Radio Edit)
Fascination
Primrose Hill
Side Streets
Sadie's Anniversary
This is Tomorrow
Tomorrow Never Dies
Architektur (Birdienumnums' Mix)
Angel (Birdie's A4 Foto Stat Mix)
7 Ways to Love
Shoot Out the Lights
Sylvie
Milk Bottle Symphony (Demo Version Birdienumnums Remix)
It's All Gone Horribly Wrong
Split Screen
Hit The Brakes
Tell Me Why (The Riddle) with Paul Van Dyk

Tracks 2 and 3 from Travel Edition
Track 1 from So Tough
Track 4 from Tales from Turnpike House
Track 5 from Places to Visit EP
Track 6 from This is Tomorrow 7" single
Track 8 unreleased
Tracks 9, 10 and 13 from Nice Price
Track 11 from Interlude
Track 12 and 15 from Good Humor
Track 14 from The Misadventures Of Saint Etienne
Track 16 from Fairfax High
Track 17 from Tell Me Why (The Riddle) single

Happy Valentine's Day!!

As always, Lovers Unite!

A Little Rock for Tim: Classic Metal on Heavy Rotation!

Fri, 1 Feb 2008 05:01:00 GMT

Bet'cha didn't see this coming, did ya?

After the sweet, sweet sounds of Birdie, what could be farther out in left field than this?

OK... here's the scoop: over the last three years, my good friend Tim has bugged me a couple of times to post something he'll enjoy. He keeps telling me the music I choose is too mellow for his tastes. He says I need to make a mix with some Pantera or Rage Against The Machine...

From what little I have heard of their stuff, I happen to think both those bands suck, so it was never gonna happen.

I did like a lot of heavier bands when I was in high school though, LOL!

Here are some songs I still get a kick out of when I feel nostalgic for big hair and a bad attitude.

The Number of the Beast - Iron Maiden
Balls to the Wall - Accept
Supernaut - Black Sabbath
Rainbow in the Dark - Dio
Money Talks - AC/DC
Enter Sandman - Metallica
Fast as a Shark - Accept
Ace of Spades - Motorhead
Animal (I Fuck Like a Beast) - W.A.S.P.
Symphony of Destruction (Radio edit) - Megadeth
2 Minutes to Midnight - Iron Maiden
The Power and the Glory - Saxon
Breakin' the Law - Judas Priest
Diary of a Madman - Ozzy Osbourne

Needless to say, there were many other artists and songs that I could have chosen, but a lot of them just sound dated to me at this point. These ones, for whatever reason, still sound kickin' when you're in the right frame of mind!

What better way to open this podcast than with the penultimate metal classic, Iron Maiden's "Number of the Beast"!?

Ronnie James Dio?!?! Of course!! Tenacious D has a point about him being Heavy Metal's main-man of sorcery and magic.

Motorhead? Classic.

... and I don't care what anyone says, I still love Blackie Lawless' voice on "Animal"; it is a shame about the ridiculous lyrics, though!

Rounding out this podcast is probably one of the songs that I will never get sick of: Ozzy's classic "Diary of a Madman" featuring the late Randy Rhodes (guitarist) in one of his final recordings. This song, with Randy's exquisite combination of classical guitar and heavy power chords can still manage to send shivers up my spine.

I hope you enjoy, and remember to buy the original album if you like the song. Feel free to post a comment to give me shit for this podcast if you like, but by the same token if you have a closet love for this stuff, let me know that as well!!!

Tim: Happy New Year!!!

Until next time Lovers: Unite!
PS: don't forget to check the artwork in the MP3 file. ;)

Friday Night Videos: Birdie "Such a Sound"

Fri, 25 Jan 2008 15:16:00 GMT

Well, what better way to open 2008 than with beautiful sounds by Birdie?

Birdie released three music videos...

...the difficult to find "Let Her Go" (posted on Avenue Podcast in December, 2007)...

...the beautiful "Folk Singer" (included on the CD single for Let her Go, as well as on the US version of SOME DUSTY)...

..and here, to cap off our January Birdie-fest, is their final music video, "Such a Sound", from the albums Triple Echo and Reverb Deluxe.

Such a Sound - Birdie

Enjoy!

Until next time Lovers: Unite!

Birdie Mix: Such a Sound! Sweet sounds for 2008!

Thu, 17 Jan 2008 05:01:00 GMT

Where have you been that you haven't heard of Birdie??

Birdie features the talents of married couple Deborah Wykes (Ex-Dolly Mixture) and Paul Kelly (Ex-East Village). It was Debsey's husky voice that shared the airwaves with Saint Etienne's Sarah Cracknell in Saint Etienne's 1993 hit, "Who Do You Think You Are", And both Debsey and Paul have often been part of the touring band for Saint Etienne (and still are!).

Opting to keep the 70s pop sensibilities that Saint Etienne have always had, but steering clear of the electronic and dance side of things, Birdie went off in a new direction, creating sounds that, though modern in recording and clarity, are very reminiscent of radio friendly pop staples from the early to mid 70s.

Aside from three wonderful videos (one of which I posted last year, and still available HERE) they released a handful of singles featuring tracks from their three albums, as well as their debut single, on 7" vinyl only, featuring two non-album tracks.

Their first single was on the Summershine label and featured the songs "Spiral Staircase" and "Port Sunlight", the later of which appears in a re-recorded form on their debut album, 1999's Some Dusty.

Their second album, rush released in Japan, then re-mixed and released in the UK, was 2000's Triple Echo. Surprisingly enough, it was the UK version which featured bonus tracks, not the Japanese release!

Their final offering, 2003's Reverb Deluxe, was released in Germany through Apricot Records and features b-sides and outtakes, as well as one newly recorded song.

Dusty Morning
Blue Eyed Son
Hammond
Folk Singer
Such A Sound
Spiral Staircase
Let Her Go (Single Version)
Shipwrecked
Laugh
Port Sunlight (Original 7" Version)
She Can't Lose

"Dusty Morning", "Folk Singer", and "Laugh" are available on all versions of Some Dusty.

"Blue Eyed Son", "Hammond", and "Such A Sound" are available on all versions of Triple Echo . These versions are taken from UK release.

The original version of "Let Her Go" appears on all version of Some Dusty.

"Spiral Staircase" is available exclusively on the Spiral Staircase 7" single.
"Port Sunlight (Original 7" Version)" is available on the Spiral Staircase 7" single, as well as on the Kindercore compilation 50. An alternate version of Port Sunlight appears on all versions of Some Dusty.

"Shipwrecked", a cover of a song by East Village, appears on Reverb Deluxe and as a b-side on the Such A Sound CD Single.

"She Can't Lose" is available exclusively on the Spanish edition of Some Dusty released through Elefant Records (ER-1072).

Most of their CDs are long-out of print and difficult to find at this point, but they are well worth tracking down, especially Some Dusty, which is still in my top 100 of all-time favourite albums.

As mentioned in my video podcast of December 21, 2007, if you have no luck tracking down the actual CD, the American version of Some Dusty (the one with the lavender cover!) is available for legal download as MP3 files directly from Amazon.

For your reference, the same graphic was used on all editions of Some Dusty, but the colour was different. Dark Green was used in the UK, Dark Blue in Japan and Spain, and Lavender in the US.

Each edition has a slightly different track listing, but, as per my previous blog, I recommend the Spanish edition if you can find it since it is the only one with a truly exclusive track! If you have no luck tracking it down, the US version would be my second choice.

I hope you enjoy this podcast and remember to support the artists you love by legally purchasing their music.

As always: Lover's Unite!!

The Editors' Rock Mix - Every Little Piece of Your Life Will Mean Something to Someone...

Sat, 5 Jan 2008 06:42:00 GMT

Happy New Year!

Here is a little something I cooked up to showcase some of the sounds coming from this amazing band out of Birmingham, England.

Last month I posted a small podcast showcasing some of the remixes that have surfaced on various of the band's singles. Needless to say the selection was limited!

This time I had the whole of the Editors' catalogue to play with! I chose quite a few of the singles, but I also threw in a couple of album tracks. I tried to keep the length to below 45 minutes, so by necessity some of my favourite songs had to be omitted... nevertheless, I am very happy with this mix! If you have never heard the Editors, then here is a chance to become familiar them.

The Weight of the World
Smokers Outside the Hospital Doors
All Sparks
Bullets
Escape the Nest
When Anger Shows
Lights
Munich
An End Has a Start
Blood
The Racing Rats

Tracks 3, 4, 7, 8, and 10 are from the band's first album, The Back Room
Tracks 1, 2, 5, 6, 9, and 11 are from their second album An End Has A Start

For more information about the band, check them out on Wikipedia.

Please remember that supporting the artist is the best way to ensure future releases from them! You can buy the Editors albums and singles from any number of places, not the least of which are Amazon and eBay. You can also go to the band's official website for more information, streaming videos, and ordering information about their releases!

Have a wonderful 2008 and as always Lovers: Unite!!

The Editors' Dance Mix - Bounce Like A Burning Cigarette

Thu, 27 Dec 2007 05:01:00 GMT

I admit it... I discovered the Editors later than most. What can I say? I live in Asia and we are sometimes trendy but sometimes WAY behind the times!

I have created two Editors mixes, of which this is the first! The second will get posted sometime in the next couple of weeks... originally, this was meant to be the second mix to be posted since it is the odd one... none of the original versions of the songs are in this mix, only dance remixes that are probably unfamiliar to fans of the band... but with the holidays and all, I thought it might be fun to post some dance music for your New Year's Eve party!!

I recently collected most of their singles and remixes etc.... it was fun to try and get them all. Here are a few of the remixes I really enjoyed.

All Sparks (Cicada Remix)
Camera (Oakenfold Remix)
Munich (Cicada Remix)
Blood (The Freelance Hellraiser Editorial)
An End Has A Start (The Boom Bip Remix)

Track 1 from the All Sparks CD2
Track 2 from Blood CD1
Track 3 from Munich CD2
Track 4 from Blood CD2
Track 5 from An End Has A Start CD2

Do yourself a favour and pick up their albums. Their first album is called The Back Room and their second is called An End Has A Start.

Original versions of Tracks 1,2,3, and 4 appear on the album The Back Room . The original version of track 5 appears on An End Has A Start.

Watch this space for the second Editors Mix. I promise it is worth the wait, and it is very different in feel as it features only non-remixed versions of songs!

In the meantime... enjoy... dance... and have fun as 2007 winds down and turns into 2008! May you and yours have a healthy and prosperous New Year!! As always: remember to share the wealth and support the artists you like! Buy the singles and albums if you like what you hear!

Until next time: Lovers Unite!!

Avenue Podcast Retro Party Mix 2007

Mon, 24 Dec 2007 05:01:00 GMT

What can I say? Sometimes I get these songs stuck in my head.

My birthday was back in October, and around that time I started making a mix of songs that would be just for me... which explains why the file is still called "Birthday Mix"!

I thought it would be fun to slap together a bunch of dance music that *I* like... stuff that I hadn't heard in years, as well as a few more recent songs....

This nonsense is the result of that.

It is only about half an hour long, but I enjoy it, and I hope you do to! It does have explicit content, so keep it away from the kiddines!

If anyone actually plays it at a party, I would be amused to hear about it!

Cheers!!

Sundown - The Overlords
Headhunter (Birdienumnums mix) - Front 242
What Time is Love (Echo and the Bunnymen Mix) - KLF
Dominator - Human Resource
Proper Education - Eric Prydz Vs. Pink Floyd
People Are Still Having Sex - La Tour
Dirty Mary - Lady Bouncer
I'm Gonna Get You - Angie Brown and Bizarre Inc.
Push The Feeling On (Dub of Doom edit) - Nightcrawlers
California Dreaming (2004) - Royal Gigolos And Benny Benassi
Satisfaction - Benny Benassi
I'm Gonna Catch Your Hearts and Minds (Birdienumnums Mash-up) - Nitzer Ebb VS Lonnie Gordon

Did I mention it was eclectic?

As always, Lovers: Unite!

Enjoy and have a happy holiday!! Remember to support the artists you like. Buy music and support the musician.

Friday Night Videos: Birdie "Let Her Go"

Fri, 21 Dec 2007 05:01:00 GMT

I don't know about you, but the first time I heard Birdie I just about melted.

I remember someone sharing an MP3 of "Dusty Morning" and I was blown away by the awesome sound of that bass and that mellotron.

When I bought the album and the singles, I was pretty excited to find the video for "Folk Singer" was included on the CD single of "Let Her Go"... but where was the video for "Let Her Go"???

I had been in touch with Martin Kelly and he said they had made a video and were considering putting it up on the bands (now defunct) website... but that never materialized.

I looked for this for ages and I finally found a nice clean version that I could pop into my iPod.

So here it is for you to enjoy. The very difficult to find, rare and delightful video for Birdie's "Let Her Go".

Let Her Go - Birdie

Remember: support the artists you like! Birdie has three albums.

Their first album, "Some Dusty", is an absolute gem and should be in any music lover's collection. It is available in various formats and editions. The version released in the United States contains one of those tracks (B-Side from "Let Her Go", called "Thanks for the Birthday Card") and the video for "Folk Singer"
I recommend trying to get the edition that was released in Spain on Siesta records, as it contains two bonus tracks, The aforementioned "Thanks for the Birthday Card" and an exclusive track called "She Can't Lose".
If you can't find the CD anywhere, at least the MP3s are available for under $7 from Amazon.com!
Their second album, "Triple Echo", has some moments that are quite good, but overall, the album is not as strong as their first album. It is worth tracking down, but I have found it harder to locate than "Some Dusty". Unfortunately their third and final offering, "Reverb Deluxe", was simply a collection of rareties, oddities, and throw away bits and bobs. Worth owning for collectors only, really. Needless to say, it is easily available , LOL!

Until next time: Lovers: Unite!!

Monday Mixes: Mash-Up Featuring Nitzer Ebb and Lonnie Gordon

Mon, 17 Dec 2007 17:11:00 GMT

I know!! It's been awhile!! How've you been?

Here we are with another strange Mix.

I hope you get a kick out of it.

This mix features
Nitzer Ebb's "Hearts and Minds"
and
Lonnie Gordon's "I'm Gonna Catch You".

No big long blog entry about it this time. Just a mix I've had in my head for a few years and I finally got around to doing it up properly. I hope you enjoy it.

I promise. The next couple of weeks will be busy with new podcasts, so check back often! :)

Until next time Lovers: Unite!

The Doors - Who Scared You? A great band worth another listen...

Sat, 6 Oct 2007 07:27:00 GMT

"Strange Days have found us..."

The Doors were one of those bands that defined an era. Their first album, titled simply The Doors was released in the summer of love, 1967; the same year that brought us Jefferson Airplane's Surrealistic Pillow, and The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.
What happened in the years to follow leads me to believe that a lot of the band's music got lost in the hype.
The Doors went on to become famous for mind-blowing music but I believe it came more from lead singer Jim Morrison's outrageous antics both on and off stage. In fact, it was his on-stage behaviour that got him arrested and saw the band leave the United States, unable to perform there. Creating a rush of publicity from the youth of the day, who were, for the most part, anti-establishment. How much more anti-establishment could you be than to be banned from performing in your home country, and threatened with arrest if you step foot on your native soil?

Besides being the lead singer of the Doors, Jim Morrison also fancied himself a poet, writing many pieces under his full name James Douglas Morrison. Whether his poems have any artistic value is up to the reader to decide, but they certainly did lend themselves to his persona and mystique.

Whatever you think of them, the Doors led a brief, colourful existence as one of America's top artists in the late sixties, producing albums for only 5 brief years. Their story was intertwined with that of their outspoken, hard drinking, excessive lead singer, Jim Morrison.

When Jim Morrison died in France in 1971, the band continued on without him for nearly two years, but eventually they must have come to the realization that the sum of the remaining parts did not equal the whole without their charismatic front man.

The band's final studio album, 1972's Full Circle (recorded with no creative input from the deceased Jim Morrison), drifted off into obscurity, but the legend that was the Doors with Jim Morrison did not. They became ever more popular, eventually spawning a film by renowned director, Oliver Stone, and selling more CDs than they had ever sold LPs while the band was still around.

What people tend to forget in all of this is that they were a good band. Some of their music is exceptional. They may have become known as purveyors of psychedelic stoner rock... but they were first and foremost a blues band; and a damn good one when they played the blues.

I tried to create this podcast not only for people who already know the Doors, but for people who don't; people who might like to hear a sampling of what the fuss was all about. I purposefully avoided the classic Doors tracks like L.A. Woman, Riders On The Storm, Love Street, Hello, I Love You, People Are Strange, The Crystal Ship, and The End. I also avoided well known blues songs like Roadhouse Blues and The Wasp (Texas Radio and The Big Beat) (although they would have been perfect for this podcast). Finally, I also avoided freaky psychedelic offerings such as Not To Touch The Earth, Strange Days, Horse Latitudes, and When The Music's Over.

So what's left, you might well ask. Well, for starters, there are a couple of hits here, including Break On Through, Light My Fire, Touch Me, and Love Her Madly. There are also some great album tracks like Twentieth Century Fox and My Eyes Have Seen You; but mostly I tried to find the often overlooked Doors songs. Including ones that I remember being surprised by when I first heard them. There are also some rare tracks, B-Sides and some excellent blues, something the Doors did really well, but not often enough.

I hope I've managed to show a different side of the doors using a blend of well known songs, little known songs, rare B-Sides and often unheard tracks from the band's two post-Jim Morrison albums.

Sit back, relax and enjoy. You might find this band is worth looking at a second time with music that is not only moving, but still vital and powerful today.

Light My Fire (Original 7" Edit)
Land Ho!
The Changeling
I'm Horny, I'm Stoned
Break On Through (To The Other Side)
Waiting For The Sun
Hyacinth House
Wild Child
Love Her Madly
I Looked At You
Touch Me
Twentieth Century Fox
Who Scared You
Been Down So Long
It Slipped My Mind
My Eyes Have Seen You
(You Need Meat) Don't Go No Further
The Mosquito

Track 1 currently unavailable in this form. The full length version is from the Doors' First album, The Doors. (1967).
Tracks 5, 10 and 12 from the Doors' first album, The Doors. (1967).
Track 16 from the Doors' second album, Strange Days (1967).
Tracks 8 and 11 from the fourth album, The Soft Parade (1969)
Tracks 2 and 6 from the fifth album, Morrison Hotel (1970)
Tracks 3, 7, 9 and 14 from the sixth album, L.A. Woman (1971)
Track 4 from the seventh album, (the first album post Jim Morrison) Other Voices (1971) features vocals by Robbie Krieger.
Tracks 15 from the eighth album, Full Circle (1972) features vocals by Ray Manzarek.
Tracks 18 from the eighth album, Full Circle (1972) features vocals by Robbie Krieger.
Track 13 originally released on the B-Side of Wishful Sinful (1969)
Track 17 originally released on the B-Side Love Her Madly (1971) features vocals by Ray Manzarek.

Although Other Voices (1971) and Full Circle (1972) feature tracks with vocals by drummer, John Densmore, none were included in the podcast. Sorry!

The only album not represented in this podcast is their third album, Waiting For The Sun (1968), which is one of my favourite Doors albums. Aside from Five To One, I didn't think any of the songs really fit into the theme and feel of the podcast, but it is certainly an excellent album in it's own right and you should check it out if you've never heard it. Funny enough, the song itself, Waiting For The Sun, is in the podcast, but it was released on Morrison Hotel (1970).

I hope you enjoy the podcast. Do yourself a favour and explore the Doors. Never mind the hype and everything that's been written about them: You'll be surprised by how good some of the music really is.

Until next time: Lovers Unite!

"Let's swim to the moon, let's climb through the tide,
penetrate the evening that the city sleeps to hide."

2FER-Tuesday: Not The Doors!!

Tue, 2 Oct 2007 04:01:00 GMT

"Come upstairs, sir, to your room and I shall play for you..."

Here is something I thought you might get a kick out of!

Usually 2FER-Tuesdays are two songs by the same band... today, instead, here are two songs by two different bands which both sound like the same band, of which neither of them is.

Confused? You won't be after you check out this week's 2FER-Tuesday, which absolutely, guaranteed, is NOT the Doors.

Woman in the Window - Steve Farrell's Satellite Party
Stairway to Heaven - The Australian Doors Show

Woman in the Window by Steve Farrell's Satellite Party sounds like nothing so much as it sounds like a recently put together song featuring music recorded long ago by the Doors. The choppy way the vocals sound cut-and-pasted adds to this feeling of a new track having been made with an old one. It reminds me of some of the recent remixes of artists like Shirley Bassey and Elvis Presley.

I was convinced that's what this was when I first head the Ray Manzarek-like keyboards which appear in the middle of the song. It was only later that I learned this was all done for effect and that it is, indeed, a new song which has nothing whatsoever to do with the doors (aside from trying successfully to sound like a modern remix of a lost song by them!). It is available on their album Ultra Payloaded.

Stairway to Heaven by The Australia Doors Show is a much more straightforward fake Doors song. From the opening warble to the primal scream that accompanies the crashing keyboards as the song begins... I'm certain that someone somewhere was channelling Jim Morrison's spirit when they recorded this!

The song is from a strange 1993 soundtrack called (appropriately enough) Stairways to Heaven, which features music from an Australian mini-series of the same name. The dozen or so bands on the album all perform their own take on the classic Led Zeppelin song and the versions range from Jazz to Reggae to Broadway musical theatre. Aside from the fake Doors version of the song, there are also bands which perform it in the style of The B-52s and the early Beatles. Even Rolf Harris and John Paul Jones show up to perform the track as though it were their signature tune. It is still available from Amazon... it's an odd album, but worth a listen!

Until next time: Lovers Unite!

"Just try and stop us, we're going to love..!"

Avenue Aussie Mix 2007

Sun, 23 Sep 2007 04:01:00 GMT

Here is the big Aussie podcast I've been working on for a month. It's as finished as it's ever going to get.

I've added songs, removed them, put them back, rearranged the playing order... There is just so much that I want to include and there is no way to possibly do it!!!

In the end I opted to stick with indie bands and steer clear of more well known stuff that you may have already heard. This means that I yanked out the INXS, Met At Work, and Midnight Oil and stuck in stuff like the Lucksmiths, Hummingbirds, and the Zebras.

For those of you out there who are indie kids, I have also added a couple of special treats: a new song from Even As We Speak, and a relatively unknown gem by the Sugargliders. Also, quite a few of the songs are either long out of print, or only available on vinyl, which makes for a special treat for those of us who no longer own turntables!

I hope you enjoy the mix!!

Girl From Hinterland - Tender Engines
Smokers In Love - The Lucksmiths
Mystical Girl - The Summer Suns
Shaky Ground - Sneeze
Undecided - Autohaze
Don't Go Now - Ratcat
Alimony - The Hummingbirds
Pinball Summer - Sekiden
Lever - The Mavis's
Hell Bent Suicidal Over You Baby - The Rainyard
I'm Dreaming - The Pearly Gatecrashers
Union Station - Simpatico
You Look Ready - The Zebras
Leave The Ground - Jupiter
Give Me Some Confidence - The Sugargliders
Postcard From Paradise - Dead Famous People
Let It Shine - Even As We Speak
A Faraway Place - The Guild League

I did my best to find a useful link for each of the bands, but it wasn't always possible since many of the bands are pretty obscure, having only recorded a couple of 7" singles back in the day!

The Lucksmiths, The Zebras, The Guild League, and Even As We Speak are still around, though! You can get their music from the links associated with them in this sentence. Remember to support the artists you like and buy the albums... as for the other bands... if you want to get your hands on any of these recordings, by all means check out eBay or Music Stack!

I also recommend buying the CD Just A Taste (A Summershine Compilation) from Slumberland Records, which is available from Amazon (believe it or not). It is a fantastic CD and includes a few tracks that are featured here.

You might also be interested in Tomorrow's Hits Today, but I was less keen on it than the Just A Taste compilation.

As Always, I hope you enjoy the podcast! Until Next Time Lovers: Unite!

Monday Mixes: Mash-Up featuring Anne Dudley, Jaz Coleman, Renegade Soundwave, and Depeche Mode

Mon, 17 Sep 2007 03:41:00 GMT

Monday Mixes: a new irregular Avenue Podcast feature. Monday Mixes will feature songs that I have remixed myself. This first one is a doozy; and it has a LONG history.

Minarets and Memories (Birdiennumnums' Strangelove Mash-up) - Anne Dudley and Jaz Coleman

This mix has been hanging around since the early 1990s, when the two main songs were still fairly new. Considering it's barely three and a half minutes long, you'd be surprised how many hours went into perfecting it.

I used to work at a major record store in my hometown, and I was in charge of ordering and tracking new releases from overseas, specifically alternative music. As was the case then (and still is now, to some degree) independent and alternative music is often only released on vinyl initially, so our department was the only one that still stocked vinyl. This gave me the opportunity to not only play any vinyl I wanted throughout the day (ostensibly as a means of promoting it's sales, of course) but to practise my mixing skills on the turntables.

When you are standing in front of a set of turntables for 8 hours a day, you often come up with strange ideas about what would sound good together. This mix, to me, is like chocolate and peanut butter: it sounds ridiculous until you try it.

Initially the mix consisted only of two songs: "Minarets and Memories" by Anne Dudley and Jaz Coleman (from their spectacular album Tales From The Victorious City) overlaid with "Thunder II", the then latest single from Renegade Soundwave.

In case you don't know what the original tracks sound like, "Minarets and Memories" sounds a bit like traditional Egyptian folk music, with very little percussion and bass. "Thunder II", on the other hand, is a house/trance track that is very heavy on the bass and percussion, and not much else.

This mix was one that I would often spin together while working, not just because it was strange sounding enough to get people's attention as they were shopping in other departments, but because I really liked it. While mixing one day, I recorded it onto a cassette, and it was that cassette which I recently found, prompting me to create this mix.

About a year ago I asked someone to help me get my hands on a copy of the Renegade Soundwave track (I have the original CD single back home in Montreal, bought back in '92 specifically because of this mix), but I had no way of getting my hands on it. Finding the Anne Dudley and Jaz Coleman album was no problem, as I have that here with me in Taiwan.

Once I was able to get my hands on the Renegade Soundwave track again, I was all set. As I was mixing them together, though, I thought it might be fun to add some kind of vocal track into the mix. The software I have now allows me to do that, whereas the original two turntables didn't. That's where Depeche Mode comes in.

I used a few choice pieces of their song "Strangelove" since it happens to be in the same key as "Minarets and Memories".

While I was at it, I added a few verses of "Just Say Yes" by the Cure for the same reason, as well as a small sampling of The Smiths' "Girlfriend In A Coma". It was fun; but WAY too busy.

I got rid of most of the bits by the Cure, but I kept the sample from The Smiths. The Depeche Mode vocals have been modified somewhat and mixed differently, giving the song a more even flow, and I think it works really well now; but you can be the judge of that.

Aside from the vocal bits, this is essentially the same mix from all those years ago. I had a ball making this mash-up! I hope you enjoy it.

Until next time... Lovers: Unite!

2FER-Tuesday: Autohaze

Wed, 12 Sep 2007 04:53:00 GMT

OK... so last week I was a day early with the 2FER-Tuesday, and this week I'm a day late... at least it isn't Friday yet!

Last week's 2FER was a band I discovered while I was in Australia... this week, in keeping with the theme of my recent trip to Australia... here is an indie band that is actually from down under, featuring four guys who like their guitars loud and full of fuzz.

Shortwave Radio
Hanging Around

I first heard about Autohaze from a compilation CD released on Slumberland Records in the US called Just a Taste (A Summershine Records compilation). This CD shows up on eBay from time to time (there's one there as I write this) and it is REALLY worth it! In fact, a handful of songs from this CD will be appearing in next week's big Aussie Podcast!

These guys hail from Melbourne and released songs on both the legendary Summershine Records in their native Australia, as well as for Creation Records in the UK!

A vague collection of hits is available and goes under two different names, Stumblebum (in Australia) and Weight Of The Sky (in the US). The track listing is the same for both. If you like what you hear and you are looking to buy some music by Autohaze, your best bet would be Amazon or eBay. None of their CDs are currently in print, but for the most part they are pretty easily obtainable.

Enjoy!

...until next time: Lovers UNITE!

2FER-Tuesday: The Indelicates

Tue, 4 Sep 2007 04:01:00 GMT

Here is a little something I discovered while on vacation in Australia... much thanks to Tommy D! (you can expect more Australian discoveries in upcoming podcasts!)

This is a new band from England, and these two songs have been on heavy rotation in my iPod for a couple of weeks now.

In keeping with my C86 trend, the band features both a male and a female vocalists (The female singer is rumoured to have been the original lead singer of the Pipettes)... but that's where any semblance of C86 ends.

These guys are definitely not twee. They rock out. In fact, they remind me of The Boomtown Rats a little... but don't let that put you off!

Warning: both tracks contain explicit language.

We Hate The Kids
Julia, We Don't Live in the 60s

Both tracks in this 2FER are from vinyl, although it appears that the second track, Julia, We Don't Live in the 60s, has been issued on CD on an EP of the same name. Also available is the band's second single, The Last Significant Statement in Rock and Roll, which is equally as good... but this is a 2FER, not a threesome, so choices had to made!

At the time of this writing, their debut single, We Hate The Kids is still available exclusively on 7" vinyl (the A-side is slated to appear on their upcoming full length, due in early 2008). The Last Significant Statement in Rock and Roll EP is also still available and both can be picked up directly from the record company, Sad Gnome Records for a very decent price.

Julia, We Don't Live in the 60s 3-track EP is available on CD from AMAZON or from Recordstore.co.uk. Amazon also carries the 7" version.

Check out the band on MySpace

Simon Indelicate : Lead Guitar/Vocals
Julia Indelicate : Piano/Vocals
Alastair Clayton : Guitars
Kate Newberry : Bass
Ed van Beinum : Drums

C86 Revisited (Part 3): The Field Mice (You're Kidding, Aren't You?)

Thu, 16 Aug 2007 04:00:00 GMT

Nope. I'm not kidding. These guys are quite possibly one of my favourite indie bands of all-time... and I just can't explain it! They're quirky and their music is all over the place stylistically... but I love them.

Are they C86? Well... in so far as they were a definite D.I.Y. band and they were part of the famous Sarah Records label, I would have to say yes. They are certainly one of the grandfathers of the indie scene, in my opinion. Their music has been covered by numerous artists including label mates Aberdeen (Emma's House) and Saint Etienne (Kiss and Make Up).

Members of the band are still alive and kicking and producing some wonderful music (though none of it is as endearing to me as my beloved Field Mice!): Harper Lee, Brighter, Picture Centre, Northern Picture Library, Occasional Keepers, Trembling Blue Stars... each of these bands stems directly from a member (or two!) of the Field Mice. Despite the fact that you've quite possibly never heard of them, the Field Mice were one of the most influential indie bands of the late 80s and early 90s.

Their music still sounds as fresh today as it did then. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

You're Kidding Aren't You
Coach Station Reunion
If You Need Someone
Everything About You
I Can See Myself Alone Forever
This Love Is Not Wrong
Sensitive
The World To Me
When Morning Comes To Town
I Thought Wrong
Canada
Missing The Moon
Five Moments
Emma's House
September's Not So Far Away
End Of The Affair
Between Hello And Goodbye
A Winter's Dawn

This podcast features songs that have recently been re-issued on the fantastic label LTM. Do yourself a favour and go check them out. Scroll down on their page to find the link to their full discography.

At the time of this writing, all the Field Mice's output is available in beautifully remastered packages that include bonus tracks previously unavailable on CD, songs that have been out of print for nearly 20 years, and a few previously unreleased gems (including the track that graces the number 10 position in this week's podcast, I Thought Wrong)

The link directly to the Field Mice CDs is here and, as you can see, the albums are really beautifully packaged. At Â10 each (shipping included) they are a real bargain, especially the Skywriting album, which has been expanded to 2 CDs and is still selling for the same low price of only ten pounds!

Track 14 from the Emma's House 7" (also appears as a bonus track on LTM's Snowball CD reissue)

Tracks 7 and 9 are from the Sensitive 7" (Reissued on Snowball as bonus tracks)

Tracks 3 and 8 are from The Autumn Store (Part 1) 7" EP (Reissued on Skywriting as bonus tracks)

Tracks 15 and 17 from the September's Not So Far Away 7" (Reissued on For Keeps as bonus tracks)

Track 12 from the Missing The Moon 10" EP (Reissued on For Keeps as a bonus track)

Track 5 originally released as a one-off single for Bob Stanley's CAFF records (Reissued on Snowball a bonus track)

Tracks 1, 4, 6, and 16 are from the Snowball 10"

Track 11 from the Skywriting 12"

Tracks 2, 13 from For Keeps 12".

Track 10 issued for the first time ever on the Skywriting reissue as a bonus track.

Track 18 of this podcast is a very rare track called A Winter's Dawn. It was recorded just after the official announcement that the Field Mice were no more, and features only Bobby and Annemarie. It was released on a compilation under the name The Yesterday Sky. Since Bobby and Annemarie were such an important part of the Field Mice, I felt this rarely heard track was a fitting closing to the podcast... until I decided it might be fun to use a snippet from the crazy experimental track (Humblebee) that closes the original Skywriting LP to close the entire thing, using the mantra that graced several Field Mice t-shirt designs back in the day:

Love - Sex - Chocolate

Until next time... Lovers: Unite!
Do let me know if you enjoy this week's podcast, and remember to support the artists and buy the re-issues! You won't be disappointed!

C86 Revisited (Part 2): The Corn Dollies

Fri, 3 Aug 2007 04:01:00 GMT

This British band should have been a lot more successful than they were. The music is good jangly pop-rock that is reminiscent of early R.E.M. The main problem they had was simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time: they were the unfortunate victims of poor distribution, and of their record company closing it's doors.

Their most well known single, Forever Steven is, in my opinion, a classic, as are the other singles Map Of The World, Be Small Again and the B-side In Bethpage.

They provided a cover of Chic's Le Freak for a benefit compilation, released a full length album called Wrecked, produced a fistful of singles and issued one self-titled compilation album (released only in France, collecting all the A-sides and a few of the Bs) before calling it quits. Their last official release was the album, Wrecked, in 1990. Nothing they recorded is currently in print, and what was released is hard to find these days. Good luck hunting it down... it's worth it!

Map Of The World
Big Cane Call
Nothing Of You
Mary Hopkin Song
Gathered Up
People Gone
Be Small Again
Forever Steven
Jingo
The Big House
About To Believe
Sweetheart Rose Special
Shake
In Bethpage

I hope you enjoy!

Until next time... Lovers: Unite!

Friday Night Videos: Heavenly! (Sarah Records - C86)

Fri, 27 Jul 2007 04:01:00 GMT

Well now... here is a rarity and a special treat for all you indie kids out there.

This is a seldom seen music video by Heavenly of Sarah Records fame.

Enjoy!

Our Love Is Heavenly - Heavenly

Until next time.... Lovers: Unite!

2FER-Tuesday: Hearts of Black Science (Club AC30)

Mon, 25 Jun 2007 16:50:00 GMT

Remember awhile ago when I mentioned this was an awesome new band? I said then that I should do a 2FER Tuesday of them and here it is.

These guys are one of the coolest bands that I have heard in ages, and I stumbled upon them completely by accident. Yet again the latest thing I am listening to is Swedish... hmmm.... maybe it is a very subtle ploy to take over the world?

Here are two of my favourite album tracks, either of which should be the next single!!

Walking With the Sun
Miles

The two singles off the album (so far!) are "Driverlights" and "Empty City Lights". Both are available on CD single from their record company as well as from iTunes. Both are worth picking up, but for different reasons.

The first single, "Driverlights" contains the disappointingly tepid, minimalist-sounding "Volt Remix" of the title track, but it pretty much makes up for this with the excellent non-album track "Cold Comfort".

I'll be honest with you when I say it was the second single that blew my mind.

Track 3 of the second CD single is "Empty City Lights (They Made Me Do It Remix)". It is a total stomper, guaranteed to get your bootie all over the dance floor... if you know any clubs that play retro-sounding new-wave or dreamy shoegaze! ;)

As for the album itself, The Ghost You Left Behind is a fantastic debut album and a full 9 of the 11 songs have been in heavy rotation on my headphones for nearly two weeks (the other 2 songs being quite good as well, but too mellow for my tastes).

Check out their myspace page if you want to hear more, then go over to their label's homepage and order the album!!

The band's MySpace page can be found here.As of this writing, you can check it out to hear both singles as well as "Cold Comfort" and the album's title track.

Their record company, AC30, can be found here and the page for mail order is here. The cost of the CD is Â12, worldwide postage included. The singles are Â3.50 and Â4.00 and also include worldwide postage. Payment can be made via PayPal.

While you're surfing around on the AC30 page, check out the GI-NORMOUS scans of the band's album covers that are available for download: they're very goth and very cool.

If you like what you hear, I'm really glad!! Remember to PLEASE buy this album if you like it (and pick up the singles too, while you're at it!). Buying the CD injects cash into the indie community and puts food on the artist's table. Showing support with your cash will go a long way towards future releases by this, and other deserving artists!

As always: Lovers: Unite!

C86 Revisited (Part 1): Red Sleeping Beauty

Fri, 8 Jun 2007 04:01:00 GMT

Welcome back again to yet another Avenue Podcast!

This is the first in what I hope will be several podcasts to feature C86. This time I am presenting a nice mix of music from Red Sleeping Beauty. You will either like it or you'll hate it... but give it a spin. You never know!

Red Sleeping WHO?? C86-what-now?

Red Sleeping Beauty were a little known indie pop act from Sweden. They were around at the end of the 80s and the start of the 90s. They released a handful of singles, one full length album (Soundtrack) and a mini-album (the now incredibly hard to find Bedroom).

What is/was C86?

Originally, C86 was the name of a cassette that was distributed by British music magazine NME back in 1986 (go figure: Cassette '86... get it?). Although the C86 moniker comes from the NME cassette, the style of music now known as C86 is very different from the music that was on the tape.

The C86 cassette featured a punkier, rougher sound than most of the music that would eventually become known as C86. The commonality lies with the ethics and fierce determination to do things their own way. Most of the bands created their own artwork, self-promoted their music, sold the records without the help of distributors, and wrote fanzines.

The label C86 eventually became synonymous with D.I.Y. pop music, especially in England. C86 has since come to mean fey melodies, sing-along choruses and jangly Byrds-like guitars. Many of the bands that are considered today to be C86 were not featured on the cassette and in fact, many of the most famous bands whose music is considered "C86" did not even emerge until later.

Although the name "C86" sounds like it belongs to a style of music from a specific period of time, it can safely be said that there are still bands out there creating music that can easily be described as C86. Bands such as the Apple Orchard , Club 8, and many of the artists from Sweden's wonderful Labrador Records can easily be classified as the new heroes of C86. MatinÃe Recordings also prides themselves on keeping C86 alive!

Why am I telling you all of this? Because I *LIKE* C86. Like most styles of music, some of it can be pretty dreadful, but a most C86 has heart, and that goes a long way towards its charm.

Red Sleeping Beauty is a good example of this. Their melodies are simple, and catchy. The production value is certainly lo-fi, back from when having a lo-fi sound was a matter of cost efficiency, not fashion! They feature the fundamental C86 prerequisite: boy and girl singers alternating between lead vocals. ..and despite the fact that neither the boy nor the girl is a great singer, in fact they are often a little flat, they sing with joyful abandon about things like being shy, difficult times, lost loves and dreams forgotten.

I hope that this will will be the first of many podcasts to feature a seminal act that came to be known as C86. I have been really enjoying putting this podcast together and I really hope you enjoy it, too. Put it on in the background and let it play a couple of times. You'll find yourself humming along and tapping your feet. I promise.

For Once
Try
Nervous
Florida (Birdienumnums edit)
The Young Pretenders
Her Favourite ClichÃ
You're The Kind
Your Opinion
Selfish
Casino Classic
Don't Say You Love Me
Sick And Tired
How Do You Kill Your Food?
Pop Song
Soul Provider
Rules

Tracks 3, 5, 8, 10, 13, and 15 from album Soundtrack
Tracks 1, 7, 9 and 14 from mini-album Bedroom
Track 6 from the Various Artists 7" Europop, (also on Singles)
Track 2 from the Seasons Change 7" single (also on Singles)
Track 11 from the Smile EP (also on Singles)
Track 12 from the Wealth Of Imagination 7" (also on Singles)
Track 16 from the Top of The Pops 7" (also on Singles)
Track 4 originally released as a bonus track on the Japanese version of Bedroom (re-issued on the EP Single). The version presented here is edited and remixed to make it shorter and to allow it flow better within the context of the mix.

Recently, the Soundtrack album was re-issued by Siesta records, and can still be purchased from the Siesta website as of this writing. Siesta also released a fantastic collection, simply titled Singles, which collected almost all of the band's singles and EPs, as well as a few hard-to-find tracks from compilations. A further EP (called simply Single) was released containing the 5 tracks that didn't fit on the Singles CD, but unfortunately only the Soundtrack album is still in-print.

To be honest with you, it is the Bedroom mini-album that really hooked me. The album was originally released by Marsh-Marigold records from Germany. The original German issue contained only 8 songs, but these were augmented by a few bonus tracks when the CD was released in Japan (these being the tracks featured on Siesta's Single EP)

Although most of it is out of print now, do yourself a favour and buy the Soundtrack album... or keep your eyes open on eBay for a copy of Bedroom! Remember to support the artists you like!

Until next time: Lovers Unite!!

...and happy birthday Laurie! I hope you enjoy this mix! xoxox

Partridge Family Mega Mix: I Think I Love You!

Sat, 19 May 2007 04:01:00 GMT

Well... here we are with another Avenue Podcast and this time it is a real blast from the past!!!!

I also have an aunt who is only a few years older than me who was into the popular stuff of the day. As she grew up, I inherited most of her LPs... so I got to know a lot of cool tunes that way as well.

One batch of LPs that I inherited were her Partridge Family albums. I think it was the harmonies and the rhythms that made me like it right off the bat. My favourite song was always "I Can Hear Your Heartbeat", but there were so many others that I guess I have always considered myself a fan.

The music on the albums was, for the most part, featured on the weekly television series starring David Cassady, Shirley Jones and Susan Dey. Of all the stars of the show, only David Cassady and Shirley Jones provided any talent to the albums. There was a Christmas album released that featured the vocal talents of the entire cast, but with the exception of a few track son the first album. David sang all of the lead vocals but Shirley's contributions were usually only the occasional backing vocal.

The songs were promoted by the TV show, the TV show was promoted by the songs... the albums were released at a staggering pace, too: 1971 saw three albums of new material! ...all in all it was a stroke of marketing genius! The music was always packaged the same way as well (why fix something that ain't broke?).

Every album always featured six songs on side one, and five songs on side two. It was a formula that seemed to work well. Another standard was the way they actually named the albums... I guess they decided to poke fun at it early on since nearly all of the albums were named after different product: Notebook, Bulletin Board, Sound Magazine, Crossword Puzzle, Christmas Card, Shopping Bag... even the original greatest hits package, though only labled as "Greatest Hits" was affectionately called "Lunchbox" and featured a drawing of the TV family on the side of a lunchbox.

The only exception seems to be the album Up to Date, which featured a calendar-like cover (and was the inspiration for this podcast's graphic).

All of the albums were produced by Wes Farrell, who also wrote many of the songs. Other writers included Tony Romeo, Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, Phil Spector, Gerry Goffin and Carole King.

What tends to get lost on all of this manufactured, marketed-to-death nonsense is the music. Those harmonies! Those strings! That harpsichord!!! These songs somehow managed to capture the feeling of sunshine in the spring, and squeeze it into a three minute pop song.

Do you enjoy pop rock? Are you a fan of Bacharach? Aluminum Group? How about Birdie??

Forget about the TV show: it wasn't often very funny or sophisticated. It was comedy-by-numbers at best. Forget about the David Cassidy or Susan Dey posters on your wall. Listen to the music!

I have tried to include all my favourites, but needless to say they didn't all fit! I included the theme song, and I included a couple of lesser known tracks as well as the hits.

To get the ball rolling I started with one of the "lost gems" from the only album that has not been reissued on CD: Bulletin Board. Out of print since the early 70s, it is by far my favourite of all their albums. It is one of the only albums that I can listen to from beginning to end without any urge to skip songs. It was the last Partridge Family album to feature all new material and showcased a funky sound that was an indication of a new direction for their music. I often wonder what the next album would have sounded like...

Without further ado.... The Partridge Family mega-mix!

That's The Way It Is With You
I Can Feel Your Heartbeat
It's One Of Those Nights (Yes Love)
Point Me In The Direction Of Albequerque
I Think I Love You
I Got Your Love All Over Me
Echo Valley 2-6809
Roller Coaster
Doesn't Somebody Want To be Wanted
Rainmaker
I'll Meet You Halfway
Brown Eyes
Morning Rider On The Road
You Are Always On My Mind
I Would Have Loved You Anyway
Twenty-Four Hours A Day
Breaking Up Is Hard To Do
We Gotta Get Out Of This Place
She'd Rather Have The Rain
I Heard You Singing Your Song
I'm On My Way Back Home
I Woke Up In Love This Morning
Come On Get Happy (Theme From "The Partridge Family")

#2, 4, 5, from The Partridge Family Album (1970)
#9, 11, 13, 14, and 19 from Up to Date with the Partridge Family (1971)
#7, 10, 12, 15, 16, 21, 22 from The Partridge Family Sound Magazine (1971)
#3 from The Partridge Family Shopping Bag (1972)
#17 from The Partridge Family At Home With Their Greatest Hits (1972)
#18 from The Partridge Family Notebook (1972)
#6 from The Partridge Family Crossword Puzzle (1973)
#1, 8, 20 from The Partridge Family Bulletin Board (1973)
#23 from The Partridge Family's Greatest Hits (AKA "Lunchbox") (1974)

Looking for a place to start? You can't go wrong with The Partridge Family Sound Magazine. Seven of the eleven songs from that album managed to sneak their way into this podcast.
If you own a turntable, I strongly suggest you hunt down a copy of Bulletin Board, which occasionaly shows up on eBay for fairly decent prices.
If you want a nice, crisp sounding CD that showcases many of the songs featured here, then I really recommend the recent CD Come On Get Happy! The Very Best Of The Partridge Family (Remastered 2005) which also includes 3 previously unreleased songs (there are actually still about 20 or so unreleased songs in the vaults!).

Trivia for you that will make classic rock fans weep.... When the Partridge Family's debut single, "I Think I Love You", entered the charts in December of 1970 it knocked The Beatles' "Let It Be" out of the coveted number 1 spot!

Until next time: Lovers Unite!!
[note: This podcast has been revised to correct a sound error in the original file. - June 26, 2007]

Friday Night Videos: The Partridge Family

Fri, 18 May 2007 04:01:00 GMT

How's this for a surprise?

I apologize in advance for the quality of the sound and the video, but I thought it was fun and worth sharing.

This blast from the past is taken from the Partridge Family's 1971 album Up To Date. For those of you who weren't around, this is a great chance to hear some nice harmonies and some cool hooks! So what if they were pre-fab and manufactured? The show's star David Cassidy provided the actual lead vocals on nearly all the songs, and co-star Shirley Jones provided back-up vocals. Even if the rest of the family just pretended to play (notice how Susan Dey really looks like she knows what she's doing on the "keyboard"??) they sound pretty good, even today!

This weeked, watch this space for a nice Partridge Family primer!

You Are Always On My Mind - The Partridge Family

Lovers: Unite!

Friday Night Videos (Special Wednesday Edition): Buddy Holly!

Wed, 16 May 2007 04:01:00 GMT

Here is a special video just for mom.

Happy Birthday Mom! I hope you enjoy this! xox

Oh Boy (Live on the Ed Sullivan Show) - Buddy Holly

Tune in Friday for a regular edition of Friday Night Videos and Tune in Saturday for the latest full length non-stop Podcast!

Lovers: Unite!

Friday Night Videos: The Incredible Moses Leroy

Fri, 4 May 2007 04:01:00 GMT

Here is a special one for you!

This is a hard to find video and loads of fun. The song is one of my favourites of the new millenium and the video makes me smile, too.

This track is taken from his 2001 album, Electric Pocket Radio.

I hope you enjoy it!

Fuzzy - The Incredible Moses Leroy

...dedicated to Sophie! You know you love it...

Lovers: Unite!

R.E.M. Non-Stop Podcast VOL 3! (The WARNER Years - 1997 to 2007)

Sun, 29 Apr 2007 04:01:00 GMT

Here we are with the final installment of the Avenue Podcast R.E.M. megamix trilogy!

This presentation features music from R.E.M. that was released after their drummer, Bill Berry, retired from the band.

In 1995, Bill suffered a brain aneurysm. Luckily it didn't kill him, but I guess it must have caused him to reevaluate his life and change his priorities. In 1997 he decided to leave the band, saying he wanted changes and wanted to pursue other interests while he was still young enough to enjoy them. Acquiescing to Berry's wishes, and relieving him from the guilt of triggering a breakup, R.E.M. announced that it would continue as a three-piece outfit.

He is still on very good terms with the remaining members of the band, and has reunited with them on several occasions, the most recent of which is to record the John Lennon song "#9 Dream" which will be featured on an upcoming benefit compilation aimed at helping to stop the atrocities in Darfur.

Since 1998, R.E.M. have only released three albums and a handful of singles, making this, by far, their least prolific period. Those three albums have been met by mixed reviews by fans and critics. The band seems to have changed direction yet again. They are still drawing on the sound of their roots, but they have added a more poop sensibility to a lot of their songs, going so far as to include synthesized rhythms and remixes to their albums.

In fact, R.E.M. released a free album of remixes available on their website for direct download here and featuring music from the album Reveal.

I will admit to having been underwhelmed by the albums when they were first released, but in the course of making this podcast I have come to realize that, not only are the albums really, really good, some of the songs on them have become a few of my favourite R.E.M. songs of all time.

Without further ado, here are my selections from this period of R.E.M.'s career. Enjoy!

Diminished
I'll Take The Rain
She Just Wants To Be
Electron Blue
At My Most Beautiful
Bad Day
Lotus
The Lifting
All The Way To Reno
Final Straw (Moveon Mix)
Daysleeper
#9 Dream
I Wanted To Be Wrong
I've Been High
Walk Unafraid
Imitation Of Life
All The Right Friends

#1, 5, 7, 11, 15 from the album Up

#2, 3, 8, 9, 14, 16 from the album Reveal

#4, 10, 13 from the album Around The Sun

#6 and #17 from the compilation In Time: The Best of R.E.M.

#12 from the as yet unreleased benefit album "Instant Karma" (in-stores June 2007)

Looking for somewhere to start? Check out the album Reveal or Up for some of the great tracks that are presented here. The album Around The Sun is also a very strong album in its own right, but has less tracks that fit with the style of this podcast, including the hits "Leaving New York" and "Wanderlust". Needless to say, you can't go wrong with a compilation like In Time: The Best of R.E.M., especially if you can find the limited edition version which had a second CD that featured some awesome B-Sides and alternate takes (at nearly the same price as the single CD).

The Avenue Podcast is meant to be a way for people to hear some music they might not have heard or thought about listening to. It is a way of presenting some music from a new perspective. It is a way of taking artists you would never have thought you liked, and showing you why you should check them out. If you like what you hear, support the artists, even ones as huge as R.E.M.

Until next time: Lovers: Unite!

R.E.M. Non-Stop Podcast VOL 2! (The WARNER Years - 1988 to 1996)

Sun, 15 Apr 2007 04:01:00 GMT

So here is part 2 of the R.E.M. Mega-Megamix.

This podcast features music recorded for Warner Records (WEA) featuring all four original members of the band. This was when the band really gained superstar status. Each album was more eagerly anticipated than the last, and the band embarked on multiple sold-out world-tours during these years.

Probably their most well-known and best loved song comes from this period: Losing My Religion from the album Out of Time.

A lot of hits came out of these years... so rather than rehash them all, I have created a mix that includes some album tracks, a few b-sides, and a couple of rare tracks from compilations... and I got so carried away that I completely forgot to put any songs from the phenomenal album, "Automatic For The People" (1992) which featured 12 new songs, 7 of which were released as singles: "Drive", "The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonight", "Everybody Hurts", "Ignoreland", "Man On The Moon", "Nightswimming", and "Find The River".

It isn't that I didn't think any of these songs should be in the mix, it just happened that none of the songs fit the way I wanted them too, and in the end, nothing was included from this album ...and it was done without me having realized it until the mix was finished!

I think I could have made "Man on the Moon" and "Sidewinder Sleeps Tonight" fit with the style of the mix, but I didn't want to cut any of the songs I already had! Besides, the way see it, "Automatic For The People" is so good, you don't NEED any of the songs to be in this mix. Just buy the album!

This podcast is a little heavier than the previous one, but nevertheless a great overview of R.E.M.'s early years on Warner records!

Without any further ado, here is the tracklist:

Losing My Religion
I Walked With A Zombie
Fretless
Leave
Circus Envy
World Leader Pretend
Me In Honey
Pop Song 89
Star 69
Photograph (Featuring Nathalie Merchant)
Wall Of Death
Electrolite
Eleventh Untitled Song
Bang And Blame
Shiny Happy People
Orange Crush
So Fast, So Numb
What's The Frequency, Kenneth?
Turn You Inside-Out
How The West Was Won and Where It Got Us

Green (1988 - 6, 8, 13, 16, 19)
Out of Time (1991 - 1, 7, 15)
Automatic For The People (1992 - oops!)
Monster (1994 - 5, 9, 14, 18)
New-Adventures in High-Fi (1996 - 4, 12, 17, 20)

#2 - "I Walked With A Zombie" is from the Compilation "Where The Pyramid Meets The Eye - A Tribute To Ricky Erickson" (1991).

#3 - "Fretless" is originally from Original Motion Picture Soundtrack "Until the End Of The World" (1991).

#10 - "Photograph" is from the pro-choice benefit compilation "Born To Choose" (1993) and features Nathalie Merchant from 10,000 Maniacs in a duet with R.E.M. vocalist Michael Stipe.

#11 - "Wall Of Death" is originally from the Richard Thompson tribute album "Beat The Retreat" (1994).

I hope you enjoy this mix as much I do! Thanks for listening!

Do yourself a favor and pick up one or two of these albums. You won't regret it. This is what can best be described as R.E.M.'s most accessible period. If you are unsure where to start, I would recommend (in order) "Automatic For The People", "Green", "Out of Time" but I would avoid "Monster" as it tends to be a very monotonous album when the songs are not broken up with tracks from other albums. There is too much of a sameness to the way the songs were recorded, despite the fact that a lot of the songs are excellent on their own.

If you prefer, you can pick up the excellent compilation, "In Time - The Best of R.E.M." from Warner Records. It is available in two formats, a single CD with all the hits, or a double CD with a bonus disc of B-sides and rarities (for almost the same price). This CD features music from 1988 to 2003.

Come back in two weeks for the last part of the Avenue Podcast R.E.M. trilogy: featuring music released after R.E.M.'s drummer Bill Berry left the band and retired from music.

As always: Lover's: Unite!

R.E.M. Non-Stop Podcast VOL 1! (The IRS Years - 1982 to 1987)

Sun, 1 Apr 2007 04:01:00 GMT

Oh! This is a really long podcast... and it is only part one of three.

I have liked R.E.M. for years now, long before it became fashionable! This is a retrospective of their earlier material and spans their first five albums. There is at least one track from every album and ep released on their first record label, IRS.

Radio Free Europe
Harborcoat
Driver 8
Gardening At Night
Shaking Through
(Don't Go Back To) Rockville
Can't Get There From Here
Catapult
SO. Central Rain
Crazy
Underneath The Bunker
7 Chinese Brothers
Talk About The Passion
The One I Love
Begin The Begin
Exhuming McCarthy
Cuyahoga
Welcome To The Occupation
Fall On Me
I Believe
Finest Worksong (Mutual Drum and Horn Mix)
It's The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)

In early 1982, R.E.M. released their first ep, Chronic Town. This was followed by a new album every year beginning with Murmur (1983) and followed up with Reckoning (1984), Fables Of The Reconstruction (1985), Life's Rich Pageant (1986), and Document (1987).

1987 also saw the release of the compilation Dead Letter Office which featured outtakes and B-Sides. In 1987, in order to complete their contract with IRS Records, they released a compilation of hits, songs from various soundtracks, unreleased tracks, and outtakes called Eponymous.

That was the end of the "classic R.E.M." period as the following year (1988) saw the release of their first album on Warner Brothers, Green, which featured the worldwide hits "Stand" and "Shiny Happy People" (one of which will be featured on the second part of this mega-podcast!).

Presented here is a selection of early tracks from R.E.M. IRS albums. I hope you enjoy this podcast as much as I have been enjoying it! Do yourself a favour: pick up some of their early albums! You'd be surprised how fresh they still sound today!

If you don't know where to start, I recommend Life's Rich Pageant, Reckoning, or Murmur. There is also a CD called The Best Of REM which features only their early IRS recordings. To avoid confusion, I have linked to it on Amazon since there are a couple of different hits packages available, but this is the only one that features only the hits from the early years.

The tracks in this podcast are from the following sources:
Chronic Town (4)
Murmur (1, 5, 8, 13)
Reckoning (2, 6, 9, 12)
Fables Of The Reconstruction (3, 7)
Life's Rich Pageant (11, 15, 17, 19, 20)
Document (14, 16, 18, 22)
Dead Letter Office (10)
Eponymous (21)

Enjoy, and remember to support the artists you like!

Until Next Time: Lovers: Unite!

2FER-Tuesday: The Mary Onettes (Labrador Records)

Tue, 27 Mar 2007 04:01:00 GMT

Happy Tuesday music fans!

Here is a special 2-FER for you... these two tracks are taken from the "LOST" ep by Sweden's The Mary Onettes! I really like these tunes and I expect great things from this band once they get an album out!!
As of the time of this writing, The Mary Onettes have two eps available on Sweden's Labrador Records, and one track which appears on the Labrador Records boxset called Labrador 100 (highly recommended 4-CD set!).

Lost
R.U.N.

Remeber to support the artists you like: buy this if you like it (the rest of the tracks are just as good!).
Until Next time: Lovers Unite!

Friday Night Videos: R.E.M.

Fri, 23 Mar 2007 04:01:00 GMT

Here you are!

It's been awhile since we did this, so I think it's about time! Here is a little-seen video that ought to make you smile.

This is R.E.M.'s first appearance on U.S. national television circa 1983.

I think you'll agree the song itself is a classic, as is this performance... but the boys really need to stand still a little more!

You'll see what I mean...

Radio Free Europe (Live on Late Night with David Letterman)

The video is i-pod compatable (M4V format), but the quicktime plug-in (or equivalent) is necessary to view it on a PC. It should play in Windows Media Player, but if for any reason you have trouble viewing this file, I recommend the handy (and FREE!) VLC player, which will play most video files, and provides easy access to subtitles and alternate audio on MKV or OGG video files.

Enjoy!

Until next time: Lovers: Unite!

Chinese New Year 2007: Year of the Pig (Big Pig Megamix)

Wed, 7 Mar 2007 15:29:00 GMT

I don't know where I got the idea, but I just thought that since the name of the band is Big Pig, why not take the opportunity afforded by the Chinese New Year to share this wonderful band with some of you: it is, after all, year of the pig! Call me silly and sentimental, but I couldn't resist!

...hmmm... Maybe, since next year is year of the rat, I can do a Field Mice mix for Chinese New Year? HA! HA! (Actually... you might not have to wait that long... but I digress....)

I have always loved this band. They had a very unique sound, and they deserve to have been heard by more people. I am a huge fan of percussion and rhythm instruments in general. How could I not love a band that boasted three drummers? The seven member band was best known for their prominent use of vocals, keyboards and harmonicas. In fact, an astonishing FIVE members are credited with percussion and/or vocals. Founding member Nick Disbray provided many of the lead vocals, along with Sherine Abeyratne (if anyone can find anything else from her I would be eternally grateful!) From what I have heard of Nick Disbray's albums: they are definitely worth getting, and they couldn't be more different from Big Pig! For fans of Annie Lennox and Eurythmics, I guarantee you that some of the vocals will be an unexpected delight.

So where can you get your hands on music by Big Pig, anyway? Their first album, Bonk! is available from Amazon and the latest re-issue includes a couple of excellent bonus tracks. Their second (and final) effort, You Lucky People, is a lot harder to track down, although I have had success with Red Eye Records in Australia. It occasionally turns up on MusicStack and eBay too.

Being that I am a completist when it comes to bands and artists that I like, I have managed to track down almost all of their singles thanks to Tom in Australia! As far as I am aware, I am only missing the Justifier/Taste remix 12". If anyone wants to send me a copy I'd appreciate it! I'd also appreciate their video collection, if anyone has one going spare!

Now... onto the track list you've all been waiting for!

Charlie (Birdienumnums' Extended Mix)
Iron Lung
Legacy
Hungry Town (7'' Mix)
Book Of Dreams
Break Away
Taste
Boy Wonder (Baby Mix)

A Good time is guaranteed for all! Enjoy, and until next time... Remember to buy the music you listen to and support the artists you love!
Lovers: Unite!

Welcome to the Thunderdome (Part 2): Alternative Club Mix

Tue, 27 Feb 2007 05:01:00 GMT

Way back in November, 2006 I promised you the other side of the coin and here it is!

A night at the Thunderdome was always full of surprises. The music would often switch from Grunge to Punk to Goth to New Wave... but it was always hip and it was always stuff that you never heard on the radio anywhere in Montreal!

A classic night at the 'Dome was filled with Nitzer Ebb and The Smiths; Depeche Mode and KMFDM; Front 242 and The Cure; The Sisters of Mercy and Nine Inch Nails; Siouxie and The Banshees and Joy Division.

Of course there was also the odd top-40 track that would make it's way into rotation, but it was always something that was outside the norm... and I don't care what anyone says: Soft Cell is DEFINITELY outside the norm.

Last time I presented the heavier dance music stuff, music that generally goes by the classification "industrial" (That podcast is still available HERE). This time around I am presenting the music that was labeled "alternative".

Back in the 80s and early 90s, music was still easily classifiable into several distinct categories: Rock N Roll, Pop, Rap, Motown, Light Sounds, Country etc... Alternative was anything the major record labels didn't know what to do with. Where would you put The Cure? R&B? Light Sounds?

Needless to say, everything in the Alternative section was cool when you were 14 or 15. It didn't matter what they were singing about: your parents didn't get it!! (And if you didn't get it either that was your little secret, wasn't it? LOL!)

Here are some memorable tracks from a time when the major labels weren't trying to control what was and wasn't considered alternative. They weren't creating pre-fab alternative boybands. The music was new and different and unique because nobody could pigeon hole it. These were the days when alternative didn't include bands like Nirvana and Soundgarden (I mean honestly!... isn't that just Rock, anyway??).

Without further ado: enjoy!!

Whisper To A Scream - The Icicle Works
The Boy With The Thorn In His Side - The Smiths
This Time Of Night - New Order
Happiest Girl (Jack Mix) - Depeche Mode
Dead Souls - Joy Division
Sex Crime (1984) - Eurythmics
Dominion/Mother Russia - The Sisters Of Mercy
Rain - The Cult
Fetish - Vicious Pink
Bigmouth Strikes Again - The Smiths
Dazzle - Siouxie And The Banshees
Lovesong - The Cure
New Toy - Lena Lovich
This Is The Day - The The
Nova Heart - The Spoons
Tainted Love - Soft Cell

Get up and dance! Comments and polite suggestions welcome. Until next time Lovers: Unite!

Lovers Unite! Saint Etienne Valentine Mix 2007

Tue, 13 Feb 2007 05:01:00 GMT

Happy Valentine's day to all of you!

Here is a new tradition from Avenue Podcast: The annual Saint Etienne Valentine Mix! (Last year's Mix is still available here)

In the spirit of the season, I want to spread the love a little bit so I am also hosting the first ever Avenue Podcast contest! **NOTE: Contest is now closed, and a winner has been announced.**

The rules are simple: all you need to do is be the first person to e-mail me with the correct answers before midnight on February 28th, 2007 (March 1st in Asia). Contest closes upon receipt of a correct entry, or at midnight on February 28th, 2007 (Taipei Standard Time).

The contest is open to residents of the planet Earth. No purchase necessary! The winner agrees to have his/her name and city of residence published. All other personal details will remain private.

So what do you have to do? Check out the track listing for this podcast! There are three song titles missing! Instead, there are question marks where the song titles should be!

You need to correctly identify the name of the three songs! I will, of course, update this BLOG entry and enter the names once the contest has closed.

**UPDATE: Brian Tomlinson of the UK was the first person to correctly identify all three songs. The titles have been revealed on this page and are written in red. Congratulations Brian! Thanks to everyone who participated!**

Brian has won the following prizes:
A fresh brand-spanking new copy of this podcast on CD, which includes two bonus tracks, the full version of "How We Used To Live (Birdienumnums' Pop Radio Edit)" as well as the complete version of "Milk Bottle Symphony (Birdienumnums Edit)"...

BUT WAIT! There's more...

He will also get a copy of LAST YEAR'S Valentine's Day podcast on CD, which includes the bonus tracks "You're In A Bad Way (Birdienumnums' Full Throttle Remix)" and "Shower Scene (Birdienumnums' Mix)"....

AND THAT'S NOT ALL!!!

He will also get a CD of any one Avenue podcast of your choosing!

Three answers = three CDs! How's that for a good deal?

Anyone interested in obtaining copies of this or any other AVENUE Podcast on CD can contact me directly and request one!

As for the mix itself: I really like it.

I've had the pleasure of grooving to it and tweaking it for the last couple of weeks. In my enthusiasm to make a new mix I inadvertently used one or two of the same songs as last time... but when I tried to remove them and choose different tracks for the mix, I just couldn't do it! I'd gotten used to the mix "as is". I just think they sound really good so I didn't remove them!

There isn't much more to say about it since it's Saint Etienne: it's bound to be lovely!

Here is the tracklist!

Stop And Think It Over (Kid Loco Mix)*unreleased
Medley: Garage For Gunther / Speedwell
Been So Long
How We Used To Live (Birdienumnums' Pop Radio Edit)
No, No, No, No, No (La Poupee Qui Fait Non) Live
Medley: Duke Duvet / Lightning Strikes Twice
New Thing
Stars Above Us
Shower Scene
Heart Failed (In The Back Of A Taxi)
Action
I'm Falling
Burnt Out Car
Saturday
Le Ballade de Saint Etienne**
Amateur
It's All Gone Horribly Wrong

**as a French speaker, I have to wonder:
shouldn't that song be called La Ballade de Saint Etienne?? Ballade is a feminine noun!

I really hope you enjoy this mix as much as I do! Comments welcome as always. Have a spectacular Valentine's Day and always: Lovers: Unite!!

Avenue Podcast 2FER Tuesday: The Siddeleys

Tue, 16 Jan 2007 16:07:00 GMT

Here's the first podcast of 2007 that isn't a retrospective of 2006... funny enough, it's kind of a retrospective of 1989... hmmm...

Here for your listening pleasure are The Siddeleys. These guys have a wonderful album out on Matinee records called Slum Clearance which collects all of their recorded output except for one song (Where Rosemary Goes, from an Anti-Poll tax compilation called Alvin Lives in Leeds). It includes all their singles, some unreleased tracks, as well as both Peel Sessions they recorded for the legendary radio announcer.
This is great sounding guitar-pop that still sounds fresh today. Check it out and do yourself a favour and buy the album before it goes out of print again!

Wet Wednesday Afternnons
When I Grow Up I'll Be A God

Until next time... Lovers: Unite!

Tales from 2006 - Avenue Podcast presents a best-of list for 2006!

Mon, 1 Jan 2007 10:12:00 GMT

Can you believe it's been over a year already since Avenue Podcast started?

This is my second year-end round-up, and I am personally really, really happy with the way it has turned out.

2006 was a strange year for music, in my opinion. There was no unifying style and a lot of what made the charts just left me really cold. I found a lot of it to be repetitive and frankly boring (that isn't to say I didn't like ANYTHING from the hit-makers of 2006!).

One thing I did find amusing as I was re-listening to this podcast was the amount of swearing and/or off-colour humour that appeared. I apologize in advance if you don't like the word "fuck" to show up in your music, but it is in at least 3 of the songs in this podcast. It wasn't intentional and I hadn't even noticed until after the podcast had been finalized! Maybe we are becoming desensitized to the word? I wonder if HBO/Showtime has anything to do with that...

For the faint at heart I also wish to mention that there are some strange lyrics in some of these songs. I did not choose any of the songs for their lyrics. That has rarely been what I am about. For me, the main ingredient in my music is most often the music itself and the lyrics add personality, and give me something to sing along with, but they are the condiments as opposed to the meat of my hamburger... if you get my meaning.

That said, be aware that Lily Allen sings about tampons and colostomy bags... The Pipettes sing about kissing boys and girls in uniform (school uniform).... and Cansei De Ser Sexy want you to know that "Fuck-Off" is not the only thing you have to show for your life.

None of the songs I chose were chosen to offend. The music is what matters to me and I really love the tracks in this year's "best of" podcast! The songs in this podcast are presented in the order that I thought they sounded best. They are not a "Top Ten" list.

Drive My Car (Birdienumnums' Love Mix) - The Beatles
We're From Barcelona - I'm From Barcelona
Milk Bottle Symphony - Saint Etienne
Wishing (If I Had A Photograph) - The Honeytraps
Fuckoff Is Not The Only Thing You Have To Show - Cansei De Ser Sexy
Dance With Me - Nouvelle Vague
Starlight - Muse
Precious - Depeche Mode
Nan, You're A Window Shopper - Lily Allen
Lloyd, I'm Ready To Be Heartbroken - Camera Obscura
I Like A Boy In Uniform (School Uniform) - The Pipettes
I've Agreed To Something I Shouldn't Have - Fosca
You Have Killed Me - Morrissey
You Are Inside - Secret Shine
Will My Arms Be Strong Enough - BWO
Dress Up In You - Belle And Sebastian
Kate - Sambassadeur

About the music:

Number 1
I know... I know.... what the hell are the Beatles doing on a "Best of 2006" list? And what is a "Birdienumnums Mix" anyway?

As many of you know, George Martin (the Beatles original producer and sound engineer) and his son Giles recently opened the vaults in England's Abbey Road Studios and accessed many of the Beatles Master Tapes, remixing them into proper, modern-sounding stereo and re-mixing them to create some new aural tapestries. This was done for the benefit of the Cirque du Soleil, and was the brainchild of the late George Harrisson. George was friends with Guy LaLiberte, founder of the Cirque du Soleil.

The songs were remixed and form the soundtrack to the latest Cirque du Soleil show in Las Vegas, entitled LOVE. The remaining Beatles Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, George and Gilles Martins, Yoko Ono, and Olivia Harrison, worked closely with the producers of the show to create the feeling of seeing and hearing the Beatles again for the first time. I think they succeeded marvelously! The track I chose for the best of list, "Drive My Car", is remixed with a few other of the Beatles songs and is part of the LOVE Soundtrack.

The song as it appears on the soundtrack is under two minutes long. It includes only the first verse and the chorus. I absolutely loved the arrangement and the stereo sound of this recording, but I found it was too short. I wanted the whole song, not just some snippet! Using the original Mono recordings from the Beatles Rubber Soul album (direct Vinyl to digital rip) I created a new version of the song, and incorporated the new elements from the LOVE soundtrack. I chose the mono recording because it was closer in feeling to the new recording than the stereo version, which would have been distracting. Thus was born the Birdienumnums Mix. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Number 2
"We're From Barcelona"??? What can I say? I love it. It is a catchy song with sing-along lyric by a group of 25 Swedish musicians. Their debut album, Let Me Introduce My Friends, is wonderful. I have been using this song as my cell phone's ring tone for about 3 months, LOL! Incidentally, the name of the band, "I'm From Barcelona" was inspired by the character of Manuel on the classic British television series "Fawlty Towers".

Number 3
"Milk Bottle Symphony" is yet another classic example of Saint Etienne missing the boat with songs that should have been singles, in my opinion. I also feel, however, that this song feels unfinished, which is why I have mixed an additional chorus onto the end of it! This is taken from Saint Etienne latest pop offering, Tales From Turnpike House, the cover of which is the inspiration for this month's graphic, by the way. It is a wonderful album and there are many great songs on it, this was just the one I like best!

Number 4
The Honeytraps are certainly a musical oddity. To begin with they aren't even a proper band, they were 3 contestants on an ITV reality show. The whole purpose of the show was to create a new girl band, record a single, and perform live; all within the space of a few weeks. The twist? The name of the show says it all: "Boys will be Girls". The poor guys didn't know what they were getting into when the signed up, they thought they were trying out for a boyband!

The premise was to try and get guys from has-been pop bands, and repackage them as a brand new girlband. The band members were newcomer Austin Drage (AKA Chloe), Russ Spencer (AKA Vanya) of Scooch, and Martin Ryelands (AKA Kennedy) from the Fast Food Rockers.

The three band members had to do it all in drag and convince an audience they were girls. It was a really fun show and I enjoyed the song, so here it is!

Number 5
This is the opening track* to Cansei De Ser Sexy's album called CSS. There are a lot of REALLY good songs on that album (including "Alala", "Off The Hook", "Let's Make Love And Listen To Death From Above" and, if you purchase the original Brazilian edition of the CD, there is also the track "Superafim" which has previously appeared in one of my podcasts). I like the music and it fit well in the mix, although it was not a single (gee, I wonder why?).
*The song has been moved to track #6 on the US and European versions of the album*

Number 6
This is a cover of the Goth song originally by Lords Of The New Church. The band, Nouvelle Vague, has made a career out of reimagining some classic songs from the Alternative, New Wave, and Goth movements of the 80s and 90s. Their name is French for New Wave and comes from a film by Jean-Luc Godard. They create sweet lounge style bossa nova out of tracks that were once dark, depressing, and often loud. This is taken from their second album Band A Part. I love her accent and the smooth style of this song!

Number 7
Hey? Isn't that Queen? No! It's Muse taken from their latest album Black Holes And Revelations. This song kicks ass, as does the rest of the album! Enjoy!

Number 8
Finally a fine return to form for Depeche Mode. I love this song. It sounds fresh and still manages to capture the feelings of Violator (my favourite of all their albums). This is 7" version, the original version appears on the album Playing the Angel.

Number 9
This is a bit of an oddity. Lily Allen's debut album, Alright, Still was released in 2006 and featured the hits "Smile" and "LDN". I bought the album on the strength of this song and those two songs. Although there are a lot of good hooks, the album didn't really do it for me. It's too R&B, which I am not into.

When I bought the album I was surprised to discover that this song is *NOT* on it! Nevertheless it is one of my favourites of hers. The bass riff is killer and the lyrics are pretty funny (although, they lean towards being a little gross). This song, to the best of my knowledge, is a demo and has never been officially released: so enjoy!

Number 10
This was certainly a good year for Camera Obscura! Their latest album, Let's Get Out Of This Country, is spectacular! This band from Glasgow has been around for quite some time now, but with this album, people really started to take notice! I highly recommend it!

Number 11
The Pipettes Debut single, "I like A Boy In Uniform (School Uniform)" was released on 7" vinyl and it was limited to only 500 units pressed. I have seen it go for over $100 on eBay. Why the song is not included on their debut album, We Are The Pipettes, is beyond me. It is easily one of their best songs, and that is saying a lot considering how good their album is!

Number 12
Fosca have been silent for the last couple of years, as front man and founding member Dickon Edwards has been busy elsewhere being a self-proclaimed "Dandy about town" and hosting soirees.

I have been quietly waiting for new material for ages and finally, here is a single track, offered up on a recent compilation entitled the Kids At The Club (which, incidentally also features the song "We're from Barcelona" by I'm From Barcelona). I am not too crazy about the compilation as a whole, but I was thrilled to have this latest song from Fosca! Via e-mail, Dickon has assured me that the album will be released in 2007, if they can get a new record label (their previous label, Shinkansen Recordings - home to Trembling Blue Stars and Blueboy, went silent when it's founder seems to have lost interest and started doing something else *SIGH*).

Number 13
Morrissey!! Ringleader Of The Tormentors!!!! Great album from Moz. Brilliant front cover! The album is full of excellent material, but I could only choose one song. The video for this is hilarious.

Number 14
Secret Shine have finally started producing music again after a decade long silence. Originally signed to legendary indie label, Sarah Records, Secret Shine quietly drifted off when Sarah Records shut their doors back in the early 90s. The guys (and gal!) have gotten back together recently and 2006 saw the release of two excellent EPs from the band, follow-ups to their first EP in years, 2005's acoustic offering, Morris.

Their EPs can be purchased directly through the band's website or through Tonevendor.com in the United States.

Number 15
Bodies Without Organs unofficially changed their name to BWO when they realized that most non-English speakers in Europe couldn't pronounce their name, LOL! This track is taken from their second album Halcyon Days and, although it isn't my favourite track from the album, it fits well and it hasn't been used in a previous podcast! It was the third single taken from the album, the other singles were "Temple Of Love", "We Could Be Heroes" and "Chariots of Fire".

Amazon has this album (see link above), but it is ridiculously overpriced for North American, Asian, and British consumers. I recommend the much less expensive CD-Wow to obtain a copy. The price is right and shipping is free. Honestly, CD Wow is generally cheaper for CDs than Amazon, especially when you factor in the free shipping!

Number 16
Belle And Sebastian produce another slick piece of perfect pop with the release of The Life Pursuit. It is polished and shiny... I like a lot of the songs on here... there is something missing that I can't put my finger on, but this is a pleasant enough album that it made it into my best-of list for 2006.

Number 17
Sambassadeur is another one of those hidden gems from the sneaky guys at Labrador Records in Sweden. This track is taken from the Coastal Affairs EP, a wonderful and highly recommended record! If you have checked out my Labrador Records Podcast from February 2006, then you know what I am talking about when I say that Labrador Records produces some of the nicest pop today.

Sambassadeur's music is available directly through Labrador's mail-order, Poppolar Records in Canada, and Tonevendor in the USA.
International shipping is available from all three sites.

Payment by credit card is available from Poppolar Records and Tonevendor.
Payment by PayPal is available from all three, but Tonevendor will not accept credit card payments made through PayPal.

I personally recommend Poppolar Records because Erico (who owns/runs it) is fantastic to deal with and their prices are often a little lower than the other two. Also, I have found that Labrador doesn't package their CDs well enough for my liking, but they are still the best source to get the singles and EPs that are not in-stock elsewhere.

Another reason to recommend Poppolar Records is that Erico produces an infrequent Poppolar podcast which features new music, new releases and commentary! He also maintains a lovely page on My Space.

Well kids... there you have it... my best-of list for 2006!

Remember to support the artists you like and buy the music. Use the links I have provided or use your favourite shops, but it is your purchases that keep the new music coming.

Here are some of my favourite on-line shops:

Poppolar Records One stop shop for Indie Pop!
CD-Wow Free shipping worldwide, good selection, low prices
CD-Baby Good Service & decent selection of some hard-to find CDs.
CD-Japan Great site for Japanese imports: low prices, lots of freebies!

I hope you enjoy this latest Avenue Podcast and that you have a healthy, happy, and prosperous 2007!

Lovers: Unite!

Friday Night Videos: Christmas 2FER 2006

Fri, 22 Dec 2006 05:19:00 GMT

Here is a pair of classics... fresh in time for the holidays!

I hope you don't mind the video quality; it isn't the best, but it gives this pair of videos a certain nostalgic charm, dontch'a think? These are pretty old files that have been hanging around for ages, but I dusted them off just for you!

I figured these two videos would be a nice companion to last week's Christmas mix.

Anyway... without further ado:

Little Drummer Boy/Peace On Earth - David Bowie and Bing Crosby
Do They Know It's Christmas? - Band-Aid

Happy Holidays!

Lovers: Unite!

What Have You Done Christmas Day? Christmas Mix 2006

Sat, 16 Dec 2006 07:03:00 GMT

Here it is! The annual Avenue Podcast Christmas mix!

Can you believe the Avenue Podcast has already been around for a year? (Last year's Christmas mix is still available for download, by the way...)

I'm sorry about the lateness of this post; I was waiting for my copy of Michael's annual Christmas CD: A Little Something For Under The Tree. I wanted to make sure that there were no songs duplicated on the CD and the podcast this year... but as you may already know, due to technical difficulties the ALSFUTT 2006 CDs are late this year, so I have just gone ahead and posted my Christmas podcast! If there are any songs duplicated, I apologize! I have no way of knowing, since the track listing for ALSFUTT is always top secret before Christmas! :)

I thought a little comedy might mix well with a couple of more traditional sounding Christmas songs.

This year's Christmas mix contains a lot of songs I really love, especially Marlene Dietrich's "This World Of Ours" and Christ deBurgh's "A Spaceman Came Traveling" (even though THAT one throws the whole Christian concept of Christmas out the window, LOL!).

This mix also becomes a little degenerate by the end, though, so consider yourself warned. The last few songs are about cross dressing, Anal Probes, a gift-stealing Santa Claus impersonator, and ...well... dreidles.

*SHRUG*

What can I say? I have eclectic tastes.

Christmas In Heaven - Monty Python
Little Drummer Boy/Peace on Earth - David Bowie and Bing Crosby
This World Of Ours - Marlene Dietrich
In The Bleak Midwinter - The Pipettes
A Spaceman Came Traveling - Chris deBurgh
Do They Know It's Christmas? (Original Recording) - Band Aid
Snoopy and The Red Baron Christmas - The Royal Guardsmen
I Want A Hippopotamus For Christmas - Gayla Peavey
Who Put The Stump (In My Rump-a-bump-a-bump)? - Bob Rivers
Walking 'Round In Women's Underwear - Bob Rivers
You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch - Thurl Ravenscroft
Dreidle Song - the Cast of South Park

OK....so three of the last four songs are just plain WRONG... it's still a fun mix! I hope you enjoy it and that it brings a smile to your face during these holiday seasons! Best wishes for a safe and happy holiday season!

xox
Tom in Taiwan

Lovers: Unite!

Friday Night Videos: 1910 Fruitgum Company

Fri, 15 Dec 2006 03:42:00 GMT

If you grew up in North America, you probably remember Friday Night Videos. Unless you are REALLY young (like... think *under* 30).
Friday Night Videos was a TV show that aired late on Friday night and showed an hour and a half's worth of music videos. This was back when MTV was the only game in town, and it wasn't available everywhere! It's also back in the day when MTV could be relied on to play something you actually liked now and then!
I remember watching the premier of Adam Ant's "Goody Two Shoes" on Friday Night Videos...
In honor of that tradition of waiting up until WAAAAY past your bedtime to see the latest music video from your favourite band, Avenue Podcast presents a periodical feature called Friday Night Videos.
I can't guarantee it will work for you, but they should open and play directly in your browser if you have Quicktime installed. (the files are encoded as M4V: perfect for video iPods, so feel free to put them on there if you have one!). I also don't guarantee that this will be a regular feature. All I can say is that...
SOMETIMES...
On a Friday......
I'll post a new video. :)

To get things started, here is a cheesy little number from a bubblegum pop band called The 1910 Fruitgum Company. They had a string of hits in the late 60s, including "Simon Says", "Goody Goody Goody Gumdrops", and "Indian Giver".

Today's video, "1,2,3 Red Light" was also a really big hit for them in those days of naive happy pop music. It is also the opening track on my entry into this year's great Avenue CD Exchange.

I promise, not all the videos will be this cheesy (or ever so slightly out-of-sync), I just thought my Avenue Exchange recipients would get a kick out of it!

Enjoy and as always... Lovers: Unite!

Avenue Podcast 2FER Tuesday: Duran Duran

Tue, 12 Dec 2006 16:23:00 GMT

OK... So I decided to try something new just for shits'n'giggles. In honor of today being Tuesday, I am offering up a pair of songs by Duran Duran. The first is an edit that I made of a very long remix by DMC. The second is an uncut classic album track, from the album Rio.
Hope you enjoy! Since today is the first time I make a 2FER Tuesday special, I have decided to make it a pair of 2FERs.... sort of a 2FER-2FER Tuesday, LOL!
The first 2FER is from Dead Famous People, featuring Moira Lambert, whose dulcet tones once graced a track from our very own Saint Etienne!

Duran Duran 2FER:

Save A Prayer (Birdienumnums' DMC Edit)
The Chauffeur

Avenue Podcast 2FER Tuesday: Dead Famous People

Tue, 12 Dec 2006 16:16:00 GMT

Here it is! Our first ever Avenue Podcast 2FER-Tuesday!

Dead Famous People featuring Moira Lambert.

Barlow's House
Devil Child

Until next time.... Lovers: Unite!

Delicious Podcast: OLD SKOOL STYLE!

Tue, 21 Nov 2006 18:30:00 GMT

Well... I can honestly say that I don't know what happened.

I started out making an alternative 80s podcast featuring the Cure, The Smiths, and Sisters of Mercy... and somehow I ended up with MC Hammer and Run DMC.

*SHRUG*

This month's podcast is a mishmash of VERY old school hip hop, rap, and house... with a couple of more recent tracks thrown in for good measure!

It's a fun mix, though! I enjoyed making it and I have been enjoying listening to it. I have been tweeking it for a couple of days and I think it's finally ready.

To say that I am not a fan of rap music or hip hop is an understatement to say the least. I generally find rap-based songs to be repetative and pointless. Nevertheless these songs are all ones that I would count amongst my all time favourites, or at the very least, ones that make me grin when I hear them.

Stutter Rap - Morris Minor and The Majors
A Witch For Love (Sucker DJ) - Dimples D
Buffalo Stance (7'' Mix) - Neneh Cherry
It Takes Two - Rob Base and DJ EZ Rock
Rapper's Delight - Sugarhill Gang
Double Dutch Bus - Frankie Smith
Move This/Get Up (Before The Night is Over)/Pump Up The Jam - Technotronic
Doin' The Do - Betty Boo
You Be Illin' - Run DMC
Push It - Salt 'n Peppa
Supersonic - J J Fad
U Can't Touch This - MC Hammer
Go On Move - Reel 2 Reel
Wee Rule - Wee Papa Girl Rappers
Ghetto Superstar - 'Ol Dirty Bastard and Pras (feat. Mya)
Joy And Pain - Rob Base and Dj EZ Rock
Jump Around - House Of Pain

All of these songs bring back a lot of memories. Each of them make me smile, and they all have their own reason. I like them all and I hope you enjoy the mix as much as I enjoyed making it!

Until next time: Lovers Unite!

Comments and critiques welcome as always *sigh*

;)

We're on a Mission from God: Welcome to the Thunderdome!

Tue, 7 Nov 2006 15:36:00 GMT

Well here we are again at long last!

OK. I know... this is probably the oddest podcast I ever set about making. It may be even odder than the Japanimation mix, but what the hell. *I* like it... and since you people never send me any comments or suggestions that's all that matters, LOL!

It has been a long time since the last podcast, partly because I have been so busy here, but also because I suffered a hard drive crash. The hard drive with all my MP3s decided to die on me. It was a 250 Gigabyte drive with nothing on it except my MP3 collection... *SIGH*

I had all of the original files backed-up thank goodness. I have purchased a new drive (320 Gigs! HA!), and I have been busy trying to restore my MP3 collection to the way it was before the crash, but I've been at it for over two weeks now and I am still not finished. It's going to take some time, I think... so this is like a stop-gap podcast until I get my stuff set up again. I can't really make any new mixes if the MP3s are not on a hard drive somewhere, can I? So: this might be the last you hear from me for at least another month... don't fret, though! I plan to be back as soon as I am able!

Without further ado, here is this month's play list:

Head Like A Hole - Nine Inch Nails
Ascend (Shameless Summer Remix) - Nitzer Ebb
Welcome To Paradise - Front 242
...And This Is What The Devil Does! - My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult
The Devil Does Drugs - My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult
Days Of Swine And Roses (Acid And Flowers Mix) - My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult
The Bog - BiGod 20
Sleeper In Metropolis - Anne Clark
Headhunter - Front 242
Naive (Thrill Kill Kult Mix) - KMFDM
Satisfaction - Benny Benassi
Murderous - Nitzer Ebb
Let Your Body Learn - Nitzer Ebb
Break Free - Boris Mikulic
Superafim - Cansei De Ser Sexy
Start The Panic - A Homeboy, A Hippie & A Funki Dredd
Desperate But Not Serious (Delirious Remix Edit) - Adam Ant

As you can see, it is mostly stuff from the late 80s and early 90s with a couple of surprises thrown in for good measure! Despite the fact that none of these tracks are from MP3s of quality lower than 192 Kbps, I had a hard time getting the sound quality of the earlier recordings to match the newer ones (Anne Clark sounds particularly tinny) but the songs themselves still sound pretty good and have stood the test of time (in my humble opinion) so I went ahead and left them in as is.

Mostly these are the tracks that they played without fail at Montreal's famous alternative club, the Thunderdome (Did EVERY town in every city of the world have a Thunderdome? I'm pretty convinced that they did... but I digress...). Some tracks are conspicuous by their absence: Smiths, Cure, Cult, Sisters of Mercy, Joy Division, New Order, Depeche Mode, Modern English, Echo and The Bunnymen... but they just didn't fit with this podcast... maybe next time!

Superafim by Cansei de Ser Sexy is from the Brazilian version of their debut album, it was not included on the US Sub-Pop release. If the Thunderdome were still around, this would probably be on heavy rotation... although the version presented here is being played at 130 BPM, whereas the original is closer to 143!

Nitzer Ebb's Ascend (The Shameless Summer Mix) is a real rarity. I have no idea where I got that. It is a vinyl rip that someone put on a CD-Rom for me, and I love it. I've mixed it here with one verse of the original album version (Which I also love). The original version appears on Nitzer Ebb's swansong album, Big Hit (which was sadly underrated in my opinion!).

Desperate But Not Serious (The Delirious Remix) by Adam Ant is an unofficial fan-mix by a DJ named Cartrouble (AKA Carty). The version I have presented here is one that I have edited down to make it a little shorter (by about 2 minutes!) so I can't take any credit for this (except for the ending, which I mixed myself... although the idea of using Ant's Invasion belongs to Carty, not me!)... this is a 2005 remix, so it would be at the new Thunderdome, I guess.... as would Benny Benassi's Satisfaction. The rest, however, is pure classic Thunderdome.

Enjoy!

I have nothing else to say for now, except that I hope you enjoy this mix and dance around the house... or the bus... or wherever your music takes you! Have a great November!!

...until next time: Lovers: Unite!

Japanimation Podcast: AAAAAAH! Shonen Jump and Singing Disco Frogs!

Mon, 2 Oct 2006 16:34:00 GMT

Well here we are again with another mini-podcast for your pleasure.

This one was lots of fun to do, and was inspired by Saint Etienne's Japanese connection. Their work with Japanese artists such as Pizzicato Five, and their three Japan-only albums (Continental, Fairytales of Saint Etienne, and Misadventures of Saint Etienne) are certainly proof of Saint Etienne's interest in Japanese pop culture. In fact, the three albums (all difficult to find, and mostly out of print) are often name checked as fan favourites; Continental being one of my personal favourites.

The songs in this podcast range from the sublime to the ridiculous, and are all taken from the soundtracks of Japanese Cartoons. My favourite song of recent days, in fact, is the podcast closer, Rewrite by Asian Kung-Fu Generation. If you get a chance to find their album Sol-Fa, DO IT! Never mind that you won't understand a word they say, the music is pure rock-flavored pop and LOADS of fun in a way that delivers, as opposed to many western bands tend to fall flat in my opinion. These guys just sound like... whatever they're saying... they mean it with wild abandon.

Since many of the artists' names are in Japanese, I was unable to write them. I therefore opted not to list any of them in order to maintain uniformity. I will, however, let you know the names of those that I can:

Toshiro Masuada is responsible for Harmonia and Wind from the Naruto Soundtracks.

Orange Range recorded Bleach's opening them, *Asterisk*.

The Sore Feet Song from Mushishi is by Ally Kerr.

My personal favourite, Rewrite, is from Full Metal Alchemist, and it is performed by Asian Kung-Fu Generation (who also provided the killer track Haruka Kanata from their Houkai Amplifier EP for one of the Naruto soundtracks, which I would have LOVED to include if there had been more room!).

Needless to say, I thoroughly enjoyed all of the anime's that I have taken songs from. If you have never watched Anime (or even if you have) I strongly recommend Mushishi, Scrapped Princess, Full Metal Alchemist and Chrono Crusade. Only Mushishi is as yet unavailable with English Subtitles or English dub, but as of this posting, 25 of the 26 episodes are available on the internet with English subtitles provided by fans (fansubs) and it is REALLY worth hunting down! The episodes that I have watched have subtitles provided by a group called C1-Anime and they are truly exceptional. They are available as bit torrent files.

Like anything, there is a lot of bad Anime out there. The shows I have mentioned, however, are excellent examples of wonderful storytelling done with originality and warmth. For more information about these anime titles, or to check out some information about the other shows mentioned in this podcast, please visit the Anime News Network and check their excellent list of top ten rated shows.

This podcast might sound a little odd to some of your ears since all of the tracks (with the exception of Wind and The Sore Feet Song) are in Japanese, but do your self a favour and check it out. You never know, the song you've been looking for all your life might be just a mouse click away! If you want to buy any of these songs, I highly recommend CD Japan for all your Japanese music needs!

Afro Gunsou (from Keroro Gunsou)
Wind (from Naruto)
Mushishi No Theme (from Mushishi)
Shell (from Witch Hunter Robin)
The Sore Feet Song (from Mushishi)
Tonario No Totoro (from My Neighbor Totoro)
Rozen Maiden theme (from Rozen Maiden)
Mobile Suit Gundam Theme (from Mobile Suit Gundam 079)
Tsubasa Wa Pleasure Line (from Chrono Crusade)
*Asterisk* (from Bleach)
Half Pain (from Witch Hunter Robin)
Harmonia (from Naruto)
Rewrite (from Full Metal Alchemist)

Ok.. so this is a strange one.... what do you want from someone with taste as eclectic as mine?? Until next time, Lovers: Unite!

As always, comments are welcome though seldom recieved. ;)

Matinee Records Podcast: Fall In Love With Everyone!

Tue, 19 Sep 2006 16:46:00 GMT

WOW!

At long last a new Avenue Podcast! I hope everyone enjoyed their summer! To help bring it to a close, and still preserve some of the sunny moments, here is a collection of some of my favourite tunes from US indie label Matinee Recordings!

If you haven't heard of this record company, then do yourself a favour and buy something they have released. You can get just about anything they've released and you won't be disappointed. They are having a massive sale at the moment, so the time is certainly right to drop a few bucks and help to support one the most wonderful indie labels around! Many CDs and records are reduced by up to 50% so run don't walk over to http://www.indiepages.com/matinee/order.html and start clicking!

In 1999, they released a double 7" EP called A Smile Took Over. This soon to be out-of-print EP features four tracks by Matinee Recording artists, and all the tracks are covers of songs released by Sarah Records (in fact, two of these four tracks are included in this month's podcast!). Being a huge fan of Sarah Records, I bought a copy out of curiosity. I really wanted to hear Sweet Williams' take on "Briaris" (originally by The Sweetest Ache, and one of my all-time favourite releases from Sarah Records).

While browsing through the catalogue, I discovered that Matinee was now the home to the new band Tender Trap, featuring Amelia Fletcher, formerly of Sarah Record's Heavenly (many of Heavenly's albums are also available through the Matinee mail order). Then I discovered that Matinee Records was home to Harper Lee, which is the new band from Keris Howard, formerly of the Sarah Records' band Brighter. To my delight I also learned that Matinee Recordings were planning to re-issue Brighter's entire catalogue (the last of which has just recently been re-issued by the way, and it includes SIX previously unreleased tracks!). The Sarah Records connection got me hooked and intrigued!

Like any company, Matinee Records have issued a couple of duds (I tried to get into Sportique and Pipas, but they are just not my thing), but I would certainly say that about 95% of their records and CDs are wonderful and hold a place of honor in my collection (which, by now you must have realized, is pretty considerable in size!)

If you have glanced at the play list, you may have guessed that I am particularly fond of The Windmills. I also like Melodie Group which is a side project of The Windmills' singer Roy Thirlwall. If you count, you'll begin to see just how much I like their output, as they clock in with a combined total of five songs out of twenty-one! Ooops!

Other Matinee bands that I really like include the Math and Physics Club (whose debut album will be released on September 29th), The Young Tradition, Ego, and Lovejoy.

Matinee Records has also been responsible for some fantastic re-issues of early 90s indie pop. These include Brighter (as mentioned earlier), The Razorcuts and The Siddeleys as well as The Visitors and Remember Fun (both of whom are featured in the podcast!).

There are a lot of other Matinee bands that I was simply unable to squeeze into this month's podcast (but that I would have liked to) including The Fairways and Airport Girl. Other artists worth checking out include Simpatico, The Guild League, and The Pines.

Do yourself a favour! If the sounds in this podcast are not enough to whet your appetite, then go visit the Matinee website and check out the audio samples. You may just find the sound you've been craving all your life!

Another Sunny Day - The Happy Couple
Movie Ending Romance - Math And Physics Club
Drug Autumn - The Windmills
Miserable Town - Harper Lee
Wildest Dreams - Melodie Group
Unlucky Charm - Slipslide
I Remember - The Visitors
Three Sixty Degrees - The Windmills
Firefly - Slipslide
California Morning - The Young Tradition
Mystery Jones - Would-Be-Goods
Twiggy Superstar - Pale Sunday
You've Got The Whole World In Your Mouth - Melodie Group
Talking Backwards - Tender Trap
Baseball Caps And Novas - The Liberty Ship
I Know It's Over - Pale Sunday
Train Journeys - Remember Fun
I've Got It And It's Not Worth Having - The Lucksmiths
Everything Is New Each Day - The Windmills
Briaris - Sweet William
Emmanuelle Beart - Would-Be-Goods

A huge thanks goes out to fellow Avenuer Michael C. for digitally encoding the A Smile Took Over EP from vinyl for me! As always, comments are welcome and encouraged. Enjoy!

Lovers: Unite (and take over)!

Belle And Sebastian: I Could Be Dreaming...

Thu, 24 Aug 2006 06:45:00 GMT

Well...
I knew this was going to be a challenge. I had to make some decisions about what songs I would attempt to mix seamlessly and which ones I would allow to blend without keeping the beat. I mean, Belle and Sebastian are not exactly known for they club-thumpers, are they? What they are known for, is exquite music for the masses, but like pearls before swine, the masses have yet to take notice. More fool them!

Belle and Sebastian have a rich organic sound, prefering real brass, woodwinds and pianos over synthetic keyboards. The results are, as expected, sublime.

They've been around since 1996, so enough has been written about them that I felt anything I had to say would simply be redundant. I urge you to instead check out their website: http://www.belleandsebastian.com/home.php

Now about that podcast.... here's what I came up with. I hope you enjoy it!

La Pastie De La Bourgeoisie
Dog On Wheels
Sukie In The Graveyard (Birdienumnums' Mix)
I Don't Love Anyone
Stars Of Track And Field
I Fought In A War
The State I Am In
I'm A Cuckoo (Birdienumnums' Mix)
Judy And The Dream Of Horses
The Wrong Girl
Step Into My Office, Baby
The Boy With The Arab Strap (Birdienumnums' Edit)
Dirty Dream Number Two
Legal Man
Seeing Other People
Like Dylan In The Movies
I Could Be Dreaming

It plays a bit like a greatest hits package, but needless to say there's a LOT missing! If you don't know Belle and Sebastian, do yourself a favour and go out RIGHT NOW and buy their CD If You're Feeling Sinister or Tigermilk!
Remember to support the artists you love by buying the albums!

Until next time: Lovers Unite!

Bodies Without Organs (BWO) ...repeating your sweet hymn on my iPod...

Sun, 23 Jul 2006 01:02:00 GMT

I don't know how I discovered these guys.

Frankly, I would guess it was someone from Avenue who mentioned them in passing and I checked it out (probably Dennis!). I remember downloading the video for Living in a Fantasy and that was it. I was hooked!

So far, I have the three singles from the second album and all seven singles from the first album (YES! SEVEN!) I also have both albums. Actually, I inadvertently bought the first album three times... but that's a different story... (I promise: I am not turning in to Mike GaoBest).

Although I like one or two songs, I have never been a huge fan of anything else by Alexander bard (Ex-Army Of Lovers), so that's not where the interest came from. I just really love the rhythms, the hooks, and the sing-along style refrains.

Their first album, Prototype, has only one song on it that I dislike. Sadly that's not true of their second album: you know an album is weak when someone feels the need to include 4 bonus tracks, 3 of which were singles off the first album (heck, if an album contains only *ONE* bonus track from the previous album it's usually sign that the album isn't as good as it could be).

All of that be as it may, there are certainly enough songs from this trio to create a good podcast! Bodies without Organs (AKA: BWO) is Martin Rolinski (lead vocals, laptop), Marina Schiptjenko (vocals, laptop) and Alexander Bard (laptop).

Songs I would have liked to include are Open Door (Ballad Version), Riding Through The Night, and Say I Love You from the first album (but then that would be the whole fist album except the one song I hate). From their second album, Halcyon Days, I would have liked to include Marrakech and Obsession, bringing the total from that album to five. They are certainly as good as anything else that was included in the mix. Well... *ALMOST* as good!

This, therefore, is just a quick sample of some of my favourite songs. Frankly those other songs just either didn't fit because of the length of the podcast (I wanted to keep it around half an hour) or they were simply the wrong speed (most of the tracks in this podcast are between 127 to 134 BPM, so it's pretty high energy! ..or is that N-R-G?).

N-E-WAY ...Without further ado... get yer dancing shoes on!

Living In A Fantasy
Son Of A Gun
Juggernaut
Chariots Of Fire
Sunshine In The Rain
Temple Of Love
Gone (Birdienumnums' Afterland Rework)
European Psycho
Walking The Night
Conquering America
Voodoo Magic
Sixteen Tons Of Hardware

Birdienumnums' Afterland Rework? It's a remix of a remix. I hated the original remix, but loved the feel of it... so I remixed it again and made it better (in my humble opinion).

Until next time: LOVERS UNITE!

Comments and observations are always gratefully received BLAH BLAH BLAH (nobody ever comments on my shows **whine**).

xox - Tom

Avenue Podcast presents: The New Order Non-Stop Podmix

Sat, 1 Jul 2006 07:31:00 GMT

Well, I knew I was going to make a New Order Mix, I just didn't know when!

I have been a huge fan of New Order for a LONG time. I have no idea what the first track by them that I ever heard was, but I know it was from the album Low-Life. Back in High School (I'm dating myself!) a friend of mine made me listen to it on cassette... and I was hooked!

In a way, I felt lucky to have gotten in before they became mega-huge. Granted, they were already really well known in England, but in Canada, a year or so before they released Bizarre Love Triangle ....they were absolutely the COOLEST thing going... and NOBODY had ever heard of them. It was a very cool clique to be in, let me tell you. Of course, being the music geek that I am I took it one step further and fell in love with Joy Division too (though none of my friends could see the attraction, LOL!) but that's a different story! (and maybe a different podcast someday!)

I would have liked to have been able to squeeze a few other songs on there: Krafty, This Time Of Night , Sooner Than You Think, Face Up, Ultra Violence, Age of Consent, Here To Stay, Ruined In A Day, Regret, Dream Attack, All The Way, Love Less, Every Little Counts, State Of The Nation, Shellshock, Touched By The Hand Of God, Everything's Gone Green, Ceremony, and of course the original mix of Confusion (Why the HELL did they never issue that on CD? I was never overly fond of the mix on Substance!). Wow. Definitely couldn't fit them all in there!

So I had to choose.

Of course, I could have made a mix using only the tracks from Technique if I had wanted to. Is that a brilliant album or what? As it is there are four tracks from it in this podmix, more songs than from anything else they've released! Funny thing is, as much as I love the songs on that album (and quite an awful lot of their songs in general) I can never remember what the hell they're called. With the exception of some of the real biggies like Blue Monday, Bizarre Love Triangle, True Faith, and Age Of Consent, does ANYBODY know where they get these titles from? Is it just me or does anyone else think they pull the titles randomly out of a box of interesting words and phrases? I can never remember what the song is called, but I can definitely tell you which track it is (and back in the day I could also tell you which side of the LP it was on!). To this day I STILL have no idea what the names of the songs on their first album are. There were four songs on each side of the record, and they all had names that didn't seem to apply to any of the lyrics ...on top of that, the record didn't tell you which was side A and which was side B!

ARGH!

Oh Well ...it's all part of the New Order charm, I guess. They really are the only band in the world where even a music geek like me has to resort to singing a few lines to tell you which song I'm talking about. Any other band in the world and I'd know the title!

N-E-WAY! Enough rambling on from me! I figured a nice mix that covers most of my favourite tracks from their 20-some-odd-year career would make for a good listen, I hope you do too!

True Faith
Run 2
Bizarre love Triangle
Jetstream
Vanishing Point
Mr. Disco
Subculture
1963
5 8 6
60 Miles An Hour
World (The Price Of Love)
Round And Round (Vanishing Point Mix)
The Perfect Kiss
Blue Monday
Crystal
Love Vigilantes
Confusion (Birdienumnums' Pump Panel Edit)

Enjoy! ...And until next time LOVERS: UNITE!

Comments and observations are always welcome and encouraged.

The Gayest Podcast Ever!

Wed, 21 Jun 2006 20:52:00 GMT

Well if this isn't the gayest podcast ever ...it surely must come close!

Originally this started out as an attempt to make a mash up of Kylie Minogue and New Order... I know it's been done before (and by better DJs than I!) but I figured it would be fun, and I wanted to play with it a little. Then I added the Divine song (because I had heard that Blue Monday was inspired by it in the first place)... and that led to Donna Summer... and along came Georgio Moroder... and suddenly the whole thing seemed kind of... gay.

**SHRUG**

I love every song in this mix, but don't they all just scream "I'm Here, I'm Queer" and "look at me I'm dancin' crazy!" ...just a little bit? This mix is very Hi-NRG ...and some tracks are from before high energy even *BECAME* Hi-NRG (Oooh! Trendy spelling!)!!

This one is just for fun, and runs the gamut from 70s to 80s to 90s to 00s! It should definitely get you moving (even if you're just doing housework, LOL!)

It clocks in at just under 25 minutes, which is long enough for an A-Side (see how the graphic makes sense now?!?) It's just a little mid-summer something to tide you over until next month's mega-mix ...which I know you'll enjoy!

You Spin Me Round (Like A Record) - Dead or Alive
Blue Monday/Can't Get You Outta My Head (Birdienumnums' Mash Up) - Kylie Minogue VS New Order
Native Love (Step By Step) - Divine
I Feel Love - Donna Summer
The Chase (Theme From Midnight Express) - Georgio Moroder
Funkytown - Lipps Inc.
Smalltown Boy - Bronski Beat
I Paralyze - Dead Or Alive

As always: enjoy! Comments and observations are welcome as usual (Keep your complaints to yourself!) Lovers: Unite!

The Depeche Mode Flashback Non-Stop Party Mix!

Mon, 29 May 2006 15:29:00 GMT

Music For The Masses!

So I've been working on this for almost a month and I'm quite proud of it... I hope you enjoy it as much as I do: I've been listening to it almost everyday for at least two weeks... frankly, I'm enjoying the hell out of it, and I really hope you do too!

I was a huge fan of Depeche Mode almost right from the beginning. I had heard of them around the time of "Speak And Spell" (1981) and "A Broken Frame" (1982) but I only actually started listening to them seriously when they put out "Construction Time Again" (1983), and it wasn't until "Some Great Reward" (1984) that I became one of the faithful, even managing to catch them in concert for both the "Black Celebration" and "Violator" tours!

I followed their career right up until the "Songs Of Faith And Devotion" (1993) album... which sounded like they suddenly wanted to be Nirvana (it still sounds that way to me, even now!) and that's when I called it quits. Having been a huge fan up until that point, I always feel compelled to check out what they're up to whenever there's talk about a new album or new single, but so far nothing has captured my heart the way the earlier material did. I admit to having enjoyed "Playing The Angel" (2005), but after a couple of listens, I put it away... it isn't that I don't think it's any good... it just doesn't have that special feeling that you can only get from remembering the feelings you had when you first head a song so many years ago...

I guess there is a time and a place for everything in life, and I've just moved away from Depeche Mode. It's not a good thing or a bad thing: it just IS. So, there should be no surprises when you see that this Avenue Podcast is composed strictly of material up to and including "Violator" (1990), but nothing more recent than that.

Trying to fit all of my favourites into an hour-long mix proved to be far more difficult that you would imagine, and many of my absolute favourite Depeche Mode songs, among them "Strangelove", "New Life", "But Not Tonight", "The Landscape Is Changing" and "Fly On The Windscreen", just didn't fit with the tempo or the atmosphere.

Some of the more popular songs, like "People Are People" and "Personal Jesus", were just too obvious, so they were left off in favour of more obscure album tracks like "My Secret Garden" and "Lie To Me"... To me, Depeche Mode was always as much about the album tracks as it was about the hits... and the inclusion of such b-side oddities as "Flexible" and "Route 66" makes sense when you think back to how frantic we all were to try and get all the different editions of the singles and remixes when they came out!

(Anyone else remember how important it was to try and get all the imports? Remember the UK Slavery Whip Mix, as well as the US Black and Blue versions of "Master And Servant" on 12'' vinyl? How about the 15minute 3'' CD single from German "Enjoy The Silence: The Quad Final Mix"??)

Of course, now all you need to do is buy the singles box sets and you'll have all those amazingly rare remixes on one CD... but where is the fun in that? Besides, this mix is not about now. It never was. It's about then. It's about a time when Depeche Mode was the ultimate in cool, and still considered alternative. It's about the radical music they made. It sounded like they were a new wave band, but their lyrics were about poverty and communism, capitalism and imperialism, true love and one-night stands. The best part though (for me, at least) was you could dance to it.

It's about a time before they spent all their time trying to make keyboards sound like guitars. I chose the songs in this mix carefully, trying to reflect all of that. I hope I got the balance right.

Two Minute Warning
Lie To Me
Enjoy The Silence (7" Version)
Everything Counts (In Large Amounts Edit)
Policy Of Truth (7" Version)
My Secret Garden
Shake The Disease
The Sun And The Rainfall
Blasphemous Rumours
Leave In Silence (Longer)
World In My Eyes (7" Version)
Behind The Wheel (Beatmasters Mix Edit)
Just Can't Get Enough
Master And Servant
Get The Balance Right
Flexible
Told You So
Route 66 (Beatmasters Mix Edit)

As always, comments and observations are always welcome! Until next time Lovers: Unite!

Avenue 70s Podcast: OH NO! It's Disco!

Tue, 9 May 2006 15:01:00 GMT

Well, you honestly wouldn't believe how hard it is to mix disco songs if you've never tried to do it!

Back in the 70s, some songs used metronomes or click tracks, but not all of them! A lot of these songs have varying speeds, so it is REALLY hard to get a lock on the beat... I did my best and I think it turned out alright! I also used a few techniques that they used to use back in the seventies themselves!

(Did you know that in the seventies songs in the clubs often weren't mixed non-stop, the way they are now?)

This was a really fun mix to make.... even if it took forever! I only regret not having had room for anything from KC and The Sunshine Band, Donna Summer, The Village People, or ABBA! Oh well... maybe next time!

N-E-WAY Enough chat... enjoy!

Kung Fu Fighting - Carl Douglas
You Sexy Thing - Hot Chocolate
The Hustle - Van McCoy
Stayin' Alive - The Bee Gees
Dance Little Lady Dance - Tina Charles
Car Wash - Rose Royce
Lady Marmalade - LaBelle
I Will Survive - Gloria Gaynor
Disco Duck - Rick Dees And His Cast Of Idiots
Love Rollercoaster - Ohio Players
Heaven Must Be Missing An Angel - Tavares
Lady Bump - Penny McLean
Daddy Cool - Boney M.
Come To Me - France Joli
Shame - Evelyn "Champagne" King
Turn The Beat Around - Vicki Sue Robinson
Get Off - Foxy
Funkytown - Lipps Inc.
I Was Made For Loving You - Kiss
Knock On Wood - Amii Stewart

Until next time... Lovers: UNITE!

The 90s! Club Mixes and Pop Hits (...Part one???)

Tue, 25 Apr 2006 18:11:00 GMT

Well... Here at long last is the latest podcast. It took me awhile since I have been pretty busy this past month! My good friend Sophie (hi Sophie!) came over here to visit for a couple of weeks and we spent most of the time running from one scenic area to the next! I was exhausted by the end of her trip, but I wouldn't have traded it for the world! It was an amazing time... and of course being with good friends often makes you feel nostalgic, so I kind of went with it and came up with this month's podcast.

When I was in University, my friends and I would often have parties, and I was the unofficial DJ. What can I say... I would much rather be behind the turntable playing tunes that I like then chit-chatting and being forced to listen to Bryan Adams and Bon Jovi all night!

CRINGE!!!!

N-E-WAY... Thinking about the old days and remembering the music got me in the mood to hear some of it again and this is what I came up with! I hope you enjoy it today as much as we all did back then!

Heartbeat - Tahiti 80
Stand - REM
Summer Summer - Loft
Justified And Ancient (Stand By The Jams) - KLF
Then - The Charlatans
Enjoy The Silence - Depeche Mode
Pump Up The Volume - M.A.R.R.S.
Everybody Everybody (Le Freak Mix) - Black Box
Stupid Girl - Garbage
100% Pure Love - Crystal Waters
Hearts And Minds (Mix Hypersonic) - Nitzer Ebb
Push The Feeling On (The Dub Of Doom) - Nightcrawlers
Unarmed And Dangerous - MC Huggie Babe
Come On (Bring It On Down) - L A Music Company
Rhythm Is A Dancer - Snap!
Give it Up - The Goodmen
Something Good - Utah Saints
Saturday Night - Whigfield
Cotton Eye Joe - Rednex
Roam - The B-52s
Jump (Everybody Mix) - The Movement
Dominator - Human Resource
James Brown Is Dead - L.A. Style
Sesame's Treet - Smart E's

Since I am a firm believer that most dance music after 1993 has been utter crap, I think this playlist ended up with more songs from the early 90s than I was expecting! Oh Well... What do you want for free????

Speaking of free... don't settle for a crummy 128 kb/p MP3 when you can get the real thing! Please remember to support the artists you like and buy the albums! If you are unsure as to where an album can be purchased, please feel free to drop me a line and I will be glad to point you in the right direction!

As always: comments are always welcome and appreciated! Until next time have a great month! (I'd like to say have a great couple of weeks, but I think that's being too optimistic!)

Lovers: Unite!

Avenue Podcast Presents: The 80s (Part 1)

Wed, 22 Mar 2006 05:24:00 GMT

Well, here is a new Avenue podcast!
I guess I was feeling nostalgic these past couple of weeks, as I have been scouring the internet for music videos to put on my new Video iPod, LOL! Maybe next time I'll do a 70s-style disco podmix!

1. Sleepwalk - Ultravox
2. Go! - Tones On Tail
3. Dancing With Myself - Billy Idol
4. Im Nin'alu - Ofra Haza
5. Tenderness - General Public
6. Karma Chamelion - Culture Club
7. Love Missile F1-11 - Sigue Sigue Sputnik
8. Shout - Tears For Fears
9. Let's Go All The Way - Sly Fox
10. Blister In The Sun - Violent Femmes
11. Shiny Shiny - Haysi Fantayzee
12. Town Called Malice - The Jam
13. Walk Like An Egyptian - The Bangles
14. Safety Dance - Men Without Hats
15. I Touch Roses - Book of Love
16. Fade To Grey - Visage
17. Fascinated - Company B
18. Strangelove - Depeche Mode
19. Wishing (If I Had A Photograph Of You) - A Flock Of Seagulls
20. Our House - Madness
21. Stars On 45 - Stars On 45

So, that is what I came up with. It was a LOT of fun to make, and I enjoyed myself doing it but I was terribly disappointed by how many songs I just had no room for! ...which is why this is called "The 80s (Part 1)" ...there WILL be a part 2, I just don't know when yet (and it depends on your reaction to this one, of course! ...comments and suggestions are welcome as always)
Enjoy!
Happy End of March!! Lovers: Unite!

Avenue Podcast presents: Sarah Records

Wed, 1 Mar 2006 18:53:00 GMT

Well as you can see, I went with the Sarah Records podcast! I had a lot of fun doing it, I hope you have as much fun listening!
I tried to include some stuff that was never part of any of the Sarah Compilation CDs, (which appear on eBay rather frequently). I though a couple of album tracks might be nice! Two of my favourite rare tracks are here: "Briaris" and "Capo" by The Sweetest Ache, from their 10" mini-album, Jaguar. In fact, the version of the later which appears here is a remix that I made for myself, extending the main body of the song and changing the ending. I hope you like it.
As you probably already know, everything released by Sarah Records is out of print, and highly collectible, but there has been a lot of interest in re-issuing some of these artists lately.
You should check out Tonevendor's in-house label Claire Records here:
www.tonevendor.com
if you are interested in Secret Shine re-issues!
If you are keen on re-mastered CDs from The Field Mice, Northern Picture Library, Trembling Blue Stars, and The Orchids, then check out LTM records' catalogue:
LTM Catalogue
Finally, drop by Matinee Records for re-issues of Brighter's singles and EPs (in fact, I've been in touch with Kerris from Brighter, and Matinee will soon be releasing a new Brighter compilation which will include not only their sole album, Laurel, but some very rare demos and flexis as well!)
Finally, rumours have abounded that St. Christopher might have a Sarah-Years retrospective compilation coming soon on The Bus Stop Label, but so far that has not materialized, and all links lead to nowhere!
Lastly, if you are keen on seeing the original artwork from the wonderful releases that Sarah put out, check this excellent Sarah Records archive!
So here we are without further ado: The Sarah Records Non-Stop Mix! Enjoy!

1. Poppy Day - Brighter
2. Apologies - The Orchids
3. Briaris - The Sweetest Ache
4. Canada - The Field Mice
5. Maritime City - Tramway
6. Crush The Flowers - The Wake
7. Peaches - The Orchids
8. I'm In Love With A Girl Who Doesn't Know I Exist - Another Sunny Day
9. Let's Kiss And Make Up - The Field Mice
10. Pedjudice - Shelley
11. Cheer Up Ferdinand - The Wake
12. Capo (Birdienumnums's Edit) - The Sweetest Ache
13. Breathe - Eternal
14. Are We Gonna Be Alright? - The Springfields
15. Our Love Is Heavenly - Heavenly
16. Suck Me Down - Secret Shine
17. Aloha Street - Sugargliders
18. Say Yes To Everything (Birdienumnums Edit) - St. Christopher
19. House Of Sarah - The Hit Parade

As always, comments are welcome but at this point not expected at all. If you enjoy: please let me know (send flowers or candy maybe?)!!!
Have a nice March! Lovers: Unite!

Avenue Podcast presents: Labrador Records

Thu, 23 Feb 2006 17:46:00 GMT

Here is a little something for you to sink your teeth into. If you are anything like me, then finding new music is always fun... but finding consistently GOOD new music is always a challenge.

That's why this week Avenue Podcast presents an overview of Sweden's Labrador Records.

Featuring a roster of spectacular artists, Labrador Records shines as a beacon of hope in the wasteland of indie... There really is something for everyone on this label! I own everything they have released on CD, and of all these CDs, there is only 1 that I didn't like. Now THAT'S Saying something!

Here is a selection of some of my favourite songs, I think some of them may become yours as well!

**Note to Parental Units:Track 18 is called "She Broke His Penis in Two" and YES, that really is what they are singing about... don't say I didn't warn you!

1. No One Wants Forever (1) - Laurel Music
2. Teenage - Tribeca
3. Everything That's You - Airliner
4. You Made Somebody Want You - Ronderlin
5. Century Of Time - Punky's Dilemma
6. Between The Lines - Sambassadeur
7. Evelyn - Ambulance
8. He Loves Anna - Waltz For Debbie
9. Wait For A Decade - Melodika
10. In The Heart Of Sarah Freeman - Wan Light
11. ...And Suddenly Clarity - Cinnamon
12. Say Yes If You Love Me - Acid House Kings
13. There And Back Again - the Legends
14. Always No - Douglas Heart
15. Things We Share - Club 8
16. Summer Still Reigns Supreme - Aerospace
17. Friends - Starlet
18. She Broke His Penis In Two - Loveninjas
19. Spring Came, Rain Fell - Club 8

As always, comments are welcome, as are suggestions! Is there an artist you would like to see have a non-stop mix? Is there a particular style of music that Avenuers need to hear more of? Let me know and I will see what I can do!
In the meantime, you should expect a similar retrospective next time of either Sarah Records, Shinkansen Recordings, or MatinÃïÃÂe Recordings.... We'll see what I'm in the mood for! Until then Lovers: Unite and enjoy!

Saint Etienne Valentine Mix 2006!

birdienumnums1-avenuepod@yahoo.com — Tue, 14 Feb 2006 18:34:00 GMT

Avenue Valentine's Day Podcast 2006
-A non-Stop Saint Etienne Extravaganza!

1-Filthy
2-Kiss And Make Up (Midsummer Madness)
3-Mario's Cafe
4-Like A Motorway
5-Who Do You Think You Are?
6-Lightning Strikes Twice
7-Nothing Can Stop Us
8-People Get Real
9-She's The One
10-Pale Movie
11-Shower Scene (Birdienumnums Mix)
12-Join Our Club (Hammond Inferno)
13-Action (JD's South American Nights)
14-Stars Above Us (Eric Kupper Club Mix)
15-Departure Lounge
16-A Good Thing
17-Burnt Out Car
18-He's On The Phone
19-Stormtrouper In Drag (Edit)

So how does one go about getting 19 songs to fit into an hour long podcast? Creative editing! This is my first attempt at this kind of digital mixing... there are a few spots I'm not too crazy about... but I can't keep re-doing the mix! So here it is: a valentine's gift for all Lovers!
As always: comments are welcome!
Happy Valentine's Day! Lovers unite!!
~~~~~~~~~xox

What'chu On About?

birdienumnums1-avenuepod@yahoo.com — Thu, 12 Jan 2006 15:54:00 GMT

Well... Just for fun, here are some traxx I enjoyed recently, and that we've been talking about on the linst (just so you know what people are on about!)
01 Battlestar Galactica Main Title (UK Version)
02 Living In A Fantasy (Radio Edit) - Bodies Without Organs
03 Crazy Boys - Rachel Stevens
04 Fear Of Trains - Magnetic Fields
05 Look On The Floor (Hypnotic Tango) - Bananarama
06 Lovebite - Bananarama
07 Showroom Dummies (Birdie's Triligual Remix) - Kraftwerk
08 Christmas Is For Cows - Clarabelle
09 You're In A Bad Way (Birdienumnums' What Were We Thinking Edit) - Saint Etienne
10 100,000 Fireflies - The Magic Whispers
11 Weekends Away - Math And Physics Club
12 Talking Backwards - Tender Trap
13 I Wanna Know - The Icicles
14 I'll Lay You Down - Primary 5
15 Another Sunny Day - The Happy Couple
16 In The Glow - The Flower Machine
Hope you enjoy it! As always, comments and request or suggestions are always appreciated! :)

The Best of 2005

birdienumnums1-avenuepod@yahoo.com — Sun, 8 Jan 2006 14:19:00 GMT

Well... Here is is!
Culled from all the "BEST-OF Lists" posted on Avenue in December and early January! I had to choose one hour's worth of music and here is what I came up with (of course I had to add one or two of my own favourites... and a specially re-mixed version of "Milk Bottle Symphony" exclusive to this podcast! Enjoy!!)

01 Mushaboom - Feist (from 2004)
02 Love Me Like You - The Magic Numbers
03 Things I Don't Understand - Coldplay
04 Milk Bottle Symphony (Birdienumnums Mix) - Saint Etienne
05 King Of The Mountain - Kate Bush
06 Precious - Depeche Mode
07 Super Pop - Madonna
08 Move In My Direction - Bananarama
09 Gone (Birdienumnums Afterland Re-Work) - Bodies Without Organs (BWO)
10 Number 1 - Goldfrapp
11 Ladyflash - The Go! Team
12 Helen Reddy - Trembling Blue Stars
13 Somebody Told Me - The Killers
14 Krafty (Glimmer Mix Edit) - New Order
15 So Here We Are - Bloc Party
16 Dare - Gorillaz
Comments welcome and appreciated, as are suggestions!

A Little Something For Under The Tree (Highlights)

birdienumnums1-avenuepod@yahoo.com — Sun, 25 Dec 2005 16:04:00 GMT

Highlights from ALSFUTT 2002, 2003 and 2004:

Pearly-Dewdrops Drops - Cocteau Twins
Here Comes Christmas - The Judybats
Frosti- Bjork
Land Of The Glass Pinecones - Human Sexual Response
I Don't intend To Spend Christmas Without You - Saint Etienne
Psychadelic Christmas - Her
I Want An Alien For Christmas - Fountains Of Wayne
Welcome Christmas - Love Spirals Downwards
Merry Jingle - The Greedies
December Will Be Magic Again - Kate Bush
Christmas - Brighter
Blue Christmas 2000 - Dead Or Alive
Santa Claus - Throwing Muses
Angel In The Snow - Marine Research
Santa's Beard - They Might Be Giants
Silent Night - Klaus Nomi

Bringing you the spirit of the season! xox