your 11 favourite songs of the moment, fuck.

Cachaito - A Gozar El Tumbao
The Contours - Do You Love Me
Aretha Franklin and Luther Vandross - Doctor's Orders
David Grisman Quintet - Key Signator
Lynyrd Skynyrd - I Know a Little
Mahlathini/Nezintombi - Ngicabange Ngaceda
Orchestra Baobab - On Verra Ca
Public Enemy - Bring the Noise
Raekwon - Glaciers of Ice
They Might Be Giants - Doctor Worm
Stevie Wonder - Uptight (Everything's Alright)

1. "Kidney Bingos" by Wire - Been on a bit of a Wire kick in the past few days. The friends of mine who appreciate Wire all seem to hate this track for some reason, but I'm strangely compelled by it. Has an odd plastic sound to it. Dunno, but I love it.

2. "Lucy" by Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds - I glom onto The Good Son every Spring since 1990 for some reason.

3. "Granadaland" by the Wedding Present - One of my favorite tracks off Bizarro. Electric strum frenzy and great punctuated quotes. "STOP TRYING TO TELL ME HOW YOU KNOW HOW I FEEL!"

4. "Dragnet" by the Vibrators - Off one of those somewhat embarassing Punk & Disorderly compilations from the early 80s. Not sure if its on any of their albums, but it's just a great, chugging track that kicks a big bag of ass.

5. "Burn" by Deep Purple - My Deep Puple kick from early in the week lingers on. Far and away David Coverdale's best ever recorded moment. Kiss basically ripped this song off for "I Stole Your Love" (if that sort've meaningless trivia means anything to you). The Purps fuckin' ROCK.

6. "Special One" by Ultra Vivid Scene - Like The Good Son, this album (Joy 1967-1990) is one I come back to every Spring. The whole record has a bit of a samey sound, but it works in its favor to my ears -- sort've a candy-coated continuity. I always considered Kurt Ralske (the one-man-band that is UVS) to be the Gallant to Trent Reznor's Goofus. Both are diminutive little studio musos with big ideas, but where Trent goes for the needlessly wrought, Kurt has no problem going all soft and mellow. In any event, this perfect little summery slice of dysfunctional romance (augmented by Kim Deal's angellic vocals on the chorus) is my fave track on the album. Like you care.

7. "Hannah" by House of Love - Opening track to their second eponymous album (the one with the butterfly on the cover) and it gets me up and outta my seat every damn time. "THIS IS NOT MY SKY!" When the guitars break through the whispery, encroaching fog like shiny locomotive, its practically the greatest sequence of plucked notes to ever grace my ears. No fuckin' clue what the song's about, but oof does I loves it. And seguing right into "Shine On"? FORGET about it. This rocks and if you don't like it, you should catch a chest cold tomorrow and spend the rest of your Spring indoors watching Ditech.Com commercials.

8. "All Mine" by the Cure - Wobbly recorded live fragment originally on the Curiosities cassette (widely available on a host of bootlegs). It used to be at the exact opposite spot after "Charlotte Sometimes" on the other side of the cassette (Concert), and I used to listen to them back to back to back to back ad nauseum. After playing "Charlotte Sometimes" (am I the only person who finds the live version on Concert to be superior to the studio version?), for my oblivious little offspring who shares its title, I had a hankerin' to hear "All Mine" again. So I've been playing it. Again and again and again and again. There've been other versions (I believe the song became "Forever", if I'm not totally wrong), but this particular rendition (just Robert, his guitar and a snare drum) is so haunting and mournful that it still gives me the chills seventeen years after first hearing it.

9. "3Am Incident" by Cop Shoot Cop - Prompted by that thread about how awful the OST to "The Crow" is (which morphed into a discussion of 90's OST and compilations), this lone track by the late, great Cop MotherShootFucking Cop (not available on any of their albums) turned out to be their swan song. After Tod [A]shley left the band, the rest of the boys stripped his vocals and re-recorded it as "Pushing Overload" on the very hard to get ahold of Red Expendables (CSC with Tod [A]) album. Stick with the original. "THIS CELL IS SO CO-CO-COLD!!!!"

10. "For Dear Life" by Prong - Prompted by that Prong thread last night, I was severly chastised by my better half for playing this opening track off of Beg to Differ at inadvertantly child-waking volumes (she didn't wake up, by the way, but she might've had it kept playing). Someone on that thread mentioned that no one really loved Prong, but fuck that. I love this track, and I loved this band (for a while at least). If you can listen to this song without grimacing manically and balling up your fist, you're probably a member of the Janis Ian fanclub.

11. "There is a Light That Never Goes Out" by the Smiths - The wife's been playing it constantly after I played her the new Morrissey single.

Ma$e // Welcome Back

He's just a bad boy gone clean. Oh, and these rap cats all got their style from him.

The Streets // Blinded By The Light

Sad fact: Since hearing this, I've been desperately searching for a club in the city that still does trance. No luck yet.

Stars // Time Can Never Kill The True Heart

Not sure how this rates so high, as I certainly don't recall listening to it all that much. I do love it though, especially the creepy vocals and the second ending.

Donna Summer // I Feel Love

That definitive disco thread's fault.

Ghostface ft. Jackie-O // Tooken Back

I adore this whole album (and the lost tracks), but this is the one that keeps getting me sidetracked. Best narrative in hip hop since like, Slick Rick.

Dolly Parton // Wildflowers

Let the mockery commence, and a pre-emptive fuck you.

X-Quisite // Sassy Thang

This has the best hook I've heard this year.

Emma Bunton // Crickets Sing For Annamaria

More fun than something really fun, surely.

New Order // Ceremony (Live in Barcelona)

I love anything Joy Division live (especially Disorder). Studio Joy Division was great and dark and epic, but live Joy Division, even without Curtis, sounds just incredible. Hook and Morris have got to be the best rhythm section in the history of music.

The Avalanches // Extra Kings

More and more I think this is the best thing released this millenium.

The Books // Getting The Done Job

I never really got into this album ever, even when everyone told me I'd love it. Now that I have, every time I listen I come up with a new favorite track. This is the current favorite, only because I never imagined a banjo could sound so funky.

Ellen Allien - "Secret"
Missy Elliott - "Let Me Fix My Weave"
Bob Dylan - "Obviously 5 Believers"
Steely Dan - "Only a Fool Would Say That"
N.E.R.D. - "Backseat Love"
Jason Forrest - "10 Amazing Years"
Magnetic Fields - "I Don't Believe You"
A.R. Kane - "Miles Apart"
Fiery Furnaces - "We Got Back the Plague (Single Version)"
Giorgio Moroder - "Looky Looky"
Rolling Stones - "Dead Flowers"

Ohmigod, that song is so much better without the video.

01. big joan – tiger
02. slicker – knock me down girl
03. br danielson - things against stuff
04. mountain goats – dance music (peel session)
05. murcof - memoria (sutekh’s trisagion mix)
06. four tet - my angel rocks back and forth (four teas on English time – icarus remix)
07. yourcodenameis: milo – all roads to fault
08. kim hiorthøy – track four from ‘live shet’
09. seiji – yin yang
10. p jam feat. vincent j alvis – real
11. margareth kammerer – as your nightly dreams

Suede - So Young
Suede - She's Not Dead
Suede - Moving
Suede - Pantomine Horse
Suede - The Next Life
Prince - Christopher Tracy's Parade
Prince - Under the Cherry Moon
Donna Summer - The Wanderer
David Bowie - Look Back in Anger
David Bowie - Wild is the Wind
and what i keep crying over:
Maria McKee - If Love is a Red Dress

Murcof – ‘Una’

Ghostface – ‘Ghostface’

First Choice – ‘Smarty Pants’
First Choice – ‘Yes Maybe No’
One of the most overlooked of the 70s Philly vocal groups. Their first six or seven singles were all terrific. I love the horn stabs on “Smarty Pants” in particular. There was a bit of a tailing off after that and when they switched labels, although “Yes Maybe No” is gorgeous, swinging soul.

Young MC – ‘Bust A Move’
Picked up the “Ice-T presents Westside” compilation second hand at the weekend. For some reason a lot of the West Coast hip hop stuff passed me by first time (if it wasn’t a massive crossover hit in UK). Lots of classic tracks here, but this one jumps out particularly on first listen.

The Pioneers – ‘Catch The Beat’
Rosalyn Sweet & The Paragons – ‘Blackbirds Singing’
Both from the wonderful Sweet Harmony compilation on Trojan from last year. The second song here is a cover of the Paul McCartney song off The White Album which most people seem to think is insufferable, tho’ I quite like it. This arrangement shows off the song’s full potential.

Lizzy Mercier Descloux – ‘Mission Impossible’
Kinetic take on the Lalo Schifrin theme tune.

T.I . – ‘I Still Luv You’
His parents that is. Aw, bless.

Usher feat. Lil Joneedstofallunderatruk & Ludicris – ‘Yeah’

1. 'formato minimo' -- skank
2. 'monkey man' -- toots and the maytals
3. 'argentinidad al palo' -- bersuit vergarabat
4. 'along came jones' -- the coasters
5. 'ballroom blitz' -- sweet
6. 'all the above' -- dani siciliano
7. 'smokey' -- funkadelic
8. 'precious' -- the pretenders
9. 'mr. personality' -- gillette
10.'chachimurenga' (future mix) -- stella chiweshe
11.'hecho en mexico' -- kinto sol

the ILM canon per this thread (top 10):

the streets
mission of burma
ghostface killah
magnetic fields
kelis
aphex twin
phoenix
mf doom
ma$e
prince

the ILM canon if you add together the votes on this thread and the other one:

radiohead
the beach boys
missy elliott
the streets
joy division
new order
basement jaxx
sonic youth
jay-z
aphex twin

bob dylan
magnetic fields
saint etienne
bjork
the beatles
low
the beta band
diana ross/the supremes
madonna
david bowie

devendra banhart - this beard is for siobhan
the dead c - bone
double leopards - hidden correspondence part 2
bonnie billy - three questions
white mice - cheesus saves
mtn. g0ats - international small arms traffic blues
can - vitamin c
pearls before swine - another time
codeine - d
ghost - comin' home
blonde redhead - suimasen

1. "Cheeseburger" (live version off Another Day, Another Dollar) by Gang of Four
2. "First Wave Intact" by the Secret Machines
3. "Unchained" by Van Fuckin' Halen
4. "Tupelo" (live version off Live Seeds) by Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds
5. "Good Morning, Beautiful" by The The
6. "Rusholme Ruffians" (live version off Rank) by the Smiths
7. "Wildwood" (Portishead Remix) by Paul Weller
8. "Richard Hung Himself" as covered by Slayer
9. "She's On Drugs" by the Jazz Butcher
10. "John Cope" by Talk Talk
11. "Frame By Frame" by King Crimson

So much better than the studio version.

YES!

"Mono" Courtney Love
"Super-fire" Girls Against Boys
"What kind of monster are you?" Slant 6
"Milkshake" Kelis
"Tom the Model" Beth Gibbons
"Pretty Persuasion" REM
"Devil with the Green Eyes" Matthew Sweet
"It was supposed to be so easy." The Streets
"Bhabiye Ni Bhabiye" Alaap (rough guide to bhangra)
"Bellemou" Nediha Gaouria (rg to rai)
"Pyar Ka Ha Bairi" Sangeeta (bhangra again.)

1. "Marian (Version)" by Sisters of Mercy
2. "Cruiser's Creek" by the Fall
3. "Get Low" by Li'l Jon & the East Side Boyz....I'm sorry, it's too tough to resist.
4. "Cheeseburger (live)" by Gang of Four
5. "Supernaut" by Black Sabbath
6. "Hole in the Sky" by Black Sabbath (my editor just gave me the Black Box, so I'm on a bit of a Sabbs kick).
7. "Nowhere Again" by the Secret Machines
8. "Creeping Death (live)" by Metallica
9. "TVC15" by Bowie
10. "Wild America" by Iggy Pop