'FIRE ISLAND' (VIRTUAL 7") - A GRAVE WITH NO NAME

‘Fire Island’ – written and recorded on broken 8-track at The Church, 21/10/08.

‘The Outdoor Type’ – written by Tom Morgan, recorded on broken 8-track at Clonard Way 26/10/08.

‘Fire Island’ features my first attempt at playing drums, I guess I’m not so good at playing drums. I used to end our sets with a cover of ‘The Outdoor Type’ by The Lemonheads, and in retrospect I guess it’s a track which is pretty apt in so many ways. We don’t play it anymore, so I decided to put it to rest by recording a version with just acoustic guitar and voice – everything was recorded in one take due to the rewind button on the 8-track not working.

Side A: ’Fire Island’
Side B: 'The Outdoor Type'

Use the image at the top for the cover.

I’m playing a show with the band tomorrow night at The Fly, New Oxford Street, we’re also doing a Halloween No Pain In Pop show at Goldmiths on Friday. Both shows have great bands on the line-ups, so make sure to check them out if you come along.

HOTLINE

Since his tour of Australia, mad amounts of remixes from everyone from A Place to Bury Strangers to, um, Snow Patrol (get that money kid), our boy Laurence ‘Lillica Libertine’ Matthew Blake has embarked on a new project with singer Ronika called Hotline bringing to mind the sounds of the early-90’s house beamed through his own fucking weird psychedelia. I’ve had the privilege to hear some original material from these guys (actually, so can you if you click the link above to their My Space), and let me just say that Hercules & Love Affair a’int got shit on these guys, but here’s an amazing Hotline remix of their track ‘Blind’ anyway which morphs from Studio 54 to Detroit to theyear 2024 and back again in under 7 minutes. Enjoy.

'Blind' - Hercules and; Love Affair (Hotline Remix)

RAD LO-FI

OK, so apologies for not writing on here for a bit, but now we're back it's a good place for us to tell you about a few cool bands I've recently come across since writing here last.

The first one of these is Arch M which is the adventure of one very awesome dude called Corey. This track '21st Union', is honestly one of the best things that I've heard all year think Papa M sharing a mountain cabin with Slint and I guess we're nearly there. That really is Dave Pajo-tastic, or maybe I'm just obsessed with Dave Pajo at the moment. Anyway, I shared some beers with Corey in the dressing room of the ICA where he played on Saturday. In fact I shared so many beers with him that I passed out on the floor during his set which apparently he fucked up - maybe because he also drank too many beers.

Arch M - 21st Union

It's worth noting that Corey is also in a rad band called American Spirit who are kind of like a much more bitter, hipster version of real early Sebadoh (the Eric Gaffney tracks) but you know, in an awesome way.

Also, very much worth checking out are Gentle Friendly. I've been lucky to share a stage with these guys a couple of times and their single is coming out soon through our buddies No Pain in Pop. Imagine the midpoint between Hella, Trencher's casio grind and No Age and you get this kind of glorious racket. It's also worth noting that drummer Dan also plays in Banjo or Freakout and Buttonhead and is the nicest person I have ever met in my life.

Gentle Friendly - Five Girl Night

Finally, props due to Wavves, who find the mid-point between four-track skate punk and Pavement and as such the word 'gnarly' is all that can do this guy justice.

Wavves - So Bored

Most of these mp3s are jacked from our buddies No Pain in Pop . Tune in for more mid-90's lo-fi references next time, and please support all these artists by buying their releases.

'GHOSTS & STONES' - A GRAVE WITH NO NAME

Here’s a new A Grave With No Name track I recorded at my parents’ house this weekend called ‘Ghosts & Stones’. If you listen carefully at the end you can hear my Dad trying to get my attention, which the microphone picked up when I was recording one of the guitar tracks.

'Ghosts & Stones' - A Grave With No Name

Also, we’re playing a show this Saturday with the excellent Gentle Friendly. Hope to see you there.

A1 BASSLINE REMIX COMPETITION

THE DEVIL & WESLEY WILLIS

If you’re into describing people by the colour of their skin (which I’m not), or just plain lazy (which I am), you could describe Wesley Willis as ‘the black Daniel Johnston’. Although there are undoubtedly similarities between the two artists, (Wesley Willis was also an overweight schizophrenic writing alarmingly honest and rudimentary music throughout the 1990’s), Wesley's catalogue has as much in common with Biz Markie and Ol’ Dirty Bastard than it does with Daniel Johnston. His songs are more concerned with topics such as smoking crack (though he never did), beating up superheroes, his favourite bands and eating at McDonalds than wide-eyed, love ballads. Although it’s not intended as a compliment, you can hear the schizophrenia more vividly in Wesley’s music than you can in Daniel Johnstons’.

Towards the middle of his twenties, Wesley was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, his personal demons were named "Heartbreaker," "Nervewrecker," and "Meansucker” and he saw rock & roll music as a means to keep these demons at bay. From busking on the streets of Chicago, he developed a cult following amongst the city’s underground community and soon came to the attention of Rick Rubin’s American Recordings label with whom he released two albums (which sold next to no copies). He continued making music for the rest of his life which unfortunately ended in August 2003 when he died from complications relating to leukemia from which he was suffering.

I urge you to seek out his music which although at times maddeningly simple and repetitive (many of his tracks are insane diatribes set over the demo presets from his keyboard), also shines bright with invention and passion. Below is a five minute look into Wesley’s life which will probably say more about this artist than I can.

'LOVE LOCKDOWN' - KANYE WEST (YES SIR IDOL REMIX)

When I heard that Kanye West had put the parts to his single 'Love Lockdown' on his blog, I knew it would be only a matter of time before my buddy Yes Sir Idol would send me his remix. Idol has had something of a love/hate relationship with the first drop from Kanye's '808's & Heartbreak' LP. Straight after he had seen the live performance at the VMAs , he sent me a text saying something along the lines of "Oh my fucking God the new Kanye West single is amazing. How has your day been btw shall I come over on Thursday and cook for you and Ben?". A couple of days later when he was hanging out at my house making us all some amazing peri, peri chicken we listened to the studio version and I could see his mood visbaly darken - he kind of went a bit quiet and I knew that he was harbouring some serious 'disappointed in Kanye' vibes. Shoot forward a few more and he was once again talking about 'Love Lockdown' on some 'Kanye is the Stevie Wonder' of the 2000's tip.

Anyway, click the link below to download to hear this full spectrum of emotions evident in his vision for 'Love Lockdown':

'Love Lockdown' (Yes Sir Idol Remix)