Discoggs 7 - The one where I got ready for Winter

Brrrrr. The weather's closing in. And it's nearly December. Let's shut the doors and draw the curtains. Here's a Winter mixtape for you.





Angel in the Snow - Elliott Smith
Howling Light - J. Tillman (you'll have heard him on my previous mixtapes as Father John Misty)
Snowy Atlas Mountains - Fionn Regan
Snow Plow - Bahamas (as seen at the Borderline earlier this month. Just wonderful)
White Winter Hymnal - Fleet Foxes
Winter is Blue - Vashti Bunyan
A Hazy Shade of Winter - Simon & Garfunkle
Doughnut for a Snowman - Guided by Voices
Fox in the Snow - Belle & Sebastian
Valley Winter Song - Fountains of Wayne
Snow Days - Real Estate
Winter Birds - Ray LaMontagne
Winter Song - The Head and the Heart
Winter Prayers - Iron & Wine
Sleet and Snow - My First Tooth
Lazy Snow - Down Like Silver
Gospel - The National (as seen on Wednesday, for the final time on this tour. It would need a separate post to deal with that one, but I'll restrain myself).

Discoggs 6 - The one where I watched loads of music documentaries

Mixtape number 6 for your enjoyment:



For those with eyes as well as ears:



Groove It Out - Lonelady
Minimalist and synthy with a funk edge that reminds me of Voodoo Ray? Yes please. NB - there is no video on YouTube yet, so there's an older track, Marble, on the YouTube playlist. It's equally great (but do seek out Groove It Out)

Tongues - Joywave ft KOPPS
The first band I saw at SXSW 2014. 12noon on a Tuesday, margarita in hand. Life doesn't get better, right? It took them until this week to hit London but they were worth the wait.

Borderline - Tove Stryke
I'll make a lazy comparison to Robyn and Annie, simply because she's Swedish. And I think she's similarly brilliant.

Somebody - Salt Ashes
Dark disco, as seen at Notting Hill Arts Club last week.

Mixtape - Tift Merrit
As gifted to me by the lovely Amy to mark my adventures in mixtape making.

Waiting Room - Fugazi
If you haven't seen the Sonic Highways documentaries that Foo Fighters have been releasing, you're missing a treat. I watched the first 4 back to back, reminiscing on times spent in each of the featured cities. Ian MacKaye from Fugazi/Minor Threat features heavily in episode 2 (Washington DC) and it reminded me to listen to this, which I did, 9 times in a row.

I Want You to Want Me (live) - Cheap Trick
As featured in Sonic Highways episode 1 (Chicago). Rick Nielsen is a guitar God, no doubt.

Pancho and Lefty - Townes Van Zandt
There's a bit of my heart that belongs to Townes. See the Austin episode (4) of Sonic Highways for more on him.

Polk Salad Annie - Tony Joe White
A Muscle Shoals classic. See the Nashville episode (3) for more.

Pepper - Butthole Surfers
Buttthole Surfers have been doing a fine job of keeping Austin (and anywhere else they happen to be) weird since 1981. See how Gibby is fairing now (actually pretty well) in episode 4.

Race For The Prize - Flaming Lips
Needs no introduction. Possibly in my top 10 songs of all time.

This One's For You - Ed Harcourt
Ed's in the news following his soundtracking of the Burberry Christmas ad, but I think this is him at his finest.

Autumn Sweater - Yo La Tengo
A slice of season-appropriate loveliness.

Until next time...

Discoggs 5 - The one where I went to Spain

It’s been a busy 10 days or so. Lots of shows, lots of miles travelled, lots to listen to…



Or watch them here...



Turn it around – Lucius
Islington Assembly Hall, 22nd Oct. Two girls, one voice. Astonishing.

I Don’t Want Love – The Antlers
Hackney Empire, 24th Oct. I was so tired I could barely stand up. They made me feel even woozier.

Goshen ’97 – Strand of Oaks
Hoxton Square, 27th Oct. Lots of hair, lots of heart.

Heaven, How Long – East India Youth
Mercury Awards, 29th Oct. I couldn’t be prouder of William. Not that I have any right to be proud but, you know, we love it when our friends become successful and all that.

Busy Earnin’ – Jungle
Mercury Awards, 29th Oct. These were my second favourites, judged only on how much I’ve enjoyed the album. That’s what it’s all about, right?

Conversation 16 – The National
Madrid, Spain 31st Oct and Bilbao, Spain 1st Nov. The fact that I crossed another country (again) to see them twice in two nights should say it all really. People get a bit weirded out that I travel so far to see them but in all honesty, no other band makes me feel so great. It’s as simple as that. Sufjan Stevens joined them on these dates, presumably to fill in the gaps left by Ben Lanz and Kyle Resnik I think. Both shows were great, but they were REALLY on fire in Bilbao. Maybe it was because the venue was basically a convention centre and they were trying their damndest to make it feel like it was somewhere with more soul. Which they did. And then some.

I Will Come Back – Holy Ghost
I didn’t quiiiite make it to see them in Bilbao. They were on at 3.15am and quite frankly, the free-pouring was making everything a little difficult by that point…

Walking on Wires – Cut Ribbons
Welsh pop sweethearts have a new EP. Whoop.

I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone – Sleater-Kinney
The much loved Sleater-Kinney are BACK. Time to dust off the back catalogue.

This Must Be The Place – Talking Heads
Late night listening.

Shake Ya Ass – Mystikal
Iggy managed to play this on 6Music on Saturday afternoon. F**k knows how.

Next of Kin – Alvvays
DREAMY.

Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence – Ryuichi Sakamoto
Great choice from Mr. Walker. It’s been my earworm all week.

Mercury Music Prize 2014

I'll be at the Mercury's tonight, rooting for our boy East India Youth. Regardless if he wins or loses, I love the record. 

http://youtu.be/tXNBIWqnYrw

Discoggs 4 - The 'I wish I was at CMJ' Special

I'm at my desk in London. I'd rather be running around NYC at the CMJ Music Marathon.

Here are the bands I'd be checking out this week if I was there. I'm such a loser.





You can even SEE them here...



Which ones do you like?

Discoggs 3 - Small but perfectly formed

With moving images...



Nowhere to Run – Martha Reeves and the Vandellas
It’s not love that I’m running from, it’s the heartbreak I know will come.

French Navy – Camea Obscura
One of the great indie-pop gems.

Little Record Girl – Bahamas
Taken from ‘Bahamas is Afie’ and gifted to me by one of my favourite people. 70’s country inflection, but made in Toronto in 2014. Makes me smile every time I hear it.

Powder – Gengahr
On top form at The Forum, Kentish Town this week.

Infatuation – Liu Bei
Liu Bei drew a big crowd, even with an early stage time at the Forum. And rightly so. Reminiscent of Money, who I adore, so this sits well with me.

History Book – Dry the River
I love these boys dearly, and adore the new album, but this remains my favourite track of theirs. I can’t watch them without singing every word back to the stage. They played their biggest headline show to date this week. I watched from the very centre of the crowd and was transported far from Kentish Town.

Make Up Your Mind – Here We Go Magic
I. Can’t. Stay. Still.

Affection – Foreign Shores
This was sent to me by a friend when I asked Facebook for songs to fend off heartbreak. Great choice Simon. I know nothing about these guys, but I like it.

Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings – Father John Misty
Another gift. What a treasure. The whole Fear Fun album is wonderful, but this Laurel Canyon-esque track is particularly gorgeous.

This Is Music – Verve
Play it LOUD.

I Ain’t Saying My Goodbyes – Tom Vek
The bespectacled one played Koko on Wednesday and it’s the tracks from 2005’s We Have Sound that resonated best with me.

Teenage Exorcist - Mogwai

I know I'm only supposed to write one post a week, but jeeeeez, just listen to THIS