Three of a Kind #90

God Help The Girl is the latest project from Belle & Sebastian's Stuart Murdoch, and by crikey they're good. They played a session comprising three songs - God Help The Girl, Baby's Just Waiting and The Psychiatrist Is In - on Marc Riley's 6 Music show the other night, and every one was a gem. If you like the sound of sixties girl groups, the best bits of eighties indie pop and/or classic musicals (and why wouldn't you, frankly?) then God Help The Girl are definitely the band for you.

You can download all three of the songs from the Marc Riley session at Peenko's Blog.

God Help The Girl's self-titled debut album is released today! Listen to more tracks from it on their MySpace page.

The Life of O'Brien

There was this mildly terrifying teacher at my old junior school called Mr O'Brien, a bearded Irishman prone to flying off the handle for no apparent reason. We used to call him Mr B.O. because a) it was a reversal of his initials; and b) because he had all the personal hygiene problems that you might expect from someone with such a nickname. My god he reeked.

Thankfully, despite sharing part of a name with my old form teacher, up-and-coming Bermondsey combo Lion O'Brien don't share any of the traits outlined above - well, not unless they forget to shower before taking the stage at gigs and then spend the duration of their sets haranguing the audience for not applauding loudly enough between songs, or something. But I can't really see that happening; they look like such a nice bunch.

One thing I do know about Lion O'Brien, having listened to their soon-to-be-released debut EP Raincloud v Sunshine, is that they do a fine line in infectious, feel-good indie pop. It's not often music that's submitted to us via email catches my ear but I was really impressed with these songs from the first play. Have a listen to lead track This Life and see if you agree!

Lion O'Brien - This Life mp3 (for 7 days)

The Raincloud v Sunshine EP is released on 20th July through iTunes and Amazon

Mock The Weak

Couldn't manage to get this clip embedded but I beseech you to click on this link and watch the minute-long clip therein featuring Labour backbenchers Diane Abbott and Keith Vaz and new Home Secretary Alan Johnson. It's the funniest thing I've seen for ages.

My Life Story - Funny Ha Ha mp3

Three of a Kind #89

I know what you're thinking: "Where the blazes can I find some nineties' Estonian synth pop along the lines of Stereolab and Broadcast with a dash of early Cardigans type poppiness thrown in for good measure?" It's a quandary for sure. But I think I may well just be able to help... in fact, yes - yes I can!


Existing between 1991 and 2003, Dallas (the Estonian band pictured above rather than the US state or the defunct soap opera) lined up something like this:

KRISTI KINDEL - vocals, synthesizers
HOLGER LOODUS - guitar, vocals
TAUNO PÄÄSLANE - bass, guitar
IVIKA NOOP - keyboards
ALLAN AMBERG - drums

You may also remember Kristi Kindel from her role in the heart-warming family movie classic Miracle on 34th Street, in which she donned a red suit and long white beard and - no, wait, I think I'm getting confused again.

Anyway, here are some rather good songs from Dallas's eponymously-titled 1999 album, one of which, ironically, is about an actual, legendary film star.

Dallas - Let's Split mp3

Dallas - Raj Kapoor mp3

Dallas - Sleeper's Entertainer mp3

Song of the Day

Twee-mendous!



Marine Research - Queen B mp3

The Mr Right Stuff

Elias of Elias and the Wizzkids fame is feeling rather pleased with himself; and why wouldn't he be, frankly, with a new single as utterly, joyously infectious as this up his sleeve (and a cracking video to boot)!



Elias & The Wizzkids - Mr Right Guy mp3

Buy EATW music

Three of a Kind #88

We're going late-70s German compilation crazy today, with a record I found in a charity shop in Braintree yesterday: High Life - 20 Original Top Hits. "Aus der rundfunk und fernseh verbung" (as they say in Germany).

The album was released on Polystar Records - which sounds like a made-up label from Spinal Tap or something, but which, upon a spot of cursory research, turns out to have released countless albums in a similar vein down the years. Well I never.



And what an album High Life is! Quite possibly the best 50p I've spent all year. Let's take a look at the runners and riders.

A1. ABBA - Voulez-vous
A2. Clout - Under Fire
A3. Oliver Onions - Sheriff
A4. Luv - My Guy
A5. Gibson Brothers - Cuba
A6. Dollar - Who Were You With In The Moonlight
A7. Golden Earring - Weekend Love
A8. Blondie - Sunday Girl
A9. Overdrive - Constantinople
A10. Nick Straker Band - A Walk In The Park

B1. Luv - Eeny Meeny Miny Moe
B2. Roxy Music - Dance Away
B3. The Boomtown Rats - I Don't Like Mondays
B4. Peaches & Herb - Reunited
B5. Milk And Honey with Gali - Goodbye New York
B6. Thom Pace - Maybe
B7. ABBA - Happy Hawaii
B8. The Sweet - Call Me
B9. John Stewart - Gold
B10. Rainbow - Since You Been Gone

A fantastic mixture of artists and styles, I'm sure you'll agree. I only knew nine of these songs before yesterday but I must say I've been mightily impressed with some of the tracks I wasn't already familiar with - even if the artists generally seem to be ever-so-slightly obsessed with aping the sound of Boney M or ABBA, or both.

Here's Dutch girl group Luv, for example, with the snappily-titled Eeny Meeny Miny Moe. (NB: No primates were hurt during the making of this song. Probably.)



Luv - Eeeny Meeny Miny Moe mp3

If you thought that sounded like Boney M, wait till you hear this bonkersly brilliant paean to the city currently known as Istanbul! I love this.

Overdrive - Constantinople mp3

Finally today, we wave ta-ta to the Big Apple in a song whose chorus is more or less an exact copy of Does Your Mother Know, only with different lyrics. Marvellous!

Milk & Honey with Gali* - Goodbye New York mp3

*So that's what Boutros-Boutros was up to before the U.N. gig came along. Figures.

Dream On, Dreamers

Those nice people at Friendly Noise have made the two songs that comprise the new single by Anglo-Swedish duo The Dreamers available as free downloads. The songs in question are Någon Annan and My Stupid Heart; the former being their first ever Swedish-language song. And oh look! here it is in video form.



Right click here to download both songs. Also, click here to read Spike's much more detailed Dreamers post from 2007, and point your mouse in this direction to buy stuff by the Dreamers and other fine Friendly Noise artists.

And relax!

Footsteps Look Listen

London tweepopsters Pocketbooks have a wizard new single they'd love you to hear. Footsteps is taken from their debut album Flight Paths which, like an unsuperstitious summertime debutante, comes out on July 13th.

You can also catch the band (not literally - well, not unless they've developed a sudden and unexpected penchant for stagediving) over the summer playing live on/at the following dates, venues and places.

Tuesday 9 June: Madame Jo Jos, London (with the Pains Of Being Pure At Heart)
Tuesday 7 July: Catch, London
Thursday 23 July: Jamm, London
Saturday 25 July: Indietracks festival, Ripley, Derbyshire
Friday 21 August@ P!O!P Kombinat, NBI, Berlin

But before the album and the gigs, here's that single!

Pocketbooks - Footsteps mp3

N.B. If Spike had been doing this entry she'd have made a much better fist of it than I just have, as she's a long-standing Pocketbooks fan (she bought their album at the London Popfest earlier this year, if memory serves). But sadly for them - and you - Spike doesn't really get round to blogging much (or at all) these days, so you're stuck with this poor excuse for an entry instead. (It's the way I tell 'em.)

Pre-order Pocketbooks' debut album Flight Paths here.

Pretty Vacant

Fancy owning a piece of movie history? Well, here's your chance, as Cameron's house from eighties' classic Ferris Bueller's Day Off is up for sale - and it's yours for a mere $2.3m. Have a shufti at the estate agent's particulars (matron).

Shall we have a whip-round?

Saint Etienne & David Essex - Relocate mp3

Sing Sing Song of the Day

This is brilliant; quite possibly the best summer song you'll hear this side of Club Tropicana. It really is (almost) that good!



^ 2000 remix

Sing-Sing - Feels Like Summer mp3 < 1998 original

Mildly Interesting Pop Fact(s): Sing-Sing were around for yonks but split up a couple of years ago. Emma Anderson (yes, that one) is now involved in music publicity in fashionable Brighton while singer Lisa O'Neill married the comically-named Run Wrake and went off to live in the Kent countryside (or at least in a house in the Kent countryside). Marvellous.

More Notes From A Small Islander

Hang on to your hats, readers! It's time for the third and, mercifully, final instalment from my childhood diary.

Thursday 29th May

Played my first game of pool with Lee. Also played table tennis and bar football. Met several more friends.

Friday 30th May

Went into Sliema to stock up on shopping. Roamed the games room and met more friends.

Saturday 31st May

Met more friends in games room. Dad ordered a car for Monday and Tuesday

Sunday 1st June

Caught a nice tan sunbathing by swimming pool. resist the temptation of jumping in pool once or twice

Monday 2nd June

did touring around country in car. got back at about 3 in the afternoon

Tuesday 3rd June

finished tour round country. after continued playing pool in games room

Wednesday 4th June

Walked puff! all the way into puff! Sliema puff! Us and Lee went along to rocky sand beach for afternoon

Thursday 5th June

went home and got home at approxamently six pm

Friday 6th June

went back to school. Boo!

Thursday 12th June

had sportsday. got through to flat race final came 3rd out of 9 runners

Friday 13th June

nothing happened for a lot of days

Wednesday 2nd July

went after school swimming with andrew at runnymede

Saturday 5th July

comic day. did same as I did on wednesday except did it with adrian

Saturday 12th July

went to Adrians barberque. comic day

Monday 14th July

had day off school. unfortunatly it rained all day! HUH!

Friday 18th July

went swimming at school. went to school disco only for 3rd and 4th year kids

Saturday 19th July

comic day. From 11pm till 12.45am watched Clint Eastwood film hang em high

Sunday 20th July

caught up with my diary. had beautiful chicken for dinner

Saturday 26th July

Comic day. Had to look after laddie for 2 weeks

Monday 4th August

fell over my bikes handlebars

Sunday 10th August

Mum and dad took me and ad to canvey

Saturday 16th August

COMIC DAY. FOOTBALL SEOSON STARTS. BURY 1 SOUTHEND 2

Monday 18th August

SOUTHEND 5 PORT VALE 1

Tuesday 19th August

mum and nan had market stall and found Richard and played with him

Friday 22nd August

SAW SOUTHEND 2 TRANMERE 0. I saw it

Saturday 23rd August

comic day

Monday 25th August

Went to SOUTHEND SEAFRONT

Tuesday 26th August

Went to Richards while mum was in wickford

Wednesday 3rd September

mum and nan went to sell antiques so I stayed at richards

Thursday 4th September

went back to SCHOOL. YUCH!

Saturday 13th September

Hereford 0 Southend 0. went swimming. comic day

Wednesday 17th September

got chosen to be a PREFECT

Tuesday 23rd September

went football. scored 1 goal

Wednesday 24th September

went swimming

Thursday 25th September

not at school cause I caught a cold at swimming

Monday 29th September

Back to school

Tuesday 30th September

football but had to play left half

Friday 3rd October

football at school. saw Southend play. Score SOUTHEND 2 MANSFIELD 0

Saturday 4th October

COMIC DAY

Friday 24th October

broke up for half term from school

Tuesday 28th October

WENT WITH MUM AND NAN TO MARKET STALL, BUT WENT TO RICHARDS AT 9.45am

Thursday 30th October

WENT SHOPPING BUT WENT DOWN RICHARDS AGAIN

Friday 31st October

WROTE OUT A FOOTBALL QUIZ OF MY OWN

wednesday 5th November

WENT TO FIREWORKS UP NANS

Thursday 6th November

Beat LEE CO. AT CHESS

Friday 7th November

BEAT TIM AT CHESS. BEAT DAD AT CHESS

Monday 10th November

45 DAYS TO XMAS

Tuesday 11th November

44 DAYS TO XMAS

Wednesday 12th November

43 DAYS TO XMAS. BEAT ROB AT CHESS

Thursday 13th November

BEAT LEE CO. TWICE AT CHESS

Unfortunately/thankfully the entries dry up here as I was obviously far too busy beating allcomers at chess, counting down the days to Christmas and starting my own CAPS LOCK FARM to bother keeping up with the diary.

And that was that for me, diary wise, until I kept this Diaryland journal for a while four or five years ago. (Although that one was more just a case of me arsing about and acting the goat than anything else. I know, I know, hard to imagine now!)

The Wannadies - Kid mp3

Notes From A Small Islander

Hello all. How's tricks? Rather alarmingly, and after several attempts at starting this entry, I appear to have lost the art of composing a semi-coherent blog post in the week or so since I last wrote here. So, while I try and remember how the hell you're supposed to string a sentence together, please sit back and enjoy/endure another gripping extract from my childhood diary. Hurrah!


Tuesday 19th February

Up the park there was a bouncy castle. Arsenal 3 Bolton 0

Wednesday 20th February

A. Villa 1 Blackburn 0. I saw it on telly

Friday 22nd February

Colchester 2 Southend 1

Wednesday 27th February

Emlyn Hughes This Is Your Life.

Sunday 16th March

Went to the Ideal Home Exhibition

Sunday 30th March

Went up park for game of footer. I got it!

Tuesday 1st April

Did lots of April fools on people. Liverpool 1 Stoke 0

Wednesday 2nd April

Broke up from school for Easter holiday.

Friday 9th/Saturday 10th/Sunday 11th May

Didn't feel well

Monday 12th May

didn't feel well. Last in the series of Not The Nine O'Clock News

Tuesday 13th May

Moved into new house. Felt better

Thursday 15th May

Went to Ians disco

Thursday 22nd May

Went to Malta for two weeks. Had to get up at half two in the morning. Got at Gatwick at half 5, flight took 3 hours 20 minutes. Got at Malta airport at half 11. Got at hotal Galaxy at about ten past twelve. Later on went to swimming pool for a swim.

Friday 23rd May

At the hotel there were a lot of blocks a and b for Pontins people. We went in a block. The swimming pool was on G block 1st floor (one of globals block)

Saturday 24th May

In reception area there's pub called the cats whiskers and games room where you can play bar football table tennis or pool.

Sunday 25th May

Went swimming in pool. went for walk along seafront. had ice cream. enjoyed walking on rocks. after that went back and played bar football.

Monday 26th May

went into Sliema shopping centre for a morning and went there and back on a boneshaker bus

Tuesday 27th May

went on the roof of our block and sunbathed. not for long though!

Wednesday 28th May

Saw european cup final. Saw it in the room with an Italian man commentating. Met Lee from Liverpool.

Well that's more than enough holiday excitement for one entry I think. Find out what happened next, next!

The Byrds - My Back Pages mp3

Back soon...

Look after yourselves. There's some meals in the fridge, some emergency money in the drawer by the cooker and your auntie Beryl will be round every other day to make sure you're alright. Bye!

Roman Holliday - Don't Try To Stop It mp3

P.S. Don't forget to feed the fish.

Song Titles You'd Never Guess From Their Lyrics #3

The third in an admittedly extremely sporadic series.

How great is this, by the way?



The Delgados - Pull The Wires From The Wall mp3 (for 7 days)

From the album Peloton

Three of a Kind #87

Out for a spot of leisurely weekend cycling this morning I saw two completely different people (as opposed to one completely different person) fall off their bikes in the space of a couple of minutes, on the other side of the road. Which isn't bad going considering I hadn't witnessed anyone come a cropper in such a fashion for absolutely donkey's years. Spooky, eh?

But yes, well done me for obviously having suddenly developed some sort of Damien-esque telekinetic ability to make bad things happen to people who are unfortunate enough to come into my line of vision, even when I'm not trying.

And maybe it's just the Antichrist in me, but I find there's something inherently hilarious about someone suddenly and unexpectedly toppling over sideways or forwards, as those hapless cyclists did (both of whom escaped serious injury and were helped back in the saddle by friends immediately afterwards, by the way). It's a bit like watching an old Charlie Chaplin or Harold Lloyd stunt, or something; comedy really is all in the timing.

Anyway, here are some songs to commemorate the whole coincidental, traumatised cyclists/blogger-as-possible-Antichrist incident!

Five Star - All Fall Down mp3

Roy Budd - Getting Nowhere In A Hurry mp3

Catatonia - Mulder & Scully mp3