Inspiral Carpets - "Caravan"

Inspiral Carpets were part of the Manchester dominance that started in the 80's. We had already obsessed over Joy Division, The Fall, The Smiths and New Order - then came the Madchester scene featuring Happy Mondays, The Stone Roses, The Charlatans and Inspiral Carpets, to name a few. The Madchester scene was, or defined, the period of the late 80's/early 90's when indie rock was moving towards dance music. The Manchester nightclub 'The Hacienda' was also a big part of that scene. "Caravan" was a single from the Inspiral Carpets' second album 'The Beast Inside.' You can hear some traces of 60's psychedelic in their sound... but LSD was out and E was the drug of choice at this time.

STEVEN WRIGHT - Comedy

Steven Wright has to be the king of the one-liners.

Eddy Current Suppression Ring - "Cool Ice Cream"

Eddy Current Suppression Ring are a bunch of Aussies who like to take things back a few decades. "Cool Ice Cream" is like a lost classic from the Stooges. It comes from their 2006 self titled debut album. I love "Cool Ice Cream" so much I've decided to make it Bitter FM's song of the summer.... and it doesn't matter that it's seven years old. Better than a double cone hokey pokey with a flake sticking out.

Curve - "Horror Head"

Indie rock/shoegaze band 'Curve' are a distant memory now - but in the 90's they had their moments on the soundtrack of our lives. The shoegaze layered guitars were sometimes not too far from 'My Bloody Valentine' but Toni Halliday's dreamy vocals, also layered, defined their sound. Over time they evolved into an indie dance band. "Horror Head" from 1992 is a prime example of the MBV sound - but you can hear the dance/electronic foundations getting built underneath.

Moron Says What?! - "Wikipedia"

"Wikipedia" by Moron Says What?! has been getting plenty of airplay on Bitter FM since it came out on the 'Awesome Feeling 2' compilation a few years ago. You will never hear a better tribute to Wikipedia... quirky and catchy. But don't expect to find anything about Moron Says What?! on Wikipedia [citation needed].

SideKick Nick - "Something In Your Eyes"

SideKick Nick is an Auckland musician (aka Nick Buckton), who released his debut album 'Miscellaneous Adventures' under the SideKick Nick name in 2008. The songs were recorded over a 10 year period and that is where the album title comes from. "Something In Your Eyes" is a bit MGMT but mostly a great pop song. The interesting thing about the 'Miscellaneous Adventures' album is that it was released by Sony NZ. It's amazing that they could see the potential and the record buying public couldn't. It's not too late though.

Dom La Nena - "Buenos Aires"

Dom La Nena is a Brazilian born singer-songwriter and cellist. She moved to Buenos Aires, where she was trained by cellist Christine Walevska for many years. She relocated to Paris at the age of 18. After touring as a cellist in Jane Birkin's band for a couple of years, she eventually recorded her stunning debut album 'Ela' with Piers Faccini and released it on the Six Degrees label. Her hushed voice will win you over in a matter of seconds. You need to own this album.

Nico vs Trance Groove - "Reich der Träume"

Here is a not so well known Nico song "Reich der Träume" which has been given the Trance Groove treatment.... and is still not so well known. I can't really talk though - I downloaded it years ago and then forgot all about it.

Split Enz - Master Plan

In 1979 Neil Finn had a master plan.... and I think it worked.

Arcade Fire - "Reflektor"

Arcade Fire were on top of the world after the release of 'The Suburbs' and we all would've been happy with some more of the same. But that would be too easy, instead they decided to get more ambitious and have delivered a double album 'Reflektor' and it may be more challenging - not just because of the scale of the project. But I won't make any judgements until I've given it the time it deserves.... and if the title track is a good reflektion of what to expect, then it will be time well spent.

Those Darlins - 'Be Your Bro'

Those Darlins are a Nashville garage-rock band who formed in 2006. With 3 albums to date, it was their second 'Screws Get Loose' that was much more garage-rock than the other two. But regardless of genre or style, they are a likable and fun band. A single "Be Your Bro" from 'Screws Get Loose' is a great example of their wit. When Jessi Darlin sings "I just wanna I just wanna be your brother - You just wanna be my boyfriend. I just wanna run and play in the dirt with you - You just wanna stick it in" you know how the story goes.... but it's a great way to be reminded about our differences.

Courtney Barnett - "Avant Gardener"

Okay, we have Lorde, but you have to admire our mates from the West Island - or Australia if you have no idea what I'm talking about. Those Aussie cousins of ours are ruling the underground at the moment. One artist that is really becoming an obsession of mine is Courtney Barnett. She sings in an Aussie drawl, with a Bob Dylan influence that is like another band, Foxygen, who are Dylan/Stones prodigies. Pure coincidence maybe, but my last two musical obsessions seem to be Dylanesque. Courtney Barnett's double EP 'A Sea of Split Peas', which actually combines her first two EP's, is so good that I've been breaking my "Don't thrash the hell out of any album" rule. Pure Heroine!