Jenny Lewis - "Happy"

With the arrival of Rilo Kiley's 'rkives' album, I've been enjoying the unreleased old stuff so much that I'm now going through all the Jenny Lewis solo material as well, from the rkives on my iPod.... again and again. For this blog though, I've found a fantastic live acoustic version of "Happy" from her debut solo album 'Rabbit Fur Coat'. She seems so relaxed that even the puppet doesn't faze her.



Some more happiness



Now we're all happy.

Erik Satie - "Gymnopédie No.1"

Could this be the earliest chill-out song ever written?

Toro Y Moi - "Never Matter"

Toro Y Moi is the stage name for American indie/chillwave musician Chaz Bundick. We probably play more of his remixes than actual Toro Y Moi songs on Bitter FM - but I'm sure that will change over time. The video for "Never Matter" is proof that a good idea can bring better results than a large budget.

Lest We Forget

Today is Anzac day. The day Australia and New Zealand commemorate their fallen soldiers. I am going to use this important date in our calendar to remember a couple of musicians lost to us very recently.... from both sides of the Tasman. Chrissy Amphlett of the Australian band Divinyls died a few days ago at her New York home after a battle with cancer. The Divinyls will always be remembered for "I Touch Myself" but we will always remember the contribution Chrissy Amphlett made to music. She brought 'sexy back' to music... well before what's-his-name claimed to.

Divinyls - "I Touch Myself"


We in New Zealand were shocked with the news of Dave McArtney's death just over a week ago. He was a founding member of Auckland band Hello Sailor and went on to form Dave McArtney & The Pink Flamingos. Neither of those bands had international success but were well respected in New Zealand. The first single from the self titled album by Dave McArtney & The Pink Flamingos was "Virginia" and of all their songs, it's the one I remember most fondly.

Dave McArtney & The Pink Flamingos - "Virginia"

Pale Fountains - "Jean's Not Happening"

This post is a bit self-indulgent of me (a bit like Bitter FM, I concede) but I needed to hear this song again... as it had slipped off the radar. I remember loving it so much at the time. Somehow it didn't make the transition from vinyl to CD and digital over that period of time. "Jean's Not Happening" was a single from the Pale Fountains second album '...From Across the Kitchen Table' released in 1985. They were a post-punk band who liked to bend the genres. They had a love for 'Love'... that's Arthur Lee's band 'Love', but here on "Jean's Not Happening" they sound more like a blend of post-punk and white soul a la Lloyd Cole. The guitarist/singer Michael Head later formed 'Shack' and he continued his relative obscurity, while being critically acclaimed.
I need to transfer this song to digital and get it on air... it's about time we made 'Jean Happening'.

Veronica Falls - "Bad Feeling"

London band Veronica Falls released their second album earlier this year. But we're going back to a song from their self titled debut from 2011. The single "Bad Feeling" still gets plenty of airplay on Bitter FM. Like many young indie bands at the moment, they are influenced by the sound of the 60's and 70's. If you told people that this song was by the actual grandchildren of 'The Mamas & The Papas', I'm sure most would believe you. No bad feeling here.

Jack White - Record store day 2013

It is Record Store Day today, which is a big day for music geeks and musicians. It does help to live in a big city though. I called in at the local CD shop, just in case they had some new vinyl for the occasion, but it wasn't to be. Okay, I didn't really expect them to, or even blame them for not getting involved.... in fact, Jason from the CD shop informed me that we are lucky to even have a CD shop, as some nearby towns i.e. Rotorua, no longer do. I wasn't going to let that stop me, it is Record Store Day after all, so I'm not going home without some vinyl, end of story. I only had one option, an option that wasn't anything new to me, I should add. Obviously it was going to be a tour of the Op Shops and I just happen to know them quite well. The only problem is the amount of James Last, Mantovani, Richard Clayderman and Roger Whittaker albums you have to sift through on your quest, which usually ends up fruitless... other than the knowledge that those artists must've sold truckloads of records that were (possibly) hardly played. It was the Hospice shop that paid dividends for me today. The price of $1 for 5 records has bargain written all over it. But (yes there is a but), it is actually hard to find 5 that you would want to take home, unless, of course, you are a fan of James Last and co. For anyone still reading this post - I will list my Record Store Day purchases below....
I haven't googled or wikipedia'd any of the records at this stage, so my knowledge of these records is exactly the same as when I bought them.
Record 1, 'From the Meticulous to the Sublime' by Blossom Dearie. Condition VG. I don't know anything about this artist whatsoever, which is exactly what I'm after with Op Shop purchases, other than the Beatles Butcher Cover or similar.
Record 2, 'The Best of' by Johnny Tillotson. Condition Excellent. As above... not familiar to me at all.
Record 3, 'No Regrets' by The Walker Brothers. Condition Excellent. It looks a bit dodgy going by the cover... like it is well after their peak. It also seems to be a covers record... but it is The Walker Brothers, so there is at least some credibility. Anyway, at 20 cents, no big deal if it stinks.
Record 4, 'Words & Music' by Jackie Trent & Tony Hatch. Condition VG. I've got a few Jackie Trent EP's so I'm familiar with the twee 60's sound. This was an obvious choice when it presented itself.
Record 5, 'The Best of' by Louis Armstrong. Condition VG. This is a double album in a sublime gatefold sleeve. And it features my favourite Louis Armstrong song "La Vie En Rose".... the gold nugget of my Record Store Day purchases.
Not quite living up to a visit to Real Groovy Records... but at least I can say I participated in Record Store Day.


The Record Store Day video below, featuring Jack White, is proof that he isn't just a brilliant musician... it is hilarious.