Damon Albarn ‘The Marvellous Dream’

This amazing new song from one of Albarn’s many new projects, the opera Dr Dee The Marvellous Dream came to my ears today.  I love Albarn when he’s like this, a low key melancholy son of Ray Davies.  It’s actually quite Matt Johnson in it’s feel.  But it’s brilliant, musically and lyrically.  This year is turning into a year when people seem to be writing proper songs again, Weller, Dodgy and now Albarn.  There’s something in the air, at least where the old men are concerned anyway!

 

 

Advertisement

Paul Weller Starlite (Drop Out Orchestra Remix)

While the sun is shining and nudged by the latest Weller album I’ve been shimmying around the house to Weller’s summer single from last year Starlite.  Here’s the Drop Out Orchestra remix which kickstarted my day today.  The Soundcloud link has a download of it (the down arrow on the right).  Perfect tune for the Spring.

 

Its a girl

4.44am today she arrived. All nine pounds and two and a half ounces of her. Gorgeous.

Have a lovely weekend.

Dodgy

I’ve always liked Dodgy.  Years ago, before the Britpop days I worked in a recording studio.  Dodgy were recording some of their earlier singles in the upstairs studio.  They were nice guys, hairy, funny, quite often stoned.  But they had a great pile of cds in the room at all times, Motown, Beatles, Who, Kinks, The Jam, etc.  They were always quietly one of my favourites during Britpop.  So I’ve been looking forward to their new album, Stand Upright In A Cool Place.  And you know what, it’s good!  Very good.  If you liked them before, and if you like the Head Brothers then you’ll probably like this.

Here’s the opening track on the album, Tripped And Fell: 

 

Weller Weller Weller

…uh, tell me more tell me more

 

 

I’m a little obsessed with the fella at the moment.  The move into Spring, and the impending doom have made his work come alive just a little bit more.  Here’s one of my absolute all time favourite Weller songs now, Have You Made Up Your Mind, which I adore.  It’s great that one of my favourites by him is from so late in his career.  Never thought that he’d get me quite as much again as he used to.

 

This is an acoustic version from a b-side a few years ago.

 

Any Day Now

No, not the song, the baby. Just sitting tight, commuting back and forth, half expecting a phone call when I’m halfway to London to turn around.

Meanwhile in the real world the new Weller album comes out soon. That Dangerous Age is the current single and the studio version sounds very Blur doing Bowie. But have a listen to this performance from the Jonathan Ross Show. Live (and this should be no surprise) it turns into a Small Faces tune. Which is a good thing obviously.