Alright Alright – The Beatsteaks. (album: Boombox) I know very little about The Beatsteaks, but I know when a song makes me jealous I didn’t write it. Everything about this track makes me want to applaud the existence of other people. That riff, that verse melody, that chorus. The way they turn the same three chords around so effectively. This is genius. Typically Scott Sorry also loves this band. That just means I’m right. Dig it.
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State Of The Art State Of The Art – Imani Coppola. (album: The Glass Wall) Imani has a new album coming out. It is coming out very soon. This is cause for celebration and joy. Her albums are a life affirming confirmation that everything is gonna be alright. That you’re on the right road, in the right direction, and everything else is just change in the weather. Weather is nice, it means you can wear all kinds of different clothing. Imani’s music is like different clothing. Just without all that cloth.
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 I’ll Have Mercy I’ll Have Mercy – Phantom Limb (album: The Pines) The greatest thing to come out of Bristol since Bugs & Drugs? You betcha. Just listen to Yolanda sing to you. To YOU. Direct. Who else does that? Admit it, even your favourite artist sing slightly over your shoulder, checking to see if they’re missing any action going on behind you. Not Yolanda. To her YOU are the action. You are the most important person in the world. That is why you should buy this album. And vote for them in the best new band category in the Classic Rock awards: http://awards.classicrockmagazine.com/best-new-band/phantom-limb
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Boke Boke – LaFaro  (album: Easy Meat) Next time someone starts flapping on about there being no decent new music around, take this song and smush it into their face like a big, over ripe grapefruit. Don’t worry about their emotional reaction. They will laugh. And then they will thank you for allowing the planets to align and restoring order to a cynical world. They may ask for a towel, they may not, but one thing is for certain, they will go out and buy Easy Meat by norn irn’s LaFaro. And you will too. You both deserve it.
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 Get Action! Get Action!- The Delgados (album: Universal Audio) Like most amazing bands you missed first time around, Scotland’s The Delgados aren’t going anymore. But don’t let that put you off wallowing in their grand pop like they’re all around us. They are. Still. Kind of. Buy this album, or buy Hate, another of their astounding releases. The Great Eastern was great as well. I covered this song for Mutation: The Frankenstein Effect. Sadly it didn’t make the final album. If you go and buy a Delgados album, and show me the receipt, I’ll see what I can do about making it available at some point.
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Values Values- Hamell On Trial (album: Songs For Parents Who Enjoy Drugs) I’ve only recently become obsessed with Ed Hamell. You know how you’re busy, and anyway you have enough music on your iPod, like who needs more? What could anything else have to offer that I/you don’t already have? We often forbid ourselves new sonic adventures in the name of cynicism, but all is not lost. That fresh love that comes with a brand new personality spouting their magnetic philosophies is only a purchase away. Hamell On Trial offers so much in the way of smart lyrical value that you’ll want to pay twice for this. Don’t. Buy two of his albums instead.
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 All Of My Lovin’  All Of My Lovin’- Valley Lodge (album: Valley Lodge) Because you might be hitting the town tonight, I figured I’d give you a big, fat smile to take out with you. Valley Lodge are the brainchild of the very talented, very funny and devastatingly alluring @mrdavehill. Check out the video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7uIvzORjB2E, it has naked person furniture. It has Eddie Eyeball playing bass. There is nothing here you cannot love.
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Drama Queen Drama Queen – Switches (album: Lay Down The Law) Remember Switches? Of course you don’t. They made like one album and disappeared under a wave of substandard mulch designed to sell better and then implode. So many years of disposable music can really make a person believe that there is no sunshine. There is no goodness. Like in that movie Brazil. There is goodness though, there’s plenty of it. You just need to dig a little deeper. Or get someone to dig deeper for you, like me, for instance. I will be your sonic shovel. Just rinse me under the tap once in a while, willya? It’s filthy in there.
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Pop Tune Pop Tune – Shonen Knife (album: Pop Tune) Japan’s Shonen Knife are the sound of happiness made manifest. Like thinking all your favourite thoughts at once until you get pleasure brain freeze, these girls deal in the kind of glee that you forget once bills start dropping through the letterbox and hairs start appearing in odd places. They have a new album out, Pop Tune, and if you like yourself you’ll treat yourself to some sonic sunshine, and pronto. Hell, even if you hate yourself buy this and you’ll soon wonder what the problem was. You’ll be like “hey, I’m pretty awesome after all”, and it’ll be all to the credit of Shonen Knife. You simply cannot hate when you play them. It’s like bubblegum flavoured magic.
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Going To A Town Going To A Town- Rufus Wainwright (album: Release The Stars) If I was gay I so would. And you would too. Rufus has a new album out called Out Of The Game and you should own it. It’s an amazing return to form after a patchy few years of cabaret and piano ballads. Still, his finest moment is still this collection of baroque pomp and audacious grandeur. And let’s face it, who doesn’t love a bit of that? You know when an album is so good you can’t believe it only cost a tenner? It doesn’t happen nearly as much as you wish it did, right? Well, this is such an occasion. Don’t let it pass you by.
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Have a great Friday night. Be kind to your mind.