Bacon Fat and Black Devils

I wanna listen to this #25
Disco is not a dirty word #10
Give me some soul #3


A few years ago, I discovered a series of book published by ReSearch Publications called Incredibly Strange Music.



The book is a collection of interviews with musicians, collectors, weirdoes and hardcore vinyl enthusiasts. At various points in the book, the name Andre Williams is thrown about, often in regards to his raunchy record. I started seeking out his recordings, many of whom were incredibly hard to find (his stuff had yet to be re-relased at this time, at least in any official capacity) but I did find a quasi-bootleg CD of his early 60's recordings including such songs as "Bacon Fat" (a minor hit for Williams) and his most notorious record, "Jail Bait".



Williams' life is one of incredible ups and downs. The authour of the famous Five Du-Tones hit, "Shake a Tail Feather" who used to hang out and collaborate with Ike Turner later became a strung out beggar and junkie during the 80's but soon cleaned himself up and with the help of musicians and collectors wanting to hear him perform (and with a little help from The Sadies, Williams soon found himself recording and developping a new fan base. His old recordings have, over the last few years, been re-released by various companies. Click here to check some out and scroll down for a video of the man himself performing "Jail Bait".



Every once in a while you'll see something mentioned on a blog and pay no attention to it. Six months later it pops up again. Then someone plays you something. At this point you're kicking yourself for not checking it out earlier. Such is the case with Black Devil Disco Club.



Originally released in 1978 and revered by disco enthusiasts (not to mention hard to find) this album was brought to light in 2004 by Rephlex Records. While this may have caused the album to lose its record-collector-geek-sheen, it soon found itself blowing the minds of many a disco fiend not only for its pedigree, but for the sheer dark and beautiful imagination behind its grooves. The album, written and composed by Bernard Favre, was soon followed, almost 30 years later since its original release, by two more albums, "28 After" and "Eight Oh Eight" (not to mention a few 12"s).

MP3:Black Devil Disco Club, "Timing, Forget The Timing


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Moody Morning Music for August 19th 2008


Stars, "The Beginning after the end", In Our Bedroom after the war
Hidden Cameras, "We Oh We", Mississauga Goddamn
Buck 65 feat. Laura Peek & Mike Catano, "Kennedy Killed The Hat"
Adem, "To Cure A Weakling Child + Boy/Girl Song", Takes
Islands, "The Arm", Arm's Way
Wolf Parade, "Soldier's Grin", At Mount Zoomer
Beck, "Profanity Prayers", Modern Guilt
Dog Day, "Bullet", Oh Dead Life EP
The Stolen Minks, "Minks Riot"
The Stolen Minks, "Black Widow"
The Stolen Minks, "Rip It Up", Family Boycott
The Stolen Minks. "Peppermint Twist"
Superfantastics, "Tonight, Tonite", Pop-Up Book
Junior Byron, "Dance To The Music"
Kid Creole & The Coconuts, "Double On Back", Going Places: The August Darnell Years 1974-1982
T-Connection, "Groove To Get Down"
Hercules & Love Affair, "Blind", S/T
Cut Copy, "Hearts On Fire", In Ghost Colours
CSS, "Left Behind", Donkey
MSTRKRFT, "Bounce (Feat. N.O.R.E.)"
N.E.R.D., "Everyone Nose"
Holy Fuck, "Milkshake", LP


Moody Morning Music For August 16th, 2008

Stars, "The Beginning after the end", In Our Bedroom after the war
Caribou, "Melody Day (Four Tet Remix feat. Adem, Luke Lalonde & One Little Plane)"
Old Man Luedecke, "Just like a river", Proof Of Love
Ron Sexsmith, "This is how I know", Exit Strategy For The Soul
Belle & Sebastian, "A Summer Wasting", The Boy With The Arab Strap
Tanya Tagaq, "I want (feat. Buck 65)", Ak-Blood
Beck, "Youthless", Modern Guilt
Brednan Canning, "Churches under the stairs", Something for all of us
Bloc Party, "Two More Years"
CSS, "Left Behind", Donkey
Duchess Says, "Black Flag", Anthologie des 3 Perchoirs
controller.controller, "Watch", History
Andre Williams, "Bacon Fat"
Buck 65, "Dirtywork", Cretin Hip Hop Vol 1
Danger Doom feat. Talib Kweli, "Old School Rules", The Mouse & The Mask
Hercules & Love Affair, "Raise Mer Up", S.T
Candi Staton, "When you wake up tommorrow",
Bran Van 3000, "Astounded feat. Curtis Mayfield", Discosis
Black Devil Disco Club,
"Free For The Girls", Eight Oh Eight
Yello, "Bostitch"
Holy Fuck, 'Royal Gregory", LP


Andre Williams performs "Jail Bait"

Girls On Stage And Boys On The Floor!

I'm in the mood for this #24
Disco is not a dirty word #9
New releases #7

I'm so excited and I just can't hide it.


Image by Yo Rodeo!

One of my favorite Halifax bands, The Stolen Minks are launching a new CD on Friday, August 22nd at Gus' Pub, here in Halifax.

(It's a bit of a contentious trifecta between them, Dog Day and Windom Earle. It's only contentious for me, because I don't like to choose.),

Apparently, there will be a cupcake eating contest, which makes me incredibly giddy. Also playing are Halifax wunderkinds-cum-legends The Maynards (one of whom is actually my next door neighbour, howya doin' Heath?), Bloodsport as well as Memories Attack.

I'll be there with bells (and my Stolen Minks t-shirt) on. Check the thread on Halifax Locals for more info.




Strut Records has done it again.

Kid Creole & The Coconuts's latin-inflected disco magic has been collected on various compilations (see below) yet remains mostly forgotten save by die hard disco fanatics. I remember seeing his records in bins at record stores, but I never really gave them a spin. This compilation, entitled "Going Places: The August Darnell Years" makes me regret my poor selector choices. The Kid (Darnell himself) worked as a producer before starting his own band, working on tracks for Cristina among others.

One of these tracks, the compilation's opener, is by Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band entitled "Sunshowers". Sound familiar ?

MP3: Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band, "Sunshowers"

And speaking of disco...




A big shout out to my friend Frank B for giving me a copy of the Mutant Disco compilations as well as the first two Disco (Not Disco) comps. I, my blog and my record collection are forever indebted to you. If you wish to be indebted to Frank and myself, simply click on the links to discover the aweseomness of these albums. Also, for your perusal, scroll down for a video of one of the tracks from the second Disco Not Disco compilation, Laid Back's anti-coke disco tirade, "White Horse". The track, as well as a few others, are played on this week's episode of Moody Morning Music. Also played on this week's episode is a classic bollywood track sung by Geeta Dutt, called "Meera Naam Chin Chin Choo" (My name is Chin Chin Choo)". It's one of those songs that you can NOT get stuck out of your head, so might as well indulge it and put it on repeat.


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Moody Morning Music for Tuesday, August 12th, 2008.

Dig it

Stars, "The Beginning after the end", In Our Bedroom after the war
Antony & The Johnsons, "Frankenstein", The Lake EP
Great Lake Swimmers, "Song for the angels", Bodies & Minds
Sun Kill Moon, "Moorestown", April
Bloc Party, "Blue Light (Engineers Blue Light Remix)",
Ron Sexsmith, "Thoughts & Prayers", Exit Strategy For The Soul
Laura Peek & The Winning Hearts, "A Name", From The Photographs
Brendan Canning, "Something for all of us...", Something for all of us
Beck, "Youthless", Modern Guilt
The Superfantastics, "Van Gogh", Choose your destination
The Stolen Minks, "Stop Talking", Family Boycott
Windom Earle, "Kitten Vs Pegasus", Gold Wave
Geeta Dutt, "Meera Naam Chin Chin Choo"
Dr Buzzard's Original Svannah Band, "Sunshower", Kid Creole: Going Places
Laid Back, "White Horse", Disco Not Disco 2
Was (Not Was), "Wheel Me Out", Mutant Disco
Yello, "Bostitch", Disco Not Disco 2
Ghislain Poirier feat Face-T, "Blazin' (Modeselektor Remix)"

Laid Back, "White Horse"



Geeta Dutt (as performed by Helen ), "Meera Naam Chin Chin Choo"

Fuck the Google

I'm in the mood for this #23
Give me some soul # 2
Cover me# 7


A few months ago, I discovered an interesting tunesmith by the name of Beaufort. What can I tell you about them? Nada. I know two songs, "I don't wanna die" and "Fuck the Google". I found a myspace (see link above), a few links to blogs talking about them, but very little real info. All I know is that I am now inspired to make all of links for this post google answers (this could get interesting...)and that I can encapsulate the brilliant simplicity of Beaufort and their lyrics in one simple quote: "Fuck the emo".

MP3- "Fuck The Google



Halifax keeps on getting good shows. First Leonard Cohen, then Jose Gonzales, Bloc Party in September and now, a (unfortunately forgotten until now) soul songstress Betty Lavette will be playing the Great Atlantic Blues & Beyond Festival on Saturday, September 20th. Her 2005 album, "I've got my own hell to raise" re-invevnted songs by female songwriters such as Dolly Parton, Lucinda Williams and Fiona Apple(???).



Speaking of strange covers, Adem has put out a new album featuring nothing but covers of some of his favourite songs, including "Boy Girl Song" by Aphex Twin and Bjork's "Unravel" (played on the latest episode of Moody Morning Music, see below). I'm such a sucker for covers.


Moody Morning Music for July 29th, 2008.

Gonzales, "Overnight", Solo Piano
Richard Buckner, "22", Bloomed
Beirut, "Mount Wroclai (Idle Days)", Gulag Orkestar
Neutral Milk Hotel, "King Of Carrot Flowers", In The Aeroplane Over The Sea
Laura Peek & The Winning Hearts, "Stand Right There", From The Photographs
Mates Of State, "Re-Arranger", Re-Arrange Us
Superfantastics. "Tonight, Tonite", Pop-Up Book
Wolf Parade, "Soldier's Grin", At Mount Zoomer
Beck, "Gamma Rays", Modern Guilt
Vancougar, "Unmanned", Canadian Tuxedoes
Gonazales, "Working Together", Soft Power
Lyn Collins, "Think About It"
Sharon Jones & Dap Kings, "How Long Do I have To Wait", Naturally
Carrie Lucas, "Dance With You"
Kid Creole, "Double On Back", Going Places
King Khan & The Shrines, "Land Of The Freak", The Supreme Genius Of...
Buck 65, "Dang", Situation
Ghislain Poirier, "Blazin'", No Ground Under
Ratatat, "Mirando", LP3
CSS, "Jager Yoga", Donkey
Beaufort, "Fuck The Google"
Peaches, "Shake Yer Dix", FatherFucker
N.E.R.D., "Everyone Nose"
Annie, "Loco"


Moody Morning Music for August 5thm 2008

Gonzales, "Overnight", Solo Piano
Archivist, "Fanulous Muscles",
Final Fantasy, "Many Lives --> 49 MP", He Poos Clouds
Adem, "Unravel", Takes
Watson Twins, "Just Like Heaven", Fire Songs
Wax Mannequin, "Animals Jump", Orchard & ire
Got to get got, "Blood tests", Canadian Arts Collective
Dog Day "Night Group", Night Group
Wolf Parade, "California Dreamer", At Mount Zoomer
Betty Lavette, "You're a man of words, I'm a woman of action"
Baby Huey, "Hard Times"
Buck 65, "Spooked", Cretin Hip Hop Vol 1
Danger Doom, "Old School Rules", The Mouse & The Mask
Girl Talk, "Let Me See You", Feed The Animals
Liquid Liquid, "Cavern"
Ian Dury & The Blockheads, "Spasticus Autisticus"
Hercules & Love Affair, "This is my love", S/T
Kid Creole, "Double ON Back",
CSS, "Move", Donkey
Annie, "I know your girlfriend hates me"
The Ting Tings, "That's not my name"
Bloc Party, "Flux"

Disco Reaffirmations

This Man Is
Saving My Life

So in a world where any kid with Torque, a laptop and the "right" MP3's (320KBPS if you're going to play those MP3's in public please?) can call themselves a DJ, i've kinda lost my faith in disco dancing.

Enter Jacques Renault, the man can throw down, he plays the "wrong" records in the right order, on occassion he trainwrecks, he can re-edit a record within an inch of it's life, and along with production partner Marcos Cabral as Runaway produced one of the best dance jams of 2008.

It's called "Brooklyn Club Jam", It's out on a Rekids/DFA (those DFA boys are getting into the cross Label pollination aren't they) and it will tear your ass apart.

http://www.myspace.com/rrrunaway
(I was going to post the MP3, but that feels kinda cheap, just go buy it)

Jacques Renault along with Mike Simonetti (who I shook my shit to several weeks ago in Toronto) and Tim Sweeney are keeping my disco elitist ways alive.

Respect!

Maybe I am just old...

I think perhaps I have hit that point where "those damn kids need to stay off my lawn."

This is again a Facebook re-post rant in reaction to Adbusters recent hipster article. I am not even posting a link to it, that's how much I hate Adbusters. It's super vaguely music related, otherwise I would've left it on Facebook.

"Adbusters doing this article is about as relevant as them doing an article on those new-fangled "blogs."

I never thought my already low opinion of them could deteriorate any more. I don't even know what it is about this article except it's extreme irrelevance and pandering to demographics that wouldn't normally pick up their magazine except to bolster their own uniformed, and more than likely outdated (and seriously impressionable-very-much-in-need-of-sound-bites) opinion.

But you know I guess, really in the end, does Adbusters exist for any other reason?

Not that this is some weak defense of what some might construe as a "touchy subject," it's just more or less a "wtf? really? is this a powder piece by a local news affiliate needing to bump up it's ratings? oh wait no, it's an international magazine. huh. funny that."

but i also really hate adbusters, so i'm probably just being a dick."