The Smiths – “Jeane”
This Charming Man (1983)
Rough Trade/WEA
“Jeane
I’m not sure what happiness means
But I look in your eyes
And I know
That it isn’t there”
Call me biased. It’s fine. I can take it. It’s of my opinion and should be recognized as incontrovertible fact that when you’re talking about the quality of b-sides, no one did it better than the Smiths. In their brief five year career which included nineteen singles, it’s pretty easy to see that each and every b-side was a thing of immaculated crafted beauty. Granted, one may quibble over the production of the early singles but there can be no debate over just how brilliant the songs were.
Case in point, I bring you quite possibly my favourite Smiths b-side and to take it a step further, one of my favourite Smiths songs ever, Jeane. Originally a song to appear on what was supposed to be the first Smiths record now known as the Troy Tate sessions, Jeane is a perfect primer into the essence of Manchester’s finest. The incomparable Johnny Marr’s melodic jangly guitar riffs, the most underappreciated rhythm section of the last thirty years in Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce providing the Motown-esque backdrop, topped off by the Mozzer’s kitchen-sink tale of a relationship gone horribly sour with no resolution in sight. Sadly, a treasure such as this lay hidden in a 1983 7 inch single on the back of the indie classic This Charming Man. Luckily it’s now readily available on the latest Smiths compilation, 2008’s The Sound Of The Smiths. Definitely worth picking up for the uninitiated and rabid disciples alike.
Where would music be without the Smiths…? I shudder at the thought.
It’s interesting how the electronic pop resurgence has started to evolve. In the beginning of the last decade, we had electroclash which was basically a lazy rewrite of anything from 1979-1981 featuring bad vocals, bad clothes and even worse songs. Fast forward from there and slowly but surely, the songs, production and overall presentation got a whole lot better as the focus sharpened largely in part to the bands getting serious about their craft. Today, the assault on the mainstream is well underway as quality bands seem to reveal themselves every week. Of course, the majority of them are coming from Europe as America once again plays catch-up. One such new act comes to us from the north of London called Fenech-Soler.
Already with a couple of singles under their belt, the band made up of brothers Ben & Russ Duffy along with Dan Soler and Andrew Lindsay, are putting the pop world on notice with their glimmering brand of electro. Their latest creation is a simply wonderful slice of new wave heaven called Stop And Stare. Clean production and dramatic crescendos are what grabbed my attention on this track. If I had to compare what I’ve heard from Fenech-Soler to any of the new breed we’ve been hearing especially in the last year, I would have to say they remind me a bit of Delphic as they share a similar polished sound though Fenech-Soler are a bit more upbeat and groovier.
Just another one to watch in 2010…It’s a great year thus year, wouldn’t you say?
“When you on the corner it’s too much drama
Livin’ with the police right behind ya’
It’s always more than a slight reminder
We livin’ in a war zone like Rwanda.
Before I go back to the heavenly father
Pray for me if it ain’t too much bother.
Whatever don’t break me’ll make me stronger
I feel like I can’t take too much longer”
Before they became Jimmy Fallon’s house band, the Roots were the pre-eminent hip hop band in all the land. Universally adored and fawned over by the critics, hopelessly underrated by the public at large yet treasured, cherished and beloved by those who actually like music. Throughout their almost twenty year career, the band out of Philly simply have done everything there is to do. Luckily for us, they’re not done quite yet!
The band’s new record, the long awaited How I Got Over will finally see the light of day on the 8th of June via Island-Def Jam. Yes, gang…happy days are here again! As you just heard and saw in the video, that is indeed the title track and it is a treat indeed. We’ve got Black Thought singing and delivering his world-weary rhymes as only he can. Earthy in its tone, Black Thought reminds us that as he looks around, nothing’s changed as he sees it. There’s still crime. There’s still poverty. The stench of failure still lingers from ghetto to ghetto. This is the kind of song the Roots are known for and are better than most at writing. No frills, no bling. No glamour and glitz. It’s simply how it is.
There’s really nothing else that needs to be said. It’s the Roots. Buy the record on the 8th of June.
All hail the queen of minimal electro. Simply put, no one does it better than Berlin’s Ellen Allien. Whether it be on her artist records, her mix records or her epic live gigs, Ellen puts her contemporaries to shame with her consistency and quality in her output for the better part of the last fifteen years. On 18 May Allien will release a new record called Dust, the followup to 2008s SOOL. Word on the street is that this will be a more accessible record than the previous releases with a bit more pop to go along with those bleeps and blips. Something that tells me that won’t be a bad thing as long as Ellen is behind it.
Just add this to a growing list of 2010 releases that beg to scooped up. Ooontz oontz oontz! The party starts May 18 when the record is released via Allien’s B Picth Control label.
The tracklisting is…
01. Our Utopie 02. Flashy Flashy 03. My Tree 04. Sun The Rain 05. Should We Go Home 06. Ever 07. You 08. Dream 09. Huibuh 10. Schlumi
So we have the first official single taken from Kate Nash’s sophomore effort and it is called Do Wah Doo. This is simply too cute. Is there anyone out there whose heart simply does not go pitter-patter at the tried and true sound of 60s girl group pop? I don’t think it’s possible! That’s what we happen to have here. A short but sweet ditty about a subject we can all understand: the envy and disdain we have for the person who has everything we don’t!
Can we be honest for a sec? It’s a good thing this is the real single from My Best Friend Is You because the “leaked” first track I Just Love You More was just not happening. It came off as a limp and distilled karaoke version of Courtney Love which makes for some serious head-scratching given the fact Kate Nash is light years more talented than Love ever was.
Ending the song with the coda She’s A Bitch is simply priceless. Welcome back, Ms. Nash…
In antiipation of the release of their forthcoming debut record Animal, the lovely boys from autoKratz have provided a delectable new tune. This one is called Skin Machine. If you are like me and you found yourself knocked upside the head by Always More then get ready for another aural assault here. This one is more of an instrumental in the vein of something one would have heard on Simian Mobile Disco’s debut though a bit more on the sinister side. Chek it out and give David and Robert some love. Theirs promises to be one of the more highly lauded electronic records of the year.
Gotta give it up to our dear friend Alan Wilkis. The man has done it again. Quickly becoming the go-to guy for remixes among the indie sector, Wilkis has a knack for retaining the integrity of the original track but adding just enough flavour to make the interpretation fresh and worth listening to. His latest victim is RJD2, a most worthy adversary. From his latest release, The Colossus, it’s The Shining Path that gets the remixed treatment here and it’s quite good. The slick 70s funk vibe is always good to go and personally speaking, I’ve long been a fan of the good old fashioned funk bass sound. Simply can’t get enough…
So there it is. Enjoy the mix. Keep them coming, Alan!
Hot off the presses. It’s the promotional film for Stylo, the new single from Gorillaz.The “band” is on the road in a pretty fierece El Camino being chased by the cops and…by Bruce Willis? When you have a simply awesome single as in the case of Stylo, it’s a given that the video has to match and the team of Albarn and Hewlett surely do not disappoint.
Remember, kids. Plastic Beach is out next Tuesday!
2008’s debut Antidotes from Oxford quintet Foals was a frenetic excursion into the realms of math-rock, dance-punk and new wave wonderfully put together by Dave Sitek (TV On The Radio, Yeah Yeah Yeahs). Fast forward to 2010. The band change producers and scope and we get this… Spanish Sahara. The first offering from the band’s second record to be called Total Life Forever. Gone are Yannis’ yelps and skips. Gone is the sound of a band on a constant sugar rush. No. What we have here is a band who traded in immediacy for sonic textures and mood. It’s done with brilliant effect. The song simply builds and builds and doesn’t let go for a second. Yannis Phillipakis guides the song along with an almost chant-like melody before the song unfurls and we get our reward at the 4.13 mark.
If Spanish Sahara is a hint of what to expect then it’s not far-fetched to say that Foals are going to have a lot to say in 2010. Brilliant.
The Purple One is with us yet again. Prince is back with a brand new edition. Last month he showed off his team spirit by supporting his hometown Minnesota Vikings with a fight song, Prince shows his love for Minnesota Public Radio with another new ditty. This one is called Cause & Effect. A bit of a throwback tune featuring some traditional Prince riffing that we’ve only heard in sporadic bursts over the last decade and a half. What do we think?
if you are the copyright holder of any such media placed on this site and would like it removed, please feel free to get in contact with me
if you would like to submit material for consideration to be featured, you may also contact me
if you need advice on love, life, what music to buy, you can reach me at the same address. if it's a funny question, i'll even place it on the blog!
Stalk Me.