This is my annual World of Song, by Toad Records podcast, where I prattle on a bit about the stuff we have coming up in the new year.  I play a couple of things we released towards the tail end of the year, and some stuff by some of the new bands we’re going to be working with for the first time in 2011.

I also prattle on at immensely tedious length about the ins and outs of running a record label, which may or may not actually interest you at all, but it’s there whether you like it or not.

We’ve got plans for some changes for the new year as well, with a new imprint for the label being launched, and a partnership with the Brothers Grimm for the creation of new lines of merch to go with every release.  It’s going to be a bit exhausting, I think, but immense fun nevertheless.

Direct download: Toadcast #155 – Song, by Toad Records 2011

01. King Post Kitsch – Eggshells (00.21)
02. Animal Magic Tricks – Heavenly Bodies (06.31)
03. The Savings and Loan – The Virgin’s Lullaby (18.45)
04. Inspector Tapehead – Sugar on Your Sheets (22.00)
05. Rob St. John & the Braindead Collective – The Whites of Our Eyes (28.11)
06. Loch Lomond – Elephants and Little Girls (41.36)
07. Trips and Falls – This is All Going to End Badly (52.37)
08. Jesus H. Foxx – Plans (Alt. Version Demo) (54.59)
09. Meursault – Another (61.34)
10. Lach – I Want to Be With You (65.56)
11. Yusuf Azak – Lay Me Down (Demo) (76.49)

This, boys and girls, is pretty fucking awesome.  And it helps you be a better person too, which is awfy nice of them.  A little while back Rob St. John was joined by The Braindead Collective (a droney, krauty bunch of London musicians, about whom I have to confess I know practically nothing) to record what is nominally a Christmas single, I think, although I am struggling to make out the Christmassy aspect.  Rob’s vocals never were very distinct.

Anyway, the texture and drama the Braindead guys bring to this song is fucking amazing.  This was recorded live in a church in Oxford in early December, I think.  So when I said to Rob that I might be tempted to take a little reverb off the main vocal his response was this might be a little tricky, under the circumstances.  Still, the final result is bloody good.

But before I forget, how does this make you a better person?  Well, the whole thing was recorded to support Shelter (you can imagine that Winter is a pretty taxing time for a homelessness charity) and can be downloaded from Bandcamp here, for the price of a donation.  Quite apart from the importance of supporting Shelter, this song is in and of itself more than worthy of a chunk of your cash.