Hrrgh.  I left a gig early last night because I was so tired from constant late nights this week, editing Samamidon session videos (3am every night, and one early morning meeting at Proper Job thrown in for good measure).  The plan was to head home and get some sleep, but it didn’t work.

What are your plans this weekend then, Toadlings?  Since the session our house has gone to hell, because I have been too focussed on the videos to do things like clean or tidy, and Mrs. Toad does fuck all unless I particpate.  And, frankly, who can blame her.  We need a wife.  Then on Sunday there will be football and some music plotting with a couple of friends of mine.  Not very exciting, I have to admit.  There probably won’t even be much drinking because, honestly, I’m too tired.

I am currently listening to the new albums by Antony & the Johnsons, Animal Collective and Andrew Bird, all which are no better than okay.  I’ve not listened to them all that carefully yet, nor, crucially, in the right order.  My phone is old and has a bizarre quirk of only playing songs in alphabetical order, which can be good for albums, but often just messes with the artist’s intent.  So I am not writing them off just yet, and will almost certainly review them once I’ve given them a proper chance.

So, please de-lurk and chip in with your Friday Five, and if you want to suggest next week’s five email me at the address on the contact page.

1. Best work hangover coping strategy.
2. When you give your house a ‘mother-in-law clean’, just how clean does it get?  If there’s no mother in law, who is your closest approximation?
3. Most trendy/haircutty band you actually like.
4. Most famous/stadiumy band you actually like.
5. Most annoying word people add ‘y’ to because they can’t be arsed thinking up a suitably adjective.

These all come from my time living on a fantastically cool Humber Keel Barge on the Thames, during my wild youth.  They look a bit like this, but without the mast and are deceptively large on the inside.  It was very, very cool.  This is a compilation I made of albums I wasn’t all that into, but which had some very good songs nevertheless.  I like that kind of mix – they make you remember an album quite fondly when otherwise you might never play it again.

Preston School of Industry – Straits of Magellan

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Obi – Incredible Jack

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Dan Bern & the IJBC – Crow (IJBC apparently stands for International Jewish Banking Conspiracy – the card)

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Lucinda Williams – Ventura

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Day One – Ordinary Man

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

And, just to send you off into your weekend with a snigger, try this little snippet on for size. Barack Obama might be cooler than I thought – the dirty little pervert:

Yes, we’re back and this time we’ve relaxed a little.  There’s a bit less cussing and ranting in this podcast than usual – in fact virtually no ranting at all, which is probably as much of a surprise to me as it is to you.

I’m looking at late evening music this week because Mrs. Toad and I were recently talking about the Chillout craze which kicked off about six or seven years ago. It descended into electronic muzak unfortunately, but there were some good things in there at the beginning, so I thought I’d have a look at it.  I’ve thrown in some stuff I find nice and eveningy and relaxing as well just to stop it becoming too tedious.

Toadcast #7 – The Chillout Tent

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

01. Groove Armada – At The River (01.31)
02. The Avalanches – Frontier Psychiatrist (04.32)
03. Calexico – Human (10.31)
04. Cinerama – Diamonds Are Forever (15.14)
05. Jazzy Jeff – For Love of Da Game (19.02)
06. Fear of Pop – In Love (23.12)
07. The 18th Day of May – Cold Early Morning (31.11)
08. Lucinda Williams – Ventura (35.40)
09. Lemonjelly – In the Bath (41.51)
10. Sandy Bull – Carmina Burana Fantasy (48.28)
11. The Hold Steady – The Chillout Tent (54.04)
12. RJD2 – Ghostwriter (57.36)
13. Edith Piaf – La Vie en Rose (63.22)
14. Marilyn Monroe – Through With Love (67.02)
15. The Divine Comedy – Theme From Casanova (69.50)