This podcast is called the Greencast because we have the most hobbled government in recent memory – Cameron has kinda, sorta, maybe won, in the sense that he is actually the PM.

On the other hand Clegg, having been butchered at the polls, after a promising campaign, is now in a position of more influence than he was ever likely to gain from the election alone.

And yet Labour, despite being deposed, seem to have come out of it all better than anyone.  They may be out of power, but they are free from the millstone of the next few years of cuts, they can sit back and watch the Tories and the Lib Dems squabble for a couple of years and achieve nothing at all, and once the coalition has made fools of themselves for a couple of years Labour can pop up again with a new, smooth, television-friendly leader and trade on the inevitable failure of the preceding government.

So, as read in the Guardian, Labour may actually have won by losing.  And here are some tunes.  Utterly unrelated tunes!

Toadcast #122 – The Greencast

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01. Loch Lomond – Spine (05.49)
02. The Man From Delmonte – Drive Drive Drive (13.00)
03. The Magnetic Fields – Drive On Driver (15.24)
04. Modernaire – Bloodshed in the Woodshed (21.27)
05. Rats With Wings – Hungry Like the Wolf (29.27)
06. Pet Shop Boys – Rent (36.09)
07. David Bowie – Let’s Dance (40.59)
08. Huey Lewis & the News – The Power of Love (54.50)
09. Glaciers – Brooklyn (61.15)
10. The Moulettes – Bloodshed in the Woodshed (71.25)

Before the mentalism kicks in, some nice things. Firstly Los Podcartos have been extremely Toad-friendly this week, with two very generous pieces on what we’re getting up to at this end of the M8. On Thursday they published an interview with my good self in which, as ever, I talk rather too much. Fortunately, liberated from my own waterfall-tongued contributions, they were able to be just a little more disciplined in their podcast this weekend, during which they are incredibly nice about Toad things and plug the Wednesday Toad Night at Mono for all they’re worth.

Personally, I hugely appreciate that, because I am not very Glasgowy these days and am not entirely sure how full Mono is going to be on Wednesday, so if you are a Glasgow-based Toad person reading this then please feel free to spread the word and get as many of your mates there as you can – tickets here if you want ‘em.

On the subject of Glasgow, we have a special treat to start this Friday Fives, namely Adam Stafford and Emily Scott covering the Twilight Sad’s Walking for Two Hours. Apparently Adam has finished an album of covers and was just a little too excited by this one to keep it under wraps.

Adam Stafford & the Deathbridge Convention – Walking for Two Hours

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Right, the mentalism. Well, Loch Lomond get here on Sunday and they have what can only be termed a hectic schedule ahead of them: Fresh Air Session on Monday, The Slaughtered Lamb in London on Tuesday, Mono in Glasgow on Wednesday, The Tunnels in Aberdeen on Thursday, The Barrels in Berwick on Friday, The Queen Charlotte Rooms in Leith on Saturday, The Black Heart in Camden on Sunday and then a Toad Session and an Off the Beaten Tracks Session on Monday. Well, it’s their own bloody fault – they kept wanting more gigs and now they’ve got ‘em!

I’m on holiday and will be driving the bastards though, so I’ll be fucking destroyed by the time we get through all that lot. The Monday Toad Session will be hilarious “So erm… oh, whatever, just play some songs”.

Next week will start with a bit of famousyness too, with LCD Soundsytem and Band of Horses reviews pencilled in for early in the week. I haven’t really been paying much attention to major label releases recently, but as I said to the nice lady from Island Records recently: “They’ve no idea what they’re doing, the music they release is fucking shit, and they want total control of absolutely everything, so fuck them.” I didn’t realise she was from Island at the time, of course.

So, at last we come to the de-lurking part of the week, where you the people get to take back the conversation on this site from the same old muppets who spend their week bickering on here like a bunch of teenage girls.  Except me.  It’s all good sense when I’m doing it of course – I just meant everyone else.

1. The last time you spectacularly put your foot in it.
2. Favourite dessert.
3. Favourite desert.
4. Person you have actually met with a name to kill your parents for.
5. Your shoe size, as measured by any units you please.

Only four songs now, because you’ve already had one:

The Twilight Sad – Walking for Two Hours

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Casiotone for the Painfully Alone – Born in the USA

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Clem Snide – Beautiful

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Rats With Wings – Hungry Like the Wolf

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This is a bit of a mutual back-scratching exercise, so I thought I’d better confess my motives up front, but I think you all know me well enough to know I’d never plug something I didn’t genuinely like. The Waiting Room is a two-hour weekly podcast by a couple of muppets who actually give the shambolic disorganisation of the Toadcasts a run for their money in terms of sheer haphazard bumbling. [Edit: Sorry, they are a radio show that is also a podcast.  Broadcasts from Error FM, Wednesdays from 10pm. I think it's 10pm - I just listen to the podcasts myself.] One half of Drunk Country and Ms. Hope Eternal chatter on about not very much in particular and present some truly excellent song choices.

In the three episodes I’ve heard they’ve played the likes of Noah & the Whale, Man Man, The Magnetic Fields, Alaska in Winter, King Creosote and The Czars who are Toad favourites and also led me to buy albums by Rats With Wings, Jesca Hoop and Amy LaVere. So well worth checking out. Also, they said I was ace in their last podcast and with my colossal vanity, flattery of that sort was bound to be rewarded.

Rats With Wings – Hungry Like the Wolf Yes, that Hungry Like the Wolf.
The Czars – Lullaby 6000 This songs ends with one of the most gorgeous building choruses ever.
Amy LaVere – Killing Him