This is all about my beepy-bloopy tendencies and how I got into the stuff in the first place.

I better point out, right at the beginning, that I don’t see there being any difference between indie and electronica exactly.  Or at least, the dividing line is so blurred and there is so much crossover that the distinction is completely pointless, really.

I think the only reason I really make a distinction myself is because I became a music obsessive by listening to the likes of Dylan and Tom Waits and so on, and then moved onto the like of The Pogues and the Waterboys – not a beep in sight, basically.

Consequently, when I heard bands like Saint Etienne for the first time, although I loved lots of it, I didn’t explore much further because I just wasn’t used to electronic noises.  In actual fact, by the end of the podcast I think I come to the conclusion that it was actually an electronic beat which I really wasn’t used to, mostly, but in any case, I found it quite hard to get into anything vaguely electro for ages.  Given that I could barely make a distinction between the two these days, that seems kind of odd, too.

Toadcast #104 – The Bleepcast

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01. The Pet Shop Boys – Rent (03.46)
02. Stereolab – The Light That Will Cease to Fail (12.09)
03. Dubstar – St. Swithin’s Day (15.25)
04. U2 – Lemon (23.05)
05. Jason Lytle – On a Piece of Wood I Go (30.49)
06. The Avalanches – Frontier Psychiatrist (35.57)
07. LCD Soundsystem – North American Scum (40.42)
08. Money Can’t Buy Music – We Are All Asphyxiate (48.59)
09. Magic Arm – Daft Punk is Playing at My House (52.41)
10. Parts & Labour – Fractured Skies (57.49)
11. Jon Hopkins – Circle My Demise (King Creosote) (65.13)

Apparently Brazil’s President or PM or whoever the fuck is in charge has recently gone on record as stating that the global financial crisis was caused by people with ‘white skin and blue eyes’.  Whilst a little bitter racism does tend to amuse me in the morning, I think he is only half right.  White men, perhaps, but actually I think you’ll find it was green eyes that were the problem.

Sometime this week I published my official thousandth post, which was cause for not all that much rejoicing at all really.  It looked cool on the stats page but, actually, it wasn’t my thousandth post at all.  I started this blog in November 2006, but an IT disaster a couple of years ago led to me losing the first five months of posts, so now it looks like the site only started in April 2007, which is a bit of a shame.  So my actual one thousandth post was probably written some time in December, I would imagine, but erm, Yay! Me anyway I suppose.

I am going down to London on Monday to interview Jason Lytle, of ex-Grandaddy fame.  He has a new album coming out on ANTI pretty soon, and Grandaddy were one of my favourite bands, so I am pretty excited about this.  Because the interview is for most reputable local organ The Skinny it’s all being funded by the label too, which is rather nice.  They’ve allowed me to publish it here as well, which is rather nice of them, so you’ll get to read it within the month.

So, er, as I head off to the King’s Wark for my weekly two-pint lunch with fucking fantastic fresh fish, please finish your British Rail sandwiches at your desk, and take the time to delurk and fill in this week’s Five Friday Favourites, as stolen shamelessly from the pages of GUT.  It’s always nice to see some fresh faces on the fives.  Frankly my regular commenters bore me to tears, and I secretly long for someone new and interesting to talk to (tee hee).  And nothing too vulgar, or I’ll tell my Mum on you.

And congratulations to Shonagh of the King’s Wark (and most importantly of the Song, by Toad comments section) for her weekend breakfast concoctions being named the best in Scotland by the Guardian.  Fucking brilliant.  I’ve never had breakfast there, but if her eggs are as good as her company then you can’t possibly go wrong.  Awww, wasn’t that sweet.  Quite uncomfortably so, in fact.  I’d better swear about something, just to get the right mood back.

Oh, and thanks to Dylan for accidentally supplying this week’s five.  You may have to be a little creative in your interpretations, but I figured that they were funny enough that they had to go up anyway.

1. When were you last in a house of bondage, and who had to come and drag you out?
2. Carved images. Love or loathe?
3. What have you done today that’s really going to piss off your great-great grandchildren?
4. Is it okay to go ten-pin bowling on a Sunday?
5. Which do you like best, your neighbour’s ox, donkey or female servant?

Grandaddy – Laughing Stock

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Lo-Fidelity Allstars – On the Pier

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Dakota Suite – The Cost of Living

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St Etienne – Just a Little Overcome

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Stereolab – Old Lungs

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I’ve always had a sneaking liking for Stereolab, despite their general weirdness. I’ve never know a group flirt so successfully with the boundaries of silliness, pretension, cool, dorkiness, art, fluff and god knows what else. They are simultanously a great artisitic endeavour and hugely enjoyable piss-take.

Funnily enough, despite loving them as a band, I’ve never been an obsessive fan of their music and I don’t ever listen to Stereolab songs individually. What happens is that from time to time I find myself thinking ‘Ooh, I feel like a bit of Stereolab’ and then I put on an album and just soak in the feeling of it as a whole. Their records have fairly distinct feels to them – this one being the most Saint Etiennish twee-perk-pop one that I can think of, although I’m no expert.

Generally there’s a bit more tension and feedback and white noise about Stereolab – more of a Saint Etienne meets Yo La Tengo I suppose – but this is generally rather swoonsome and lovely and extremely enjoyable. Like I said, I’m not a massive fan, but I am a fan and I will enjoy this, without ever really becoming deeply involved with it. Shallow? Maybe, but not every band has to be a singles band, and sometimes an album works better when you just put the whole thing on and let it filter into your day, rather than obsessively trying to understand exactly what it’s all about.

Stereolab – Silver Sands
Stereolab – Three Women

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