#128 – Friday Feeling

It’s Friday, at long last. Not because I’ve been working so hard (I’m currently jobless) but because shit is happening this weekend and I’ve been bored. As I’ve not been working I’ve been able to catch up on all sorts of music, new and old, and I thought I’d share some of it with you. It’s a varied mix, from Swedish alt-rock to some West Coast lo fi to one of my favourite Latin songs. Anyway, peruse, listen, browse and do any number of other things with the music. Finally, be sure to buy anything you like.

To start us off we’ve got some good old ska (actually of the modern variety, so ignore “good old”) from Antipodeans The Cat Empire. This is followed by a little something from the Buena Vista Social Club, and if you haven’t heard of them then correct that immediately. Watch the film and realise just how cool Cuba is and how much you want to go there. There’s also a dancey one from Parov Stelar, mainstay of the Electro Swing movement. If you like the song then you’ll like the video too, which you can see here. Finishing off with something very downtempo and sounding like it’s been drowned in fuzzy guitars, it’s Porcelain Raft’s cover of Nirvana’s ‘Come As You Are’. It’s (probably) their best song in my opinion and while this cover couldn’t be much further from it there’s a pleasant contrast between the two.

The Cat Empire – Hello [Buy]

Buena Vista Social Club – Pueblo Nuevo [Buy]

Parov Stelar – Catgroove [Buy]

Porcelain Raft – Come As You Are

This second bunch are from Acrylics, Tashaki Miyaki and our Swede, Johan Reinhold. They’re all next to each other as they are generally fairly chilled, with the song from Acrylics featuring Chairlift’s Caroline Polachek. Johan Reinhold sounds kind of Pink Floyd, with a little Fruiscante guitar and some pretty grand, epic stuff going on. Finally Tashaki Miyaki are our West Coast bunch, playing surfy rock with a little more melancholy to it. It’s rather pleasant.

Acrylics – Sparrow Song Feat. Caroline Polachek Of Chairlift [Buy]

Johan Reinhold – Shoot Me Down

Tashaki Miyaki -Somethin’ Is Better Than Nothin’ [Buy]

Nice one for getting to the end. That’s a snapshot of what’s been on while I’ve been job hunting this week. By all means drop me a note below to tell me what you’ve been listening to. And as a little something to end your evening on, here’s James Blake’s recent Radio 1 Essential Mix.