Planet Claire, C'est Rectangulaire!

Yesterday one of my lifelong dreams came true: my very own radio show went on air. In my tender years I would spend every Sunday afternoon, meticulously recording the UK Top 40 on a C90 cassette, carefully pausing the tape recorder to eliminate the voice of The Hairy Cornflake, Bruno Brookes - or whoever happened to be hosting on that occasion - and replacing it with my own dulcet tones.

Now, once a month, you can hear my very own selection in podcast format on Radio Rectangle. I can’t promise any 80s classics from the likes of Rick Astley, Bananarama or Joe Dolce, but I hope to treat your ears to an eclectic mix of my favourite new releases and some older weird and wonderful psychedelic and soul treasures from around the globe.

Here’s the first instalment and some details about my selection. If you enjoy my show, please spread the word!

Give Me a Second Chance – The Wave Pictures
For me, one of the more original bands of their genre around at the moment thanks to lyrics wise beyond their years and their highly entertaining and varied live shows. This track is taken from their latest album Long Black Cars on Moshi Moshi Records.

http://www.thewavepictures.com/

You still Believe in Me – The Magnetic North
One of the finer moments on Pet Sounds Revisited, a Beach Boys covers compilation issued by Mojo Magazine last June.
http://www.myspace.com/themagneticnorthmusic

Puppet Man – The Fifth Dimension
The harmonies, the wah wah guitars, the threads! Impossible to listen to this California late 60s classic without a smile on your face.

Funky Funky Blues – Damon
A psych curio I happened on one day recently whilst rummaging around YouTube. Just 100 copies of Damon’s album Song of a Gypsy were pressed, making it one of the most sought after collector’s items going for a snip at $3,500 on ebay. Now reissued at a more democratic price.
http://www.damonthegypsy.com/

Lost in Dreams - Brian Olive
From former Greenhornes guitarist’s 2011 second solo outing, Two of Everything. This is how I imagine John Lennon would sound if he was an up-and-coming songwriter in the current climate.
http://www.brianolive.net/

Ruby - The Silver Apples
From their second album Contact which unwittingly caused their break-up. The band and label Kapp Records were faced with a lawsuit on behalf of spoil sports Pan Am who were unimpressed by sleeve artwork picturing the band in a plane cockpit surrounded by drug paraphernalia and playing banjos amongst plane wreckage. http://www.silverapples.com/

Left a Message – Death Masks
A lot of record company interest in this young group at the moment. Both tracks are winners on this debut single which can be downloaded for £0 at bandcamp. My brother plays drums, but a bit of nepotism never hurt anyone.
http://www.facebook.com/deathmasksband

Watch The Flowers Grow – The Wonder Who?
I immediately thought that this was an obscure Zombies track on first listen. In fact, it’s Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons sneakily recording something a little more flower power than usual under one of several pseudonyms that they apparently enjoyed adopting every now and again. It’s featured on Belle and Sebastian’s Late Night Tales 2 compilation amongst a bunch of other treasures.

Little Girl – Spiritualized
A band that never seem to put a foot wrong in my book, managing to stir up melancholia and simultaneoulsy lift you to a higher plain. This track does what it says on the packet.
http://www.spiritualized.com/

Cuts – The Bordellos
It’s a family affair with this North West trio of two brothers and their ultra talented son/nephew Dan. Brian Bordello churns out immaculate pop songs at an enviable rate. So much so that he has already pushed an album’s worth of fine material in my direction to record with my band The Winter Tyres. A huge challenge to do his work justice. Cuts is from their latest long-player, Monkee Complex and can be downloaded from bandcamp.
http://www.facebook.com/TheBordellos

Get On Your Knees – Reverend Beat-Man and The Unbelievers
Earlier this year, I would never have imagined Swiss rockabilly punk to be my work-out music of choice, but after a blinding gig at Liege’s Microfestival in August, I’m a total convert. One of my best DJ moments was cranking this up in a local bar and turning round to see an excited barman proudly showing me his upper arm tattoo of the Voodoo Rhythm Records (home of the Reverend) logo.

Our Love Will Still Be There – Fabienne Delsol and The Bristols
A weird production where the drums almost sound like they are providing the melody. Accompanied by a beautiful it’s-so-bad-it’s-attractive French girl singing in English, this makes for a delicious groove.

Chicken Payback – The Bees
‘All the animals together break it down let me hear ya!’ Surely this retro soul flavoured track should have its very own dance sequence?
http://wearethebees.tumblr.com/

Only In My Dreams – Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti
Mature Themes is a strong contender for album of the year. I’ve opted for one of the mellower, less crazy tracks that doesn’t mention blowjobs of death or nympho colonscopists.
http://4ad.com/artists/arielpinkshauntedgraffiti

Transformation Fantasy – Joy Zipper
I’m a sucker for male/female pillow talk duos and this is one of my favourites. The Buffalo Springfield sample is used to great effect, lulling you into the false sense of security that it’s another Summer of Love when, basically, it hasn’t stopped pissing it down for weeks.
http://www.myspace.com/joyzipper

Juillet Brillait - Mademoiselle Nineteen
A little more pretending that it’s summer. If people still bought cds, this would be selling like hotcakes this year in the UK, as the latest coffee table perfect French pop with which to impress your friends at dinner parties.
http://www.mademoisellenineteen.com/

Thinking of You – Paul Weller
I don’t always see what people mean when they talk about Paul Weller’s ‘impeccable soul taste’, but here he revamps this Sister Sledge disco classic to showcase it as the love song that it truly is. Acoustic throaty bliss from the Modfather.
http://www.paulweller.com/

It Started Out So Nice – Sixto Rodriguez
If you haven’t yet seen awarding winning rockumentary Searching for Sugarman, then get your ass down to the cinema pronto. The wonderful story of would-be 60s folk legend will make every last one of your hairs stand on end. Waterproof mascara all the way, ladies.
http://sugarman.org/