More Rural Alberta Advantage

I'm sure most of you are signed up to Daytrotter. If you're no, go and do it now. Or as soon as you've finished reading this. I'm signed up to it as well, but somehow I missed that one of my favourite bands recorded a session there. So, even though it was posted at the start of September I just found about The Rural Alberta Advantage's session today. They performed a couple of songs from their debut album as well as a couple of unreleased tracks, which you can download here:

Two Lovers

Barnesyard

You can read the post and download the rest of the songs from Daytrotter here and if you haven't bought there excellent debut album Hometowns you can do that here

But first, here's another track, this time the album version of Don't Haunt This Place.

Beta Band, part 2

In this post about the Beta Band I mentioned a couple of songs I hadn't been able to upload. They're uploaded now and added to the original post. But just in case you can't be bothered to click on the link and go there here they are:

Round The Bend

The House Song (live version)

If you haven't seen the Beta Band post you should go and read it now, there's some more good music there.

Covers for Sunday

As usual another six covers for you. An enthusiastic cover by Mountain Goats, a less than serious take on Stairway To Heaven by the Foo Fighters are mixed in, alongside Marc Almond covering Paint It Black, which is about as gloriously over the top as you'd imagine. Enjoy.

Furniture Store by Mountain Goats (originally by Furniture Huschle)

Boys of Summer by Custom Kings (originally by Don Henley)

Black & Gold by Ellie Goulding (originally by Sam Sparro)

It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine) by Great Big Sea (originally by R.E.M. cover)

Stairway To Heaven by Foo Fighters (originally by Led Zeppelin)

Paint It Black by Marc Almond (originally by The Rolling Stones)

I will now sell...

I imagine everybody reading this who has heard of The Beta Band has seen this scene in High Fidelity where John Cusack mispronounces the band's name:



I've been a fan of The Beta Band for a while now, since around 2000. They were one of my favourites when I was at university, which was the first time I'd ever lived somewhere with a music shop. Enough reminiscing though.

The Beta Band released three separate EPs in the late 90's. They weren't given huge distribution and in 1999 all 3 EPs, Champion Versions, The Patty Patty Sound and Los Amigos Del Beta Bandidos, were released together on the imaginatively titled The Three EPs.

At the time Britpop was dead, even the post-Britpop hangover had gone away and we had an indie music scene dominated by bands like Travis. The Beta Band's sound is from a totally different universe from Travis.

Experimental and talented the experimental side got toned down on the release of the 2nd and 3rd albums. It was still pretty far away from anything mainstream and still really good.

Enjoy the mp3s and buy the albums:

The Three EPs (buy)

Champion Versions

Dry The Rain (This is the song featured in High Fidelity)
Dogs Got A Bone

The Patty Patty Sound

Inner Meet Me
She's The One (live version)

Los Amigos Del Beta Bandidos

Needles In My Eyes
Dr. Baker (live version)

The Beta Band (buy)

Dance O'Er The Border (live version)
Round The Bend

To You Alone/Sequinsizer (buy)

To You Alone

Hot Shots II (buy)

Quiet (Acoustic)
Squares
Won (US and Japanese release bonus track)

Heroes to Zeroes (buy)

Out-Side (radio edit)
Space Beatle
The House Song (live version)

Covers for Sunday

Have you ever wondered how ATDI would sound if covered by a brass band. Of course you have, who hasn't? Luckily The Second Hand Marching Band have the answer.

Enjo.y

One Armed Scissor by The Second Hand Marching Band (originally by At The Drive In)

Do You Mind by The XX (originally by Kyla)

Last Nite by Detroit Cobras (originally by The Strokes)

Hesitation Blues by The Avett Brothers (originally by Jelly Roll Morton)

Sheena Is A Punk Rocker by Yeah Yeah Yeahs (originally by The Ramones)

Use Somebody by Bats For Lashes (originally by Kings of Leon)

Absence

Some time at the beginning of last week my computer broke. In fact it was the day after my post about Those Darlin's/King Khan and BBQ Show/King Khan and The Shrines.

I borrowed a laptop while my machine was being fixed but it meant I didn't have access to a pretty big part of my music library. So, no Covers for Sunday, no Bete Band post you should have had on Thursdayish, nothing at all.

Everything's fixed now. I'll probably do a double Covers for Sunday this week, or maybe do one on Wednesday as well. I decided now though to post a nice eclectic mix of songs, the sort I don't normally blog about. I'm starting with Julian Casablances new song 11th Dimension a remix. I hope the album is good and that we have a new Strokes album soon. I'm sure it'll be worth the wait. Well, kinda sure.

Anyway there's also some trip-hop and some 70's punk included and, well, it's just a mixed bag. Enjoy the songs.

11th Dimension - Julian Casablancas

Dumb I Sound/ATLiens - Tor, feat Sufjan Stevens and Outkast

Alternative Ulster - Stiff Little Fingers

Five Man Army - Massive Attack

Bell Bottoms (live session) - Jon Spencer Blues Explosion

I Don't Want To Grow Up - Tom Waits

Forgotten band

Back when I started this blog I was planning on featuring Those Darlins in my second or third post. For reasons that I won't go into (because I can't remember) that never happened and I forgot all about it.

But a couple of days ago I saw that Those Darlins will be touring with King Khan & BBQ Show. Apart from making me jealous that a show like that will never come to where I live it reminded me to post some Those Darlins stuff. So here you go:

Snaggletooth Mama

Red Light Love

Both tracks on their debut album, which is also called Those Darlins. You can buy it from their website here, where you can also download their single Wild One.

Those last couple of sentances got wordy. Anyway, I couldn't possibly pass up the chance to post some King Khan & BBQ Show music.

Zombies

Fish Fight

and as an extra bonus, some King Khan and The Shrines:

No Regrets

Took My Lady To Dinner

I'd tell you to enjoy, but if you need to be told to enjoy King Khan you're reading the wrong blog/probably dead.

Covers For Sunday

When I was at university one of my friends/classmates was a huge fan of Reel Big Fish. He made me a cd of them, but I never listened to it and lost the cd. This was towards the end of my first year, just before I met the women who would become my wife. So, 7 and a bit years ago. I hadn't really given Reel Big Fish any thought since then until recently coming across them covering a Van Morrison classic. So I decided to include that as a tribute to a friend I lost contact with long ago.

Also, OK Go's cover of Lovecats and The Morning Benders cover of Temptation Inside Your Heart are both superb. Enjoy.

Brown Eyed Girl by Reel Big Fish (originally by Van Morrison)

Be My Baby by Linda Ronstadt (originally by The Ronettes)

Bedside Table by Adem (originally by Bedhead)

Creep by Moby (originally by Radiohead)

Love Cats by OK Go (originally by The Cure)

Temptation Inside Your Heart by The Morning Benders (originally by The Velvet Underground)