Prattle

Hot Lava - Apple + Option + Fire
Is that a tuba solo? This is lovely, and has been available in the US for a while, I believe. I think they’re putting the album out over here imminently, though this is by far the best track.

Melt Banana - If It Is The Deep Sea I Can See You There
Now bear with me… This is the first of two very noisy tracks. It’s over 5 years old, but I stumbled across it when listening to an old Stewart Lee radio programme. I think they’re Japanese.

Max Tundra - Orphaned
These computer-game-music type artists/tracks seem to be edging closer to the mainstream. There was always DJ Scotch Egg, who is mental, and Germlin. Then there was Dan Deacon (who, coincidentally, signed Hot Lava, I believe) and David E. Sugar. And now there’s Max Tundra, whose album doesn’t contain enough of this sort of thing.

Red Light Company - Scheme Eugene
OK, time to calm down a bit. They’re a bit Arcade Fire, a bit Polyphonic Spree, a bit everythingthat’sbeenaroundinthelast5years. Nothing remarkable, but it’s a memorable tune and I’m a sucker for references to other bands in lyrics. They were a bit crap when we saw them playing live, though, as they don’t yet have enough tunes.

Fight Like Apes - Something Global
Fight Like Apes are brilliant. They do pinch a lot from Mclusky, but they appear to acknowledge this openly by playing a Mclusky song at their gigs and on one of their EPs. The partly fantastic album is out in Ireland, but not in the UK. FOR SHAME.

Thomas Tantrum - Swan Lake
Are they honking like swans at the beginning? The girl’s toddleresque vocals almost drove me to bursts of inventive violence, the first couple of times I heard the album. But it’s possible that the middle 8 of this song turned it round. An excellently purloined piece of Pyotr Ilyich.

Tilly and the Wall - Pot Kettle Black
They don’t seem to be getting better as time goes on, but the new Tilly album contained this unusually raucous playground-friendly anthem.

Spinnerette - Distorting a Code
It’s Brody Dalle, formerly of the Distillers, and formerly Mrs. Tim Armstrong. Now she’s Mrs. Josh Homme, and she’s dropped the crusty punks in favour of… what is this? I think I like it. I don’t really know what it is, but it’s enjoyable.

Emiliana Torrini - Big Jumps
Sweet, yes. It’s great, though. And the Icelandic accent became an aphrodisiac again once I got my money back.

Chairlift - Bruises
This is everywhere now, I expect. Is it on an advert? If it’s not, it should be. It’s nice and warm though, and therefore appropriate for a December podcast.

Destroyer - My Favourite Year
He’s the bloke out of the New Pornographers. No, not that one. Not AC Newman. No, not Neko Case either. She’s not a bloke. This is the other bloke who’s scared of touring or something. I forget the tale. Anyway, you’ll recognise the voice when you hear it, if you’re a New Pornographers listener. It’s gentle and unadventurous, but this particular track has grown on me greatly.

Click here to download the file directly. I’d rather you subscribed, though, so I can see what platforms people are using, etc. Feedburner seem to have changed their service, so you might just have to copy the URL (http://feeds.feedburner.com/Prattle) into your chosen RSS reader or Podcast software e.g. iTunes.

Chart of 2008 will be the next Podcast, I imagine.