Prattle

Plus-Tech Squeezebox - Fiddle-dee-dee
Didn’t manage to see them in Japan, but listened to them a lot. This is a particularly manic track from their preposterous second album.

Dan Deacon - Okie Dokie
This album was in my chart of 2007, but it only really made sense once I saw him in the flesh. One of the great live experiences, perhaps, as Deacon took an admittedly willing crowd through a serious of singalongs, dance-offs and party games. All to the sound of a demented Nintendo Gameboy.

Oppenheimer - Look Up
Saw these two on the same day as Dan Deacon, and found that they made a lovely and full sound, while filling our ears with pop tunes. This one’s the finest, I think.

The Whip - Dubsex
Not sure why I’ve included this one. Nearly ditched it in favour of an Envelopes song, but it seemed to fit this list of songs. It’s good, even if it’s got a very crap name.

Frank Turner - Reasons not to be an idiot
Hadn’t heard of this bloke ’til we saw him at Dot to Dot. Very good, though very conventional. Wouldn’t be surprised if this was recorded “as live”, with minimal overdubs.

Lightspeed Champion - The Flesh Failures
I didn’t want to like Lightspeed Champion, but his live show is impressive and enjoyable. He’s tremendously talented, and brighter than both the name and music of his former band (Test Icicles) would suggest. This is an acoustic b-side, particularly enjoyable when sitting under a clear blue sky.

The Little Ones - Morning Tide
Oh look, it’s them again. This is from the album which refuses to come out. Like the band, who refused to turn up to Dot to Dot, for some reason. I was very disappointed by that, and was initially disappointed by the album. But it’s grown somewhat, and this single is particularly and characteristically jolly.

Ida Maria - I like you so much better when you’re naked
Brilliant. Saw her playing at Dot to Dot, and was utterly captivated for the half-hour set. The album has a couple of flat spots, but this is bloody marvellous.

Nada Surf - Whose Authority
The album came out ages ago, and I was a bit underwhelmed by it. But a few more listens, and the many understatements and whispers eventually tapped their way through. This is one of the most instantly appealing tracks, though I’m still not sure about the lyrics. It’s a glorious noise, anyway.

Death Cab for Cutie - Long Division
The new album didn’t impress, sadly. I liked the last one, and I still love the Postal Service album. He appears on the Nada Surf album, and perhaps he should’ve got them involved in his album. Perhaps he did. Doesn’t sound like it, apart from on this track. It’s in no way representative of the album, but certainly doesn’t suffer because of that.

Pendulum - Granite
Dancepopmetalrockno. They’re everywhere, of course. They weren’t when I first put this track into my podcast folder, but that’s inertia for you.

Miles Kurosky - An apple for an apple
Now, I’ll have no criticism of this. Miles Kurosky is something of a superhero, in my eyes. Responsible for some of the most beautiful music I’ve ever heard, he’s also had seven shades kicked out of him by the music industry and ill-health. Yet here he is, with this masterpiece (ripped from MySpace, hence the crappy sound quality). I may book a day off work to devote the appropriate attention to his solo album, when it’s released. He’s a king, and this song gets better and better with every listen, until it gets dangerously close to usurping some of his finest songs with Beulah.

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.

There. Now can everyone stop getting cancer, please.