The Bloodbuzzed Jukebox Week 100

100 Jukeboxes!

It's quite a milestone for this humble blog, so we have prepared something special to celebrate it as the occasion deserves: a really awesome (and pretty hard work) playlist with 100 tunes from 100 bands featured in our weekly compilations. From our biggest crushes to our most beloved discoveries, what this small portion of two incredible & fascinating years of music jukeboxes shows the incredible amount of exciting music just awaiting for you out there, deserving to be listened and enjoyed.  So MANY thanks bands & artists, what a pleasing ride this has been... and will continue being! Have fun and remember: all songs are listed at our Soundcloud page (Join Us!).

Direct links to 2015 / 2016 Jukebox playlists

Week 36  Week 37  Week 38   Week 39  Week 40  Week 41  Week 42 Week 43   Week 44  

Week 45  Week 46  Week 47   Week 48  Week 49   Week 50  Week 51   Week 52  Week 53   

Week 54   Week 55  Week 56   Week 57  Week 58  Week 59   Week 60 Week 61  Week 62 

Week 63  Week 64  Week 65  Week 66   Week 67   Week 68  Week 69   Week 70  Week 71  

Week 72   Week 73  Week 74   Week 75 Week 76   Week 77   Week 78  Week 79   Week 80

Week 81   Week 82   Week 83  Week 84  Week 85  Week 86   Week 87   Week 88  Week 89

Week 90   Week 91   Week 92  Week 93  Week 94  Week 95   Week 96   Week 97  Week 98
Week 99

These Go to 11: interviewing The Treasures of Mexico

And here comes another great musician answering our questionnaire. Today we have the pleasure of having Mark Matthews, formerly on the amazing The Dentists and now leading the terrific The Treasures of Mexico. A lot of indiepop, you'll see. These Go to 11!

The Treasures of Mexico, indiepop hunters

Mark Matthews, The Treasures of Mexico
Do you remember The Dentists? If not, write down the name and add it to your "things-to-do" list, because they were a great, shamefully underrated jangle-pop band from Chatham, UK, active from 1984 to 1995. The combo disbanded, but former founder members Mark Matthews and Bob Collins kept very active in bands like Coax, Fortress Madonna, The Great Lines, The Claim... involving themselves into side projects and contributions until Mark began The Treasures of Mexico alongside Bob and Russ Baxter from Secret Affair, coming out with one of favourite records of 2015, the magnificent 'Holding Pattern', an effervescent and hyper addictive jangle-pop treaty, out digitally via our dear friends from Shelflife. With a follow-up in the works while their members keep themselves busy (with Bob Collins and the Full Nelson, World Beginning With X, Stuart Turner and The Flat Earth Society) all we can say is: cheers to the great musicians who never give up! Here we go!

1.First record that you bought (be honest)

The Flinstones goes punk!

Ok so the first record I bought with my own money was an LP by The Rezillos called 'Can't Stand The Rezillos'. I saved up, and had to cycle twice to a very small shop in the housing estate that was Twydall, where they had to order it. I think they only usually carried the Top 20. I saw The Rezillos on Top of the Pops performing their song 'Top of the Pops' and I just thought they were incredible. They looked like the cast of the Flintstones and sounded like a cross between punk (which I was too young to appreciate really) and glam rock, and the band were just whizzing about on stage like demented puppets, singing 'everybody's on Top of the Pops' which I didn't understand but liked the sentiment of. The LP is a gem, full of hooky power pop and from that I discovered the previous singles including 'Can't Stand My Baby' which is probably my favourite Rezillos song. 

Before 'Pirates of the Caribbean'... there were the Ants

2. First and last concert you have attended (be honest too!)
First un-chaperoned concert was probably The Monochrome Set at the YMCA in Tottenham Court Rd, London. Andy Warren had just left Adam & the Ants to play bass in the MS, and loads of Ants punks turned up to chant 'Ants! Ants! Ants!' at him every time there was a break between songs. He remains a bass playing hero. Last concert I bought a ticket for was probably The Luxembourg Signal in Brighton, if you discount local bands.

Madonna gets electronic

3. Guilty pleasure (song/band you shouldn’t like but you do, yes, it’s the embarrassing question)

Guiltiest is probably later Madonna - I especially like 'Ray of Light' and 'Music' but let's keep that to ourselves.

4. Most precious music item you own (collector mode on)

Would be my 1978 Rickenbacker bass instrument wise, and record wise I would say Blueboy by Orange Juice 45 on the Postcard label.

5.Favorite lyrics (not yours)
So many....'I dreamt about you last night and I fell out of bed twice', (Smiths), heard for the first time on John Peel, but really anything from Morrissey. Or 'You and I' by Wilco. Or Teenage Kicks. Or The Doors....I could go on and on....the other lyric that always sticks with me is Edwyn Collins on 'Consolation Prize'; 'I wore my fringe like Roger McGuinn's, I was hoping to impress. So frightfully camp, it made you laugh, tomorrow I'll buy myself a dress - how ludicrous

Malkmus, living up the 90s

6.Musician/s you would like to meet (should be alive, for obvious reasons, but you can choose a dead one too)
I really wouldn't be overly keen to meet anyone really. I've had chances to meet Andy Warren but never taken them up. I think maybe if pushed I'd quite like to meet the guys from Pavement, Malkmus in particular but any of them really. They seem pretty grounded and I feel like it would be a productive conversation. I met Liam Gallagher once mind you and we had a good chat about football. He was absolutely lovely.

7. Favorite artwork album (not yours)
Unknown Pleasures by Joy Division. Love the Factory stuff.

Wes Anderson in the Republic of Zubrowka

8. Books or movies? Depending on your answer recommend us one (trick: you can choose both) 
Any movie by Wes Anderson and I recommend 'Grand Budapest Hotel' if you haven't seen it. I love both but Wes takes it for movies and Douglas Coupland would take it for books.

9. Release (of yours) you are most proud of
Well I think generally musicians are always most proud of the last thing they've done, otherwise there's not much point in going on. To that end, the song 'Let's Start At The Beginning' from the last Treasure album takes it, but obviously I'm most proud of the songs I'm working on right now.

10. What does it mean indie for you? (yes, the “serious question”)
That's a good question. Personally, I think the concept of "indie" needs to be retired as it died a long time ago. I still think of the original definition which was music distributed independently, outside of the major labels, but that quickly got into difficulty when artists like Kylie Minogue -genuinely indie at the time- started to take over the Indie chart. Then they tried "alternative" as a category and everything became subjective. I think music is just music now and it's not indie v. majors anymore, it's all changed, but the real battle is going to be hard product v. downloads. I dread the day that you can't buy a physical CD or piece of vinyl. Personally, I'd like to go back to vinyl and downloads. CD as a format holds no real interest for me.

11. Where do you see yourself in 10 years? 
Still making music and sending it out on CD to about 6 interested friends!         

 Zillion thanks Mark!

The Bloodbuzzed Jukebox Week 99

Today is a special Saturday for those living in Barcelona. Well maybe not just in Barcelona, it's World Book Day, but sorry if it sounds a little chauvinistic (it's just a day) there's no Sant Jordi like the one here. Thousands of people collapsing the city to find a rose or a book (sadly, just for a day). So, before having a happy day of work, here's a new TOP TEN Jukebox in which you can listen to great Beth Orton and Britta Phillips's tunes, our favourite song from Nacho Vegas' EP (again, check the lyrics if you understand Spanish, priceless), along with our regular new discoveries. Remember: all songs are listed at our Soundcloud page (Join Us!).

Direct links to 2015 Jukebox playlists

Week 36  Week 37  Week 38   Week 39  Week 40  Week 41  Week 42 Week 43   Week 44  

Week 45  Week 46  Week 47   Week 48  Week 49   Week 50  Week 51   Week 52  Week 53   

Week 54   Week 55  Week 56   Week 57  Week 58  Week 59   Week 60 Week 61  Week 62 

Week 63  Week 64  Week 65  Week 66   Week 67   Week 68  Week 69   Week 70  Week 71  

Week 72   Week 73  Week 74   Week 75 Week 76   Week 77   Week 78  Week 79   Week 80

Week 81   Week 82   Week 83  Week 84  Week 85  Week 86   Week 87   Week 88  Week 89

Week 90   Week 91   Week 92  Week 93  Week 94  Week 95   Week 96   Week 97  Week 98

Spanish Indie 27: suggesting the best national acts

Back with the national bands in a section looking exciting, thanks to the amount of groups demanding our attention with incredible music. Like today's trio. You're going to love them!

Chicharrón. Hailing from Carballo (Galicia) and arousing in late 2013 from the ashes of bands Franc3s, Telephones Rouges and the memory of the disappeared friend and artist Alberto Gende. Initially formed by the trio of Alberto M. Vecino, Diego Gende and Rubén Dominguez, they debuted with a celebrated self-titled album in 2014 out via the artistic collective Prenom. But the band was ready to face important changes, expanding the combo into a quintet with the additions of Mar Catarina and Xurxo Meis and the shift in the language, from Spanish to Galizian. Changes for good, as 'Postal', sophomore LP out since this March, proofs. Intimacy and intensity turning into pop, lush, crystalline and moody, where electric guitars, keyboards and arresting, whispered vocals are just vehicles to reach the listener deep inside. Call it dreampop if you want. I would say this is not just a heavyweight contender for Spanish record of the year, but for staying close to you for ages and ages.

Star Trip. Let me introduce you to 'Vicente Prats and his Crazy Horse'. Hailing from Valencia, this musician penned a bunch of homemade, stunning powerpop tunes, around 2009, without caring much about self-promotion. But five years later, another music adventure, Pretty Olivia Records, was born thanks to the irrepressible love for music of founder Javier Abad, who turned those tunes into a proper debut album, first one of his label. Luckily, this revamped beginning was also the start of something bigger, as Vicente joined forces with a trio of talented musicians for live shows and, eventually, became a full band, which has a flamboyant self-titled LP, out since late October 2015. Summoning the spirit of Big Star, Teenage Fanclub, Matthew Sweet, the sweetest side of The Posies, this might be one of the best powerpop albums ever made in Spain. The guitars chiming, the soaring vocal harmonies, the knockout choruses. The Goosebumps, the goosebumps all over.  And the big smiles... A new classic.

Lúa Gramer. And we end in Badajoz to meet this quintet formed in 2013 by members of other regional combos like Pequeño Tío, The Wish, Diva, Lich, etc. A year later they made a notable jump from local gigs and small festivals to being selected to play at Contempopránea Festival, reaching the semifinals of the Qfestival contest, and getting positive coverage and airplay from national media. On early 2015 they recorded first release with producer Paco Loco at el Puerto de Santa María. Now the results can be enjoyed at 'LG', debut EP out since January via Clifford Records. With a distinct 90s sound, devoted to dreampop and the warmest version of shoegaze, and echoing the spacey ambiences of Manta Ray, the guitar bursts of Los Planetas with the sweetest vocals recalling Nosoträsh. Vibrant and exciting. A lot of promise.

These Go to 11: interviewing We Were Never Being Boring Collective

Time for another interview! Now with Samuele Palazzi, musician and member of one the happiest labels around, our beloved We Were Never Being Boring Collective (WWNBB) because, as they say, "we can't succumb to boredom"! These Go to 11!

Samuele Palazzi, We Were Never Being Boring 

Indie Italians having fun!

The WWNBB Collective was born in June 2009, when Le Man Avec Les Lunettes, The Calorifer Is Very Hot and Enzo Baruffaldi published a collective EP of four covers of Wavves tune ‘So Bored’. Since then, they have published more than 60 releases, including exciting bands such as Be Forest, Burnt Palms, Crescendo, Joyce in Pola, Making Marks, Brothers in Law or Tight Eye. Impressive. But there's more, as aside his work at WWNBB label, Samuele, now living in San Francisco, is a musician, member of The Calorifer Is Very Hot (also known as Calorifero) with whom he released 'Marzipan in Zurich' (2007), 'Evolution On Stand-By' (2009) and 'Mind Warp' (2011) and core member of the worldwide supergroup Still Flyin', leaded by Sean Rawls and with an extensive discography with ten EPs and albums like 'Never Gonna Touch The Ground' (2009), 'On A Bedroom Wall' (2012) or Perfect Future (January of 2016). Not enough?There's even more, as he has played with many bands of WWNBB, like The Ian Fays or The Yellow Traffic Light. All proofs we are in front of a man who breathes music 24/7, every single day of the year. Here we go!

King Kong revisited, early 90s style 

1.First record that you bought (be honest)

I have two stories that I consider my first purchases: do you remember when we used to buy from mail order magazines? My first 2 tapes bought that way were Counting Crows – 'August and Everything After', and Meat Loaf – 'Bat Out of Hell II: Back into Hell'. But I grew up in the middle of nowhere and I will always remember my first adventure to the record store (bike to the bus stop and then bus) when I was still a kid, asking people at the farmers market where I could find 'On the Rock' (that was the name of the store), and once there I bought Pearl Jam – 'Vitalogy' on vinyl and Pink Floyd – 'Pulse' on CD.

Queen of 'privilege pop'?

2. First and last concert you have attended (be honest too!)
Good memories here too… First was in Bologna (Italy) and the band was Marion for their tour of 'This World and Body', my 10 years older neighbor (with whom I was obviously in love) asked my parents if she could take me to the show, but obviously her boyfriend came too. Last show was Metric in San Francisco.

3. Guilty pleasure (song/band you shouldn’t like but you do, yes, it’s the embarrassing question)

I have tons! Maybe my biggest crush happened with Lana Del Rey – 'Born to Die'?

4. Most precious music item you own (collector mode on)

I do not go extremely crazy for pricy collector’s items; I mostly care about the music on a support that I can touch. I have a lot of rarities that are not collector’s items, but for me they mean a lot, like limited editions of friend’s projects or the test presses of the WWNBB’s releases.

Mark "joyful" Kozelek: keep your guard up!

5.Favorite lyrics (not yours)
BIRTHH has a song called 'Queen of Failureland', and its opener got stuck in my head the first moment I heard it: 'We live worthless lives just to prove/that we’re victims of the system/that our wounds cannot be mended/that you’ll never understand/the pain inside our chest'…

6.Musician/s you would like to meet (should be alive, for obvious reasons, but you can choose a dead one too)
Polly Jean Harvey!! And Mark Kozelek too, but with time to chat…

7. Favorite artwork album (not yours)
Pearl Jam – 'No Code' / Mogwai – 'Come on Die Young' / Belle and Sebastian 'Tigermilk'.

Mark Ruffalo, the impossible manager

8. Books or movies? Depending on your answer recommend us one (trick: you can choose both) 
Books: suggesting is too personal, but I can tell you that at the moment I am reading 'Lust for Life' by Irving Stone and it’s very good. Movies: I do like some films that are not really challenging, and one of these that I liked lately was 'Begin Again', especially because I love Mark Ruffalo in it.

9. Release (of yours) you are most proud of
As record label I can’t say. As musician probably The Calorifer is Very Hot! – 'Evolution on Stand-by'.

10. What does it mean indie for you? (yes, the “serious question”)
Indie means that I wake up without knowing what I’ll end up doing for a band that day, that money is something that goes out but doesn’t come in, that if there were no passion there wouldn’t be indie!

11. Where do you see yourself in 10 years? 
I really have such a life that I can barely think about tomorrow…10 years from now I don’t see myself being too different than now, but I hope to incorporate some nature-related work and surroundings to music.                                                                     

 Zillion thanks Samuele!

The Bloodbuzzed Jukebox Week 98

Tomorrow is Record Store Day, and at Bloodbuzzed we are going to celebrate it as deserves with a weekend full of music which began yesterday with Tindersticks', continues tomorrow with Paul Heaton & Jacqui Abbott's and goes further, as it extends to next week with The Posies. But there's space to something other than gigs, as here comes a terrific new TOP TEN Jukebox for your ears only. Astonishing tunes from beloved bands like Childsaint or Fear of Men, the first taste of a most desired record, sophomore LP by The Julie Ruin or the needed dose of new & exciting discoveries. Overall, a playlist you can't miss. Take care and remember: all songs are listed at our Soundcloud page (Join Us!).

Direct links to 2015 Jukebox playlists

Week 36  Week 37  Week 38   Week 39  Week 40  Week 41  Week 42 Week 43   Week 44  

Week 45  Week 46  Week 47   Week 48  Week 49   Week 50  Week 51   Week 52  Week 53   

Week 54   Week 55  Week 56   Week 57  Week 58  Week 59   Week 60 Week 61  Week 62 

Week 63  Week 64  Week 65  Week 66   Week 67   Week 68  Week 69   Week 70  Week 71  

Week 72   Week 73  Week 74   Week 75 Week 76   Week 77   Week 78  Week 79   Week 80

Week 81   Week 82   Week 83  Week 84  Week 85  Week 86   Week 87   Week 88  Week 89

Week 90   Week 91   Week 92  Week 93  Week 94  Week 95   Week 96   Week 97 

At Heatongrad! A Paul Heaton & Jacqui Abbott playlist

Among the amazing gigs and events scheduled for the next months, there's one that occupies a pretty special place in the heart of this humble blogger: the Paul Heaton & Jacqui Abbott gig coming this Saturday, as part of the 'Blues i Ritmes' Festival taking place in Badalona (ouch!). Finally, after so many years being a fan, I'm going to see them live. It's sort of the closing of a pending music chapter for me. You know, like that moment when you are about to strike out one of those looong-time things remainig to do in your due-to-list. But bigger, because I really thought I wasn't going to have the chance. So, I'm sure you understand my excitement. The wait is finally over... after... 19 years!

I'm counting back from early 1997, when I grabbed my copy of 'Carry On Up the Charts', my first The Beautiful South record, quickly followed by Housemartins' 'Now That's What I Call Quite Good'. On those years, this huge R.E.M. and Crowded House fan, found his third "music" pillar, haunted by the knack for melodies, the joyful vibe (some ace and somber ballads too) hiding Heaton's not just witty but masterful lyrics, a true social chronicler with a true socialist heart (beat that!) and the discovery of one of my favourite vocalist ever, Jacqui Abbott. One of my most desired music wishes is that 'The Later With Jools Holland Special' gets a proper release. I had three VHS copies of the edited version (roughly 30 minutes) shown by Catalonian program Sputnik that now are completely wasted after watching it zillion times. If, after watching Jacqui singing 'You've Done Nothing Wrong', you don't get moved, I won't believe you're human, sorry.    

But, at least to my knowledge, TBS never made it to Barcelona, Jacqui left (no offense to the previous & later female singers, but she's incomparable and irrepleceable) and later the band called it a day. Being honest, I remember my interest on the band sort of vanishing although, funnily enough, The Housemartins, in particular 'Caravan of Love', became the soundtrack of some crucial years in my life (longs, slightly surreal story related with my then job, I'm saving it for another day), and despite keeping track of Paul's solo career ('Fat Chance' has many tunes to celebrate) I couldn't make it when he visited Barcelona a few years ago (I was in the States). Besides, there was, clearly, "something" missing. Until 2013, when I found (and wrote about enthusiastically here) the reunion of Paul Heaton and Jacqui Abbott was a reality. Now, with two lovely albums as a result of that comeback the opportunity to see them live has arrived. Heatongrad arrives to the city!

Here's a playlist with, arguably (it's very hard to choose so few), my favourite 19 + 1 (one for every year being a fan) tunes of their career. See you on Saturday!

Discoverer 142: new indie findings

And being the Sunday after the riot grrrl day, we have decided to choose the trio of new proposals in our discoverer series accordingly, so enjoy, and don't forget: girls to the front!

Tacocat. The trip had to start in Seattle, Washington. This quartet was born in 2007 after Longview's Safeway co-workers Lelah Maupin & Eric Randall, drummer and guitarist of the band, discovered they had a music bound. Then Randall met bassist Bree McKenna while his band was practicing in the basement of the punk house she lived in, while Maupin met Emily Nokes in a graphic design class. First releases arrived in 2009 in the form of DIY tour tape 'Frenching and Foodstamps', a split 7" with Ghost Mice and their participation on the riot grrrl 12'' 'This is Happening Without Your Permission'. In 2010 came debut album 'Shame Spiral', plus another tour tape, 'OMG', followed a year later by EP 'Woman's Day', after which got signed by Hardly Art, releasing second EP 'Take Me to Your Dealer' in 2012. But the leap forward arrived in 2014 with sophomore LP 'NVM', hailed by critics and audiences along the States. And now 'Lost Time', Tacocat's third album, plus recording the theme song for the Powerpuff Girls reboot, are here. Joyous pop-punk with a knack for melodies and powerful chord-riven tunes, leaded by Nokes killer vocals, delivering humorous punches to the patriarchal society or just having fun riding into the absurd of this pop culture choking age. Brightest bite.

Personal Best. We move to Portsmouth, UK to meet this now quartet, that were originally a trio assembled around 2013 and featuring members of Caves, Attack! Vipers! and Bedford Falls. With first release arriving in March 2014 in the form of 'The Lovin' 12" EP out via Specialist Subject Records. Built from debut and recorded late that same year in mid-Wales, in March 2015 came album 'Arnos Vale', with the band touring since then. Power-pop with hints of punk, fueled by fuzz & urgency as much as melodies, recalling the 90s and beloved names as The Breeders, Sugar or The Posies. But what makes Personal Best memorable is the undeniable sense of honesty and joy this tunes bring to the listener. Do not miss them.

The Orielles. And we end in Halifax, UK with this unbelievably young trio (almost under age) formed in 2012 by sisters Esme and Sidonie Hand-Halford plus schoolmate Henry Carlyle Wade. Formerly named the Oreoh!s in 2013 they released debut EP 'Sunny Daze/Sleepless Nights', followed by 'Hindering Waves' EP a year later, first under their current moniker, after which they started to make some buzz thanks to securing supporting slots from bands such as Honeyblood, PINS, The Primitives and The Lovely Eggs, to name a few. After the cassingle 'Yawn' in Autumn 2014, in April 2015 arrived the self-released 7" ‘Space Doubt’. Now they are back with the new EP 'Jobin', out via Art Is Hard Records. Inventive, carefree surf-rock, full on sun-soaked melodies and instantly catchy melodies that hide a punch. Contagious teen spirit.