2011: The Year In Review

Igor Stravinsky - Otche Nash
Brenda Lee - The Crying Game
Zoo - Hard Times, Good Times
Tuesday - Sewing Machine
France Gall - Les Petits Ballons
Nancy Sinatra - Sugar Me
England's Glory - Bright Lights
Helen Banks - Do You Know
Sensational Nightingales - My Sisters And Brothers
Sadistic Mika Band - Hi Jack (I'm Just Dying)
El Tigre - Figure
Chris Spedding - Video Life
Ilitch - Peripherikredcommando
Step Lang - Airborn
Radar - Una Splendida Emicrania
Miharu Koshi - Parallélisme
Electric Light Orchestra - Letter From Spain
Haruomi Hosono - Sports Men

I wanted to do a little compendium of some of my top finds of 2011, the songs that really made "life work leaving" (to quote a cryptic James Joyce). I also needed a reasonable excuse to post this picture of my boy.

Best wishes to everyone for a happy 2012...

Marie Moor - Illusions

Since no one has offered to send me their copy of this record yet, I'm posting a sweet youtube rip of it for now. (Thanks to the folks at clipconverter.cc for the good times.) Words and music by Friedrich Hollaender. Here's a clip of Marlene Dietrich singing the O.G.

In this crazy paradise, you are in love with pain.

Pop the champagne.

Je Demain - L'Hiver Au Bord De La Mer

Special thanks to TV Disko for the tip on this one. Lordy, we haven't posted any hibernian French synth-pop this frothy since Mikado. Read an interview (in French) with Je Demain here. Have a spacious New Year.

Roy Panton - Endless Memory

Subway Sect: Ambition

Oak Cliff String Band: Dallas Rag

song history "an old-timey howdy-do"

Tom Zé - Defect 2: Curiosidade

Does anyone have a copy of this record they want to give me?

The Seldom Scene: Doing My Time
and a more popular cover Baby Blue;
Live at the Cellar Door

Duran Duran - Save A Prayer (after disco rough edit)

Cooley-Munson: Sightly Sue

Nice bit of history on this stellar track here. Thanks to KnowPhase for introducing me to Sue.

The Twistin' Kings: Xmas Twist

This tune comes courtesy of a pal in Memphis.

Igor Stravinsky - Otche Nash

Neo-renaissance moves from Igor on this setting of the Slavonic "Our Father." Composed in 1926 and recorded by the Tallis Scholars at Charterhouse Chapel, Godalming, Surrey, England, in 1982.

bonus beats

A bit of goth for the Yuletide.

Bauhaus: Dark Entries

Virgin Prunes - Sandpaper Lullabye

X: Come Back to Me