The John Buddy Williams Band - Saturday Night Blowout

If I ever ditch this indie lark when I am old(er) in favour of something more gratifying then I hope it will be something along these lines. My knowledge of Calypso is scant at best (before hearing this tune and doing some investigation I actually thought it was an ice pop) but this frothy piece of action could kickstart my voyage of discovery. The genre is forever identified with the Caribbean but its origins lay further afield in Africa. This tune comes from the late fifties and was produced by Emory Cook, a renowned producer who knew how to fill earphones with a stereophonic sound. The production is immaculate and if you take the time to explore you'll find the detail is extraordinary, these untrained ears can’t get past the fact that it all sounds like the most exhilarating Jazz they’ve ever heard. This song and many others can be found on the ace 'Calypso Awakening' compilation on Smithsonian Folkways (link to buy below). With this on repeat the dreariest day has all the makings of being the best holiday ever. Were Basement Jaxx to hear it they might say it's time to Do Your Thing. KD The John Buddy Williams Band - Saturday Night Blowout More Info: Official Buy Songs: Calypso Awakening Year: Sometime before you were born

Mr. Gnome - Night of the Crickets

From one group of noise merchants to another, this time in the shape of the shabbily monikered Mr. Gnome (also a duo in fact). Naff name or not there is nothing throwaway about the music this Cleveland band makes. ‘Night of the Crickets’ is an impressive peephole into their debut album ‘Deliver This Creature’. If one didn’t know any better you could be forgiven for thinking that this is the work of a forest of musicians. The song marches forward with bucolic power, Nicole Barille’s vocal utterances may be only semi-decipherable but they add an almost dreamy texture to the barrage of noise that surrounds them. I am hearing ‘Submarine’ era Whipping Boy with flashes of Tricky thrown in for good measure, the result is a white hot noise with undoubted melodic undertones. Unmistakably one of the songs of the year, something for your next garden party. KD Mr. Gnome - Night of the Crickets More Info: Official & Myspace Buy Songs: Mr. Gnome Year: 2008

See No Age In Dublin For Free!

What would be Moby be like if he were 2 people with hair, lived in Los Angeles, had a preponderance for lavishly created guitar sounds and was about to thrill an audience in Dublin’s Whelan’s? He’d be No Age of course, our favourite vegan’s who have a plan to change the world using ingeniously experimental chords and vocals that have swallowed at least half a dozen red bulls. Now is your chance to catch the lads gratis and for a minimal of effort on Tuesday 20th May. As everyone in the know already knows No Age’s debut is called ‘Nouns’ so all you have got to do to get one of 2 double passes to the gig is to subject an email with a verb that you think neatly describes No Age. Be as inventive as you wish, made-up verbs will be treated just as equally as real ones. If you don't win you can buy tickets here. KD No Age - Neck Escaper More Info: Official & Myspace Buy Songs: No Age Year: 2008

Bassheads - Is There Anybody Out There?

Classic dance doesn’t come more, er, old skool that Bassheads ‘Is There Anybody out There?’ Songs like this were what put the Hacienda at the centre of the universe in late 80's/early 90's and even though it sounds like a mash-up of A Guy Like Gerald, early Prodigy and Talking Heads there is no denying its potentially hip breaking swirl. Bassheads were Desa and Nick Murphy from Liverpool and despite the success of this song in the early nineties they have largely made their names with their remixes (Visage’s ‘Fade To Grey’ and Bjork’s ‘Human Behaviour’ being the more well known) and club nights. Perhaps this was due in part to the smorgasbord of lawsuits that were filed when ‘Is There Anybody out There?’ came out (one came in from the Osmonds!). It still broke the Top 10 in 1991 and has held up quite well despite its age even if the ubiquitous jumpy piano lines of the time do sound like an, admittedly pleasant, acid flashback. KD Bassheads - Is There Anybody Out There? Watch The Video More Info: Official & Myspace Buy Songs: Bassheads Year: 1991

Slaraffenland - I'm A Machine

I just went the longest time in about 5 years without listening to new music. It was refreshing but I guess some balmy warm air and a vibrant Catalan city sure helps. Anyway, I’m back fresh and chomping at the bit for new sounds. My inbox was stuffed to the brim, but this track is the one I’ve been playing all day. Slaraffenland is Danish for ‘the land of milk and honey’ but whether that translation will make it any easier to pronounce this Copenhagen band’s name is open to question. Signed to the stylish Hometapes label Slaraffenland are closely aligned with fellow Danish experimentalists Efterklang and the two are embarking on an extensive US tour together over the next few weeks. Slaraffenland's next release will be the ‘Sunshine’ EP, which not only includes this song but also has an A-ha and Radiohead cover (as zeitgeist as it gets). ‘I’m A Machine’ is perhaps less strenuous than anything the band has ever released. It is still as loose as a pair of Joe Bloggs but there are certainly louder pop frequencies than usual at work here. I’m also hearing a note or two from a hippie classic and it’s that slight familiarity that should see Slaraffenland invade the consciousness of those who normally shy away from audio that deals in wide brush strokes. It’s good to be back. KD Slaraffenland - I'm A Machine More Info: Official & Myspace Buy Songs: Slaraffenland Year: 2008

Art Of Fighting - Break For Me (+ her)

I’ll be away from the rain and general non t-shirt wearing climes of Dublin for a couple of days. The wonders of the Nou Camp, Las Ramblas and Barri Gotic await but I’m not trying to make you jealous – pretty soon I’ll be back and you’ll be packing your suntan lotion. If that doesn’t cheer you up then why not sit back and wonder at the mournfully sumptuous sound of Melbourne’s Art of Fighting. It’s a sonic holiday worth taking. KD Art Of Fighting - Break For Me Watch The Video To Free You More Info: Official & Myspace Buy Songs: The Art of Fighting Year: 2004

Motocade - Soap Opera

Spiky guitars eh, a thorn in your side? Only when you’re on a spiky guitar 24-hour bender in my opinion. And you can probably blame the Arctic Monkeys for the current proliferation of sharp riffs and even sharper word volleys. So in a crowed market is there room for another band of this ilk I hear you ask. Motocade certainly give a good case for the defence, the New Zealanders are busy getting the word out on their upcoming debut album and ‘Soap Opera’ speaks a language I am fully conversant in. They’ve been here before but this time there's more meat on their bones and the ragged riffs seem a tad more focused and slinkily joined at the hip with the swaggering vocals. A nice way to spend 3 minutes of your day. KD Motocade - Soap Opera Watch The Video More Info: Official & Myspace Buy Songs: Motocade Year: 2008

The Spook Of The Thirteenth Lock - In Country Dark

You know I am barely into the Spook of the Thirteenth Lock’s self-titled debut album and already I am stuck on endless repeat at track 2. ‘In Country Dark’ is deliciously put together you see, a spark of experimentation goes a long way in my book and the tail end of this ditty provides it in spades. I mean at one stage I really felt like it was going to burst into My Bloody Valentine style molten chord exchanges. Before all that though there is a lively folk jamboree to be savoured, which comes complete with the sweetest of vocal melodies. Taken in an Irish context the Spook of the Thirteenth Lock are reminiscent of Horslips but they tend to take on more of the contemporary which often obscures the traditionalists within them. It’s early days yet but lead man Allen Blighe has all the makings of a true visionary, this album of his will surely give the Spooks a great deal more than a ghost of a chance. Irish album of the year by a country mile (with hairpin bends every 15 yards), haunting doesn’t even begin to describe it. KD The Spook Of The Thirteenth Lock - In Country Dark More Info: Official & Myspace Buy Songs: The Spook Of The Thirteenth Lock Year: 2008

The Delgados - Aye Today

You know I still miss them, sure we still have Emma doing her solo thing but it seems so sad that we’ll never get to hear her in cahoots with the rest of this precious Glasgow band again. John Peel loved them so much he got them to play at his one of his birthday bashes. They have a scatter of brilliant albums to their name but ‘The Great Eastern’ from 2000 is plain old genius. The album was produced by Dave Fridmann, was bathed in lush strings and gloried in the Delgados trademark off-kilter delivery. Up to this point the band had produced some killer tracks (like the incomparable ‘Everything Goes Around The Water’) but ‘The Great Eastern’ was their first flawless long player. There are so many highlights it is really hard to pick one moment so by closing my eyes and running a finger indiscriminately up and down the track list I ended up with ‘Aye Today’. Something isn’t it? KD The Delgados - Aye Today Watch The Video To Everything Goes Around The Water More Info: Official & Myspace Buy Songs: The Delgados Year: 2000

No Age - Eraser

The football didn’t exactly work out according to plan and already the MU heads are getting their digs in. Ah well, time for a head cleaner of a tune to wipe away the unhappiness. And ‘Eraser’ fits the bill perfectly with its scuzzy atmospherics, non-liner architecture and just below a scream vocals. You’re probably already thinking it sounds like a complete nightmare on wax but despite its dishevelled appearance ‘Eraser’ somehow works superbly. No Age are Los Angelus dwellers Dean Spunt and Randy Randall (ex wives) who released their ‘Weirdo Rippers’ debut just last year. ‘Eraser’ is a cut from the follow up ‘Nouns’ and calls on lots of genres over its short journey. It is to the credit of the duo that such an explosive rump of noise can somehow wield a lofty gravitas, no wonder they have been snapped up by the legendary Sub Pop label. ‘Nouns’ is released early next month, in plenty time for the Champions League Final. KD No Age - Eraser More Info: Official & Myspace Buy Songs: No Age Year: 2008

I'm From Barcelona (You're From Barcelona) We're From Barcelona

If you are into football then you are probably aware that at this moment in time there are no greater exponents of the beautiful game than FC Barcelona. Of course it could all fall apart this evening, with their La Liga ambitions already in tatters a win for Man Utd could signal the end for Frank Rijkaard and his expansive style of football. We all know they are pretty ropey at the back but can there be anything more magical in sport than witnessing a 15-pass Catalan move that culminates in a perfectly executed finish? Messi, Zambrotta, Deco, Xavi and Bojan are simply spellbinding to watch, much like I'm From Barcelona are to listen to. 'We're From Barcelona' is so triumphantly happy, so freewheelingly gifted yet so simply conceived. Funny then that the band actually come from Northern Europe where the delights of the Nou Camp can only be savoured through the wonders of satellite TV. The way Ronaldinho could well be enjoying the game tonight given his recent falling out of love with the club. KD I'm From Barcelona - We're From Barcelona Watch The Video More Info: Official & Myspace Buy Songs: I'm From Barcelona Year: 2006