Upsetting The Apple Tart I

El Ten Eleven Double necked for your listening pleasure

The first one I've managed to stand up and get out the door before year end while holding down a real job. Irony being it's the biggest compilation yet 77 songs . It's sheer breadth is unprecedented while also militantly limited to melodic oddities from the world of unpopular music. It's a pretty random bunch of songs and I've really squeezed them in there, even though at 4 cds you're probably thinking I've picked them up off the side of the road. But rest assured they're as obsessed over, permutated, combinated and finally differentiated as all of the previous efforts. Got a bit bogged down with dEUS and John Frusciante. There's a lot more information, videos, interviews and songs out there by the bands on this compilation than is strictly neccessary to enjoy the music.

Don't know about you guys but I'm going deaf. Again I've included the cover art and tried to discipline myself to ensure that the cover matches the source of the song, but I have a really low tolerance for bad cover art so sometimes I've chosen a better looking cover instead (always from the same band). (edit : I got undisciplined half way through and started dropping in the nicest looking images regardless). The only case where the covers are so universally bad is Wolf Parade so they get a mugshot instead. I've also included links to myspace pages for further orders. Be careful though, myspace crashes browsers and leads to the appearance of dayglo shoe laces on your dress shoes and the footwear of your loved ones. The incestuous friends lists are telling. Don Cab on Slints page, Sparks on Sandro Perri's page, El Ten Eleven on Spiritualized's page etc. So anyways - herewith, 5+ hours of music to get you over the darkest Christmas of the 21st Century so far and to mark the stark end of a decade which went a bit mad in the middle.

This year's unintentional theme is location with random bands originally hailing from similar locations most of whom seem to have relocated to Brooklyn. Bands from Chapel Hill, Videos of other bands performing in Chapel Hill, Several bands from Athens, Austin, too many from Toronto and a couple from Kentucky. I even turn a blind eye to a couple of British bands coming in from the side which must mean I'm getting old.

Anyway - same rules apply :
- Play Loud
- Sing Along Where Appropriate
- Skip The Ones That Make You Uncomfortable

Previous Compilations
We Send Kisses
Choo-Choo-Choo-Choo Beep! Beep!
Songs For Girls and Boys



1. Fredrik | Black Fur
Lets start Scandinavian and see what happens. Fredrik is the 19th most popular boys name in Sweden. Percussion provided by IKEA Cutlery Department.
2. Electrelane | I'm On Fire.
Speaking of better looking covers - I love this cover version. I could go into a long meandering nostalgic reminiscense about cassettes and Born In The USA being the first original (as opposed to dubbed) album I ever owned but now is not the time. 1984, now that was the time.

3. Winter Gloves | Factories
"From Montreal" health warning. From their biog ....."the band consists of Charles F. on vocals, Wurlitzer and organ, Vincent Chalifour on synth bass and keyboards, Jean-Michel Pigeon on guitar and glockenspiel, and Patrick Sayers on drums" Thats a shitload of keyboards. From the blogs.

4. Why? | Fatalist Palmistry
From the Alopecia album - which had a number of bizarrely catchy bouts of clever, poppy, literary obscenity. No obscenity here just a nice chorus.

5. Noah And The Whale | Five Years Time
From the blogs. I've heard this on the radio in shops and on an ad aswell I think. Catchy ukelele. Oooh, danger here! Turns out they're "British". This counts as shit cover art.

6. Shrag | Forty Five 45s
Which, if you're up on your 45 times tables you'd know was 2025. Also "British". Brighton actually. The photo above is funny. For real life non ironic comparison see here.

7. Rick White Album | Grim Unintention
From the blogs. From Toronto? Also from Eric's Trip a band I couldn't get my head around when I was 17 so no point trying now.

8. The Long Blondes | Guilt (Pantha Du Prince Remix)
This originally lived on the long songs cd but some juggling was required to fit everything in. From The Blogs, Sheffield. This is a remix of a song I've never heard before. One of them had a stroke and they've since split up.

9. Hayden | Home By Saturday
From Canada. It's amazing what you learn about songs or singers you've been listening to for years when you have to write a one line description and come up completely blank. This is one from buck who used to pull together some great compilations in an online compilation club I was part of years ago. Consistently excellent new music through your letterbox until he disappeared. Nurbs.

10. White Denim | Heart From Us All
One of my biggest disappointments is missing their gig in Dublin in July this year cos it crept up and happened while I was in a work blizzard. These guys live in a trailer in Austin TX and use it as their distribution headquarters for whacked out, tight as a duck's arse MC5 meets the Beach Boys musical oddities. I wore white denim to a céilí early on in my going OUT out career. Some really bad shit happened and I never wore white denim or went to a céilí ever again.

11. Sigur Ros | Hoppipolla
Heralding the arrival of daughter number 2.

12. Hella | Hos in The House.
Hella is a town in Iceland. From the delectably uncerebral "Bitches Ain't Shit But Good People" EP . Dont wake the kids.

13. Xiu Xiu | I Do What I Want When I Want
From many places. A very disjointed piece of music that when it briefly, intermittently comes together causes great wonder.

14. El Ten Eleven | Lorge
Doubleneck guitars. Pinbacky to the Max. Why ever not? Listen to My Only Swerving on their Myspace page. I don't have a copy of that one if anyone can oblige....

15. The Mendoza Line | Whatever Hapened to You
Again a buck contribution. "The Mendoza Line is an informal term used in baseball for the threshold of incompetent hitting. Even though Mario Mendoza's lifetime batting average is .215, the Mendoza Line is said to occur at .200, and when a position player's batting average falls below that level, the player is said to be below the Mendoza Line." This was a boy girl band from Athens Georgia who divorced and promptly split the band up.



16. John Frusciante | Murderers
This is from an old four track album recorded before he rejoined the chilli peppers when he was away on a 6 year mega bender. I've loved this song for a long time. He's either had a pretty crazy life or he's one of the more imaginative wikipedia contributors.

17. Asobi Seksu | New Years
It's hard to not like a band whose name translates approximately to "playful sex.". They were originally called Sportfuck. From The Blogs, Brooklyn NY.

18. The Thermals | Pillar of Salt
D's favourite band after Midlake. Saw these this year and it was like a 6th year reunion. Ze Germans were over, Noni, a brokeback Martini, Marconi Van Basten (who fell in love with the bass player), Eri, Carol. Good gig. Nice tattoos :) D learned to headbang to this song. She also fine tuned her influential un-dancing technique.

19. Netherfriends | TAC TAC
From the blogs "Netherfriends are that bastard-psych-pop-catchy as hell band that you’ve been searching for." Catchy singalong chorus for our twilight years sitting around in Vneck jumpers and ill fitting Magee pants upto the gills on sherry and bottles of stout down the Workingman's Club blue rinsed hairs between our teeth misremembering our lives as young sailors. The future involves shared combs I fear.

20. Walkmen | Tonight Will Be Fine
I'm not a Leonard Cohen fan so I didn't know this was a Cohen cover until very recently. From a Daytrotter Session. Lovely.

21. Jason Collet | Charlyn Angel of Kensington
From Toronto.

22. Spiritualized | True Love Will Find You In the End
J. Spaceman returns to earth for a live performance. I usually hate live recordings. But when it's the only version of a great song you own you make exceptions.


23. Micachu | Vulture
No idea what's going on here but it sounds great. Only one word for it... "rowdy". This was supposed to be the opening song on this CD but software has a mind of its own so this cd is presented to you sorted alphebetically by song name. "The key to her unique sound is that she plays tons of homemade instruments, many made from objects found around the house" So, now.

Upsetting The Apple Tart II

Mendoza Line We're All In This Alone

1. Adem - To Cure a Weakling Child/Boy Girl Song
This is a cover of two Aphex Twin songs mashed up. I've listened to both and frankly I'm a little confused. Most of my Aphex Twin stuff is from the dark web and seems to be heavily mis categorised. I think this was used in an ad recently aswell. There's a video somewhere of sunlight in a room the week S came home (and Si and Dee Dee float in and out of frame) and this is blaring in the background. Sunlit memories.

2. Sandro Perri | Double Suicide
This has been knocking around since mid last year. And has kinda grown on me. From Toronto via the blogs.

3. Casino Vs Japan | Summer Clip
This is fantastic. Crazy electronica at its best. I've had this mp3 for close to 10 years (downloaded in the dot com goldrush) but there's a glitch in the encoding which no other software has allowed me to burn to cd. iTunes' error correction sorted it out. Lexington Kentucky. Another unlikely centre of music excellence. I need to buy some of this guy's albums.

4. Lo Fine | Remotely Together
"Wise men dont poke pins they wait and deflate them a little" Evan Dando (I think!) appears completely out of nowhere on here. Havent been able to confirm.

5. Allá | Es Tiempo
Self described as Latin Psychedelic. Mexican. Ó na bolgs.

6. Handsome Furs | Hearts of Iron
Need no introduction.


7. The Mendoza Line | Let's Not Talk About It
A husband and wife team from Athens, Georgia. Divorced in 2007 and dissolved the band.


8. The Thermals | Now We Can See
Without a doubt D's favourite Dancing on the Landing song. When the oo-wayoh-oo-wo-oh bit starts she'll drop everything, come running business like from wherever she is in the house, no matter what her state of dress or dishevelment and dance in her curiously studious style (fists clenched arms tucked like a boxer, reversing in circles sometimes nodding her head when her synapses are feeling up to it). She mimics both of her parents dancing styles (god love her) and throws in a bit of Bernard Dunne. Generally elicits the reaction "Moh!" for more when it's over. Only this song and Midlake ever get that reaction. This is a song which all kids seem to love. Try it on yours!


9. Breeders - Safari
Vintage Breeders. Way before stylists. This is interesting also.

10. Jim Guthrie | Difference A Day Makes
From the blogs. Via Toronto.

11. CiM | Commuter Love
This sounds like something from an electronic archive - I have no idea where it came from but it needs its own lofi electronica tag. Very simple but very effective. They've become extinct though.

12. Manchester Orchestra | Brother
From last year's blogs. Via Atlanta Georgia.

13. Murdocks | Die Together
Contains the use of the word "Raaawwwk!!"

14. Jennifer O'Connor | Valley Road 86
The lyrics on this are very evocative.


15. Reindeer Section | Where I Fall
This album reminds me of Whelans lockins and misbehaving. Broken driverside windows and the fear of god.

16. Yo La Tengo | Stockholm Syndrome
This song is 12 years old. Missed them when they played in November.


17. Madeline | Sleeping Dogs
A hit around our house.


18. Karen Dalton | Katie Cruel

19. Murdocks | Playhouse Down
"Powerpop" from Austin TX. Image courtesy of Google Image Search for "Murdocks".

20. Tobin Sprout | Small Parade
He of Guided By Voices. Nice tune.

21. Ben Gibbard | You Remind Me Of Home

22. Camper Van Beethoven | Tina

Upsetting The Apple Tart III

1. B Fleishcmann - Guided By Beats
The start sounds like a German Oral tape. What is the man talking about? Where did he eventually find his misplaced schnitzel? Trace the man's life story to demonstrate how he ended up living in a Youth Hostel? Who says the Germans got no soul (Hai Siamak!). Woops, he's Austrian apparently. Who says the Austrians can't get down? This is a gorgeous little ditty. I remember seeing Mr Fleishcmann play in the Sugar Club with the boy wonder who purchased all the vinyl he could at the end of the gig. I'd never seen a man dance to hardware before.

2. Mice Parade | Focus on the Rollercoaster
From Canuckistan. I know de nada about them except for this song and their fine album art.

3. Emily Jane White | Wild Tigers I Have Known
Nice piano song. I see she's described as a "dark folk" artist. Aint most folk dark? From the blogs.


4. Superchunk | Untied
Perfect guitar music from Chapel Hill NC. The only band I've ever left the country to see. Oh... before he reminds me.... Redlad discovered these.

5. Sparks | Good Morning
This song manages to be very funny while dealing with the socially important phenomenon of post one night stand awkwardness. Reminds me of Dieter, Peter and Skeeter in a small St Kitts hotel room getting crazy with the after sun lotion. Contains the killer half rhyme : "......While I fix you breakfast | I hope it's just your laugh that is infectious" Amazingly, these guys have been around since 1970. "The band's long career has seen them successfully adopt many different musical genres; including glam pop, power pop, electronic dance music, mainstream pop and most recently chamber pop." Ahh chamber pop for the veeeesh. They Might Be Giants cite them as a major influence.

6. Spank Rock vs Burial | Bumpangel
A mashup of Burial and Spank Rock. The marathon table tennis session continues. The bit in the middle is a quick tutorial on table tennis technique from a female world champeen. The tip for long term, sustainable supremacy over your predominantly Asian (mostly Korean) opponents is to "keep that shit nasty"

7. Frightened Rabbit - Fast Blood
"And the fast blood, fast blood, hurricanes through me and then rips my roof away". Still rockin' the suburbs. I found out a wee bit late that these guys are supporting Modest Mouse for their Dublin and Galway gigs. Coulda been a dealbreaker and got me to buy a ticket.

[Bad Bad (really bad) Artwork]

8. Autamata - Fragments
Foggy Notions CD. Try not bopping your head to this one. Many's the nervo was banished by closing my eyes, high in the sky, planes trains and semi camas.

9. Ernesto Djedje | Zadie Bobo
From a great compilation of African music which Chocatini Dupree sent this year. Reminds me of Orchestra Boabab, a good thing indeed. Nice horns throughout. His dad was called Wolof apparently and Ernesto died young. Chocolate Rain anyone?

10. Seabear | I Sing I Swim
A song for bathtime. From last year's blogs. From Reykjavik Iceland. Apparently it's not cold in seabearia. They've very cleverly collated a bunch of random wannabes armed with badly tuned acoustic guitars doing abysmal youtube cover versions of their songs. This is one of the more.... in tune versions of this song (watch out for the Octave Change of No Return)



11. Wait. Think. Fast | Look Alive
Described as Melodramatic. From the blogs.

12. Songs Ohia | I've Been Riding With The Ghost
"I been runnin outta things I dint even know i'd been usin'"

13. Wait. Think. Fast | Clear Our Name
When the music comes from the blogs, the songs tumble down the bit slide and get streamed into your head unidentified and you end up liking 2 songs from the same band without knowing it's the same band. This happened with these.

14. Daniel Johnston | Fish
From buck, a fellow traveller on the long and winding road to nurb town.


15 The Reindeer Section | I'll Be Here When You Wake
Flute reminds me of another Scottish supergroup (The Delgadoes). From bhicipáid "The Reindeer Section arose - according to Lightbody - out of a chance get-together of musicians at a Lou Barlow gig in Glasgow in 2001, at which Lightbody drunkenly laid down the challenge to others to "make an album together", to which everyone said "yeah yeah". Lightbody "went home and next day wrote the album" and later convinced Johnny Davis of Bright Star to fund a recording session and release the proposed album. The group met over three days of rehearsal and ten days of recording to produce the first album."


16. Phoenix | Long Distance Call
The only French representatives. From the blogs. Where the French get their idea of cool :


17. Lungfish | Instrument
First song on Rainbows from Atoms. A Dischord band.

18. Camper Van Beethoven | Take The Skinheads Bowling
"All you ever wanted was to write a song as perfect as Take The Skinheads Bowling but of course you never did. "


19. Dakota Oak Trio | Brownie and Sonnie
This one seems to predate the internet. Draws a complete blank. From a compilation club, from the postman.


20. Zita Swoon | Where's My Love?
This lad has progressed a bit since I last checked in with him. Stef Kamil Carlens the old bass player from dEUS. I love his heavily accented Belgian vocals and he's a quirky great songwriter (See Worse Case Scenario or this (I've never seen a music video with subtitles before)). Here he is on the left hand side.

21, Mas Y Mas | You Can't Play Without Ice
This is a nightmare vision of my children's teenage years. Overdosing on Ice, Electroclash and Rock n Roll. From the blogs. Joe Dolan would turn in his grave.



22. Toasted Heretic | Black Contact Lenses
Easy on the flange there Julian.

23. This Bike Is A Pipe Bomb | Trains and CopsI'm hearing Larry Gogan's voice saying "Folk Punk from Pensacola Florida".
II and I to come when I get the time. I'll be posting these out next week aswell.
I can't wait. And you shouldn't either.