MP3 OF THE WEEK: Pulp – Cocaine Socialism mp3

“I thought that you were joking, when you said I want to see ya, to discuss your contribution, to the future of our nation’s heart and soul, six o’clock my place Whitehall”

Pulp’s ‘This Is Hardore’ album is easily one of my all-time favourite LPs and track eleven, ‘Glory Days’ is one of the best songs on it.  ‘Cocaine Socialism’ is the lesser known cousin of ‘Glory Days’ and shares the same tune with added flamboyant Springsteen style Brass.  Because it was a B-side and because it faced stiff competition from ‘Glory Days’ it’s only now that I’m realising what an amazing song it is.

Ten years on and it seems to totally sum up the Blair years and the Nineties in general, chronicling the arrival of spin led politics and the rise of the celebrity in our culture.  The lyrics are bursting with quotable gems, like “I’ll get down to the jist, do you want a line of this, are you a Socialist?” and “Just one hit and I feel great, and I support the well-fare state”.  ‘Cocaine Socialism’ is a towering work of popular art.

Pulp – Cocaine Socialism mp3

Click here to buy ‘This Is Hardcore’ from HMV for only £7.99 (You have to get a copy of this album!)

Click here to watch a live clip of ‘Glory Days’ (Featuring Richard Hawley on Guitar) via YouTube.

Pulp MySpace / Jarvis Cocker MySpace

MP3 OF THE WEEK: Akala – Comedy Tragedy History mp3

“Wise is the man that knows he’s a fool, tempt not a desperate man with a jewel, why take from Peter to go and pay Paul, some rise by sin and by virtue fall”

Hurray! Akala is back with a new album ‘Freedom Lasso’, hot on the heels of last year’s superb ‘It’s Not A Rumour’ LP.  It was a home-made, independent record that never got the attention it deserved.  Although snatching away the ‘Best Hip-Hop’ award at the MOBOs from heavy-hitters like Busta Rhymes and Kanye West, was the classic British underdog story.

‘Comedy Tragedy History’ is definitely a highlight and a sequel of sorts to his last single ‘Shakespeare’.  The new album has a harder Electro edge, which this track mixes with some addictive high-speed Strings, like a Gypsy troupe hosting a rave.  Over this, Akala has a crack at rapping the complete works of Shakespeare while generally announcing his God-like genius.

Akala – Comedy Tragedy History mp3

Click here to buy Akala albums from HMV (You won’t regret it!).

Click here to visit Akala’s YouTube channel (Highly recommended, check out ‘Bullshit’) and click here watch Fritz Lang’s ‘Metropolis’ cut to new track ‘Electro Livin’ (It has to be one of the best fan videos ever).

Visit Akla’s MySpace page to download a freestyle he did over ‘Standing In The Way Of Control’.

Akala Website / Akala MySpace

MP3 OF THE WEEK: The First Class – Beach Baby mp3

“I never thought that it would end, and I was everybody’s friend, long hot days, cool sea haze, Jukebox plays, but now it’s fading away”

I’ve been hearing this track on the radio allot where I work and I’ve totally fallen in love with it. ‘Beach Baby’ has a sweeping, rich, Beach Boys production (With a hint of Simon & Garfunkel) but it’s when everything else drops out and the horns come in for the instrumental brake at 3.05, that it really gives me the goose bumps. It’s like the whole reason for Jason Pierce’s existence. This 1974 single was apparently The First Class’ only hit but I’ll definitely have to check out the rest of their discography.

The First Class – Beach Baby mp3

Click here to buy a best of compilation called ‘Summer Sound Sensations’ from HMV.

Click here to watch ‘Beach Baby’ on YouTube (Sadly without the Instrumental bit).

The First Class Website

MP3 OF THE WEEK: Wojtek Godzisz – A Rush & A Push & The Land Is Ours mp3

“Hello, I am the ghost of Troubled Joe, hung by his pretty white neck, some eighteen months ago, I travelled to a mystical time zone and I missed my bed and I soon came home”

Covering The Smiths is never an easy task, many have tried, many have failed. t.A.T.u did a fun cover of ‘How Soon Is Now’, Billy Bragg recorded an essential version of ‘Jeane’ and Mark Ronson recently scored a hit with an excellent, if slightly misguided, cover of ‘Stop Me If You Think You’ve Heard This One Before’. However, Wojtek Godzisz’s cover of ‘A Rush & A Push & The Land Is Ours’ is an unqualified success, retaining and enhancing the odd Reggae/Gypsy rhythm of the original while his vocals even rival Morrissey’s (No mean feat). The fact that ‘Strangeways, Here We Come’ has tragically never been properly remastered (Along with the rest of The Smiths’ catalogue), also gives Godzisz’s version a sonic advantage.

The track is taken from Filthy Little Angels’ latest covers album ‘Nineteen Eighty Seven’. It’s a compilation of covers of songs from, yep you’ve guessed it… 1987. It is totally free and features other superb recreations of classics like ‘Got My Mind Set On You’, ‘Sally Cinnamon’ and ‘Hip To Be Square’.

Wojtek Godzisz – A Rush & A Push & The Land Is Ours mp3

Click here to buy Wojtek Godzisz records from HMV including his fantastic forthcoming 7″ ‘The Moon & The Yew Tree’.

Click here to watch the rabid video for ‘The Moon & The Yew Tree’ on YouTube.

Click here to buy The Smith’s ‘Strangeways, Here We Come’ from HMV.

Click here to watch Morrissey perform ‘A Rush & A Push & The Land Is Ours’ in Manchester via YouTube.

Wojtek Godzisz MySpace / Filthy Little Angels Website

MP3 OF THE WEEK: Lupe Fiasco – Superstar (Feat. Matthew Santos) mp3

“So just take me home, where the mood is mellow, and the roses are thrown, M&Ms are yellow, and the light bulbs around my mirror don’t flicker, everybody gets a nice autograph picture, one for you, and one for your sister, who had to work tonight, but is an avid listener”

Lupe Fiasco’s ‘Food & Liquor’ was not only my favourite album of 2006 but easily the best album in at least a decade and a contender for the greatest Rap album of all-time.  It’s an LP that means so much to me and is so full of detail and depth (Which I’m still exploring) that it’s difficult to convey how much I love it.  Every time I listen, I spot something new that gives me goose-bumps because it’s sharp, witty, intelligent or profound.

So ‘Superstar’ is from his follow up album ‘The Cool’.  On the surface it’s about celebrity but then you delve a little deeper and find lines about capitol punishment, self doubt and self belief.  There’s a soulful chorus provided by Matthew Santos who collaborated on Lupe’s first album.  It’s not his finest track (That’d have to be ‘Hurt Me Soul’) but it’s certainly better than most of the music released this year.

Lupe Fiasco – Superstar (Feat. Matthew Santos) mp3

I implore you, before you eat, before you sleep, before you even take a breath click here to get a copy of ‘Food & Liquor’.

As a bonus, here’s a sampler track from ‘Food & Liquor’ which also features the vocal talents of Matthew Santos.

Lupe Fiasco – American Terrorist (Feat. Matthew Santos) mp3

Click here to watch a live performance of ‘Superstar’ at Lollapalooza via YouTube.

Lupe Fiasco Website / Lupe Fiasco MySpace / Matthew Santos MySpace

MP3 OF THE WEEK: Gene Vincent – Crazy Beat mp3

“Everybody Snap your fingers, everybody stomp your feet, and everybody clap your hands, let’s move to the rhythm of a crazy beat”

It’s not just Oasis who blatantly rip off classic songs. It was 1963 when Gene Vincent recorded this sexy two minute song that is so clearly in debt to Little Willie John’s song ‘Fever’ (Recorded in 1956).  I just bought Andrew Weatherall’s ‘Sci-Fi-Lo-Fi’ Compilation and this was one of the great tracks from it.  There are other fantastic songs from Joe Boot, The Milkshakes and The Cramps.  I highly recommend picking up a copy.

Gene Vincent – Crazy Beat mp3

Click here to buy ‘Sci-Fi-Lo-Fi’ from HMV.

As a bonus, here’s Elvis Presley’s smokin’ version of ‘Fever’:

Elvis Presley – Fever mp3

Gene Vincent Website

MP3 OF THE WEEK: Murder Mystery – Love Astronaut mp3

“I’m the captain of a ship, boy an astronaut in space, travelling the universe, and searchin’ for a pretty face, I’ve been looking on high, checkin’ below the lows, but the only thing I find is myself still alone”

‘Love Astronaut’ is a minimal yet melodically rich Pop gem with an unstoppably catchy chorus.  It’s like fellow New Yorkers The Strokes fed on sweets and lemonade and if somebody would only give Murder Mystery a UK deal, I think ‘Love Astronaut’ could be a hit.  Check out their album, which is stuffed with similar treats.

Murder Mystery – Love Astronaut mp3

Click here to buy the ‘Are You Ready For The Heartache Cause Here It Comes’ album from Insound.

Visit their Website for another free mp3.

Murder Mystery Website / Murder Mystery MySpace

MP3 OF THE WEEK: Smith – Baby It’s You mp3

“It’s not the way you smile that touched my heart, it’s not the way you kiss that tears me apart, many, many, many nights go by, I sit alone at home and I cry over you, what can I do, don’t want nobody, nobody, ’cause baby, it’s you”

‘Baby It’s You’ is a cover of the classic Burt Bacharach number, perhaps most famously recorded by The Beatles. Smith’s version is most easily described as Dusty Springfield backed by a scorching Psych-Funk outfit. Just listen to the roar of Gayle McCormick’s vocals towards the end. ‘Baby It’s You’ can be found on Smith’s 1969 album ‘A Group Called Smith’ but I heard it on the typically essential soundtrack to Tarantino’s new flick ‘Death Proof’. It’s about time Tarantino had a greatest hits album!

Smith – Baby It’s You mp3

Click here to buy ‘A Group Called Smith’ from Amazon for £9.49.

Click here to view a Clip of Smith on YouTube.

Click here to buy the soundtrack to ‘Death Proof’ from HMV for £11.99.

Gayle McCormick Fansite

MP3 OF THE WEEK: Sonny Jim – Can’t Stop Moving mp3

“Feel something movin’ all over me, whatever it is, no man can see, from the crown of my head, to the soul of my feet, spirit is movin’, spirit is movin’, spirit is movin’ all over me”

After searching around the web I was unable to track down what songs ‘Can’t Stop Moving’ samples but it sounds like a Jackson 5 vocal (Although I understand it isn’t, somebody clear it up for the love of god?!).  It’s one of those insanely catchy and almost-cheesy Disco-Pop singles that you’ll sicken yourself on like too many Skittles.  ‘Are You Ready For Love?’ was one, ‘Move Your Feet’ was another and now we’ve got Sonny Jim’s (aka Sonny J) sublime ‘Can’t Stop Moving’.  If you listen to it once, you’ll listen to it a hundred times.

Sonny Jim – Can’t Stop Moving mp3

Here are links to the official dance vid or to the superior Jackson 5 based fan video on YouTube.

I’ve spent the last few days without an Internet connection, allowing me to experience what it must have been like in the middle ages.  To celebrate my return to the 21st century, here are three bonus tracks that deserve to be Mp3s of the week too.

In 1994 Beastie Boys sampled Jimmy Smith’s sizzling ‘Root Down (And Get It)’ and now they give something back by creating an equally funky instrumental for future generations to sample.

Beastie Boys – Electric Worm mp3

When this Remix of Klaxons came out in April it sounded fantastic but suddenly this week I decided it was one of the greatest six minutes ever recorded.

Klaxons – Gravity’s Rainbow (Soulwax Remix) mp3

I haven’t got round to delving into the discography of respected 70s Folkie Linda Thompson but when I heard the title track from her new solo album I was bowled over.  A curious mix of lushly produced Country, fine songwriting and a coal-miner’s Brass-band.

Linda Thompson – Versatile Heart mp3

Sonny Jim MySpace

MP3 OF THE WEEK: Mr Benn (Feat. MC Souls Liberation) – The Jump mp3

“We entertain wid unity, love and da peace, so the vibes that we carry, shall surely increase, give thanks and praises to the most high and we sing this-a song while we look up to the sky”

I loved Mr Benn’s ‘A Message To ODB’ mashup (Under his Mr Blennd moniker) but I’m just hearing ‘The Jump’ (It was included on an EP from last year) after finding it on a recent Leisure Recordings label-sampler CD. ‘The Jump’ mixes and scratches up a summery blend of Latin Guitar, New-Orleans house-party Piano, Dub, Hip-Hop, Punk-Funk Bass, sexy Brass, Rave whistles and even eastern strings. If you listen hard enough you can almost hear every record in there. Over the top, MC Souls Liberation shouts out an irresistible call and response of “I say yes, you say yes”.

Mr Benn (Feat. MC Souls Liberation) – The Jump mp3

Click here to buy the Leisure Recordings sampler from Juno Records.

Click here to download a few Mr Benn mixes.

Click here to download the EP that ‘The Jump’ came from.

Leisure Recordings Website / Leisure Recordings MySpace / Mr Benn MySpace