Altham’s latest is an a-Ha-esque pop ballad that includes a driving drum track, soaring electronica, and smooth crooning that will take you back to the 1980s. This is a great summer driving song, perhaps the first of many to come now that Scott Altham is back!

Scott Altham on ccMixter

Scott Altham on MySPace

Featured previously on the 23 Seconds site, The Womb is a two-person act consisting of Alan Driscoll and Chloë Reeves. Driscoll has a dark, brooding voice that reminds me a bit of Lou Reed, but this song features Reeves Brit-pop word art. True Love combines her Chumbawumba-style rhythmic chants with a drum machine and bass line that are reminiscent of Alien Sex Fiend’s Ignore the Machine.

Enjoy this one at high volume!

From the EardrumPop website, this is Insect Guide, a trio from Leeds (UK). The warm, jangling buzz of the guitars and the buttery smooth vocals of Su Sutton make me want to close my eyes and smell the darkness of a crowded room. The tripping drums and up and down mood of this song have got me hooked and I have been playing it over and over trying to get it out of my head!

PS: I will definitely have to ask Neil about these folks as he is quite the expert on his hometown music scene.

Nikoo’s bio page on Beep! Beep! Back up the Truck tells us that the six band members cranked out their latest EP in three days and it sounds like they really had a great time, too. Pounding drums and group vocals bring to mind Big Pig or perhaps an angrier sounding Polyphonic Spree.

Shameless makes me want to jump up and stomp around the yard.

Snowflake and friends have created a fierce song that includes text/audio from Larry Lessig and Henry David Thoreau. While the message is serious, the beat and vocals are pure fun!

“We’ve been hacking at the branches
You’ve been stealing all the loot
Now we are marching for the changes
That are striking at the root”

This groovy tune is a re-visioning of Give It Up by Snowflake. The percussion and strings add a bit of urgency to the sleepy lyrics and make it a fun but soothing song to listen to on a cloudy day. (And how often to you get to hear the gamelan in a ccMixter song?)

• GAMFC MYSPACE
• GAMFC FACEBOOK
• GAMFC HYVES

Released recently on the 23 Seconds netlabel, the album A Story of Hurt is a terrific homage to the dark side of the 80s. Part Psychedelic Furs, part Cure, the shoegazer sound of Daniel Jönsson is a real treat for those who are sick of dance/pop. Driving guitars and dark drums underlay smooth and smoky vocals that bring to mind the darker side of REM or perhaps Sisters of Mercy.

The entire album is terrific and the song A Purpose To My Sins typifies the sound of the entire album. A must-download album for blustery Spring days in the Netherlands!

I have featured Colin Mutcher and texasradiofish before here at TD Tunes (including another remix of Drugs of Choice by audiotechnica) and think that they both create terrific music. Colin has a dark and moody voice that texasradiofish somehow transforms into a happier, upbeat song.

“I want to feel alive and free,
I want a future for my family and me.
I want my dream to come true,
I just need the will to pull through.”

You can also hear an example of David’s own work with another Kellie here.

“Me & sky” posted on 16 July 2007 by Asif Akbar on http://www.sxc.hu/photo/828647. Royalty free use with permission.

This album has recently been (re-)released on the 23 Seconds netlabel and is definitely worth a listen…and download. Thanks for sharing, folks!

“Kim is Here” is from their first CD which is titled “And er yeah things like that.” It appears to be out of print (I checked at the local Plato store), but thankfully there are several excellent tunes on their website. Gruber songs are copyrighted, so I emailed Edith to ask permission to podcast this tune and she wrote write back to say yes. (Thanks for that, Edith!) There are lots of great samples in this one, a nice throbby baseline, plaintive vocals from Benno, and lyrics about my favorite person: Kim!

According to the liner notes, this intense techno ballad features DoKashiteru & the Scomber Fingerlings. DoKashiteru is a familar face here at TD Tunes, and the Scomber Fingerlings seem to be those precocious children of his. Well done, Scomber!

This particular song is a remix by Granlab of the Lucky Misu song How to Hold on Tight. The original song is from his Puzzled album and is part of an album called Repuzzled which features great versions of his music as envisioned by others like Emily in Love and Drei Farben House (who are also on the CorpID label).

Easy-going electronica with a marching band surprise near the end…so much fun!

Try this selection (Heatherstreet) and see what you think!

People expect to be happy
Yet pride may trip and then fall.
Lay down your heart as a martyr…
You’ve given your inch – now Your all!

Light the brier with the torches…
Joan of Arc comes in chains…
All of her soldiers now silent…
In her soul burns a flame.

Calendargirl uploads on ccMixter

Incoherent Mumble Train’s uploads on ccMixter

“And there’s the creepy doll
That always follows you
It’s got a ruined eye
That’s always open

And there’s a creepy doll
That always follows you
It’s got a pretty mouth
To swallow you whole “

He is undertaking a pretty cool project: a new songe every day for an entire year. My hero! This is song number 28 and is listed as “urbanstreetcase/alternative dance”. I like the bouncing, rolling beats and the peppy vocals by Jacinda Espinosa, whose original tracks have been remixed several times already.

Scarecrow’s profile on the ccMixter site doesn’t tell us anything about her/him. Kristin Hersh, on the other hand, has her own page at www.kristinhersh.com. It is full of music, images, and words…but no helpful info about who she actually is. Hmm…

While the original (available on Mason Proper’s MySpace page) is quite good, I found the music a bit muddy. MC Jack in The Box has punched up the instruments a bit and clarified the vocal wailing into a more coherent tune that is worth repeated listening.

From the ccmixter contest page: “Vieux Farka Touré is the son of the late international superstar and two-time Grammy Award-winner Ali Farka Touré. An historic passing of the torch from father to son is represented by Vieux’s debut. He has crafted a globalminded style all his own with original compositions displaying flourishes of rock and reggae amidst Saharan Blues and traditional Malian melodies.”

Leza2unes, a university student from the OK, counters with: “I am a singer songwriter enjoy and sing in variety of styles such as blues, folk, pop, pop rock, soul. I love dance tunes and would love to incorporate some medieval guitar and folk vocals into it. Or even a classic piano rave tune with soulful voice.”

Argentina’s s.c.mixter shares this new mix of Leza2unes’ vocals for Take you higher via the ccMixter website. Powerful singing, a thrumming bassline, and some rattling drum licks make this a Depeche Mode-like rock ballad for the summer. Best enjoyed with a mojito in the back garden.

This is Scomber (yet again) on the ccMixter site. Enjoy the flashbacks!

“Dear fans of Lucky Misu, I’m sad to say that this could be the last Lucky Misu release ever. Both inspiration and time have run out. Hopefully there will be a comeback some day, but I wouldn’t count on it. Some plans have been made to produce music with other artist but only time will tell how that will work out. As a ‘Goodbye’ I teamed up with Argentinian artist Bleulel for a split/combo EP. Bleulel files were sent across the Atlantic for a Lucky Misu treatment and the result is this included in this release. It’s ironic, but this is by far the best Lucky Misu release… ”

This song reminds me of the Eno/Cale album Wrong Way up with its drum machines, blips, and tough but tight harmonies. We’ll miss you, Lucky Misu!