Don’t Miss A Beat is here to recommend five tracks a week. Rather than being a standard ‘five new tracks you must hear’ it will comprise a selection of music that fall into five categories.
There will be a new track and older track in some way related to the new track, a track from a recently released album, a track somewhat related to the week just past, and a track by an artist playing in Manchester in the coming week.
New Track: Peace and Love Barbershop Mohammed Ali – Gave My Heart Away (hey!)
PALBMA are a Manchester-based band currently on tour with PINS.
This latest project from Mark Vernon – of Brown Brogues and the world’s best Christmas parties at The Castle – takes its name from a barbers’ in Moss Side.
They have a debut EP coming out November 7 on Stolen Recordings, which they are sharing with French garage band, Druggy Pizza.
Fans of Brown Brogues will find their appetite for garage satisfied, with the welcome addition of bottom end due to the presence of bass and keys.
Old Track: The Wave Pictures – Cassius Clay
The link is obvious. PALMBA’s choice of name gives us excellent reason to have a listen to The Wave Pictures – possibly the greatest band in the world.
This tiny piece of their excellent and extensive back-catalogue is from their 2008 album Instant Coffee Baby, their first to be released on Moshi Moshi.
The Wave Pictures tour relentlessly and recently played a run of sold out nights at The Eagle Inn in Salford.
They also feature regularly on BBC 6 music. If you ever get a chance to see them live then don’t miss it, it’s a guaranteed winner of an evening.
Track from an Album from This Week: Battles – FF Bada
New York experimentalists are back with another album that promises their usual inventiveness.
Expect unusual time signatures and complicated instrumental arrangements, all pulled off without any negative impact on the music’s accessibility.
La Di Da Di is their third studio album to be released on the reputable Warp Records and came out this week, on September 18.
Relevant Track to this Week: John Otway – Green Green Grass of Home
A UKIP MEP has complained that the EU is spending money on helping refugees while grass verges in Essex are left uncut. Here’s a much better oddball – John Otway – also talking about grass. Green Green Grass of Home was released on October 1980 by Stiff Records.
Gig To See: Sweet Baboo – Motoring Home
Stephen Black A.K.A. Sweet Baboo is back touring in support of his latest album, The Boombox Ballads, released August 15 on Moshi Moshi.
For fans of smart and funny lyrics, Sweet Baboo plays The Deaf Institute on September 25.
If you want to get stuck into his back catalogue before you inevitably follow the recommendations from this column, his six studio records are all well worth a listen.
Tickets can be found here.
Image courtesy of Sascha Kohlmann, with thanks.
