On the show last Saturday I was being a little bit cheeky when I described the new Mount Pleasant LP “The Flood” as being the perfect soundtrack for David Lynch’s remake of “American Psycho”.

In hindsight I don’t think I was too far wrong. This album pushes my buttons. Jonathan Phillips is sneaky like that. “The Flood” comes across as more of a sketchbook than the final, finished article and that’s why I like it.

With woozy cover versions of songs that I really hated in my childhood (Bruce Springsteen’s “On Fire”, Stevie Nicks’ “Sara”, and Phil Collins’ “Sussudio”) but now sort of like (not in an ironic way – it’s more like Stockholm Music Syndrome), lots of loud/quiet dreamy pop (“In The City”), dropouts and cutouts, glitches, snares and keyboards this is my kind of (un)easy listening.

The kicker for me is the final track on the album – a cover of Roy Orbison’s “In Dreams” – one of my favourite songs of all time. I can still remember the first time I saw Dean Stockwell camply and menacingly mime the song in Blue Velvet. I was terrified and had strange dreams for weeks afterwards. It was my initiation into the weird universe of David Lynch. I have a hunch that Jonathan Phillips resides in a corner of that same universe.

Those crazy kids over at Tally Ho! magazine have put out a FREE compilation called Radikool Emotionz featuring 17 tracks from their favourite local bands.

Been listening to it all morning and enjoying the fuzzed out angular guitars. Stand out tracks so far are from T54, O’Lovely, Secret Knives, and Psychic Powers but to be honest every listen reveals something new.

Nice to hear that a new generation likes the swirling guitar sounds of My Bloody Valentine (keeping in my mind that many of these kids wouldn’t have been born or would have been toddlers when “Loveless” was released). Also reminds me of the “Avalanche” era in Christchurch music. Fantastic stuff!!!

In Christchurch you can pick up free copies from: Galaxy Records, Real Groovy, Cosmic Corner, MAINZ and C1.

If in Wellington or Auckland try your favourite record shop.

If that fails contact Tally Ho! direct and beg for a copy.

Fresh from an NZ tour or a custodial sentence or a football injury at the start of a new season trying to be the new Zlatan Ibrahimovic (we suspect it could be all of the above), the latest track from Ed Muzik is “Pump up the volume” (it’s a freebie so go and get it).

Ed – don’t know if you’re reading this – “Pump up the volume” track seriously needs a Snap extended megamix to do it even more justice (excuse the pun). It finishes too soon.

For more Pump Up The Volume dirtiness go and see Ed Muzik, Rare Shot Blue and special guest Hera at The Dux de Lux, Thursday 20 May. Free entry. (But not “free champagne upon entry” like those dodgy motel honeymoon specials).

Pikachunes aka Miles McDougall is so nice that he has put a brand new Pikachunes EP on his Bandcamp page and it’s free! No one does wistful laptop power ballad disco electro pop better than Pikachunes. I know. I’ve checked.

And if you haven’t seen the video for “Shout it out” have a peek below. Amazing tune and freaky video. Still blows my mind…

St Liquor-ish channels Magnum PI and he wants to give you his new EP "The Lick" free!!!

Jason Fishwick of Bluevibe Studio contacted us last week about the new St Liquor-ish EP “The Lick”.

It’s a free download so we were a bit suspicious at first because free seems too easy. However, we liked the dirty, sifty, sexy Sa-Ra / Outkast / Cameo vibe so much that we played three tracks on the show last Saturday. Definitely one for lovers of porn bass (y’know – the slide down the fretless neck effect).

Even better, how dodgy is the classy publicity shot above???

And here’s the official propaganda…

After 13 long years, 14 studios and a gazillion dollars the highly anticipated first EP from St Liquor-ish, formerly and simultaneously Jellphonic, is ripe. St Liquor-ish’s first solo EP “The Lick” smashes jagged beats with sacred subjects such as sex and hating with subtle undertones of grace and pornography.

More details:

• St Liquor-ish Bandcamp page – download the full EP for free
• www.facebook.com/stliquor-ish
• www.myspace.com/jellphonic
• Bluevibe Studio