Catch-Up: Ash, Blonde Summer, A.C. Newman, Raveonettes, Fonda, Graham Repulski, Fang Island, Calvin Love, The Dust Engineers, A Place To Bury Strangers

This episode has a simple organizing principle: we looked back through our love-'em list and found some songs we simply hadn't yet posted. May the shame of our neglect be assuaged by our finally taking arms against a sea of troubles kind of thing.

Ash - Burn Baby Burn mp3

Blonde Summer - Slow Days Fast Company mp3

A.C. Newman - Encyclopedia Of Classic Takedowns mp3

The Raveonettes - She Owns The Streets mp3

Fonda - Better Days mp3

Graham Repulski - Mommy's Dreaming mp3

Fang Island - Asunder mp3

Calvin Love - Gut Feeling (DEVO cover) mp3

The Dust Engineers - So American mp3
The Dust Engineers - Jake Spoon mp3

A Place To Bury Strangers - And I'm Up mp3
A Place To Bury Strangers - You Are The One mp3

Ash, Starky, Young Galaxy, Kelly's Heels

So much music, so little time. Over the weekend I dug back into the SXSW 2005 site and found another 50 or 60 songs I rated at three stars or better. (Translation: I like 'em a lot.) For the next several weeks I'll be working in a few per day, along with current goodstuff I happen upon. Thanks to visitor "John's" recent tout, Ireland's Ash have been for me one of the most exciting close encounters of the heard kind in many a moon. Imagine if you dare (and why not) my embarrassment/excitement to find them right there as one of the SXSW Showcasing bands back in 2005, which is by way of saying we lead off with them. Next we're calling Sydney for a song by Starky I've liked for a year or two now. (I posted Starky's "Hey Bang Bang" at Big Bloc 4, which I must confess is one of my favorite posts since I started blogging.) Then we get a bit more au courant with a goodun by Montrealers Young Galaxy, brought to earth at the excellent AOL Spinner.com. We close this set with a pleaser brought to our attention by a representative of the London band, Kelly's Heels. Thanks, Katy! Click the artists' names for more info, music, etc.

Ash - Meltdown mp3
Starky - Girl Talk mp3
Young Galaxy - Outside the City mp3
Kelly’s Heels – Invisible Hold mp3 (pic)

Ash Kicks

Many thanks to visitor "John" (hope I'm not blowing your cover, man/woman) for pointing me towards Downpatrick, Ireland's incredible Ash. I confess to having gone through a kind of dry spell in the mid-90s, when various obligations precluded the kind of intensive bandtracking necessary to bona fide musical obsession. Yes, I sinned, but fortunately old friends and new are constantly redirecting my ears to the paths of righteousness. Anyway, "John" sent me to Ash's MySpace site, where I found four superb downloadables, plus one streamer. I then checked out eMusic, where, alas, nada, but then hit the jackpot at iTunes Music Store. I only bought 16 right off, but I'll be going back for more. Ye who already know them know why; ye who don't are about to. I'll post two from the MySpace site, encourage you to go check out the rest, and then go buy.

Ash
Meltdown - Out of the Blue mp3
Trailer - Jack Names the Planets mp3