Decayed III: 2004

Side 1 of a cassette compilation that never was, travelling through the 2000s.

Guitars are back! Back!! BACK!!!

Not that they ever go away, but the press likes to enforce a death/rebirth cycle when it comes to guitar-based music and based. It's nonsense of course, and completely disregards the dizzying array of other popular genres and the blending and mashing up of most of them by creatives. Does it even sell column inches? Who cares?

Today's selection is quite guitar-heavy, for all that. U2 were back (along with that man Jacknife Lee) with one of the best songs they'd released in years, even if the rest of the album couldn't match up.

Beastie Boys were also back, revisiting the rap rock golden age of (You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party!) with Triple Trouble, thanks to a rifftastic remix by Graham Coxon.

New kids on the block, all delivering fresh and exciting music, included Art Brut, The Vines, Bloc Party and Franz Ferdinand, whose debut album got my vote for one of The Top 20 Greatest Eponymous Albums Of All Time over at No Badger Required.

Aside from Jacknife Lee, another producer who seemed to be everywhere was Mark Ronson, here popping up with a remix of AIR, featuring Chicagoan rapper Che Smith aka Rhymefest. Licenced to Ill(inois), you might say.

After last week's guest appearance with wife Beyoncé, Jay-Z is back in his own right with Dirt Off Your Shoulder. Another example of the creative ways that labels would deal with the F's, MF's and N's that peppered rap music in order to get it played on the radio. Not so easy to sing along to, I can promise you.

Another returning guest star from last week is Jake Shears, this time in his day job as front person with Scissor Sisters. What a breath of fresh air they were. A cover of Pink Floyd in the style of Bee Gees' disco pomp, it shouldn't work, but Comfortably Numb is glorious. And there was plenty more where that came from.

After my contrived attempt to ensure that Andrew Weatherall appeared in every year of my 1990s series, a welcome return for Lord Sabre under his own steam, with old mucker Keith Tenniswood as Two Lone Swordsmen. Sex Beat is a cover of The Gun Club's 1981 song and a surprise UK Top 25 hit in August 2004.  

The opening and closing songs of today's selection represent artists that I didn't connect with at first, but later grew to love.

Gwen Stefani fronted No Doubt, who had a #1 in 1997 with Don't Speak, an atypical ballad compared to the pop/rock/ska that was their stock in trade. I wasn't a fan. However, Gwen's solo single What You Waiting For? is up there with the best pop songs of the decade and her album Love.Angel.Music.Baby. had lots to enjoy, even if not quite at the same stratospheric level. 

I'm astounded that What You Waiting For? only got to #4, losing out to Girls Aloud, Destiny's Child and Lemar from Fame Academy. No Doubt? No justice, more like!

2004 closes with Slow Life by Super Furry Animals, which I was reacquainted with during the summer thanks to The Robster's must-read series on SFA singles, featured at The Vinyl Villain. 

I'd strongly recommend that you read the entire series from end to end, it's amazing. Here's an extract from The Robster's post on Slow Life:

It was the third and final single from Phantom Power, 

but its release, in April 2004, was far from conventional. 

It, along with its two b-sides, was initially available digitally 

only from the website of Placid Casual, the band’s own independent record label, 

which suggests that Epic may have been reluctant to release it themselves, 

possibly due to its length. 

They did, however, put out a single-sided 12” promo. 

It then featured as a CD single  in the special limited edition of 

the Phantom Phorce remix album  in its own slipcase sleeve. 

Needless to say, it didn’t chart due to the nature of its release.

In the opening paragraph, The Robster writes that Slow Life "really does stand up as one of the finest moments of their existence" and, even in the truncated edit featured here, he is absolutely right.

Decayed is now at the halfway mark and has hopefully demonstrated that the first decade of the 21st century had plenty to offer, musically speaking. Can 2005 hope to keep up?

1) What You Waiting For? (Album Version): Gwen Stefani

2) Alpha Beta Gaga (Mark Ronson Vocal Mix): AIR ft. Rhymefest

3) Vertigo (Jacknife Lee 7"): U2

4) Triple Trouble (Graham Coxon Remix): Beastie Boys

5) Formed A Band (Album Version): Art Brut

6) Comfortably Numb (Album Version) (Cover of Pink Floyd): Scissor Sisters

7) Ride (Album Version): The Vines

8) Take Me Out (Album Version): Franz Ferdinand

9) Helicopter (Original Version): Bloc Party

10) Dirt Off Your Shoulder (Radio): Jay-Z

11) Sex Beat (Remix) (Cover of The Gun Club): Two Lone Swordsmen

12) Slow Life (Edit): Super Furry Animals

18th January 2004: Franz Ferdinand (#3): 8

25th January 2004: Scissor Sisters (#10): 6

14th March 2004: Winning Days (#25): 7

4th April 2004: Bang Bang Rock & Roll (#52): 5

25th April 2004: Phantom Power (# n/a): 12

16th May 2004: The Black Album (#12): 10

1st August 2004: From The Double Gone Chapel (#22): 11

15th August 2004: Talkie Walkie (#44): 2

19th September 2004: To The 5 Boroughs (#37): 4

31st October 2004: Silent Alarm (#26): 9

11th November 2004: How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb (#1): 3

21st November 2004: Love.Angel.Music.Baby. (#4): 1

Side One (45:36) (GD) (M)

If you enjoyed this, why not check out the corresponding mixtapes from 1984 and 1994?

Get Ready For Liftoff

The news that Vegyn was reworking the whole of AIR's 1998 album Moon Safari was pretty much the only Record Stord Day 2025 announcement that stayed with me during the hype and build up to last Saturday.

Moon Safari was ubiquitous at the end of the millennium and the songs are so ingrained in the consciousness that even the contemporary remixes struggled to compete with the originals.

So, what to make of Vegyn's modern day overhaul? Well, for a start, they are variations rather than unrecognisable remixes, though a few remove or play down the musical motifs that make AIR's original compositions so familiar.

Sexy Boy is arguably the keystone to whether you will enjoy Blue Moon Safari or not.  

A few of the elements are there, including the vocals, but it changes keys and chord sequences and shifts the emphasis of the song as a result. Judging by the comments online, it's had a Marmite effect on listeners. After a couple of listens, I've decided I like it a lot.

Likewise, Kelly Watch The Stars. I love the simplicity of the original (which I posted back in March) and I really like the different direction that Vegyn's rework takes.

Beth Hirsch's vocals on All I Need and You Make It Easy are high points on the album and here they are treated with similiar reverence and respect, whilst sounding like they were recorded last week. 

By the time the last notes of Le Voyage De Pénélope fade out, I'm left with a similar urge to listen to the whole album all over again.

Blue Moon Safari succeeds because it sounds like a Vegyn album, whilst also remaining true to AIR's original vision. Easy on paper, but artists frequently come a cropper when attempting something like this.

I was already a fan of Vegyn, album The Road To Hell Is Paved With Good Intentions was a highllight of 2024, but Blue Moon Safari is a cracking follow up.

A Few That Didn't Make The Cut...

The latest instalment of the Decadance series will arrive later than planned today. A long day on Friday and Clan K stuff this morning, you know how it is.

To whet your appetite for what's to come, I've picked half a dozen songs that didn't make the final 12 for 1998, but are too good to ignore. 

I haven't seen most of these videos for years either and they are a visual treat.  

But if these artists didn't make the cut, then who did?

The top 40 selling singles of 1998 included Cher, Celine Dion, Boyzone, B*Witched, Leann Rimes and Chef from South Park. And the rest weren't much cop either.
 
1) Kelly Watch the Stars: AIR (10th May 1998, #18)

2) What It Means: Barry Adamson (16th August 1998, #98) (criminal!)

3) (Hey You) Whats That Sound?: Les Rythmes Digitales (11th October 1998, #76)

4) Hand In Your Head: Money Mark (22nd February 1998, #40)

5) A Little Soul: Pulp (14th June 1998, #22)

6) Music Sounds Better With You: Stardust (16th August 1998, #2)

 

 

 

 

Non Et Non? Oui, Anon!

An eighty minute French electro dance mix to soundtrack your Olympic weekend, as requested by Anonymous on Tuesday. 

To mix my metaphors, when Anon made this comment, it became an itch I had to scratch and I ended up going down a rabbit hole. But it was so much fun! So much so, that I've spent so much time deciding on the tracks and stitching them together that I've basically run out of time to write about it...!

Anyhoo, from my initial thought that I might not have much to play with, the reality is that I seem to have tonnes of the stuff. to the extent that I've had to leave out several artists that I like, such as The Hacker, i:Cube, Le Knight Club and Rone because I didn't have the room.

From a ridiculously long long list, I had to impose further rules to help me whittle it down to a CD-R friendly size. 

 

So, first of all, the artists all had to be French passport carriers, so that cut out Francophiles such as Classixx (sorry, Anon!) or Aeroplane.

Secondly, if I was choosing a remix - which ended up accounting for most of this playlist - it also had to be by a French artist. Great though they are, remixes by Justin Robertson, Adrian Sherwood or even chancers like Les Rythmes Digitales aka Jacques Lu Cont (Stuart Price to his mum) had to go.

Thirdly... well, that was enough to go on actually and what I ended up with is a 16-track selection that I think hangs together pretty well.

There are loads of familiar names, as per Anon's list: Daft Punk, M83, Justice, Air, Étienne De Crécy; others such as Miss Kittin, Fred Falke, Château Flight, Sébastien Tellier, Kid Loco and Cassius. 

 

Some might be less familiar: La Horse (Ivan Smagghe & Julien Brambilla), Para One (Jean-Baptiste De Laubier), Dombrance (Bertrand Lacombe) and Donovan (David Saïd & Nicolas Nekmouche); all worth checking out in their own right.

Unfortunately, my tardiness with this post means that I've blown any chance of getting a look in with Rol's Saturday Snapshots over at My Top Ten. I'll be lucky to get a certificate of attendance, let alone a bronze medal...!

 

1) Sexual Sportswear (Donovan Remix): Sébastien Tellier (2010)

2) D.A.N.C.E. (Alan Braxe & Fred Falke Remix): Justice (2008)

3) Sexy Boy (Étienne De Crécy Et Les Flowers Pistols Remix): AIR (1998)

4) Hypercommunication (Joakim Cartoon Muscles Remix): Poni Hoax (2008)

5) Midnight City (Team Ghost Remix): M83 (2011) 

6) Les Antipodes (Joakim Remix): Château Flight & Bertrand Burgalat (2004)

7) Saké (Blackjoy Version): Jupiter (2011)

8) Maneki Neko (Château Marmont Remix): Miss Kittin (2013)

9) Tom Select (La Horse Remix): Discodeine (2009)

10) Patterns (Mondkopf Remix): Villeneuve (2009)

11) Gorgeous (Dombrance Remix): Yuksek ft. Confidence Man (2020)

12) Spinach Girl (The Family Remix By Villeneuve): Agoria ft. Sylvie Marks & Kofea (2003)

13) Prix Choc (Ultra Dark Mix): Étienne De Crécy (1998)

14) She's My Lover (A Revolution Sitting Stoned In A Field - Remix Edit): Kid Loco (1997)

15) Prime Time Of Your Life (Para One Remix): Daft Punk (2005)

16) Feeling For You (Edit): Cassius (1999)

 

1998: A Grand Love Story: 14

1998: Prix Choc EP: 13

1998: Sexy Boy EP: 3 

1999: Feeling For You EP: 16

2003: Spinach Girl EP: 12

2004: Les Antipodes Versions Speciales EP: 6 

2006: Human After All: Remixes: 15 

2008: D.A.N.C.E. EP: 2 

2008: Hypercommunication EP: 4

2009: Death Race EP: 10

2009: Sexuality Remix: 1

2009: Tom Select EP: 9

2011: Midnight City Remix EP: 5

2011: Saké EP: 7

2013: Maneki Neko EP: 8

2020: Nosso Ritmo EP: 11

 

Non Et Non? Oui, Anon! (1:20:25) (KF) (Mega)

The Tape Would Understand

Things started with The Clash, inevitably jumping to Manic Street Preachers and leading to whole bunch of 'radio' songs. But not including Radio Song by R.E.M. Although there is another 'radio' song by R.E.M. My brain hurts.

 

Put another way: 12 songs. 48 minutes. Enjoy. 

1) Hitsville U.K: The Clash ft. Ellen Foley (1980)

2) Radio G String: Bow Wow Wow (1980)

3) Radio Waves (Album Version): O.M.D. (1983)

4) Take Back The Radio (Flying Mojito Bros Refrito): Katy J Pearson (2021)

5) Radio #1 (Señor Coconut's "Rumbamambochacha" Remix By Uwe Schmidt): AIR ft. Sergio Lagos (2001)

6) On My Radio: The Selecter (1979)

7) Sports Radio (RLC Dub Mix): Elite Beat (2020)

8) Factory Radio: Black Box Recorder (1998)

9) Love Songs On The Radio: Mojave 3 (1995)

10) Radio Free Europe (Original Hib-Tone Single Version): R.E.M. (1981)

11) Motown Junk (Single Version): Manic Street Preachers (1991)

12) Put The Radio On: Lana Del Rey (2010)

 

The Tape Would Understand (48:15)

Where Time And Space Stand Still

Charlotte Gainsbourg chooses her collaborators well. Her second album, 5:55, was largely written by AIR, Jarvis Cocker and The Divine Comedy's Neil Hannon; follow ups IRM and Stage Whisper was composed with Beck; her most recent album, 2017's Rest, was created with French musician and DJ Sebastian Akchoté aka SebastiAn. Charlotte's songs also lend themselves well to remixers, with dozens of official and bootleg versions out there. This is a small selection of each.

 

Side One

1) AF607105 (Album Version) (ft. AIR) (2006)

2) Deadly Valentine (Radio Edit By SebastiAn & Danger Mouse) (2017)

3) Paradisco (Original Version) (ft. Beck) (2011)

4) IRM (Album Version) (ft. Beck) (2009)

5) Les Oxalis (Silaxo Extended Re-Edit) (2017)

Side Two

1) The Operation (Album Version) (ft. AIR) (2006)

2) Heaven Can Wait (Nosaj Thing Remix) (2009)

3) Time Of The Assassins (Matthew Dear Remix) (2010)

4) Sylvia Says (Radio Edit By SebastiAn) (2018)

5) 5:55 (Black Ghosts Remix By Simon Lord & Theo Keating) (2006)

6) The Songs That We Sing (Album Version) (ft. AIR & Neil Hannon) (2006)

Side One (22:24)

Side Two (22:18)