Feel good hits of the 8th July

A bumper edition to reflect the vast quantities of music I've been digesting of late...

1. 'Psychosis Safari' - The Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster
2. 'Weekend Without Make-Up' - The Long Blondes
3. 'Saddest Vacant Lot In All The World' - Grandaddy
4. 'Scientist Studies' - Death Cab For Cutie
5. 'Strasbourg' - The Rakes
6. 'In This Home On Ice' - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
7. 'Who's The One' - Wheat
8. 'Elevator Love Song' - Stars
9. 'Strings' - Asobi Seksu
10. 'Love Letter' - Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
11. 'Vampire Blues' - Neil Young
12. 'Substitute' - The Who
13. 'Slayer' - Giant Drag
14. 'Sick 2 Def' (acoustic) - Plan B
15. 'Ring Of Fire' - Johnny Cash

The Death Cab For Cutie, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah and Stars tracks are all from the Shuffleathon CD I got from Mandy (review to appear above shortly...), and thanks to Michael and Jonathan for pointing me in the direction of Asobi Seksu and Plan B respectively.

Friends have recently given me the Neil Young and Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster albums (On The Beach and Horse Of The Dog respectively), and I took advantage of Fopp's generosity to snap up The Rakes' Capture / Release and Grandaddy's Sumday for £3 each. Capture / Release, though immediate and containing a few good songs, is nothing particularly special - the lyrics are partly arch and partly Arctic Monkeys style realism, and the music a blend of The Buzzcocks, The Strokes and other leather-jacketed guttersnipes. Sumday has really impressed, though - nicely understated and very well put together. Perhaps I should invest in The Sophtware Slump and / or Just Like The Fambly Cat next?