Tag Archives: Grass House

Mad Mackerel The Last Five Years – Dr Roddy Looks Back

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MM The Last Five Years - Dr Roddy

Believe it or not, Mad Mackerel has been around for more than five years now. During that time we’ve posted more than 4,000 times, and offered more than 5,000 songs for your listening pleasure. And more than three quarters of a million people have paid MM a visit during our lifetime on Google’s godawful blogspot and since April 2010 on WordPress.

We asked some of the regular MM contributors to give us their top twenty songs since MM first went live and we’re also going to give you one big mega-listing shortly, but first up with their personal top twenty is the right honourable Dr Roddy.

Through good fortune and fine sailing I have been lucky enough to be involved with this blog and it has provided me with some of the finest music in genres I maybe wouldn’t have looked in. So when asked to compile a top twenty of tunes from the last five years, I kicked aside the memories of musical turmoil that is involved with the yearly top tens, poured a stiff drink and set about it with relish.

20 Dan Auerbach – Heartbroken, In Disrepair

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19 Dirty Bourbon River Band – Train Is Gone

Download Dirty Bourbon River Show – Train Is Gone mp3 (from Volume 2)

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18 Tame Impala – Half Full Glass Of Wine

Download Tame Impala – Half Full Glass Of Wine mp3 (from Tame Impala EP)

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17 Janice Graham Band – Front Door

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16 Ox – Midnight On The Island

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15 Dennis Hoppers Choppers – Good To Me

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14 Timber Timbre – Bad Ritual

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13 Nathaniel Rateliffe – Brakeman

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12 William Elliot Whitmore – Old Devils

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11 What Would Jesus Drive – The Girls Are In Charge

Download What Would Jesus Drive – The Girls Are In Charge (live) mp3 (from What Would Jesus Drive EP)

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10 The Cave Singers – I Don’t Mind
Wonderfully carefree and happy song that could so easily be heard drifting out of a doorway in Haight Ashbury with some interesting smelling smoke circa 1967. Yet this song never bows or becomes a pastiche of that, it rises above it all with its own verve and character.

Download The Cave Singers – I Don’t Mind mp3 (from Welcome Joy)

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9 Brown Bird – Wrong Black Mare
Sullen, desperate story songs are a bit of a fave of mine and to be honest I think I can trace it back to this song. A tale of woe, desperation and unpaid debts are told here with such clarity, it’s as if you’ve got drunk with Brown Bird and they have decided to spill their guts to you. You understand though, ‘coz at some point we have all backed the “Wrong Black Mare”

Download Brown Bird – Wrong Brown Mare mp3 (from

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8 Mummy Short Arms – Cigarette Smuggling
When I wrote my first review of this song I thought I had described quite well. Upon re-reading it, I can safely say that my view has changed and will probably change on my next listen to it. The insanity, confusion, and babbling of this song are what holds my love for it. It’s an enigma wrapped in a riddle, all encased in a funky B-line, foot tapping beat, gravel throated, roister of a song.

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7 Strayfolk – What Wouldn’t I Do
This is such a beautifully crafted song. Simple, but packed with a rich warm sound that feels like it lends weight to the honesty of this tale of lost and forlorn love. Perfect Americana direct from Sweden.

Download Strayfolk – What Wouldn’t I Do mp3

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6 Withered Hand – Religious Songs
A piece of lyrical mastery is on display here. A fantastic sing-a-long arrangement supports the witty word play that Dan Wilson sings with a vulnerability to his voice. This doesn’t stop him from punching the words that need emphasis. This song also ask the obvious question “How does he really expect to be happy, when he listens to death metal bands?”

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5 Tweak Bird – Weight
I love the in-your-face nature of this song. Right from the start, it sets its stall out – flat out, foot on the amp rock, and proud of it to boot. The guitar plays a gritty riff that sounds angry and frustrated, while the drummer is hell bent on punishing every bit of his kit.

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4 Grass House – A Cradle A Short Breath
The deep sombre tones that lay across this song act as a perfect partner to the bass as it pounds along at a merry old pace. It never fails to make me give a wry smile as I bob along to it’s woeful chorus of “A cradle, a short breath”.

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3 Roadside Graves – Far And Wide
I still think Roadside Graves is the best band name of this century and Far And Wide is a song that has stayed with me since my first listen – I was hooked. A great country riff lures you in and you hardly notice that the song fills with more and more sound and pleasure until it finishes and you’re left with a hole where the music once was, so you reach for the replay button, you know like musical heroin.

Download The Roadside Graves – Far And Wide mp3 (from My Son’s Home)

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2 Wooden Wand – Servant To Blues
As this track rolls effortlessly on, Wooden Wand spills his bleak melancholy tale of a servant to blues. In other words, the relationship equivalent of the Church’s pious man. I love the rhythm of this track, it almost seems to tick along like a clock. The peacefulness of this song is speared through the heart with a great screeching guitar solo, this then just seems to ebb back into the shadows it leapt from, only to be covered by the warm sound of the organ. Truly blissful…

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1 Henry’s Funeral Shoe – Stranger Dig (Everything’s For Sale)
For just two guys damn! They make some noise. Great heavy blues tinged riffs and rolling drum beats – I’m loving that all day long. There is talent and passion in abundance here. I’m sat here trying to write something for this whilst listening to it, that has had to stop, as when it plays it just grips me up and I can’t do anything other than get right into it. If you’re looking for something new rock wise I beg you to check them out, live if possible. Disappointment won’t be on the menu.

New Track From Grass House

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New Single From Grass House

We have been big supporters of Grass House from the days of their brilliant debut EP back in the spring of 2010. So it is a genuine pleasure to hear they have now been signed by Marshall Teller Records, and even more so that they have unveiled a brand new album track which they are giving away as a free download.

Spinning As We Turn is classic Grass House - hypnotic, propulsive, and oozing at the edges with a faint whiff of unmistakeable menace. The influences range from the Velvet’s chug to Spector’s wall of sound by way of the fatalism of Leonard Cohen, but this London four-piece have always possessed the originality and imagination to create something truly of their own making.

Their debut album is due later in the year, and if this is anything to go by we are in for a real treat.

See all our previous Grass House posts here.

Videos of the Day: The Capsules || The Highballers || Hooray For Earth || Grass House

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Video of the Day

Our final video post of 2012 has offerings from The Capsules, The Highballers, Hooray For Earth and a live offering from MM faves Grass House with a new song, A Thousand Generators. Enjoy!

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Download The Capsules – Our Apocalypse mp3 (from Northern Lights & Southern Skies)

Download The Capsules – Across The Sky mp3 (from Northern Lights & Southern Skies)

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New Single From Grass House

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New Single From Grass House.

We have long been admirers of Grass House on MM, ever since they announced themselves early in 2010, with the wonderful Plough More Sky EP (containing brilliant lead track A Cockroach, still a regular on MM playlists to this day) and then followed it up with a consistent series of top-notch singles and EPs.

To our mind, they have not received anything like the acclaim or ‘the buzz’ that they’ve deserved, whilst other (lesser) bands have gone on to do exactly that. Their new single via Dancing Coins, The Boredom Rose, is described as having a “rich Americana sound“, and easily maintains the very high standards they have set themselves.

The single is out on September 10th. Have a listen.

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MM’s 2011 Top Ten Series: No 2 Banner

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Mad Mackerel's Best of 2011.For the second of our ‘guest’ top ten posts we are pleased to welcome the finger-choppin’ Banner to the roster with his first contribution to the end of year best of lists.

“It’s been a great year musically and especially as this year I became a dad. I’d like to thank Doctor Roddy and Chris T Popper for their steady supply of CDs this year and especially for little Max’s mega mix from which I’ve selected some of my top ten tunes.  I would like to have written a bit more about the songs but unfortunately I tried to remove my finger with an axe earlier this week.“

So here they are:

Best Songs

10. Felice Brothers –Ponzi

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9. Grass House – A Cradle, A Short breath

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8. Ha Ha Tonka – The Usual Suspects

Download Ha Ha Tonka – Usual Suspects mp3 (from Death Of A Decade)

7. Vacant Fever – Heavy Leather

Download Vacant Fever – Heavy Leather mp3 (from Heparin And Saline)

6. Owsley Brothers –Under The Shade Of A Live Oak Tree

Download The Owsley Brothers – Under The Shade Of A Live Oak mp3 (from Separated At Birth)

5. Deer Tick – Miss K (this one reminds me of the missus)

Download Deer Tick – Miss K. mp3 (from Divine Providence)

4. Mummy Short Arms – Cigarette Smuggling

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3. Henry’s Funeral Shoe –Dog Scratched Ear

Download Henry’s Funeral Shoe – Dog Scratched Ear mp3 (from Donkey Jacket)

2. Wooden Wand – Motel Stationary

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1.Dennis Hoppers Choppers – Good To Me

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Bubbling Under

5. Brown Bird – Fingers To The Bone (good music to chop off your finger to)

Download Brown Bird – Fingers To The Bone mp3 (from Salt For Salt)

4. Beirut – The Rip Tide

Download Beirut – The Rip Tide mp3 (from The Rip Tide)

3. Kurt Vile – The Creature

2. Wooden Wand – Nails And Spikes

Download Wooden Wand – Nails And Spikes mp3 (from Archives Vol 3)

1. Mr Mother Fu*ka  exquire – The last Huzzah

(FESTIVE FEATURE) THE 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS No.3 GRASS HOUSE

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MAD MACKEREL’S TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS

For our first ever Festive Feature on Mad Mackerel, we asked twelve of our favourite bands and artists of 2011 to answer twelve questions and we will publish them over the next twelve days taking us up to Christmas Eve.

MM's 12 Days Of Christmas: 3 Grass House.

Grass House first appeared on our radar in 2010 with the brooding, lyrically sharp Cockroach from their debut EP Plough More Sky. Since then we’ve been continually impressed with each subsequent single release as the band have matured without compromising their sonic ideals and apocalyptic leanings. This year we’ve had the menacing A Cradle A Short Breath and the dusty desert rumble of Faun to savour. Make no mistake, this is proper, take-no-prisoners stuff - Grass House have their foot firmly on the throat of the twitching carcass of twee, indie jangle and mercy isn’t anywhere in their repertoire.

1) Three iconic clashes. Who would you vote for in each of these?

a) The Velvet Underground or The Doors

Velvet Underground 

b) Bob Dylan or Neil Young

Bob Dylan 

c) The Sex Pistols or the Clash?

The Clash

2) What has been your personal highlight of 2011 (and why)?

Revolution!! People care, that’s good to see.

3) What was your low point of the year (and why)?

The execution of Troy Davis, the arrest of Ai Wei Wei and 99% of the stories that filled the press.

4) You can give one single album from 2011 to just one person for Christmas. What would you buy and who for?

PJ Harvey – Let England Shake for absolutely anyone. 

5) Give us between two and five songs from 2011 that you’d recommend as the best of the year.

Pass.

Mad Mackerel Music Blog Free and legal download mp36) Do you have a favourite Christmas Carol – why?

Every Christmas is special to me and don’t call me Carol. 

7) Imagine you are snowed in and stuck in an isolated house in the woods for Christmas with no way out. Wolves and bears are prowling outside.You need to recommend the following:

A classic song to impress an ultra cool, know-it-all, teenager

Dynamo Hum – Frank Zappa

A song to terrify Grandma

Leona Lewis – Hurt 

A traditional song to help send Grandad to sleep

Benjamin Britten – Billy Budd the Opera

A song for someone just waking from a five-year coma

Matilda – Scott Walker

A book to frighten the children

Moravagine – Blaise Cendrars

An unforgettable film to watch

Satantango – Bella Tarr

8) What is top of your Christmas list this year? Why?

World Peace, cause I’ve already got an Xbox.

9) What is the worst Christmas present you’ve ever given and/or ever received?

World Peace, cause I really wanted an Xbox. 

10) Will you be making a New Year Resolution? If so can you share it and will you keep it? What is the stupidest New Year resolution you’ve ever made?

Maybe. Last year’s was to avoid Hollywood, the previous year I tried to walk faster over zebra crossings, both 90% successful.

11) Imagine you’re headlining a Christmas Concert at your favourite venue. You can share the stage with three other artists or bands (past or present) for the final encore of the night. Who would they be and what would you play?

Pass.

12) Can you write us a Christmas themed limerick?

In the Christmas tree massacre; Winter
Stood idle and twiddled his fingers
For we chopped and we chopped
Called a forest a crop
And left a dying tree covered in tinsel

Here’s some extras for your own amusement…

At Christmas, with all of the trimmings
We’ll invariably eat all our feelings
And those waif like rock stars
Will balloon twice as large
And spend the new year depressed and re-slimming

This year we will have a blue Christmas
Where an angel called David will fleece us
So lets fuck with our mouths
And fucking die out
And leave the world with just nature upon it

There was a young man named Jesus
Whose birthday took up a full season
And a time to behave
All debauched and depraved
For if you don’t you’ll be threatened with treason

You can buy Grass House releases here.

Watch the video for Snowcones.

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Download Grass House – A Cockroach mp3 (from Plough More Sky EP)

Download Grass House – Lazy Bones mp3 (from Lazy Bones single)

Download Grass House - Mind Can Walk ‘n’ Wall Can Stay mp3 (from Ant Giant Ant EP)

Download Grass House – The Breeze mp3 (from Faun/The Breeze single)

Tomorrow: Hurray For The Riff Raff.

Previously: Lovely Eggs (here), Twilight Hotel (here).

New Single From Grass House

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New Single From Grass House. Grass House were one of our favourite new discoveries of 2010, their combination of brooding indie rock with folk tinged gothic undertones created a sound that was both instantly recognisable and pleasingly original.

Their brilliant double-A side single Faun b/w The Breeze is released on 17th October on Holiday Club Recordings. The release is the band’s third single, following Lazy Bones in late 2010 and, earlier this year, the excellent A Cradle, A Short Breath.

The A-side evokes the dusty desert rumble of Johnny Cash with wordplay that recalls Nick Cave and is a gem of a track. The Breeze is a more sombre affair as the lyrics take hold over a ominous waltz time beat and slowly constrict, sucking the air from the room and bringing a palpable sense of claustrophobia and foreboding to proceedings…”we laughed ’til our bellies split and we screamed that’s what you get for your greed“.

Grass House are going from strength to strength. Hop on the bandwagon now before it departs for good and in the meantime listen to Faun, and download The Breeze below.

Pre-order the vinyl here.

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Download Grass House – The Breeze mp3 (from Faun/The Breeze single)

New Single From Grass House

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On June 27th, the excellent Grass House will release A Cradle, A Short Breath as a follow-up to last November’s single Lazy Bones.

In a conscious effort to avoid being type-cast in a dark or brooding vein, the song hints at the lighter side of the London group’s repertoire. Even so, it is still menacing enough to send most other indie bands screaming to their mummies.

The single precedes a third EP which is pencilled in for later this year and marks the start of a busy summer, with the band providing soundtracks to both a documentary and a feature film.

A Cradle, A Short Breath draws, for the most part, from a love of film and art for inspiration, as well as a continued admiration for the music of Lee Hazelwood, Jonathan Richman and Jacques Brel.

Have a listen, it’s great.

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Joe’s Birthday Mix

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One of the advantages of having a blog like this is being able to make up the rules as you go along, and today that means giving the limelight to our youngest Joe, who reaches the ripe old age of seven today. Now, we are all guilty of bias and of nepotism at times (and this is one of them), but I think you’d be hard pressed to find another seven year old with music tastes as good as his. From age five he chose to go to sleep to the soothing strains of Mclusky loudly singing along, “My dad’s better than your dad” and playing air guitar, and we know with each mix CD we put in the car that he will soon be making selections from the back, “can we have number three then number seven” before creating his own mix CDs for his room.

He has a brilliant ear for a riff, a rhythm and a melody, and picks out lyrics with the best of them. Best of all his choices are all his own – independently reached and determinedly defended.

And for those that are interested, his current ‘hot picks’ are the outstanding Honda Civic from the new Felice Brothers album and the gentle acoustics of Wire from Alessi’s Ark’s Time Travel album.

So, here we have twelve personally hand picked tracks from the coolest seven year old we know. From rockabilly twang to visceral punk to woozy pop and protest folk, he loves it all. And we love him. Way to go Joe!

Download The Magnetic Fields – Drive On Driver mp3 (from Distortion)

Download The Range Rats – Colt 44 mp3

Download Port O’Brien – My Brain Is Hanging Upside Down (Bonzo Goes To Bitburg) mp3 (Ramones cover)

Download Joe Pug – Hymn 35 mp3 (from Nation of Heat EP)

Download The Sheepdogs – I Don’t Know mp3 (from Learn & Burn)

Download Mumford & Sons – Unfinished Business mp3 (White Lies cover)

Download Grass House – A Cockroach mp3 (from Plough More Sky EP)

Download Jones Street Station – The Understanding mp3

Download Mclusky – To Hell With Good Intentions mp3 (from Mclusky Do Dallas)

Download Pancake Breakfast – The Ballad Of Maynard Noe mp3 (from Pancake Breakfast)

Download Katherine Hepburn’s Voice – Out Like This mp3 (from Unlimited Nights & Weekends EP)

Download The Felice Brothers – Run Chicken Run mp3 (from Yonder Is The Clock)