Mad Mackerel The last Five Years – Chris T Popper Picks His Favourites

May 24, 2013 by madmackerel

MM The Last Five Years - Chris T Popper

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, first up was Dr Roddy and now the ultra-punctual and fastidious Chris T Popper offers up his selections.

20) Strand of Oaks – Trap Door

19) Avett Brothers – January Wedding

18) Blitzen Trapper – Black River Killer

Download Blitzen Trapper – Black River Killer mp3

17) Toby Burke – Cantina Crawl

Download Toby Burke – Cantina Crawl mp3

16) Wye Oak – Civilian

Download Wye Oak – Civilian mp3

15) The Airborne Toxic Event – Sometime Around Midnight

Download The Airborne Toxic Event – Sometime Around Midnight mp3

14) Mathew Sawyer & The Ghosts – Revenge Of The Extra From Zulu

Download Mathew Sawyer & The Ghosts – Revenge of The Extra From Zulu mp3

13) Wooden Wand – Uncle Bill

Download Wooden Wand – Uncle Bill mp3

12) Timber Timbre – Bad Ritual

11) Howling Owls – Snake Charmer (No Money In The Bank)

Dowload Howling Owls – Snake Charmer (No Money In The Bank) mp3

10) Sonny + The Sandwitches – Through The Fog And Haze
Over the years I have never forgotten how much this song meant to me; if anything it gets stronger like an addiction (and considering this is a personality trait I’ve developed over the years I will happily succumb). I can be in the shower/waiting in a queue/at a meeting with senior management and I’ll randomly sing the first line. Sometimes that doesn’t work out so well when someone is talking flow charts and I’m singing ‘through the fog and the haze…’ at them. But it makes more sense than what their flapping mouths are coming out with. It’s just going to happen.

Download Sonny + The Sandwitches – Through The Fog And Haze mp3

9) Darren Hayman – The Ship’s Piano
Not a single mackerel swam my way on this one. I was denounced as an absolute arse but I cared not. Hayman wrote this song after suffering a fractured skull; which opened up the idea to him of writing a song gentle enough to listen to with brain ache. There is nothing wrong with gentle in this age of incessant noisy shit. It is a beautiful soliloquy telling the story of a piano’s life (something I always wanted to hear) luckily I was able to understand – they didn’t. Their fault not mine.

Download Darren Hayman – The Ship’s Piano mp3

8) Eddy Current Suppression Ring – Colour Television
Passed me by initially. Found it by simply playing my iTunes on shuffle one night a couple of years ago and was instantly hooked… and what a revelation. The insistent guitar is ravaged with a punk attitude I thought was long dead. By that I mean talent. Could have come from 1976 and share a gob full of spit with the best of that era, by that I mean the Clash and there is no greater praise I can bestow. Another story televised, another billion hypnotised. Quite.

Download Eddy Current Suppression Ring – Colour Television mp3

7) Dennis Hopper Choppers – Good To Me
As soon as that horn blast announces its arrival I’m in. It builds with a rhythmic hypnotism that refuses to let go. Evoking the spaghetti western soundtracks of Ennio Morricone with an outstanding vocal from Ben Nicholl (I was lucky enough to catch this live and it didn’t disappoint) it’s never been off the ‘best of’ playlists since I heard it.

6) The Cave Singers – I Don’t Mind
A timeless guitar riff that immediately sends my brain synapses in to electrical overdrive. Everything else becomes secondary to tapping my foot and grinning inanely. To be fair though, grinning inanely comes fairly naturally…

I went to see the Cave Singers live and they didn’t even perform this song (and it’s still in my top ten!). Now I know their back catalogue is good, but next time I’ll write the set list for fucks sake.

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

5) Lower Dens – Brains
In the language of common parlance may I just say one thing? OMG. In fact I’ll go even further… OMFG! I swear down. Now I’ve totally alienated you I’ll continue… There is a subtlety to this work you have no idea about unless you have included it in your own top 5 (which you haven’t). Opens with a drumbeat that grips your lapels up like a rottweiler on heat. And then… well, it just gets better of course. I suggest you go and listen to it and then come back to me and we’ll talk about it over a large gin & tonic and a ridiculously large bifta.

4) Emil Friis – Sand In Your Eyes
Smashed in to my number one spot last year and who could stop it? I have no idea what it’s about and neither do I care. It’s just not important to me because I can put this song on at any time, in any mood (and by jingo I can be a moody bastard) and find myself singing the chorus loud and proud – without getting a single word right. But hey that’s what it’s all about isn’t it? The sheer momentum carries you along like a crazed right wing Chancellor at a witch’s funeral – enough to shed a tear for the right reasons.

3) Phospherescent – Song For Zula
When Mr Mackerel asked us to put together our favourite songs of the last five years I was a little cautious of including any recent favourites. It’s difficult enough to pick 20 of the best at any time… but Song For Zula transcends the conundrum. The impact of the opening bars/violins/first line (referencing Johnny Cash no less) is timeless. I have a special place in my heart for Phossie and the Red Eyed Fly in Austin when I first saw them live (get me!) – opening with a Radiohead cover and then converting me to country music by channelling the great Willie Nelson. Met him (Phossie not Willie!) by the way. I want to be his best friend. He doesn’t.

2) Howling Owls – A Wordsmith’s Reverie
You know when you read a book and think ‘shit I could never write that beautifully’ (I’m a frustrated author as well as human being) – Howling Owls does that musically. There is a self-aware yet peaceful desperation to this; and not a single word is wasted. The lament of ‘I will change everything about me for you – except for the fact I can never be what you want me to be’ is heartbreaking. It also makes you realise how shit this world is. Far more people know about Kim Kardashian than Howling Owls and Wooden Wand put together. Just think about that for a moment- done that? Good. Now try not to wail in utter sadness…

Download Howling Owls featuring Maximino – A Wordsmith’s Reverie mp3

1) Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson – Buriedfed
This is my favourite song of the last five years of Mad Mackerel. It’s actually hard to write anything that can really do it the justice it deserves… I love music so much that a work of this sheer magnitude can leave me running on empty, even when it comes to my typical hyperbole. So, deep breath… here goes. From the moment I heard it I knew it was special. And it’s never lost its impact or the way it moves me like no other song. I know people like me say ‘genius’ a lot (and that people say that people say ‘genius’ a lot when they shouldn’t). This is genius.

Download Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson – Buriedfed mp3

And my 3 favourite bands…

3) Jeff The Brotherhood
2) Wooden Wand
1) Phosphorescent

Needs a mention

Best Cover:
Download Port O’Brien – Halo mp3 (Beyonce Cover)

My favourite Live Act of 08-13
Phossie – Red Eyed Fly, Austin, Texas 2009
I suddenly and quite unexpectedly understood country music.

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Mad Mackerel The Last Five Years – Dr Roddy Looks Back

May 19, 2013 by madmackerel

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

19 Dirty Bourbon River Band – Train Is Gone

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

18 Tame Impala – Half Full Glass Of Wine

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

17 Janice Graham Band – Front Door

16 Ox – Midnight On The Island

15 Dennis Hoppers Choppers – Good To Me

14 Timber Timbre – Bad Ritual

13 Nathaniel Rateliffe – Brakeman

12 William Elliot Whitmore – Old Devils

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)

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)

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

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.

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

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?”

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.

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”.

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)

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…

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.

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Wooden Wand: Live Review

April 28, 2013 by madmackerel

Live Review: Wooden Wand

Wooden Wand | Hoxton Underbelly, London | 26 April 2013

At last a chance to see MM’s most blogged about artist, the wonderful Wooden Wand, whose excellent latest releases Blood Oaths Of The New Blues and The Briarwood Virgins are just the most recent examples from his extensive catalogue of idiosyncratic Americana mixing stripped back folk, alt-country, psychedelia and sprawling indie rock.

The venue was (as a late switch from the scheduled Water Rats) the Underbelly in London’s oh-so-trendy Hoxton Square, spilling over with look-at-mes and look-at-thems clutching tiny bottles of imported lager. Innocently travelling down from own rural idyll, it was clear that a plaid shirt and a bottle of cider wasn’t really cutting the mustard for these cool cats. No matter, downstairs the chatter of the desperate-to-impress was at fever pitch, but there was the welcome refuge of a full MM contingent already in attendance, and at least Dr Roddy was making me look good.

Enter the man and his band. A few whoops, some applause, I waited for the hum to die down. They tuned up, and started to play. Next to us the office party group didn’t look once at the stage, they just adjusted their volume…up. Shouting even louder to make themselves heard, they were oblivious to the music other than as another noise to overcome with their own, and all around me it was the same.

Wooden Wand: Live Review It was clear that Wooden Wand or no Wooden Wand, a good proportion of the “audience” seemed to be regulars, oblivious to what was happening musically other than as a minor irritation. For me, and the MM clan, they in turn were a major irritation. Not helped by a weak, slightly muddy sound the only way of knowing one of America’s finest, most original, latter day wandering minstrels was on stage was by virtually joining him up there.

Manfully struggling to the front to join the rest of a similarly frustrated audience that knew what they were there for, it was at least a pleasure to watch him and his band deliver a set of highlights that included Scorpion Glow, Wither Away, Passin’ Thru and a majestic Winter In Kentucky before closing with the outstanding Servant To Blues.

They exited stage left, around me the crowd cheered. Behind me the Friday night crew chatted on shiny eyed and vacuous and supremely ignorant of what they’d just missed…or perhaps just supremely ignorant.

Don’t look-at-me or look-at-them, look at him. And more importantly listen to him.

Oh, and a gig at the Underbelly – don’t bother.

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Mad Mackerel’s Best Of The Month: March 2013

April 1, 2013 by madmackerel

Here are the very best of our downloads from March’s posts together with a few new tunes for your listening pleasure. So close to 30 tracks in all – a perfect playlist to kick off April.

Quite Parade – Edge of the Ocean
A perfectly judged slice of Canadian indie rock, it is an anthem about a dying town that seems hopeless but is still worth fighting for.

Conner Youngblood – Vegas
Kicks off with some ominous ringing guitar over which vocals echo and swirl before slow but hypnotic percussion cuts in and the song gradually increases in intensity before finally fading away like a firework over a night sky.

Download Colleen Green – Heavy Shit mp3 (from Sock it to Me)
Perfectly judged pop-punk.

Blank Realm – Go Easy
Takes 90s slacker indie and buries it in a heady swirl of scuzzy guitars and stoned vocals.

(Click through to download for free)

Download Pairs – Part Songs mp3 (from If This Cockroach Doesn’t Die, I Will)
Clocks in at just over 2 minutes of buzzsaw guitars, machine gun percussion and lyrics about dead shipmates, date-rape and all manner of other sordid topics.

Beams – Be My Brother
Lush instrumentation and lovely vocal harmonies hide the fact that lyrically something altogether more discomforting and baleful lies beneath the surface.

Wooden Wand – Dungeon Of Irons
Yet another stand out track from an outstanding album.

The Burning Hell – Grown-ups
Deep, baritone vocals reveal a caustic, almost savage, black humour and brilliantly observed comments on the minutiae of life that can make you squirm with embarrassed recognition.

Thirty Pounds Of Bone – Home Faring
Possessed of a singular and unique vision, where distraction, desolation, and despair are constant companions and distortion and drone are artfully used to heighten emotions and force the listener to really partake of what is going on.

(Click through to download for free)

Lower Plenty – Nullarbor
A perfectly judged track of hazy countrified melancholia.

Monuments & Statues – Red Dress
Beautifully anchored by banjo with animated cello and vocals alternately assuming lead status.

The Thermals – Born To Kill
Dark, brash, and violent.

Download Kurt Vile - Never Run Away mp3 (from Wakin On A Pretty Daze)
Another hazy, woozy taste from forthcoming album.

Download Dirty Fences – Heaven Is Tonight mp3 (from Too High To Kross)
Razor sharp riffs and perfectly executed harmonies.

God Tiny – Fearless
Oozes primal garage rock and psych-blues creds in a way that is impossible to resist.

Broken Anchor – Never Leave Me Alone
Infectious, catchy, anthemic indie rock.

Download Owl Fly South – Blink (Incandescent Days) mp3 (from Blink/Castle)
More than promising garage/psych/pop.

Steady Sun – Eyes Wide
A lovely blend of gentle psychedelia and pastoral folk.

Blood Sister – Bart Simpson
Noisy trash-pop.

Upside Drown – Go
Naggingly catchy garage pop.

Pure X – Someone Else
Synths, guitars and tortured vocals make a compelling package.

Virginia Wing – Red Sails
Their sound veers from the minimalist post punk of Young Marble Giants, to the twisted 60s psych bliss of Arthur Lee and Love and the cinematic krautpop of Broadcast.

Hawk And Dove – Things We Lost So Far
Acoustic country with a classical influence make for a unique take on Americana.

And to finish we have new tracks from The Scanners, the jaunty indie strum of Mexico comes from their new self-titled EP, while the brilliant and haunting Bullet From A Broken Heart by Dillon Hodges is Americana at its absolute finest and is taken from forthcoming album Rumspringa. Our third new track Wait comes from Graham MacRae’s new album Dundrearies, a perfectly judged downtempo contemplation of loneliness, disappointment, and how to live well. Lastly we have the high octane indie-folk of Killing Fields Of Ontario and the riotous, gypsy-tinged tale of disaster that is Twisted Little Theatre, which comes from new album How The World Ends.

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Wooden Wand Tour And New Free Download

March 11, 2013 by madmackerel

Wooden Wand Tour & Free Download

Wooden Wand has already released the brilliant Blood Oaths of the New Blues this year and the even better news is James Jackson Toth will be hitting the the road with the musicians with whom he created the record (and who had also joined him previously for the superb Briarwood LP) for a European tour in April. The band is made up of David Hickox, Janet Elizabeth Simpson, Jody Nelson and Brad Davis, with harmonium, organ and disembodied vocals being the order of the day.

They have also made one (of the many standouts) from the record, Dungeons Of Irons, available for free.

New Album From Wooden Wand (Mad Mackerel Rejoices). James Jackson Toth says this about the song: “Dungeon Of Irons was inspired directly by the book Last Words Of The Executed, edited by Robert K Elder. The book collects the last words of people executed by the state, from the Salem witch trails to the present day, and the quotes range from the very funny (really!) to the very poignant. A lot of the lyrics in the song are taken directly from those last words. You can call it an anti-death penalty song if you like, but I tried to keep it as non-judgmental as possible and focus on the illogical and archaic concept of ‘eye for an eye’ vengeance in general. In the great tradition of rock and roll, I’ve opted not to formally credit any of the dead people I’ve ‘borrowed’ lyrics from – ha ha ha. Seriously though, check out the book – it’s terrific.”

Order the album here. Once you have done that, you can also order Last Words Of The Executed from Amazon here.

I’m not sure how many readers from France, Belgium or Germany we get, but if you’re one of the few, go to one of these shows! We’ll be at the London show and there will be also be a show down by the sea in Falmouth – imagine how great that will be!

European Tour Dates:
17 April – FR, Nantes, WEEKEND SINGULIER
18 April – FR, Brest, Rennes, Orleans
19 April – DE, Koln, KING GEORG
20 April – DE, Essen, ZECHE CARL
21 April – BE, Brussels, ANCIENNE BELGIQUE
22 April – FR, Paris, POINT EPHEMERE
24 April – UK, Hebden Bridge – Trades Club
25 April – UK, Leeds – Brudenell Social Club
26 April – UK, London – Water Rats
27 April – UK, Falmouth – Beerwolf
28 April – UK, Brighton – The Hope
(more shows to be announced!)

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Mad Mackerel’s Best Of The Month: January 2013

February 2, 2013 by madmackerel

Mad Mackerel's Best Of The Month: January 2013

So, all things considered January got off to a rip-roaring start where new tunes are concerned. Here is our selection of our best of the month’s downloads (27 in all) and a few new tunes too – more than 30 to pick from, so blow those January blues away with these babies.

Prissy Clerks – Bruise or Be Bruised
Mix of fuzzed up punk and slacker indie with garage pop undertones managing to balance a confused, dark isolation with some tender sweetness.

Download The Chaw – The Whole Night Through mp3 (from The Chaw)
Propulsive rhythms and guitar squalls drenched in reverb, referencing soundtracks of the classic spaghetti westerns, big open bar chords and barky low register guitar leads ala Dick Dale.

Download Water Liars – Fake Heat mp3 (from Wyoming)
Plaintive vocals building over the slowly increasing guitar distortion creates a real treat of a first taste from forthcoming album.

Big Harp – Waiting For Some Drunk
Literate Americana, with fuzzed-out, needle-sharp textures.

Download Indian Wars – Sweetheart Of The North mp3 (from Songs From The North)
First taste of new album is a cracker from countrified rockers.

Download Airstrip – Pleasure Center mp3 (from Willing)
Hypnotic and dark “nightmare pop”

Download Colleen Green – Time In The World mp3 (from Sock it to Me)
Showcases vintage synth tones alongside Green’s trademark multi-tracked harmonies, deep-fried guitar chords, and spartan drum machine beats.

Download Milo Greene – Parents mp3 (from Filter Presents: Milo Turns 50)
Eerily hushed and woozy version of the scathing 1982 classic Descendents track Parents. Cover of the month undoubtedly.

Lower Plenty – Strange Beast
Hazy, beautifully melancholy, suburban-country music. Click through to download for free.

Download Tom Morgan – Taste For Blood mp3 (from Orange Syringe)
Stripped back and laconic folk laced with self effacing black humour.

Download Swallows – The Winnowing mp3 (from Witching & Divining)
Rasping, gravelly vocals, sombre cello and chanted junkyard chorus call to mind Tom Waits and The Wicker Man in equal measure.

Wooden Wand – Outsider Blues
No description needed – best album of the month. Mellow, oak-aged, yet still oddly warped folk. Brilliant.

Download Summer Aviation – Love So Fine mp3 (from Love So Fine single)
Combine the fresh, supercharged sound of 60s pop arrangements with post-punk avant-garde: Think Burt Bacharach meets My Bloody Valentine.

Honeyslide – Sugar Routine
Warm distorted guitars, complex hooks and captivating melodies swathed in reverb to create piercing sonic landscapes.

PRAVADA – Campfire Song
Catchy-as-hell tune filled with swirling guitars and sugary indie pop harmonies.

Download Frontier Ruckus – Dealerships mp3 (from Eternity of Dimming)
Wonderfully folky Americana from much anticipated new album.

Harry George Johns – Hospital Blues
Raw personal folk, an incredibly personal diary of a dark and desperate time.

Download Cobalt Cranes – Head In The Clouds mp3 (from Head In The Clouds)
Blend elements of desert, psychedelic and shoegaze sounds, taking a modern approach to classic California rock.

Download The Lovely Bad Things – Fried Eggs mp3 (from The Late Great Whatever)
Garage-punk masterclass.

Download Torres – Mother Earth, Father God mp3 (from Torres)
Minimal, ragged, and raw folk from singer-songwriter’s debut release.

As Elephants Are – Lucifer
Another blistering slice of epic, widescreen indie rock.

Download Fletcher C Johnson – Happy Birthday mp3 (from Salutations)
A nostalgic paean to the 60s with a sweet melody and chorus. Perfect garage pop.

Download The Futurebirds – Man With No Knees (demo) mp3 (from Exhume)
Brilliantly ramshackle Americana and pedal-steel inspired psychedelia.

Download Little Wings – Sandy Babe mp3 (from LAST)
Little Wings at their warmest and most mellow.

Pickering Pick – Standing Stone
Warm, sensitive, thoughtful and restrained – perfect fare from singer-songwriter par-excellence.

Download Lazy Talkers – Killing Time mp3 (from Lazy Talkers)
Sweet, easy-going jangle from indie-folksters.

Jack James – Three Names
Brooding slice of dark folk (click through to download for free).

And to finish off, new tunes from Screaming Females with the sinewy and rickety Poison Arrow from their forthcoming tape release Chalk Tape, a second (brilliant) track from John Grant’s much anticipated new record Pale Green Ghosts, the excellent literate Americana tinged indie of Yellow Red Sparks and the song that gave them their name, and finally the mesmerising brilliance of Secret Mountains and their haunting track Coasting.

Download Screaming Females – Poison Arrow mp3 (from Chalk Tape)

Download John Grant – Black Belt mp3 (from Pale Green Ghosts)

Download Yellow Red Sparks – Yellow Red Sparks mp3 (from Yellow Red Sparks)

Download Secret Mountains – Coasting mp3 (from Rainer)

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Wooden Wand Releases Blood Oaths Of The New Blues

January 14, 2013 by madmackerel

New Album From Wooden Wand (Mad Mackerel Rejoices).

It is fair to say that Blood Oaths Of The New Blues, the brand new album from Wooden Wand (out on Fire Records) is our first majorly anticipated release of 2013. James Jackson Toth has probably featured more on MM over the past 5 years than any other artist and following the success of last year’s critically acclaimed Briarwood, early reviews from the big boys (Pitchfork, Mojo, Q, The Sunday Times, The Financial Times, The New York Times etc.) indicate he has set the bar even higher with this new collection.

Not that we were ever in any doubt of course! This is music for quiet reflection and shares a worldview more in line with noise and doom metal artists than it does summer of love casualties and beach burnouts. Of course, every Wooden Wand album seems to trounce our expectations, and on first listen Blood Oaths Of The New Blues, thankfully, doesn’t look like breaking that trend.

The press blurb says Blood Oaths Of The New Blues represents “a break with the past with an eye on an uncertain future, and is the boldest, most adventurous and most intensely personal album of Toth’s long career”. Now that is a pretty big claim given the uniqueness and variety of his incredible back catalogue, and if that is even halfway true then we are undoubtedly going to have had one of the 2013′s best albums in the first weeks of the year. We are looking forward to finding out for ourselves.

For now, scroll down to download the “alt couple” travelogue of Outsider Blues, and watch some album trailers too.

Then, give yourself a treat and go buy the record here.

Mrs Mackerel’s Last TFI Friday (11th January)

January 11, 2013 by madmackerel

So long, farewell, auf wiedersehen, adieu … you know the rest. I’m off to skip over the mountains, Swiss Outpost, but I do promise to Skype…

Anyway (surely one of my favourite refrains?), it’s a New Year and time for me to bid goodbye to TFI and my Friday night soubriquet. With a few gig dates already booked for the months ahead, I may get the opportunity to reprise the Mrs Mackerel mantel at some later date, who knows. Anyway parking the sadness of the last few weeks temporarily to one side, and wishing to leave TFI on a typically frothy and fatuous note, I wracked my brains to a few weeks back when I did indeed feel like the heady combination of a cappuccino with a copy of Hello!, and recalled a rather silly exchange at a Christmas party.

Having swum in fashionably late, as is my want, I was sober and drink-wise, considerably far behind many of the gathering. Hey ho, not to worry I thought, as I sidled out with the smokers to catch up with the High Priestess herself. It was quite a posse actually and predominately female, but one male voice piped up: “So then girls (a term always appreciated with my advancing years), what do you find attractive in a man?” The words “lamb” and “slaughter” sprang to mind… HP and I could barely conceal our amusement and commenced thus.

Firstly, “Bob” a sense of humour is a must, we said. Laughing. Next, I added: nice arms – there is nothing attractive about a man I feel I could arm wrestle and BEAT! Bit of giggling. Also, Bob, good dentistry is a must; typically English stained, crooked teeth are a massive turn-off. Bob stops smiling. And dress sense, we said, smiling sweetly, looking him up and down, or should we put height next? Six foot plus… actually why don’t you ask your wife, because she’s stood just behind you and I can see her over the top of your head. How we laughed and then ran away, as all good girls do. Tut, tut.

So one final thought: sometimes music really does reach the parts of you that you thought you had tucked away in some emotional backwater, deep inside. I listened to a song this week that’s due for release on an album in March. I think it’s truly remarkable: a soaring, poetic allegory set to music that circles and soars. And the effect? I cried for every single sadness in the last 12 months; that was some volume of tears, I must say. But in a world where so many over-share and document the minutiae of life, this is mine, and I’m not sharing; if your soul speaks in the same musical tongues as mine, you’ll find it all the same, somehow, somewhere, some time.

In-keeping with the Sound of Music theme, I thought I should depart with a few of my favourite bands, obviously of which there are too many to mention (darling) but here’s a selection. Thanks for reading – all four of you.

Fishy kisses,

Mrs Mackerel x

Download Hurray For The Riff Raff – Too Much Of A Good Thing mp3 (from Hurray For The Riff Raff)

Download The Low Anthem – This God Damn House mp3 (from What The Crow Brings)

Download Johnny Cash – Sunday Morning Coming Down (from Greatest Hits)

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The Rising Cost of Livin’ High and Lovin’ Hard – A Kris Kristofferson Tribute

January 7, 2013 by madmackerel

The Rising Cost of Livin' High and Lovin' Hard

Kris Kristofferson’s music might not be quite as well known as his buddies Waylon, Willie, and Johnny, (who he was in a super-group, called The Highwaymen with) but amongst songwriters in the know, he is just as highly respected. Rhodes Scholar, helicopter pilot, songwriter, janitor, actor, heartthrob, and all-around Renaissance Man. His history is just as legendary as any of his outlaw country counterparts.

Now the wonderful PIAPTK Records have put together a brilliant 28 song tribute featuring re-workings and re-imaginings from such artists as Great Lakes, R.Stevie Moore, Black Swans, Little Wings, Karl Blau, Good Saints and many more.

Take a listen to the contributions from MM fave Wooden Wand featuring The Scrivener and a wonderful version of Sam’s Song by Turner Cody.

Order your copy here.

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Mad Mackerel’s Best of the Month: October 2012

November 2, 2012 by madmackerel

Mad Mackerel's Best of October 2012.

Our monthy round up of the best new tunes we’ve posted and a few brand new ones too. More than 30 tunes to set you up for the weekend. Enjoy.

Wooden Wand – Southern Colorado Song
Another brilliant example of our favourite, prolific troubadour’s storytelling prowess.

Download The Growl – With The Sharp End Of A Trowel mp3 (from Cleaver Lever EP)
Soaked in the authentic primal blues of the swamps with a twang of rockabilly, a haze of psychedelia and, at its heart, the pulsating, bloody roar of rock’n’roll.

The Shamefaced Sparrows – Ride That Seastorm
Like the Velvets fronted by Dick Dale, or the Beach Boys cage fighting with the Kinks these are crackling with surf-pop vintage – think cruising rain-slicked neon streets in 50s LA!

Download Angel Snow – Lie Awake mp3 (from Angel Snow)
Haunting, chilling vocals paired with melancholy lyrics create a gorgeous scenery for a listener’s travels.

Matthew Friedberger - Expectant Fathers – In for a Surprise VII. As if in the Car with the Kids (from Matricidal Sons Of Bitches)
Inspired by the films of Poverty Row and his current city of residence, Paris – it makes for a potent combination.

Download Jenee Halstead - Rodeo Of Sadness mp3 (from Raised By Wolves)
Another fine example of her spooky, sparse approach that comes across as sounding like a slightly malevolent hybrid of Dolly Parton and PJ Harvey.

Download Skipping Girl Vinegar – You Can mp3 (from Keep Calm, Carry The Monkey)
More heartwarming hobo-pop, full of lyrical twists and sonic layers.

Download Kings Of Lowertown – Down Tobacco Road mp3 (from Kings of Lowertown EP)
Excellent primal blues chug.

Download King Of Spain – Green Eyes mp3 (from All I Did Was Tell Was Tell Them The Truth And They Thought It Was Hell)
Spacious indie rock with jaunty pop hooks.

Bromheads – Holding The Gun
Fizzes over with the energy of a can of Irn-Bru exploding full in your face. It is sharp and pithy, and fast and furious, and machetes its way into your brain like an earworm with a mouthful of razors.

Wintersleep – Martyr
Another prime example of their shimmering, pulsating indie rock.

MMOSS – Another Dream
Jangly organs, flutes and driving drums, unexpected arrangements, classic recording sounds and psychy harmonies.

Algernon Doll – Spiral Sounds
Lavish, intense and splendid, but underpinned with a creeping sense of anxiety and discontent.

Download Jason Lytle – Somewhere There’s A Someone mp3 (from Dept. Of Disappearance)
A track of wonderfully weary heartbreak and ennui from erstwhile Grandaddy frontman’s new album

Rural Ghosts – Eyes (from Eyes Single)
A little rawer, a little more powerful, but this is still Americana that overflows with haunting beauty.

Woollen Kits – Susannah (from Four Girls)
sweet, fuzzed-up pysch-garage.

Download Ending People – Beat Of My Heart mp3 (from Fill Your Lungs)
Catchy, hypnotic indie rock showcases new wave inspired sinewy guitar lines.

Hailer – Spooky Clams (from Another Way)
Calls to mind The Fall in its relentless rhythm, while the reverb swirls and drifts around the (frankly clearer) vocals.

Download Ty Segall – Femme Fatale mp3 (from The Velvet Underground & Nico by Castle Face and Friends)
Maniacal take on Velvet Underground classic.

Download The Luyas – Your Name’s Mostly Water mp3 (from Animator)
Hypnotically brilliant track from latest album.

Download Fidlar featuring Kate Nash - AWWWKWAARRRDDD mp3 (from Fidlar)
Bizarre combo works a treat. Punk rock!

Download Outer Minds – Those Machines mp3 (from Behind The Mirror)
One hundred and fifty seconds of belligerence escaping with venomous joy from your speakers.

Download Deathbarrel - Merciless Winds mp3 (from Merciless Winds)
The sound of wrenches and motor oil, of Saturday night beers and truckstops, of longing and loss, of late evenings and aching muscles, of endless roads and shore leave, of the dreams of freedom that all and any working man feels deep in his soul.

Download Dr. Dog - Black Or Red mp3 (from Shame, Shame Deluxe Edition)
Scrappy yet hook-packed rock emboldened by a bare-bones aesthetic.

Download Lonesome Moses - Fisting With A Shark mp3 (from Lonesome Moses EP)
Outlaw country that celebrates unassuming heroes and heroines trying to navigate a world of booze, venereal disease, and Octoloans…

Download Dead Stars - ~~Fractured mp3 (from Fractured)~~ Removed at artist’s request.
Races along in a tumble of reverb, gruff vocals and a nagging guitar line that also puts us in mind of Silversun Pickups Lazy Eye.

Juiceboxxx – Expressway To The Darkness
American heart of darkness anthem, like Suicide reinvented for the 21st century.

Download Dolfish - There Must Be Something Wrong With These Shoes mp3 (from I’d Rather Disappear Than Stay The Same)
More warped promise from the skewed and idiosyncratic world of offbeat folk troubadour.

And to finish off we have a taste of Teen Mom’s effervescent fuzzed up pop from forthcoming EP Mean Tom (pre-order here), another stunning cover from Marissa Nadler – this time Daniel Johnston’s Devil Town and a new non-album track from psych-blues rockers The Buffalo Killers, Baptized is a down-and-dirty rocker that somehow melds heavy psych with gospel! Lastly we have the welcome return of Sleeping Bag’s bedroom indie-pop, addictively deadpan if you will, Walk Home comes from new limited edition EP Women Of Your Life (pre-order here).