My radio show Amazing Songs & Other Delights that airs every other Monday, 3-4pm (London time) on Yé Yé Radio: yeyeradio.com (or on the app). Amazing Songs & Other Delights #84 – The It Resonates edition can now be listened to on mixcloud.
You can read more about Amazing Songs & Other Delights #84 – The It Resonates edition here.
From Monday October 6 onwards Amazing Songs & Other Delights new editions are every 1st and 3rd Monday of each month, repeats every 2nd and 4th Monday of each month. The hour remains the same: 3-4pm (London time).
Tracklist: 01: Sigtryggur Berg Sigmarsson – Resilience 02: Liz Hogg – Curl 03: The Divine Comedy – Invisible Thread 04: Ned Swarbrick – When The Wind Blows (Live at City Varieties Music Hall) 05: Trademark Issues – Song for a Non-Touring Band 06: Massimo Silverio – Zoja 07: Tulpa – Let’s Make A Tulpa! 08: Miguel Feraso Cabral – Cenografia 09: Swimming Pools And Movie Stars – Never Let Go 10: The Cords – When You Said Goodbye 11: Noiserv – A casa das rodas quadradas feat. Milhanas 12: Glo-Worm – Change of Heart 13: Holly Golightly – Miss Fortune 14: Senhor Vulcão feat The Legendary Tiger Man – Rock N Roll 15: AVTT/MPTN – The Avett Brothers · Mike Patton – Eternal Love 16: Glyders – Shadow Stone 17: Anthony Moore – No Parlez 18: Hidrogenesse – A la Muerte 19: Umlaut – Grumpy Library
My radio show Amazing Songs & Other Delights is back with new edition from Monday 22nd September, every other Monday, 3-4pm (London time) on Yé Yé Radio: yeyeradio.com (or on the app).
Amazing Songs & Other Delights #84 – The it Resonate edition is composed of 18 songs and 1 instrumental that resonate with me at once. It’s a gentle early Autumn programme, still with echoes of late Summer.
01: Sigtryggur Berg Sigmarsson – Resilience 02: Liz Hogg – Curl 03: The Divine Comedy – Invisible Thread 04: Ned Swarbrick – When The Wind Blows (Live at City Varieties Music Hall) 05: Trademark Issues – Song for a Non-Touring Band 06: Massimo Silverio – Zoja 07: Tulpa – Let’s Make A Tulpa! 08: Miguel Feraso Cabral – Cenografia 09: Swimming Pools And Movie Stars – Never Let Go 10: The Cords – When You Said Goodbye 11: Noiserv – A casa das rodas quadradas feat. Milhanas 12: Glo-Worm – Change of Heart 13: Holly Golightly – Miss Fortune 14: Senhor Vulcão feat The Legendary Tiger Man – Rock N Roll 15: AVTT/MPTN – The Avett Brothers · Mike Patton – Eternal Love 16: Glyders – Shadow Stone 17: Anthony Moore – No Parlez 18: Hidrogenesse – A la Muerte 19: Umlaut – Grumpy Library
My 4th anniversary radio show is now available on mixcloud.
This year, the anniversary programme is a little different than usual. Trials and tribulations didn’t allow for the several costumary purpose composed pieces, aside from mine and Francisco Silva’s Lucid One.
The lyrics of Lucid One have my poem 80 as starting point, adapted to song by Francisco’s chatgpt, then, on a second round of singing the song, by him. It was a very interesting creative experience. Francisco and I also both this very different impromptu versions of Suede’s The Asphalt World.
You can read more about the show, the Astro Travellers, my “band” contributions and it’s creative process here. The lyrics of Lucid One and poem 80 are below, along with the show tracklist.
Lucid One lyrics Sleepless nights, stuck in motion Elevators fade, no clear emotion Crex crex crex — the artach calls Lucid tiles in echo halls
The megaphone speaks, louder than books Slogans win where no one looks Moral weight too hard to lift We float inside this aimless drift
The empire of futility Masqueraded as ability Symbols fail, the noise gets loud We vanish slowly in the crowd
Resperidone, the new tea brew
Quiet minds in static view Fork in the road, by the sea we stand Bathymetry traced in soul and sand
Invisible paths, the labyrinth sings We mistook noise for gravity’s rings You want the house still, free of harm But the woman bangs the pots — her charm
The empire of futility Attired in nobility Mirrors turn, the spiral grows Stagnant waters, no one knows (Francisco Silva & Raquel Pinheiro)
poem 80 sleepless nights, stuck perpetual movement fading through the elevator crex crex crex crex makes the artach hearth and home lucid tiles echoing the megaphone is easier than read serious books slogans are easier than moral inventory. the empire of futility disguised as art, intellectualism the sound mirrors, a spiral a stagnant pool of nothingness resperidone, the new chamomile there’s a road with a fork for you and me by the sea bathymetry of the soul invisible pathways labyrinth, the song mistaken noise for gravity symbols for substance brought us here you want the house quiet but a woman bangs the pots monks don’t worry about money terror dreams, rage somatic overload the lucid one in a house of somnambulists fog can’t be fought, what it erases is watched don’t go back to sleep the messiness of desire recycle, renewal, redemption like a benediction all the plants are watered (Raquel Pinheiro)
Tracklist: 01: Francisco Silva & Raquel Pinheiro – When Joe Came By 02: Raquel Pinheiro – Loss 03: Pixies – Hey (Manuel Carvalho) 04: Sérgio Rocha – Seclusões (excerpt) 05: Francisco Silva & Raquel Pinheiro – Lucid One 06: digei de bairro – MG B GT (pre-master) 07: Suki Waterhouse – Supersad (António Cunha) 08: Boxmonsters – Holligans 09: Francisco Silva – The Asphalt World (acoustic excerpt) 10: Talking Heads – Burning Down the House (Raquel Pinheiro) 11: caroline – Tell Me I Never New That feat. Caroline Polachek (Paulo Navarro) 12: Raquel Pinheiro – The Asphalt World 13: Oh Bobby – Sweet Peace 14: Lyn Collins – Think (About It) (Matt Hutchison) 15: Ned Swarbrick – Mr. O’Brien (mix 1.1) 16: João Diogo Zagalo – Lotar n.º 4 17: Boxmonsters – Car Crash 18: Raquel Pinheiro – December: Death 19: American Music Club – Why Don’t You Stay (Rui Pimenta)
My radio show Amazing Songs & Other Delights turned. The 4th anniversary edition airs Monday 14th, 3-4:10pm (gmt+1) on Yé Yé Radio: yeyeradio.com (or on the app).
This year, the anniversary programme is a little different than usual. Trials and tribulations didn’t allow for the several costumary purpose composed pieces, aside from mine and Francisco Silva’s Lucid One. The lyrics of Lucid One have my poem 80 as starting point, adapted to song by Francisco’s chatgpt, then, on a second round of singing the song, by him. It was a very interesting creative experience.
My Loss and December: Death, Sérgio Rocha’s Seclusões (excerpt), digei de bairro’s MG B GT (pre-master), Ned Swarbrick’s Mr. O’Brien (mix 1.1), João Diogo Zagalo’ Lotar n.º 4 and Boxmonsters’ Holligans and Car Crash fall under that umbrella.
I picked two songs composed on purpose for previous anniversary editions. Mine and Francisco’s When Joe Came By, from the 1st anniversary edition, and Sweet Peace, by Bill Rivers and I, from last year’s anniversary show, here on Oh Bobby (Bill Rivers & Simon Wayward) version, from their album Swim The Universe.
There’s the usual assortment of songs, another round of surprises, picked for me by a few friends.
Because the songs represent me, because I may like them… Because…
Manuel Carvalho picked The Pixies’ Hey; António Cunha Suki Waterhouse’s Supersad, Paulo Navarro caroline’sTell Me I Never New That (feat. Caroline Polachek), Matt Hutchison Lyn Collins’ Think (About It) and Rui Pimenta Why Don’t You Stay by American Music Club.
As for both Francisco’s instrumental acoustic version of The Asphalt World and my soft instrumental electric stripped down version of The Asphalt World. Francisco thought it a odd choice for me to plays as far as Suede’s covers go, and sent me an impromptu short version of it.
At 0:55 it’s most likely the world’s shortest version of The Asphalt World. Mine runs past 10 minutes. It’s a one go, raw, unfiltered, no effects, aside from a little vibrato arm, and my micro jack amp distortion, no solos, also impromptu, played on a kitchen bench, purely for the joy of it version. Most of what seems effects, it’s my fretting fingers.
Lucid One lyrics Sleepless nights, stuck in motion Elevators fade, no clear emotion Crex crex crex — the artach calls Lucid tiles in echo halls
The megaphone speaks, louder than books Slogans win where no one looks Moral weight too hard to lift We float inside this aimless drift
The empire of futility Masqueraded as ability Symbols fail, the noise gets loud We vanish slowly in the crowd
Resperidone, the new tea brew
Quiet minds in static view Fork in the road, by the sea we stand Bathymetry traced in soul and sand
Invisible paths, the labyrinth sings We mistook noise for gravity’s rings You want the house still, free of harm But the woman bangs the pots — her charm
The empire of futility Attired in nobility Mirrors turn, the spiral grows Stagnant waters, no one knows (Francisco Silva & Raquel Pinheiro)
Poem #80 poem 80 sleepless nights, stuck perpetual movement fading through the elevator crex crex crex crex makes the artach hearth and home lucid tiles echoing the megaphone is easier than read serious books slogans are easier than moral inventory. the empire of futility disguised as art, intellectualism the sound mirrors, a spiral a stagnant pool of nothingness resperidone, the new chamomile there’s a road with a fork for you and me by the sea bathymetry of the soul invisible pathways labyrinth, the song mistaken noise for gravity symbols for substance brought us here you want the house quiet but a woman bangs the pots monks don’t worry about money terror dreams, rage somatic overload the lucid one in a house of somnambulists fog can’t be fought, what it erases is watched don’t go back to sleep the messiness of desire recycle, renewal, redemption like a benediction all the plants are watered (Raquel Pinheiro)
Tracklist: 01: Francisco Silva & Raquel Pinheiro – When Joe Came By 02: Raquel Pinheiro – Loss 03: Pixies – Hey (Manuel Carvalho) 04: Sérgio Rocha – Seclusões (excerpt) 05: Francisco Silva & Raquel Pinheiro – Lucid One 06: digei de bairro – MG B GT (pre-master) 07: Suki Waterhouse – Supersad (António Cunha) 08: Boxmonsters – Holligans 09: Francisco Silva – The Asphalt World (acoustic excerpt) 10: Talking Heads – Burning Down the House (Raquel Pinheiro) 11: caroline – Tell Me I Never New That feat. Caroline Polachek (Paulo Navarro) 12: Raquel Pinheiro – The Asphalt World 13: Oh Bobby – Sweet Peace – (*) 14: Lyn Collins – Think (About It) (Matt Hutchison) 15: Ned Swarbrick – Mr. O’Brien (mix 1.1) 16: João Diogo Zagalo – Lotar n.º 4 17: Boxmonsters – Car Crash 18: Raquel Pinheiro – December: Death 19: American Music Club – Why Don’t You Stay (Rui Pimenta)
My best of 2024 are records, concerts, a book and an exhibition that filled my soul, touched me, or left a strong impression. Art forms that early this year still resonate, and remain close to my heart.
In late April 2024 I wrote an essay with Deep Emotions, a single from Good Grief, Bernard Butler third solo album and his first in 25 years as starting point. It was my second essay for Mondo. Along with, earlier in 2024, the listening parties of Rafael Toral’s Spectral Evolution it was the beginning of marvels, emotional perils and tribulations, and new paths.
The albums by Rafael and Bernard are healing records. Basalto merges melancholia, drama, romanticism. Vini Reilly is a Record Store Day re-issue of the 1989 album by Durutti Column. If there is a musician, composer, guitarist that has been with me since I’m a kid and has an influence how I see, approach, the electric guitar, Vini Reilly is him. I become aware of Ned Swarbrick when Bernard made a shout-out for support acts, and I liked Ned’s music. His ep has been a constant since.
As the Universe would have it, in 2024 Bernard played in Portugal for the first time, solo or otherwise. It was an amazing concert. 2024 was also the year of Old Jerusalem’s last concert. Old Jerusalem and Francisco Silva, the man behind it, have been part of Mondo’s favourites for decades. Francisco also begun being part of mine, in a different capacity, in 2022 when we wrote our first song together. Old Jerusalem last concert was intimate, poignant, a gathering of friends.
Records: Bernard Butler – Good Grief (355 Recordings) Rafael Toral – Spectral Evolution (Moikai/Drag City Records) Basalto – Blunt Knives (self-release) The Durutti Column – Vini Reilly (rsd2024) Ned Swarbrick – Michelangelo EP (self-release)
My Amazing Songs & Other Delights #72 – The Ecosystem edition is now on mixcloud.
Of late, I’ve been coming upon the word ecosystem from different sources. Or happen upon lyrics, or otherwise that mention the concept that we’re all one, we’re connected, that we depend on each other.
That concept is part of Body Count’s Comfortably Numb version of Pink Floyd’s Comfortably Numb the song that opens this edition. Ice-T writes and says: “Listen… ’cause I’ve been on both sides of the gun As you stand before me we’re all here as one We gotta come together or our chances are none Maybe I’m just a dreamer, too many obstacles” (full lyrics here)
An ecosystem implies environment and those in it interacting, forging connections, relationships, one thing leading to another. That is how both Mondo and Yé Yé came to be. The longer text about My Amazing Songs & Other Delights #72 – The Ecosystem edition can be read here.
Tracklist: 01: Body Count – Comfortably Numb (feat. David Gilmour) 02: Raveloe – Passing Place 03: 12 Roads – Waiting For JB 04: Rowland S. Howard – Shut Me Down 05: Ned Swarbrick – Somebody, Something, Somewhere Else (live York City FC) 06: Mick Harvey – October Boy 07: Johnny Marr – New Town Velocity 08: The Birthday Party – The Friend Catcher 09: Saint Sappho – Grass is Gold 10: Oh Bobby (Bill Rivers and Simon Hayward) – Are You Still There 11: Sorry Monks – One Rule For Them 12: Paradise Lost – The Last Time 13: Harry Howard And The NDE – Sensitive To The Cold 14: Mark Robin White & Adam Lato – Rabbit Hole (Tranquility mix) 15: The Courettes – Shake! 16: A Resistência – Maré Alta
Amazing Songs & Other Delights #72 The Ecosystem edition airs Monday 21st, 3-4:30pm (gmt+1) on Yé Yé Radio: yeyeradio.com (or on the app).
Of late, I’ve been coming upon the word ecosystem from different sources. Or happen upon lyrics, or otherwise that mention the concept that we’re all one, we’re connected, that we depend on each other.
That concept is part of Body Count’s Comfortably Numb version of Pink Floyd’s Comfortably Numb the song that opens this edition. Ice-T writes and says: “Listen… ’cause I’ve been on both sides of the gun As you stand before me we’re all here as one We gotta come together or our chances are none Maybe I’m just a dreamer, too many obstacles (full lyrics can be read here.).
An ecosystem implies environment and those in it interacting, forging connections, relationships, one thing leading to another. That is how both Mondo and Yé Yé came to be.
There are a few ecosystems on the programme. Birthday Party that lead to Rowland S. Howard and Mick Harvey. Mick Harvey song October Boy is about Pop Crimes – The Songs of Rowland S. Howard. Harry Howard is Rowland’s brother with whom Mick has played with. Interviewing Mick and Harry (and J.P. Shillo and Genevieve McGuckin) along a group of old friends – an ecosystem – lead to a number of Australian musician starting reaching out and sending their music.
When two weeks ago Bernard Butler was looking for opening acts for his current UK tour the Mild Ones, a Suede fan group, shared the request and so did I, adding I would be listening to Bernard’s choices and pick what I like from those. Raveloe (a Mild One Member herself), Ned Swarbrick, Saint Sappho and Sorry Monks (other Mild One) songs are my choices from Bernard’s selection of opening acts. Meanwhile, Ned and, Tammy Dyson, of Saint Sapho, just joined The Mild Ones. Proof that ecosystems are a real thing and work.
Mark Robin White and 12 roads other Mild Ones. I found them on the group and liked their music. Johnny Marr’s New Town Velocity is from a post by Liza Hadiz, another Mild One. I was mentioning how Johnny Marr solo albums have songs I may select to play, but don’t stay with me long time. Liza asked what I thought of Velocity Girl, her favourite solo Johnny Marr song. I replied it was nice and would one day play it on the show. Johnny Marr influenced Bernard Butler, both have played together.
Oh Bobby are Bill Rivers and Simon Hayward. Bill has been part of my ecosystem for a few year. We did a few song together for my third anniversary show. Bill and Simon created together.
The Courettes are released by Damaged Good, a record label Mondo has been close to for twenty five years. Resistência are a Portuguese supergroup. Although I know some of the musicians, or other musicians from their other bands, I don’t have such a direct connection, but Resistência are an ecosystem themselves.
Resistência means Resistance. Maré Alta (High Tide) is a 1972 song by Fausto Bordalo Dias, José Mário Branco and Sérgio Godinho, three Portugue protest singers, released when Portugal was still a dictatorship. The lyrics mention getting ready because an high tide is arriving and freedom is about to come.
Tracklist: 01: Body Count – Comfortably Numb (feat. David Gilmour) 02: Raveloe – Passing Place 03: 12 Roads – Waiting For JB 04: Rowland S. Howard – Shut Me Down 05: Ned Swarbrick – Somebody, Something, Somewhere Else (live York City FC) 06: Mick Harvey – October Boy 07: Johnny Marr – New Town Velocity 08: The Birthday Party – The Friend Catcher 09: Saint Sappho – Grass is Gold 10: Oh Bobby (Bill Rivers and Simon Hayward) – Are You Still There 11: Sorry Monks – One Rule For Them 12: Paradise Lost – The Last Time 13: Harry Howard And The NDE – Sensitive To The Cold 14: Mark Robin White & Adam Lato – Rabbit Hole (Tranquility mix) 15: The Courettes – Shake! 16: A Resistência – Maré Alta
Mondo Bizarre Magazine 