Artex Monkey

If you've never lived in the North of England you might not get a lot out of this, but a thort it were reight 'ilarius:

Artex Monkey site

Artex Monkey - A bet tha luks gud on a pushbike [MP3]

Unreleased Liars track

Let's be generous here and say "I don't get them". Liars that is. But there are apparently plenty of you out there who do, and as I have been sent this cover of the Nirvana track, which I have been reliably informed will not be released elsewhere, I might as well post it, eh?

Liars - Territorial Pissings [mp3]

Knock yourself out!

Decline? Wot decline?

The BBC and everyone else is once again parroting the spin put out by the music and film biz that sales of CDs, DVDs, etc are in decline - as a direct result of all those evil filesharers, obviously - when patently the opposite is true. This time booming DVD sales are 'bucking the trend'... Er, but surely the trend in all the others is also booming - it was only yesterday the Beeb was informing us that 'business is booming' in the UK music industry...

Wait a minute, VHS, yes that's definitely in decline. Silly me.

Take Your Medicine podcast

As proud sponsor of the inaugural Take Your Medicine podcast, which is ear-blessingly good, I'm taking this opportunity to plug the very wonderful eMusic (and hopefully earn some free downloads in the process...).

You've probably seen the swirly-dot banner ads all over the place - on Pitchfork, for example - but you might not have got around to clicking on them yet, or hesitated to sign up because of the credit card needed.

Rest assured, however, that it is definitely worth a visit. New members get a free trial of 50 downloads, and these are worth having. A brief browse through their catalogue turns up masses of hard-to-find albums and EPs by a huge range of artists - all on independent labels. Whether you just fancy the latest indie chart toppers, such as Maximo Park, Sufjan Stevens or Bloc Party, would like to try something new or want to dig around for some obscure track you've been looking for for years, it's all here.

The website is packed with recommendations, lists and links to related artists, all of which help you discover music you didn't know or had forgotten about - like Amazon's Listmania only better, and with the added bonus that you can download a single track (for free during the trial period, just 15p / 25c a track thereafter) in order to hear it for yourself.

All the tracks are in pure MP3 format, with no DRM or licences to worry about.

Once you've had a look and decide you'd like to try it out, please email me first and wait for the invitation email from eMusic to arrive. Not only do you get your 50 free downloads, I get an extra 50 for recommending you if you decide to sign up at the end of the trial. But even if you're sure you won't sign up at the end, please email me first anyway!

Arctic Monkeys remixed

A website dedicated to Actic Monkeys remixes/bootlegs/mashups

Including an absolutely bonkers mashup of IBYLGOTD with I Predict A Riot as sung acapella by the Cheshire Chord Company (a choir)...

These two are also definitely worth a listen:
Arctic Monkeys vs Roots Manuva - Witness the Curtains Closing [mp3]
Arctic Monkeys vs The Killers - Scumbody Told Me [mp3]