The year ends with the ‘who cares?’ top 50 tracks from my favourite new albums and singles of 2021. If you’ve been following the ‘WHAT’s ON?’ weekly-ish playlist on Spotify you’ll be familiar with most of these tracks. The only order is how I’ve compiled them in the mix, I hope you enjoy the 3 hour + bumper edition. Follow the playlist link at the bottom and see you in 2022 more new music/releases!

1. Natalie Bergman – Shine Your Light (Mercy)
2. Gabriels – Blame (Blame)
3. Midnight Sister – Satellite (Painting the Rose)
4. Vanishing Twin – Phase One Million (Ookii Gekkou)
5. Maston, L’eclair – Do You Feel It Working? (Souvenir)
6. Marinero – Nuestra Victoria (Hella Love)
7. Mouth Painter – Tropicale Moon (Tropicale Moon)
8. John Myrtle – Get Her Off My Mind (Myrtle Soup)
9. John Andrews & the Yawns – New California Blue (Cookbook)
10. Sylvie – Falls On Me (Sylvie)

11. Tobacco City – Tobacco City Waltz (Tobacco City, USA)
12. Dark Tea – Tears Down The Road (Dark Tea)
13. Rose City Band – Lonely Places (Earth Trip)
14. Tex Crick – Sometimes I Forget (Sometimes I Forget)
15. Cactus Lee – If Rona Don’t Do It (The Fast Livin’ Will) (Texas Music Forever)
16. Bobby Lee – Broken Prayer Stick (Origin Myths)
17. Hayden Pedigo – Some Kind of Shepherd (Letting Go)
18. Pearl Charles – Imposter (Magic Mirror)
19. Mega Bog – Crumb Back (Life, and Another)
20. Emma-Jean Thackray – Say Something (Yellow)
21. L’Rain – Two Face (Fatigue)
22. PinkPantheress – Pain (to hell with it)
23. Charlotte Adigéry ft. Bolis Pupul – HAHA (HAHA)
24. Cktrl ft. Merba – Zero (Zero)
25. Jonny Cosmo – Last Call (Pastry)
26. Cole Police – Late Afternoon Light (Amethyst VA)
27. Arroj Aftab – Last Night (Vulture Prince)
28. Nala Sinephro – Space 2 (Space 1.8)
29. Cassandra Jenkins – Hard Drive (An Overview of Phenomenal Nature)
30. Jackie Leven – The Sexual Loneliness of Jesus Christ (Straight Outta Caledonia)
31. Leo Nocentelli – Give Me Back My Loving (Another Side)
32. Snuffy – I Wanna Change My Life (Belong To The Wind VA)
33. Art Lown – Knew You Well (Piper Oz the Hound)
34. Widsith – Rust In The Rain (…Still Sad VA)
35. Female Species – There’s A Rainbow (Tale Of My Last Love)
36. Roland Ray – Come Back (Hot, Cold & Blue)
37. Holiday Ghosts – Off Grid (North Street Air)
38. The Bug Club – My Baby Loves Rock & Roll (Pure Particles)
39. Austin Leonard Jones – Juarez (The Wonder of…)
40. Cool Ghouls – To You I’m Bound (At George’s Zoo)
41. Rosali – Whatever Love (No Medium)
42. Silver Synthetic – Unchain Your Heart (Silver Synthetic)
43. Ornament – Clara (Clara)
44. Good Dog Nigel – My Whole Life (My Whole Life)
45. Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard – You (Yourself)
46. Aldous Harding – Old Peel (Old Peel)
47. Nightshift – Power Cut (Zöe)
48. Beige Banquet – Cold Yoghurt (Beta)
49. Nilüfer Yanya – Stabilise (Stabilise)
50. THE CUSP – Money (Money)

https://open.spotify.com/embed/playlist/27vhqLBKStAA2P3NbI72Iz

Clyde Built Radio, Sunday 27th June 2021

Sunday morning coming down or getting up with El Rancho this Sunday and every 4 weeks on Clyde Build Radio. If you missed the live show you can hear the whole damn thing on the CBR soundcloud page or over on El Rancho’s Mixcloud.

Mac Gayden – Morning Glory
Woody Simmons – Can’t Say Why
Trilogy – Red Wine
Chris Darrow – Beware of Time
Starry Eyed & Laughing – Going Down
Thomas Jefferson Kaye – American Lovers
Dan Penn – Nobody’s Fool
Jim Ford – Under Construction
Gone – Jerry Williams
Richard Torrance – Anything’s Possible
The Rationals – Glowin’
Creative Source – You Can’t Hide Love
6ix – I’m Just Like You
J.J. Cale – Wish I had Not Said That
Peter Sarstedt – Mellowed Out
Fleetwood Mac – Did You Ever Love Me
Edge of Daybreak – Let’s Be Friends

Rose City Band is celebrated guitarist Ripley Johnson. A prolific songwriter, Johnson started Rose City Band as an outlet nimble enough to match the pace of his writing as well as to explore songwriting styles apart from Wooden Shjips and Moon Duo. We’ve been caught in their osmic country web since 2019’s S/T album which sounded like it was made to mellow out those heady motorik psych expansions of Johnson’s other groups while keeping things trippy and groovy! Last years ‘Summerlong’ was one of my favourite albums of last year and has been on the turntable through the fall, winter and spring! It really makes up for our rubbish Scottish weather!
Out today (25/6) ‘Earth Trip’ holds a ‘message of interconnectedness with the environment expands on a long country music tradition that draws a symbiotic relationship between storyteller and the land, celebrating the beauty of the natural world without forgetting our responsibility to preserve it for future generations’ (Thrill Jockey). Johnson has been drip feeding tracks from the album over the past few months and today the beautiful record can be enjoyed as one. Head over to Bandcamp to check it out and pick up a copy.

Catch Ripley Johnson on Gimmie County tonight for an exclusive DJ set which I’m sure is going to be a cosmic Americana trip not to be missed! If you love Rose City Band’s sound then you know his selections are going to be sweet!

09/06/21

Almost every week we post a new list of new music and a few rarities thrown in for good measure. It’s basically what we’ve been listening to in a seven day cycle. This week was a good one! You know, I may just keep it up a little longer.

If you are looking for an album recommendation then I couldn’t gush any more about ‘Mercy’ the debut solo album from Natalie Bergman (Wild Belle) which came out on Third Man Records back in May. Check out the video and track ‘Talk To The Lord’ to feel the spirit and vibe.

The album was self-produced, performed and mixed in near-solitude, the twelve-song set takes a spellbinding step into Bergman’s singular world of sound, spirituality and the search for hope during tragic times. This weeks playlist opens with the track ‘You Make My World Go Round’ from the album. The track is a sensitively short and soulful statement and is just one of 12 equsquitse tracks on ‘Mercy’.

Check out ‘You Make My World Go Round’ below in the playlist. Remember it will change so follow the playlist and save these into your own mega playlist every week, cause when they’re gone, they’re gone! Oh and if you’re reading this after the the change the playlist below will not match this post!

https://open.spotify.com/embed/playlist/27vhqLBKStAA2P3NbI72Iz

Subcity Radio, Wednesday 12th May 2021

After two months out of the fortnightly Subcity game, El Rancho is back with the full bhoona! 58 mins (I was daydreaming for two minutes and had to cut that out of the hour!) of brand new hits and a couple of undiscovered gems. When I say hits, I mean if El Rancho was a chart, these would be hits! All tracks are available on Bandcamp and come from great albums, new singles, EPs and unreleased new records!

One of those new records is John Andrews & The Yawns new record ‘Cookbook’ out on 14/05/21 via Woodsist. We’re big fans of John Andrews and Woodsist on the ranch (My arm even sports a Woodsist inspired all-seeing ‘eye’ tattoo found on many of the early releases). This new release has the familiar sound we’ve come to love, slightly wonky, unpolished and loose, yet full musicianship and songwriting that is so on point you just want more of it. Although ‘Cookbook’ was written off the back of 2017’s album ‘Bad Posture’, we’re only getting to hear how the songs sound in 2021. The past few years, you may have seen or heard Andrew’s playing alongside Hand Habits, Cut Worms or Woods or in his band Quilt – now that’s a lineup I’d happily hang out with! So you see how it might have taken a bit of time to get this one out.

The album starts with the first single, ‘New California Blue’ with Andrews on the piano in Rundgren fashion, easing us into another mellow record that keeps the feel throughout. Andrews’ singing is always hushed on ‘Try’, featured on this week’s show; he has a sort of 70’s Lennon-esque vibe with a slight cosmic country feel in and around it. The songs are delicate and soulful, with sweeping harmonies and tender melodies. Playful Honky-tonk piano, flutes, pedal steel and more make this record a delicious meal. Simple, honest and reflective lyrics fill Andrews’ songs, giving each track the feeling of sharing time with an old friend. There is an update of 60’s/70’s classics in ‘Cookbook’ that are welcoming and contemporary and should satisfy Neil Young and Joni Mitchell fans. The video for ‘River of Doubt’ (below) features Andrews’ unique moving animation, which can be found on the album’s cover. Some great photographs taken at home and on the road encapsulate the song and the homespun nature with which this artist portrays his music.

Make sure you work backwards if you’re new to John Andrews and check out the previous releases ‘Bad Posture‘ (2017) and ‘Bit By The Fang‘ (2015). These are all top quality tunesmithery that touches on all of the best shit – country, soul, R&B, bits of psych that possess a general warmth and groove that is completely endearing and engaging.

Pick up the new album ‘Cookbook’ below and check out this Brooklyn Vegan Interview for a run down of the influences on the album.

Check out the radio tracklist…

Dark Tea – Tears Down The Road
John Andrews & The Yawns – Try
Family Jordan – Stillness
Lee Baggett – Fast Asleep
Daniel Romano – Into A Rainbow
Massage – Made of Moods
Vinyl Williams – Beaming
Shadow Force – Love You Know
The Tubs – Two Person Love
Sledgehammer – Inward & Abroad
Henrik Appel – Outside
Smirk – Violent Game
Grave Flowers Bongo Band – Smile
The Natvral – Sun Blisters
Love Axe – Give Me A Kiss
A Certain Ratio – Keep it Together
The CUSP – Money

Listen back here:

https://www.subcity.org/shows/elrancho/9be6d

Tune in every fortnight!!