Fresh Sounds Podcast

This week: The Fresh Sounds Festive 50! That's Mark's and Brendan's Top 25s all mushed into one glorious countdown of their favorite songs from all twelve months of this year. That's not like any other "best-of" list you will see. This is indie music at its best, with very few name brand artists here, aside from Burial and Overmono.

Sorry to say there are no bonus tracks this week, but since there are fifty tunes in this year-ender, I think that might be slightly absurd to add more. (Brendan's view, anyway.)

Don't miss our equally triple-stuffed playlist on Spotify! All fifty tunes in all their eccentric glory! You can listen all of them right here! 

Have a great holiday season, and a very happy new year! Mark and Brendan will return in 2022, as soon as the record business is cranking out product again. (So, not immediately, but give us a week or two.) Cheers! 

This week's show covers new music from Tame Impala, Oslo’s Mall Girl, the team of VANO 3000, BADBADNOTGOOD, and Samuel T. Herring. Next, a new song from the English troubadour Richard Dawson from a new album he made with backing from the Norwegian experimental rock band Circle backing him up. 

For the archive pick this week, Mark selects “Soon” from My Bloody Valentine’s landmark 1991 album, Loveless--a searing blaze of overdriven guitars and more than a little influence from the British dance music of the rave era. It’s a blurry gem of a tune! 

Of course, there are six more bonus tracks, but you have to sign up for our email newsletter to get those. It's pretty easy to do, if you just click this link.  (And do so without fear. We won't misuse your email address, as this show is run by two guys, Mark and Brendan; Not some faceless corporation.)

Lastly, don't miss our fabulous Spotify playlists. We make one for each episode of the show, so grab the latest if you are up to date, and dig into previous episodes if you are new here, or just curious. Have a great week! 

This week's show covers new music from Guided by Voices, Mocky, Ibibio Sound Machine, and a team-up between Ancient Astronauts and Brazen Rule. 

 Then Brendan uses the time machine to visit 2001, for a taste of “Gasoline,” from the debut album by The New Year --a bit of a lost indie classic.  (For the '90s heads, The New Year features Matt and Bubba Kadane, of Bedhead fame.) 

Of course, there are six more bonus tracks, but you have to sign up for our email newsletter to get those. It's pretty easy to do, if you just click this link.  (And do so without fear. We won't misuse your email address, as this show is run by two guys, Mark and Brendan; Not some faceless corporation.)

Lastly, don't miss our fabulous Spotify playlists. We make one for each episode of the show, so grab the latest if you are up to date, and dig into previous episodes if you are new here, or just curious. Have a great week! 

This week's show covers new music from a UK collaboration between Anish Kumar and a fellow who goes as Barry Can’t Swim, then a new tune from the intercontinental duo who go as Hard Feelings, which is made up of Joe Goddard from Hot Chip and NYC-based singer Amy Douglas. Next, some indie rock from Montreal’s Cola, and off to Manchester for a winning new Elbow tune.

Then Mark uses the time machine to sample 1986’s Skylarking, perhaps XTC’s finest album, with a bit of “Another Satellite.”

Of course, there are six more bonus tracks, but you have to sign up for our email newsletter to get those. It's pretty easy to do, if you just click this link.  (And do so without fear. We won't misuse your email address, as this show is run by two guys, Mark and Brendan; Not some faceless corporation.)

Lastly, don't miss our fabulous Spotify playlists. We make one for each episode of the show, so grab the latest if you are up to date, and dig into previous episodes if you are new here, or just curious. Have a great week! 

This week's show covers new music from LA's Lo Moon, London's Yunè Pinku, NYC's Doss, and Liverpool's King Hannah. All with great new tunes to sample.

Brendan set the time machine's controls to the autumn of 1974 Los Angeles, where we hear "Bon Voyage" from Sparks, in their high Glam Rock era. It's a pretty and bombastic number sung from the perspective of those who couldn't book a seat on Noah's Ark.

Of course there are six more bonus tracks, but you have to sign up for our email newsletter to get those. It's pretty easy to do, if you just click this link.  (And do so without fear. We won't misuse your email address, as this show is run by two guys, Mark and Brendan; Not some faceless corporation.)

Lastly, don't miss our fabulous Spotify playlists. We make one for each episode of the show, so grab the latest if you are up to date, and dig into previous episodes if you are new here, or just curious. Have a great week! 

This week we have new music from Ghost Woman, allegedly located in the Arizona desert, then off to Gothenburg, Sweden for a great new tune from Makthaverskan. Up next, an up-and-coming Israeli singer who goes as The Cloud of I, and then some fresh London funk from Foals.

Mark has dug up a true gem with the time machine this week: Big Star's 1972 song "Thirteen," which has quietly become a standard of sorts in recent years with many, many cover versions to be found on Spotify! (It might give Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" a run for its money.)

Of course there are six more bonus tracks, but you have to sign up for our email newsletter to get those. It's pretty easy to do, if you just click this link.  (And do so without fear. We won't misuse your email address, as this show is run by two guys, Mark and Brendan; Not some faceless corporation.)

Lastly, don't miss our fabulous Spotify playlists. We make one for each episode of the show, so grab the latest if you are up to date, and dig into previous episodes if you are new here, or just curious. Have a great week! 

This week's show cover new music from Austin, Texas's Spoon, a great new tune from the duo of Swindle and Greentea Peng, from London, then an electronic composition of a sort from LA's Amon Tobin, and perfect pop song from Laetitia Sadier, of Stereolab fame.

Brendan whips out a dance track from 1999 that would still fit into any modern DJ set: "Dreamin'" by Les Rythmes Digitales--the nom de rock of the British super-producer Stuart Price.

Of course there are six more bonus tracks, but you have to sign up for our email newsletter to get those. It's pretty easy to do, if you just click this link.  (And do so without fear. We won't misuse your email address, as this show is run by two guys, Mark and Brendan; Not some faceless corporation.)

Lastly, don't miss our fabulous Spotify playlists. We make one for each episode of the show, so grab the latest if you are up to date, and dig into previous episodes if you are new here, or just curious. Have a great week! 

This week, Mark and Brendan kick off the festivities with a great new single from Logic 1000 and Big Ever. Next, a single from Connecticut's Anxious in the punk-pop or emo genres. Third song this week is a heavily remixed jazz track by Australia's Surprise Chef, reworked by Harvey Sutherland and Masters at Work. The last new song of the week is from the Norwich, England-based Let's Eat Grandma.

Mark focuses this week's archive track on the late Alan Hawkshaw, keyboard wizard and key player in the KPM Music library of TV themes widely used across US and UK TV networks, and sampled by even first-wave hip-hop legends, including the Sugar Hill Gang, in their landmark "Rapper's Delight" back in 1979. (Jay-Z and Drake have also sampled KPM's tunes in more recent years.)

There are the usual six more bonus tracks, but you have to sign up for our email newsletter to get those. It's pretty easy to do, if you just click this link.  (And do so without fear. We won't misuse your email address, as this show is run by two guys, Mark and Brendan; Not some faceless corporation.)

Lastly, don't miss our fabulous Spotify playlists. We make one for each episode of the show, so grab the latest if you are up to date, and dig into previous episodes if you are new here, or just curious. Have a great week! 

Welcome to Episode 58 of the Fresh Sounds Podcast! This week, Mark and Brendan have more upbeat party tunes, and a few moody ones, too. We began with a new single from Machester's Anz, with some production help from George Riley. Next, a wild brew of reggae and drum-and-bass music, with Peter Falk samples, to boot! Then an interesting bit of new music from Baxter Dury, of London. Prospa is a production duo from Leeds, back with a tune from their Rave Science Vol. 2 EP.

Brendan is driving the time machine this week, and he went all the way back to 2001, for a slice of Motor City garage rock, from The Dirtbombs! (It's actually a cover of a 1968 Smokey Robinson hit, done in garage rock style. )

As is our usual policy, we have six more bonus tracks to recommend, but you will have to sign up for our email newsletter to get those gems. If you want to do that now, please take a second to sign up for our newsletter right here. (And do so without fear. We won't misuse your email address, as this show is run by two guys, Mark and Brendan; Not some faceless corporation.)

Lastly, don't miss our fabulous Spotify playlists. We make one for each episode of the show, so grab the latest if you are up to date, and dig into previous episodes if you are new here, or just curious. Have a great week! 

Welcome to Episode 57 of the Fresh Sounds Podcast! This week, Mark and Brendan have a fresh basket of groovin' tunes, beginning with a thumpin' new track from London's Overmono, then off for some Chicago indie-rock, from Girl K. Next, some fresh Detroit hip-hop, from the pairing of Illa J. and Atamone. (Illa J, for those who don't know, is the younger brother of the late superproducer J. Dilla.) Rounding out the new music, a taste of deep house from Tokyo's Soshi Takeda.

Mark commands the time machine this week, and he went all the way back to 1971, for a newly released live performance by James Taylor and Joni Mitchell, of a song written by Carole King(!) How may 1970s deities can you fit in one archive track?!

As is our usual policy, we have six more bonus tracks to recommend, but you will have to sign up for our email newsletter to get those gems. If you want to do that now, please take a second to sign up for our newsletter right here. (And do so without fear. We won't misuse your email address, as this show is run by two guys, Mark and Brendan; Not some faceless corporation.)

Lastly, don't miss our fabulous Spotify playlists. We make one for each episode of the show, so grab the latest if you are up to date, and dig into previous episodes if you are new here, or just curious. Have a great week!