I found myself in the centre of a mild media hurricane yesterday, thanks to the musical map of Britain published in this month’s Uncut becoming something of a hot topic. If you heard me trying to explain the principle of beats per minute on a local radio station, or trying to convince all of Scotland that they only listened to Runrig, I can only apologise.
Today, anyway, is the first anniversary of Wild Mercury Sound. Thanks to everyone who’s read the blog and left comments over the past year; it feels like it’s become a pretty healthy community over the months, apart from that weird period when we were invaded by irate Smashing Pumpkins fans.
Enough self-congratulatory business. Here’s a list of the records we’ve played over the past couple of days in the office. Jet Bronx, incidentally, is Lloyd Grossman in his brief New York punk phase. God knows why Phil brought that one in. . .
1. Serge Gainsbourg & Brigitte Bardot – Bonnie & Clyde (Mercury)
2. Fuck Buttons – Street Horrrsing (ATP)
3. Elbow – The Seldom Seen Kid (Fiction)
4. Essie Jain – We Made This Ourselves (Leaf)
5. The Triffids – The Black Swan (Domino)
6. The Black Keys – Attack & Release (V2)
7. Simian Mobile Disco – Clock EP (Wichita)
8. Fucked Up – Year Of The Pig (Vice)
9. Ebony Bones – Don’t Fart On My Heart (White Label)
10. Vampire Weekend – Vampire Weekend (XL)
11. Jet Bronx & The Forbidden – Ain’t Doin’ Nothin’ (Lightning)
12. Dueling Banjos – Eric Weissberg & Steve Mandel (Warner Bros)
13. The Accidental – There Were Wolves (Full Time Hobby)
14. Nancy – Keep Cooler (Myspace)
15. Ladyhawk – Shots (Jagjaguwar)
16. Monica Vasconcelos (with Robert Wyatt) – Hih (New Note)
17. Jack Rose – Dr Ragtime And Pals/Self-Titled (Beautiful Happiness)
18. Destroyer – Trouble In Dreams (Rough Trade)
19. Clinic – Do It! (Domino)
20. Pavement – Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain (Domino)