Nils & Prepple - Reiser alene

Two old friends from the Norwegian city of Trondheim, Nils Petter Aune and Prepple Houmb played in local band Hastverk back in 1978, then went their seperate ways. Nils went to London, then to Oslo, and in the years 1988 - 2009 he played guitar with one of Norway's best and most popular rock bands, Raga Rockers. Prepple enjoyed immense success as lead singer with what is probably the most popular Norwegian rock band ever, Dumdum Boys. Nils & Prepple is a one-off project, and the album Brent og resirkulert (Burned and recycled) is released on September 1st. It's preceded by the energetic single "Reiser alene" (Traveling alone).

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Steve Earle - I Feel Alright

Steve Earle is almost always good. Sorry, scratch that, he's almost always great. The title track from his 1996 album I Feel Alright is a case in point. It kicks butt!

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Martin Stephenson & The Daintees - Crocodile Cryer

Martin Stephenson & The Daintees was one of four bands signed to independent Newcastle label Kitchenware Records in the early to mid-80's. The others were Prefab Sprout, Kane Gang and Hurrah! The Daintees' 1986 debut album was called Boat To Bolivia (pop quiz, everyone; what's wrong with that title?), and the opening track was this beautiful ballad. "Crocodile Cryer" is a brilliant showcase for Stephenson's understated songwriting and tender voice. Hope you like it!

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Brian Eno - 1/2

This is seriously beautiful music. Brian Eno's 1978 album Ambient 1: Music For Airports consists of four parts of brilliant ambient music, a term Eno actually coined himself and that has influenced musicians and composers ever since. Eno's groundbreaking work is still better than most, and here you can listen to the first 12 minutes of what was originally side 2 of the LP. Every home should own at least one copy of this album.

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Whitney Houston - Saving All My Love For You

Happy birthday to Whitney Houston who's 48 today! What a waste of talent most of her adult years have been! Debuting at 21 in 1985 with an eponymous album that spawned "Saving All My Love For You" and several more monster hit singles, the world was at her feet. She enjoyed further successes, but in 1989 she met badboy Bobby Brown who was not a very good influence. The pair married in 1992, the same year Whitney enjoyed another huge success with her version of Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You" and the soundtrack to The Bodyguard film where she also played the female lead role, which earned her a Razzle Award nomintation for worst actress. From there it went seriously downhill with heavy substance abuse, beatings by her husband and an extraordinary decline. She could have had the world, but ended up scandalized and abused. Unfortunately nothing suggests this will change in the near future, but for now let's enjoy the lady at her peak and hope she'll get better!

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Rancid - Time Bomb

Ready for some fun? Just listen to Rancid's "Time Bomb", an excellent two and a half minutes of super catchy ska-punk. It's taken from the 1995 album ...And Out Come The Wolves, and it hasn't aged a bit. Take it away, boys!

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Marshall Crenshaw - You Should've Been There

For those of you who are unfamiliar with Marshall Crenshaw, he's an American power pop performer and excellent songwriter, who debuted in 1982 with an album that made him an immediate critic's favourite. He's continued to record very good music, and "You Should've Been There" is the opening song from his fifth album, 1989's Good Evening. It's classic pop music, an exercise Crenshaw knows inside and out.

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Another single from Pajama Club, Neil Finn's new band

Here's the brand new second single and video from Pajama Club, Crowded House frontman Neil Finn's new band, called "Tell Me What You Want". The band consists of Neil and his wife Sharon, as well as Sean Donnelly and Alana Skyring, and their debut album is due September 19th. First single "From A Friend To A Friend" was excellent, and so is this. 


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Sting - If You Love Somebody Set Them Free

The first single off Sting's first solo album The Dream Of Blue Turtles became a major hit single upon its release in the summer of 1985. A jazz-influenced pop song, "If You Love Somebody Set Them Free" has been described by Sting as an antidote to "Every Breath You Take", The Police' eerie single about obsessive "love" and stalking.

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Bob Marley & The Wailers - So Much Trouble In The World

Starvation and civil war on the horn of Africa, riots and looting in Great Britain, bombings in Libya, violent oppression in Syria, rightwing terror in Norway, drug wars in Mexico. Sadly this is only the tip of the iceberg. Bob Marley's song off his 1979 Survival album is as relevant as ever. It's a very good song though, so listen with reverence.

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