I Don't Hear A Single Volume 70

Audio Time as we hit Episode 70. You will hear 20 fine examples of tunes. Thanks to Tom Dahl for pointing me in the direction of the above image.

There is a four second watermark at the beginning of each, this is because I'm using the software as a trial whilst Jim is out of action. If I do them permanently, I will find the best program to buy.

The playlist details are on here and by clicking the Mixcloud tab. You can listen to the previous IDHAS Audio Extravaganzas on Mixcloud here.

Number 70 is ready to tingle your ears. The playlist is as follows  :

01 Ash - Envy
02 Middle Kids - Beliefs & Prayers
03 The Anderson Council - Our Worlds Collide
04 Alex Lahey - I Don't Get Invited To Parties Anymore
05 Traffik Island - Queens Park
06 The Cringe - Time is Moving On
07 The Glow - Lose
08 Doug Tuttle - But Not For You
09 Richard Hawley - Alone
10 Armstrong - Gratitude
11 Geoff Palmer - Cha-Ching
12 Beauty In Chaos - Drifting Away Featuring Robin Zander
13 Louise Connell - Ten Feet Tall
14 Sewage Farm - Misery Loves Company
15 Cloud Eleven - One Big Hideaway
16 Sacred Paws - Almost It
17 School Of Language - Rocket Man
18 Blue Jeans - Adult Hits
19 The Laissez Fairs - Phantom Stranger
20 Robert Jeffery - Don't Give Them Any Reaction

IDHAS Volume 70 Mixcloud Link

RPWL - Tales From Outer Space

It's Prog Time and before you all run to hide in the cupboard, there is more to this than meets the eye. I do get stick for my Prog loving ways, but lately I've grown a bit weary of it. Modern Prog is not really my thing, it's all too kitchen sink and "insert your (long) guitar solo here".

Now when I hear great new Prog, it's a far more melodic affair, think Big Big Train, the likes of Billy Sherwood have dampened my spirits. I'd rather have a band that show they can obviously play, but not to please themselves. RPWL fit that bill.

It's probably even harder to sell when I tell you Tales From Outer Space is a themed, dare I say concept, album. The Munich Quartet, RPWL, are probably an unknown to most I Don't Hear A Single followers. Yet their following is quite large in the UK and Europe.

They also have a stratospheric Live reputation, hence six live albums have been released to accompany the eight studio offerings that precede this. They write some mighty fine melodic songs that pitch them some between The Alan Parsons Project and latter day, Pink Floyd, the Waters-less version.

They do take more chances here, the theme aids them in this. Give Birth To The Sun features a Wakeman like solo. What I Really Need features an Edge like Guitar riff, not usually a good thing, but it develops into a big ballad.

RPWL, though, are best when they venture more towards Alan Parsons Project on splendid songs like Light Of The World, a ten minute epic. The arrangements present across the album are exceptional and man, can these boys play.

We keep getting told that the album format is dead, well here is proof that it isn't. Tales From OuterSpace should be played from start to end. Well done all! You can find out all about the band here. The album is available everywhere,


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Cosmo Sheldrake - The Much Much How How and I Deluxe Edition

The world is a lot worse off since the passing of both Todd Dillingham and Wim Oudijk, the former for the lyrical composition of songs and the latter for arrangements. I mention this because Cosmo Sheldrake reminds me of both.

What's more, he offers up songs that sound as though they are from 70 year old Veterans, when he is in fact less than half that age. This album was released last year, but gets a welcome re-release with the addition of the instrumental versions of the 14 songs. This is definitely the purchase, because the arrangements are far away from what you'd here, oddly wonderful.







For someone offering up a sort of Toytown left field Prog Pop, you'd be surprised to hear that his claim to fame was the use of a song on an Apple I-Phone Ad. Not the sort of thing you'd expect to be unloaded on the GPO Turntable buying hipsters.

I loved this debut album on initial release and the instrumental additions add even more. Sheldrake is a multi- instrumentalist and it's as though, Roy Wood like, he's played every instrument in sight. There's a real Circus feel at times and the songs could very well be about Robyn Hitchcock sees in his dreams.






There are songs about Egg and Soldiers and heffelumps, the lyrics sound Victorian and yet it's all held together because as well as being musically strong, the vocals are really affecting to. It's a long strange trip across the 47 minutes, but a real life affirming one.

Added Sound Effects make it sound as though the album has been recorded in The Archers studio. This is a wonderfully off beat affair, an incredibly fun listen, very 60's orientated, but appealing to all. Prog and Psych fans will love it, but so will quirky pop fans. I can't get enough of it.







You can listen to and but this album for a bargain 6 dollars here.


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The Lucky Setback - Buy Low Build Cheap

Ottawa's The Lucky Setback have only been together for a couple of years, but I'be listened to what they've been doing in that time and been more and more impressed. It's all culminated in this nine song debut that is a fine album.

This is great down and dirty Indie, but the highs are high and the hooks are plentiful. There are real glimpses of the likes of Payola$ here, yet the band seem equally comfortable in the great Pop of Cut Me To Quick. Bang Bang Electric is a sort of Funk Glam and All In My Head is a splendid meander of a song.






You do sense there's a liking of Grunge, but fortunately when they head there, they nail it, particularly on Full On. There's plenty here to admire and Buy Low Build Cheap is a splendid debut album. I look forward to seeing their career prosper.






You can buy the album here and find out more about the band here. You can listen to the album here.



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I Don't Hear A Single Volume 69

Welcome to the I Don't Hear A Single Audio Delight that is Episode 69. You will hear 20 of the finest new songs from the finest new albums and one classic archive track to open proceedings.

You'll hear a four second watermark at the beginning of each, this is because I'm using the software as a trial. If I do them permanently, I will find the best program to buy.


The playlist details are on here and by clicking the Mixcloud tab. You can listen to the previous IDHAS Aural adventures on Mixcloud here.

Number 69 awaits your lugholes now. The playlist is as follows  :

01 Terrorvision - Middle Man
02 Berwanger - Bad Vibrations
03 Wreckless Eric - Strange Locomotion
04 Ausley - Make This Relevant
05 Big Character - Favourite Record
06 Nick Lowe - Love Starvation
07 Deco Auto - Turnaround
08 Thrush Hermit - From The Back Of The Film
09 Yipes!!! - Pure Insanity
10 Moon Goose - Goldfish In A Bag
11 The Last Bees - Way Too Deep
12 The RAZ Band - I Got This
13 The Artisans - A Week of Wednesdays
14 District 8 - All Is Forgiven
15 Radiator Hospital - For Daydreamers Only
16 Joe Sullivan - Mr. Positivity
17 The Bungalows - Davola's Funhouse
18 Lolas - A Dozen or Seven Tapestries
19 James Clarke Five - What Do You Know About Ray
20 Amoeba Teen - Suit And Tie
21 Big Big Train - Theodora In Green And Gold

IDHAS Volume 69 Mixcloud Link

Alex Lahey - The Best Of Luck Club

I seem to be listening to a lot of Australian artists lately and maybe because they have discovered the mainstream after a bit of a lull. This is the third Oz related review in quick succession, but with all three, the vibe has been anything but antipodean.

Since Avril Lavigne seems to now want to be Lady Gaga, there's a definite space for a female vocalist who can rock and why not Alex Lahey? Don't misunderstand me, Lahey hasn't got that Lavigne shouty drawl, she's a much better vocalist and there's a real self depreciating quality in her songwriting. The production is also a bit Butch Walker, but thankfully without the audio compression and those bloody hand claps.

The Best Of Luck Club though comes across more as a rockier KT Tunstall with far more self awareness. The album doesn't come up from air until nearly halfway through with Unspoken History and then that's followed with the wonderfully noisy, venomous, Fuzz Rock of Misery Guts.

Lahey's debut album. I Love You Like A Brother was a really good album, if a little rough edged, but album number two irons out those creases and results in a splendidly melodic album, it's never short of a hook, but more importantly the toe tapping quotient is very high.

The time spent in Nashville shows at times, Black RM's is very current FM Country , yet I Want To Live With You is far more 80's Big Hair, very Belinda Carlisle. Don't Be So Hard On Yourself has a Clarence Clemons like Sax Solo that catches you by surprise, particularly as the chorus is so jaunty.

The gem is I Don't Get Invited To Parties Anymore which could very well be a Song Of The Year.  contender. You'll hear that on an upcoming I Don't Hear A Single Audio Extravaganza. But Am I Doing It Right, with it's killer riff and storming chorus and the brooding Interior Demeanour are every bit as good.

Here are 10 songs that will have some singing along. whilst others will investigate the lyrics, either way all will be listening. The Best Of Luck Club is a really admirable affair, it'll be up there fighting for IDHAS End Of Year Awards.

You can buy the album here.


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I Don't Hear A Single Volume 68

There's been a delay in posting the Audio Extravaganzas due to technical problems at Jim's end. With Volumes 68 - 71 already compiled, I'm aware that delays at my end have also created a backlog. So with Volume 72 in compiling mode, I felt we were getting a bit out of date in bringing you the best of the new.

So, I've done the mastering and mixing of these four volumes and to catch up they'll appear every other day to the end of next week. Please be aware that these sound fine to me, but I'm no expert. Jim is brilliant mastering wise, so with these being prepared by me using two shareware programs, please bear with me.

They sound great and normal service will soon be resumed. You'll hear a four second watermark at the beginning of each, this is because I'm using the software as a trial. If I do them permanently, I will find the best program to buy.


The playlist details are on here and by clicking the Mixcloud tab. You can listen to the previous IDHAS Aural adventures on Mixcloud here.

Lose yourself in  No 68 by clicking on the link at the end of this post. 66 minutes of Audio Joy.

The playlist is as follows  :

01 Ulysses - Dragons
02 Pezband - Back In The Middle
03 The Wildhearts - The Renaissance Men
04 The Armoires - Not A Good Man
05 Donnie Vie - Beautiful Things
06 Adrian Belew - The Times We Live In
07 More Kicks - I'm On The Brink
08 The Gold Needles - This Autumn Road
09 The Pearlfishers - Love And Other Hopeless Things
10 The Smallgoods - Satellite
11 The Damned Things - Omen
12 Singing Swords - Mario
13 The Kaams - Floating in My Fantasy
14 Sofa City Sweetheart - Stanley Waited
15 Dream Cars - Dream Cars
16 Kitty Kat Fan Club - I'm Loving You More Than I Should
17 The Top Boost - Dreaming
18 Pale Moon - Exile
19 Peawees - 'Cause You Don't Know Me
20 I'm Glad It's You - The Things I Never Say
21 David Mead - Bedtime Story

IDHAS Volume 68 Mixcloud Link