Breakin' in the Borders, Midland & West.

Hail fellows well met. It is I, Matt Vinyl, who has returned from a crusade of sorts over the Easter weekend. We packed the kids in the car and embarked on a tour of the North West of Ireland. In all we took in the beautiful counties of Cavan, Leitrim, Donegal and Roscommon and encountered the Ireland of a bygone age. It was a very pleasant and fruitful experience and one that will linger in the memory for some time to come.

To matters musical. Prior to my departure I picked up a few recently released seven inches. It was a bountiful week in terms of seven-inch releases and I purchased the following:

Dub Pistols featuring Terry Hall – Rapture. This is a rework of the Blondie classic and features Mr Hall who has previously featured in such great bands as The Specials, Fun Boy Three and The Colourfield. It’s really just a big-beat version of the original tune and doesn’t stray too far from the formula that made it good in the first place. It’s nice all the same.

Kings of Leon – On Call. I had to listen to this a couple of times before I got into it. On first listen I thought that it was a watery version of their last album. Aha Shake Heartbreak was guilty of being very samey throughout and this at least marks a departure from that. After about five listens I’m now really into it.

Klaxons – Gravity’s Rainbow. Chances are you’ve heard this on daytime radio quite a lot of late. I’m only guessing that because I don’t listen to the radio but this tune is very poppy and radio-friendly. These guys, who profess to be a talentless bunch, have shown a canny knack once more for writing a decent pop tune.

Malcolm Middleton – Beep Beep, I love you. This tune is great. It’s got a folky feel to it and Middletons Scottish brogue serves to add to its appeal. If you’re into a bit of downtempo, folk pop with a catchy chorus, then this must surely be the one for you. Middleton is more famous for his work with the band Arab Strap who split up in 2006.

I haven’t contributed much to the blog over the last couple of days due to my sojourn in the country but I can’t let my visit to Trinity College last Thursday go without mention. I was enjoying the sunshine along with hundreds of others and I was entertained for the best part of an hour by two blokes showing each other their breakdance moves. Back-flips, head-spins, you name it! I’m not sure how well their battlemoves would help them on a dark street in Dublin on a weekend night? It’s no coincidence that the first albums I ever saved to buy were Breakdance – You can do it and Breakdance 2 – Electric Boogaloo. Needless to say I fancied myself as a bit of a B-Boy. Needless to say, I was crap at it.

There are now three short mixes you can listen to throught the podcast thingy on the top right hand side of the page. Like it or loathe it? Let me know.