Best of 2025 mix - Volume 2

 

  1. Citrus Citrus - Ivory Crumbs (2:51)
  2. Gloria - Eleusis (4:26)
  3. Automatic - Don't Wanna Dance (4:26)
  4. Soft Hearted Scientists - Hello Hello (5:12)
  5. The Len Price 3 - Dead Man's Island (2:06)
  6. The Miracle Seeds - What You Know (3:56)
  7. Sons of Zöku - Energia (3:50)
  8. Cate Le Bon - About Time (3:29)
  9. Ty Segall - Buildings (4:11)
10. Lost Crowns - She Didn't Want (5:56)
11. Mekons - Before the Ice Age (3:24)
12. Lake Ruth - The Next Level (3:04)
13. Lorelle Meets the Obsolete - Palabra (5:59)
14. Ashinoa - Monstera (4:34)
15. Midlake - Lion's Den (3:41)
16. Gwenno - Y Gath (4:04)
17. Jumble Hole Clough - It's Time to Go Home (2:40)
18. The Bats - A Crutch a Post (2:55)
19. Midnight Rodeo - Cleanshirt (3:07)
20. Eggy - Are You Not Entertained? (5:01)

 Download FLAC
 Download mp3

Songs from Beneath the Spaghetti Tree Vol. 101

 

 

I had originally planned to stop making the Spaghetti Tree compilations after volume 100, but since they're quite popular, I'll continue as long as there's interest. For the landmark 100th volume, Man Erg selected all the tracks, and it turned out to be quite monumental! For this new volume, Man Erg is contributing again, but this time, we're collaborating. I chose the first track for the mix, then Man Erg picked the second, back to me for the third, and so on. The tracklist follows the exact order in which we selected them. I like to think it turned out well, but, of course, that's for you to decide!

Since the very first volume of Spaghetti Tree began with a track by Felt, I thought it was only fitting that they should have the honour of opening Volume 101. Hard to believe it's over 10 years since I compiled volume 1. Where did the time go?!?! Anyway, I hope you all enjoy!

  1. Felt - Tuesday's Secret (2:28)
  2. That Petrol Emotion - Lettuce (2:18)
  3. Olivier Depardon - La Bonne Distance (3:44)
  4. Boards of Canada - Roygbiv (2:28)
  5. Oneida - Rose and Licorice (3:05)
  6. Fantastic Something - If She Doesn’t Smile (It'll Rain) (3:11)
  7. Futuropaco - Poliziesco (4:08)
  8. Lunophone - Ametista (2:12)
  9. Karen Beth - Something to Believe In (2:21)
10. Bridget St. John - Lizard-Long-Tongue Boy (3:04)
11. Jack Cheshire - Heavy Rotations (3:34)
12. Merrell Fankhauser & H.M.S. Bounty - Madame Silky (2:37)
13. Vivian Stanshall - Smoke Signals at Night (3:15)
14. Timebox - Gone Is the Sad Man (3:43)
15. Nick Lowe - Big Kick, Plain Scrap (2:42)
16. Dyr Faser - Nothing Above (4:01)
17. Carla dal Forno - The Garden of Earthly Delights (4:17)
18. Mick Ronson - Billy Porter (3:33)
19. Tall Dwarfs - Get Outta the Garage (3:03)
20. David Sylvian - Orpheus (4:46)
21. All Seeing Dolls - Non-Waltz (3:34)
22. John Cale - Mr. Wilson (3:14)
23. Salaryman - Graze the Umbra (3:34)
24. The Pink Fairies - Do It (3:00)

Slugbucket picks: Tracks 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19, 21, 23
Man Erg picks: Tracks 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24

 Download FLAC
 Download mp3

 

Songs from Beneath the Spaghetti Tree Vol. 100 (Man Erg Special)

 

Here, at long last, is volume 100 of Songs from Beneath the Spaghetti Tree. As I started off DJing back in the day with Man Erg, for this special volume I asked him to pick a few of his favourites from the past few years/decades/century. Hope you enjoy!


Part 1:
  1. The Clean - Point That Thing Somewhere Else (5:25)
  2. Broadcast - The Book Lovers (3:32)
  3. Markley - Little Ruby Rain (2:59)
  4. Peter Cook and Dudley Moore - The L.S. Bumble Bee (2:42)
  5. Supersister - She Was Naked (3:42)
  6. Wire - Outdoor Miner (2:48)
  7. Television - Days (3:11)
  8. Cockney Rebel - Such a Dream (5:00)
  9. Hüsker Dü - The Girl Who Lives on Heaven Hill (3:04)
10. The Chills - Flamethrower (3:12)
11. Traffic Sound - Simple (3:29)
12. The Search Party - The News is You (4:39)
13. Another Sunny Day - Kilburn Towers (3:07)
14. The Action - Brain (4:21)
15. Keith Christmas - Forest and the Shore (7:03)
16. Mighty Baby - Egyptian Tomb (5:28)
17. Subway Sect - Ambition (3:07)
18. Delia Derbyshire & Anthony Newley - Moogies Bloogies (2:24)
19. Captain Beefheart and The Magic Band - My Head Is My Only House Unless It Rains (2:51)
20. Shudder to Think - Rag (3:11)
21. Tapir! - On a Grassy Knoll (We'll Bow Together) (4:17)


Part 2:
   1. Faust - Jennifer (7:08)
  2. Magick Brother & Mystic Sister - Echoes From the Clouds (4:06)
  3. The Mice - Little Rage (4:47)
  4. Flamin' Groovies - Shake Some Action (3:34)
  5. Bird Nest Roys - Joringel (3:18)
  6. The Beautiful Daze - City Jungle (5:39)
  7. Susan Christie - No One Can Hear You Cry (2:20)
  8. Kevin Ayers - Song for Insane Times (4:01)
  9. A Certain Ratio - Do the Du (Casse) (2:49)
10. Look Blue Go Purple - Cactus Cat (3:18)
11. Downliners Sect - White Caterpillar (2:27)
12. The Factory - Try a Little Sunshine (3:32)
13. The Chesterf!elds - Ask Johnny Dee (2:57)
14. The Moles - Bury Me Happy (3:02)
15. Stereolab - Ping Pong (3:01)
16. The Poets - That's the Way It's Got to Be (2:33)
17. Dorothy Ashby - Soul Vibrations (3:19)
18. Anona - The Boy and the Lion (5:40)
19. Love - August (5:03)
20. The Fall - New Face in Hell (5:39)

 Download FLAC
 Download mp3

 

The Chills - Worlds Within Worlds (1996-2022)

 

 

Bio:
The Chills were one of New Zealand's most iconic guitar pop bands of any era. They started out in the '80s, making a consistent series of chiming, hook-laden guitar pop records for the Flying Nun label, then bumping the production values up for a couple albums (notably 1990's Submarine Bells) on Slash. The band's songs and arrangements were constructed with interweaving guitar hooks and vocal harmonies, creating a lush sound that never falls into cloying sentimentality. The Chills' personnel changed frequently with the only constant member being singer-songwriter Martin Phillipps, the band's founder. When he hit some health roadblocks in the '90s, the band took an extended break and Phillipps made music only sporadically before returning in the 2010s for a series of strong comeback albums -- including 2021's Scatterbrain -- which stand with the band's best work to date.

Martin Phillipps died on July 28, 2024 at the age of 61.

 Full biography click here.

As mentioned a few weeks ago, here is my tribute to Martin Phillipps following his unexpected passing back in July. This collection features songs from the 4 albums and various EPs/singles released since "Heavenly Pop Hits" was issued in 1994. This anthology is bookended by two songs originally written in the early 1980s. A live version of "Lost in Space", recorded in 1982, first appeared on "Secret Box" which was released in 2001. A studio version didn't surface until 2017, when it was issued as part of a limited edition Record Store Day 7", alongside a new track, "Rocket Science." Both songs are now available on The Chills' Bandcamp page.

This collection concludes with a 2014 re-recording of one of their most iconic songs, "Pink Frost," originally recorded in 1982 and released as a single in 1984. The reason for this new version explained by Phillipps himself:
"At the end of the day, it's my composition and I can record it as many times as I choose to! It is by no means meant to replace that very special original recording but it will sit proudly alongside it as one of the many approaches that could be taken with this most evocative and atmospheric song. I hope people will enjoy it in the spirit of it being a fresh and alternative companion piece to that original marvelous moment in time captured on tape many years ago."
I guess I can't argue with that! While I’ll always prefer the original, I think the intro on "Pink Frost 13" is far superior. As usual, origin of each track & year of release is tagged in the music files and in the download file. I hope you enjoy!


  1. Lost in Space (3:18)
  2. Worlds Within Worlds (3:21)
  3. You Can Understand Me (3:16)
  4. Warm Waveform (4:10)
  5. In Harmony (3:26)
  6. Molten Gold (3:21)
  7. Little Boy (2:50)
  8. Pyramid / When the Poor Can Reach the Moon (8:02)
  9. Luck or Loveliness (3:13)
10. Lies, Lies, Lies (2:11)
11. Sunburnt (3:39)
12. February (2:25)
13. No One Knows Better Than Me (2:15)
14. Scatterbrain (2:39)
15. The Greatest Guide (3:17)
16. True Romance (3:22)
17. America Says Hello (5:05)
18. Rocket Science (2:45)
19. Walk on the Beach (2:25)
20. Bad Sugar (3:12)
21. Premonition (2:52)
22. Caught in My Eye (3:02)
23. Pink Frost 13 (5:01)

 Download FLAC
 Download mp3

Big Dipper - Lifetime Achievement Award

 

Bio:
Big Dipper formed in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, in 1985 by bassist Steve Michener and guitarist/vocalist Gary Waleik (both formerly of Volcano Suns), guitarist/vocalist Bill Goffrier (formerly of The Embarrassment) and Waleik's cousin Jeff Oliphant on drums. They released one mini-album and three albums between 1987 and 1990, before splitting up. The band reunited in 2008. They were described in a New York Times article as "musical contortionists: they love to toy with extremes, juxtaposing ferocious guitar noise with celestial vocal harmonies or planting a delicate melody in jagged rhythm".

Their first release was the 1987 mini-album "Boo-Boo", issued by Homestead Records. Their first full-length studio album, "Heavens", released later in 1987, was later described by AllMusic as "one of the finest American indie albums of its era". Their second album, "Craps", followed in 1988. Big Dipper signed to Epic Records for 1990's "Slam". Michener left the band, and they continued with various players for two years, splitting up in 1992 after releasing the "Approach of a Human Being" single (1991, Feel Good All Over) and recording more than an album's worth of material.

In 2008, Merge Records released "Supercluster: The Big Dipper Anthology", a 3-disc collection of Big Dipper's Homestead recordings, with additional material including the unreleased tracks recorded after Michener left. This renewed interest prompted the band to reform for some live shows in April 2008. In November 2012, they released their first new studio album in 22 years, "Crashes on the Platinum Planet", on Almost Ready Records.


Here's another band Manerg introduced me to back in the late 80s, and for that I'm very grateful. Big Dipper were one of my favourite bands back then, well at least up until their major label release "Slam". Many people regard "Heavens" as their best album, for  me I think "Craps" just shades it, and why tracks from that album feature the heaviest here. Regarding the album "Slam", I remember the excitement on purchasing it, though somewhat concerned by the awful record cover. Well... let's just say on first listen I thought the record cover just about summed up the contents of the album, it was bloody awful! I think I played it twice, and then got rid of. It was such a crushing disappointment after their previous releases on Homestead.

Go forward to 2008 and the "Supercluster" anthology on Merge, reigniting my love for the band, especially the several unreleased tracks which would have most likely been their 4th album, "Very Loud Array", after being ditched by Epic. This would've definitely been a return to form after the overproduced rather flat "Slam", and maybe they wouldn't have sadly split up. It still took me several years to even try and listen to "Slam" again, but once I did it surprisingly wasn't as bad as I remembered. Sure there are many weak songs, but on closer listen I found at least half a dozen tracks that really are quite good!

This anthology comprises mostly of tracks from "Supercluster", plus 3 tracks from "Slam", and the odd EP/compilation track. Focusing on their recordings from 1987 to 1992, I decided at the last minute to include a 'bonus' track from their 2012 comeback album "Crashes on the Platinum Planet", an album which stands up very well to their earlier Homestead releases. "Supercluster" was originally a limited edition release of only 5000 copies, but can now be found easily on bandcamp. I recommend you purchase it, there's hardly a dud on it.


  1. You're Not Patsy (2:28)
  2. Mr. Woods (3:09)
  3. Meet the Witch (3:53)
  4. San Quentin, CA (2:17)
  5. Impossible Things (3:00)
  6. Wrong in the Charts (2:58)
  7. Making Plans for Bison (2:00)
  8. Restaurant Cloud (3:10)
  9. The Insane Girl (3:37)
10. Lou Gehrig's Disease (3:47)
11. Approach of a Human Being (4:30)
12. Man o' War (2:40)
13. Slam (2:49)
14. Faith Healer (3:01)
15. Ron Klaus Wrecked His House (5:02)
16. Extraordinary Worm (3:24)
17. Homosapien (4:29)
18. Which Would You Rather? (featuring Ellie Marshall) (2:40)
19. Younger Bums (2:56)
20. Semjáse (4:34)
21. Life Inside the Cemetery (3:42)
22. Silentium (2:39)
23. The Monsters of Jazz (2:41)
24. A Song to Be Beautiful (4:05)
25. Untitled (2:08)
     "bonus track"
26. Robert Pollard (4:13)

 Download FLAC
 Download mp3

 

Songs from Beneath the Spaghetti Tree Vol. 61

 

 

 

 

 

  1. Matt Berry - Moonlight Flit (2:42)
  2. Fugu - Sol y Sombra (2:41)
  3. String Driven Thing - It's a Game (3:34)
  4. Fenne Lily - Solipsism (3:02)
  5. That Petrol Emotion - It's a Good Thing (2:33)
  6. The Dragons - Food for My Soul (4:01)
  7. The Bees - Silver Line (3:35)
  8. Binario - Tarde Demais (5:06)
  9. Turtle Skull - Rabbit (3:59)
10. Om - Waiting of Godot (4:35)
11. Stretch - Why Did You Do It (3:30)
12. Peter Hammill - White Dot (6:21)
13. Chelo Lares - Vox Day (3:04)
14. Moonshake - City Poison (3:57)
15. Aphrodite's Child - Break (2:54)
16. Radio Stars - Macaroni 'n' Mice (2:38)
17. Jeanne-Marie Sens - Méli Mélo (1:59)
18. Clau Aniz - Iuá Uru (4:25)
19. Yves Jarvis - Semula (2:58)
20. Mint Field - Contingencia (3:13)
21. Unified Field Theory - Aptenodytes Patagonicus (3:05)
22. The Teardrop Explodes - The Culture Bunker (5:27)

 

  Download FLAC

  Download mp3