Troika

This double episode celebrates my daughter Samantha''s 18th Birthday! The first half looks at the strange we choices we made for our ''birthing mixtape'', that didn''t work, and the second showcases artists that she''s introduced me too. Featuring, Frank Sinatra, Ben Folds Five, Radiohead, Florence and the Machine, American Football and Cigarettes after Sex.

For this episode I wanted to look at music that just used the voice, and choose some examples that were just a small part of that huge spectrum. 'Mouth Music' has so many variations globally, that it would impossible to cover properly, so instead I've picked 6 of my favourites. 'Salve Mater Misericordie' by Trio Mediaeval, 'Sleep' by Eric Whitacre, 'Boy 1904' by Jonsi and Alex, 'Hide and Seek' by...

It's been too long since I last managed to squeeze out a Troika, but it it's still very much a project I want to continue! So, in this episode I"m looking at 'Endings', those last tracks on an album that have a particular 'End credits of a film' feel about them. This Troika features: 'Sandpit' by Curve, 'Burger Queen' by Placebo and 'Everyone but me' by Starflyer 59. As I mention in the podcast, t...

A double-troika of the my favourite sad songs! Featuring: Anais Mitchell - 'Shepherd', Jarvis Cocker and Chilly Gonzales - 'Tearjerker', Spiritualized - 'Broken Heart', Kate Bush - 'This Womans Work', Nick Cave (featuring Else Torp) - 'Distant Sky' and finally Radiohead - 'Harry Patch (In Memory Of)'

Carrying on the theme of ambient post-rock music that featured in the first ever episode, I've chosen three tracks that I particularly think of at dusk. 'Building Clouds' by Olavi Louhivuori, 'Even if You're Never Awake' by Stars of the Lid and finishing with 'God's Teeth' by This Will Destroy You.

This Troika revisits my youth, and the years 85–87, when I was a fan of three bands, all roughly linked in a family tree. The music this time is 'Bottom Line' by Big Audio Dynamite, 'Atari Baby' by Sigue Sigue Sputnik and 'Joy Rider' by Westworld

The 10 months since the last episode! Featuring The Amazing, 65daysofstatic and Rogue Wave

This episode is all about the phenomenon of DJ Derek, and the fact that I don't really like reggae. Featuring 'Police and Thieves' by Junior Murvin, 'I Chase the Devil' by Max Romeo and the Upsetters and 'One love' by Bob Marley and the Wailers

Here are three songs all about tea! 'Cup of Brown Joy' by Professor Elemental, 'Drink tea (For the love of God)' by Kula Shaker and 'Tea in the Sahara' by The Police. Pop the kettle on!

Three songs that remind me of my time in the Lake District. 'The New Physics' by The Lost Dogs, 'Virgin and Child' by Iona, and 'Animal Nitrate' by Suede.

This Valentine's edition is either really early, or a bit late, depending on how you look at it! Love songs in general are either insincere, mawkish rubbish, cheesy, or all three. There so much chaff, but (for me at least) here's the wheat! My three favourite love songs in ascending order: 'Sick of Myself' by Matthew Sweet, 'Unravel' by Björk and 'First Time Ever I Saw Your Face' by Roberta Flack.

A bit of a delay in getting to this episode. I've hesitated over whether to do a full-on Bowie tribute as there are so many brilliant tributes already. It almost felt like jumping on the bandwagon. Instead I've bided my time, and its now evolved into a tribute to three people who've died too early in 2016: Lemmy Kilmister, David Bowie and Terry Wogan. 'Shake Your Blood' by Probot (Dave Grohl and L...

Its an end of year list! Only shorter! This three-piece won't take long to read or listen to, but it took me a very long time to choose just three from so much wonderful music in 2015. To make it easier, I excluded any music that has already featured in Troika. So without further ado, my three most-played are: 'Satellites' by Mew, 'Repetition' by Purity Ring and 'Winter Dress' by The Amazing

Here we have another episode of Chrimbo tunes, this time with traditional songs covered by modern bands. These sound a bit more atmospheric compared last weeks more jaunty tunes! Once in Royal David's City' - Sufjan Stevens, 'Little Drummer Boy' - Low and 'The First Noel' - Over the Rhine

There's so many decent Christmas songs, that one Troika isn't going to be enough! So I've split them over two episodes - maybe more if I pull my finger out! While the first track isn't strictly 'explicit' (there's no swearing), it is a rather rum tale that minors may find disturbing. So we have: 'Oh Santa!' by Mr B The Gentleman Rhymer, 'Get behind me Santa!' by Sufjan Stevens* and 'A Snowflake Fe...

This time its all about taking it _slow_. Songs or pieces of music that either sound better, or take on a new form, when slowed down. 'Feel it all Around' by Washed Out Ernest Greenes' project 'Washed Out' take the backing from Gary Low's 1983 single 'I Want You' and slows it to nice laid back pace, creating this lovely slurry sound. I'm told this is also the theme to the TV Series Portlandia, but...

In the early eighties I was really into artists like Jean Michel Jarre, Depeche Mode and Howard Jones. I loved synths! After about '86 I moved away to more guitar-based music, Metal and then a wee folky phase in the early nineties. During my last year at college in 94 I started rediscovering electronic music. As well as purveyors of ambience like Aphex Twin and The Orb, I also got into the 'dancey...

Troika number 18 is a straightforward simpler episode! The only thematic link this time is tracks that I've discovered either by shuffle or playback glitches. Random songs! (Maybe a little bit of swearing too) 'Cissy Strut' - Butch Cassidy Sound System 'Auditorium' - Mos Def feat. Slick Rick 'Babe you turn me on' - Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

This Troika is a musical representation of one of my favourite foods - the mighty Scotch Egg! 'Breadcrumbs' by Deca, 'Valley of the Sausages' by Mr Scruff and 'Egg' by The Garden.

With the new series of Dr Who starting this weekend, I decided it was time for a Troika on the iconic TV theme! There's been a lot of 'official' versions over and many more covers (including a terrible disco-ified one by Mankind in 1979), but here is: the Original Theme by Ron Grainer and Delia Derbyshire, a Belgian Jazz version- 'Dr Qui' - from Bill Bailey and a lively EDM cover from Orbital.

Troika number fifteen is all about twins from Manchester called Andy and Jez Williams. From 90s dance act Sub Sub to Indie Rock giants Doves, and their new band, Black Rivers. We start with 'Ain't no love (ain't no use)' by Sub Sub feat. Melanie Williams, move onto 'Pounding' by Doves, and finish 'Voyager 1' by Black Rivers.

Welcome back to Troika after a lovely summer break! This Troika is about the three 'discoveries' I made at the Reading Festival last weekend - bands that I liked after seeing them live. 'Happy Song’ by Bring me the Horizon* (contains sweary swears!), ‘All the Sad Young Men’ by Spector and ‘Tryer, you’ by And So I Watch You From Afar.

Episode 13 of Troika is all about the versatile singer-songwriter and Yahama maestro John Shuttleworth! Songs featured are: 'Mutiny over the Bounty', 'Two Margarines' and 'I can’t go back to savoury now'.

I had planned a different Troika for #12, but I was so late getting it ready, I was going to miss the fact that the Tour de France starts this weekend! So that will become #13, and here is my rather hurried tribute to the annual cycling pantomime that is the Tour! First up is 'Tour de France' by Alexis Roche (apparently a bit rude, but it's in French), then 'Tour de France' by Benôit Charest (from...

Hello peoples! This Troika is all about the bassists! We start with 'Hello Meow' by Squarepusher, 'Jerry was a race car driver' by Primus, and finish with 'By the Way' by the Red Hot Chilli Peppers.