New Order - Movement
The only New Order album I own on vinyl. It's not even my favourite of theirs. It doesn't even contain my favourite single - Temptation which was added to the reissue of this.
Listening to this today reminds me of share houses, drinking coopers sparkling beer, and snogging.
Sparks – The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte
The title of this reminds me of opening the boutique hungover many a Sunday with my latte from the Italian cafe across the street. I saw Sparks live when they recently toured on the release of this album and the main tracks from it sounded killer live. But I’m not so sure about the rest of the album. Maybe it’s the over the top string arrangements, or that this vinyl pressing sounds really quiet for some reason, or it just sounded better live. Maybe this will be a grower.
#nowplaying #nowspinning #vinyl #records #sparks #TheGirlIsCryingInHerLatte
The Cramps – Psychedelic Jungle
My niece was well pleased I had a copy of this after it became a hit on the TV series Wednesday. I bought it when I was about 18 from Heartland Records on a family holiday to Melbourne for $20. I remember because I met my friend after at the Hard Rock café and got really drunk on huge pints and stumbled back to the accommodation but kept checking I hadn't left my record behind. Heartland use to specialise in goth stuff mostly but had a good smattering of punk. It's since closed down I think. Poison Ivy was one of the coolest women I’d ever seen.
I always thought it was an original US pressing but I realised today on closer inspection it’s a UK version. How did I miss that? Now I can't help but think what else did I catalogue wrong in that discogs blitz I did over 10 years ago or was it just this one...
#nowplaying #nowspinning #vinyl #records #thecramps #Wednesday
Sampa the Great – The Return
After adoring the 2016 mix tape EP, and then kind of disappointing (for me) 2017 full length album Birds and Bee9, The Return is a return to some of the punchier mixtape sounds I enjoyed. Sampa represents a hugely important sound for female hiphop and refugee community in Australia.
For me this album, whilst it's messaging is important, is a bit hit and miss overall. On re listen it's too long, and stretched out over two LP’s (my pet hate). Final Form and OMG are bangers though. Dare to Fly features Ecca Vandal which is a cool co-lab.
#nowplaying #nowspinning #vinyl #records #music #hiphop #sampathegreat
The Scavengers – Self Tilted
This is a compilation of material from New Zealand punk band The Scavengers who later moved to Australia in 1978 and renamed as the Marching Girls. Features Brendan Perry from Dead Can Dance. I first heard the Marching Girls on the Dogs in Space soundtrack. It’s a classic Australian cult film & soundtrack. This is straight up power pop punk. Reminds me a bit of the Buzzcocks in sound. We spun the Marching Girls version of True Love on our wedding playlist.
This is one of the few record store day albums I own when record store day felt more about releasing interesting things and celebrating independent labels.
#nowplaying #nowspinning #vinyl #records #NZpunk #australianpunk #Newzealand
The Primitives – Lovely
Another power pop spin since on I’m on a tip now – this time UK 80’s.
I bought this from Porthole in 2019 after a pub lunch with my friend. I’d been listening to their singles album on my train commutes to work. The majority of this is straight up reverby lush power pop tracks which I love. But four tracks in to the album it takes a strange turn where someone’s had an idea in the band to get some Indian drums and end the first side with this slowish psychedelic track. It’s not bad, but it is a tad awkward and does sit oddly against the rest of the album. I don’t know what the fuck they were thinking.
I saw they were made famous by Morrissey wearing a Primitives tshirt back in the day. That's not a claim to fame now sadly.
#nowplaying #nowspinning #vinyl #records #music #thePrimitives #ukindie
Irma Thomas - Time is on my side
I had a molar extracted on Friday afternoon and I feel pretty miserable. I use to listen to Irma a lot when I was miserable and heart broken in my 20s. I had this compilation on CD and found a vinyl copy at Licorice Pie last year. The owner was very excited I was buying Irma. Underrated soul artist of her generation!
Ryuichi Sakamoto & Kazumi Watanabe – Tokyo Joe
Sakamoto & Watanabe doing electro synth pop and jazz fusion featuring guests Yukihiro Takahashi from YMO and Akiko Yano on some vocals. Not be confused with Brian Ferry's Tokyo Joe which is not a cover of this. On the B side, Thousand Knives is where Sakamoto & Watanabe go all out. I'll be there is a great electro boogie number which featured on Gilles Peterson show few years back when he did a special on Akiko Yano.
This is an original 1982 pressing that I got relatively cheaply as it was missing an obi.
#nowspinnig #NowPlaying #vinyl #japanese #jazz #synth #RyuichiSakamoto #KazumiWatanabe #AkikoYano
Pacific Breeze 3: Japanese City Pop, AOR And Boogie 1975-1987
We head to Japan in just over a month and I've been spinning some of my favourite Japanese music lately whilst I fine tune my vinyl want list.
These Light in the Attic city pop comps are great! Admittedly not all city pop albums are good from start to finish, with many containing one banger and the rest ballads so these compilations contain a good mix of some standout tracks. However this album contains a track from a lesser known artist Suzan Nozaki who's album is a synth pop / new wave / post punk style album and is good from start to finish. It's on my list.
I spun this compilation twice whilst I impulsively decided to rearrange my record collection.
Akiko Yano - Tadaima
Akiko Yano is prolific and genre defying. I fucking love this record. The artwork, the synth sounds, the unpredictability. It's unlike anything I'd heard before. Tadaima is co-produced by her late former husband Ryuichi Sakamoto. It also features the other YMO musicians. For fans of Kate Bush, Tom Tom Club & Le Tigre - so me!
This is the 1986 repress which is fine by me because I didn't think I'd find an original until we went to Japan. I bought this is Melbourne in 2024. I'm not someone who forks out a lot for second hand records but I did splash a bit on this.
#AkikoYano #tadaima #Japanese #nowplaying #nowspinning #vinyl #records
Subhumans - The Day the Country Died
Last weekend we went to the closing of a local DIY punk space. Our introduction in 2010 was ordering a coffee and one of the guys who ran the space put a post it note on our coffee saying there was a punk show at a warehouse we might be interested in. My partner rode their bike over that weekend and came home with the biggest grin and their heart full of punk spirit. From then on, we’d spend weekends (often rugging up) and heading out to shows.
It’s really hard to put those times into words. Those shows and community was as a very important time for me personally. I’m aware it wasn’t all perfect, and whilst there were some mixed times (particularly as a female), it really shaped who I am now, or perhaps made parts of me stronger.
I had an urge to dig this out after that weekend. Gosh this sounded so good! We made enough soup to feed us and our friends for weeks.
#nowplaying #nowspinning #vinyl #records #punk #dyi #Subhumans
Charlie XCX - Music Fashion Film
I listened to this the day it dropped, bought a copy two days later and then watched her preform this for Lollapalooza (via streaming obviously) and then went down a massive Charlie rabbit hole. I could listen to Charlie talk about art and film and what inspires her for hours - I recommend the fashion neurosis podcast.
This album has so many themes: insecurities, friendship, existential - don't over think, the urgent need to create because life is finite etc etc.
Charlie is a true artist. I don't think she gets enough credit for that.
What I don't like is the rush for artists to get their albums pressed. I discovered this version is different to the streaming version as it has a locked groove instead of the David Cronenberg feature at the end which I learned was added late in the mixing, but the final vinyl master had already been sent for pressing. Bummer.
Charlie XCX - Brat
I don't have anything fancy to say about this other than I happened to be wearing these socks by chance. Iconic album. Iconic live show. This sounds fantastic on the big stereo.
Madonna – Music
I’ve been on a real Madonna tip following the release of her Confessions 2 album. I use to own this on cd. I don't know where it went. Always ahead of the pack doing her own thing, and continually being criticised for it along the way – even now. In 2025 when everyone was a cowgirl, Madonna did it in 2000. I watched a bunch of Madonna doco’s recently learned she was a huge aids advocate at the time – sharing public health info in a comic at one of her shows. I also didn’t know she was in a bunch of post punk bands when she moved to new york.
I was relaying these newly learned facts to my friend at a birthday day catch up. She told me about seeing Madonna on her 1993 tour – buying tickets across from the chicken shop on a pay phone with their friends mums credit card. Good times.
This vinyl is a repress and it is LOUD.
Jalen Ngonda - Doctrine of Love
A modern day Marvin Gaye but less political. I saw him live this year and he sounded incredible. He is tiny but has a huge set of lungs, and he can play the shit out of his guitar.
I adorded his 2023 release but gotta say this one was a grower. A few tracks on here feel a bit too saccharine (Mr Train Conductor), however it’s still got a soul stomp is a good weekend record.
#nowplaying #nowspinning #vinyl #records #music #soul #JalenNgonda
Neneh Cherry - Raw Like Sushi
I was five when this album was released. I remember seeing the video clip for Buffalo Stance on Rage or Video Hits. I was too young at the time appreciate it fully, and Neneh's impact on the music industry. I just liked the tune and the colours. It wasn't until many years later I learned she preformed on top of the pops at the time whilst 7 months pregnant!
I finished reading Neneh's memoir earlier this year. I didn't want it to end. It was like a meal with a really good friend. Incredibly insightful, humble and such a fascinating history of music, identity, and creativity. A highlight read of 2026.
Neneh is a total powerhouse and paved the way for many female musicians however remains totally underrated.
#nowplaying #nowspinning #vinyl #records #music #NenehCherry
Gilberto Gil – Realce
At the same record fair I stumbled across a copy of this. I first heard the track Toda Menina Baiana via my friend on a playlist. Loved it! But then I changed streaming services and this album disappeared. Some years later I was in Melbourne and saw a copy of this album. Regretfully didn’t buy it went back next day and it was gone. Hadn’t seen a copy in the wild since until this day. Hoary! Tis an underrated gem imho.
* as this is a belated post, this has been on high rotation every Sunday morning with my coffee
#nowplaying #nowspinning #vinyl #records #music #GilbertoGil
Joni Mitchell – Ladies on the Canyon
Lately I have been listening to Joni Mitchell. She’s an artist I knew about but had not really listened to her. Tori Amos has a lot to thank Joni for. I picked this up at the record fair earlier in the day for $25 which was quite cheep really. I love Joni’s art work for this album cover. There is a fantastic chapter on Joni Mitchell in the book by Claire Dederer Monsters. She talks about male artists often privileged to peruse their art while women take care of the house and children and this is not seen as taboo, yet there is a taboo for mothers to peruse their art – in Joni’s case this is more extreme but I still think about that chapter often.
#nowplaying #nowspinning #vinyl #records #music #JoniMitchell
The Comet is Coming - The Afterlife
Jazz with oomph! British jazz and electronics from 2016-2022. Shabaka Hutchings is a master. I played the track Lifeforce Part II as part of my ancient world set back in 2020 and it sounded magnificent blasting through the sound system.
#nowplaying #nowspinning #vinyl #records #music #jazz #TheCometisComing #Britishjazz # #ShabakaHutchings
Kamasi Washington – Heaven and Earth
I continued the jazz vibe and records I hadn’t played in a while. This album is such a pain in the arse to play. It has the most pompous packaging including the infamous bonus LP that you have to gut the top of the packaging to get out and hope you don’t scratch the record. When I hear Kamasi I am reminded of the iconic scene from the show Homeland where Claire Danes is running on a treadmill with Kamasi Washington blaring. He also pops up later in the finale. That scene captures the frantic manic energy so well. For all the issues with that show, their use of jazz was brilliant. Admittedly I wasn't into Jazz at the time when that show aired, but I do remember being impressed with what I heard.
I’m not sure what I think about this album musically to be honest. It all starts to blur. This one feels more OTT in every aspect.
#nowplaying #nowspinning #vinyl #records #music #jazz #newjazz #KamasiWashington
Madonna – The Immaculate Collection
I have 3 distinct memories of this album.
1. My friend Charlene who was a singer in a pub band in my early uni days. She loved this album. She did some Madonna covers and we’d spin this in her car on drives to uni together.
2. Lucky Star at my friend Bianca’s wedding - this dropped after the bride and groom dance and the energy on the dance floor was magic. Such a good wedding playlist that one.
3. Shotz night club (the first Shotz) where the DJ would play Like a Prayer late into the evening / early morning and the floor would go off – goths, punks, indie kids all dancing.
I got quite emotional watching Madonna appear and sing Like a Prayer at Coachellea this year. What an icon!
David Bowie – Young Americans
It was a long weekend here (fuck the King). We’d been to a family wedding the day prior so there was no time for spins and I was itching to play this after I’d watched the Luther Vandross documentary on Saturday night. An incredible talent that I don’t remember from my younger years and seemed to have missed the fact he featured on so many albums I own including this. I discovered my favourite track from this album, Fascination, was by Vandross and from his act Luther, track Funky Music (Is a Part of Me). To a more seasoned enthusiast this is probably not new info. But that’s the thing about music, it never ceases to amaze me that there is always something to learn and fill a new knowledge gap.
#nowplaying #nowspinning #vinyl #records #music #davidbowie #bowie #luthervandross
Unlimited Touch - Self Titled.
I discovered this album via the sample on Bon Rock & Rhythm Rebellion track Searching Rap. This album wins the title of both worst album cover font and being an absolute banger. We've got what looks like a bridal party photo. The guy in the middle looks like he has a terrible hangover or second thoughts about being in the band. The guy on the far left looks like he is thinking about how awful comic sans font is. This album is so underrated. I was watching Derrick Gee interviewing Thundercat the other week and a track from this album popped up. I was well pleased and inspired to dig it out.
#nowplaying #nowspinning #vinyl #records #music #UnlimitedTouch
Linda Ronstadt - Heart Like a Wheel
I loathe having to do food shopping on my Sunday. But here we are. So after an irritating experience I needed a moment to recover. Say what you will about Linda Ronstadt, she's in every $5 bin, but she has a set of lungs. My dad was / is a Ronstadt fan and would put this on whilst cooking.
The Dark End of the Street is a heart breaking powerhouse tune and my favourite off the album.
* I got this from a $5 bin.
#nowplaying #nowspinning #vinyl #records #music #LindaRonstadt #5dollarbin
Rick James – Come Get It
Rick James kind of freaked me out when I was kid. I didn’t understand or have any knowledge other then what was in pop culture and the news ie the Simpsons and 90’s era Rick (eeek). I didn’t grow up in a house that listened to funk and neither did any of my friends so I didn't have any reference to his earlier work. It was much later in life that I I started to listen to his music via my friend’s recommendation and learned his back story. I'm in the camp that Prince stole his shtick. Don't come at me. Despite being hugely problematic, the guy could write and play a hell of a tune.
I picked this up for cheep at one of the record fairs few years back.
Mr Bongo Compilation by Miche - With Love Vol 2
The other week we had to go to the urgent care vet. My cat was really sick. She’s 10 turning 11 this year and I was a wreck. I thought this was it and we’d be saying goodbye. She was indeed unwell but with twice daily meds and a chunk of my savings, she is improving. I decided I needed a pick me up and treated myself to an outing for fancy coffee and record browsing at the new Jewels of Thought in town. This album was blasting and I couldn’t stop swaying to it. It was an instant mood lifter. I went home and ordered a copy straight away. Packed full with rare soul independent gems this has been on high rotation in our house.
#nowplaying #nowspinning #vinyl #records #music #MrBongo #WithLoveVol2 #soul
Sade – Diamond Life
I reckon it was about 5 years ago (?) Sade started having a moment. People were going back to discover the albums, the style and appreciate the talent. Now they have been inducted into the hall of fame. It took my awhile to appreciate Sade (and this style of UK soul/jazz) after years of having smooth operator saturated on my mums car radio. The tracks Hang On to Your Love from this album and The Sweetest Taboo from their following album Promises was what changed it for me. I always associate this album with the TV remake of High Fidelity where it featured heavily and the Derrick Gee radio show where he'd often say "Sade is a band."
#nowplaying #nowspinning #vinyl #records #music #Sade #HighFidelity
Gil Scott-Heron – Reflections
45 years later this album is as relevant today as it was in 1981. Not sure Mr Scott-Heron would appreciate being repressed for record store day and what it has become. I picked this one up because I wasn’t able to find an OG in the wild. This album has been my regular go to weekend morning spin.
* At the time of posting this, there was a tribute show to Gil Scott-Heron playing in my home town with Brian Jackson and Yasiin Bey.
#nowplaying #nowspinning #vinyl #records #music #GilScottHeron #RSD2026
Blinky Bill – We Cut Keys 2
Kenyan rapper and DJ Blinky Bill (yes he took it from the Australian Koala) second album, self released. 6 years in the making, this album sounds rich and soulful with a mix of beats, uk grime, rhymes, soul, jazz, and afro sounds. He was such a highlight at Womad and hopefully this album gets a wider release!
#hiphop #rnb #BlinkyBil #Kenyanrapper #nowplaying #nowspinning #vinyl #records #music
CMAT – Euro-Country
I’d been struck down by the flu and watched a lot of Coachella. I was digging this album on streaming after my friend's recommendation and hit buy on the vinyl after watching her Coachella set. What a powerhouse! She deserves all the goodness and recognition that comes her way. I love the mix of tongue in cheek , pop, and politics of this album.
What a fucking great cover!
Also her her US tour videos reviewing Dolly Parton’s microwave meals are a hoot.
This vinyl is stunning. But sigh two LP’s!?! Can we jut go back to 1 LP please?
#nowplaying #nowspinning #vinyl #records #music #CMAT #country #ireland #irish
Minnie Riperton - Stay in Love
I’ve eaten too many hot cross buns, feeling under the weather (not realising I was getting the flu) and on call which I hate so I was in need of a pick me up. Minnie always lifts the spirits. I think this album and Adventures in Paradise are woefully underrated.
#nowplaying #nowspinning #vinyl #records #music #Minnieriperton #stayinlove
David Bowie - Scary Monsters
I spun this on the cusp of coming down with the April Flu that ripped through my work.
I’m ashamed to admit I thought I knew this album. On further listen I don’t think I had really listened to it properly before despite owning it for years. It wasn’t until last year through this blog I discovered via my friend that the Japanese vocals on It’s No Game, are by Michi Hirota who features on the album cover of Sparks Kimono My House.
#nowplaying #nowspinning #vinyl #records #music #DavidBowie #Scarymonsters #MichiHirota
Tilaye Gebre - Tilaye's Saxophone With The Dahlak Band
Ethiopian saxophone master and staple of the Ethiopian jazz scene. Winning awards at 17, Tilaye was the guy you wanted in your band. He was part of the Dahlak Band and legendary Walias Band (I’ve posted before here). This album mixes jazz and reggae sounds. Most recordings are a one mic, live to cassette take and sometimes, as one can imagine the mastering can sound a bit grating. But not on this. This repress has been given a lot of love. I love the cover too.
#tilayegebre #dahlakband #waliasband #music #nowspining #Vinyl
