Spin. Too Bright.

Released in 2014, Too Bright is the third album by Perfume Genius. It popped up on many end of year best of lists, and it's easy to see why. Sonically surprising from start to finish, it's little wonder that Pitchfork scored it 8.5. And their critics are hard to please.

Spin. Food.

.Mic agree with my sneaking suspicion that Kelis's latest album Food, released in April 2014, had been a little over-looked. That's a great shame as it's a corker rewarding with every listen. It's also a far cry from her big hits Milkshake and Caught Out There being produced by Dave Sitek of TV On The Radio. Do yourself a favour as Molly might say.

Spin. Matador.

Former Supergrass front man Gaz Coombes is back with his second solo cd Matador. It's garnering favourable reviews so far marking a maturing career development from the still blistering Caught By The Fuzz. The track I'm repeat playing is The English Ruse. Listen to the album in full on The Guardian.

Spin. Fink.

The only option to see Fink was to travel to Belgium. And well-worth it was, making for a terrific weekend taking in the sights and delights of both Gent and Antwerp. The band gave a cracker of a concert, playing tightly with Fink's voice in fine form. The crowd at the Vooruit lapped up the performance with audible shooshing to be heard if someone whispered too loudly.

Spin. 212.

Azealia Banks gave a rousing performance last night at the Paradiso in Amsterdam. Buzzing from the get go, the crowd almost launched into orbit when she finally played 212. Who'd have thought 1990s house, hip hop, rap and voguing would make for such compelling entertainment in 2014?

Spin. Rock The Casbah.

High Rotation: Rock The Casbah by The Clash. If there's a track that brings it all together and gets people up and dancing, it's this. Get the weekend in gear!

Spin. The Pitchfork 500.

I'm almost through The Pitchfork 500 tracklist from the book of the same name charting significant songs from 1977 through to 2006. I can't imagine how long this playlist must have taken to compile, but it must have been a long time. While there are some surprising selections and omissions, this is one impressive and broad listing. If I continue hitting repeat on That's When I Reach For My Revolver by Mission of Burma, 1/1 by Brian Eno; Kiss Me Again by Dinosaur, Lesson No.1 for Electric Guitar by Glenn Branca, The Way That He Sings by My Morning Jacket or any of the other 443 tracks heard so far then I don't think I'll get finished. Highly recommended.

Spin. Kiss Me Again.

High Rotation. Kiss Me Again by Dinosaur. 13.04 seconds of pulsing disco from the late 1970s. Mr Disco aka Ben Rose has a rather long review of the track featuring sensational vocals by Myriam Valle. More excellence from Arthur Russell.

Spin. Monument.

High Rotation. Cool clip. Super Song. Robyn & Royksopp.

Spin. Ready To Start.

High Rotation: Ready To Start by Arcade Fire.

Spin. Tinariwen.

They may have started off a little slow, but the pace picked up as Tinariwen got into their groove at Amsterdam's Paradiso the other night. Hailing from land-locked Mali in North West Africa, Tinawiren's music is dirgey guitar-based rock with a worldly feel. Read their background story, it's intriguing, and the concert was terrific.

Spin. Leipzig.

My new discovery musically speaking is Belgian band Balthazar. Applause was the title of their first album, Rats was their second. Both are rich and layered indie-pop masterpieces teamed with warm vocals. It's a sound I like a lot. Over the past couple of days they've released a new single and video for a track called Leipzig. Maybe a new album is in the wings...

Spin. On Repeat.

What do Horses, Not Your Kind of People, The Minutes, Smother and The Album have in common? They're all amazing records that have kept me inspired all year long. On repeat were Patti Smith's debut and it hasn't lost any shine. Garbage's latest rewards with repeat listens while Alison Moyet's dabble into electronica showcases her voice superbly. Wild Beasts Smother is nothing short of stunning and Abba's expansive The Album highlights their enduring talent as music makers. Also on high repeat were ...Like Clockwork, a welcome return from Queens of the Stone Age and Charmer from Aimee Mann.

Spin. Stay Young.

With the year drawing to a close, it's time to start loosening up, to brush aside what was not to be, and to celebrate what was great this year. So here's a Mixtape kicking of with Stay Young by INXS, a track with a name everyone should heed and aspire to. It's been stuck on repeat and blasting in the studio over the past few weeks as a new project gets ready for release. In the meantime check out some of these tracks.

Stay Young — Inxs
Bullet — Franz Ferdinand from their latest album Right Words...
Song 2 — Blur takes me back to fun nights at Duckie in London
I'm Just Me — Diamond Rings hailing from Canada with a late 1980s video
Broken English — Marianne Faithfull
Motorway — Little Boots
Bicycle — Memory Tapes
Sugar — Garbage from their brilliant Not Your Kind of People
Lower The Heavens — The Donkeys
The Big Boss Groove — The Style Council
Hooting & Howling — Wild Beasts impress again

Spin. Demand The Impossible.

Jenny Wilson's fourth album Demand The Impossible is another accomplished offering from this Swede, who I have to say, has never disappointed. Smart words and smooth sounds matched with vibrant visuals ensure repeat plays. Well worth reading is an intriguing interview with Jenny on 405 that details inspirations for the new album. To get a taste check out the banging The Future with its disturbing clip or listen to the album in full on Press Play at the NY Times.

Spin. Get Out Of Here.

As summer approaches, I'm craving cool climes where snow falls and the heat inside is toasty warm. Alas, the searing heat is on the doorstep, which means more time inside. Here's what I've been spinning as work continues on a project almost twenty years in the making. More on that soon.

Giant Step — Nina Hagen from Bee Happy
Summertime Cowboy — Husky Rescue from Country Falls
Swastika Eyes (The Chemical Brothers Remix) — Primal Scream
Do You Wanna Funk — Sylvester
Party Killer (terrific video) — David E. Sugar
Breakout — Ash Grunwald
Love in a Foreign Place — Gossip from A Joyful Noise
Somewhere Strange — Mirrors
Man on a Wire — Garbage from the brilliant Not Your Kind Of People
Subculture (John Robie Remix) — New Order
Bring on the Night — The Police
Bumbleebee Unlimited/Lady Bug — Annie
Fairytale — The Pointer Sisters
I Was a Flower — Agnetha Fältskog

Spin. Autobiography.

Sweden has produced a plethora of fine music talent from Abba to The Knife, The Cardigans to Peter Bjorn & John, and José Gonzalez to Jenny Wilson. Autobiography is Jenny's new track released ahead of her third album Demand The Impossible. The apocalyptic new clip is stunning marking a shift in direction from her last album Blazing. Can't wait.

Spin. Right Words.

Toe-tapping new tracks from Franz Ferdinand are always welcome. With no dud tracks, new album Right Thoughts Right Words Right Action is a return to form for the dapper Scottish lads. Current fave is Love Illumination followed closely by Bullet. Cut a rug.

Spin. Still Haven't Found.

While I've liked many a U2 song, I've never been a fan. In 1987 I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For was released and struck a chord with me. It's a great track; it's held its own. But I find myself hating it now, possibly because I've realised that just maybe I won't ever find what I'm looking for. Not because I don't know, I do, but what I'm looking for changes so frequently. As an aside, one of the best U2 covers is Where The Streets Have No Name by the illustrious Pet Shop Boys.

Spin. Disco Dazzler.

My song of the year so far goes to Daft Punk's Get Lucky for one main reason, Nile Rodgers and the Chic vibe within. I can't see myself getting sick of this song. Really, how can you not love disco? In related news, How to dance properly on Get Lucky is the coolest clip going, a clever fusion of disco dancing from Soul Train with Get Lucky. Take me back. Love it.