Five Years Volume One Track 14 - Wolfram Wire with Broadcast

Wolfram Wire with Broadcast - Verstehen 1,8; 3.296.2.1

The always astute Jeff Grainger introduced the rest of us to the amazing Wolfram Wire, aka Dan Werner, from Germany, in 2008 and Dandelion listeners responded by placing his 'Armitage Shanks' in that year's festive fifty.

Dan then made Dandelion history by featuring in the first ever 'joint' session across Jeff and Mark Whitby's shows in March 2009.

In turns both angular and tuneful, this previously unreleased track finds Wolfram Wire in collaboration with one of the great Peel bands of the late 20th and early 21st centuries, the melodically atmospheric Broadcast, who recorded three Peel sessions and featured in five festive fifties.

www.myspace.com/wolframwire
http://futurecrayon.blogspot.com

Volume One Track 13 - The Truth About Frank

The Truth About Frank - In Harm's Way (Dandelion Radio Session)

Leeds duo The Truth About Frank are one of four acts on this compilation who also appeared on the Odd Box CD release 'Broadcast One', featuring tracks specially selected by Dandelion DJs.

Their ascent to 'much loved' status at Dandelion has been swift, following their February 2010 session for Jeff Grainger's show, and they secured a top ten place in the festive fifty at the end of that year.

'Harm's Sweet Way' is from their second session for Jeff's show, broadcast in April this year.

www.reverbnation.com/thetruthaboutfrank

www.myspace.com/thetruthaboutfrank

Five Years Volume One Track 12 - Jack Hayter

Jack Hayter - I Stole The Cutty Sark (Dandelion Radio Session)

A man of varied talents and many musical identities, Jack Hayter brought his multi-instrumental skills to Hefner's 'I Love The City' album in a long career that has also included stints with Spongefinger and Dollboy.

Jack is a master of the pedal steel and first featured on a Dandelion-related released when his 'Bugger All To Do In Wagin' was released on Rachael Neiman's Cherryade label's 'A Very Cherry Christmas Volume 2' in 2006.

In 2011, his Audio Antihero EP 'Sucky Tart' has been acclaimed by several Dandelion DJs and Jack appeared in session on both Andy Morrison and Mark Whitby's shows in March, the former of which featured this track. All tracks from these sessions have since been made available for free as the EP 'Dandelion' via Bandcamp.

www.jackhayter.com
http://jackhayter.bandcamp.com
http://audioantihero.com

Five Years Volume One, Track 11 - The Orch

The Orch - Kenny & The Snake

The Orch are Mick Conroy, Phil Hayes and Damian Ashcroft, and they began performing and recording together in the early nineties, releasing some tracks on a Factory Records compilation before calling it a day.

Following their split, Conroy released two fine albums and recorded a Peel session with Superqueens before The Orch re-formed, to the great delight of several Dandelion DJs, and released the Small Times album on the Skinny Dog label in 2010.

Characterised by pulsing electronica overlaid by Conroy's gritty East Lancastrian spoken word lyrics, The Orch appeared in session for Andy Morrison at the end of 2010. 'Kenny & The Snake', which appears here, finally gave The Orch their first festive fifty entry that year.

www.myspace.com/michael_conroy

www.myspace.com/thisistheorch

www.skinnydogrecords.com

Five Years Volume One, Track 10 - Ste McCabe/Tingle In The Netherlands

Ste McCabe - Public Debate (Tingle In The Netherlands Version)

Describing himself as a 'One Man Pop Punk Electro queer Noise Machine', Ste was introduced to us via the Rachel Neiman show and his often acerbic and deviously provocative songs found a whom in the upper echelons of the festive fifty, with both 'Huyton Scum' and 'Murder Music' making the top ten.

Both tracks showcase Ste's uncompromising commentaries on narrow-mindedness and conservative values in a world that has drifted towards a cosseted acceptance of middle class mores.

Ste now does his own regular show on Dandelion, which is entertaining and confrontational in satisfyingly equal measure.

This track is Cheshire electroc absurdists' Tingle In The Netherlands, remix of Ste's 'Public Debate'. Tingle In The Netherlands ae one of the few bands whose music lives up to the excellence of their name, and they also earned a deserved high entry in the festive fifty last year with the scorching 'Prostitute's Handbag'.

www.ste-mccabe.co.uk
www.nerveecho.com/nerveechotingleinthenetherlands.cfm

Five Years Volume One, Track 9 - Lord Numb

Lord Numb - Stackridge

The highly prolific Lord Numb has appeared in sessions for Andy Morrison, Pete Jackson and Mark Whitby, either individually or in collaboration with Spidersleg, with whom he performs as The Reject Club, including a collection of Xmas songs in December 2010 and a remarkable set of cover versions of songs containing the word 'city' in September 2009.

But his electronic wizardry is not confined to mere gimmicks. Lord Numb's back catalogue is a fascinating journey through electriconic sounds, both with and without vocals, finally brought together in the fantastic 'Numbskull' collection in 2010 (released on the SVC label), featuring, among other delights, the electronic dream poem 'I Dream Of Bowie', the perverse 'Chicken Mangle Disco' and the brilliant 'Stackridge', which fist appeared on Dandelion back in November 2008, and is featured here.

www.reverbnation.com/lordnumb
www.svcrecords.co.uk/artist_lord_numb.html
www.myspace.com/lordynumb

Five Years Volume One, Track 8 - The Chasms

The Chasms - A Copse Of Trees

Few bands have united in praise so many of the notoriously idiosyncratic Dandelion DJs as The Chasms. Hailing from the Isle Of Man, the band made one of the most celebrated of Dandelion sessions, for Pete Jackson's show in September 2009, subsequently released as the Chasms Vs Dandelion Radio EP.

Their astonishing feedback-drenced epics have found a home on two incredible albums - 'Advance Paranoia, Advance' and 'Index Of Spirits' - both free as downloads on their own Command To Destroy label (to get them, visit the website address at the bottom of this post) - with a track from each securing the number five spot in two successive festive fifties. 'A Copse Of Trees' is an exclusive track recorded by the band for this compilation.

http://www.thechasms.co.uk/

'Five Years' Volume One, Track 7 - Trembling Blue Stars

Trembling Blue Stars - River And Rail

Fronted by Bobby Wratten (formerly of The Field Mice and Northern Picture Library), Trembling blue Stars have continued to showcase Wratten's remarkable song-crafting talent. His eye for detail and uncompromising reflective honest - as exemplified in tracks like 'Abba On The Jukebox@, which made John Peel's festive fifty in 1996 - set Wratten's bands apart from their many contemporaries through the decades.

Trembling Blue Stars remain a favourite band of many Dandelion DJs. They contributed an acoustic session to Mark Whitby's show in the Peel Legends month of October 2009, featuring tracks later to appear on their 'Fast Trains & Telephone Wires' album.

Sadly this album appears to be their last, as the band confirmed their break-up last year. We're very grateful that they've contributed 'River And Rail', an acoustic demo from 2002, and a hitherto unreleased track, to this compilation.

(NB: apologies that this track was wrongly entitled 'Road And Rail' in early downloads of the album).

www.elefant.com/bands/trembling-blue-stars
www.myspace.com/tremblingbluestarsmyspace

Five Years Volume One, Track 6 - Decoration

Decoration - Candidate

Decoration share the double distinction of being one of the last great bands discovered by John Peel and appearing in the very first stream of Dandelion shows back in June 2006.

Two of their tracks appeared in the 2004 festive fifty in the year of Peel's passing, and they went on to achieve their highest placing when 'Square Mile' made number three in the Dandelion chart of 2008.

They've recorded three sessions for Andy Morrison's show, in June 2007, September 2008 and October 2009, and remain an emblematic band for both the station and for listeners of the later John Peel shows. 'Candidate' is the version from their 'Flippant' album and reached number 11 in the inaugural Dandelion festive fifty of 2006.

http://www.decorationmusic.co.uk/

Five Years Volume One, Track 5 - JD Meatyard

JD Meatyard - Olive Tree

With Levellers 5 and Calvin Party John Donaldson recorded eight sessions for the John Peel show. The consistently brilliant Calvin Party, who also featured in two festive fifties, later appeared in session in the Mark Whitby show of October 2009 as part of Dandelion's 'Peel Legends' month. Now based in Amsterdam and recording as JD Meatyard, John has an album to be released on Probe Plus this summer and, from it, 'Olive Tree' holds up an unnerving mirror to the listener in its raw presentation of attitudes to the persecution of Palestinians.

Donaldson continues to be a lyricist of gently stated but devastating insight and a performer who combines a fine treatment of musical tradition with an uncompromising individualism. The words 'Peel legend' have never been more fitting.

www.myspace.com/jdmeatyard

Five Years Volume One, Track 4 - the Emergency

The Emergency - Freedom From Religion

Dandelion's Sean Hocking is also the man behind the Metal Postcard label, and Melbourne-based electronic duo The Emergency have provided some of the many highlighst unearthed by that ground-breaking label over the years.

Last year's 'Money That Dreams Can Buy' album was described as 'like the bastard son of Kraftwerk and Joy Division in slo-mo dub-disco style. 'Freedom From Religion' is a new track with a live drummer that reveals further dimensions to their sound.

http://metalpostcard.com/

www.myspace.com/theemergency

'Five Years' Volume One, Track 3 - CobSon

CobSon - Like A Bike Without Brakes

Bass-less French trio CobSon have a special significant for Dandelion Radio - three of their tracks appeared on the Neil Jenkins show in that very first series of shows that spanned June and July 2006.

After a string of single and EP releases DobSon released their self-titled debut album in November 2010, from which comes the excellent 'Like A Bike Without Brakes' which also appears on an EP of the same name.

www.myspace.com/cobson

'Five Years' Volume One, Track 2 - Dihedral

Dihedral - Dandelion Dub.

Nick Dihedral makes dubby electronica in Oldham. He released his 'Dub Collisions' album in 2007 and his work has been heavily championed by Jeff Grainger. Dihedral's expansive talents were showcased in a Dandelion Radio session for Jeff's show in May 2010.

'Dandelion Dub' has a raw, ska-fuelled freshness and is a specially recorded track in celebration of Dandelion Radio and an absolute must for this release.

http://soundcloud.com/dihedral

'Five Years' Volume 1, Track 1 - Rev Porl with the Tea-Time Trio

Rev Porl with the Tea-Time Trio - Harm (Dandelion Radio Session)

Kicking off our first volume, Stockport-based Rev Porl has been performing his warped poetic masterpieces since 1995. Since then he's issued a fascinating range of books and music, some of the latter showcasing Rev's trademark rants over harsh electronic backings provided by Superstring and later by the six-piece TeaTime.

Rev Porl recorded a Dandelion Radio session for Jeff Grainger's show in December 2009 and returned in session on Jeff's show the following December with the Tea-Time Trio. 'Harm' appeared in his third Jeff Grainger session, broadcast in May this year.

http://www.revporl.com/

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