this is a thread in which we recommend songs

starting with RJD2's "Here's What's Left", which I've played at least 30 times today, and you should all go and download. and if anyone knows any similar-sounding records...

"Kiss me robot (I love you)" - Southall Riot

"Let's Go To Outerspace" - Quadrajets

"Don't break my heart (metal lover)" - Buglebear Senior (all their songs are rad!!...:)

Mississippi by the Gospel Swingers

"hocus pocus" by focus

"Hocus Pocus" is on classic rock radio pretty often, methinks.

"Imaman" by Jobriath. Actually, I take it back, I don't want anyone to hear it so I can keep it all to myself. Ok, Arthur can hear it.

"harem scarem" by focus

vouge bambini

lords of the underground - funky child

nice & smooth - early to rise

the williams fairey brass band - voodoo ray

As I have no obscure-music loving friends (how I presume you hear all this stuff), I'm pretty screwed in the obscurity department, but recently I have mostly been listening to:

Les Fleurs - 4 Hero
Chinese Whispers - Melys
More Shopping - Bran Van 3000 ft Momus
Me and the Major - Belle and Sebastian
One Night Stand - Mis-teeq (single of the year maybe)

I like this thread. I have been staring at all the "album of the year" threads on ILM thinking that most of the new albums I've heard have been ok but nowhere near completely great from start to finish and wishing I could do a top ten of songs instead. So I will inflict some songs on you later on. They will probably not be very obscure, though.

Despite all this, I forgot to vote in the Festive 50. Grr.

Graham: I have heard none of your choices.

Native Nod - "Tangled"

"Life is Just Beginning" - The Creation

Oh, phew. Thank you, Sean. Can't live without my Jobriath. You know, when I was DJing a couple of weeks ago I was gonna end the night with "Dietrich/Fondyke" from Creatures of the Street, but they cut me off before I got the chance. Not your typical Jobriath song, but I thought it'd be a funny way to send everyone home.

My suggestion: "Picnic Boogie" by the Sadistic Mika Band.

1,000 stars - Kathy Young sugar town- nancy sinatra

manky bifta - ^geordie racer^ [shux!] big twat - ^ruckin rangerous^ pale man made - ^inchberry sweet rocket^ep anything by nev clay felonius chunkz - ^elemental forces loser colony - ^dark tides^ dayglo fishermen - ^alien wave^ shrug -^van with square wheels^,^stitch appleby^,^sir walter raleigh's fastfood takeover^ mos eisley - ^leo's party^

Graham: a) which version of 'One Night Stand' do you like? b) the album's great if you don't already have it.

I already have the album and it is v.v.good, the first track is the one I like (which is what they're playing on the radio - Starship Mix maybe). If it changes anythign, I have the cheapo European import version rather than the UK Special Edition w/bonus remix/video CD, not that that means much where you are.

oooh a Southall Riot mention! their "amplifier morning" is pretty great as well. er, current faves are "7 ways to fake a perfect skin" by Tarwater, "Hop sa sa fa la la" by Position Normal, that record where they put Public Enemy together with Tijuana Brass, i cannot believe i've forgotten the name of it! oh, hangover joy. and "Electron" by Saloon. and "Improper" by the Tyde.

Les Fleurs - 4 Hero
This is why I watch MTV: you discover bands you would never know about. (Maybe a reason not to cause you end up buying *crap* like *NSync and so on as well. hahahaha). Anyway YEAH 4Hero is great!
I'd suggest anything off Panic On by Madder Rose. It's bliss.

Helen: And it's why I listen to Jo Whiley. Her Records of the Week Pet Sounds are generally rubbish, but random other records she plays are occasionally fabulous. I can't remember which this was.

Anything by The Driven. Especially "Monkey in a cage" or "Jesus loves you more if you can drive".

"Les Fleurs" is wonderful and the album is great too (I'm starting to sound repetitive yes).

Obviously people have to hear Mystikal's "Bouncin' Back".

"Heart of Hearts" by Nikki Sudden and the Jacobites.

Rousseau by Pinback

Grudge Fuck by the Scud Mountain Boys.

The Hedgehog by Chris TT also makes me go all gooey (which is almost totally due to the banjo on it rather than the hippy lyrics)..

"Grudge Fuck by the Scud Mountain Boys."

Blimey, that's the song I was intending to put on the ILE mixtape, if and when it gets to me. Yes, it's phenomenal.

It's hardly obscure, but I recommend that everyone buys "Things we lost in the fire" by Low if they haven't already. It's my favourite album of this year by a mile.

Fave single would have to be that extremely limited edition Sigur Ros v. Celine Dion CD - the most innovative use of mixing I've ever heard. Any single that makes Celine Dion listenable is nothing short of miraculous.

Tijuana brass + Public Enemy song as mentioned up there a bit is likely to be by the Evolution Control Committee, and I hope it's "Rebel Without A Pause" because that's my favourite of their stuff.

I do indeed want to hear Grudge Fuck right now. I sold the album at a particularly penniless moment and have been cursing myself ever since. Bah.

This is a question which needs sitting down and thinking about, which probably means I will never actually get round to answering. I might chicken out of the quest for obscure stuff which you can actually buy in shops and just nominate some stuff on mp3.com and similar which is good.

I think everyone should listen to Liquidator by the Harry J Allstars. I also don't think it's that obscure. However, no bugger downloaded it from me on filepile (my only upload so far), so I was clearly wrong on at least one of those counts.

"The Liquidator" is so indeed. And everyone should also listen to the Pentangle's "Once I Had A Sweetheart".

Wow, the dual dichotomy of Britain's most pivotal post-war winter in one! Thanks Rebecca for inspiring that thought process in my mind ...

Since it's Christmas, it'll be Miracles and High Street by them Pines. Unfortunately listening to them right now might be a problem.

Swedish/finish chainsaw folk "Hedningarna: Min Skog" and electronic "Autechre: Basscadet"

Shamek Farrah ~ First Impressions

Meh I'm going to repeat myself.

Lazy by X-Press 2 featuring David Byrne. Lazy by X-Press 2 featuring David Byrne. Lazy by X-Press 2 featuring David Byrne.

Also Junior Jack for the love of god its begging to be heard.

Finally I'll suggest Scorpio by Death in Vegas.

Well, right now I'm listening to the Rheostatics - Bad time to be poor, and yeah, I'd definitely recommend it even if you're not into the social message. It's got an excellently fuzzy guitar hook that sounds a bit like, oh, harmonic buzzsaws. Also, young and bored do go hand in hand.