Peter Broderick 'Not At Home' (Bella Union, 2008) (mp3)

Peter Broderick is a prodigiously talented musician and seeing him concoct amazing sounds live from loop pedal, guitar, violin, percussion and voice is a wonderful thing to behold. What shouldn't be forgotten is what a talented songwriter he is too.

To whit, this alternate version of 'Not At Home' from his 'Home' album.

The song is initially presented simply, displaying its innate melody and gorgeousness. The instrumental break adds layers of looped sounds to great effect but it is then stripped back to refocus on guitar and vocals. Awesome.

Download Peter Broderick 'Not At Home (Version)' (mp3) (Mediafire)

Beck 'Everybody's Gotta Learn Some Time' (Hollywood Records, 2004) (mp3)

Indulgently soporific version of The Korgi's melancholy hit.

It skulks in on a dirgey, cheap organ sound. It's just that and Beck's cracked voice until bass and guitar join for the chorus. A sun-breaks-through string part lightens the mood before a slow-motion drum pattern comes in for the second verse.

The instrumental break adds an AOR fuzz guitar solo for good measure and the song drifts to a close seemingly on endless loop.

Nice.

Download Beck 'Everybody's Gotta Learn Some Time' (mp3) (Mediafire)

Fridge 'Eyelids' (Temporary Residence, 2007) (mp3 download)

Exquisitely twiddly post-rock from the reborn Fridge from their 2007 album 'The Sun', Kieran Hebden (aka Four Tet), Adem and Sam Jeffers.

I saw them at The Green Man festival around this time and they were mesmeric. 'Eyelids' opens with intricate guitar interplay before the rhythm section bursts in. Fridge weave a post-rock tapestry of melody and math as the song moves through a sequence of, by turns, strident and staccato sections. Irresistable.

Download Fridge 'Eyelids' (mp3) (temporaryresidence.com)

The album is available to buy and I strongly recommend it - along with all the Fridge back catalogue.

Young Widows 'Old Skin' (Temporary Residence, 2008)

Ferocious, Jesus Lizard-y post-rock/metal from Louisville's Young Widows. Abrasive guitars and juddering rhythmic onslaught.

Download Young Widows 'Old Skin' (mp3) (temporaryresidence.com)

New Music - Blouse 'Into Black' (Captured Tracks, 2011)

Lovely rolling, moody tune with a prominent guitar riff carrying it along. I picked this up as a 7" on Captured Tracks, the label that brought us Wild Nothing.

Breathy female vocals give it an ethereal quality but a keen sense of dynamics are at play with some lovely subtle embellishments. It's deeply catchy and enticing, a stomp of drums and linear bass, overlaid by a guitar riff that sounds like the work of the Rockabilly Robin Guthrie as the chorus gushes into life.

The b-side, 'Firestarter', is a little more obvious in its early Cocteaus, Bauhaus, chorus-pedal-bass, early-80s indie-goth stylings but 'Into Black' is a lovely track.

Don't know much about the band apart from the fact that Blouse was the Pulp parody band in the Brasseye Paedophile special, not sure if that reached Portland, Oregon...

There's a few mp3s at the Blouse's Bandcamp page.