A little birdie tells me:

‘Syd has been asked by Jonathan Donohoe of Mercury Rev to open for them at their “Deserters Songs” show in Dublin on May 18th at Vicar Street. Obviously this will be her biggest gig to date and something to cherish through the long lonely nights of making the records she has no choice but to make.’

Oh to be a Dubliner.

Or to have a fancy private jet.

Or even a hot air balloon and a knowledge of wind currents.

For those of you lucky enough to be or own and have any of the above, then scootle yourselves down there and enjoy.

Oooooooh – nice cover!

Plucked fresh from thefigmints.com – Bobby updates on the new record and other undertakings:

Don’t count the Fig Mints out! Say Okay has been hung up in tracking and mixing for the better part of 2010, but it’s finally done! Mastering and duplicating are the only tasks left at hand, and barring any cataclysmic event, release is slated for March of this year. Keep yr eyes on this space for further details.

In other news, there are two more Figs albums in the works this year; one of which will probably see the light of day before the summer, the other maybe by the end of the year or middle of 2012 at the latest. “Songs for my Friends” is an album of catharsis chronicling the very confusing, depressing, frustrating, sometimes infuriating, and frequently drunk late fall/early winter of 2010, and will be the Fig Mints’ farewell to cassette tapes. Yes, it’s true. We’ve gone …(gulp)… digital. You can’t expect to move forward by staying where you are, dig?

Which brings us to the next line of business. “Bad Age for the Underdog” (thanks Jason Raspa of Frogville for the suggestion!) will hopefully be the deep breath after the freak out. The beginning of better days to come, and a new take on songwriting and recording that may just yield the most polished and fully realized Figs record yet. Only time will tell, so make sure you keep on checking this space for details!

We are now taking submissions for the 10th Daydream Generation compilation – deadline 10th December. Email us an mp3 and some info about your music to quixodelic@gmail.com

Thanks to everyone who has been submitting tracks and requesting reviews for the last couple of months. Unfortunately due to us being trapped inside a book, we’ve been slack on replying – however, all transmissions we received will be considered.

Looking forward to hearing some new music.

Congratulations, it’s a penguin.

We are now taking submissions for the ninth – yes, ninth – Daydream Generation compilation. Closing date is the 31st July.

In case you are new to this site and don’t have a clue what I’m on about, here are some frequently asked questions, and frequently answered answers:

What is a Daydream Generation compilation?

A Daydream Generation compilation is a musical gathering of people who sing songs in their bedrooms and basements, compressed into mp3 format for portability and quickness of download, and carefully ordered inside a zip file for people who want to hear something new for free. We’ve been doing this for as long as I can remember (well actually, that’s something of an exaggeration, March 2007 to be exact) and it seems to work. Unsigned bands and lovely songwriters without the juggernaut of a publicity machine behind them, get to showcase their talents, sing to the universe, and attempt to blow brains, all the while surrounded by their cherry-picked peers. The rest of us get to stand back at a safe distance and listen. Check out previous compilations here: quixodelic.com/site/category/the-daydream-generation/ to see what I mean.

What kinds of music are you looking for?

From the guts, quirky, lifted from cassettes held together with sticky tape, lo-fi, hi-fi, original compositions, cover versions, long lost songs that never found a place to go, valiant attempts at saying something but failing, spoken word, instrumentals, film scores, pop songs, live jams around a campfire burning worryingly high, stuff with fluffed notes, dreams translated into notes, psychedelic anthems, experimental field recordings, white noise, in-jokes recorded with the last desperate flick of the switch before passing out, songs with guitars, songs without guitars, things nobody has heard before, songs that make you want to dance, songs that reaffirm your belief that people are (after all) okay, songs that make the stars look just that little bit brighter… Basically, what I’m trying to say is anything goes.

That said, we can’t promise to like everything we hear. But we will try our best.

How do I submit a song and what else do you need?

Email an mp3 to quixodelic@gmail.com

Easy-peasy eh?

Anything else isn’t necessary, but stuff like links to any of your websites and a paragraph about yourself/the song you are submitting can be helpful when we’re writing up reviews.

That’s pretty much that.

Smally

Open for business at:

http://quixodelic.com

And if you want to help get the word around, then you’re welcome to post this quixo-button on your myspace (or whatever space you’ve got):

<p style=”text-align: center;”><a href=”http://www.quixodelic.com” target=”_blank”><img src=”http://www.quixodelic.com/images/quixodelic_logo_sm.png” alt=”" /></a></p>

It is with a mixture of relief and pleasure that I can report that there’s nothing cataclysmic quite yet. But the cassettes are coming. For now we’re all hoping for another year of much the same – a couple more Daydream Generation compilations as and when, more free downloads, quite possibly a shiny new store, MAYBE an e-zine, probably a book, and definitely no more mazes. Instead we turn our collective attention to the lads and lassies of the commune and hope they can cook up something special between them. So without further ado, here’s what everybody is up to…

SIMON PILER AND THE ATOM BAND

With the relatively recent emergence of most of the Doc’s back catalogue (if you know where to look) there’s every chance you’re getting your fill of Simon Piler. Expect to see some (hopefully all) of the old releases appearing here in the coming months. But that was yesterday. Today is today. And what about tomorrow? Here’s what the man himself had to say:

Here’s the scoop on musical workings though there’s not much to tell: I’ve been in the process of songwriting and though I’ve been really slow (which is different) I am really excited about the quality of song that is resulting. Haven’t even started recording yet, but that should be due any week now.

Uh, I’ve been chipping away on the 1000 album cover thing and just working on imagery in general for future album booklet PDFs. Oh, yes, and just played a show here in Eau Claire that I think went quite well. Definitely took a seriously packed room of people (all ages, I might add, though no young children as I can remember) on a trip with me. It was very very fun though my eyes were closed the entire time I played. Whoooo. Yipers, man.

FAILEDSITCOM

Firstly, thanks to everyone who has downloaded both of Sam’s EP’s – ‘Of Life’s Declivity’ and ‘Her Blameless Mystery’. Curiously they have become my soundtrack to spring cleaning. I feel a bit like Freddie Mercury less the make-up, dress and moustache, floating along the top landing through a folk-electric dream of dust particles with the hoover. Due to appear on the imminent Akryllic Love tribute album, it sounds like FailedSitcom is keeping himself busy with side projects until the next gentle assault of sound waves and murmurs. Here’s what he had to say:

I’ve recorded a song from My Fair Lady for James Eric’s compilation of songs from musicals, it shouldn’t be on Cllct for over a month so here’s a preview (the mix needs a little fixing though):
FailedSitcom – On The Street Where You Live (demo) by quixodelicrecords

I’ve also been writing some more original material, but I’ll keep you updated on that.

FIG MINTS (OF YOUR IMAGINATION)

You should know by now that from time to time Bobby Rogan falls off the planet. But sooner or later he climbs back on with his own unique brand of cerebral guitar-pop to woo the whiz-kids and put the world to rights. With 2009′s ‘Exercises In Futility’ still warm on the shelves, he was last seen ambling off across the ocean mumbling something about ‘songwriter’s block’. Thankfully he ambled back yesterday morning to tell us:

So the Fig Mints are almost (fingers crossed) done with album number 8. More guitars in this one, and just a hair more melodic than the last one… Just one more song to record, and the sequencing begins. Really having trouble with the order of the songs this time around… Started off with 11 songs, and it’ll probably get whittled down to 9, but I’m all about brevity lately. This will actually be the first record in five years that I’ve played all the instruments on… Weird, I just realized that.

But anyway, the new record is a loosely autobiographical account of love lost, time wasted and purpose rediscovered, with a few incidental references to the benefits of communal living and the destructiveness and wastefulness of the typical modern lifestyle. It’s called Say Okay, and it’ll be ready in a month or two, depending on how school goes… Stay tuned, kiddies, and go to www.thefigmints.com for irregular updates, and an eventual collection of videos made by myself and some friends. Yeah…

BECKY N

The alarm bells are ringing. And noisy as they are, if you close your eyes and sort of screw up your ears, you can vaguely hear the sound of something resembling a melody. Yes, Becky N is considering a name change. But don’t take my word for it… here’s what she had to say for herself:

Same shit with me… practising with my band, trying to write new songs for me and finding it difficult. Thinking that I don’t really want to be called Becky N when I make an album but not finding a name yet. Being obsessed with various other bands and people… needing motivation… blah blah.

THE FALLING FLOORS

Exciting times for The Falling Floors. If you haven’t already grabbed yourself the self-titled debut, or the brilliant ‘Hey! Midnight’ then you’re missing out on a psychedelic feast of funsounds. Fans out there will be pleased to know that with the help of a friendly manager, the band are going to be funding a 4-song 7″ single in the very near future. So those of your with record players… watch this space.

SYD LANE

THE challenge of 2010 will be for Syd Lane to top last year’s epic little masterpiece (Chansons De Geste ‘It Begins In Beauty’). According to soul-mate Jer, here’s what she’s up to:

Syd played a small gig here in Dublin last night, her first for a couple of years and it went beautifully so she has 3 or 4 more booked for April which I’m very excited about. She’s also busy recording the new record, aw man I simply can’t wait to hear it once it’s done.

Personally I can’t imagine how she’s possibly going to top the last record, but I’m looking forward to hearing her try.

SMALLY

Everybody knows I’ve retired from writing songs don’t they?

THE WHEELIES died a dastardly drunken death in the mountains with band members haphazardly kicking each other other out over a soft-rock soundtrack via Facebook and text messages. At one point it even looked like a splinter group called THE REALLIES was being spitefully formed, but thankfully (just like the band itself) it seems to have been a joke. Post-split, everyone barely involved went back to their children and/or bottles, ‘The Shite Album’ appeared on Cozy Home Records (charting the formative years pre-1998 when it wasn’t just me on my lonesome), and ‘A Scientific Study of Cloud Shapes’ was written up as “the last Wheelies album… ever”. This time apparently I Wheelie mean it.

KALEIDONAUTS also have faded into the more obscure columns of the Indie Rock & Roll catalogue of spectacular failures. Long lost 3rd album of out-takes and cut-songs ‘K2′ was briefly spotted on CLLCT, but like a lumbering badly cobbled together Yeti it would seem to have vanished back into the trees again to eat its own poo.

As you all know I’ve been pretty fucking busy saving the universe on the imaginary ship blog. The mediocre news is that I recently discovered a bag of cassettes recorded in a secret attic space above the cupboard in Bunkroom 2 by some guy called WILLOUGHBY TOAD. A lot of it seems to be just him and a ukulele but I think I might be able to dig something digestible from the recordings. Just don’t hold your breath is all I’m saying.

WARCHALKING

It’s been worryingly quiet on the W front as of late. 2007′s self-titled debut emerged for public consumption (we’ll get it on here soon enough), but 2009 came and went with a solitary song and a much talked about follow-up to ‘Stratum’ just never materialised. Well fear not fans of Warchalking. Missouri’s finest exporter of multi-layered harmonic emotional-political bathroom anthems has simply been caught up in the real world, studying hard and learning to ride the bull of words. A lengthy response to the question ‘What are you doing?’ suggests that WHEN (not if) a new record gets made this summer then W will be throwing everything into it. Here’s a snippet of what he had to say for himself:

So, seven more weeks of constant beatings and I get my life back. This summer I’ll be working on an independent study, but that won’t be near as bad as this semester has been and I should have a little time to start hashing out the next record.  I’m fucking ready.  Eight months of pent up anguish and ambiguity aching for a vehicle.  I’m done with arrangement for the most part, just writing a mess of words and putting it on tape left to go.  It shouldn’t take long once I get started.  I’m making myself get the words and music together before I start tracking this time.  I did that for Future For Bugs and was pleased with the results.  I’ll be retracking that one as I rushed through it and a few new ideas emerged once I got done.

JANE GILMORE

First of all here’s the bad news from Gilmore:

Bad news, old bean! I’m completely scrapping this album. The problem with writing an album about the rebirth that occasionally happens to you is that when one happens, you no longer want to have anything to do with the prior life.

But here’s the good news:

I’m not done! I’m just scrapping my current album!

DEAD CANARIES

Still basking/recovering from the glow of the headfuck double-album adventure, Jon of the Atom is jumping fingers-first into a new musical pie:

I have decided to write an album that has hooks, like choruses

I’ve heard one song so far all the way from Louisiana at the feeling around stage and all the signs are there that something epic is starting to simmer.

Keep watching those telephone lines.

THE REAL BURNOUTS

No word from planet Burnout yet. Last seen working hard at taking the opus to the masses in the shape of ‘The Disaffection of Walter’, a live show featuring actors, puppets, and the Burnouts at the heart of it doing what they do best… wreaking musical havoc.

Here’s a movie for old time’s sake:

The Real Burnouts – Lost TV Episode

THE ORANGE DROP

All quiet on the Orange front as well, but this little video surfaced in the last week…

The Orange Drop – A Friendly Message From The CIA

UBERFUZZ

Somewhere out there beyond a supernova.

JAMES REDMOND

Last but my no means least, not only did Senor Redmond manage to wangle a Lear Jet into his Quixodelic Cassette contract, but he also says that:

I’m nearing the stage of having enough songs to release as an album

So let the good times roll!

It’s a brave new world and we’re embracing it from behind the safety of a computer screen. You can now catch up, stay ahead of, and get involved with the Daydream Generation and Quixodelic Records in the following places…

CLLCT

http://cllct.com/art/daydreamgeneration

The hub of free music. That big warehouse in the middle of a field you go to in secret to dance to ukeleles and drone and other genres that will make your eyeballs pop out of their sockets. Hundreds of artists and thousands of records at the click of a button for nothing. And now all 8 of the DG compilations are there in revised single-disc format. The plan is that sometime in 2010 we’ll reissue them all as cassettes on Quixodelic. Tracks were chosen based on popularity in previous Best Of polls and a clandestine meeting behind the scenes where people in skull masks picked their favourites.

EVERYONE SHOULD JOIN CLLCT

LAST FM

http://www.last.fm/label/Quixodelic+Records

As well as CLLCT, all of the compilations can now also be found on Last FM for you to play away your day while you daydream out the window. Would be nice to see some more tracks available from all of the people that have featured on the DG compilations… there’s only so many times I can listen to the same songs (hint hint).

FACEBOOK

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2582186690

Let’s face it. MySpace is dead. I’ll keep clocking in, but I’m finding it hard to not vomit with all the crap they’re trying to force-feed me in terms of advertising and “exclusives”. We’ll make our own exclusives thank you very much. Facebook on the other hand is undoubtedly the devil’s work… but… it’s very useful for getting the word around, finding out who’s up for contributing to a compilation, even so that we can easily promote what each other are doing simply by sharing a link. So I’d urge you all to join the group. No more moon missions I promise… just good new-fashioned free music and sooner or later tapes on tap. Newcomers are most welcome.

and finally for those of you who like to Twit

TWITTER

http://twitter.com/quixodelic

I’ve not quite figured out what this one is for yet, but I’m willing to follow anyone to the ends of the earth and back if they can write a great song on their bedroom floor or point me in the direction of someone else who can.

Okay, back to your window and your warehouse

smallougby

Back behind the wheel.

I’ll not bore you with the details, but here’s a brief synopsis of what just happened behind the scenes: I burned out > sailed away with the collective on an imaginary ship resolving to abandon the world of music forever > had the revelation that actually I love doing this, going out and mining for new music, lending a helping hand to the little guy and girl > resolved to take the giant step from Quixodelic downloads to Quixodelic cassettes > realised it’s been too long since the last Daydream Generation compilation and kicked off DG8 > sat down to write this.

As always I have a lot to ramble about, but it will have to wait until I’ve caught up with myself so as I can attempt to communicate it properly. The main thing I wanted to try and get across here is that we’re back up and running and this time we’re going to keep running until the the next time we fall flat on our collective face. And then we’re going to get up, dust ourselves down and keep running again, at least until I’m 64. So that’s three more decades of compilations and records, dust and rambling messages like this one. I know I’ve been on and off the bus a thousand times or more in the last three years, but this time it feels different. I’ve hung up my own songwriting hat to concentrate on what I actually love doing the most… this.

So without further ado, here are the main things to watch out for in the next few months:

DAYDREAMGENERATION.COM

Thanks to the mighty Tim of the equally mighty www.transatmospheric.com our little corner of the internet has had yet another makeover and I’m slowly but surely working at getting everything into some kind of order. A lot of the images on the site were lost when I took my eye off the proverbial ball and the googlepage I was using migrated to fuck knows where, but I’m retrieving them and replacing them. The downloads section has undergone a temporary facelift making it easier to look through and download the record you’re looking for, and I’m still wrestling with the goofy formatting on the more involved Quixodelic Records page. I’m also working on the commune adding Quixodelic artist pages with links to articles and releases (though you can also access posts concerning your favourite Quixodelic artists by clicking the pretty nifty “browse” button in the top right hand corner of the site). What I’m really trying to say here is thanks again Tim, and for those of you snooping around here for the first time then please bear in mind it’s a work in progress. In the immediate future we’ll be fixing it so as the site can be run by the collective, so expect to see a lot more names appearing at the foot of posts instead of the generic daydreamgen… whoever he or she is.

I had a thought the other day about how collectives and organizations like us sell themselves to people. I’ve always been uncomfortable with the heavy-handed all-singing all-dancing approach – I mean that’s the reason myspace is dying on its feet isn’t it? All those voices shouting ‘Look at me!’ and it just becomes a cacophony of substanceless sound. So if sites were stores I’d want the DG to be a strange little one-storey shop with  dirty windows and a hand-painted psychedelic sign above the door, down some back street you need to get lost to discover, and when you walk past it you see a couple of smiling faces quickly ducking down out of sight beneath the window making you wonder ‘What the fuck was that?’ (haha, just realised I’ve re-imagined the Flower Company all over again). Also the bell above the door wouldn’t ring when you enter, it would randomly play a song from one of the DG compilations starting with Zebra Mu. Speaking of which…

DAYDREAM GENERATION 8

Is coming together. Deadline for submissions is the 8th February. Unfortunately this time around we’re not taking submissions as we’ve been out the last couple of weeks mining new music and virtually meeting new people. There’s been some exciting discoveries as well as some great new stuff coming out of battle-hardened DG veterans, as well as some rare and lovely gems dug up from the past. Shouldn’t be too long after the 8th that you can wrap your ears around this one for yourself. If you’re interested in participating in future compilations then as always feel free to drop us an mp3 at our brand new one-word easy to remember email address. What the fuck was it again? Ah yes, quixodelic@gmail.com

QUIXODELIC RECORDS

One of the most positive things about me taking my eye of the proverbial ball is that there’s been quite a build-up of records behind the scenes that we’ll be hosting over the next couple of months. We started with the amazing ‘It Begins In Beauty’ (see previous post) by Syd Lane’s new moniker Chansons De Geste, throwing in her solo record, the equally brilliant ‘Solstice Sessions’. You can download both of these today, for free from the Downloads section.

If I type this up fast enough then there’s also a very good chance that the latest offering from Dead Canaries – another two records! – ‘Golden Sounds’ and ‘Modern Day Carpetbagger’ will be available to download over here as well. Both these records were originally released by our pioneering older sibling  Cozy Home Records only last week. Perhaps it is a waste of downloading space having the record available on both labels, but in the case of Dead Canaries whose music is an exception to every rule in the book, we’ve agreed to make them an exception to every rule in the book and host these records on both sites simply because they’re so fucking good. I don’t care where you get it from, the Flower Co or the Cozy Home… just as long as you get it and love it from somewhere.

There are of course other records in the pipeline ready to go, but I’m going to keep them under wraps for now just so as you’re going to have to keep walking past the shop window every now and again. If you haven’t subscribed to this blog for notifications then don’t worry, we’re also working on this…

LATHER, RINSE, REPEAT

That’s a tentative title.

For as long as I can remember, some of us have been talking about starting up a free downloadable magazine dedicated to DIY music, featuring the little people who are making the most important music of our generation, but unfortunately are deemed either too ‘Lo-Fi’ or an unwise investment because they don’t have an established fanbase, or are just content to make brilliant records from their bedroom. So to kill two canaries with a single stone I figured it might be nice to marry this magazine idea with a resurrected mailing-letter from the DG every quarter.

Just like the DG compilations contributors are welcome and encouraged to get in touch. You don’t have to be Hunter S Thompson, you just have to write with the same passion as he does, about your own music, about your friend’s music, about sites that are interesting or labels that deserve a mention. It’s at the formative stage, but anything goes as long as you’re singing from the same page. (And by being here I guess you are already… unless you’re one of those Russian spambots trying to sell us fungal toe-cream…). First edition we’re aiming for the 1st May 2010 so get scribbling. This is also the date that we’ll be launching…

QUIXODELIC CASSETTES

Long overdue.

It finally dawned on me that if we continue with downloads only then potentially we’re going to end up 30 years from now with nothing to show for all our hard work. Cassettes seemed like the most obvious way forward and from the beginning of May some of your favourite Quixodelic downloads will be available to purchase for a very reasonable price from the site. Why cassettes? Well if you’re asking me that then no amount of explaining is going to convince you that it’s the right way to go…

Obviously there will be more on all of this as and when it materialises, but for now the plates are spinning and if I don’t tend to them then there’s going to be an almighty crash.

Clunk, whir

It’s good to be back

Smally

UBERFUZZ

“Uberfuzz currently consists of just Paul & Kelly who are in the beginning stages of a seventh album album. The record has a more dazed, springtime feel to it than previous albums and features several sitar-lead tunes as well as covers of The Rolling Stones ‘Play With Fire’, ‘Summer Wine’ by Lee Hazlewood and ‘Lonely Avenue’ by Ray Charles.’ Originally planned as a stripped down guitar/organ/vocal album, it is now multi-layered and ‘wall of sound’ in nature…. oh, well.” – PLK, 13th April 2009

FIG MINTS (OF YOUR IMAGINATION)

Not heard from Bobby for a bit, but what with Cozy Home Records to be run and the brilliant new Figs album “Exercizes In Futility” to be promoting, I’m expecting he’s probably having a well-deserved lie down. Or working insane hours. You should definitely check out the record if you haven’t already – upbeat guitars and melancholy songs from one of the most under-rated but brilliant lyricists around. If philosophical drunken musings and self-depreciating humour with a Guided By Voices-esque vibe sounds good to you, then you’ll definitely dig it. Or check out this –  thefigmints.com – I don’t know if it’s old or new, but it’s as good a place as any to start.

WARCHALKING

It’s been 1 year and 2 months since Warchalking kicked off Quixodelic Records with the collosal acoustic masterpiece that is “Stratum”. Word on Daydream Boulevard is that having being hi-jacked by Kaleidonauts for last summer’s “Tigermouse” record, and a winter of essays, drinking, live shows and bicycle crashes, he is finally holed up sweating a new record out in the bathroom recording studio. It is unclear at this stage whether this collaborative project will be under a new moniker or whether it will form the third in a trilogy of Warchalking records. (Some day I will convince him to release the eponymous debut record that is arguably one of the greatest unreleased records I know about). Early twitterings from the bathroom are very positive – expect a subtle shift in sound direction, with the voice still tackling head on the ancient riddles of humanity, and the rebus of the present, and maybe if we’re lucky something new by the end of the summer.

SIMON PILER

Coming your way in the next couple of days… a brand new self-titled Simon Piler and The Atom Band record! Recorded in the spring in Florida, it bristles and shimmies in staggering lo-fidelity experiementally poetic sound whorls. It sounded so weirdly brilliant to me that we’ve just finished a typically in-depth and actually pretty inspirational interview/discussion about the record that I’ll be posting to accompany its release. Simon and his Atomic band of science-soundmaker’s records are really just the tip of the iceberg, and hopefully in some way the interview might stretch towards letting you see the abyss of thought that unfolds out for a long, long way beneath his musings. Your dreams will never be the same again.

THE LOADED WHISPERS

Thanks to everyone who has downloaded Syd and Jer’s last record and first Quixodelic offering “All Artists Use Lies To Tell The Truth”. General concensus is that it really is as beautiful as I suspected it was when I first heard it – stripped back psychedelia with emotionally charged poetry and all sung by the voice that haunts your ears long after the record has finished playing. Syd has been hiding out in her home studio writing and recording a new record that looks like it will be released under a new moniker, but I’ll let her spill that as and when she sees fit. I’ve heard a few tracks from it and it is more of the same and then some – simply in one word staggeringstuff.

DEAD CANARIES

First there was the battle of the winged and the legged ones, then there was something else completely, and now there is a new record brewing in Ithica NY potentially called “Golden Sounds”. More than any other artist Jon of the Atom has the ability to surprise me with his musical offerings – a sneak peek at some of the tracks that may or may not end up on the finished record were no different. I’ll not spoil it for you, but keep your eyes on the Cozy Home for this one to break as JOTA and Co continue to hone and tinker endlessly with the living breathing hurdy gurdy of brains. The all-singing, all-bell-pepper-ringing, madly scientific Canaries collective are potentially relocating to the South sometime soon and who knows what the change of climate will do for future recordings – but expect it to be nothing at all like you expect.

KALEIDONAUTS

I feel like I’ve been saying that the third and final Kaleidonauts record “K2″ has been done for about half a year, before discovering to my horror that it still has pieces missing, or isn’t quite right. But now I can safely say that it is done and ready to go, probably sometime in late August. Plans for a 3-disc lo-fi all or nothing recording have been thankfully scrapped and only the tracks that involve collective contributions remain. Much of it is old – cut tracks from “Spaniard” and “Tigermouse” or alternative versions, and some of it is new (or at least unheard) with tracks completed from November 08 onwards being included. I’d love to say it will be as good as the first two records, but with me at the wheel it’s undoubtedly going to have that ragged, unpolished feel to it that inevitably happens whenever I attempt to put something together. All is not lost however – many of the artists who have helped out will make it worth downloading for their contributions alone – Jon of the Atom, Warchalking, Jane Gilmore, Katie Saul, Becky N and the legendary Tim Schram are just some of the names to expect to see on the inside cover.

ROLLERCOASTER

Last I heard from the master of sonic psychedelic song assaults (Helter Skelter) he was wrestling with a four-track attempting to salvage some tracks. I heard a couple of new cover versions not so long ago that were are usual scuzzy, fuzzy, and fucking brilliant. But then you wouldn’t expect anything less would you?

JANE GILMORE

Is very busy with genuinely important things as always and has probably forgotten her guitar, hence no new songs that we are aware of.

BROKEN MONO

I revisted the brilliant “Tulk” just last week and realised I’d forgotten how oddly brilliant that record is, so be prepared for a long-overdue review that I started writing towards the end of last year, but lost in my pockets and subsequently the bomb-site of DG HQ in amongst the half drunk cups of coffee, spilled tobacco, obscure CDs stacked to the ceiling and endless sheets of paper with indecipherable etchings concerning track running orders and the likes. OR if you’re impatient you can just visit the downloads link at the top of the page and get “Tulk” yourself for FREE, make your own mind up. Everyone knows that Mono Mike has since set down the foundations of psychedelic songwriting wizardry, and has been courted by numerous record labels and acclaimed psych podcasts, so it’s only a matter of time before the post “Tulk” material sees the light of day. When it does you can hold your head above the lip of the trenches and yell “I found Stanley!” to the world.

BECKY N

Everyone’s favourite lo-fi folk poet moves around so much that it’s impossible to know whether it’s even possible for her to work on new material or not. Back in the Spring I heard from her that she’d “…started writing music with a girl who I used to work with. Her band is really good, it’s just her and her brother. If you get a chance check it out, they’re called Arrows From The Sun and they’re on myspace. Our band is called The Caravan and the Maria Terrae. It’s just me on accordian and her on charango (a bolivian mandolin/uke). We’ve got a couple of songs…”. Arrows From The Sun are definitely worth checking out, but here’s hoping some of that accordian stuff starts circulating soon. In the meantime, as mentioned before you’ll be able to get your Becky fix by downloading the new Kaleidonauts album for her take on The Wheelies’ “Song To You”.

THE ORANGE DROP

Are they dead? Have they reformed? Did they ever exist at all? After arguably one of the finest Quixodelic offerings to date (the psych-rock derrangement of “The Orange Album”), they appeared to spiral their separate ways, and promises of someday being “the biggest band in the world” lay in torn up betting slips at the feet of anyone lucky enough to have heard them. Creative driving force Marc B, in the meantime went off and found himself in the brilliant female-led psychedelic outfit STELLIUM (well worth a flying visit). But then as recently as last month, The Orange Drop MySpace page reappeared magically from the aether and all has been quiet on the Orange front ever since. Recording? Let’s hope so.

SUCKS TO LALA LAND

After the brilliant Bob Dylan covers record “Well Under Thirty”, Keith has vanished back into the happening Visalia music scene to write new songs, get involved in collaboration projects, and continue on the accidental path to super-stardom. I’ve heard a couple of new original songs and they are nothing short of budding genius. Dylan continues to ignore our telephone calls (as he has done since 2006), but we’d like to think if he knew about Sucks To LaLa Land that he would knowlingly approve in a Dylanesque manner.

JAMES REDMOND

The elusive Liverpudlian songwriter oracle is another one wrestling with a four track. New old songs may hopefully be uncovered should suitable software be found that can adequately handle the hiss of too many years neglect. However it sounds as if brand new material is also being captures in between rounds, and from what I’ve heard so far it’s simply more two minute bluesy pop nuggets of musical wizardry. Yahay.

CODY HIGH SCHOOL

So one minute Gil De Ray and his rabble of musical troublemakers are kicking up fuck in the classroom, storming through a volatile gem of a record called “Super New Nashville Fuzz”, and the next minute he falls off the face of the earth. I expect this may have something to do with Earth Calling Music Management and a certain little band called “Magic Magic” featuring Dylan Gough from the Daydream Generation compilations on a second drum kit. I guess sometimes in life a more pressing purpose lands in your lap. On the one hand it’s shit because here I am digging a record since before Christmas that I suspect none of you have heard, and on the other it’s maybe not quite as shit as it seems, because as long as the record is out there then I guess there’s a chance that someday you might here it.

THE WHEELIES

Last and least. Couple of months ago I wrote this: “ The Wheelies have been clumsily blasted into the furthest reaches of obscurity, cryogenically frozen by their very drunk quantum physicist lead guitarist, and presently orbit a small forgotten blue moon in the brains of anyone who was ever unfortunate enough to accidentally download one of their records. Born in the days of shoegaze, they originally slipped into a drug-induced coma in 1998 having recorded numerous thankfully long-lost tapes of themselves dancing in fur coats with improvised wailing and wild lettuce laughter on a shitty little portable cassette player that had a name nobody can remember. The “band” was resurrected in 2006 and over the following 15 months spewed up 5 of the most audio sound quality challenged albums known in the history of song-writing (all available through Cozy Home). In another dimension altogether, Smally continues to collaborate with anyone weird enough to be up for it (Kaleidonauts, The Utica Flower Company, and The Painted Shuts), Moppy is busy working on a new album with The People, Martin may or may not still be cartwheeling with Shaved Goldfish, and the “other two” have seemingly dropped off the musical edge of the earth completely. Sources close to the band when pressed at gunpoint refuse to comment whether The Wheelies will ever make another record together again, but all the signs point thankfully to them remaining frozen immobile indefinitely. ” Now I’m sitting with a brand new Wheelies record on my iPod called “Holy Shit The Sky Is Really Blue”, and am working my way through four old records that will hopefully be available sometime soon. The summer sun has a lot to answer for.

Until the next time comrades

overnoot

p.s keep watching the site for another new record that I honestly think might just be this generation’s “White Album”. I shit you not.

www.therealburnouts.com

Why not take some time out of your busy lives and click on the link above? Disappear down the rabbit hole of The Real Burnout’s universe, with news about a shiny new record – (IN) A WORLD NOT UNLIKE YOUR OWN – videos, words, pictures, and the expected unexpected, you’ll be reluctant to ever climb back out again.

Well I don’t know about you, but 2008 has been something of an intense year around here for me. 17 records via a newly established download record label that goes by the name of Quixodelic (thanks Tara), and with it a humble global collective of daydreamers, 3 compilations comprising of 7 discs, 540 minutes of more new sounds and songs and bands than is entirely appropriate for your delicate ears, numerous interviews, countless reviews, a handful of videos, a couple of features, a comatose partridge in a psychdelic pear-tree, a secret underground musical society with a record that nobody really knows who recorded, and a near fatal meltdown one grey October day.

So there you have it. Is this The End or a whole new beginning? I guess I’ll leave that in your capable hands.

But

In the off-chance this is really THE END then what better way to bow out than with a 

Best Of The Daydream Generation 08

For the last couple of weeks, people have been voting for their favourite songs from our three compilations of the year, and you can do it too if you go here:

http://daydreamgeneration.com/site/have-your-say-the-best-of-dg-08/

The Best Of will probably need to be done in time for Christmas, so you’ll need to hurry if you want your vote to count. Numbers will be added up sometime in the days before the 24th without warning. So you have been warned that you won’t be warned!

I think that’s it again.

I’m away to write a couple of books.

Smally

*It’s been brought to our attention that there are a few technical glitches on the site when viewing it using Internet Explorer. We’ve (Tim’s) fixed as much of it as he can, but there are still a few issues – most notably an error message that comes up if you’re trying to vote in the Best Of 08 post. Unfortunately sometimes that’s just the way it goes & if you’re really wanting to have your say you’ll need to come back using a different web browser (such as Mozilla or Google Chrome). Hopefully this hasn’t ruined the DG experience for you too much, and thanks to those of you who pointed out that you were having problems accessing the site.

…got a shiney new website packed full of wonderful things, free downloads, information about songs, cool pictures, and… oh just go and check it out yourself why don’t ya?

www.allandouglas.net

If you’d been paying close attention you may have noticed some of the following happening:

New Releases:

UBERFUZZ “As If It Matters” EP - A review of this cracking 5-track exclusive release from Rugby’s finest sound-adventurers will be on the site just as soon as I can remember which fucking pocket I put the scrap pieces of paper I scribbled my thoughts on. In the meantime look no further than the Quixodelic Records link at the top of this site.

JAMES REDMOND “Too Much To Think” – 8 songs, 18 minutes, something for just about everyone in your family, a love song for your boyfriend, Les Dennis for your Mother, some headbanging ska for Grandad and free football stickers for the kids. There’s really no need for marriage-guidance counselling, or grumbles re S.A.D – just get this little gem down your lugs and the world will seem instantly better.

KALEIDONAUTS “Tigermouse” – Either the most unloved follow-up of all time or else the 200 of you who downloaded this 4000 mile journey into the solarised snapshot of a scootering mouse melody trail are so blown away that you are officially speechless. Love like that makes you wonder why you sit up half the night trying to figure out the great mysteries of the universe.

And the best thing about them all is

They’re fucking free!

Yes free. I know it doesn’t make any sense but that’s just the way things get done around here. Once you subtract the $ and the £ and all the other variations from the equation you find there is actually something quite starkly beautiful about making and listening to music. That’s not to say that I don’t think talented people should get paid for their endeavours, but imagine a street – an imaginary street – and you can hand out your music to anyone who passes through, and maybe, just maybe they dig what you are doing. It’s a fucking rat race out there, so some of us opt out. What does it mean? Why? Well who cares. It’s free. Enjoy it while it lasts I say.

And while you’re there if you put your ear to the road you’ll be able to hear the unmistakable rumble of another Daydream Generation compilation heading your way – DG6 to be exact. The bus is full, the tracks are playing and finding some kind of logical pattern and from where I am its another great little way to kill 160 minutes sometime. Going on how the various artists who have contributed songs have tagged their music you can be expecting a mad old mix of genres ranging from lo-fi to pop, folk to dream, psychedelic to indie rock, electronic to shoegaze, and blues to folklore whatever that is. You have been warned: it’s a matter of days away now and this is one adventure you don’t want to miss hearing. Or maybe you do. In which case what are you still doing here?

Ok, I’m away to go hunting through pockets again.

More soon enough.

*Postscript:

And so last night the Merlin of this quest to do whatever the fuck it is we’re doing (Tim) created a plug-in that lets me see how many times records have been downloaded from our Quixodelic Store. At first I thought I was simply being a numpty, but after checking and re-checking and re-checking the re-checking it appears that collectively we’re closing in on 3000 downloads (not including the compilations). Now if I’d known that a month and a half ago then the “Factorygate” near fatal meltdown may never have happened. So I just wanted to come back to this post and say CHEERS to everyone who has taken the time to download the records, both for myself and on behalf of all the bands and individuals who have contributed.

This one’s for you: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2582186690

Don’t say we don’t try!  

Just a quick mid-monthly note to let all you daydreamers and watchers of daydreamers and bots and whatnot know what the fuck is going on at The Daydream Generation right now.

Of course I don’t have to tell you again that we’ve taken the giant leap from distribution channel mining to a full-blown quixodelic collective with our very own quixodelic download label like a seed in the virtual ground. If you water it, it may grow. But then I said the same about the forum and look what happened to that. Ask me again in 3 years and I’ll tell you if it panned out or not. The most beautiful thing about it is that – like you – I don’t have a clue where it’s going, and I guess that means we can go anywhere we want it to go. For now I’m working hard at researching the many musical collectives of the world past and present, less to steal blueprints of success, more to see if I can figure out what they’re NOT doing. Until I realise I’m overthinking it, happenings will happen, records will be released, iPods will fill up with weird and wonderful and really beautiful lo-fi sounds, I’ll smoke a shitload and within seconds it’ll be history. Make sure and check out the COMMUNE section at the top of this page for information on the various members of The Daydream Collective – more will be added as and when I have something to add.

I’d just like to say a big THANKYOU as well on behalf of both the DG and Helter Skelter for everyone who has downloaded our most recent release, ROLLERCOASTER’s mighty “From Darkness To Light” record (available to download for free from the STORE link at the top of the page as well) this week. For every pat on the back we get for running the DG, it means a lot more to see the records and compilations getting downloaded, and ultimately that’s what is going to keep me behind the wheel. So keep downloading and keep coming back because you never know when the next record is going to appear (there are at least 7 due out in the next month & a bit, including 2 done and waiting to go).

OK & finally (I think) there’s the small matter of DAYDREAM GENERATION 6 to discuss. Yep, you heard me right. After the marathon slog of the 3 disc 5th compilation it’ll back to 160 minute basics again & this time I’ll be keeping one eye firmly on the clock. The simple fact is that there’s a steady stream of great new songs and contributions that land in the daydreamgen@gmail.com email box every week that eventually you have to give in to and get on with. So there you go – consider that an open invitation to anyone who wants to be featured on the 6th compilation and bear in mind that this time around there’s going to be limited spaces. DG6 will undoubtedly be the last of the year and from what I’ve heard so far it’s going to be as great as DG5. If you can’t wait for DG6 then you know what you can do in the meantime – go and download DG5 at the COMPILATIONS link at the top of the site.

Ah.

That was pretty hurried, but it had to be done. Tune in later if you want to hear the latest offering from the Collective… you might just get a great new record tonight if I can get my act together.

Be kind to each other.

There are several loops in my head. Most of them I can barely even comprehend myself let alone type them up on an internet site. But this one’s a communal loop, so I’m going to try my best to keep you in it.

Post-DG5 witnessed the traditional compilation hangover: Was it any good? Did we get enough downloads? Was it worthwhile? And in the jungle of neurosis there’s always the inclination to rip it up, or throw in the technicolour beach towel, or go and forge a forum that you knew wouldn’t work in the first place. Speaking of analogies, the best I can come up with is that this is an adventure, and fuck know where it is going, but every now and then you come to a dead end and things have to change so that it can move forward.

And so we/I arrive at The Daydream Collective and Quixodelic Records. If you frequent this remotely strange little corner of the internet you’ll be noticing a few subtle changes to the links and categories sections on the right hand side of the page, and if you’re really switched on you may have already noticed the “Commune” section at the top of the site. In a nutshell it’s time to get smarter with time and to do that we’re taking the next logical step of creating a collective around the bands and artists that release records through the DG store. The Daydream Generation will continue as it is, mining the depths of the Net in search of great new music, putting out compilations etc. but the day-to-day focus of the site with news and reviews and interviews will concentrate on the folk that have the guts to help move the project forward by releasing records through our makeshift label/community. The “Quixodelic” tag (thanks to Tara) will be used to differentiate between the DG and records that go out through the Collective. Both “Quixodelic Records” and “The Daydream Collective” are temporary titles pending much better suggestions, but as is the case with these things I fully expect to still be using those monikers this time next year.

So what does all that mean for you?

Well it probably means very little, but like I said this is a communal loop so I thought you might like to know where the DG adventure is heading short-term at least. In particular you’ll probably start noticing a lot of seemingly random posts over the next month or so re images, lyrics etc. concerning the different artists that are involved within the Collective. Behind the scenes we’ve already got several new records for you to download and once the basics of the Collective have been sown, you should probably expect a 6th DG compilation & maybe even a Dreamstream 08 to appear on the horizon. In the meantime there are still Singles leftover from DG5 to update, and the same goes for the site player/jukebox, so watch out for that.

Thanks as well to anyone who has downloaded DG5 and for those of you supportive enough to have at least attempted to participate in the Daydream Army (forum) – link is somewhere on the right.

Onwards we go comrades. Loop over.

And so to the traditional half-monthly babble about all things DG related. What’s happening, what’s not happening, what we’re trying to make happen, what’s still not happening, and so and so on.

Firstly thanks again to everyone who has downloaded DG5 since it came out a couple of Sunday’s ago & for all the positive feedback. It’s not going anywhere fast & you can still download it from here:

http://www.mediafire.com/?sharekey=e7bd6c08e4cf772fd5a101cf914073b4d2181f8e396ef6b2

Because of it’s larger than normal size (and audio quality) it’s split into 6 manageable parts which in turn can be burned onto 3 lovable discs. So if you’ve not gotten round to downloading it, you still can – pick a disc at random (they’re all great) and take it from there. If you dig it, come back and dig it some more. There is plenty of new music for you to find, and music may not make the world go round, but it allows it to revolve in a much smoother way. Or something. Oh fuck it. Just download the fucking discs will ya!?

Actually DG5 is not quite finished yet – next couple of days I promise I will shake myself out of the post-comp stupor and get to tidying up everything that needs tidied : the links that are broken on the site, the names that are spelled wrong on the discs and the cover, the fact that 1 of the 3 discs is unmastered and the 3rd is about 80% levelled out (that may take some Herculean willpower to go back and do it all again but it’s for the good of the cause, right?), the cover at the proper size unpixelated will be made available so as you can print it off and your grandchildren will at least know what the fuck it is they’re listening to many years from now (assuming they’ve not all gone back to vinyl, or invented some other kind of crazy device), then there’s the small matter of the remaining Singles to get posted on the site along with reviews and links and lovely pictures that probably need resizing and squaring and… ah.

I’m exhausted just thinking about it.

So in the midst of all that weirdness & so much needing done, I probably picked an inopportune moment to finally get the DG Forum/Army up and running here:

http://daydreamgeneration.freeforums.org

you can have a look for yourself and see what you think. Help out if you can, ignore it if you want, but just be aware that it’s there and over the following months it’s likely to be the place where ideas get generated & discussed, projects develop, new bands are discovered and so and so on. The main site is here to stay along with this stuff, reviews, news, interviews etc. but over at the Forum you can have your say, you can help guide the ship and take it where you want to go. It may on the surface seem like a dictatorship, but too many hands on the wheel make for nasty accidents – I’ll steer, you give directions and enjoy the ride. That make sense?

As you’ll also be able to see it’s a slow start. It takes a while I guess to build an army & it doesn’t happen in 3 nights, much as I’d like it to. So I’ll keep my chin up & you post something – yes? OK. ;)

And that comrades thank fuck is that.

Oh shit! Actually it’s not quite it. There’s the small matter of this year’s Dreamstream 08 to discuss. Aiming for early November again, I thought it might be an idea to stream a series of pre-recorded podcasts on the day from all over the world, playing songs from the DG projects, from your friends, new stuff, old stuff, just as long as it’s mainly undiscovered stuff. So can anyone out there contribute? And what do you think of that idea?

p.s I’m sure this will be getting discussed at more length on the Forum so if you’re interested then that’s probably where you should head.

AND THAT IS MOST DEFINITELY THAT!

Ha.

Can A Mix Tape Save The World?

Probably not. But if it could, then this beautiful wee monster of a capeless compilation might stand a fighting chance. So if you were thinking about buying some music this week then why not keep your money in your pocket, download the 5th & arguably most exciting Daydream Generation compilation for FREE on Sunday. One flick of the power switch & in approximately 12 clicks you can spend the rest of the day digging some of the brightest new bands kicking around out there in the streets after tea.

Oh I’ll not go on this time. There’s plenty more to be written & I’ll save my typing fingers. Just thought I’d let you all know that the glitch has just about been unglitched, the bus is full & being painted as we speak, and unless there is some miraculous technical fuck up then it’s all go for Sunday.

To quote James Page: “woo-hoo!”

Normal service with a brand new kick-ass, head-melting, heart-warming compilation will resume just as soon as we can figure out what the fuck is going on. There are many morals to this particular story including – Don’t assume an accountant can add up, Think carefully about whether a stoned, drunk man with good ears will necessarily do a straight man with bad ears’ job any more efficiently, and of course Good things come to those who wait.

Keep checking in, DG5 will be available shortly…

Thanks for patiently being patient

Daydream Generation 5

Another month passed, another month older, and still none the wiser.

So it’s been another action-packed headfuck on planet Daydream. Oh where to start? Well I guess I’ll start at the beginning and take it from there…

The latter half of May and the first half of June have seen us up to our eyeballs in Quixodelic melodies. So intense it was that I even machine-gunned out a whole article concerning the meaning of “Quixodelia”, that probably wanted to say everything and wound up saying nothing much of any consequence at all. What can I say? It’s been a cool few weeks and it got to me. For starters the SINGLES project has kept me going – so many songs and new bands to hear, so many old favourites like psychedelic knights coming over the hill & wading into the battle with greed & anonymity that we’re accidentally fighting here. You’ll forgive me for not painstakingly hand-typing a list of everyone who has featured since I last wrote this, as I’m sure you’re more than capable of clicking the “SINGLES” link at the top of the page if you’re curious.

As always we’ve been working our collective socks off to bring you reviews of undiscovered gems and interviews from the various artists that have contributed to past and present DG projects. In no particular order we’ve covered THE REAL BURNOUTS “Post Show Post Traumatic Ultimate Mundane”, TOFU DELUX “Bear Claw”, and the self-titled UTICA FLOWER COMPANY record. We’ve also spoken to THE SPACE BETWEEN THINGS and later this afternoon I’ll be posting an interview with Helter Skelter of ROLLERCOASTER infamy. It’s well worth waiting for.

All 3 of the records that were reviewed can be downloaded for FREE over at the Cozy Home Record Store – http://www.cozyhomerecords.com – our comrades over at Cozy Home HQ have been losing sleep, snorting hard drugs, and wheeling & dealing while sitting goggle-eyed in front of their computers to bring you just about the entire history of The Cozy Home to the age of mp3 downloads. The perfect soundtrack to accompany a lengthy & haphazard account of Cozy Home history that I wrote on this site. You can find it by simply clicking on the “Cozy Home Records” or “Features” links in the “Categories” section on the right hand side of this page. I did my best to leave no stone unturned and hopefully have made some headway into answering the third most frequently asked question around here. Thanks to everyone who helped out on the writing of that article and for the positive words of encouragement. Expect a Rockumentary this time next year.

Of course there was also the introduction of the monthly TOP TEN - where SKIPPER THOMAS’s “Failed Driver” was rightfully crowned the most played track that we store at www.daydreamgeneration.com. Time permitting we’ll try and make this a regular feature – hopefully give those of you new to this strange little corner of the internet a headstart on getting to know some of the bands we feature here.

But all that was then and this is NOW. And I’ve got some exciting news for you all. Actually the use of the word “exciting” is undoubtedly completely subjective & misleading, so I’ll qualify that by re-saying – AND I’VE PROBABLY GOT SOME EXCITING NEWS FOR YOU ALL… (stoned drumroll).

This Summer we’ll be working our posteriors off to bring you a series of EPs from our favourite bands around the globe. In my mind at least this is going to be The Summer Of The DG EP. Here’s how this idea came about: so we’re on our fifth compilation in just over a year and I noticed that some bands have now contributed as many as 5 songs to the Daydream Generation. These songs are all available for free download on the various compilations at the DOWNLOAD link at the top the site, but I figured as a way of saying thanks for supporting what we’re doing here, that it might be a worthwhile misadventure to tie these songs together on a single free download. I’m pleased to say that the initial feelers have already produced at least 7 out of 7 positive responses, and I’ve barely even begun to go around all the bands & artists who have contributed 4 or more songs (including last year’s Dreamstream festival). For some it will simply be a case of putting the songs from the 5 compilations together, for others we’ll be bringing you unreleased songs, or new stuff from their back catalogues, or a mixture of all three. However it pans out I’m curiously positive that it’ll be musical mayhem of the most beautiful variety. So keep your eye on the DGRECORDS store link…

The first of the EPs will be posted on Sunday hopefully – I’ll not spoil it for you by revealing who it’s going to be, but I will say that it’s fucking brilliant. Like I say, I’ll be working my way around everyone who fits the above criteria in the next few weeks, however I would say that for anyone who doesn’t and has previously contributed to the various projects that I’d be more than happy to consider putting out an EP of yours. You know where to find me: daydreamgen@gmail.com – just give me a shout.

So May might have been a quiet month for Daydream Generation Records, but expect June & July to be busting out of the box with activity. Aside from the EPs we’ve got a couple of full length albums lined up and if these artists are as great as I think they are, then you’re going to need to strap yourself in. More news on them as and when it arises.

FINALLY (deep breath) there is the small matter of DG5 to be discussed. As you’ll no doubt be able to see from the SINGLES, we’re rapidly nearing the latest 2-disc offering of Quixodelia’s finest being finished. This time around no expense will be spared & hopefully it will be levelled out & ready to roar in a matter of days. 2 weeks tops. I’ll do the rounds as and when that happens and will post some bulletins and blogs and whatnot to let you all know. So get your own bulletin fingers ready.

And that as they say, is that.

;)

Smallyom

…it’s been one of those months. Again. A blizzard of emails, a compilation in the making, old friends resurfacing, new friends vanishing in a fog of smoke, more plates a-spinning than ever before, some a-crashing on the floor…

So to recap (and I write this as much for myself as I do for you just to try and figure out where the fuck we are):

The last month has mostly been about getting songs together for next Daydream Generation compilation (DG5). I’ve sent a dozen or more bulletins and posted more blogs than I’d care to remember asking for bands to contribute. At times I felt like one of those jumped up shitbags on the stock market floor trying to get myself heard over the tidal wave of MySpace time-wasters all bawling about this and that, but I bit the bullet and did it for the good of the cause. If you take the time to have a peek in the SINGLES section at the top of this page you’ll see that we’ve had a great response, and in particular made a lot of new friends who make lovely music – hopefully names like MEGHAN GEISS, THE HOBORCHESTRA, JAMES P. PAGE, MADISON ACID, JERRY KALINE, JOHN LUDLINGTON, WINO RIOT, CIRCUIT BREAKER, TELESCOPE VEHICLE, and OTIS LIDDY, will someday be as familiar to anyone who follows what we’re doing here as the favourite names that have kindly returned to another DG project like FIG MINTS, CODY HIGH SCHOOL, THE SOFT SUNFLOWER, DYLAN GOUGH, ALLAN DOUGLAS, and THE DEPRAVATIONS. On the SINGLES page you’ll find thumbnail reviews, and links to all the contributing artist’s websites. And for those of you who can’t be bothered reading then there are a wide selection of pretty pictures to gaze at for as long as your eyes stay open.

For now the songs are there for your listening pleasure only, but once there are enough to fill 2 free discs of download then we’ll patch them altogether & send them out into the universe kicking & screaming. The way things are going with a new Single being posted every day, and plenty of songs in the daydreamgen@gmail.com traffic jam, our estimated time of arrival in Free Download City is likely to be mid-to-late June. With a mighty tail wind of good-will & switched on daydreamers we have made great time. Expect some sort of turbulance before the trip is over. And help yourself to drugs & drink & whatever religion floats your boat. I’m working on a crash landing manual as we speak but if I don’t get it done in time, then thanks for travelling with the Daydream Generation, sorry we fucked it up.

But of course we won’t fuck it up. Probably.

So keep your submissions rolling in – there’s still a bit of room onboard the next compilation, but the spaces are being filled in a hurry. If you want to submit a track then email an mp3 and single cover/pic to daydreamgen@gmail.com – I can’t guarantee we’ll play your music, or that it will fit with what we’re doing, but I appreciate and dig hearing new sounds – so hit me with your rhythm stick.

Where the fuck was I?

Ah yes – the last month. Beyond the next compilation this site has been not quite a hive of activity, but certainly a busy little oddity shop down a hidden backstreet of the internet. If you’ve got some time to kill then have a read of our recent BROKEN MONO or DYLAN GOUGH interviews, or preferably both, or wrap your eyes around a review of UBERFUZZ‘s “Drowning In Honey” album. Once again for those of you who can’t be bothered reading then there’s THE SOFT SUNFLOWER‘s video, a cool acoustic performance of “Feelin’ Groovy“. (Although if you are one of those can’t be bothered to readers, then its highly unlikely you’ll have just read that, in which case it was undoubtedly pointless me ever writing it). A note on videos though while I’m here – if anyone who has been involved in any of the compilations want me to post one of your videos on the site then send a link to the usual location.

Is that it?

Is it fuck!

If you really are looking for something to fill the seconds and enrich your head in the process then you could do a lot worse than visiting the dgRECORDS link at the top of this page and download the brilliant new CODY HIGH SCHOOL record “Baddest Fastest“. It’s worth it’s weight in gold that’s for sure, full of baggy guitar hooks, drawled vox and clever words. And thanks to Mr Gil De Ray it’s FREE. Yes FREE. As a bird. No shit.

And that’s it.

I think.

Be happy wherever you are, and if you can’t be happy then try channelling it into some kind of creative project, not only does it work wonders but you might end up contributing something positive to the universe in the process. And if you’re not imaginative enough to be creative, then the chances are that you are either one of those spambots or not even reading this.

Smally

Hang onto your Ego…

Coming real soon through DGRECORDS…

CODY HIGH SCHOOL “Baddest Fastest”

March 2008 will likely go down as defining month in our strange little history. In the space of a few short weeks we managed to negotiate more imaginary hurdles than I’d care to count on my fingers. Statistics grew in the clouds like weird weeds choking the cogs. A record label was born. We played around with viral marketing and built a jukebox at the foot of your bed. Plans were hatched and thrown away like paper balls. Heads pumped air and electricity into the heart of the Cozy Home. We made some new friends and probably lost some old ones. Another compilation crash-landed in your garden. We’re talking the unsustainable growth of an LSD injection, the sort that would have any small company reeling and jetting off to some sunny hideaway to get drunk and spend their winnings. Right now though, its like the aftermath of a big house party round here and my head is well and truly burned out. So throw the dog a bone.

Of course it stumbles on. There’s plenty to be getting on with. The “Singles” project is back in full swing and if you visit the link at the top of the page you’ll hear new songs from the likes of WARCHALKING, HOPEFUL MONSTER, THE SUGAR SKULLS, DEAD CANARIES, KALEIDONAUTS and MEGHAN GEISS. Once I’ve torn myself away from the land of pointless animation and writing stuff like this, I’ll get round to posting a few more, including the much-needed return of FIG MINTS (OF YOUR IMAGINATION) and the brilliant CODY HIGH SCHOOL. There’s a light that’s stuck on green and all you can do is go. And keep going.

Aside from the ”Singles” this is likely to appear to anyone watching from a safe distance like a quiet month. But don’t be fooled – behind the daydream the mechanisms of revolution are in full swing, ideas form and reform daily, and the summer is on this side of the world’s doorstep. Just please keep watching, and more important listening. Do what you can to keep it going, post a blog or a bulletin from your MySpace page, tell a friend to check out what’s going on. Be imaginative about it if you can be bothered. We’ll be keeping the reviews and interviews going, as well as hopefully a couple of very cool features for you to digest and throw up on the doorstep of whatever it is you’re doing. I doubt very much whether we’ll be able to generate the momentum of the last month again anytime soon, but maybe that’s a good thing. Back to roots. Quality over quantity. Sometimes I think something profoundly great is starting to happen here, other times I laugh at how pathetic that sounds. Fuck the tightrope though. Let’s just jump and enjoy the fall.

 And while we’re falling remember and download (FOR FREE) the 3 albums we released:

DEAD CANARIES – Critical Mass: Flying Things Vs Crawling Things

WARCHALKING – Stratum

KALEIDONAUTS – I Do Not Currently Own A Spaniard (Mine Died)

You can get these here: http://daydreamgeneration.com/site/?page_id=75

Thanks to everyone who has downloaded these so far & for all the positive feedback. It’s a pretty brave move by the likes of Warchalking and JOTA to give you their music away for the price of a single click and I’m only too aware of how much work went into the making of all 3 records. Whether it really is the future of how we’re going to get hold of new music only time will tell I guess, but these albums may not be free forever, so grab them while you can and feed your head.

Finally (deep breath) I get a lot of emails and messages from people offering to help out or asking what they can do to spread the word. Well how about trying this excorsize: on the right hand side of the site their is a list of bands & artists who have contributed to our various compilations and projects. Each name links onto their MySpace page or website, so how about taking half an hour out of your busy lives and going through them, friend requesting them, leave a message, listen to their songs. It’s a two-way street – if you dig what they’re doing, then there’s every chance that they’re going to dig what you’re doing. That’s how (and probably why) it works.

To be continued…

…obviously.

I’d also like to say a massive thanks to Tim at www.transatmospheric.com for helping put technology like this in our crazy hands, and for continuing to host this circus for free and for reasons one can only guess at. I might be the mad fucker on the wheel, but without him there would be no wheel for me to run on.

Now stop reading all this and go and download “Stratum”

Cheers

I thought I’d at least attempt to keep you all updated with what is happening over here once a month, but it only seems like yesterday that I was sitting here typing away like an idiot. So for what it’s worth, here is the DG News:

DG4

Thanks to everybody who has managed to download our last compilation, and cheers for all of the positive feedback. Yeah it’s good, I know that. But please take some time out to drop in on the bands whose songs you liked (most of the links are here on the site but are still being updated). After all, it’s the bands and artists who contribute that this project is all about, not the project itself. Dig?

Last count there has been 54 downloads in the last week. That’s alright, but it could be A LOT better. For all that we can flood MySpace with bulletins and blogs, I suspect that sooner or later that we’ll start getting on people’s tits. So we need you to help – whether you’re a band involved, or a humble fan of what we’re doing, please post something somewhere, anywhere – and send some traffic our way.

HERE’S HOW ELSE YOU CAN HELP

1 Wear the DG badge on your MySpace profile or on your website (info on this site if you dig around, or on our MySpace blog)

2 Ever fancied yourself as a Indie music journalist? We’re desperately needing articles for this site – album reviews, interviews, features, or something else you might have in mind. Drop us a line at daydreamgen@gmail.com with any ideas and we’ll try and get back to you.

3 Sign up to Tara’s MAILING LIST. Please! For fuck’s sake. You know it sort of makes sense.

4 Post a blog on your MySpace page with a link to the site. Post a bulletin to your MySpace friends telling them to go and get some great FREE music pronto. If you dabble on a music forum then namedrop the project. Post a link on your Facebook page, on your Bebo page, on whatever page you’ve got. If you’ve got a Blog of your own then post a link and we’ll return the favour. A little exposure goes a long way. Walt Whitman knew it. And Alexander Trocchi knew it. So you should know it too.

DAYDREAM GENERATION STORE

Ok, so we’re working on this. Well, technically the mighty Tim of Cozy Home/Transatmospheric infamy is working on this. The idea is to cut out the middle man, the corporate host who takes a cut of your money if you’re selling MP3 versions of your album. Due to space on the site it’s likely going to be very limited, so unfortunately don’t go calling us on this one, we’ll call you. If however you make a stunning album and it somehow falls into our laps then we’ll consider putting it out for you. We’ll be catering for artists who want to give their albums away for free, artists who want to give it away for free with a “donate” button, and artists who want to charge for the priviledge of owning their music. Whatever floats your boat. And we’ll be kicking of with Warchalking’s second album “Stratum” just as soon as we can – it will be available to download exclusively from here, and I swear this thing is a masterpiece… more info in the next few days.

DG5

So only if you’ve been sleeping through the last 3 months will you have not noticed that the format for future compilations will be to submit a song to the ongoing “Singles” project on this site. The doors are well and truly open again, so start sending your songs with a cover picture to the usual place (daydreamgen@gmail.com) and we’ll start working through it. Shortly I’ll be doing the rounds trying to get recommendations for bands that you’d like to hear on future comps and will be strapping on the old miner’s helmet to go in search of the next big thing. But if you want to pre-empt me contacting you then give me a shout. The format for the Singles will slightly change in that we’ll also be including a brief blurb/bio to go with each song, along with a link to the band’s website, but we’ll cross those bridges when we comes to them. And if we can’t cross them, then we’ll just burst on through.

…and finally something for the Statisticians

Thought somebody out there might be curious to see how far we have come in the last year. Bearing in mind that we have relocated internet site several times during that year (most notably during the summer of 2007) here are the number of unique visitors who have dropped in at www.daydreamgeneration.com since it first began. The last time I checked we were the 6,434,256th most popular website in the world, but the only way is up with your help as discussed. Actually, technically that’s not true, we could go backwards, but it would take some serious wind-change or technical hitches for that to happen:

Apr 07    305

May 07   373

Jun 07    430

Jul 07     1221

Aug 07    339

Sep 07    235

Oct 07    451

Nov 07   1446

Dec 07    1954

Jan 08    2151

Feb 08   1449*

Mar 08 (to date)   1111

*fuck, someone mustn’t have been pulling their weight in February.

Until tomorrow

Smally

7th March 2008

Not content to mine the internet in search of great new music and patch together compilations for your ears, The Daydream Generation will shortly be moving into a brave new world where we host entire albums. It’s an exciting development and made even more so by the fact that the first album we’ll be hosting exclusively will be the mighty Warchalking’s second album “Stratum”. You won’t be able to get your grubby hands on this anywhere else, so as they say “watch this space”.

Is it that time already? The last month since I wrestled with font trying to explain what 2008 would hold in store for us seems to have flown in. So before everything goes interstellar over here, I thought I would give anyone who frequents this neck of the woods a heads up aboutwhat is going on behind the scenes:THE DG BADGEOk, here’s the deal. We work long unpaid hours mining the Net in search of brilliant music, we clumsily approach bands and artists begging them for songs, and then we generate free daydreams for your ears. And now you can help us back – by wearing the DG Badge on your website or MySpace page, just to show us a little support and possibly send a bit of traffic our way. If you can (and of course you don’t have to) could you post the following code somewhere on your webpage or MySpace profile:<a href=”http://daydreamgeneration.com” target=”_blank”><imgsrc=”http://members.wwisp.com/~tara/images/dg_badge_CG.jpg” border=”0″></a>It should look like this:Pretty cool huh? (Tara take a bow) (Again).Like I say, we’re not going to be out after dark looking around for folk that really should have a badge like this, and I appreciate that some of you very switched on individuals already have a link to our website. But for those of you who don’t, well we don’t ask for a lot in return for promoting your music, or arranging free music for you, so hopefully it’s not a lot to ask.DG4Yes it’s that time again. The first compilation of 2008 is just about ready to BLASTOFF. Collating and arranging all the songs that have kindly been donated to the “Singles” project into two zip files that will fill a couple of CDs for you, and provide an eclectically poptastically psychedelically quixodelic strange soundtrack for your Spring. Or Autumn depending on which side of the globe you spin on. The promotional campaign will no doubt put the Democratic presidential nominations to shame and on a much tighter budget too. So just to warn you. Thanks to a carefully concocted blend of the new and the familiar, DG4 is going to be something pretty special. So get your download finger ready.RECRUITMENT!I’ve tried this before and failed miserably, but will try again. As you can see, me and Tara with a little help from some friends do a reasonably good job of keeping this big wooden ship of a musical project floating in some kind of direction. Where we are bound it is still too early to say, but the truth is that we could probably do it a whole lot better with a few more hands on the wheel. Going into 2008 The Daydream Generation is all about getting some momentum going and some magic wind in the sails. If you’ve got a bit of free time and an interest in discovering and championing great largely undiscovered music then we could do with the help. In particular I’m thinking about things like – helping to run our MySpace site, arranging artwork for the compilations, having a say on the various projects, putting together Dreamstream Radio podcasts, helping us to turn technology to our advantage, reviewing music… the list goes on and on. If you’re interested at all then drop me a line at smallywheelies@gmail.com – like I said to Tara when she first got involved, the pay is pretty shit, but the work is as rewarding a hobby as it gets. You get to meet some interesting people (often beautiful, but more often than not crazy). You get to discover new music. And you hopefully have a positive impact on the world, by helping great musicians get some recognition, and by influencing people who accidentally tune in. I’m not expecting a rush to the door to fill up the seats around the boardroom table, but in this case then if nobody steps forward then I will be coming out after dark to hunt down the folk I think should be involved. You have been warned. It will not be pretty. I have bad eyesight and have a tendency to stumble in the dark.ALBUMSYou might have noticed that there is a new section entitled “ALBUMS” at the top of the page. Then again you might not have. I can’t really say too much at this stage, but I will say that this will herald an exciting new stage in the DG’s relatively short-lived existence. Just keep watching this space over the next few weeks.And that as they say, is that.Just going back to the ship analogy before I go. We might be the ones turning the wheel, but the Daydream Generation couldn’t stay afloat without the continued support and cooperation of the individuals and bands who make up the compilations, and rise to the occasion whenever the occasion calls. So I just want to say thanks. I think we might be getting somewhere.Smally….

Talking of which. In the next couple of weeks I’ll be setting up a second MySpace page purely for artists who have featured on previous compilations, or are due to feature on up and coming projects. The main reason is simply that MySpace only has 40 places in its top friend list, and we’ve got a lot more than 40 top friends that we want to continue championing. Having a unique page will be a place where people who genuinely want to go and hear new exciting & honest music can easily access your bands and songs. In conjunction with that I’ll be redoing the – shit, this has suddenly gone bold and I can’t work out how to get it off – anyways, where was I? Oh yes, in conjunction with the second MySpace page, I’ll be redoing the “SHOP” section at the top of the website, instead aiming to have a single place where there are links to all the DG featured artists’ webpages and MySpace sites, bands both past and present, profile pictures, links to where you can buy or download records by said artists, songs where available you can play direct from the site, and hopefully a brief bio. It – feck, now it’s gone italic on me – (note to self: type on you’re running out of a lunch hour) – it’s going to take a bit of work obviously, but we’ll get there. I’ll get there.

Ah, that’s better!Also make sure to check out some of the links at the bottom right of the site. I want to try and create some kind of “Psychedelic Umbrella” down there, not just links to people who have helped out the project from day 1 – such as Beth (Bad Muffin) who designed our cool new lightbulb logo – cheers Beth! (insert smiley with shades) – but also to cover organisations and other projects that are places worth visiting if you are an unsigned musician making the sort of music we play here. So if anyone’s got any tips on people you think would be worthwhile me putting links to then let me know – daydreamgen@gmail.comSame goes for bands and artists you’d like to hear featured. I said on the MySpace Blog that it helps when you guys recommend someone to us and keep it in the family.Ok, so that’s my lunch hour over. I’ve typed like a loon. And probably sounded like one too. I just wanted to say Happy New Year to you all, and to try and give you a keyhole peek into what’s happening behind the scenes. It sounds like a lot, but it’s really only the tip of the iceberg, I didn’t even get a chance to talk about the proposed mp3 store, or the t-shirts, or the fact that nobody has completed The Maze, or the fact that Splendid Isolation have a 3rd podcast well worth checking out featuring Sgt Dunbar and Jon Of The Atom… ah, there’s just so much and so very little time.So bye for nowSmally

After this we will put together the final listing of songs for our last free download of the year. So before it’s too late & your favourite band/song doesn’t get the recognition they deserve, then please go here:

http://daydreamgeneration.com/site/?p=37

and take part in this rare moment of DG democracy.If a band features multiple times at the top end of the list then we’ll use their most popular song. If a couple of songs are tied then I’ll run them past Smally Jr’s ears. For now here’s the pick of your pops:Dylan Gough – If The World 8Rollercoaster – Space Rockin’ (Got Me Down On My Knees) 8The Virgo 9 – My Love 8Rollercoaster – I Guess You Sold Your Soul 7Rollercoaster – Slide It On 7The Shivas – Big Man 7Alright Lights – I’m On Fire 6Cashew Cook – Morning Sun 6Dylan Gough – Dinosaurs 6The Invisible Mouth – Colour My World 6River Speak English – Puzzle Piece 6Rocketships Of Love – Crimson & Clover 6The Wheelies with Warning! Heat Ray! – When The Morning Comes 6