The New Cue

“Everything sucks, I’m so sad and dumb all the time.” Good morning ledges, Welcome to another round of Recommender shenanigans from your hosts Niall and Ted. It’s Ted’s birthday tomorrow so don’t forget to wish him a happy birthday and buy him a pint if you bump into him.

What we’ve got for you today is a cracker of a Life & Times interview with E, aka Mark Oliver Everett, aka the ringleader and songwriter supreme of Eels, the band who turn up with a reliably excellent new album of sweetly melodic and lyrically wise indie-rock every two years. Their latest gem is called Cookie Happened and arrives in mid-October. It’s Niall here, and I spoke to E over Zoom a few weeks ago.

It’s Friday, nearly the weekend, come on! But it’s the international break so there’s no league football, just nonsense Nations League qualification. What are we going to do to while away the hours? Who knows, maybe listen to some music (insert face with glasses and buck teeth emoji) and boogie? Allow us then to suggest some below in our Friday Recommender edition. It’s a really good week for releases, a couple of stand-outs that you get tasters of here… Or here for the Apple Music crew.

Last Friday, Dundalk’s magnificent Mary Wallopers released their rollicking third album, Paddywhackery, produced by James Skelly of The Coral. I urgently advise you to put it on right now. It’s a good way to start any week. Meanwhile, last Monday I, Ted, got on the old Zoom with main man Charles Hendy. He was at home in Ireland, preparing to leave on a run of “guerrilla gigs”, including this week in Liverpool and London. “I'm feeling tired,” he admitted. “I'm feeling very tired.

Welcome to your weekly dose of Recommender, a dose that will be even more potent by the time it’s delivered because TK has just messaged me to say he’s going to add some more stuff when he’s back from doing whatever it is he’s doing. Being a man about town, I hope, with a pint or two thrown in at some point, god willing. Hey, here’s this week’s playlist, press play and it’s all yours: And here it is for all you Apple Music cats.

In June this year, I asked about a Beth Orton interview for our coveted Life & Times slot. She had a beautiful, elemental, self-produced new album called The Ground Above out that month, one of our favourites of the year, and it seemed as if the stars were aligning. Such a good record. It slipped through the cracks for a few months, until in August, during the week of the eclipse, I, Ted, Zoomed with her at her home down the road in London.

Good morning, Here we go for another Recommender edition, one that includes a couple of releases that have completely changed and improved my week, which is exciting. You’ll have to read below the line to find out more, of course, and to do that you’ll need to be a paying subscriber. It’s a club that enables twice weekly delivery of both New Cue editions, plus full access to our archive that now stretches beyond five years. You’ll also be honestly able to wear a badge that reads “I Am A Ledge”.

Good morning, You join us today for a Life & Times (and near-death) natter with Dexys Midnight Runners don Kevin Rowland. On Friday, Dexys released their new album Love. Kevin has said it could be their last, although he has made similar noises before. Either way, it’s sumptuous and soulful and a hell of a way to go out: It’s Niall here. A couple of weeks ago, I hopped on a Zoom to speak to Kevin for today’s edition. He was feeling a little peaky but he talked his way into it.

Good morning everyone, Welcome to your Friday Recommender edition, wherein we recommend the week’s releases that have most tickled our fancies - I don’t know what that means either - and also bung in a Release Valve interview if we remember to get that together. This week we have, it’s with Amanda Palmer. It’s a good one and she’s sent in a better-than-usual selfie with it, too. But you only get to see and read all that if you subscribe. Sorry, I don’t make the rules, except in this case.

Good morning crew, Welcome to a bumper Recommender edition, with two Release Valve Q&As amidst our regular selection of new music picks. A lot of great vibes to get stuck into, but only if you are in possession of a full TNC access-all-areas pass, which costs £5 a month and is just one click away: Our eternal thanks to our paying subscribers, we think you are the absolute nuts. Here’s this week’s playlist: Oh you’re more of an Apple Music sort, are you? Well, here you go.