Links

 
We are linking to sites that we think will interest toppermost visitors
so let us know about your music website/blog.
FromMeToYou[at]toppermost.co.uk

Across The Kitchen Table – some half decent tunes…
Acts of Vandalism – sharing under-appreciated music both new & old
The Album Wall – a blog about albums
All About Blues Music – best in blues music, traditional and modern
All Dylan – a Bob Dylan blog
Annie’s Music-y Thoughts – “writing about songs I like”
Another Kind Of Mind – includes recommended books on music
At The Edge Of The Sea – Gareth’s blog of musical discovery
Backseat Mafia – current Psychedelic Music Scene
Bagging Area – Swiss Adam’s music blog
Beat City – new music podcast
Beat City Diary – with a little rhythm & soul
Beaten Generation – music … because (Paul Flint’s blog)
Best Albums of the Year – from the year 2000
Blabber ‘n’ Smoke – a Glasgow view of Americana
The Blackpool Sentinel – music conversation, some of it long-lost
Bloggerhythms – Why have silence when you can have music?
The Blue Moment – a blog about music by Richard Williams
Border Affair – Songwriters & Rockers
boxofpeppers – taking waffling about music to unexplored heights
Brian Greene – writer – Brian Greene’s blog
Burned All My Notebooks – Wayne Jessup’s blog
Busy Are We? – Mixless mixes – decent new/old music
chimesfreedom – Pophistory: music, movies, history, life
Chop’s Top Fives – putting everything in its right place
The Clarkophile – celebrating Gene Clark
Classic Album Sundays – a new listening experience
The Classic Rocker – too much to dream last night
Classical 33 – online UK record store
Contra-Flow – recommended rock compendium
Cooking Up A Quiet Storm – only the finest musical ingredients
Derek’s Music Blog – lifelong crate-digger, all sorts of music
Did Not Chart – “no commercial potential” (FZ)
Do You Remember Music – yesterday, back by popular demand
Downstairs Lounge – vinyl nuggets of British comedy records
Eight Miles Higher – Andrew Darlington’s blog
Elements of Jazz – all about the vibrant world of jazz
emilystrax – Emily Reily’s blog … music is a passion
Essentially Pop – pop essentials…and a little bit more
Every Record Tells A Story – music blog, reviews & reports
Factory Records – complete catalogue etc
Fallen Angels Club – Glasgow Americana
The Fanning Sessions Archive – Irish recordings from the 80s
Fast ‘n’ Bulbous – reviews rants & lists Up the Wazoo
50thirdand3rd – for music junkies
Folk Music & Folk Singers – progress through the folk scene
For Your Reading Entertainment – a music and culture blog
Forgotten Hits – musical memories and loving lists
Free EPs – covermounts collected
Frozen Veg Project – creating new music inspired by old
Fuzzed Up – UK shoegaze & dream pop
Garage Hangover – 1960s garage rock bands
Garden Forum – PJ Harvey community
The Ghost of Electricity – a blog of blether & grooves 2006-2013
A Goldfish Called Regret – Rob Morgan’s music site
The Great Album Diaries – listening to the greatest albums ever made…
Hidden Herd – trawlin’ for new music, waxing lyrical
Hiding Under Covers – readings/writings/listenings from Rob Webb
History, Mystery, Music & Pop – David Lewis’s blog
A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs – podcast – one song at a time
An Ideal For Living – Matt Catchpole’s music blog
Ill Folks – celebrating the under-appreciated & unusual
The Immortal Jukebox – music and popular culture
Into the Popvoid – an alternative history of pop
Irish Rock – Irish music from the 60s onwards
Isolation Records – totally independent music site
JamSpreader – music blog spreading good jams…
Jimi Hendrix Lifelines – compiled by Ben Valkhoff
Joop’s Musical Flowers – original versions of famous songs
KendrickMusicFreak – from early 80s indie to britpop & beyond
Kill The Sound – Jonathan Horsfall’s music blog
Lamontations – Norman Lamont’s blog
Lazer Guided Melody – tangents from listening to too many records
Logo Fiasco Records – leftfield, psychedelic and ambient sounds
Louder Than War – editor John Robb
Made You A Tape – celebrating the lost art of mix tapes
maffblog – compiler of album lists
Mainly Norfolk – English Folk and other Good Music
Make Your Own Taste – eclectic reviews of ambient, psychedelic, folk etc.
Marmalade Skies – the home of British psychedelia
MillersMixTapes – because compact is cool
Mix It All Up – signed and/or unsigned bands in S.England
Monday Monday Music – Rock ‘n’ Roll and Americana blog
Monkey Picks – reviews and indulgence by Mark Raison
Motown Junkies – analysis of every Motown single
The Music Room – open the door and listen
Music To Wash Up To – John Toolan’s blog
Music vs The World – reviews of new bands, playlists
Music With Rich – one big long music conversation
Musical Urbanism – the intersection of urban studies and popular music
Musically Speaking… – Bear’s Gig Almanac and other stories…
My Eighties – growing up in the 80s
My Husband’s Stupid Record Collection – listening one record at a time
My Life in the Mosh of Ghosts – every gig I’ve ever seen
Nanostalgic – nostalgic appreciator of college rock
Negative Insight – 1980s hardcore punk
The New Perfect Collection – building the (new) perfect collection
Nineties Albums – Top 50s
OBs Music UK – for talented-but-under-the-radar-musicians
On Books On Music – reflections on new books about music and musicians
On Pirate Satellite – radical music therapy
Once Upon a Time in The 70s – nostalgia & memories of the 1970s
One Album a Week – a hidden gem once a week
1001 Songs – 40 years ago today in music
Other Formats Are Available – music and random culture
Peter Viney’s blog – music and entertainment reviews
Pop Thruster – best 1,000 albums ever
Prog Archives – most complete progressive rock resource
Psychedelic Jukebox – music from the golden age
Radio London – listen to a Big L Fab 40
Ralph’s Life – music blog – new bands
RedSoapBox – “lovely music writing as ever”
The Riverboat Captain – musings on music and more
Rock Roots – Irish Rock Music Archive
Say It With Garage Flowers – musical musings from Sean Hannam
Scientists of Sound – the latest and best new music
The Shadow On The Wall – underground and indie music lovers
Simon Reynolds blissblog – retromania, rip it up & other sites
Sing Out! – folk music pioneers
Sir Shambling’s Deep Soul Heaven – A-Z of Soul Music
Something Else! Reviews – thoughts on rock, jazz, blues…
The Songs That People Sing – music blog 2008 onwards
Soul and Jazz – around 25 new shows posted each month
Sound & Music – UK national agency for new music
Sounding Bored – UK monthly music podcast
Sounds Familiar – Nicola Tyzack’s music blog
Spiked Candy – vintage, French & lesser-known pop
Stritch Manzello’s Record Room – it’s the music that counts!
The Studios of London – a history of London’s recording studios
Take a Trip to Anorak City – fanzine writer, record collector!
Tales from the Woods – roots music networking
Talk from the Rock Room – on bootlegs, guitars, classic rock and records
The Beautiful Music – collectors & distributors of fine music
Then Play Long – reviewing every UK No.1 album
33.45.78 – All Vinyl Radio Show – formerly Back To The Sugar Camp
Tiny Music Critic – pithy reviews of new releases
TJ Music – a roots music magazine
Today’s Album – everyday a classic or newly discovered gem
Totally Shuffled – a year of listening on an iPod
Trust the Wizards – genre-defying, epoch-crossing musical podcast/blog
Turn Up The Volume! – for music junkies and gig addicts
TweeNet – the indiepop reference and portal site
Vinyl Hops – beer & vinyl
Vinyl Rewind from the Vinyl Geek – guides you with his charming wit
Vive Le Rock! – magazine
Voices of East Anglia – retro pop culture
Way Back Attack – keeping the music of the 50s and 60s alive
We Love All That – musical memories
The Wood and the Trees – music and gigs blog

HAVE YOURSELF A MERRY INDIE CHRISTMAS 2022

A fundraising album for Crisis, a UK charity which helps the homeless. Every penny raised will go to Crisis at Christmas, the annual project to care for the homeless over Christmas and beyond. The album is the brainchild of Welsh music journalist Kevin McGrath who curated the V4Velindre charity compilation last year, labelled “a brilliant and lovingly compiled album” by the Guardian’s John Harris.

Have Yourself A Merry Indie Christmas: Volume I

Original Xmas songs in a diverse range of genres, including indie, singer-songwriter, folk, americana, surf-rock, psychedelia, electronic, punk & post-punk from over 50 bands/artists including The Green Pajamas, Jodie Marie, Dodgy, The Pearlfishers, Crocodiles, Sally Shapiro, The Lilac Time, Jeremy Neale, Armstrong, The Popguns, Shelley Harland, White Town, Suzzy Roche and Lucy Wainwright Roche, Trembling Blue Stars, Wednesday Week …

Digital album available here (£7 GBP).

Have Yourself A Merry Indie Christmas: Volume 2

Over 50 more bands/artists including Bis, BOB, The Haywains, Helen Love, Boo Hewerdine, Spearmint, Eddi Reader, The Hannah Barberas, Pete Astor, Ballboy, Tot Taylor, The Pocket Gods …

Digital album available here (£7 GBP).

Here it is – the third volume in the magical Have Yourself a Merry Indie Christmas series with tracks from bands and solo artists including The Futureheads, Lisa Mychols, The Wedding Present, Health & Wellbeing, The Pearlfishers, The Hannah Barberas, Caleb Nichols, Jetstream Pony, Euros Childs, Wednesday Week … In 2022, Volumes 1 and 2 raised money for the charity Crisis at Christmas. Supported by leading critics John Harris and Pete Paphides the albums played on BBC6 Music, BBC Scotland, Radio X, while each volume was Album of the Week on the Huw Stephens show on BBC Radio Wales. So far the albums have raised over £5,800 for the charity. While the first two volumes boasted 54 tracks each, volume 3 weighs in at 35 tracks, a fact reflected in the lower price of £5 and you can buy all 3 volumes here.

“Have Yourself a Merry Indie Christmas (Volumes 1-3) are a guidebook to an alternate universe of Christmas music that few know exists” ChristmasUnderground.com

The brainchild of Welsh music journalist Kevin McGrath, the V4Velindre charity compilation digital album is totally unique and brings together creative artists from Europe and America (including Armstrong, BOB, Nightingales, Wedding Present) to raise funds for the NHS at the Velindre Cancer Centre in Whitchurch, Cardiff, where Kevin has been cared for as an outpatient over the past eight years.

“A brilliant, lovingly compiled album.” John Harris, author and music journalist

For some background into the project and full details of the 43-track listing see the God Is In The TV website.

V4Velindre was released on 1st October 2021 and you can buy it for just £7 here.