Gotta do this one quick cause I've got food in the oven and I'm getting ready etc. The story behind it, in the briefest terms possible, stems from a conversation me and my good friend John had the other day, whilst heading for a quiet beer at Belushi's. In the midst of our chinwag, we stumbled across the magical British sitcom that is, Men Behaving Badly, as John recited the episode where Gary, who is supposed to be going home for a meal with his girlfriend Dorothy, ends up getting pissed at the pub with Tony instead. Classic male behaviour, which we feared we may be tempted to emulate (only we were trying to not go out for the sake of university work, not the love of a woman). Anyway, I started watching it again from scratch and the theme tune has been stuck in my head ever since. I haven't managed to find out who plays it yet, but if I do, I'll be sure to come back and edit them a mention in somewhere. So, without further ado, here's today's TOTD:

Excitement has filled my insides and manifested in my ear. Today is a good day, and don't let anybody tell you otherwise. And although it's not the official release day for it, today will go down in history as the day that Bon Iver's self-titled new album was pre-maturely revealed to the world, thanks to sneaky weasel who was good enough to leak it via the internet. Whoever you are, I both love and hate you for it. I'm on to about my fourth listen of the album now and I have to say I'm loving every second of it. Once again, Justin Vernon and co. have made a record that consists of elegant, tranquil quality throughout, with that nice little pinch of 'oh yeah, we're awesome'... and I can't thank them enough. I decided to pick a track from the new album that's named after my Dad's current hometown; it seemed fairly fitting. So, without further ado, here's today's TOTD:

It's always good when the TOTD comes nice and easy; even better when it decides to materialise in the middle of eating breakfast with my favourite non-biologically related sister, Isobel. See, to get the jist of things we need to go back to when I was washing the dishes the other day. I had all three Band of Horses albums on shuffle, and a song came on which I'd heard before but wasn't massive familiar with. Isobel heard it when she came into the kitchen and it really got her musical taste-buds going. So we're having breakfast/lunch together today and I decide to put some music on, at which point Izz asks me to 'put that Band of Horses song on'. I guess I took it as a sign, and because it's a great song, by an even better band, I decided it would make a fitting addition to my TOTD's. So, without any further ado, here's today's Track of the Day:

Okay, I've definitely let this one get a little out of hand (as per usual). Four tracks in one day? Crazy talk, I know.

Friday's TOTD came to me when me and the boys were out at the Beau Nash having a few quiet drinks, whilst enjoying the Cardiff/Reading play-off semi-final. There was a cover band playing all sorts, dabbling between various genres and generations. I didn't catch their name, otherwise I'd be plugging them right about now. Anyway, picture the scene: I've got a pint in one hand, a burger in the other, watching the football with the lads and they bang this little gem out. Beer, burger, football and music... what more can you ask for? So, without further ado, here's the first of four TOTD's:

Moving on swiftly, we have Saturday's TOTD. This one is for my good friend, Mr Adam Hale. It came on during a pre-drinks session at the historical flat of D203 and Adam was keen to reiterate his love for it. We've heard the story a thousand times, but for those who haven't, he plans on having his first dance with his wife to this one (we didn't quite get the concept either, but just go with it). It comes from Swedish one-hit-wonder, Andreas Johnson, which I guess pretty much gives it away. So, without further ado, here's Saturday's TOTD: 

This next track is for the boys who were round at mine last night for the gentlemen's gathering. It stems from the evenings first film of choice, Superbad, which of course we all know and love. But just incase you aren't familiar, for whatever strange and twisted reason that may be, Sunday's TOTD comes from a scene in the film when Michael Cera's character, Evan, gets stuck in room full of blokes doing cocaine. I won't say anymore, but I'm sure anyone who's seen it knows the relevance of the track. So, without further ado, here's track number 3/4: 

Last, but by no means least, I've got a new talent to flaunt to you. Unfortunately, I can't take credit for his discovery. However, I can achknowledge the source which introduced me to him, which is my good man, Tom Burns. Tom and I have a tendency of sharing artists with one another from time to time and it's safe to say he nailed it with this one. The artist in question is 20 year old Ed Sheeran, whose induction to the music industry is extremely imminent. My interest in him originated with this video, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=temYymFGSEc, which I would recommend you watch, as it really showcases Sheeran's talents. But failing that, I see no reason to delay the final TOTD any longer. So, without further ado, here's today's TOTD:

Ok, this is just going to have to be a brief synopsis, 'cause I've already tried to publish it once, but weebly decided it would be funnier if it just redirected my post into their cyber-bin. Anyway, today's TOTD comes from The Strokes; more specfically it comes from their new album, 'Angles', which was released on the 18th of March. It's taken me a while to get round to it, but having now spent plenty of time in it's company, it's easy to see why the critics have warmed to it. I can almost see the Strokes fans across the world, rejoicing! So, without further ado, it gives me great pleasure to provide a snippet of the quality that can be found amongst The Strokes' modern day efforts, with today's TOTD:

Well, well, well... today's track of the day is a pretty interesting one. Don't get too excited, I'm not promoting the world's next, best, latest and greatest song, but this track is quite a significantly important one for the band in question. To get the general jist of things, we'd have to go back to January 24th, 2005. In the midst of a wave of 'next-big-things' that were trying to make their names on the 'band' scene, were four young gentlemen hailing from the depths of Staines, Surrey. These were, of course, the founding members of indie rock band, Hard-Fi. Bursting onto the scene with their debut single, 'Cash Machine', they really caught the eyes of the critics and their debut album which followed, 'Stars of CCTV', didn't disappoint either. Two years later though, with the likes of 'Tied Up Too Tight', 'Hard to Beat' and 'Living for the Weekend' well and truly behind them, the pressure was on to produce an equally impressive follow up. Unfortunately, the band's second album didn't quite make the grade, with 'Once Upon a Time in the West' falling short of the expectations of critics and fans alike. However, after going into hiding for a bit of R&R, the lads find themselves here, four years older and wiser, with a new single hoping to remind us all why we fell in love with them in the first place. A new album is undoubtedly nigh, but for now I guess you'll have to settle for the single. So, without further ado, here's today's TOTD:

Ok, so first up is yesterday's TOTD from American soul singer, Egbert Nathanial Dawkins III. Of course, as is the case with a lot of artists these days, you may know him better by his stage name, Aloe Blacc. I heard this one the other day and I was convinced that it was an old, old track, perhaps from the Motown era or something. Then when I decided to look it up, I found that, much to my surprise, the track itself isn't even a year old; and the artist no-older than his early 30's. I'm partial to a bit of soul and (proper) rhythm and blues, which meant this was always gonna be a winner for me. So, without further ado, here's yesterday's track of the day:

Moving on swiftly to today's TOTD, which was inspired by my first English Literature lecture of this term at university. My lecturer, William 'Bill' Hughes pulled 'Simon and Garfunkel' out of the bag when trying to describe something (which unfortunately seems to have evaded my memory... that's money well spent). I've had it stuck in my head since the lecture, so I figured I'd share the heavy load of repetition with you all and pollute your minds in a similar fashion. So, without further ado, I give you today's TOTD:

I was thinking of the track to throw on here for today's TOTD and I was struggling. I didn't just wanna steal one from the charts or something because, let's face it, that's just not the way it should be. So I thought I would take this opportunity to dabble in something which would have definitely gotten a mention, had the album's release coincided with the beginning of the whole TOTD thing. Mike Skinner, better known as the led rapper/singer of The Streets, has been a pioneer in the rising popularity UK Hip-Hop. Since bursting onto the scene in 2002 with the bands first album, Original Pirate Material, he and Johnny Drum Machine (along with the aid of various live support along the way) have delivered 10 years of shape-shifting, genre-mixing, tongue-twisting hip-hop, all the way up until their final installment, Computer and Blues, on which today's TOTD features. Having seen a dip in critical acclaim with their 3rd & 4th albums, The Streets delivered a superb final album, reminding the world of exactly why they fell in love with The Streets in the first place. If you haven't already heard it, I suggest you get your arse into gear and do your homework. Anyway, I've picked this track to fly the flag for the album, as it has a tendency of getting me in the mood for going out. So, without further ado, here's today's TOTD:

Just gonna do this one quick cause I've just got in the house, after a day of going out for peoples birthdays and not drinking etc. etc... tired to say the least. Anyway, I found out about this band because the critics have dubbed them 'the next big thing'. Famous last words for a lot of bands, to say the least. The band in question are The Vaccines, and this is the first and only track I've heard from them so far. It's right up my street, to be fair, so I may be blinded by personal bias, but I think that if they can bang out some more tunes like this one then there's no reason why the couldn't make a name for themselves. As for being 'the next big thing', I don't think I'd commit to them just on the basis of one song. Either way, The Vaccines have made it onto my radar, and I guess that's all that really matters in the boundaries of my little existence. So, without further ado, here's today's (technically yesterdays) TOTD:

No big explanation about this one, mostly because I'm full of busy today! But to cut a long story short, I picked this one up from a list of NME's recommended tracks. I've listened to the album that accompanies the track and on first glance it seems like this is may be the sore thumb in comparison to the rest of the album. However, I will be giving it a thorough listen to, as I have a funny feeling it may be a bit of a grower. On a more positive note, one of the band members does originate from the glorious city of Newcastle, so I'm sure they'd be worth a more severe dissecting. Anyway, without further ado, from the band 'Everything Everything', here is your TOTD: