2011 Most Played

Server problems continue to plague Optical, but fear not. There is still the podcast to be enjoyed.

Here are the Odd Girl Out top five most played artists of 2011:

1. AGF
Incredibly prolific, with numerous solo and collaborative releases, expat German wordsmith/musician Antye Greie had another sparkling year. I particularly recommend her poetry-inspired Gedichterbe.

2. Jude Cowan
A London-based multi-threat, Jude came into the studio to play live and we hit it off immediately, going on to collaborate on a short film cycle. In addition to the remix version of her William Blake project, she produced a stream of improvs based on news stories.

3. Planningtorock
W was my favourite album of the year and numerous remixes also did the rounds, courtesy of Janine Rostron's Berlin-based alter ego.

4. The Dark Shadows
The Sydney trio released some limited edition vinyl and finished up the year with an EP, 11:11, in two different versions.

5. Rebecca Clamp
The Helsinki-based British folk artist also visited the studios for a chat to discuss her latest album, The Keys to the City.

Here is a video from one of AGF's projects, Beatnadel.

AGF: Beatnadel 2011, Introduction from agf Pro on Vimeo.

Technical difficulties...

Looks like the server problems are persisting, so no show today and perhaps not on Sunday, either. Curses!

This week's repeat: show five

After server problems disrupted last week's show, I am hoping show five will go out as planned this week. This show from November 2009 features an interview with Bettina Köster and a feature on The Slits.

Here is Bettina performing her cover of "Femme Fatale".

This week's repeat: show four

Show four features interviews with artist Verena Kyselka and Cocteau Twin Elizabeth Fraser.

Here is a video for "Half Gifts", one of Liz's most revealing lyrics.

Odd Girl Out podcast 1

Here is a sampling of recent interviews and encounters with arty folk in highly condensed form. This may be a regular or occasional feature. Guests are Jude Cowan, Jasmina Maschina, Carol Morley, Susie MacMurray and The Dark Shadows.

Odd Girl Out podcast 1 by Val Phoenix

This week's repeat: show three

Still in autumn, 2009, show three featured hot-off-the-press-interviews from the London Film Festival with directors Shirin Neshat and Jane Campion, as well as a little Berlin set, featuring a chat with Gudrun Gut.

This is actually a reconstructed version of this show, as the original was destroyed after it was recorded.

Here is the trailer for Shirin Neshat's film, Women Without Men.

Women Without Men Trailer from Transmission Films on Vimeo.

This week's repeat: show two

This week's repeat is show two, from October 2009, featuring interviews with Gossip singer Beth Ditto and Mad Chicks.

Here is some live old-school Gossip.

This week's repeat: show one

This week begins the re-run of Odd Girl Out from the beginning. And, so, to show one, which featured an archive chat with Ari Up and her mum, Nora.

Here's a gem I found online.

Odd Girl Out: show 85

My final show on Optical featured a selection of old faves. So, that's all, folks. 

Show 85; 17/11/11; repeat 20/11 

Avengers—I Believe in Me 

PJ Harvey—Yuri-G 

Peaches—I U She 

Julie Ruin—Aerobicide 

Sinead O'Connor—Just Like U Said It Would B 

Foehn—Isolate 

Susie MacMurray—interview 

Scrawl—Your Mother Wants to Know 

Vanessa Paradis—Joe le Taxi 

Gossip—Heartbeats 

X-ray Spex—The Day the World Turned Day-Glo 

Pixies—Ana (BBC session) 

The Long Blondes—Giddy Stratospheres 

The Go-Gos—(Remember) Walkin' in the Sand 

The Au Pairs—Come Again 

Mekons and Michelle Shocked—Prince of Darkness 

k.d. lang—Pine and Stew 

Belly—Dream on Me 

Malaria!—Einsam 

Dee Rees—interview 

Eurythmics—Jennifer 

Pat Benatar—Fire and Ice 

Altered Images—See You Later 

Blonde Redhead—Hated Because of Great Qualities 

Kristin Hersh—A Cleaner Light 

Heavenly—She and Me 

Siouxsie and the Banshees—Happy House 

Cyndi Lauper—Girls Just Wanna Have Fun (Hydrogen Bootleg mix) 

Ladytron—He Took Her to a Movie 

Phranc—Surfer Girl 

Cocteau Twins—Wax and Wane (Peel session) 

Lauryn Hill—Ex-Factor 

Marianne Faithfull—Broken English 

Lucinda Williams—Passionate Kisses 

Bjork—Play Dead 

Blondie—Underground Girl

Coming up on show 85

This week's show features two sparkling new interviews, the first with artist Susie MacMurray, and the second with director Dee Rees, discussing her new film, Pariah.

This week will be my last show on Optical Radio. Odd Girl Out will then go on hiatus and may return in some new form. Keep an eye out here for information. In the meantime, the show will be repeating in the usual slots on Optical, at least for awhile.

As this will be the last show, I thought I would make the music a selection of tunes that mean something to me, a musical My Life Story.

Here is the trailer for Pariah.

Odd Girl Out: show 84

The New Special, featuring music from the last few months, was pre-recorded, in order for me to attend a gig and see what this crazy "live music" thing is all about. Kooky. 

Show 84; 10/11/11; repeat 13/11 

Feathers—Heartbreakers 

Laura Gibson—La Grande 

David Lynch ft. Karen O—Pinky's Dream 

Jasmina Maschina—Retrospective Hallucination 

Dangerous Dinky—interview 

Julia Holter—Goddess Eyes 

Chairlift—Sidewalk Safari 

A Sunny Day in Glasgow—Hybrid Moments 

Daughter—Love 

Sleeper Agent—Get Burned 

Cate Le Bon—Work 

Givers—Meantime (Bombay Bicycle Club mix) 

Kimya Dawson—Driving Driving Driving 

High Places—Year Off 

Roseanne Barrr—You Lie 

Sin Kitty—Skin Crash 

Suburban Mousewife—My Idol Is Me 

Gazelle Twin—Changelings 

New War—Ghostwalking (Wild Body live dub by HTRK) 

Lea De Laria—interview 

Meshell Ndegeocello—Dirty World 

Bleached—Searching Through the Past 

Asobi Seksu—Little House of Savages 

Princess Chelsea—Too Fast to Live 

Sahara Hotnights—Let You Down 

Anna-Anna—Cat-Eyes 

Fleetwood Mac—Rhiannon (Flying White Dots Diskomiks) 

Terrible Truths—Diamond 

Lianne La Havas—Don't Wake Me Up 

Carter Tanton ft. Marissa Nadler—Fake Pretend 

North Highlands—Steady Steady 

Chains of Love—Breaking My Heart 

Metronomy—Everything Goes My Way (CazeNove mix)

Coming up on show 84

Otherwise known as the "New" special, show 84 has already been recorded and features music from the last three months, plus interviews with musician Dangerous Dinky and (in a vintage chat) comic Lea DeLaria.

Here's Lea in her other career as a jazz singer.

Odd Girl Out: show 83

An unseasonably warm and definitely seasonably wet autumn day's show. Enjoy it while you can... 

Show 83; 3/11/11; repeat 6/11 

Operator Please—Cringe 

Cocoon—Chupee 

Shunda K ft Snax—Time to Get Paid (Dickey Doo's Ol' Skool mix) 

LCMDF—Take Me to the Mountains (Derek Allen Mad Decent mix) 

Pat Laureate—interview 

Lung Leg—Whisky-a-Go-Go 

Gazelle Twin—Men Like Gods 

Solex—Solex Feels Lucky 

AGF—Rooster Beats 

Dubstar—St. Swithin's Day 

Korallreven—Sa Sa Samoa 

Exene Cervenka—Woman of the Year 

Princess Chelsea—Yulia 

Camille—Ta Douleur 

Grimes—Oblivion 

Supersnazz—Middle of the Way 

Me&LP—Bonnie Says (No Shitty Ride) 

Rubeo—Movie Star 

Viv Albertine—Never Come 

Lucy Stoners—Mental Xtrakshun 

Miranda July—interview 

The CeBe Barnes Band—She's a Winner 

Keep Shelly in Athens—DIY 

Edith Frost—Temporary Loan 

Tennis—Tell Her No 

Yael Naim—New Soul 

The Slingbacks—The Beach Song 

Katie Herzig—Free My Mind (RAC mix) 

Gash—The Future 

1000 Spoons—It's Not Totally Enormous But It's Okay 

Keren Ann—Ailleurs 

The Pastels—Cycle (My Bloody Valentine mix) 

Zambri—Heather Heather 

Lana del Rey—Blue Jeans (Penguin Prison mix)

Coming up on show 83

This week's interviews are a newbie with indie director Miranda July and a vintage chat with Vesuvius Records boss Pat Laureate.

Here's the trailer for Miranda July's new film, The Future, which gets its UK release on 4 November.

Time change to GMT

This morning the clocks went back in the UK from BST to GMT. So, today's repeat of show 82 should follow suit.

Odd Girl Out: show 82

The last show on BST, as the clocks go back this Sunday a.m.! 

Show 82; 27/10/11; 30/10 repeat

A.P.P.L.E.—If in Heaven 

Daughters of Eve—Don't Waste My Time 

Esben and the Witch—Hexagons II (The Flight) 

dodo—Cleopatra's Needle 

Bettina Knaup—interview 

Virginia Dare—Ships Go Down 

The Beets—Doing As I Do 

The Beatle-ettes—Only Seventeen 

Clara Luzia—Snow Woman 

Gaffa—Otovreno 

Friends—My Boo 

The Gun and Doll Show—Crazy 

Jasmina Maschina—Forgotten Wood 

The Melons—See If I Don't 

Sue P. Fox—Dear Beauty Editor 

Roseanne Barrr—Thief's Journal 

Gas—World Peace 

Annie Crane—Ghost Body 

Sarah Peebles—Where All the Wild Things Went 

Brigitte Handley—interview 

The Dark Shadows—Eisbär 

She Makes War—Delete 

The Tourists—Summers Night 

Shit Robot—Answering Machine (Planningtorock mix) 

the sunshine club—When Love Comes Down 

Toxic Waste—Traditionally Yours 

Skinned Teen—Punk Rockest 

Princess Chelsea—Caution Repetitive 

Dolly Parton—Jolene (Sweetish mix) 

Miguel Migs ft. Meshell—Close Your Eyes 

Barbara Manning—Stain on the Sun 

Phantogram—Don't Move 

Falange—Falange Suburbana 

Yasmin—Tropics 

CSS—City Grrrl (Teeth mix)

Coming up on show 82

Still on BST for this show, which will feature a 2009 interview with re.act.feminism curator Bettina Knaup, plus a walking-and-talking chat from last summer with singer/guitarist Brigitte Handley.

Here is a live clip of Brigitte's band, The Dark Shadows, which is touring Europe from this week.

Repeat today at 15:00

Following my confusion over time zones and problems with the player, today's repeat of show 81 will go out in 20 minutes, at 15:00 BST.

Odd Girl Out: show 81

The second anniversary show got off to a bit of a stumbling start, owing to some equipment changes, but then settled down to present some highlights of the last 12 months of the show. 

Show 81; 20/10/11; repeated 23/10

The Duke Spirit—Everybody's Under Your Spell Johanna and the Dusty Floor—Witch Shoes Metronomy—The Look (Ghostpoet mix) She Makes War—interview Carol Bui—'Geisha' Means 'Open-minded' Unthanks—Queen of Hearts Le Butcherettes—I'm Getting Sick of You Oh Really—interview Emmy the Great—Century of Sleep Asobi Seksu—Trails Raveonettes—I Wanna Be Adored Jude Cowan—Egypt Art Revolution (live) Architecture in Helsinki—Contact High (Clock Opera mix) Petra und der Wolf—Disco ilex—Hals Angry Lisa Gornick / Campbell—interview Angus and Julia Stone—Big Jet Plane (Michael Brun bootleg) Eleanor Friedberger—My Mistakes Jesse Ruins—Dream Analysis Rebecca Clamp—interview Yelle—Que Veux Tu Warpaint—Shadows Laurie Anderson—Duets on Ice (live excerpt) Josefeen Foxter—reading Thao and Mirah—Love Is a Battlefield Jean Grae—Casebasket AGF / Craig Armstrong—Writing Pitch and Depth Gabriella Apicella—interview Marissa Nadler—Baby, I Will Leave You in the Morning Amanda Palmer—Map of Tasmania (ft. Young Punx) tUnE-YarDs—Bizness (Blackbird Blackbird mix) JD Samson—interview Christina Aguilera—Birds of Prey (Reuben Wu Ladytron mix) Girl in a Thunderbolt—Nitroglycerine Ringo Deathstarr—Imagine Hearts Cults—Abducted The Kills—DNA CALLmeKAT—My Sea Seapony—Dreaming