Episode 44 - 56 minutes running time

Welcome to the Best of 2008 Review from This Reality Podcast, the Oxfordshire-based home of the very best music and the most politically animated rants you will find anywhere in your ears. Probably.

This is the last Episode of 2008 so we do the traditional round-up. We wave a personal goodbye to the year with Brennig’s most favourite musical discoveries that he’s had his eyes opened to as he’s gone to gigs around the country in 2008.

Don’t forget that you are welcome to chip in your thoughts, views and comments to the podcast. You can help shape it. Send email to thisrealitypodcast@gmail.com or leave your comments here on the website. Or, if you prefer, you can send in your audio comments as attachments and we’ll play them!

And by the way… check out the number of subscribers to the podcast's feed:

82,000

The top quality music in this episode is:
1. The Razorbax; Couldn’t Wait (http://myspace.com/therazorbax)
2. Sing Sing Hotel; Rico (http://myspace.com/singsinghotel)
3. Earth Calling Alice; Casablanca (http://myspace.com/earthcallingalice)
4. Danny Rhymez & Matty B; The Fit Girls (http://www.dannyrhymezandmattyb.com)
5. Barkerhound; Considerate Idiot (http://www.barkerhound.com)
6. InLight; Icarus (http://www.inlightband.com)
7. Rural Roots; Demonstration (http://myspace.com/ruralroots)

And in between this personal choice of excellent music, the top rants of the year have been:
* Great Britain, for sending twice the number of public servants to the Bejing Olympics as we sent athletes. Well done team!
* The British Government for coming up with a windfall tax on energy companies, without thinking who pays the energy companies’ bills!
* The law on rape is riddled with inequality and must be changed before the British Government get taken to court – and you and I have to pay a load of money as compensation!
* The British Government giving £ half a trillion of public money to the banks to enable the banks to lend that money back to the public – at interest!
* Jacqui Smith, the British Home Secretary, who says that members of the public stop her in the street wanting to know when they’re going to get their compulsory ID cards. Yeah right.
* Tony Blair’s Israeli bodyguard discharging his sidearm within 30 metres of Mr Blair – and missing! Good grief!
* Why don’t the same laws and tax rules apply to our MPs as apply to us? Isn’t it time they were put on the same footing as everyone else?
* Cyclists. It really is long overdue that cyclists were treated with the same degree of standards enforcement as everyone else on the road. Long, long, long overdue!

Podcast admin:
All of these tracks are played with the explicit permission of the artists. Now go and visit their websites and give them some love. Or a hug at least!

If you’d like to contribute your thoughts to This Reality Podcast or air your views on any of the topics we’ve discussed (or anything else that you want to), just drop us a line. Email: thisrealitypodcast@googlemail.com. Or if you prefer you can leave your comments (or words of abuse or encouragement) in our drop zone at http://drop.io/thisreality. Or you can just leave your thoughts on the website at http://www.thisrealitypodcast.com.

If you are an artist (signed or unsigned) and you’d like This Reality Podcast to play your work, just drop us a line and we’ll see what we can do to help promote you and your music!

And if you’re interested in what we’ve played in the past, just hop on over and take a look at our playlist.

Episode 43 - 34 minutes running time

Welcome to This Reality Podcast, the Oxfordshire-based home of the very best festive music you will find anywhere. Possibly.

This week is a fast and furious episode; 34 minutes of jammed in stuff!

Don’t forget that you are welcome to chip in your thoughts, views and comments to the podcast. You can help shape it. Send email to thisrealitypodcast@gmail.com or leave your comments here on the website. Or, if you prefer, you can send in your audio comments as attachments and we’ll play them!

The top quality music in this episode is:
1. The Cornish Brassonic Ensemble; The First Noel (http://www.pmsound.co.uk/album.php?cat=0807)
2. Dogs Must Be Carried; Let’s All Pretend It’s Christmas (http://www.dogsmustbecarried.com/)
3. American Angst; Ding Fires Are Done (Carol of the Bells)
4. Dokken; Santa Claus is Coming (http://www.myspace.com/dokken)
5. Hilda Lamas; Christmas Won’t Be Christmas (http://www.myspace.com/hildalamas)
6. The Cornish Brassonic Ensemble; We Wish You A Merry Christmas (http://www.pmsound.co.uk/album.php?cat=0807)

And in between the excellent music, the above average conversation includes:
* Competition winner! Reality Beats!
* The Chinese are blocking the BBC News website again. Who cares? I bet the Chinese don’t.
* Seven year old boy gives carol singers £120! Merry Christmas dudes!
* Australian tourist repays £5 loan with interest after 40 years. See? People can be lovely!
* American woman has 18th child! See? People can be totally irresponsible!

Podcast admin:
Tracks 2, 4 and 5 are played under licence from the podsafe music network. All other tracks are played with the explicit permission of the artists. Now go and visit their websites and give them some love. Or a hug at least!

If you’d like to contribute your thoughts to This Reality Podcast or air your views on any of the topics we’ve discussed (or anything else that you want to), just drop us a line. Email: thisrealitypodcast@googlemail.com. Or if you prefer you can leave your comments (or words of abuse or encouragement) in our drop zone at http://drop.io/thisreality. Or you can just leave your thoughts on the website at http://www.thisrealitypodcast.com.

If you are an artist (signed or unsigned) and you’d like This Reality Podcast to play your work, just drop us a line and we’ll see what we can do to help promote you and your music!

And if you’re interested in what we’ve played in the past, just hop on over and take a look at our playlist.

Featured video - Carol of The Bells:

Episode 42 - 48 minutes running time

Welcome to This Reality Podcast, the Oxfordshire-based home of the very best music you will find anywhere. Maybe.

We’ve managed to cram in so much good music this week that you’re probably going to have to lie down after listening!

Don’t forget that you are welcome to chip in your thoughts, views and comments to the podcast. You can help shape it. Send email to thisrealitypodcast@gmail.com or leave your comments here on the website. Or, if you prefer, you can send in your audio comments as attachments and we’ll play them!

The top quality music in this episode is:
1. Dimitri Nalbantov; Shangri-La (http://www.nalbantov.com)
2. Sienna; I’ll Take You With Me (http://www.myspace.com/siennauk)
3. Akiva; Babylon (http://www.myspace.com/akiva)
4. Akiva; Holler Hermosa (http://www.myspace.com/akiva)
5. Rural Roots; Tears (http://www.myspace.com/ruralroots)
6. Norwegian Recycling; 8 become 1 (http://www.myspace.com/norwegianrecycling)

And in between the excellent music, the above average conversation includes:
* Competition naming news
* A brief history in to Radio Pirates and ILR (what went wrong with ILR?)
* A fond look back at Melody Maker (even if they didn’t give me a job)
* The legend that was the Melody Maker classified adverts
* iTunes having a major player competitor – Yay for DRM-free Amazon!
* A big tease about a future artist
* A look at Akiva and his music
* A forthcoming upgrade to the podcast website
* Do you want to write for us?
* My cunning plan to get us driving on the same side of the road as those in mainland Europe
* A magistrate tried to bluff his way out of a speeding fine by changing his car number plate
* A relate counsellor sacked for not counselling gay couples.

Podcast admin:
Dimitri Nalbantov is played under licence from the podsafe music network. All other tracks are played with the explicit permission of the artists. Now go and visit their websites and give them some love. Or a hug at least!

If you’d like to contribute your thoughts to This Reality Podcast or air your views on any of the topics we’ve discussed (or anything else that you want to), just drop us a line. Email: thisrealitypodcast@googlemail.com. Or if you prefer you can leave your comments (or words of abuse or encouragement) in our drop zone at http://drop.io/thisreality. Or you can just leave your thoughts on the website at http://www.thisrealitypodcast.com.

If you are an artist (signed or unsigned) and you’d like This Reality Podcast to play your work, just drop us a line and we’ll see what we can do to help promote you and your music!

And if you’re interested in what we’ve played in the past, just hop on over and take a look at our playlist.

Featured video:  Akiva!

Episode 41 - 41 minutes running time

Welcome to This Reality Podcast, the Oxfordshire-based home of the very best music you will find anywhere. Maybe. This episode is a First Weekend (first weekend of the month) and that means that all of the music or artists have been chosen by… you! Don’t forget that you are welcome to chip in your thoughts, views and comments to the podcast. You can help shape it. Send email to thisrealitypodcast@gmail.com or leave your comments here on the website. Or, if you prefer, you can send in your audio comments as attachments and we’ll play them!

The top quality music in this episode is:
1. The Birdienumnums; She Say Go (http://www.myspace.com/thebirdinumnums)
2. Hoodoo Fifties; Push Against the Roles (they put you through) (http://www.hoodoofifties.com)
3. Danny Rhymez & Matty B; See Me (http://www.dannyrhymezandmattyb.com)
4. InLight; Sleepwalking (http://www.myspace.com/inlightband)

And in between the excellent music, the above average conversation:
* An apology for a lack of preparation
* A preview of episodes lined up to take us in to 2009
* GW Bush failing to eat humble pie on ABC
* Facebook getting a Trojan. Facebook sucks
* Wondering why our laws don’t apply to our politicians
* An email from Joan in Suffolk asking us to tackle heavier news stories. Heavier?
* A reminder; you have just one week left to get your competition entry in!
* A discussion about the planned tour for next year
* Prince William’s RAF superiors hadn’t been told about the true nature of his Chinook jaunts
* Karen Matthews; a chav. Not a case of society letting her down, she let us down
* Chris Moyles; would he make a good prostitute?
* The illicit DNA database is illegal, good for the European Court of Human Rights. Yay!
* The UK misses a landmine deadline
* A ban on pesticides will be harmful to farmers. Say a bunch of farmers

Podcast admin:
The Birdinumnums is played under licence from the podsafe music network. All other tracks are played with the explicit permission of the artists. Now go and visit their websites and give them some love. Or a hug at least!

If you’d like to contribute your thoughts to This Reality Podcast or air your views on any of the topics we’ve discussed (or anything else that you want to), just drop us a line. Email: thisrealitypodcast@googlemail.com. Or if you prefer you can leave your comments (or words of abuse or encouragement) in our drop zone at http://drop.io/thisreality. Or you can just leave your thoughts on the website at http://www.thisrealitypodcast.com.

If you are an artist (signed or unsigned) and you’d like This Reality Podcast to play your work, just drop us a line and we’ll see what we can do to help promote you and your music!

And if you’re interested in what we’ve played in the past, just hop on over and take a look at our playlist.

Episode 40 - 40 minutes running time

Welcome to This Reality Podcast, the Oxfordshire-based that comes from Studio K straight to your ears and has, in less than a year, achieved a global audience of weekly downloads.  Don’t forget that you are welcome to chip in your thoughts, views and comments to the podcast. You can help shape it. Send email to thisrealitypodcast@gmail.com or leave your comments here on the website. Or, if you prefer, you can send in your audio comments as attachments and we’ll play them!

These week we have another unsigned band special: InLight, from Oxfordshire, UK.

The top quality music in this episode is:
1. InLight; Space (http://www.myspace.com/inlightband)
2. InLight; Bridges (http://www.myspace.com/inlightband)
3. The Razorbax; Couldn’t Wait (http://www.myspace.com/therazorbax)
4. InLight; Listen to you Breathe (http://www.inlightband.com/)

And in between the excellent music, the above average conversation:
* We Are They on tour in the UK?
* Big competition give away
* Lots of details about InLight
* Information about Sir Edward Elgar’s brilliant Enigma Variations, and the puzzle therein
* Don’t leave naked photos on your phone in McDonalds
* The MoD pays £200,000 for hurting a soldier’s feelings, but just £50,000 for losing a limb

Podcast admin:
All tracks are played with the permission of the artists. Now go and visit their websites and give them some love. Or a hug at least!

If you’d like to contribute your thoughts to This Reality Podcast or air your views on any of the topics we’ve discussed (or anything else that you want to), just drop us a line. Email: thisrealitypodcast@googlemail.com. Or if you prefer you can leave your comments (or words of abuse or encouragement) in our drop zone at http://drop.io/thisreality. Or you can just leave your thoughts on the website at http://www.thisrealitypodcast.com.

If you are an artist (signed or unsigned) and you’d like This Reality Podcast to play your work, just drop us a line and we’ll see what we can do to help promote you and your music!

And if you’re interested in what we’ve played in the past, just hop on over and take a look at our playlist.

Featured Video - InLight:

Episode 39 - 44 minutes running time

Welcome to Studio K, the Oxfordshire home of This Reality Podcast. This week we have no special features at all. Just brilliant music. And conversation. Wit. Humour. And Billy Connolly’s observations on a bus ride (you need to visit the website to get that!).

The top quality music in this episode is:
1. The Birdienumnums; Little Libertine (http://www.myspace.com/thebirdinumnums)
2. The late Ace Moreland; Corner of My Eye
3. Matt Sturman; Britney Spears Song (http://www.myspace.com/mattsturman)
4. Sierra Dawn; Listen to you Breathe (http://www.myspace.com/sierradawnmusic)
5. Norwegian Recycling; Technology is Right  (Technology Is Right; Nelly Furtado and Say It Right; 50 Cent feat. Timbaland & Justin Timberlake and AYO Technology (http://www.myspace.com/norwegianrecycling)

And in between the excellent music, the above average conversation:
* BBC’s news about beavers being released in to the wild! Woo hoo!
* What do you do on the toilet? Read, phone and text apparently
* Have you got the right coloured underwear on at school?
* The teacher who excluded 478 students from school and saw a dramatic increase in performance. No kidding. But why aren’t the parents doing their job?
* Eight out of nine parents are in obesity denial. Why aren’t the parents doing their job?
* Children 10 years of age and younger being treated for alcohol-related issues. Why aren’t the parents doing their job?
* Three stabbed at Urban Music Awards. Life imitating art or are we just living in a cycle of cynicism?
* Still need your help dealing with cats crapping in our garden
* Why does the BBC define Urban Music as ‘black music’? Isn’t that racist stereotyping?
* Deeply concerned that Virgin Atlantic staff can’t operate privacy settings in Facebook!
* Anyway, Facebook sucks
* Why does the Centre for Social Cohesion only want freedom of speech rights for non-extreme Muslims protected? What’s wrong with protecting the freedom of speech of all of us?
* The Queen spends the night in the company of amateurs? What else is new?
* Request for news about The Razorbax
* News that there are 1bn overweight people and 800mn starving reveals that the fatties are winning for the first time. Perhaps it’s time to eat the rich?

Podcast admin:
Tracks 1, 2, 3 and 4 are played under licence from the Podsafe Music Network. Track 5 is played by permission of Norwegian Recycling. Now go and check out the web sites of these artists and give them some love. Or a hug at least!

If you’d like to contribute your thoughts to This Reality Podcast or air your views on any of the topics we’ve discussed (or anything else that you want to), just drop us a line. Email: thisrealitypodcast@googlemail.com. Or if you prefer you can leave your comments (or words of abuse or encouragement) in our drop zone at http://drop.io/thisreality. Or you can just leave your thoughts on the website at http://www.thisrealitypodcast.com.

If you are an artist (signed or unsigned) and you’d like This Reality Podcast to play your work, just drop us a line and we’ll see what we can do to help promote you and your music!

And if you’re interested in what we’ve played in the past, just hop on over and take a look at our playlist.

Episode 38 - 43 minutes running time

This week’s visit to Studio K in rural Oxfordshire brings you a look and listen at some acoustic work from a bunch of talented artists from around the world.

The top quality music in this episode is:
1.The Wishbones; With You (http://www.myspace.com/thewishbones)
2. Ivan Campo; Daze (http://www.myspace.com/ivancampo)
3. Lorraine Ayensu; Beautiful You (http://www.lorraineayensu.com/)
4. Jakob Martin; Providence (http://www.jakobmartin.com/)
5. Finniston; Peace of Mind (http://www.finniston.com/)
6. Earth Calling Alice; She (http://www.myspace.com/earthcallingalice)
7. Ivan Campo; Eye Condition (http://www.myspace.com/ivancampo)

And in between the excellent music, the above average conversation:
* Banjo players are not gentlemen
* Tony Blair’s bodyguard couldn’t hit an elephant’s arse with a shovel
* Eight year old boy exercises the second amendment and shoots himself
* The number trick screwed with your head a little?
* The multi-millionaire Bernie Eccleston splits from his wife
* You don’t control your neighbour’s cats by shooting your neighbour!
* The US DOD is reclassifying as ‘secret’ documents that were released to the public in the 1970s. Der!
* The pregnant man gets pregnant again. That just makes him a chav who can’t say no
* Fifty oriental students thrown out of Newcastle University for having forged documents

Podcast admin:
Tracks 1, 4 and 5 are played under licence from the Podsafe Music Network. Tracks 2, 3, 6 and 7 are played by permission of the artists and with our grateful thanks to them. Now go and check out the web sites of these artists and give them some love. Or a hug at least!

If you’d like to contribute your thoughts to This Reality Podcast or air your views on any of the topics we’ve discussed (or anything else that you want to), just drop us a line. Email: thisrealitypodcast@googlemail.com. Or if you prefer you can leave your comments (or words of abuse or encouragement) in our drop zone at http://drop.io/thisreality. Or you can just leave your thoughts on the website at http://www.thisrealitypodcast.com.

If you are an artist (signed or unsigned) and you’d like This Reality Podcast to play your work, just drop us a line and we’ll see what we can do to help promote you and your music!

And if you’re interested in what we’ve played in the past, just hop on over and take a look at our playlist.

This week's video feature is an acoustic classic!

Episode 37 - 40 minutes running time

This week’s visit to Studio K in rural Oxfordshire brings you a featured artist; We Are They. If this doesn’t keep Mark in Philly quiet… Well, it just should.

The top quality music in this episode is:
1. We Are They; Biscuit M (http://www.myspace.com/wearethey)
2. We Are They; The Swashbuckling Rum Rum of Tom (http://www.myspace.com/wearethey)
3. We Are They; Fade (http://www.myspace.com/wearethey)
4. Norwegian Recycling; in This Velvet (http://www.myspace.com/norwegianrecycling)

And in between the excellent music, the above average conversation:
* Still no registration from Companies House
* Update on the website redesign and new features
* The US election being a bad example of racial tolerance because they should have done it years ago
* Book-launch attendance last weekend
* Hazel Blears MP must be doing drugs to blame everyone but the politicians for the public disconnect
* Jacqui Smith MP must be doing drugs if she thinks the public want ID cards
* 4,000 dead voters in Harris County, Texas
* Three news stories that indicate the US has declared war on Pakistan
* A seven year old boy marries a four year old girl. What a nice religion that is
* Common sense from MPs, a driving test for invalid scooters. Hooray!
* Councils ban Latin phrases but most visitors to the UK are from countries with Latin-based languages
* The US is the best at being the most debt-ridden country on the face of the planet

Podcast admin:
We Are They are all played under licence from the Podsafe Music Network. Norwegian Recycling is played with his permission. Now go and check out the web sites of these artists and give them some love. Or a hug at least!

If you’d like to contribute your thoughts to This Reality Podcast or air your views on any of the topics we’ve discussed (or anything else that you want to), just drop us a line. Email: thisrealitypodcast@googlemail.com. Or if you prefer you can leave your comments (or words of abuse or encouragement) in our drop zone at http://drop.io/thisreality. Or you can just leave your thoughts on the website at http://www.thisrealitypodcast.com.

If you are an artist (signed or unsigned) and you’d like This Reality Podcast to play your work, just drop us a line and we’ll see what we can do to help promote you and your music!

And if you’re interested in what we’ve played in the past, just hop on over and take a look at our playlist.

This week's video entertainment:

Episode 36 - 50 minutes running time

It’s another First Saturday and This Reality Podcast beams straight to your ears from Studio K in Oxfordshire.

The votes for this month’s All Request podcast have been counted (by Brennig) and verified (by Brennig) and he admits that he’s fixed the voting! But perhaps the We Are They dudes fixed the voting too? After a huge amount of voting Bren has declared next week a We Are They special feature. The week after next is planned to be an acoustic feature.

The top quality music in this episode is:
1. Anemo; Pray (http://www.anemo.co.uk/)
2. Moxie; Dear John (http://www.myspace.com/moxierocksusa)
3. Civalias; Anything But You (http://www.myspace.com/civalias)
4. Red Murphy; Don’t Say It’s Over (http://www.redmurphyrocks.com/)
5. Norwegian Recycling; The Pachelbel Mashup (http://www.myspace.com/norwegianrecycling)

And in between the excellent music, the above average conversation:
* A redesign of the podcast website, massive range of new features and articles from you?
* A nice student
* Porsche owning the VW brand collection? Be afraid, be very afraid
* I’ve found the money-loss that caused the credit crunch
* Now you can send SMS the studio (not)
* Would you use your mobile if you dropped it in a public toilet?
* ISPs have usage limits they’re not telling us about
* The death penalty in Beijing for public servants who take bribes. Can we learn from this?
* Censorship of the internet spreads to Thailand
* Teacher thrashes pupil to death in Egypt, what a big man
* Cyclist runs amok in Cambridge book shop
* Have a ‘well-used' passport, Servisair will refuse to let you fly
* Time to reform how drivers are monitored after partially-sighted driver kills pedestrian
* Morbidly obese children being removed from their parents. Good! Can we sterilise the parents too?
* Goldman Sachs received £6bn from the taxpayer and are giving themselves £7bn bonuses. Huh?

Podcast admin:
Anemo, Moxie, Civalias and Red Murphy are all played under licence from the Podsafe Music Network. Norwegian Recycling is played with his permission. Now go and check out the web sites of these artists and give them some love. Or a hug at least!

If you’d like to contribute your thoughts to This Reality Podcast or air your views on any of the topics we’ve discussed (or anything else that you want to), just drop us a line. Email: thisrealitypodcast@googlemail.com. Or if you prefer you can leave your comments (or words of abuse or encouragement) in our drop zone at http://drop.io/thisreality. Or you can just leave your thoughts on the website at http://www.thisrealitypodcast.com.

If you are an artist (signed or unsigned) and you’d like This Reality Podcast to play your work, just drop us a line and we’ll see what we can do to help promote you and your music!

And if you’re interested in what we’ve played in the past, just hop on over and take a look at our playlist.

Episode 35 - 43 minutes running time

Bloody hell! Another exclusive artist? How does This Reality Podcast do it?

This week we introduce you to the excellent musical genius collective that goes under the name ‘The Hoodoo Fifties’. Hailing from the West Midlands of the UK (the original Birmingham!), these guys will impress your socks off with their talent and enthusiasm. We round off the episode with another top class mashup from Norwegian Recycling.

The music in this episode is:
1. The Hoodoo Fifties - Push Against The Roles (they put you through) (http://www.hoodoofifties.com)
2. The Hoodoo Fifties - Finland (a little piece of heaven) (http://www.hoodoofifties.com)
3. The Hoodoo Fifties - 6262 (after three) (http://www.hoodoofifties.com)
4. The Hoodoo Fifties - Where are You Going (where do you go?) (http://www.hoodoofifties.com)
5. Norwegian Recycling - Be Like a Dosed Eyed Gary (http://www.myspace.com/norwegianrecycling)

And in between the excellent music, the above average conversation:
* Wall Street bankers set for £40bn payout. Ummm. For doing what, precisely?
* Just because the Metropolitan police salary is higher, doesn’t mean yours have to be too. Change the system, don’t perpetuate the wrongness
* Naked chimney surfing is a new sport in Wigan. Apparently!
* Compulsory driving retests is the only way to keep unfit drivers off the road. Der!
* Freedom of speech in Malaysia? Sadly not
* US Intelligence Agencies admit we’re losing in Afghanistan. Can we teach history in schools please?

This week's video (There's a strong chance we'll be playing these guys next week!):

Podcast admin:
All four of The Hoodoo Fifties tracks were played with the permission of and sourced directly from the band. So nyah! Norwegian Recycling is played with their permission.

Now go and check out these guys websites and if you like them, give them some love. Or a hug at least!

If you’d like to contribute your thoughts to This Reality Podcast or air your views on these - or any other topics you can think of - just drop us a line. Email: thisrealitypodcast@googlemail.com. Or if you prefer you can leave your comments (or words of abuse or encouragement) in our drop zone at http://drop.io/thisreality. Or you can just leave your thoughts on the website at http://www.thisrealitypodcast.com.

If you are an artist (signed or unsigned) and you’d like This Reality Podcast to play your work, just drop us a line and we’ll see what we can do to help promote you and your music!

And if you’re interested in what we’ve played in the past, just hop on over and take a look at our playlist.