Illinois Street Lounge

It may not surprise you to know that we sit at our computer for long hours to bring you the best of all things retro. And while we do it, we tend to listen to a lot of music. To stave off bankruptcy from CD buying, we've really been getting into internet radio. It's amazing how net radio has progressed, with many shows as good, if not better, than the mainstream stations.

Our current favourite is Illinois Street Lounge from the excellent Soma FM. It's pure retro - a heady non-stop mix (that means no DJ) of breezy easy, lounge, latin, exotica, soundtracks and anything else that would make your cocktail party go with a swing. It's the musical equivalent of a Shag painting and it's all in MP3 quality.

Listen to Illinois Street Lounge at www.somafm.com/illstreet.pls. And don't forget the Martini.

Soma FM is listener-supported, commercial-free radio broadcasting. If you like what you hear and listen regularly, consider dropping them a small token of your appreciation - it will keep all of their shows on the air.

Do you know of any other cool online radio shows? Let us know by commenting below.

Visit the Soma FM website

Latest Dr Who action figure

Here at Retro Towers, we desperately wanted to dislike the latest Doctor Who. In its heyday, the show was a TV classic - wobbly sets, rubber monsters and hammy acting, but held together by some of the best scriptwriters around. Surely a modern day Doctor would lack the charm of his predecessors?

We were wrong. Ok, the big budget has knocked out some of the show's old charm, but the writing's top notch - and that's what makes the difference between success and failure. And the BBC has wasted no time in capitalising in the merchandising stakes. Presented here is the David Tennant toy. Despite looking a bit like a Quadrophenia extra on his day off, you have to admit, it's a canny likeness.

The figure is five inches tall and is one of twelve 5" figures that are either in stores now or being launched over the next few months. Also available will be the Doctor in long coat with sonic screwdriver and a Rose Tyler action figure, teamed up with old-school box on wheels, K-9. Sadly, no sign of a Tom Baker, Jon Pertwee or a Sea Devil.

Visit the BBC's Doctor Who homepage

The Trip by Joey Negro

Regular readers might know that we have a soft spot for The Trip. Saint Etienne's mix was, for me, one of the albums of last year - a great mix of classic soul, beat, folk, pop and all points between. And recently, we got excited over Jarvis Cocker's Trip - a quirky ride through to the 60s and 70s and back again.

However, I didn't expect all that much diversity from the latest Trip participant - soulful house DJ Joey Negro. I was wrong. Obviously the man has a wider taste than I gave him credit for - kicking off with some John Barry and Nancy Wilson's fantastic "Call Me", we have a "trip" (no pun intended) through popular music from the 60s right through to the present day. Some of it firmly rooted in "dodgy" (see Christopher Cross' "Ride Like The Wind" or indeed Will Powers and Jan Hammer), but many are brave and interesting selections, featuring the likes of The Dells, The Isley Brothers, Jethro Tull, Incognito, Divine Comedy, B-52s - there's even a burst of Glenn Miller!

You do get the feeling that it's a "try before you buy" kind of album, so I'd recommend getting it on the headphones at your local record shop this weekend before you shell out your hard-earned cash. But it certainly looks like another feather in the cap of The Trip. Full tracklisting continued.

Find out more about The Trip by Joey Negro

Minimalist target clock

I can't say I'm a big fan of target-based merchandise. Yes, it's a symbol that still says "mod" like no other - but it's just a little overplayed and has suffered badly through association with downmarket clothing retailers like Lambretta Clothing.

However, I'll make an exception for the Giant Target Clock from Doghouse. It's minimalist look is very appealing and you can imagine it being a great focus on a large plain wall.

It measures approximately 15cm X 5cm X 22.5cm and is available for the incredibly cheap price of £12.99 from The Doghouse online store.

Find out more about the target clock at The Doghouse

Shag's Australian exhibition

Even if you've not heard of Shag, I'm guessing you'll have seen his work somewhere - from the Pink Panther box set to packets of Hint Mints, Shag's retro cool seems to be everywhere right now.

And he's got a new exhibition opening at the Outre Gallery in Australia entitled "On The Shoulders Of Giants", which runs in Melbourne from Apeil 22nd to May 23rd and in Sydney from April 29th to May 28th.

If you're not in Australia, why should this worry you? Well, exhibitions mean limited signed prints - very collectable and reasonably priced. Outre ship worldwide, so you could grab yourself some cool art that should only gain in value. And if you're feeling flush, you can join Outre's waiting list to buy an original piece of art.

For more information on the Outre Gallery, visit www.outregallery.com and if you want to know more about the artist, check out www.shag.com.