The Listening Club - 26th May 2019

Greetings folks,

Hope all is well and good. We're back from our sojourn in Berlin, much enjoyed, musical highlights being a mighty Dead Can Dance performance, and a guided tour around Hansa Studios, which was really quite enlightening, some serious history in and around that building, as you'd expect.

Last week, @JimMcCauley was running the show in both ways, with his whistle-blowing pick of The Private Sector's debut "Your Mind, Our Marketplace", which seemed to go down a treat, despite The Twitterbot network's attempts at censorship... all very sinister. Thanks to Jim for the fine work, and for sailing the frisb over to @EmmaPrice, who is right here in Amsterdam, and has this to say by way of introduction to tonight's pick...

"Greetings from Amsterdam where the weather is sunny, the cocktails are strong and the people watching is fantastic.

This act have been on my frisbaton shortlist for some time now. I saw them support the Breeders a couple of years back and was impressed with their energy, power and how they got the crowd going. 

Hope you enjoy & take the opportunity to catch the support act when you can."

Okaydoke. Direct download is here, and the HearThis stream is below:


See you at 8pm BST (GMT+1) for playback...

The Listening Club – 19th May 2019

Time zone-appropriate salutation! @JimMcCauley here running ting while @kleptones is off doing lord knows what in, I think, Berlin. It's a lovely sunny morning in Bath right now but looks like it's going to cloud over any minute, which will be my cue to get on with some work or at least procrastinate a bit more.

Last week saw @eastvanhalen returning to the LC decks with a helping of New Orleans-flavoured R&B jazz-type stuff in the form of Jon Cleary & the Absolute Monster Gentlemen's Mo Hippa, which funked us all up good and proper. So thanks to Steph for the pick, and for conveniently flipping the old frisbaton my way.

Before I hand over to myself, a quick warning: this one's completely unsuitable for younger listeners, it features plenty of swears and vitriol, and it goes very dark in places, particularly around the 27-32 minute mark. If you see where it's going at that point and want to mute it until about 32:20, that's totally fine; I don't want to spoil anyone's evening but I do bloody love this album and there's literally nothing else I could have shared tonight.

Anyway! Over to me!

"Greetings, work unit. Do you ever worry that everything is irretrievably fucked? That the system is loaded against you and stacked in favour an elite that's not merely uncaring, but maybe even hostile towards you? Have you questioned the wisdom of labouring, day in and day out, to sustain yourself while making your CEO and directors ever more obscenely wealthy?

Trivial worries such as these can impact your productivity to the detriment of the Organisation, and to distract you from them we have arranged an enlightening and entertaining audio presentation for you, commencing at 20:00 BST in your local recreational facility.

This mandatory presentation will last approximately 45 minutes; you will be expected to make up this time at the end of your next work period. Please contact HR if you require counselling due to issues raised by the presentation. Work units are reminded that discussion of the Organisation's aims and objectives are strictly forbidden by the terms of their standard work contract, under penalty of termination.

The management calculates that this communiqué will take approximately two minutes to read; you will be expected to make up this time at the end of your next work period.

That is all. You may return to your duties."

All hail Discordia! Direct download's here, and you all know the score about HearThis and spoilers by now.


See you at 8!

The Listening Club - 12th May 2019

Greetings folks, hope all is good.

Another grey'n'wet week here in Amsterdam, and another gig-shaped saving grace, this time in the form of Kate Tempest, who managed to get a packed little room to put away their phones and live in the moment as she debuted material from her new album (and one or two oldies). A totally spellbinding performance, as you'd expect...

Reminder that I'm away next weekend, still in need of someone to run tings here - let me know if you feel like giving it a go, thanks!

Last week in these here environs, @Holette was in the chair, with a cracking dual pick of Bobbie Gentry's "The Delta Sweete" followed by Mercury Rev's guest star studded re-imagining of the same album. Both of which went down very well indeed. Thanks to Sarah for the pick, and for sailing the frisbaton across the ocean to @EastVanHalen, who's right here with tonight's introduction...

"Of course I changed my &^%%#@% mind. I was going to play this awesome Victoria/Vancouver punk rawk album, NoMeansNo’s “Wrong,” for you all, but as I sat down to listen through it before I packaged it up for Eric I realized I might lose half the cohort to no-more-shouty-punk horror by the second track. (This is kind of a pity, because buried on the second side are two of my favourite songs, but I don’t think everyone’s recovered from ‘David Comes to Life” just yet.)

So: I went back to New Orleans, and to an album I’ve had pretty much on repeat for the past three months. It’s a mix of originals and New Orleans standards recorded live in Australia just over a decade ago. I love it because it’s irrepressibly happy, with that particular joy you get when genius players get right in the pocket playing music they love. Plus it has a Meters cover that I might even like more than the original, and that’s saying something.

#drinkingclub is something that will keep you on your feet. Enjoy."

Okaydoke. Direct download is here, and the HearThis stream is below:


See you at 8pm BST (GMT+1) tonight!

The Listening Club - 5th May 2019

Greetings folks,

Hope you're well and good. Hailstones and sunshine here in Amsterdam, which is not the greatest combination for May, but feeling reasonably cheerful after we discovered at the last minute (i.e Wednesday) that the wonderful Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs were playing a tiny place here very very soon (i.e. Thursday). Much joyful noise was condensed into a small space, and I'm feeling all the better for it. Check 'em out if you get a chance...

Heads up that I'm away Sunday-after-next (19th May) for a much needed dose of R&R, so if anyone can help out and run tings here, please let me know, thanks!

Last week, @Saucer was in the chair, getting phenomenological with his pick of "Towards The Shadow" by Wume, which went down very well, so it seemed. Thanks to him for the pick, and for sailing the frisb across to Wales, where @holette has managed to grab some time away from her Bank Holiday business to say this...

"Hope you’re enjoying your bank holiday weekend if you’re here in the UK or having a day doing what makes you happy if you’re elsewhere. Here in Snowdonia I’m surrounded by fields of chilly but happy campers (snow fell on the mountains yesterday) and dreamy woods of spring bluebells.

I’ve no idea why it took till this year for me to discover this fabulously sassy and intriguing songwriter. 

Her fine songs feature lyrical landscapes, husky vocals and lush orchestral arrangements sprinkled with star chimes. She produced this record and wrote most of the tracks. As well as her music I am bedazzled by her fondness for catsuits, big hair and topless blokes wearing antlers dancing round her in Vegas....

Nevertheless this artist was a mystery to me ... I’d heard the odd hit but was probably put off by the mainstream friendly and, to me, terminally saccharine end of her catalogue’s spectrum. 

And yet I am delighted to discover this album. It’s a weird kind of jambalaya of country, blues, soul, folk and beautiful strangeness conjuring images of the old Deep South. A place I have briefly visited but mainly know from the constructs of music, film and books.

The original album is only 34 minutes long so I recommend sticking around to hear the contemporary revisiting by a well known band which is what first caught my interest. Listen out for some gorgeous performances by guest vocalists you may well recognise in the new interpretations.

Oddly, this American band has a curious connection to my own backyard in Snowdonia. Maybe we’re both drawn to backwoods kind of places with a little bit of mysterious magic about them. 

#Drinking Club recommendation: I’m not much of a Bourbon fan, but if you are, I suggest you find a stoop to sit on and savour a couple there."

Right then. Double pack download is here. and the HearThis stream is below:


See you at 8pm BST (GMT+1) tonight!