The Listening Club - 5th October 2025

Howdy folks,

Hope you're doing okay. Autumn seems to have grabbed Amsterdam by the metaphoricals most definitely - it's been a blustery wet week and a half, so sitting in with a cup of something warming and occasionally darting outside for a social activity, like scoffing an eye-watering tableful of Sichuan goodness or catching ESG's last European show ever (so I believe), which was as suitably joyful and boisterous as one would hope. More of that to follow, I predict!

Last Sunday, as was end-of-month, meant a #vortex, and this time we fired the gun on a #GamesDayVortex, which saw an impressively huge range of styles lining up for the race. Many thanks to everyone who chipped in a tune, and to @akx for the fine mixwork. Looking back to regularly-scheduled programming, we see, er, me, @kleptones, in the mirror, waving the frisb at myself, so...

"...let's get italic. Have to admit I've had this pick ready for a while, when another picker was rather late with their submission, so I decided to get a backup together just in case. Fortunately I didn't need it then, so here 'tis!

I noted a conversation on Mastodon a while back about the tendency for #LC denizens to mostly pick "western" "rock-derived" albums, which is to be expected, for the most part, as that's pretty much where and what we're from, but as I get older I definitely consider a larger and larger part of my listening to be outside of those areas, as my ears always remain thankfully curious, so here's something, possibly unexpected coming from me, that doesn't fall into either of the aforementioned categories.

This is a collaborative album by two legendary artists, one of whom has been radically widening the scope of their proscribed "style" over the last 50 years, whilst the other has spent their even-longer career finessing one style to absolute perfection. What happens when such disparate artists meet, readers? It's time to find out.

(PS I'd say the first tune is possibly one of the best-known, so if you know them, you'll recognise it immediately)

#drinkingclub = mango lassi."

Right then, download's here, stream's below:

See you 20:00 BST (GMT+1) for playback.

The Listening Club - 28th September 2025

Salutations, folks.

Hope you're all doing okay. A still, warm day here in Amsterdam, which has been very welcome, making afternoon shopping and garderning chores way more pleasurable, and pleasing hype cat by allowing us to sit outside with him whilst sipping an iced drink or two on the stoop (which, of course, is the only reason we do it, for sure).

Last Sunday we had @ogili in the chair, dosing the assembled with 2 EPs by Getdown Services, "Primordial Slot Machine" and "Your Medal's In The Post". Thanks to Oli for the pick, and for sailing the frisb over to @kleptones, who has an extra week to ponder because...

..yep, end-of-month means #vortex, and this time the consensus was for a #GamesDayVortex, although what kind of games is, as always, left open to interpretation. @akx has gathered up the submitted tunes and merged them together into a fine blend, direct download here (right-click save-as), or streaming below:

See you on the hashtag at 20:00 BST (GMT+1) for playback.

The Listening Club - 21st September 2025

Greetings folks,

Hope you're all doing OK. Back from my travels with thanks extended to @corin_ja for holding the fort last week, very much appreciated. Returning to a very blowy and rainy Amsterdam, which is a bit of a shame, but par for the course given the time of year. So it goes...

And not just time of year, but time of month, which is nearing the end (already!) therefore we'll be needing a #vortex theme - suggestions welcome in the chat if you have them, thx!

Last Sunday, that very same @corin_ja was pulling double duty, not just hosting, but also treating the assembled to "Fire Escape In The Sky: The Godlike Genius Of Scott Walker", which, as I wasn't around, I'm hoping went down pretty good with the assembled. Thanks again to Corin for the tunes, and for sailing the frisb across South London to @ogili, who is here with tonight's intro...

"Well, it’s going a bit pearshaped in Britain I fear, so some ‘“Post-Brexit apocalypse disco” from a duo putting Minehead on the map feels appropriate.  

Imagine a pinch of artists like T-Rex, Chaz and Dave, MC Pitman, Goldie Looking Chain, LCD Sound System, The Fall, Happy Mondays, Denim, low rider era War, mixed with British bravado/ennui, and then stirred into an ill-advised couple of pints of take out lager, which has been left out of the fridge while everyone’s been playing Mario Kart in the living room. 

The irony of this pick, for me, was that there was no dithering about which artist this time.  But a HUGE amount of dithering about what to pick by them. Do I go for the first album with its opener which sounds a little like LCD Soundsystem featuring MC Pitman, or the more recent and more introspective stuff?

So I tossed a coin, and went for this."

Right then, download's here and the stream's below:

See you 20:00 BST (GMT+1) later today for playback.

The Listening Club - 14th September 2025

Hello, everybody.

It's @corin_ja here, sitting in once more for our usual host @kleptones, who is off on travels today. How's everyone doing?

Been a mixed week here in London, UK. Some rain and wind, some lovely early autumn blue skies and a hint of crispness in the morning air that's leading to me digging out some long-sleeved cycling tops. Minimal cultural appreciation at the moment, at least music-wise. At the cinema I've enjoyed Weapons recently and off to see the new Conjuring movie today, I think. Also took in the Leigh Bowery retrospective at Tate Modern which is worth a visit if you're in the area.

As for #ListeningClub, last week we had @akx in the chair of the selector, regaling us with a fine slice of electronic psydub in the form of Nature Never Did Betray The Heart That Loved Her by Dub Trees, which seemed to get the assembled chilling and skanking in equal measure.

After some fumbled catches the frisbaton has been recovered from the next-door-neighbour's-garden-of-missed-frisbatons by none other than yours truly. Here's what I have to say about it:

"This choice is based on a book I read recently by the singer of a big pop group that had recently got back together to put out a new record after many years hiatus. In the book, the front man described how much they had been influenced by the artist behind tonight's selection, an artist who had sunk into obscurity for a long time. The description of how much this artist meant to the singer moved me, and I sought out the record they had singled-out as being particularly influential to them. So here it is, I present it to you. Some of you will have guessed from this tortuous description who I am talking about, but I will reveal all at the end anyhow. Sorry if this is a real Marmite pick. I had to listen to this stuff a few times before it really grabbed me. Don't let that put you off though, I'm usually a late developer. #DrinkingClub probably a Scotch'n'soda or something."

OK, then. The download is here (right click, save-as) and the stream is below:

Hope to see you all later, 8pm BST (GMT +1)

The Listening Club - 7th September 2025

Hey folks,

Hope you're all doing okay. Nice end-of-summer freaky v.warm wave crossing Amsterdam this weekend, so today we've mostly been hanging out on the stoop, chatting to neighbours about local happenings, eating tapas-esq bits and bobs and drinking iced beverages. A gentle Sunday relaxation after a couple of busy cultural days enjoying the Concertgebouw's free open day (a bit of everything from Mahler to light opera to jazz to Indian classical), and a wonderfully noisy show from Austin's current finest export Water Damage ("Maximal Repetition, Minimal Deviation", they say, and they're not joking). Really, it's been a very good one, and it will continue as soon as this is tapped out so...

PSA again : Still looking for someone to volunteer to host this blog next Sunday, as I'm away visiting family. Help a person out, let me know!

Last Sunday we celebrated the end of the month as only we know how with a #TruerWordsHaveNeverBeenSpokenVortex, and by 'eck it did exactly what it said on the tin, in finest style. Thanks to everyone for chipping in tunes, and to @JimMcCauley for taking time out from their directorial debut to do the mixwork. Looking back in time we see @akx with the frisb, and here's his intro for tonight...

"Took a while to figure out what to play this time, staring at the CD shelf, then the vinyl shelf, and then both of them virtually on Discogs, before deciding on something that's kind of been on my shortlist for a while.

So: This is the 2024 remaster of a somewhat celebrated 2000 album with a name that quotes William Wordsworth from 1798. It was made by these blokes Martin, Simon and Greg (some of whom have been played on LC before, about a decade ago).

I might recommend a relaxed listening position, or maybe something idle enough to do (like building Legos? that might be fun) while you listen, if you're so inclined.

#drinkingclub: herbal tea, possibly?"

Right then, download's here (right click, save as), stream's below:

See you later today, 20:00 BST (GMT+1) I hope!

The Listening Club - 31st August 2025

Greetings folks,

Hope you're all doing well and good. Summer's hanging on by a thread in Amsterdam, as waves of small but potent rain showers threaten to wash out the weekend's events - We still managed a very pleasurable trip down to South East Jazz, which, it will come as no surprise, was in the far south-east of the city, and delivered many random stripes of very well performed jazz, mostly in dappled sunshine as well, phew.

Quick PSA - I will be away visiting family on Sun 14th September, so if anyone is available to manage the #LC shop for that one day, please let me know!

Last Sunday saw @woj in the chair, getting slinky with his pick of  Madeline Kenny's "Kiss From The Balcony", which swooned the assembled successfully I'd say. Thanks extended for the pick and for sailing the frisb across to @akx, who has an extra week to ponder because...

...yep, end of month means #vortex time again, and this time a #TruerWordsHaveNeverBeenSpokenVortex was agreed, and @JimMcCauley has delivered the combined submissions right here... Download est ici, et stream's below:

See you 20:00 BST (GMT+1) later today.

The Listening Club - 24th August 2025

Salutations, folks.

Hope you're all doing well and good. Busy weekend here in Amsterdam as predicted, as the weather stayed mostly dry and the city got a major dose of ships of all shapes and sizes. Despite the estimated 2.5 million visitors, it was a pretty relaxed affair, plenty of opportunity to stroll around and enjoy the maritime scenery, even for a land lubber such as myself. Add to that some outdoor Finnish cinema, a random polka punk band playing in a local square, and a couple of fine meals and it's been a pretty good few days, must say. And mostly free too - well, taxpayer subsidized, anyways, hemhem - but it's great when it works, eh? Now, let's get on with this before it gets any later...

Oh yeah, next Sunday is end-of-the-month, so it's ime for a #vortex - get your ideas for themes out later on, please!

Last Sunday saw @FaberFedor in the chair, hitting heavy with the soundtrack to the 1994 classic, "The Crow", which got everyone rockin' and a shufflin' like a Saturday night at The Bronze. Thanks to FF for the pick, and for sailing the frisb over to @woj who's got this to say by way of introduction to tonight's pick...

"A month or so ago, the introduction for that week's pick had me thinking it was one of two bands. The selection did turn out to be one of them (Fleetwood Mac). So, I decided then that my next pick would be one of the other band's albums as a sort of call and response kind of thing. But, now that the summer is winding down and the Autumn releases are starting to roll out, everything has changed. Quite a few really good new records have been released in August and this is one of them. And that's all I shall say about it!"

Right then, download's here, stream's below:

Hope to see you at 20:00 BST (GMT+1) later today.