The Listening Club - 13th October 2024

Greetings folks,

Hope you're all good in the hood. Bit of a grey blah week here in Amsterdam, as befits the time of year, so there's not been much doing cept hunkering down and planning future activities, which means... ah, you'll have to wait and see... heh.

During the meanwhilst, @ThatNewSound was in the chair, taking advantage of the situation to share a first listen of Sampha's 2023 album "Lahai", which got the assembled bopping and thinking in equal measures. Thanks extended not only for the pick but also for the frisb fling across to @aqidraco, who's got this to say by way of introduction to tonight's pick...

"I had one artist in mind from the start. Only discovered in the past couple months, they have become a favorite of mine. They just had a new album out and I wanted to listen to that with you all. As it’s probably usual, multiple other possibilities bubbled up that I needed to mull over and listen to the past week. Three of the six, selected themselves out but I got stuck on those other three. Finally Saturday evening I wrote each on a piece of paper and drew, just guess, the one I had wanted to share from the beginning of the process. So, again, just listen to your gut when the music demands to be listened to.

For the ones partaking in the drinking club, I suggest a micro brew of your choice, whiskey or more specific a Bye and Bye. 

Enjoy!

What’s going to be your Halloween costume?"

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

See you 20:00 BST (GMT+1) tonight!

The Listening Club - 6th October 2024

Greetings folks,

Hope you're all doing well and good. Amsterdam is in the middle of a fine weather patch, a few clear and mild days always good at this time of year to get out, shop, and enjoy the start of those low sun afternoons that we don't get many of (too much grey), but are very welcome when they do arrive. Also the air is full of unusual global sounds as we start prepping and digging into this year's Le Guess Who lineup (yep, it's that time of the year already), which is as diverse and inviting as always... looking forward!

Last Sunday, as was last of the month, we got reasonably seasonal with a #SoupsStewsAndBakedGoodsVortex, which got a wide range of tasty responses, as you'd expect. Thanks to everyone for chipping tunes and @akx for whipping up the mix.

Looking further back, we find @ThatNewSound holding the frisbee with this to say by way of introduction to tonight's pick....

"This weeks pick wasn't any easier than the first. I ignored good advice last time and picked something I loved, this time round I've picked something I haven't heard yet. This artist has a pretty massive following so there's a good chance some of you will get this from the intro to track 1, I'm not sure how I missed it when it was released but I'm looking forward to checking it out with you. For drinking club i'd suggest a dark rum with ginger beer and perhaps a splash of lime."

Right then. Download's here, stream's below:

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

The Listening Club - 29th September 2024

Greetings folks,

Hope you're all doing okay. Bit of a non-week for the most part here in Amsterdam, as the rain and grey take hold, and the most exciting thing happening is the arrival of a new washing machine after the old one decided to konk out a week or two back. That said, The 'The The' gig on Monday was seriously excellent - hats off to Matt and his band for delivering a cracking two hour plus set and getting the sold-out crowd to keep their phones in their pockets for the most part too. Full engagement these days is rare, and to be part of it in a sold out Paradiso is a splendid thing indeed.

Last Sunday we had @nessiest in the chair, delivering a classic debut in the shape of Sinead O'Connor's "The Lion And The Cobra" from 1987, which grabbed everyone that knew it and everyone that didn't in equal measures. Thanks to Vanessa for the pick and for sailing the frisb across to @ThatNewSound who has an extra week to ponder because...

... Yep, end-of-month means vortex time, and this time, a very seasonally appropriate, #SoupsStewsAndBakedGoodsVortex has been suggested, so thanks for all the ingredients, and to @akx for the afternoon cook-in, here's the results... 

Download's here, stream's below:

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

The Listening Club - 22nd September 2024

Greetings folks,

Hope you're all good in your respecive hoods. Nights are drawing in an' all that here, but still delivered a decent weekends worth of sunny weather allowing us the opportunity to indulge in some good al fresco dining and quality stoop-sitting whilst stocks last. And a bit of a bucket list tick-off as The The are playing Paradiso on Monday, which is being very much looked forward to, I must admit.

Speaking of looking forward, end of the month beckons, which means we'll be canvassing for #vortex suggestions, so get 'em out later and we'll see what's what, what?

Looking back, we had @Corin_Ja in the chair, sending everyone slightly elliptical with his pick of Nik Bartsch's Ronin and their 2018 album "Awase", which got the assembled well aligned, I'd say. Thanks to Corin for the pick, and for sailing the frisb across to these shores, where @Nessiest is waiting with tonight's intro...

"One of the unwritten rules of Listening Club @kleptones first told me a decade ago (!) was be careful picking anything too personal in case the commentary stings.

Here we go then. I fucking love this, have done from the first time it brought me to tears as an angsty teen. (It by far transcends the angsty label, don’t worry). When the vocalist passed my first thought was “I’ll pick this for le club one day”. 

A lot of you will know all of this album well. I hope it’s new to some of you and I’ll take the risk on sharing a favourite. Drinking Club pick is a mug of tea and a spliff if that’s what you fancy. The artist would probably approve."

Right then. Download's here, stream's below:

See you 20:00 BST (GMT+1) tonight!

The Listening Club - 15th September 2024

Salutations folks,

Hope you're all doing fine. Been a grotty week here in Amsterdam as a nasty northerly wind has swept autumnal vibes onto us with a vengeance. That said, the sun's peeking out and it's a mild afternoon, so let's get this tapped out so I can go make the most of it...

Last Sunday we had @woj in the chair, delivering something new from old with his pick of Wanda Jackson's "This Party Ain't Over" produced by Jack White in 2009, which got the assembled jivin' and swingin' as you'd expect. Thanks to Woj for the pick and for sailing the frisb over to @corin_ja who is here with tonight's intro...

"I think my taste in music could be roughly divided between very popular, top-of-the-charts acts of the 1970s and 80s and somewhat obscure, meditative, downtempo things that have niche appeal. In making a selection for Listening Club I am usually torn between these two poles, anyhow. Do I pick something that everyone probably knows, hoping it'll be a fun experience if most people like or at least are aware of the record in question?

Or do I take a risk with something that probably fewer people will know but that might not work at all, some people might even flee, screaming in horror?

I'll let you decide which option I have gone for this week, and we shall see what happens.

#DrinkingClub suggestion is a Negroni for this one, but don't read too much into that."

Right then. Download's here, stream's below:

See you at 20:00 BST (GMT+1) tonight.

The Listening Club - 8th September 2024

Salutations folks,

Hope you're all doing good. Summer still hanging on here in Amsterdam, although the forthcoming week sees wet and grey heading our way, which is annoying. Still, the cultural season continues in full force, and Cornelius (and group) played an absolute blinder on Tuesday, so there's not much to complain about, apart from my inability to grasp responsive css and drag my website into the 21st century, but hey, at least I'm finally trying... ;-)

Anyhoo, last Sunday it was me, @kleptones, in the chair, trying to surprise as best I could with my pick of Spurv's 2003 album "Brefj​æ​re" which rocked and folked in plenty of epic directions. Following that, all that remained was to flip the frisb across to @woj, who is right here with tonight's intro...

"As usual, I had several ideas rattling around in my head for this week's Listening Club and was spiralling in on one of them to select but then I had an opportunity to see a film called "Rock Chicks...I Am Not Female To You" this past week and my plans were revised. With a title like that, it's pretty obvious that this pick is by a woman so gendered pronouns it is!. Today's pick was not in the film herself but is still a central figure as a good portion of the film features her former guitarist. While I knew this woman and some of her songs, I realized I wasn't as versed in her long carer as I should have been so di a little reading, did a little listening, and ended up picking this record to grace our earballs today. It's one of her comeback records, to an extent, and has a famous producer but that's not why i selected it. I mostly selected it because it's one of her longer records...and still under 40 minutes long! Anyway, hope you enjoy it!"

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

See you 20:00 BST (GMT+1) while stocks last!

The Listening Club - 1st September 2024

Greetings folks, pinch and a punch and all that.

Hope all is good for you all. Alas, September est arrivé, along with the end of the summer holidays, although the 28 degrees celsius I feel and the skate park block party round the corner that we will soon be attending are both begging to differ. It's been a fun week or two, as the remains of the summer and the start of the Dutch "cultural season" collide, providing opportunities to see odd bits of classical and jazz being performed for free around the city, which is really very nice indeed. Add meeting up with a few old friends here and there for food, drink and fine conversation, and well, what more could you ask for? Oh yeah, Cornelius is playing the Paradiso on Tuesday. So yes, I'm in musn't grumble mode right now, for sure.

Last Sunday, as befits the last of the month, saw us in #vortex mode, this time a #OneLastTuneVortex, which as predicted was quite evenly split between mellow finishes and balls-to-the-wall moments, with only one or two crowd-clearers in attedance. Thanks to everyone for chipping in tunes, and the mighty @Saucer for the tough job of stitching it all together!

Looking back to our regular program, we find it's me, @kleptones, that has the frisb, so let's get italic for tonight's intro...

"Right then. 

Around the turn of the year, if I have time, I bookmark a few "best of year" music lists, particularly for genres of music that's I'm not particularly au fait with or a fan of, just to have a listen to what is considered new and great, on the off chance that something will catch my ear. Most of it gets binned after 20-30 seconds of listening, but occasionally something slips through and makes its way into the permanent collection.

Here's one that slipped through from last year's lists. It's epic, It's Scandinavian and that's probably nuff said for now. Looking forward to seeing what you think...."

Okidoke. Download's here, stream's below:

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