Listening Club - 24th February 2013

Happy Hi to you all,

Another early tapped out intro for me, as I'm off tonight to finally check out Amsterdam's two most well known venues, who both happen to have concurrently excellent events this (Saturday) evening... First will be to the Melkweg for an open house mixed bag event of bands, DJs, gallery shows, cinema, theatre and comedy - New York's most excellent Budos Band are in the lineup, so regardless of what else is on, I'll be delightedly cutting an afro-funk rug for at least an hour... Then onwards to the Paradiso, for the main show of the city's Sonic Acts festival, featuring amongst others, The Bug, Coki, Dean Blunt of Hype Williams and Mika Vainio of Pan Sonic. Yup, electronics of the weird and heavy variety will abound, and minds will be most likely blown. I'm thoroughly looking forward to it, and not sure how wobbly I'll be tomorrow, so getting this ready to go in advance seems a sensible move, no?

Anyhoo, last week @JimMcCauley was in the driver's seat, and took us all to a most unusual land, courtesy of Serafina Steer's "The Moths Are Real" - A welcome place to be, and a grand contrast to the last few weeks of noise pollution. Thanks to Jim for the choice, and (after a little to-ing and fro-ing) for directing the frisbee of love to @NeilPBardhan for his debut #LC selection. Over to Neil for the intro...

"Hi Listeners!

I found the frisbee in my lap earlier this week and realized that all my vague thoughts over the past few months of 'What would I pick, if I had the chance?' hadn't come to any grand conclusions! I went through a couple rounds of selections, consulted with a mathematician,  and finally settled on one of my all-time favorite albums that just carries me through life, over & over again. It's really never been clear to me how well-known this group is, nor do I remember at this point how I first heard them. Likely even if you've only heard of them, this earlier disc may be new to you unless you've hit their live shows... And, to qualify further, even then, it's not always clear 'what's what' to fans like myself, who can just get lost in it all!

And, should I end up re-frisbeed in the future, I think I've got a few other choices up my digital record sleeve that you might enjoy."

Jolly good! Dropbox download is here, and Mixcloud stream here!

Looking forward to it - see you at 8pm GMT!

Listening Club - 17th February 2013

Greetings and salutations!

Hope all is going well for you all - Things not exactly tickety-boo here, as I've been without internet for the last day or two - much scurrying about has been done by official types, and a general plethora of turning-things-off-and-then-turning-them-back-on-again, so I'm hoping that someone manages to fix it soon for rather obvious reasons, otherwise I'll be off to find an internet caff to try and get this down the pipes to you all in good time for this evening. If you're reading this then obviously one way or another I have succeeded! Huzzah!!!

Succeed also didst fair @holette last week, although with the distorto-might of My Bloody Valentine's platter-du-jour, "MBV" at her side who would dare stop her? Not any of the #LC regulars that was for sure. A fine pick indeed - thanks to @holette for going for the road more travelled for once (a rarity in #LC land as any fule kno), and for sailing the frisbee across to yonder @JimMcCauley. And here he is with the intro...

"You should always go with your instinct. Last time round I knew straight away what I wanted to pick, then panicked a bit and changed my mind talked myself into something else and it all ended up going a bit prog. Not quite sure how that happened, really. This time I knew straight away what I was going to pick, panicked a bit the next morning, then had a bit of a think and told my panicking self to shit off.

This is a bit of a new one; the result of one of those chance hearings on the radio. One of those occasions when you hear a song and something about it grabs you from the off; and so five minutes later you own the album. This album probably shouldn’t be my thing; I don’t want to say too much but it’s a bit singer-songwritery and a bit folky and a bit trendy East London. But it has me thoroughly besotted; it’s made up of interesting and unlikely elements that fit together very pleasantly indeed, and it makes up about half of my preferred listening at the moment – the other half being last week’s My Bloody Valentine album.
And after last week’s excellent raucousness this ought to contrast nicely. Enjoy!"

Well there you have it... Dropbox download is here, and Mixcloud stream here!

Looking forward to it - see you at 8pm GMT!

Listening Club - 10th February 2013

Howdy folks,

Yet again I find myself tapping out the LC intro with a room full of drying washing, a beckoning suitcase and a flight to come later in the day, following another weekender back to London for Kleptonite last night. Fortunately I've managed to avoid the jumbo hangover that plagued last week's intro, so will be bopping around the house for the rest of the day singing "I should feel much worse than this, doo-dah, doo-dah". Sure you know what I mean, if not what I do...

So, and futhermore, well... last week saw @jayesofine pushing the frisbee far out with their pick of The Intergalactic Republic Of Kongo. The band, and the eponymous album, natch, not the place, which probably doesn't exist, although all of you who enjoyed the album are probably wishing it did. Thanks to Jaye for the excellent pick, and for the customary frisbee fling, this time in the direction of @holette, who is about to make the choice that may well have happened last week if it hadn't dropped so close to the #LC deadline...

"Breaking with Listening Club tradition, and because I was just too damn excited about its release last week, I’ve blabbed my choice in advance. The new My Bloody Valentine album – bit of an event really. Well, it is when you’ve spent as much time swooning around in a nocturnal, narcotic haze listening to them as I did back in the day. And it is 14th February this week.

So have they still got something special, 22 odd years (22!) after releasing their last album? I’ve shied away from reading the reviews of mbv this week but couldn’t resist a listen yesterday. I wasn’t disappointed. There’s one track in particular I CANNOT WAIT to hear again. A band who will always spring a surprise on you I think. Loved the “mbv breaks the internet” stories last week too.

So, “seminal band” or not, don’t hold your tweets. Let the, ahem, feedback commence. Sorry."

Well then. Providing the internet police don't descend on us, Dropbox download is here, and Mixcloud stream here!

A tidal wave of magical transcendence or a nasty case of the Emperor's new FX pedals? Join us at 8pm for the debate...

Listening Club - 3rd Febuary 2013

Hey up you lot,

Happy third of the second to you all - not much to report here by way of an intro, have popped back over to the UK for the weekend for a little party, will be zooming back in a couple of hours and taking my hangover with me!

Digging back to last week, @MonkeyTypes was in the spotlight, and offered up Tim Fite's "Aint Aint Aint", which went down rather well indeed - Thanks to him for the pick and for pushing the light over in the direction of @jayesofine, who has this to say about this week's selection...

"Preamble: This band was once another band.

That band became one of my favourite bands, releasing amazing jump up rock out numbers the tail end of the Naughties that got me excited about guitar bands again. I kept missing them live but read of their reputation of being a blistering confrontational live act. I waited 4 years for an album and a headline tour to experience that reputation for myself. Then the news came, they were releasing their debut for free but they were also splitting up. That album made my 2010. I played it constantly until it’s become an all-time favourite. Such a bitter sweet ending to such a great band.

Ramble: That was the past, the future is now.

Almost the instant this band split up they began a new project, shifting music styles and became something quite different. They kept their lyrical madness and ferocious live reputation but now have 2 drummers, they’ve been known to up that to 4!?! Have I told you I love drums?

This time round I got to see them play in a tiny, tiny Manchester pub in the Northern Quarter at the end of 2011. There were roughly 12 of us including the band in that room but that didn’t stop me from having one of the most amazing live experiences ever! It was a rapturous and at the same time quite scary experience, the singer was not gonna let anyone not enjoy themselves to the maximum, throwing himself and most of the audience members around. He commanded that we have fun and we did!

Their album has been released recently and it’s everything I hoped it would be. It touches on so many genres of music but at all times insists that you contort your body into crazy shapes and throw it around until you’re spent.  Apparently it’s great to drive round really fast shouting the lyrics at the top of your voice to, so a friend tells me, ah-hem… 

So tonight, my Listening Club comrades I ask that you play this album on your biggest beefiest bassiest speakers (yes there will be bass) or a really good set of headphones, dim the lights, stick on your disco lights if you have any, maybe invite some open minded friends, family members or pets and join me for a very MAXIMAL body moving experience!

PS. I’ve zipped up this bands album from when they were the other band and included it in the package too. They gave it away free and as I had planned to have it as a Listening Club album at some point you can listen to it at your leisure. I hope you enjoy that too.  

Wowsers! There you go... Download is here (direct Dropbox link), or the Mixcloud stream is here!

Search #listeningclub to see what's going on, and follow@listeningclub for the admin!

Hope to see you at 8pm GMT!