The Listening Club - 31st May 2015

Hello all!

Well then, insert "loading summer - season not found" gag here. Yeah, not quite feeling the season yet here in Amsterdam, the past week having been a week of rain and keeping the heating on. Forecast is looking a little better though, which is jolly good, as m'self and @nessiest will be heading over to Brighton next weekend for a sojourn, and that's one town that really blossoms in the sunshine, for sure...

Last week @rougeforever was in the chair and treated the assembled to "Close Watch", a selection of the finest work of John Cale, which went down very well, especially in these environs, as I'm just a bit of a fan, noticeably so much that the frisbee was flipped my way to follow, something that will be much fun because as previously mentioned I'm in Brighton next weekend. We shall see what transpires...

In the meanwhilst, it's time to combine our musical energies and cast forth a "decent weather, pls" spell in the shape of the #summervortex - we have 18 fine summer-scented selections from you all to present to the weather gods, so come on!

Download is here, and ye olde mixcloude can be found here.

Get the barbecue on, and we'll see you at 8pm BST (GMT+1).

The Listening Club - 24th May 2015

Greetings y'all,

As with last week, short and sweet intro as the sun's out, and this time the forecast says staying out, also there's a national holiday on Monday here in the Netherlands (Whit Monday)  so it's a tap tap tap get this sorted so we can go out and enjoy the afternoon, Bank Holiday stylee! Also next week is #vortex week, so if you have suggestions for a theme, let us know...

Last week, @saucer was in the chair, and kinda continued the stylings of the previous week with his pick of Howe Gelb's "The Coincidentalist". Many thanks to him for the pick, and for flipping the frisbee across to @rougeforever for this week, and here she is...

"Welcome to the Bank Holiday weekend.  Or Memorial Day weekend if you're of the American persuasion.

I've gone for another record I really really love.   Except there are a few songs I don't really love on it, so I took those off.   Also, I don't know about you, but I've not been in the mood for long Listeningclub choices recently, so my edit keeps it just below 50 minutes.  (You can thank me later).

This is a solo Greatest Hits album by someone who was in a very famous band.  He's the Lennon to the lead's McCartney.  He's my favourite sort of person - on one hand talented, capable and stable, but on the other hand racked with dark brooding thoughts, chaos and madness.   This makes for a great record - you'll hear his psyche opened up in the lyrics and his performances. The lead singer of the band gets all the attention, but this guy actually deserves it.   So come with me on this record.   It won't always be an easy listen, but it'll be worth your time, I can promise you.

I'd suggest you turn all the lights off, take your clothes off and open the wine.  Mind you, I'd always suggest that."

Okaydoke! Dowload is here, and the mixcloud is here.

See you at 8pm BST (GMT+1)

The Listening Club - 17th May 2015

Hey all,

Wow, suns out here, quick sort #LC and I can run and... aw shit, it's gone in again. Ah well, I'm typing now. Hope you're getting some of what makes you all happy, anyways. Not actually that bad here, tho @nessiest is still in NZ, and while the cat's away.... well, the mice sit at the computer playing with their musical things, eating beans on toast. Yes, folks, I'm that predictable.

Fortunately, ol' #listeningclub is, as usual, far from predictable - what with @akx chilling everyone last week with Lowlight's "Always & Forever - Americana 1" mixtape. Cheers to Aarni for the pick and for flipping the frisb across to @saucer for this week's pick, and here he is...

"First, I'd like to congratulate @akx on earning the “That beer was so fine I forgot @saucer was up just 8 weeks ago, and that his pick was, uh...” badge on untapped!

My 3rd time doing this and still awful at reading the room, as it were... aiming for multidimensional Venn diagram intersection perfection for each of our multivariate tastes... which remain mysterious... hurts my brain. Aua! as my German friend says.

(Dude, you say, you're _overthinking it_, but then I'm all like I'd rather try to _read_ the effing room than _empty_ it. Let's just say I keep Demdike Stare, Jelena Glazova, Klangstabil, Isolat Pattern, Government Alpha, and La Monte Young for my own time, ok? Ok.)

Boring story short, I circled through a dozen genres and came back to one of the first records I'd thought of. It's suitable counterpoint to my previous two picks. Good for putting a baby down, if the baby likes subtle, jazzy Americana, performed with heart and mastery.

The track order here is for the vinyl version and I added a little silence between sides.

Hope you enjoy."

Indeedy. get yer download here.. and the Mixcloud here.

See you at 8pm!

The Listening Club - 10th May 2015

Hello y'all

Hope all is good despite this and that.... commiserations to my fellow country peoples, who despite their best intentions have to suffer the same shower of cunts back in government again to do further damage to the country. Biased, moi? Just a soupçon, possibly....

In happy #lc land, no such problems last week, as @emmaprice cheered herself and those around her with Garbage's 1995 debut album, bringing on varying degrees of swooning nostalgia across the board. Many thanks to Emma for the pick and for flipping the frisbee across to @akx...

"Yay, it's nice to be back in the hot seat!

So I find myself listening to more and more mixes instead of albums
these days, so I suppose it's only fitting that I end up submitting
more of them for play too. Last time (yes, it's all coming back to me
now, ahem) I believe I played RAC's White Light Mix -- tonight's mix is decidedly different in mood, but the same reason for picking this applies: it's a mix I keep coming back to over and over again. It's from a DJ (in a loose sense of the word) who mostly does ambient mixes (_excellent_ ambient mixes), and I'd say you can definitely hear that in here too.

Oh, actually, come to think of it, this definitely also has ties to @faberfedor's Mark Twain soundtrack pick of yore... But that's enough spoilers!

Drinking club suggestion: good bourbon or a cold beer (I believe wine would do too), preferably enjoyed while sitting on a sunset-painted dusty porch.

Love,

Aarni"

Anonymized download here,  Tracklist... and the Mixcloud link (warning - original link like with the last mixtape - contains spoilers :) 

See you at 8pm!

The Listening Club - 3rd May 2015

Hello there and happy May Day weekend!

Hope all is fine where you are, here in A-dam work continues apace in Kleptone / Nessiest towers, the wall of wardrobes is up and filled (shitty partition walls notwithstanding), the pile of empty cardboard boxes grows towards critical mass, the internet is pumping the desired 200Mbits out of the correct hole in the wall (but still needs a boost around the outer regions) and the kitchen almost lives (ETA this time tomorrow we hope). So ends the "month of sorting"... we're getting there and enjoying it. Hoorah!

Back in #LC land, last week we dug out the only swingometer that matters and voted in the #electionvortex, a mighty fine selection of opinionated selections, to be sure. Thanks to you all for chipping in your tracks! On regular turf again this week, we find @emmaprice clutching the frisbee, and lo...

"Greetings Listening Clubbers

At 8pm tonight I shall be speeding my way across the country as I'm spending the day on our election battlebus. Will do my best to play along (mobile signal permitting) 

I've had this album in mind for quite a while as a potential Listening Club pick. With the election crazy going on I've not had a chance to angst about my pick at all which makes a change.

Picture the scene;: I'm 17 (uber shy with my head stuck in a book) and on the road of discovery music wise. My 6th form colleagues were mostly into chart pop but there were a couple of indie kids (unsurprisingly the geeks and gamers) who were up for seeking out new and exciting kinds of music. 

I think this is probably one of the first bands where I was excited about them from the first couple of singles. I was so eager for this album to come out so I could hear more from them. I can remember going into Virgin Megastore in Bromley  after school on the day it was released to get my hands on it. It was a bit of a game changer for me as a somewhat isolated teen and resulted in much singing along at home and wishing I was like the lead singer.  

Tis a short but hopefully sweet one

Quick plea to my UK compatriots. Please vote on Thursday. Unless you're a secret right wing twunt.

much love"

Direct download is here (full download link at top of page), and the mixcloud is here.

See you at 8pm BST!