The Listening Club - 18th December 2016

Greetings folks,

Hope all is fine and good with you all. A positive mood prevails here in Amsterdam, but that's because we're off on holiday soon, and very much looking forward to getting away from the grey and grim for a while. Speaking of which, looks like due to calendar issues we're going to postpone the #festivevortex until the 8th January, and the right honerable @JimMcCauley will be helming that, so you've got plenty of time to get your favourites of 2016 lined up. Also, although we didn't actually discuss it, I'm presuming that we're going to be closed for business for the next two Sundays (Xmas Day and New Year's Day), so whoever gets the frisbaton tonight will have until 15th Jan to get their pick sorted...

Last week @xpollen8 jumped bravely into the fray with his debut pick of Carrie Newcomer's "Visions And Dreams" which split opinions fairly down the middle, I think, as befitting the duality of the album title. Many thanks to him for the pick and for sailing the frisb across to @mrhig who's here with a typically seasonal intro...

"You passed me the frisbaton in the lead up to Christmas. You absolute fools.

I’m a sucker for a good Christmas album. Or even a crap Christmas album, if it has enough novelty value. I own two Barry Manilow Christmas albums. Last week I picked up a Mariachi Christmas album on vinyl for a pound in a local record shop (it’s great, but it’s not this week’s pick).

It’s getting to the point where allowing myself to listen to Christmas albums from the first of December onwards each year is not early enough to be able to fit in all our Christmas albums. Next year I might start at Thanksgiving like the Americans seem to (actually a lot of Americans I know start on Christmas festivities once Halloween is over).

You’ve got to listen to Christmas music when putting up the tree and decorations (the Charlie Brown Christmas album by the Vince Guaraldi Trio for me) and when wrapping last-minute presents on Christmas Eve (Low’s Christmas album and Slow Club’s “Christmas Thanks For Nothing” for this… but the latter is too short for Listening Club and the former too obvious/well-known).

There are great recent holiday records by (amongst others) Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, Nick Lowe, and Tracey Thorn (with a loose definition of “recent”… look, they can only be listened to at Christmas time so time works differently with holiday records). I’m also a big fan of more inclusive festive fare that throws in a few Hannukah-related ditties and perhaps nods to some other countries/faiths and their celebrations. After all I’m no Christian myself (atheist co-opting a ubiquitous British holiday for my own purposes here).

But this week’s pick is one of the earliest Christmas albums I own (in terms of my own personal chronology in acquiring them, not year of release necessarily) and a perennial favourite. It should be instantly recognisable to those that know the band or artist, and I’m more than aware it won’t be to everyone’s tastes. I’d ask that you give it a chance but this is Listening Club, and the first rule of Listening Club is to give everything a chance. Turn and face the strange, as it were (no, AFAIK Bowie never did a Christmas record). I think there’s some very fun and novel approaches to classics here, and quite a bit of variation.

Drinking suggestion: eggnog, mulled wine, hot buttered rum or a nice glass of port. 

Turn the (normal) lights down low. Turn on all the Christmas lights and decorations. Set the tree to “epilepsy” setting and imagine you’re in Los Angeles, by way of Winnipeg…"

Right. Direct download is here, and the spoiler-laden HearThis stream is below:


See you at 8pm GMT!

The Listening Club - 11th December 2016

Greetings folks,

Hope all is fine with you folks - Feeling a little discombobulated here, as I mentioned earlier on twitter, the job that brought me here to Amsterdam three and a half years ago has ended, which is a pity in a few ways, and a relief in a few others, as is always the case. Still, given the way that this year has gone for many, it's definitely a perfect time to be putting past grumbles and downers to one side, and looking to the future... *raises glass to you all*

Last week chez #LC, @samsmitter was in the chair, sailing us back to his youthful times with his pick of Elvis Costello's sophomore album "This Year's Model", which still sounds mighty fine to these ears. Many thanks to Sam for the pick and for sailing the frisbee across to @xpollen8, who is here with his debut introduction...

"This has been a shit week in a shit year, so I'm setting my sights back a few comforting years to when today was unimaginable.

This is an artist whose style isn't one I normally dig. But her turn of phrase and tunesmithery pack a real punch, so maybe she'll win you over, too.

She's still a DIY touring *machine* even decades after this debut. The lady deserves more attention than she receives.

Teaser: I snapped the cover portrait."

Okaydoke. Direct download is here (right-click, save as), and the spoiler-filled HearThis stream is...


See you 8pm GMT.

The Listening Club - 4th December 2016

Greetings folks,

Hope all is good in your hoods, Amsterdam's in rare sunny day mode, which is welcome, if chilly, especially as the kinderlings of the city await the arrival of Sinterklass tomorrow, although I'm hoping he's recovered from his weekend drinking, as we saw him looking rather three-sheets-to-the-wind in a bar last night...

Last week, @Har_Shone was in the chair presenting her high-body-count debut pick of Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds' classic "Murder Ballads" which went down rather well indeed. Thanks to Harriet for the pick, and for sailing the frisb like a pro across to that @samsmitter, who's here with this week's intro...

"My favourite ever album? For me its a bit like the pop charts, and the number one spot changes at least once a month. This album held the prestigious title of My Favourite Album Ever for at least 6 months, a Mull-Of-Kintyre style run at the prestigious 16-18 formative age. The artist is one of those you either really like or you really don't - if you like him, this is far and away his best album in my opinion, and if you don't, sorry! - its only 36 minutes long. This is one from the glory days before some idiot told him he could sing, and he started recording albums with string quartets. Just a great band, swirling organ, and great songs. Hope you enjoy it."

Righty-ho. Direct download is here, and the spoiler-laden HearThis stream is below:


See you at 8pm GMT.

The Listening Club - 27th November 2016

Hey folks,

Still grey and grim all around, but pushing on seems to be the order of the day as the political dust settles all around us. Don't forget we still have a bit of a quandary as to when the #festivevortex takes place (for the uninitiated, that's when we all pick a couple of our favourite tracks of this year, throw them into a mix and have a little party during xmas downtime). As I'm going to be away this year, the mighty @JimMcCauley has agreed to helm the operation, but we still need to agree on a date, as xmas day falls around the weekend. Ideas welcome, although I figure Jim should have the final decision, as he's the one that's going to be putting the effort in! Let us know on the tweets, folks...

Last week, whilst myself and @nessiest were away being jazzed to within an inch of our lives, the very same @JimMcCauley was in the chair, boogieing folks with his pick of Sasha's "Invol2ver", which seemed to go down most satisfactorily indeed. Thanks hugely to himself for the pick, and for flipping the frisbaton across to @Har_Shone, who is here with her debut pick introduction....

"I suppose I should apologise because I had an album all picked out that I was convinced a) you’d all probably like and b) most of you wouldn’t have heard of and then it suddenly struck me, ‘why don’t I pick one of my favourite albums of all time which is notoriously divisive instead’. So that’s what I’ve done. Sorry.

My Aunt and Uncle are my music guru Yoda-esque favourites and they recommended this album to me when I was about 14 and I pretty much hated it because, well, its a bit weird and I was very young. Then, when I was about 19, I revisited it and discovered, maybe I’m a bit weird and I loved it! Enjoy!"

Righty-ho. Direct download is here, and the spoiler-heavy HearThis stream is below.


See you at 8pm BST!

The Listening Club - 20th November 2016

Greetings folks,

Everything grey, wet and grim right now, fortunate though to have a cracking weekend of music to keep us positive and on-point; Mark Pritchard was in most excellent DJ form on Friday night, starting with ambient, folk, post-rock and dub, building to a ragga and jungle climax that stretched the leg muscles considerably. Last night we had a whole different bag of totalitarian boogie at the premiere of Laibach's "Liberation Day" documentary of their visit to play in North Korea, with a cracking set from the band themselves after. And today tapping this out early so we can scoot out for a good lunch and then an 8 hour set from The Necks and their friends, celebrating the band's 30th Anniversary. Get it whilst it's there folks!

Last week @wojsvenwoj was in an understandably fiery mood, stoking the flames with his pick of "Avengers" by, erm, Avengers, which sounded highly zeitgeisty, despite being nearly 40 years old. Thanks to Woj for the pick, and for sailing the frisb across to @JimMcCauley, who's here with the pre-match...

"I don't think I've picked a DJ mix album before, so let's see about that tonight. No crazy turntablism, just some mad Ableton skills and a bunch of great tunes; I think I'm mainly picking this one, over a whole bunch of other albums by the same artist that I could have chosen, because of the stunning remix around the 40 minute mark.

"Basically: this year, eh? It's put me right in the mood to just get mashed up and dance all night, and I'd be very happy indeed if this album dropped around 2AM. Enjoy!"

Okaydoke. Direct download is here, and the potentially-spoiler-ridden HearThis stream is....


See you at 8pm GMT!

The Listening Club - 13th November 2016

Greetings folks,

Well, fuck. Rendered very low and pretty much speechless by the last week's events. So long Leonard, you got out just in time. Meanwhile, let's all keep being excellent to each other and our communities and work up those Plan B's. We damn well gonna need them now.

Last week, aka a lifetime ago, @Nessiest was in the chair, smoothing our souls with "Treasure House" by Cat's Eyes. Many thanks to her for the pick and for sailing the frisbaton across to @wojsvenwoj, who's here with this week's pre-match...

"What a week. 

A kidney punch of a Presidential election here in the States that, of course, has ramifications well beyond our borders. Leonard Cohen's passing. A new Tribe Called Quest record.

Needless to say, the election has dominated my thoughts and driven a lot what I've been listening to since Tuesday. The early days of punk -- its rawness, speed, anger and, at least at times, political awareness -- has been where I've landed as my mood seems to be on that wavelength. 

So, figured this would be a good selection in that it's a little more political than most, captures a lot of what I am feeling now, and wraps it up in sweaty, adrenaline-soaked bow.

Drinking club: Lone Star"

Okaydoke. Direct download is here, the HearThis (possible spoiler warning) stream is below:


See you at 8pm.

The Listening Club - 6th November 2016

Greetings folks,

Happy post-Guy Fawkes day. Grey and grim again outside, and a sense of foreboding across the planet as the American election prepares to drag its sorry carcass over the finish line, for better or for worse. Really looking forward to seeing this year folded up and packed away before it causes any more chaos, to be honest, but in the meantime let's join forces and get ready to howl at the supermoon....

All things considered, not surprising that last week @JonnyDaPigg chose to give us all a dose of the blues with his pick of Sonny Terry's "Wizard Of The Harmonica", which saw everyone assessing a few personal listening thresholds to much amusement. Many thanks to Jonny for the pick, and for sailing the frisbaton across to @Nessiest, who is here with this week's intro...

"This is from people I'd never heard of. They remind me of a lot of other artists while still managing to sound like themselves. 

I like the sharpness of some of the lyrics, the vying for balance between the artists without disrupting the effect of the overall album.

Steeped in a definite era, drinking recommendations for this one are maybe a dirty martini or an old-fashioned, accompanied by any food cut into cubes and stuck on toothpicks."

Okaydoke. Direct download is here, and the click-through-for-spoilers-goddamit HearThis stream is below:


See you at 8pm GMT!

The Listening Club - 30th October 2016

Greetings folks,

Happy clock-dicking about week. Yep, it's goodbye to walking home in the early-evening embers, and hello to dark & gloom at the end of the day for a few months, well for me anyway. So it goes. At least it's a little less time per day I have to spend looking at the grim grey sky. No, it's not my favourite time of year, can you tell?

Back in hardy perennial #LC land, last week @cdrose_writer was in the chair, and despite my best efforts to link everyone back to the previous week, finally got there with his pick of Ruby's "Waiting For Light", which went down very well with the assembled. Cheers to him for the pick and for sailing the frisb across to the kitchen of @JonnyDaPigg, who is here with this week's appetizer...

"How do chaps and chappesses, gonna keep this brief as I'm need to keep putting more Hey Duggee's on the telly. Today's choice was helped narrowed down by my current listening situation, #kitchenclub, which basically meant I had to remove anything bass heavy. Which was quite a lot. Then removed was all choices marked summer, ah, summer, see you next year. Top of the pile was this offering which came into my possession upon receiving a new instrument one Christmas. To get me into playing (which actually I'm not allowed to do as the noise offends the gift giver) I went searching for some artists and albums featuring said instrument. This one is the second one I got and my favourite. I'm not sure why if I'm honest, but it never fails to bring a smile and get my foot tapping. It also sounds great on my laptop speakers so we should be all good to go.  

Recommended #drinkingclub: bourbon.   

Enjoy."  

Direct download is here, and the ol' spoiler-tastic HearThis stream is...

See you at 8pm GMT!

The Listening Club - 23rd October 2016

Hola folks,

Hope you're doing fine, Amsterdam is bouncing and full to capacity, as three or four hundred thousand boppers decend upon the city for Amsterdam Dance Event weekend. I'm feeling a little ragged here following The Bug's cracking 7" vinyl + FX set last night, so a gentle Sunday is in order, for me and probably several hundred thousand other folks in the vicinity...

Last week chez #LC, @Holette was in the chair, weirding folks out with Anna Meredith's debut album "Varmints", which garnered a mixed reaction, but all agreed it had some fine moments. Many thanks to @Holette for the pick, and for sliding the frisb across to @cdrose_writer, who's here with this week's intro...

"Return of the re-forgotten, part 48.  A couple of months back I got a text from a friend tipping me off about an artist we’d both liked back in the early 90s now playing a gig in the backroom of a pub near my house.  I went along to find literally twelve other people there (I counted them), most of whom seemed to know or be related to said artist.  Undeterred, said artist - armed only with a laptop and a couple of strange little boxes - threw out a set that was challenging, funny, visceral and emotional.  I got the record: it’s as good as the show was.

Drinking recommendation: a smooth whisky.

(N.b. bonus points will go to the Listening Clubber who can spot the link between this artist and the Twitter name of one Listening Club regular!)"

Direct download is here, and the HearThis stream (may be spoilers) is....

Okaydoke, see you at 8pm BST (GMT+1)

The Listening Club - 16th October 2016

Greets folks,

Tapping this out early before a day in Den Haag with my visiting mum, forecast is for unseasonal warmth & sun, so let's have it. But first...

Last week @akx was in the chair, spinning heads as usual with his selection of DJ Kentaro's "On The Wheels Of Solid Steel" mix, which want down very well indeed in all quarters, as well it should. Thanks to Aarni for the pick, and for flipping the frisb across to @holette, who has this to say by way of introduction...

"I first heard the lead track on this album recently and listened, slack-jawed. Bold, bonkers and banging, it made me want to find out more. Released this year, the album is packed with surprising sounds orchestrated by an artist well known in her field but previously unknown to me.  Just when you think you're entering familiar musical territory, it skitters and slithers off somewhere unusual and cleverly catches your attention.

Be interesting to see what the Listening Club Massive make of this. Easy on the volume button. Drinking Club: something fortifying."

Reety-ho. Direct download is here, and the HearThis stream is...


Unfortunately it looks like HearThis now has automatic track detection that can't be disabled unless you pay, so don't click through to the full HT page unless you want to risk spoilers. Goddamit.

See you at 8pm BST (GMT+1)

The Listening Club - 9th October 2016

Greetings folks,

Hope all is fine with you all. Ups and downs here in Amsterdam, after seeing a fine set from Ben Watt on Friday, I've managed to come down with some sort of stomach lurgi, which has put the mockers on the rest of the weekend's activities, save for a rather fruitless attempt to grab Glastonbury tickets - was looking like our streak of good ticket fortune had come to an end, but fortunately others in the posse had better luck and got our names in, so hooray for that, at least!

Chez #LC, last week @saucer was in the chair, and cranked up the distortion to give us Teenage Cool Kids' "Denton After Sunset", which went down pretty good, much to his surprise I think. Thanks to him for the pick and for sailing the frisb across to @akx, who's here with this week's intro...

"For once, I actually immediately knew what to pick when I snatched the frisbaton.

This is a turntablist DJ mix in a series we've actually heard one
installment of before, back in November 2014, but I'm preeeetty sure we haven't heard this one.

Anyway - dunno what I can tell you other than that it's a ride alright, and you should play it suitably loud.

#drinkingclub suggestion: something loud."

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


See you at 8pm BST (GMT+1)

The Listening Club - 2nd October 2016

How do, folks.

Yeah, so finally summer doth come to an end, with grey grotty grimness gleefully descending on Amsterdam, and the summer togs getting pushed to the back of the wardrobe once more. Still, plenty of things to keep us occupied, still buzzing gently from seeing one of my all-time favourites (and previous #LC picks) Negativland on their first European tour for 20-or-so years last Wednesday, and mighty fine they were too. A nicer bunch of lunatics you couldn't hope to meet, truly.

Chez #LC, last week. whilst myself and @nessiest were off having our minds triangulated by Plaid at the Melkweg, the right honorable @RougeForever was folking it up with her selection of Kathryn Williams' "Hypoxia", which seemed to have quite an emtional effect on the assembled. Many thanks to Liz for the pick, and for sailing the frisbo across the sea to @saucer, who has this to say by way of introduction...

"Tonight's pick is the missing link, as it were, between the origin story of one of my favorite, active American bands and what they became... are becoming. In fact, in April of this year they released a new, "mature" album, guest star and all (and it's great). But this isn't that.

Rather, this is the final evolution of one band that changed a great deal across three albums and then ended, so the next one could start.

I am a happy completist of everything the central figure in this story created/is creating/will create. Within his growing catalog, tonight's pick is special... balanced between morosophy and mastery, brilliance expressed through lizard brain, plain and direct and urgent.

Then without further decoration or delay, let's have a listen and I hope you enjoy."

Right. Direct download is here, and the HearThis stream is...



See you at 8pm!

The Listening Club - 25th September 2016

Greetings folks,

Yeap, it's the summer keeps on giving over here. 24 degrees on the 25th? Grateful, for sure, if a little weirded out. So let's get this tapped out so we can get out and enjoy it before it fucks off again...

Last week wor @nessiest was in the chair, and pulled out one of the live highlights of the summer in the form of Meilyr Jones's "2013", which quite a few folks were already familiar with. Not surprising then that it went down rather well. Thanks to @nessiest for the pick, and for sailing the frisbaton across to @rougeforever, who is here with this week's intro...

"Sometimes, if you want people to really hear you, it's more effective to whisper than to shout.   This short record whispers about the execution of traitors, about attempted rape, about mental illness and Esther's barbaric treatment at the hands of doctors.   It whispers quietly and if you weren't listening hard you'd miss it.  This record appears and disappears like little soapy bubbles from a kid's toy on a summer day.

You know Esther, of course.   You know her collapse under the weight of society's expectations.   You've dated women who have well thumbed copies of her fictional life, and maybe you've not understood how it was for women, how it is for women. 

And you know the author.  The worst sort of woman:  fiercely intelligent, accomplished and beautiful.   A woman ultimately destroyed by her own brilliant mind.  

Art about art is usually pointless.   But I hope you find something beautiful in this.  

And at least it's short."

Okay. Direct download is here, and the HearThis stream is...


Reety-ho. See you at 8pm BST (GMT+1)

The Listening Club - 18th September 2016

Greetings folks,

Well, looks like summer is hanging on for a couple more weeks in these here environs, which is grand for evening strolls and drinks, but making for some rather sweaty enviroments as we enter the post-festival gigging season. Good problems to have though, eh?

In the land of #L&C last week @samsmitter was in the chair, and his weapon of choice was Prince's 2007 opus "Planet Earth", which, like most of the man's latter albums had some mighty fine moments amongst the eyebrow-raisers, as all agreed. Many thanks to Sam for the pick, and for flipping the frisbaton across to @nessiest, who popped in from clearing cat shit out of the soon-to-be-flower-beds to say this...

"Some of the sweetest and most uplifting moments of this summer have been spent in various fields with friends, listening to music - possibly with a cider in hand. 

Tonight's music is brought to you by one of the acts I was lucky enough to see this year. I chose this album above the other on my shortlist because of its accomplished feel, the giddy veering between genres and the really beautiful moments dotted thoughout. Pull on your metaphorical festival wellies and join me in swaying along, I'll get the first round in."

Righty-ho. Direct download is here, and the HearThis stream is...

See you at 8pm (BST+1)

The Listening Club - 11th September 2016

Greetings, folks...

Hope you're doing fine. Feeling a little tender here following the final festival soujorn of the season at Magneet Festival here in Amsterdam yesterday, much fun and frolics, and no rain for a change. Indeed the summer here seems to have been extended due to popular demand, which is rather grand, therefore much making-the-most-of-it is the order of the days. Well, you have to, don't you?

Back in #LC land, last week that @JimMcCauley was in the chair, and sent us back to an unusual slice of the 90s in the shape of "Shaken And Stirred - The David Arnold Bond Project" which did the intended reminder job of that era, good, bad and inbetween. Thanks to Jim for the pick, and for flipping the frisb across to @SamSmitter, who is here with this week's pre-match....

"This artist won’t be new to anyone, but the album might be, coming from his more obscure and impenetrable later period recordings. I read an interesting article about the later recordings after his death, which claimed that the later stuff was just as full of good material as the earlier better known work. Having waded through several triple albums since then, I’m not sure I agree, but this is certainly the most accessible album from that period, and would be considered an incredibly accomplished pop/rock/R&B album if it had been released by anyone else. I had a free copy of this album put into my hand on the way into a concert, almost 20 years on from my previous time seeing him live, and the performance was just as incredible as the first time. This album captures a lot about the artist – versatility, bags of talent, moments of extreme virtuosity, moments of boredom, moments of what-the-fuck-is-he-on-about, and sexuality that is brazen to the point of providing comic relief. Hope you enjoy it!"

Righty-ho. Direct download is here, and the HearThis stream is....


See you at 8pm BST (while it lasts!)

The Listening Club - 4th September 2016

Hey there,

Hope all is fine, looks like we've reached that time of the year when our pittance of a summer starts to recede, and suddenly any sign of heat or sun results in a frantic dash outside to play. Well, it does here anyway.... *looks out the window hopefully*

Last week, @andershanson was in the chair, and treated us all to his debut play of Temples' "Sun Structures", which he and most everyone else seemed to enjoy muchly. Thanks to Anders for the pick and for flipping the frisbaton across to that @JimMcCauley, who's here to explain away his pick...

"It's an embarrassing time to be British. It must be a little more embarrassing to be American and faced with the very real possibility of President Trump in a couple of months, but there's still time to avert that particular catastrophe.

Brexit, though, is a national embarrassment on a scale of I don't know what, and if it wasn't bad enough waking up the morning after the referendum, we now have to put up with the spectacle of 'Brexit means Brexit' and the government boldly stumbling towards disaster on the grounds that it's what the people want. There just isn't enough facepalm.

It's so bad that it makes me miss the heady, hubristic days of Cool Britannia. I mean, we all know how well that went in the end, but for a while it was a fun popular delusion to be a part of and I think this album, celebrating a peculiarly tenacious national icon, sums up the era nicely. So get out your non-ironic Union Jacks and let's party like it's 1997!

"#drinkingclub: Oh, you'll figure it out. Have a cocktail shaker ready."

Right. Direct download is here, and the HearThis stream is....


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

The Listening Club - 28th August 2016

Hey folks,

Yep, we're back, after a couple of weeks of tents n beers n steaks n mates n tunes n sun n drizzle, but feeling all the better for it. A fine and dandy time indeed. Huge thanks to Jim for holding things down in my absence! Amsterdam, for its troubles, has been keeping the warm on, so it's been a weekend of cheerfully strolling the city and pruning the green things. Not bad at all.

Last week whilst I was working my way through 90 welsh ales, @cakehugga was in the chair, selecting Field Mouse's "Episodic", which went down well, from what I can see. Many thanks to her for the pick and for flipping the frisb to @andershanson, who despite some vortex confusion, is here with this week's intro...

"Having had it in my head that today was a vortex I'd done nothing to choose an album until I had doubts about it being a vortex week and then realised yesterday that it was indeed my turn to pick. So this album hasn't gone through the usual agonised week-long internal debate that I normally have to put up with.

Perusing my music collection and with nothing leaping out at me as a good pick - it's a downside of me usually buying single songs not whole albums - I decided to go with something completely new. So this will also be the first time I've heard this album in full and so there's very little I can actually tell you about it.

I heard a track from one of this band's EPs only three days ago whilst sat in my favourite bar in Sheffield. Unfortunately the song that I heard then isn't actually on this, their one and only (although another is due soon) album, but it did lead me to discover more of their music. Vocally it is a fairly typical pick from me, but the sound isn't so much although it does veer in to that territory every so often.

I shall look forward to exploring this at the same time as the rest of you."

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

See you at 8pm BST (GMT+1)

The Listening Club - 21st August 2016

Evening all! @JimMcCauley here again for another week; normal @kleptones service should be resumed next Sunday. It's a hectic day for me, bashing out a bunch of articles about mechanical keyboards (the glamorous life of the freelance writer, eh) that I need to get done before we head off for a few days at a very nice B&B in Snowdonia.

Last week saw @emmaprice at the controls with her pick, The Avalanches' extraordinarily long-awaited Wildflower. Was it worth the wait? The general consensus was, yeah, kind of; it might lack the impact of Since I Left You (which of course was Emma's very first Listening Club pick), but its laid-back summery vibe's hard to resist and it's a definite grower.

So thanks to Emma for the pick, and for ably aiming the frisbee at @CakeHugga, who will address you now.

"Hello Listening Clubbers! Hope all is good with you this week. I’ve been enjoying my summer holidays and coping with the chaos caused by having building work done. Also, I’ve suddenly developed an interest in sports with the wall to wall coverage of the Olympics.

"All my previous Listening Club picks have been old favourites – albums I already knew and loved and wanted to share. I’ve gone for a new approach this week. I started looking for some new music and stumbled across a recommendation for the album I’ve chosen. The style of music reminds me of my teenage listening choices but it is a brand new album, released this year.

"I guess that as well as starting a new chapter of my life having got married 3 weeks ago, I’m starting to be able to look forward to new experiences and new discoveries. It’s a nervous but also very exciting time in my life.

"Anyway, this album caught my attention and I look forward to giving it a proper listen with the rest of you on Sunday. It reminds me of a lot of other bands I love. I hope you enjoy."

Awesome! Direct download is here, and all things being equal the HearThis stream should be below.

See you at 8PM, BST buddies! (And everyone else.)

The Listening Club - 14th August 2016

Afternoon all! @JimMcCauley here again, as @kleptones and @nessiest are off on a Welsh odyssey for the next couple of weeks. Lovely day here in Bath, and I'm inside attempting to make a start on a bunch of work I need to get done this week before going away for a few days, but actually I just keep getting sucked back into No Man's Sky.

@saucer was in the driver's seat last week with his pick, Dean and Britta's 13 Most Beautiful: Songs for Andy Warhol's Screen Tests, which nailed the Sunday evening vibe and went down very nicely indeed with the assembled. So, mad props to Murray for the pick and for his tireless flinging of the Frisbee, which was finally caught by @emmaprice, who's very much here now…

"When @saucer kindly lobbed the Frisbee in my direction last weekend I knew exactly what I was going to pick. It's Sunday morning and I'm just having the traditional last minute crisis of confidence. Currently playing the album again and going with my instincts on this one.

"I don't know this album that well yet amd I'm still trying to work out exactly how I feel about it, so am really looking forward to hearing what you think of it.

"For #drinkingclub tonight I shall be having Pimms, which will nicely round off my weekend of live cricket and watching us win even more medals at cycling very fast at the Olympics."

Scuba dooper! Direct download is here, and the HearThis stream is probably below.

See you at 8PM BST!

The Listening Club - 7th August 2016

Greetings folks,

Hope all is relatively dandy with yourselves. Good times ahoy here in Amsterdam, as it's Pride weekend, so the city is festooned with rainbows and carpeted with heart-shaped confetti, which, yes, is absolutely as it should be. Back in the homestead thoughts are turning to future holiday times, as we're away for the next couple of weeks, therefore needing a temporary player-manager for this here #LC, gimme a shout soon if you can help, thanks!

Last week we vortexed it up for the first time in a good while in fine style with the #endofdaysvortex, which was mighty fun indeed, big thanks to everyone who chipped in a track or two! Back to regular programming this week with @saucer in the chair, and here he is with this week's intro...

"First a quick nod and thanks from me to @rougeforever for the best vortex theme ever. YODO.

Through the roller coaster of excitement, curiosity, discovery, confusion, and terror that is the picking process here, and through an even more-wild safari through genreland, my theme for today evolved from apocalypse-prequel to apocalypse-kitsch to apocalypse-antidote to... happy birthday. For yesterday was the birthday of someone of biblical proportions in music I care about, who died long before Bowie made it cool to do so, early this year.

(What's the Emoji for "I sincerely hope I'm not misreading the room with my outré humor, but please do know: absolutely no disrespect in mind at all!"?)

Props and possible frisbaton for first person to cite this album's *connection* to the birthday person, without giving away the person/artist/album of course. 

I fear 2016 and this decade are getting worse before they get better. So let's celebrate birthdays and each other, and enjoy some music while we can."

Okaydoke. Direct download is here, and the HearThis stream, if it feels so inclined, is....


See you at 8pm BST (GMT+1)

The Listening Club - 31st July 2016

Greetings folks,

Hope you're all doing fine. Hit and miss sunshine outside in Amsterdam, which could be worse, but that @nessiest is back in the hood after her adventures, so there's an extra ray of sunshine indoors again, brightening the place up considerably. (Aww, etc...)

Back in #LC land, last week it was me, @kleptones, in the chair, taking you off on a trip courtesy of Brad Mehldau & Mark Guiliana's 2014 album "Taming The Dragon", which went down very well indeed, I'm relieved to say. Thanks for listening, and thanks to @saucer for catching the old frisbaton for next week...

...But now, rather aptly, it's time for the #endofdaysvortex - a selection of fine portents of doom and gloom from times gone past, and warnings for the present? We shall see...

Direct download is here, and the HearThis stream, if it feels like working, is...


See you at 8, bring something strong to imbibe... you may well need it.

EK

The Listening Club - 24th July 2016

Howdy folks,

Hope you're all well and good. Amsterdam is looking fine and dandy, basking in a week of rather glorious weather, slowing the pace of the city down to a gentle thrum as many denizens spend the weekend dining al fresco, passing round those odd little tubs of cheese cubes and sausage slices, and generally lazing about, myself no exception, although a beer on the stoop is not half as much fun without that there @nessiest, who is currently back in kiwiland for a while. Speaking of to-ing and fro-ing, don't forget I'm after a caretaker manager here for 14th & 21st August, whilst we do a bit of travelling and Green Man festivalling. Let me know if you can help out, ta.

Also a reminder that we have an #endofdaysvortex coming up next week, thanks to @rougeforever for the suggestion, so please send me your finest end-of-the-world style picks for next Sunday's frolics, please!

Last week, @holette was in the chair, bringing us a dose of cutting-edge spaced-outness in the shape of the Beyond The Wizard's Sleeve debut album "The Soft Bounce", and mighty fine it was too. Many thanks to Sarah for the pick and for flipping the frisbaton across to me... *dons fake goatee beard & tache*...

"Right then. It was tempting to pick my own, just about finished new DJ mix, but subjecting the ol' LC to three-and-a-half-hours of (admittedly rather excellently arranged, hemhem) jungle and footwork might just have been testing the patience of some of the regulars 'pon a Sunday eve. So it's fortunate that I chanced upon this album a couple of weeks back, and immediately filed it in the "could be fun for #lc" pile.

Looking back on my previous picks, I do seem to have a habit of picking interesting collaborations and this one is no exception. Two very talented folks, the first of which I've been listening to for a good long while and finally got a chance to see live this year with his regular band (front row, no less), which was a very awesome evening indeed, although it sounded rather different to this album. The other person is new to me, although he seems to be making big waves in musical circles, as they apparently say, particularly as his ace playing is very evident on the final David Bowie album.

Does that give anything away? No? Good. Two talented guys with bunch of gear, in a room, doing their thing. Didn't sound like anything I was expecting, looking forward to seeing what you make of it."

Direct download is here, and the ol' HearThis stream is...


See you at 8pm BST (GMT+1)

The Listening Club - 17th July 2016

Greetings folks,

Hope you're all doing okay, despite quite a few segments of the world seemingly slowly going to hell. Seriously, what is it with this year? Dredging my memory, the last time I remember such an ominous feeling was way back in 1990/91, time of the Gulf War and in the UK, the attempted introduction of draconian tax laws and the worst rioting I've been personally witness to. Sadly, I have a feeling that it's going to get worse before it gets better, but in the meantime, natch, praise be for the tunes that provide us with solace, encouragement, wisdom and solidarity. A reliable resource in unreliable times, indeed.

So, speaking of which, last week @mrhig was in the chair, and sent us far out into la la land with his pick of Joanna Newsom's "Divers", which charmed the faithful and not-so-faithful in equal measures. Many thanks to Matt for the pick, and for sailing the frisbaton over the Shropshire hills to @holette, who is here with this week's intro...

"'60s psychedelia goes acid house' the review said.  I'll have a bit of that I thought.  This is brand new. I've listened to it once. I'm a little bit in love with it already.

What the world needs now, is love, sweet love."

Indeedy. Direct download is here, and the HearThis stream is...


See you at 8pm BST (GMT+1)

The Listening Club - 10th July 2016

Good day to you all,

Yet again tapping things out early, as we have guests in the house, @Nessiest is packing to scarper to her homeland for a couple of weeks, and the weather forecast is predicting scorchio, so there's not a moment to waste!

Advance advance notice, also, that Imma gonna be away again for not one weekend but two in a month or so! 14th & 21st of August to be precise, so as usual, if you can help out with sorting this here thing out, give me a shout.

Last week, @JonnyDaPigg got everyone bouncing whilst keeping them guessing with his pick of The Mad Capsule Markets "OSC-DIS". Big thanks to Jonny for the pick, and for flipping the baton across to @MrHig, who's sent this missive across by way of introduction...

"In the beginning was the word.

In 2003 we came to New York for the first time. The East Village was our playground and Alt Coffee and Computers, next to Tompkins Square Park, was our watering hole. Internet cafes were a thing back then.

(Later that year, if I'm right about the time we visited, New York suffered a blackout and places like Tompkins Square Park became gathering places).

In 2005 we came back to New York (this time staying in Union Square) and got married. (I think by now Alt Coffee and Computers was long gone.) It was going to be in Tompkins Square Park but we changed venues. It was unseasonably hot for September, the city in the grip of a heatwave and the humidity clinging to you like a shroud.

We were there in 2008 on the night Obama was elected. We stayed in an upmarket apartment block in Clinton. Clinton used to be called Hell's Kitchen and was dragging itself out of the run-down area it used to be, when nothing was going for it but the docks.

In 2010 we came back for our fifth year anniversary and returned to the housing complex and fountain where we got married. They were showing Ghostbusters up on a big screen in the park. It rained a little but we didn't mind.

(You used to be able to visit quite a few of the Ghostbusters filming locations around Manhattan. We had to visit one, the Municipal Building, to obtain our marriage certificate. I'm not sure the firehouse is in use anymore.)

We visited last year, this time choosing the Lower East Side of Manhattan for our abode. The area has completely changed since we first visited. There's a buzz of excitement. What used to be a lot of clothing stores (before that, tenement blocks for immigrants) has been gentrified and hipsterized.

Manhattan used to be called Mannahatta, back when the Native Americans owned the place.

All these moments are slivers of time, the cities of New York from each trapped in amber. We can visit them whenever we like, in our memories. The City of New York now, today is no more or less real than all the other cities of New York we visited, nor the cities before we were alive, nor the cities of New York to come. A bunch of spins of the planet and there'll be nothing of us, the only constancy the birdsong the accompanies us as if psychopomps on our endless march.

In the end was the word, and the word was 'In the Beginning...'.

Drinking suggestion - Bellini, Umeshu Soda, or Poire Williams."

Right. Direct download is here, and the HearThis stream is...

See you at 8pm BST (GMT+1)

The Listening Club - 3rd July 2016

Greetings and salutations!

Phew, back into Amsterdam with an aching crash after a particularly tough Glastonbury (world events notwithstanding, grr). partying done under muddy duress, but successfully, peaking with a truly spectacular Sunday showdown LCD Soundsystem set down the front with @nessiest and @emmaprice. Even if we couldn't quite dance ourselves clean, we gave it our very best shots, that's for sure. Back on firmer ground this weekend yesterday at Pitch festival, watching Soulwax's slightly shaky return to the live arena after a good few years, and cracking sets from DJs Shadow & Paypal winning the day. As the weather forecast seems to be continuing on the agreeable tip, an afternoon at Amsterdam Roots Festival looks likely today. Summer in full swing at last!

Many thanks to @JimMcCauley and @akx for finding time to fix things up last week, sorry for the lack of comms, Glastonbury net access is minimal-to-non-existent at the best of times, a sliver of 3G being chased by 200,000 people, so thought it better to let you get on with it, and you did. Thanks for that. Also looks like @akx's pick of Anathallo's "Floating World" went down a treat too. And it seems @jonnydapigg ended up with the frisbaton, so here he is with this week's intro...

"Right then, really don't have a lot to say this week, lack of concentration (the sheer amount of counting and screaming I can hear at 8am this lovely sunny Sunday morning is immense and I've already been handed a bus, a sports car and a mop head and had to delete the hand slapped additions of a one year old to this text). I've had to forgo the usual Listening Club Top Trumps that goes with my selections as more things went wrong this week adding to the festering cesspit that is 2016 meaning a lack of time and motivation. So I've gone with an album that just takes me back to a gig which was pretty much at the start of my adult life. It's a bit nuts but fucking awesome. Apologies for low bitrate, will explain later.

Enjoy

Jonny"

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


See you at 8pm BST (GMT+1)

The Listening Club - 26th June 2016

Afternoon, everyone! @JimMcCauley here; currently at my parents' gaff on the Gower and steeling myself for a wet drive back to Bath in a bit, so getting some of this sorted before hitting the road.

Last week @faberfedor treated us to a double bill of up and coming Jersey bands - Lost Romance and The Karma Killers - both of which went down rather nicely with the assembled multitudes. Thanks to Faber for the pick and for chucking the Frisbee at a receptive @akx...

...who probably should have had an extra week to think about his pick so that we could do a vortex, but hey, we've all been distracted by stuff and it hasn't really come together. So heeeeere's Aarni!

"Right, so I suppose we're rescheduling June's vortex to next week, and as such I had to figure out an album for this week at sort of short notice.

"I had a couple options in albums that I have bought recently, but eventually I just decided to go with an album that I've had for a long while and have almost submitted several times but for some reason never have.

"And I find I'm still terrible at writing these blurbs, so maybe I should just let the music speak for itself...

"#drinkingclub recommendations: Umeshu, white wine, or sake."

Bless you. Direct download is here, and you can hear the HearThis stream here:


See you at 8PM BST (GMT+1, EDT-5)

The Listening Club - 19th June 2016

Evening all,

Hope you're all fine. Glastonbury prep-a-go-go here, the pile of stuff grows, and the rucksack sits next to it awaiting its load. The festival site has been hit by several major deluges ("biblical" says our on-site reporter) but the forecast for the festival itself is looking pretty good, just hoping it all dries out in time... Don't forget I still need a volunteer for this here thing next week, and if you want a vortex, that's who will be doing it. It's up to you...

Last week, @wojsvenwoj was in the chair, and strummed our earhairs with his pick of Bill Pritchard's "A Trip To The Coast". "Very pleasant" said the assembled, and it was, too. Also only just realised the connection as we had Mark Pritchard the week before. Very meta, that. Many thanks to Woj for the pick and for flipping the frisbaton across to that @faberfedor, and here he is...

"Greetings, fellow LCers! I hope you guys are enjoying the
EUFA Euros as much as I'm enjoying the Copa America Centenario.

Messi lived up to his reputation last night. The USMNT are going to have their asses handed to them on Tuesday!

Anyway, long time LCer's know that I always try to do something new and different, and not always successfully. ;-) Well, I've done it again.  There are two things about tonight's set that, I think,
sets it apart from our usual fare. The first I'll tell you now; we have not one, but two, yes TWO artists tonight. 

The first set consists of the band's latest single and latest EP. The second set is a live performance.

I enjoy both quite a bit and I hope you do as well.

See ya' at the club!"

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


See you at 8pm BST (GMT+1)

The Listening Club - 12th June 2016

Howdy folks,

Hope existence is not proving too much of a drag for you all. Focus here weatherwise is back on the UK for me, as the traditional annual sport of predicting Glastonbury weather is in full effect. Currently looking pretty good, not boiling but not wet, which would be ideal, haven't had to leave the wellies at home for a long, long time. Here's hoping it stays that way. Gig wise, the braincells are still recovering from a Shellac / Venetian Snares double whammy. Onward, but gently...

Back in #LC world, last week @holette was in the batonchair, chilling the evening out quite nicely with Mark Pritchard's "Under The Sun". Many thanks to Sarah for the pick and for sailing the frisbaton across to @wojsvenwoj, who is here with this week's intro...

"Last week's pick reminded me of someone whom I hadn't thought about in a very long time: a lesser-known English singer-songwriter who I first came across while doing the college radio thing in the late 80s. He achieved a small level of success, mostly outside his own country, attracted some major lavel attention and then my radar turned elsewhere.

I was reminded of him for what will become obvious reasons, did a little research in the stacks of my local library-I-mean-Google and found that, after stepping away form the music world for some time, he'd released a couple records in the past two years. Gave them a listen and, don't you know it, they're not half-bad!

So, today's pick is the first of them, from 2014. Enjoy!"

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

See you at 8pm BST (GMT+1)

The Listening Club - 5th June 2016

Hey there folks,

Hope you're good and well. Sunball in full effect here in Amsterdam, so getting this out of the way early. Worth mentioning too that, as usual, I'll be away at Glastonbury at the end of the month, so we're in need of someone to run tings here for a week, let me know if you want to help out - also it's possibly time for our traditional mid-summer live music vortex, should we be so inclined - let me know if you want to do one!

Last week, @CakeHugga was in the chair, and flew us back to the virtual 80s with her pick of Neon Neon's "Stainless Style", which got most people doing the robot. Thanks to Gemma for the pick, and for passing the frisbaton across to @holette, who is here with this week's pre-match...

"My choice is a recent release which I've seen described pretty aptly as "folk soaked electronica".  It's an immaculately produced, immersive experience. It strays occasionally into the Wicker Man soundtrack end of weird folkiness with enough blips and beats to keep it the right side of ambient.

Every time I've spent some time with this album during a hectic week it's instilled an immediate sense of stillness in me at least.  Haunting vocals from one very well known guest and other extraordinary vocal tracks feature amongst the instrumentals. Sit back and see what you think."

Okaydoke. Direct download is here (yes, I know I got the date wrong on the file, thanks), and the ol' HearThis stream is...


See you at 8pm BST (GMT+1)

The Listening Club - 29th May 2016

Evening all,

Hope all is satisfactory with regard to your existences. Quiet weekend here in Amsterdam, after the gig frenzy of last weekend, we're taking it easy, doing a little gardening and what have you, and enjoying the sun when it decides to give us the benefit of its undivided attention. So all par for the course, as you'd expect.

Back in #LC land last week, @mrhig was in the chair, and had everyone reaching for the kleenex by the sounds of things with his pick of Antony & The Johnsons "I Am A Bird Now". A classic, to be sure. Many thanks to Matt for the pic and for skipping the frisbee north to @cakehugga, who's here with this week's intro...

"Hello Listening Clubbers, today’s choice is one that has been in the back of my mind as a potential pick a few times but has always been nudged out by another choice.

The album is in an 80s style and pays tribute to the life story of a powerful man who rose from rags to riches to disgrace. I love the guest artists, 80s vibe and catchy choruses. I’ve had this album for years and still love it.

Hope the “emotioniest” songs on it are as good as Chas n Dave!! Put on your 80s sunglasses and enjoy :)"

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



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

The Listening Club - 22nd May 2016

Hey there,

Hope all is good and well with you all. In the midst of a gigorama weekend here in Amsterdam, as I mentioned, seeing LV on Friday, and Radiohead & Holly Herndon last night, all flipping great. Tonight off to conclude the weekend with Plaid and The Southbank Gamelan Players, which should be equally wunderbar, I hope.

Note that next week, being end of the month, could be a vortex - however, as we seem to be struggling a bit for decent original themes, I think it best that we make the vortexes optional from now on - if someone's got a good idea, please shout it out and we'll see if it floats, but if not, we'll carry on with regular picks. Seem fair? I hope so.

Last week @RougeForever folked us with her pick of Eliza Carthy's "Neptune", which hit the Sunday spot with most folks. Many thanks to Liz for the pick and for flipping the frisbee across the room to @MrHig, who is, natch, here with this week's intro...

"Are any of us the culmination of all our potential at birth? How about upon reaching adulthood? All we ever do is change, and that's a necessary thing, something to be welcomed, even celebrated. Even to someone like me who is deathly afraid of change of any sort. I see who I am now, conceptually at least, as the best version of myself. It's a pleasant ideal anyway. Looking back at yourself a few years back, a decade back, a few decades back… cringing should be the natural impulse. Just as you're never the pinnacle of what you can be, and looking back at yourself in a few years time, you'll probably recoil in awkwardness at who you are now.

I had a few possible options for my pick this time. I had an initial thought, dismissed it, dithered between two other options (those of you who saw my Twitter poll about Americana Folk and Baroque Pop will now know what that was about, if it wasn't clear at the time), before, eventually, returning to my first instinct.

Because, not to put to fine a point on it, when I was trying to choose between the other options I could feel something wasn't right and it wasn't the way things were meant to be. The real choice - the only option, really - was staring me in the face the whole time.

So this week's pick is about metamorphosis, about transformation, about improvement, about realisation, about being the best version of yourself, about being true to who you've always known you are, instinctually.

It's also Baroque Pop (with a bit of soul thrown in). Sorry about that."

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


Hope to see you at 8pm BST (GMT+1)

The Listening Club - 15th May 2016

Hello folks,

Hope you're fine. Amsterdam weather has jumped back to cold grot, but that's not bothering us too much as we're having an easy weekend gently sorting plans for Glastonbury and taking deep breaths before next weekend's chunk of gigorama (LV, Radiohead, Plaid with Gamelan Orchestra and Psychic TV, since you ask).

Last week that @JimMcCauley was in the chair and hit a home run with his choice of Manu Chao's "Clandestino", making for some groovy sunday sofa shuffling times. Many thanks to Jim for the pick and also for sailing the frisbee across to @RougeForever, who has this to tell you:


"I've picked a folk album.  Deal with it."

Right then. Direct download is here, and the HearThis stream is:


See you at 8pm BST (GMT+1)

The Listening Club - 8th May 2016

Greetings folks and may the eighth be with you. Or something.

Well then, I do wonder sometimes that my hellos here always seem to be followed by some sort of weather report (*does jazz bass fingers*), but hello-o sunshine! Last week was a gloomy kings day, frost and hailstorms, this week: break out the electric fan and fetch the iced coffee. Keeps you on your toes anyway, whilst you wait for the new Radiohead album to arrive. Or not, as the case may be, as it seems to have arrived prematurely as I type.

Last week @nessiest was in the chair, and smoothed out the week's end with Edward Sharp & The Magnetic Zeroes new album "PersonA", which met with approval all round I think. Many thanks to Ness for the pick and for flipping the frisbee a whole five feet across to @JimMcCauley, who was sitting on our sofa at the time. He's not now, but sent this in, by way of introduction...

"Tempting though it is to subject you all to my current obsession tonight, at two hours and twenty minutes the whole of Hamilton would be pushing things just a little bit, and as a lyrically and musically dense sung-through hip-hopera (I've genuinely seen it described as that, which raised a smile) it defies editing down to best-of selection; very few of the songs make much sense out of context. 

Instead, then, here's an older obsession of mine. Staying in a very cool and groovy little Amsterdam guest house back in 2000, I needed some music to go with a box of psilocybe mexicana, so I found a record store on the Leidsestraat and picked up a couple of CDs: Underworld's 'Everything, Everything', and this album, the two of them providing an excellent soundtrack for a few hours of realisation of the interconnectedness of everything, and observing the grain of the wooden floor rearranging itself into lines of intricate runic glyphs.

I'd heard bits of it before at work, usually accompanied by 'What the hell is this?' comments; the sort of reaction that immediately makes me mentally file something  as worth checking out in full, and it was definitely worth it in this case. It's an artist who's a very big deal in plenty of non-English-speaking countries, but more of a cult thing around these parts. Possibly a bit Guardianista, and definitely one from the world music section. I'm not sorry. Enjoy!"

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


See you at 8pm BST (GMT+1)

The Listening Club - 1st May 2016

Hey folks,

Hope you're all doing fine. Happy mayday, international Dawn Chorus day, International workers day, labour day or whatever else takes your fancy. - tapping this out a day ahead of usual, as tomorrow I'll be nipping across the Netherlands to see the Bosch 500 exhibition, accompanied by @nessiest and a visiting @JimMcCauley.

Last week, @saucer was in the chair, and sent us on a bizzare new-retro trip courtesy of "Heim Und Garten" by Mängelexemplar, which hit that oblique 80s Germanic spot rather efficiently. Thanks to him for the pick, and for flipping the frisbee back here to @nessiest, who's ready with the intro...

"2016 has been a bitter harvest. 

After a reflective weekend I set out on Monday to find stuff from artists  busy making, creating, inspiring, making music to look forward to. I found three albums, all relatively new, all of which could easily have been my pick. This is one of them.

I knew nothing about the artist before hearing this week's pick. It has a gentle pace, pays tribute to influences with grace and humour, and it grabbed me and held my attention. It's probably the most introspective of my three standout listens from this week. Maybe 2016 might turn out to be a decent vintage after all."

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


Hope to see you at 8pm GMT (BST+1) for the playback!