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).