The Listening Club - 17th December 2017

@emmaprice here with my best caretaking coat on wishing you greetings from a somewhat soggy London where the pre-Xmas festivities are in full swing. Before we start with todays tuneage just a quick reminder that Listeningclub will be on annual hols for the next fortnight and will return with a bang on January 7^th to help banish those post Xmas blues. That’s right it’s our annual #festivevortex so get thinking about those new tracks you’ve been loving this year.

Last week @kleptones was in the hot seat and treated us all to the eponymous debut album from James Holden & The Animal Spirits which went down rather well with the assembled throng.

The frisbaton made the final cross channel journey of the year over to @mutster101 for this week’s pick so Ladies & Gentlemen please raise your glasses and join me in a festive chorus of #ohGareth

"It’s Christmas time… and there’s no need to be afraid…except for the continuing rise of fascism and the returning threat of nuclear Armageddon… AND THE FACT THAT IT’S MY PICK! I went for a Christmas one. Given that LDR hasn’t done a Christmas album, there was only one obvious choice".  

Direct download is here and the herebefestivespoilers stream is below. See you all at 8PM GMT.

The Listening Club - 10th December 2017

Greetings folks,

Hope all is fine wherever you are. Major hum of activity here in Amsterdam, as myself and @nessiest prepare ourselves for our trip away, whilst negotiating the slip and slide of streets newly christened with snow (it could have waited until we'd left the country, really, pretty though it is). We'll be back in a month or so, leaving @emmaprice in charge of things here, many thanks to her for the offer! As mentioned before, due to the festive calendar we'll be closed for two weeks over xmas, last #LC of 2017 will be next Sunday (17th), then back with the traditional #festivevortex on 7th January, for which, as always, we require a couple of your favourite new tunes of 2017 to throw into the pot, so plenty of time for you to ponder and pick...

Last week, the very same @emmaprice was in the selector's chair, treating us to one of 2017's finest, LCD Soundsystem's "American Dream". Many thanks to her for the pick and for flipping the frisb back across to me, @kleptones. So, time for a ctrl-I...

"Ah, there we go. Have to admit, I already had this album in the "probable next pick" bag, so there was very little pondering needed, although I'm reluctant to give much away in advance. It's "Listen Without Prejudice" time again (no, not *that* one).

This is the newest release by an artist that's been active for a good few years, but represents a change in direction to their previous work (which I wasn't much fussed about, tbh). In it's live incarnation it also provided me with one of the high points (if not *the* high point) of our recent excursion to Le Guess Who festival in Utrecht a month or so back - If you enjoy this, I'd highly recommend checking this lot out live if you get a chance, as they take the ideas and themes on this record (which are, as far as I know, mostly improvised) up to a whole 'nother level.

Anyways, hope you enjoy! #drinkingclub recommended accompaniment? Probably Mezcal."

Righty-ho. Direct download is here, and the HearBeSpoilers stream is below:


See you at 8pm GMT. And have a great holiday season, whatever you're all up to!

The Listening Club - 3rd December 2017

Greetings folks,

Hope all is fine with y'all. Still wet & gloomy in Amsterdam, as is expected. Seriously looking forward to a little bit of time on the other side of the planet soon, even tho some areas will be just as cold as here, hopefully the gloomth will not be in such evidence, or at least outweighed by the neon onslaught.... *crosses fingers*

Last week chez #LC, @xpollen8 was in the chair, with a very timely discourse on modern shopping modes courtesy of The Evolution Control Committee's "The Last Mall", which boggled the heads of those assembled in the way that it was very much intended. Thanks to him for the pick and for flipping the frisbaton across to @emmaprice, who's here with this week's pre-match...

"Evening all,

Here I am with my final pick of 2017, sitting here with beautiful blue skies it's hard to believe we're now in December.

My pick this time will be no surprise to some of you, it's a long one so make sure you are suitably equipped for #drinkingclub. In honour of tonight's pick I'll be drinking festival cider out of a camping bottle.

A few years ago I met a guy and asked him which 8 songs he'd take to a desert island (in the style of BBCR4's long running Desert Island Discs) I often find this a useful indicator if you're going to get on with someone. Top tip - if they say I'm not into music then activate the emergency protocols and run. Amongst an electic set of tracks he picked a track by this artist and so began my love affair with the band.

I never thought I'd get the opportunity to see them live as they'd split several years previously so I contentedly listened to the back catalogue and lamented a missed opportunity. Last year however they reformed and I got to see them with some of my very favourite people at Glastonbury Festival, one of the places most special to me. Unsurprisingly it was one of the best gigs of my life.

So please join me in listening to one of my most played albums of 2017."

Okaydoke. Direct download is here, and the HearBeSpoilers stream is below:


See you at 8pm GMT.

The Listening Club - 26th November 2017

Greetings folks,

Hope all are fine. Wet and moody here in Amsterdam, so staying in and enjoying @nessiest's finest soup experiments is the order of the day. Neglected last week to discuss the upcoming bits and bobs on twitter, so I'll just repost what I wrote last week to remind myself...

Advance notice warning alert - M'self and that @nessiest are going away for a long trip over Dec / Jan to faraway climes (mainly Japan and New Zealand), which means we could really do with a guest manager (or several) for a few Sundays, at the very least 17th Dec & 7th Jan, as looking at the calendar (god I hate it when it reaches that time of the year), this year Xmas Eve and NYE are Sundays, which is rather inconvenient for #LC-ing, so we could take a couple of weeks off and do the Trad #xmasvortex on 7th Jan? Please voice your opinions. Whatever happens, we'll need some help...

Okaydoke, last week in the land of #LC, that @Saucer was in the chair, going for something rather bleepy with his pick of Smagghe & Cross's "Timothy Dalton", which went down pretty well for the most part. Thanks to him for the pick and for flipping the frisb across to @xpollen8, who is here with this week's intro...

"Presented for your tolerant consideration is a conceptual piece - a meditation on capitalism.  This was an early cassette-only release by a guy who could lay claim to having invented the modern mash-up when he discovered that a popular 60's instrumental track was the same BPM and duration as a particular rap artist's vocal track.

Hilarity ensued and a genre was spawned.

What you are about to hear is not a mash-up, but is indicative of the playfulness and experimentation of this artist. (I also have in my collection his wax-cylinder release)

If you like Negativland or Plunderphonics, then you may enjoy this. If you're here for deep grooves or guitar virtuosity, then you will be disappointed."

Direct download is here, and the HearBeNoSpoilersThisWeek stream is below:


See you 8pm GMT.

The Listening Club - 19th November 2017

Greetings folks,

Hope all is good in your hoods, yep, we're back from our weekend of musical insanity, feeling suitably mind blown, having taken in everything from Lebanese balladry (in the company of ambassadors no less) and skronking free jazz (ambassador-free, to the best of my knowledge) to balls-to-the-wall punk rock and a balloon solo or two. A mighty fine festival indeed, even if it did seem a little too busy this year, but that's the price of success I guess...

Big advance notice warning alert - M'self and that @nessiest are going away for a long trip over Dec / Jan to faraway climes (mainly Japan and New Zealand), which means we could really do with a guest manager (or several) for a few Sundays, at the very least 17th Dec & 7th Jan, as looking at the calendar (god I hate it when it reaches that time of the year), this year Xmas Eve and NYE are Sundays, which is rather inconvenient for #LC-ing, so we could take a couple of weeks off and do the Trad #xmasvortex on 7th Jan? Please voice your opinions. Whatever happens, we'll need some help...

Last week whilst I was away, @JimMcCauley was running things, and @cdrose_writer was keeping the assembled in the manner to which they have become accustomed with his pick of The Mekons & Kathy Acker's "Pussy, King Of The Pirates", which garnered much praise indeed, quite right too. Thanks to him for the pick, and for sailing the frisbo across to @saucer, who is represented below in text intro form...

"Lately, oddly, a lot of the music that speaks to me isn't so much psychedelic, surreal, or dada (perennial faves) but more in the direction of deconstructionist...  by which I mean music employed as an operating theatre, with the subject under the microscope, under the knife, that very same music. 

Tonight's pick is minimalist, hypnotic, and mostly instrumental. It seems to somehow coerce nonverbal attention and appreciation, and, like so much good music, seems hard to describe because language seems to miss the point.

No, this is not another Horselords album ;)

Some quick meta info: it's the first album recorded by this duo, but they released it second (they released albums 1 and 2 out of order). It features a favorite guitarist of mine as a guest on many tracks. Although, as in the band he's best known for, the guitar is not always recognizable as such."

Okaydoke. Direct download is here, and the HearBeSpoilers stream is below...


See you at 8pm GMT.

The Listening Club - 12th November 2017

Hey there, listening chums! @JimMcCauley at your service, what with @kleptones (along with @nessiest) being away this weekend at Le Guess Who, where all things being equal he'll be getting a load of Jane Weaver by the time we tee off this evening. I’d be very jealous if not for the fact that I'm seeing her myself in a couple of weeks.

So then, last time it was @lsperia_ at the controls with his maiden pick, and he came up with a good'un in the form of the first two bits of Archive's Controlling Crowds, resulting in a good few of the assembled going straight off in search of part 3. Which is a pretty good result in anyone's book, so thanks to Teppo for the pick, and for chucking the old frisbaton thing at @cdrose_writer, who naturally is here now to say things.

"Some things only make sense twenty years later.  This was a record I vaguely remember coming out at the tail end of the 90s, but despite the fact it drew on my twin loves of music and writing, I ignored it and it sank into the dregs of my memory, only recently to resurface in the flurry of attention given to one of its principal creators: a deceased American writer about whom a new biography has been written. 

"A collaboration between the writer and a semi-legendary English post-punk band, this imaginative audiobook of the writer’s final novel is a picaresque tale of travel through various underworlds.  Frequent spoken interludes using the book’s text match music which ranges from chanson to shanty to disco.

"N.b. 1: contains a fair amount of language perhaps best described as ‘salty’, so if you have younger listeners around, it may be best to listen on headphones.

"N.b. 2: includes pirates.

"Drinking recommendation:  rum."

Yarrrrr. Direct download's here, and HearThis (spoilers etc.) is below.


See you at 8PM (GMT)!

The Listening Club - 5th November 2017

Greetings folks, and happy Bonfire Night to Englishers, although I suspect many already celebrated it last night and are now suffering the consequences *throws a banger in your general direction and legs it*...

Second reminder that I'm away next weekend at Le Guess Who (watching, by my estimation, at least three previously #LC-picked artists, yay!), so if anyone feels able to help out here, please take a step forward and let me know on the tweets, ok?

Last week we broke from regular tradition and pocketed a corporate shilling from The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, spinning their 2003 debut "Fever To Tell" to celebrate it's re-issue, which went down rather well indeed, not surprisingly. And the corporate shilling raffle, in the form of a vinyl test pressing of that very re-issue, was won by @emmaprice! Congratulations to her, and thanks to all for participating.

Casting back the minds, we find @isperia_  left clutching the frisbaton, so it's over to them for their debut pick introduction...

"Greetings!

It's my first time in the chair, and I'm honored to be here.

It's a good thing I had two weeks to think on what to play you guys, because I had loads of ideas but none of them seemed right somehow. Finally I stumbled upon a song that has been a come-and-go favorite of mine, and remembered that I have the album with that song somewhere and that I indeed saw it when I last moved. Finding the album was an adventure all of it's own, the details of which I shall not bore you with. Eventually, (blessed be my two weeks) I had it in my grubby mitts.

After finding the album I also found out it lasts about 80 minutes when listened in one go, but luckily it is comprised of three parts. We shall be listening to only parts 1 and 2 today, but if it catches your fancy you can always take a gander at part 3 after we're done.

Now, the British group behind this piece titles it's style as "trip hop progressive alternative", which is a bit of a mouthful. All these terms are worth keeping in mind when listening tonight, though, because the album treats that phrase like an accordion: squeezing and pulling it into different directions, having more trip and less alternative this moment, and almost fully just hop the next. It's a ride - not that wild maybe, but well worth sitting out. 

Hope you enjoy it."

Reety-ho. Direct download is here, and the HearBeSpoilers stream is below:


See you at 8pm GMT.

The Listening Club - 29th October 2017

Greetings folks,

Hope all is good in your respective hoods. A reasonably mellow week here in Amsterdam, as the leaves fall from the trees and the temperature drops, making plans for future activities, and enjoying hearty soups and stews for the first time in ages.

Speaking of which, I'm going to be away at Le Guess Who (check that lineup!) in Utrecht in two week's time, so will be needing someone to run things in this here sphere, if you're up for helping out, give me a shout, please.

Also apologies for forgetting, as bloody usual, that the clocks go back in Europe this weekend, so we're back on GMT until the end of March 2018.

Anyhow, last week chez #LC, @ohmyliver was in the chair, sending out an introspective grime missile in the shape of Trim's "1-800 DINOSAUR Presents Trim", which went down rather well indeed with the assembled folks. Many thanks to Oli for the selection, and for flipping the frisb across to @Isperia_ who will be here next week with their debut pick, but first...

"Yep, it's MYSTERY THING TIME. 

I've been pondering how to introduce this, and have come to the conclusion to not say anything much. Obviously there's a promotional aspect to it, as we've been given a vinyl test pressing of the album in question to give away to one lucky participant (details on that during the playback), but hey, what the hell, let's give it a shot. Quite a few of you will know this already, so let's have some fun with it!"

Stream only this week, which is underneath this sentence. Spoilers may result in clicking through, of course, for what it's worth. If you own it, you may wish to quickly dig it out and sync up your own copy... (will be deleted right after playback for obvious reasons, sorry!)

See you at 8pm GMT for playback.

The Listening Club - 22nd October 2017

Greetings folks,

Hope you're all doing fine. Another very gentle Sunday here, following a rather boisterous night taking in a bit of this year's Amsterdam Dance Event, in the form of a surprisingly stunning Gary Numan show, followed up with a heavy slice of disco courtesy of Joey Negro & Dimitri From Paris. All good clean fun, as you'd expect.

Last week chez #LC, @akx was in the chair, with a slightly different form of disco indulgence, courtesy of The Knocks & Skylar Spence's "Amelia Airhorn" album. Many thanks to Aarni for the pick, and for sailing the frisbaton back across to South London, where @ohmyliver is waiting with this week's intro...

"After last weeks New York experimental mixtape, I wanted to represent London. After all London has been more interesting and innovative over the last 15 years musically. Of course, I might be biased, being a Londoner..  

So I turned to the two new genres forged in the multicultural heat of London.  Grime, and Dubstep.  Both children of the UKs rave scene, via UK garage.  One born from the anger and energy of the infamous sink estates of Bow, Hackney, Newham and other East London places that Black Cabs would be wary of, and the other from the languid sprawl of the deep south of London in places like Croydon. 

But I lost track of Dubstep when it became some sort of boring frat bro moshpit thing (thanks Skrillex!), rather than the sparse tension of Transmat meeting Studio One outside the Whitgift Centre at 3 am over a fat spliff and cans of red stripe that it once was.  

Grime on the other hand, seems to have returned to it's roots after a descent into a big tent Eurodance versus cheeky Laahndan geezah hybrid by some of the big names of its first wave.  Now Stormzy, and emcees like Novelist, or the frighteningly young Elf KId (Golden Boy being one of my favourite tracks from the last couple of years) are showing the genre has reclaimed the energy and edge that it once had.

I could have grabbed something like Hatcha's Practice Hours from '06 (which is probably the best early Dubstep mix), or the infamous Sidewider recordings of Wiley, Dizzy et all.  But London's got some good stuff out recently..  Terror Danjah released an album of instrumentals last year, but they need emcees, Giggs has a new mixtape which according to my brother is the most heard thing if you walk around Peckham, but he's UK hip hop.  So I went for this from last year..

The emcee is one of Grime's first wave who was in Roll Deep in the mid '00s, Since leaving Roll Deep in 2007 he's released 14 mixtapes where he veers between more standard grime stuff and more experimental stuff. I almost picked Vol 13 of said mixtapes just for the war track where he spits bars over the squelch from Joey Beltram's Mentasm, with a flow which rhymes fallopian, with utopian, and podium with Imodium,  but this album from last year really caught my ear.   It's him spitting bars over tracks put together by a collective of producers, one of which he's had a long standing collaborative musical thing with. The emcee's acrimonious breakup with Rinse Recordings (an offshoot of the hugely influential Pirate turned legit 'Rinse FM') a few years ago hangs heavy over the flows. Listening to this, and the mixtapes which I'd also recommend, I can only hope that the album with flows too 'weird' for Rinse gets released soon. On the downside it's quite short at just under 33  mins, but you can't have everything.  

Make sure you're listening on something that can handle subbass and enjoy."

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



See you at 8pm BST (GMT+1)

The Listening Club - 15th October 2017

Greetings folks,

Hope you're all doing fine. Brief blip of warm and sunny here in Amsterdam, so off to soak it up whilst it lasts after tapping this out, bones still aching slightly after the insanity of Bangface at the Melkweg on Friday. Been a good while since I heard so much fine, loud, hard music in one night, special mentions for Ceephax, Dave Skywalker and Haarlem Demolition Crew for providing extra grinny moments, but really it was all lotsa quality fun.

Last week chez #LC, @saucer was in the chair, psychedelicizing the masses with his pick of Ariel Pink's latest, "Dedicated To Bobby Jameson", which dazzled and bamboozled folks in equal measures, I think. Thanks to @saucer for the pick, and for saling the frisbaton across to @akx, who is here with tonight's intro...

"Hello, hello, hello!

It's nice to be back in the selector's chair -- been a while, it
feels, especially since I've been sitting on this album/mixtape (they
call it an "experimental concept mixtape" -- who am I to argue?) ever since it came out in June. And to be honest with the weeks of rain that've been going on, I was kinda on the fence whether to pick something more seasonal, as this definitely is a summery one... but what the hell, maybe this'll bring back some summer memories?
Also, to put you in the right mindset, here's the authors' bio for the protagonist (with her name redacted):

> On a dark, glittering summer night in 1992, a girl named X X stepped into New York City nightlife and never came out. She’s a living and breathing sample, slipping in and out of the hectic thrill of the city — kicked up high-tempo on flashbulbs and disco balls, easing back into the heartbeat of a crowd dancing in a basement and a couple making their way uptown at dawn. She’s everywhere if you know what to listen for [...] X X is what it sounds like to want to be lost in a party and never be found again.

So, yeah, enjoy! Have a beer, have a good time now!"

Okaydoke. Direct download is here, and the HearMayBeSpoilers stream is below:


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

The Listening Club - 8th October 2017

Greetings folks,

Hope you're all doing fine. Autumn taking firm hold here in Amsterdam so to celebrate it's been several hundred different kinds of rain all week. Still managed to dive between the drops to see the new Blade Runner, which, yes, is far better than anyone would have expected. Even if some of the acting is a little clunky, the cinematography really is spectacular, who'd have thought our dystopian future would be so beautiful, eh?

Back in the land of #LC, last week saw @nessiest in the chair, spinning a slightly different form of future dystopia in the form of Juana Molina's latest album "Halo", which went down very well indeed with the assembled, as well it should. Many thanks to Vanessa for the pick, and for sailing the frisbaton across the Atlantic to @saucer, who is here with this week's pre-match...

"Alan Watts said no one believes in God like an atheist. Today's album shows that no musician believes in pop like one bent on turning its own architecture against it. 

Now, music has many potential roles: companion, comic, cathartic, salve, teacher, vehicle... god knows these days, with so much trouble in the world, just to keep on I need every last one of those. (Plus, chocolate.)

This album delivers. (Minus, chocolate.) Hope it does for you, too. Tomorrow is another day to help others less fortunate.

PS If you listen deeply, you might catch glimpses of how this gentleman's music is infused with the feel of the same city that Tom Petty called home.

PPS I'm curious how your pets and children and visiting relatives take this."

Okaydoke. Direct download is here, and the old HearBeSpoilers stream is below:


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

The Listening Club - 1st October 2017

Howdy folks,

Energy in rather short supply here today, following a fun trek over to the outer reaches of Utrecht to see Om Unit last night, and the cumulative effects of a few days merriment with a couple of house guests. All very well and grand, but today is most definitely for gentling. And yawning.

Last week chez #LC @SamSmitter was in the chair, getting low down and dirty with Little Axe's "Stone Cold Ohio" from 2006, which got a solid thumbs-up from the sofas of the assembled. Many thanks to Sam for the pick, and for sliding the frisb across to @Nessiest, who is here with this week's intro...

"Sometimes I really wish I spoke more languages. 

If you like this album, you might be interested to know it was a recommendation from Philip Selway in an interview. If you hate it, well it probably will have sent you to sleep and napping's good so there's that. 

Drinking club tip: something velvety."

Okidoke, direct download is here, and the old HearBeSpoilers stream is below.



See you at 8pm BST (GMT+1), providing I haven't fallen asleep before then...

The Listening Club - 24th September 2017

Hey folks,

Hope you're doing good. Amsterdam is bathed in one of those late Summer suns that make you just want to get out of the house and enjoy it whilst it lasts, which is exactly what we're about to do, so tap tap tap I go....

Last week, @101retstum (who now seems to be @mutster101 again) was in the chair, feeding us the sounds of angry old men banging their walking sticks against synthesizers, aka Depeche Mode's new album "Spirit", which is actually pretty damn good, and went down well with the assembled too. Thanks to Gareth for the pick, and for flipping the frisbo across to @SamSmitter, who's here with this week's intro...

"This is the kind of record that to my mind takes a traditional form of music and modernises it, in a good and interesting way. (Don't worry it's not Garth Brooks.) Whenever I discover an artist or record from after around 1995 I tend to assume that everyone else already knows about them and I am slow to the party. That may be the case here, so if everyone already knows this, I hope you like hearing it again. If not, I hope you enjoy discovering it as much as I did. Sam x"

Okaydoke. Direct download is here, and the HearBeSpoilers stream is below:

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

The Listening Club - 17th September 2017

Greetings folks,

Hope you're all doing okay. Tapping this out a day early, as I'm back in the UK visiting family, and that means a Sunday opportunity to pop over and see some of the Folkestone Art Triennial and hopefully inhale a good roast lunch and a few session ales along the route... so let's get on with this.

Last week, @Har_Shone was in the chair, kraut-rocking like a good'un with her pick of Wolfgang Reichmann's sole 1978 album "Wunderbar", which went down a treat for the most part. Many thanks to Harriet for the pick and for flipping the frisb across to @101retstum who is here with this week's intro...

"So it's my turn again. Every time I catch the frisbaton the thought goes through my head "well, it can't go any worse than Lana". The problem with thinking things like that is that at some point you're going to go and prove me wrong, but at the same time it makes me less nervous about sharing things just because I want to, rather than because they'll be well received, which is good because that's what Listening Club should be about.

As last week's pick was definitely at the obscure end of the spectrum, I figured I'd go for the complete opposite. Well, that's not exactly how I picked what I picked, but it fits, and it sounds good, so let's go with it, eh?

In the grand tradition of protest songs and political statements through music this is not a band that you'd usually think of, nor should you. That said, at the moment there's a lot to protest about. And on this album it becomes clear that the members of this band are a bit cross. I wouldn't quite go as far as saying this is a political album, there's also plenty of what you'd expect from this lot on here, but it is certainly the closest they come to making one.

If I go more than a minute without an "Oh Gareth!" I'll be very surprised tho."

Okaydoke. Direct download is here, and the old HereBeSpoilers stream is below:



See you at 8pm BST (GMT+1)

The Listening Club - 10th September 2017

Howdy folks,

Hope you're doing fine, as the world's weather has a serious wobbler, to say the least. Calm here in Amsterdam fortunately, so we're spending the Sunday doing healthy DIY activities, assembling and strengthening shelves (damn that heavy vinyl) and generally sorting out all the bits and pieces that got put off over the summer, as you do. Also looking forward immensely to Tuesday, whence the mighty LCD Soundsystem will be here rocking the Paradiso and then some. One of my favourite live bands in one of my favourite venues? Bring it on...

Last week chez #LC, @FaberFedor was in the chair, sending us off to the Denmark of the 70s with his pick of Gasolin's US debut "What A Lemon", which entertained the assembled most satisfactorily. Many thanks to Faber for the pick, and for flipping the frisb across to @Har_Shone, who is here with this week's intro...

"This is another one from my Aunt and Uncle, the Music Yogis of my life. They introduced me to this German visionary at 2AM one night in their music room after several bottles of wine and I was instantly hooked (and then fell asleep and spilt wine on myself).

Sadly, I fell in love with album and immediately went to find out what else he had done only to find out this was the only album he ever put out before dying tragically young, having been stabbed for no reason by some drunks in Düsseldorf in 1978 and later dying of internal bleeding. Still, at least we have this one perfect album to enjoy forever."

Okaydoke. Direct download is here, and the HearMayBeSpoilers stream is below:


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

The Listening Club - 3rd September 2017

Greetings folks,

Hope you're all good in your hoods. Still getting over the events of the other week here, personally, very few events have taken this long for me to return to "normal", but the follow on has been heartwarming, folks don't want to let the party end, which is the way is should be really, no?

Last week here in #LC-land, @EastVanHalen was in the chair, disturbing the Sunday calm with her pick of Fucked Up's 2011 concept opus "David Comes To Life". Many thanks to her for the pick, and for sailing the frisb down to @FaberFedor, who is right here with the pre-match...

"After last week's punk opera (thanks for that, @eastvanhalen), I thought I'd go to the opposite end of the spectrum and inject some refinement and class to the club with what has been called by some as America's greatest gift to the world. Then I remembered who my audience was. Besides, it's a bank holiday this weekend, marking the unofficial end of summer here in the States and listening to jazz just doesn't feel right. Instead, we're going with some straight up rock and roll to end the summer!

I have no idea how I got turned on to this band; they never "made it" here in the states but in their native country they were huge. This album was their attempt at breaking into the international market which didn't work out too well on this side of the pond, but I do love the album.

For those of you old enough to recognize the sounds, yes, this has been ripped from the original vinyl, now four decades old. My freind who ripped it recorded an entire side, then broke it into tracks based on where the audio spectrum dropped to near zero. Hence the number of mp3s don't match the number of songs on the album. That being said, it does sound great, even with the pops and crackles of old vinyl.

Summer may be over, but it's not going out quietly! See y'all in the club Sunday!"

Okaydoke. Direct download is here, and the HearBeSpoilers stream is below:


See you 8pm BST (GMT+1).

The Listening Club - 27th August 2017

Greetings folks,

Well then. Anyone that's been following me or @JimMcCauley over the last few days will have an inkling into how our week has gone. Sadly it's completely impossible for me to even attempt to summarise here what an intense experience that was, all attendees are still busy processing everything that happened. But yes, it was all completely unexpected and exactly what we'd been hoping for at the same time. Complete and utter madness of the finest kind. And the birth of something new too? We shall see...

Back in the "normal" world, last week here chez #LC, @emmaprice was in the chair, providing a festival bimble bopping experience courtesy of Jain's "Zanaka". Thanks to her for the pick, and for sailing the frisbaton around the world to @EastVanHalen, who is here with this week's intro...

"Hey all:

This week's entry is a bunch of things I usually don't like. Shouty punk rawk singer? One too many guitars? Concept album *with* shouty singer and many guitars? Hell no. Yet I love this -- like, goosebumps-level love.

Other things about this band: made Spin's album of the year and the cover of the NME, having sold only a couple of tens of thousands of units. Got frisked when they went to the Polaris Prize ceremonies (they won). And because I love making you listen to my friends' music, one of my comrades plays one of those guitars. 

This will not help Eric and Jim's hangovers. Play it loud. Cheers."

Okidoke. Direct download is here, and the HearBeSpoilers stream is below:


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

The Listening Club - 20th August 2017

Greetings folks,

Hope you're all fine and well. Doing good here in Amsterdam, looking forward to myself & @JimMcCauley's upcoming Justified & Ancient escapades in Liverpool next week, we still have very little idea of what will be happening, but whatever transpires it should be a jolly few days, here's hoping we're back here next Sunday to tell the tale...

Last week here chez #LC it was me, @kleptones in the driving seat, having a mellow one with William Tyler's 2013 album "Impossible Truth", which seemed to go down pretty well, I'm delighted to say. Also delighted that @emmaprice grabbed the frisbaton and is now here with this week's intro...

"Greetings all. As usual my brain had a complete blank moment when faced with what to pick for you all tonight. Tonight’s pick is by an artist I’d never heard of until I bimbled past their set at Glastonbury this year. Which is what I tend to hope for at festivals – coming home with a few names to check out afterwards.  I’ve definitely come home with a bunch from Bluedot this year (side note the Bluedot playlist on Spotify is my most listened to album for months)

One of the tracks on this album stuck in my head in just this fashion and ended up with multiple streamings while in the office and over the past few weeks it's permeated my consciousness. This album primarily makes me smile and remember being at Glastonbury in the heat this year with some of my favourite people. Given the shitshow taking place around the world I just fancied something that makes me smile and dance under the trees, cider in hand."

Okaydoke. Direct download is here, and the HearBeSpoilers stream is below:


See you at 8pm!

The Listening Club - 13th August 2017

Greetings folks,

Hope you're all doing fine. Another recovery Sunday here in Amsterdam, following a rather raucous boat party last night featuring my first DJ set for absolutely ages, which went down very well indeed, I'm pleased to say. So a gentle day is in order, more about that in a moment...

Last week chez #LC @Holette was in the chair, delivering a rather unexpectedly groovy treat in the shape of Moon Diagrams (aka Deerhunter's Moses Archuleta) "Lifetime Of Love". Many thanks to Sarah for the pick, and for flipping the frisbo back across to me, @kleptones, so here I am again with the intro...

"Right, yes, so as I was saying, a gentle day. After receiving the frisbee last week, and knowing what I was going to be doing the day before the playback (see above), this one was going to be a mellow pick by personal necessity. 

I've always had a soft spot for a certain kind of guitar instrumentalist, folks like John Fahey, Michael Rother, Vini Reilly, James Blackshaw that manage to blend incredible technique with a truly idiosyncratic musical worldview. This (reasonalbly new) artist fits that lineage perfectly, making a sound that manages to be familiar yet still deeply personal, which is quite a trick to pull off, and he pulls it off very well indeed, I think. 

For your enhanced listening pleasure, I'd advise a comfy chair or sofa to sprawl on, some dim lighting and a bottle of full-bodied red to accompany.

Hope you enjoy!"

Reety-ho. Direct download is here, and the HearBeSpoilers stream is below:


See you at 8pm BST (GMT+1)

The Listening Club - 6th August 2017

Greetings folks,

Tapping away very gently here, as yesterday's fun and frolics at Amsterdam Pride have given way to today's inevitable hangover deluxe. Short and sweet is the order of the day for the intro, as the sofa is beckoning...

Last week, @ohmyliver was in the chair, sending us all far out with his pick of Psychic TV's "Jack The Tab". Many thanks to Oli for the selection and for sailing the frisb across to Snowdonia, where @Holette is waiting with this week's intro...

"The last couple of Listening Club picks put me in mind of countless happy nights lost in music on the dance floor, but wanting to hear something less hectic, more dreamy.

I've settled on something a little darker and a lot newer than the dance music maestro who first sprang to mind. Another time maybe. This album invites introspection but it's also led me to explore more music made by this artist in his better known band.

Some tracks are hypnotic but I think there's enough surprises thrown in to keep it lively. 

Drinking Club recommendation: In an ideal world I'd have a Tuscan Mule" 

Okaydoke. Direct download is here, at the HearBeSpoilers stream is below:


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