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).