The Listening Club - 30th December 2018

Greetings and happy #festivevortex to you all!

Hope your holiday season is proving to be satisfying in as many ways as possible. Here in Amsterdam it's been pretty mellow, although the onset of New Years Firework Season means that the mellow is being increasingly interrupted by booms and bangs as the locality tests out it's newly purchased pyrotechnics... plus ça change etc.

Back before xmas, @holette was in the chair, getting downright angular with her pick of Gazelle Twin's "Pastoral", which had the desired effect on the assembled, so it seems. Thanks to Sarah for the selection, and for sailing the frisb across to @samsmitter, who has a luxurious few weeks to consider his options, as first...

Yes, here its. The 2018 #festivevortex in all it's glory. Thanks to everyone for chipping in their sound selections. No spoilers from me, you'll just have to wait and see...

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


See you at 8pm GMT. BYOB or GTFO.

The Listening Club - 16th December 2018

Greetings folks,

Well, the last #LC of the year, and the lurgy has been banished, lights are twinkling, the tree is up, the booze delivery is neatly stashed, a bit of snow has fallen and all is harmonious within the house. Outside, well... the less said about that the better, a sentiment that I'm sure will be echoed countless times by many over the next few weeks. So, let's make the most of what we have, and help others do the same and more, while we still can, eh?

#FESTIVEVORTEX alert: we're back on 30th Dec with our, and that means your, favourite tunes of this year, so pick a couple out and send 'em in, the sooner the better!

Last week, @mutster101 was in the chair, getting us all electro-funky with his pick of  Cabaret Voltaire's "Micro-Phonies" from 1984. Thanks to Gareth for the pick, and for sailing the frisb across to Wales, where @holette is waiting with this to say...

“It’s not Christmassy. Those seeking festive cheer might as well pick up their port and look away now. 

This is an unsettling listen. I’ve chosen it because if there’s an album which sounds like being in Britain at the end of 2018, for me this is it.

This artist came out of nowhere to me with an album that sounds vital, confrontational, musically astounding and frankly a bit scary.  There’s a strong and sinister performative aspect to the music and the accompanying videos are well worth watching.

I hope you find it absorbing - it definitely warrants a few listens as there’s so much depth and intricacy to the music, lyrics and samples. 

Anyway, it’ll be a break from Slade.”

Nothing wrong with Slade. It's the Wham I have a problem with, personally. Anyways, direct download is here, and the HearThis stream is below:


See you at 8pm GMT tonight, and wishing you all a peaceful and joyful holiday season.

The Listening Club - 9th December 2018

Greetings and bleurg.

Hope you're all well and good. Colds are such bastards, are they not? Haven't had one as bad as this for a few years, but my word, how much of a wipeout it has been. Especially now with a job that's a little more mentally draining than previous, which has meant a lot of early nights (but at least I have the Beastie Boys Book to read). Finally moving onto the lung-rattling cough stage now, so that hopefully means the end is in sight... I pray.

On the #LC planning front, looking at the calendar, I'm proposing that we take a little break on the 23rd, as a lot of folks will probably be in the midst of their holiday planning / partying / travelling, then reconvene on the 30th for the customary #xmasvortex (for the uninitiated, and lurkers, that means you all send us a couple of your new favourite tunes released this year, we jumble them all together then playback and get very merry in the process). Let me know if you don't think that makes sense and propose an alternative, please!

Last week wor @nessiest was in the chair, getting spacy with Moses Sumney's "Aromanticism", which hit the spot for a good many of you. Many thanks to Lady V-ness for the pick, and for sailing the frisp across to Sir "Oh" @Mutster101, who's right here, avec intro...

"Daft choice or serious choice or Christmas choice. That’s the dilemma I faced this week. Was there a way I could do all three? Well, no.

One of the important things with lots of music is knowing the time and context that it fits into. It explains why it is the way it is, tells you its purpose. Without that you might sometimes be left thinking “What the hell are they doing?” - the musical equivalent of an #OhGareth.

There’s probably a reason for these musings but I think I’ve lost what I was trying to say. Anyway! This is my pick. I’ve chosen not to give you much in the way of context.

As for drinks... I’ve no idea, sorry. But let’s all have a mince pie."

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


See you at 8pm GMT tonight.

The Listening Club - 2nd December 2018

Greetings folks,

Hope you're all doing fine, well, at least better than me right now, as the advent calendar opens up and brings me a mightily unpleasant lurgy, reducing my dulcet tones to autotuned sandpaper and calling out an army of snot goblins. Bleurg and a half indeed. At least we managed two cracking gigs this week, in the shape of Underworld and Beak> before the grot fully kicked in... So, hastily onwards, before I retreat back under a blanket on the sofa...

Last week, @xpollen8 was in the chair, digging deep and coming up with Carmel's finest Champs Élysées debut album "All Champs Go To Heaven", which went down very well indeed with the assembled. Many thanks to David for the pick, and for sailing the frisb back here to @nessiest, who has this to say by way of introduction to tonight's selection...

"I’m taking the classic listening club risk - I love this album and I know, I just know, not all of you are going to love it. The album will be my solace, it’s a swooning, soothing beauty.

I first heard this artist this year, they were an immediate standout amongst all the other acts on a festival stream. I’ve since seen them in person as well and this album has become a regular on my personal playlist. They’re almost frighteningly talented and not afraid to take risks to pursue their vision at the expense of quick commercial success. 

Their deliberate choice to craft from a specific part of the palette means you’re not getting banging bass and driving beats tonight. Slip on your pyjamas, angel wings or something fluffy and delicate if you dare. If you’re after a drinking recommendation, a cocktail with froth, or maybe a hot chocolate."

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


See you at 8pm GMT tonight!

The Listening Club - 25th November 2018

Howdy folks,

Hope all is good with yourselves, mellow here in Amsterdam as the greyness blankets us, but upcoming grooviness this coming week from Underworld and Beak> should help that, also plonked money down for Snapped Ankles' visit to these shores in Feb, for which #LC is wholly responsible... hoorah!

Last week in these environs, @akx was in the chair, dosing everyone up to the eyeballs with his pick of Lindstrom's "Six Cups Of Rebel", which lived up to his description pretty accurately. Many thanks to Aarni for the pick, and for sailing the frisb across to @xpollen8, who's right here with tonight's intro...

"2017 marked my return with a vengance to buying vinyl, and one small label in particular I practically cleaned out.

Among their offering was a mysterious band from Cleveland, Ohio, the sole information I know is what was published on the record's "buy" page:

"The album was recorded completely DIY in their living room, with help from friends, reels and recorders purchased off craigslist, and a lot to learn as they went. The result is a work of art thoroughly representative of the band’s vision – a nugget of pure, independent, alt-rock beauty."

So - a debut/only album by a group of ambitious kids, and a label which stopped selling vinyl shortly after the 125 copies of this record sold out.

Enjoy this dynamic charmer. Wish I knew who they were!"

Right then. Direct download is here (right-click save as), and the HearThis stream is below:


See you at 8pm GMT tonight!

The Listening Club - 18th November 2018

Greetings folks,

Hope all is good with you. Yes, I'm back, after a seriously culturally nourishingly weekend at Le Guess Who, still holding high it's title of finest and most diverse inner city fest in all the lands. From symphonic drone in a church to Mudhoney on an industrial estate, it continues to enchant in new and unusual ways every year. A double whammy to be able to share the experience with @holette and @matthewesdigs amongst others, all of whom seemed to have a very jolly time indeed. Following that on with a visit from the mighty Decemberists here in Amsterdam mid-week, and really I'm full to bursting with quality sounds. Still, always room for one more wafer thin mint, eh?...

Last week, @jimmccauley expertly held the reigns here, and bless him for doing so, as @saucer bedazzled the assembled with his pick of The Space Lady's "On The Street Of Dreams" which seemed to work its spell on everyone to positive effect. Thanks to @saucer for the selection, and for sailing the frisb across to @akx who's right here with tonight's intro...

"It seems like it's getting harder and harder to find albums to share
with you guys -- what with millennial lack of attention, maybe, I find myself listening far less to albums and more to Spotify's Discover Weekly or mixtapes or short EPs off Bandcamp... but hey, after two days (which, full disclosure, were not exactly fully spent fully looking for a Listening Club pick) of hair-pulling, deliberation and even external consultation, I finally came across this album in my virtual _and_ physical shelf.

It's a seven-movement, maximalist, exhilarating Norwegian cosmic synthesizer opera (from an artist who had previously released a half-hour synthesizer space opus, so you know) -- and fear not, it's not all just synths and electronics, there's (real, live human!) vocals in there too, on occasion!

Either way, I hope you dig this thing as much as I did when I came across it.

#drinkingclub: something that'll last you long enough to minimize having to get up for refills."

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


See you at 8pm GMT tonight!

The Listening Club – 11th November 2018

Evening all, @JimMcCauley clocking in and holding the fort while @kleptones and other Listening Clubbers are off doing their thing at Le Guess Who. Quite a pleasant day here in Bath, something that I haven't had a chance to appreciate thanks to a broken kitchen tap that I've finally managed to bodge into a working state. Now I just need to find a plumber who can come and replace the whole thing, which turned out to be beyond the limits of my plumbing abilities *eyes grazed knuckles ruefully*.

Last week I was at a fancy hotel for an anniversary night away, so I missed @EastVanHalen's jazztastic pick of an eponymous LP from Vancouver's Malleus Trio, featuring Mr EastVanHalen on tenor sax. I'm just catching up with it now and yeah, I'm digging it, a sentiment that the assembled seemed to agree with last week, so thanks to Steph for the pick, and for targeting @saucer with the special thing. Here he is now!

"The frisbee of excellent doom was uncannily named, as it played out, because this was by far the most difficult LC pick for me ever. Way, way too much second guessing of my many candidate albums. You don't want to know how late I stayed up to get something over to Jim. I'd like to blame it on the very unhealthy air we're stuck with now in the Bay Area, blown directly at us from fires 200 miles away, making eyes burn, throats swell, and functioning generally difficult.

"But time didn't wait for me so I finally settled on a pick. 

"This recording is disarmingly gentle, minimalist, and sincere. And uncannily affecting and lovely.

"I hope I'm awake for its LC appearance."

Righty ho! Direct download is here, and the HearThis stream (spoilers etc.) is below:


See you at 8PM (GMT)!

The Listening Club - 4th November 2018

Greetings folks,

Hope you're all doing fine. In the midst of a mellow weekend here in Amsterdam, doing a little lineup research for next weekend's frolics at Le Guess Who, speaking of which, still looking for a volunteer to run things here, please let me know if you can help out next Sunday, thanks!

Last week it was me, @kleptones, in the chair, wobbling your synapses with a dose of Angelique Kidjo's full album cover of Talking Heads "Remain In Light", which seemed to go down very well indeed, I'm delighted to report. After that onslaught, all that remained was for me to sail the frisb across the Atlantic to @EastVanHalen, who is right here with tonight's intro...

"Hello LC lovelies:

As part of my intermittent foisting of music I love, played by people I love, on the LC massive, here's a recent-ish album of originals by a Vancouver jazz trio I'm particularly fond of.

It comes in at under 40 minutes, so I recommend something really, really boozy for #drinkingclub. 

xx

EVH"

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

See you at 8pm GMT tonight!

The Listening Club - 28th October 2018

Greetings folks,

Hope you're all doing fine. Grey and grumbly here in Amsterdam, but plenty of activities to plan and do to keep the grey away, speaking of which, I'll be away on Sun 11th having my musical brain stretched at Le Guess Who in Utrecht (with a mini-LC meetup included!), so as usual, looking for a volunteer to run this here shebang for the day. Let me know if you feel like helping out, thanks!

Last week, @Har_Shone was back in the chair, dosing the assembled with a slice of late period Joe Strummer, by way of "Rock Art And The X-Ray Style", which went down very smoothly, so it seemed. Many thanks to Harriet for the pick, and for sailing the frisb over to me, so, here I am with this week's intro... *dons false moustache*

"There seem to be two ways that I approach making a pick for #LC; either there's something that screams "Pick me!" so loudly it has to be the one, or there's a few possibilities, in which case I wait until the day, and pick the one that suits the mood I'm in. This time it was the latter. 

Given some of the hideous events that have been occurring over the past couple of weeks in America, you can imagine my mood, so this one is a no brainer, if only for the simplest of reasons: that when I truly despair of the actions of some of my fellow so-called humans, I can choose to submerge myself in a truly awesome piece of musical and lyrical art, and remind myself that if works like this can continue to be created and presented before the general public eye, there is hope. 

I do think this is a hopeful record, although the words don't scream it. To me, these songs are about awareness, buried within the oblique lyrical imagery and the original version's plundered grooves; the act of becoming "woke", way before that word grew new layers of meaning. 

This reinterpretation treats the album title as nothing less than a mission statement, bringing the songs back from their imaginary home to a solid here-and-now, with, I think, explosive results.

You've probably guessed what it is, but that doesn't matter. Join me, it's time to dance."

OK, direct download is here, and the HearWillBeSpoilers stream is below:


Clocks have changed! See you at 8pm GMT.

The Listening Club - 21st October 2018

Greetings folks,

Yes, it be me, Mr. K, back from the other side of the sphere, and a teeny bit sad, as we could have quite happily continued bobbing around down there for at least a couple more weeks, if not more. The sign of a good holiday though, innit? We'll just have to go back again sometime... Big thanks to @JimMcCauley for keeping this rolling in my absence!

Last week, so it seems, @AngelaKlaus took her debut turn in the chair, and jazz-progged the hell out of everyone with her pick of Brand X's "Unorthodox Behaviour" from 1976. Big thanks to her for the pick, and for flipping it back to @Har_Shone, who's always up for it, and has this to say by way of introduction to tonight's choice...

"The late-90s last hurrah (self-described as his “Indian Summer”) of a very famous band’s former frontman, this is the first album of three this group put out between 1999 and 2003. I found this album when I was still at university and had time to get into internet holes searching for more off-the-beaten projects by my musical heroes. If you’ve not heard this album, you’ll probably guess the voice right away - the finest muffins and bagels in the land for (s)he who gets it first!

Its a fun blend of styles and genres but I often revisit it, especially in the summer - so join me in holding on to the dying days of summer as the frigid autumnal winds take over London!"

Right then, direct download is here, and the HearMayBeSpoilers stream is below:


See you tonight at 8pm BST (GMT+1) - Clocks change next Sunday, advance alert!

The Listening Club – 14th October 2018

What ho, old loves! @JimMcCauley at your service once more, killing time until Doctor Who on a miserable, wet and windy day in Bath. The cat has the right idea – he's been tucked up in the airing cupboard all morning, with no sign of emerging, and it's very tempting to climb in with him until 6.55.

Last week @ohmyliver treated us to his pick of the Everly Brothers' "Songs Our Daddy Taught Us", a slice of close harmony melancholy that brought us all down, but, you know, in a good way. So thanks to Oliver for the pick, and for bringing in some new blood with a well-aimed frisbaton pitch at #listeningclub lurker @AngelaKlaus, who's here to share her debut pick.

"Many thanks to The Listening Club and especially to @faberfedor for inviting me to join and for encouraging me to submit a pick. I've chosen a favorite album of mine from the 70's. The band has had a changing cast of characters since 1975 and is still touring. Enjoy!"

Righty ho! Direct download is here, and the doubtless spoilerrific HearThis stream is below:


See you at 8PM (BST)!

The Listening Club - 7th October 2018

Hallo, chums! @JimMcCauley checking in, minding the shop while @kleptones is off on his South American odyssey. I'll be honest, today I'm mostly killing time until Doctor Who; that and trying to figure out new ways of luring the 16 missing tracks off Eric's new album into the open. People on the internet, eh? They're useless.

Last week it was me on the decks, and I think I did a pretty good job of confusing and delighting you all with my pick of "Fear of Pop Volume 1" by Fear of Pop, a Ben Folds side project with an unexpected helping of William Shatner. So thanks to me for the pick, and for chucking the special spinning thing at @ohmyliver, who will address you now.

"So the frisbee has been flung my way, arching its way over the hills, parks, and discarded takeaway boxes of South London. 

"This time I've picked something for purely personal selfish reasons. My father died 14 years ago last Monday after a long illness. Which is feels simultaneously an age, and yet but a day, ago. He introduced me to so much good music Played me Orgasm Addict by the Buzzcocks when I was 5, although in retrospect I think my mother was probably right to freak out at him about its inappropriateness despite my young unawareness. Inadvertently made me think that Mr Blue Sky by ELO was a portent of the future. Although a future where seeming-robots sing pretentiously overblown orchestrally tinged Beatles influenced pop is surely a better future than the one we have now. Introduced me to the music of Laurie Anderson, Joy Division, and Kurt Weill, amongst many others. In fact one of my fondest recent discoveries was finding his 7 inch single of 'Buzz Buzz Buzz' by Jonathan Richman, a song that me and my daughter used to sing along to when she was a toddler, and realising that he probably had played it to me too.

"So I've picked this album from 1958. I don't doubt that you'll recognise the voices almost immediately. It's a collection of covers of old American folk songs, some dating back to the 19th century, that the two singers grew up on, and their second album. It's arguably one of the first concept albums. Be warned, the darkness of some of the songs is not quite obscured by the sweetness of their crooning, but this juxtaposition works well. My father, a fan since his teenage years even blagged his way backstage when they played the Albert Hall in the late 80s/early 90s.

"So break out the bourbon, preferably something smooth like Woodford Reserve, raise a glass to those now only present in memories, and queue up something mindlessly uplifting like Bizarre Inc's Playing With Knives for afterwards, because despite the crooning harmonies, you might well need it."

Bostin'. Download link is here, and the HearThis (spoilers etc.) stream is below:


See you a quarter of an hour after Doctor Who! (BST)

The Listening Club - 30th September 2018

Greetings folks,

Hope you're all doing fine. End of September already? Sheesh. Time flies and all that. Huf puf central here in Amsterdam, as we prepare for our little jaunt across the globe. Looks like the right honorable @JimMcCauley will be running tings here for the next several in my absence, many thanks to him for the assistance!

Last week @Har_Shone was in the chair, dealing us a bit of a classic (imho) in the shape of John Cale's "Paris 1919" which was received with open arms by those who knew, and a slightly more cautious welcome by those who didn't. Many thanks to Harriet for the pick, and for sailing the frisbaton west to the aforementioned @JimMcCauley, who has this to say by way of introduction...

"Tonight's pick has been on my standby list for a while, ever since I finally got the chance to see the artist live earlier in the year. Unsurprisingly he didn't play anything off this album; released under a different name, it's quite unlike his other work, a chance to break away from his usual format, play some different instruments and work with other musicians. Or as he put it, 'Once you've sold a million records, you've earned the right to experiment self-indulgently at the expense of your record company.'

"It's mainly instrumental, but features a superstar guest vocal that I suspect will provoke a few double takes, and while it seems to be largely forgotten (and didn't seem to make much of an impact when released) it's a favourite of mine. Enjoy!"

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


See you at 8pm BST (GMT+1) tonight!

The Listening Club - 23rd September 2018

Greetings folks,

Hope you're all good and fine. Bleurg outside in Amsterdam, as the grey wet and miserable takes the firmest of holds, but we're hella busy snuggled up inside chez Kleptone, planning holiday excursions and getting the first part of me new album finished up (yeah, it's nearly done), so all hands to the sails right now, for sure...

Last week, around these parts we had @faberfedor in the chair, who got the assembled bopping to M.I.A's debut album "Arular". Many thanks to F.F. for the pick, and for sailing the frisb across the Atlantic to @Har_Shone, who had time to catch it and send this, before heading off to Vienna...

"I’ve been having, ahem, a tricky time lately on a few fronts. Whenever times get on the bleak side, I tend to revisit this artist for his calm, low-key, sometimes angry brand of melancholy. This album, an oldie, is not his most experimental - and is his most pop-y - but is the one which brings me the most comfort at low moments. 

It helps that he is (spoiler) a fellow Welsh(wo)man and therefore has a tendency to bleak realism, rooted in real events - he himself described the album as "an example of the nicest ways of saying something ugly.”

Rightyho. Direct download is here, and the HearMySpoiler stream is below:


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

The Listening Club - 16th September 2018

Greetings folks,

Hope all is good in your respective hoods. Here in Amsterdam, the last dregs of summer continue to play out and folks do what they can. personally hoping for at least one more sunny outdoor dinner in the locale before the grimness descends, but we'll have to see what Mr. Weather has to say about that...

Last week chez #LC, @wojsvenwoj was in the chair, getting extremely exotic with his pick of "Tahdig" by Mitra Sumara, which got many of the assembled whirling dervishly. Many thanks to him for the pick, and for sliding the frisb across to @FaberFedor, who's right here with tonight's intro...

"After last week's entry, I was in a bit of a quandry; do I attempt to do something as exotic or go off in another direction? After digging through the vault, I came up with fourteen possible choices; all but four are from the last century and rock-oriented. I threw a four-sided die and we have tonight's pick.

This is the artist's first official release; there was an underground release a year before that I don't care for as much. I'll be surprised if anyone in here hasn't heard of the artist. I expect half of y'all own the album.

So, without further ado, let's ado this!"

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


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

The Listening Club - 9th September 2018

Greetings folks,

Warm with patchy sun here, so a spot of beer on the stoop to while the afternoon away is the order of the day, whilst whiling away is still a possible thing. Bit of advance notice that I'll be unavailable for #LC duty on the 7th & 14th Octobers, so if anyone fancies a spot of caretaking these here environs, please let me know, thanks!

Last Sunday, @nessiest was in the chair getting heavy with her pick of Sparklehorse & Danger Mouse's cast of thousands epic "Dark Night Of The Soul", which wound it's woozy charms around the assembled. Many thanks to Vanessa for the pick, and for sailing the frisbaton across to @wojsvenwoj, who is right here with tonight's intro...

"Naturally, after last week's warm and sunny summer Sunday afternoon, today is gray, cool and a bit weepy. Nevertheless, I still went ahead and picked this slice of upbeat, funky fun that sounds great (in my opinion anyway) blaring out rolled-down car windows. Maybe they weren't this year's summer jam (mining the vein of pre-Revolutionary Iranian pop music might put a damper on such achievements) but that doesn't mean they couldn't have been! Enjoy!"

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


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

The Listening Club - 2nd September 2018

Greetings,

So, the last bit of summer (or first bit of autumn if you're @nessiest) hits, and everyone's out and about in the sunshine, but with a light jacket just in case. Yesterday's Festival Magia in Rotterdam was a grand little garden party with an oddball soundtrack in a football pitch-sized city park, and although I'm not that keen on the super high tech / high rise city centre, there definitely seems to be enough oddball corners to the city to warrant a return visit or two, I'm sure...

Last week chez #LC, @holette was in the chair, getting down and dirty with her pick of Warmduscher's "Whale City", which rocked the assembled most satisfactorily. Thanks to Sarah for the pick, and for sailing the fromageaton back over this side of the channel to wor @nessiest, who is sat upstairs typing out the following introduction...

"If you were to make a Venn diagram of the Listening Club’s featured artists and musical styles, well, you’d be in for trouble and why would you even try? But if you did, this album would be at the heart of one odd little bubblecluster off to the side. I think some of you may already know it, in which case maybe it’ll be a welcome rediscovery. I hope not all of you know it and I hope you won’t all hate it. 

To me this album sings of the weirdness of living. I enjoy parts of it a lot but not all of it speaks to me equally. Some bits are utterly beautiful and joyous but it’s all bit of a mixed bag. Changeable, interesting, imperfect and a little messy. Like life. 

Drinking club tip: something mellow and soothing. Grab a blankie, light some candles."

Okaydoke, direct download is here, and the HearMySpoiler stream is below:


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

The Listening Club - 26th August 2018

Greetings folks,

So, yeah, remember the summer of 2018?... twice as hot and half as long as usual. Seems decidedly autumnal here now, showery and windy. Hoping it's a bit better next weekend as we're off to a natty little Jazz/World fest in Rotterdam. Marcos Valle! Azimuth! Wally Baderou! Hailu Mergia! Hell, it's got to be sunny for those folks...

Last week here in #lc-land, @akx was keeping the summer alive in his own way with his pick of Air France's EPs "No Way Down" and "On Trade Winds", which hit the spot for the assembled. Many thanks to Aarni for the pick, and for sailing the cheesebaton across to soggy Snowdonia, where a cagoul-coated @Holette has this to say by way of introduction...

"I’m someone with a weakness for sleazy garage rock and this is my new favourite band. An offshoot of a better known outfit, this lot play it loud, louche and super catchy. I’ve seen them described as “the pop band from hell” and you’d probably consider crossing the road if they lurched your way.

With lyrics in the same vein as Lou Reed, a little of The Cramps swagger and some Jon Spencer style hysterical grooviness, they make a schizophrenic noise that has had me listening on repeat for a couple of months. 

Amidst the low life tales and lounge bar crooning, listen out for a really cool xylophone riff. Or maybe it’s a glockenspiel. I get confused. Anyway, happy UK bank holiday listening to you from our rain lashed Snowdonia camp site!"

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


See you at 8pm BST (GMT+1) tonight!

The Listening Club - 19th August 2018

Greetings folks,

Hope you're all doing fine and well. All good here in Amsterdam, continuing standard grey muggy summertime, which is not so bad, as I'm back in an office most of the week, and therefore already valuing the weekend time seriously. Plus ça change, eh?

Last week in #LC-land, @SimonLandmine was in the chair, treating everyone to the string stylings of Matt Howden, aka Sieben's "The Old Magic", which had it's fair share of both fans and detractors, as is often the way. Many thanks to Simon for the selection, and for sailing the frisb up to @akx, who has this to say by way of introduction...

"This weekend, I've mostly been at my cousin's wedding in the
countryside. The wedding band played rockabilly. I had to (got to?)
wear a suit.

I hope you're ready for two back-to-back EPs (rereleased as an album) of some faintly melancholic leftfield balearic disco ballad synth dream pop from the Swedish west coast."

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


See you at 8pm BST (GMT+1) tonight!

The Listening Club - 12th August 2018

Greetings,

Hope you're all doing fine. Finally got a bit of rain here in Amsterdam, which is most welcome, got to say, my brain has a tendency to slow down to a crawl after more than a couple of days of 30+ temperatures, which makes getting anything done a little tricky. Feeling a little apprehensive too this weekend, as come Monday I'm going back into an office job for the first time in 18 months. Hoping they're cool with my current "pants-only" dresscode... :)

Last week chez #LC, the legend that is @mutster101 aimed for the mid-90s with his pick of Pop Will Eat Itself's "Dos Dedos Mis Amigos", which didn't seem to win many new fans, but was cheerfully received by those who knew. Many thanks to Gareth for the pick, and for flipping the frisb across to @SimonLandmine, who has this to say by way of introduction to tonight's selection...

"Unlike my last submission, this one was the result of seeing the
artist live. Some friends were going to see them at a good local pub
and recommended them, and I wasn't doing anything that evening, so I went along. And then bought all of the different CDs they had on sale, and visited their bandcamp site to pick up the others.

They recently put out a new release, but this, from a few years ago, is probably still my favourite overall.

#drinkingclub: Probably mead."

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


See you at 8pm BST (GMT+1) tonight!

The Listening Club - 5th August 2018

Howdy folks,

Hope you're all doing fine. It's Pride weekend here in Amsterdam, so everywhere and everyone is covered in rainbows, and now on Sunday, with hangovers too. A bonus to have my visiting mum along for her first ever Pride experience too, delighted to see her made very welcome by the revellers. A reminder of how lovely people can be sometimes...

Chez #LC, last week our resident lurker @zbendr finally got a turn in the hot seat, psyching us out with the sounds of The Frowning Clouds' "Whereabouts" from 2013. Many thanks to Ben for the pick, and for spinning the frisb back around to this side of the globe, and into the hands of @mutster101, who's here with tonight's intro...

"This album goes back to the murky days of the mid-90s, when floppy disks were the way you swapped data and the internet was still a thing that was "just for nerds". My creaking 386SX20 was just about able to run Doom 2 and that was how I spent most of my evenings. This album was my perfect accompaniment to cutting edge 3D violence. I regret not discovering this band sooner. They had an extensive back catalogue by the time they released this album, and of course it then turned out to be their last. I wanted to hear more from them, but it was not to be.

For a drinking accompaniment I'd have to suggest a bottle of Thunderbird, consumed on a building site, because anything classier would be doing this band an injustice. Failing that, you could always find an old clunky PC to play Doom 2 on."

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


See you at 8pm BST (GMT+1) tonight!

The Listening Club - 29th July 2018

Greetings folks,

Hope you're all doing fine. Bit of a heatwave break in this here bit of the globe, although for us in Amsterdam, it's nowt but a couple of light showers, though bits of the UK seems to have had it's monthly dousing pretty much overnight. Global warming? We got it in full effect. :(

Last week in #LC land, @thejayarr was in the hot seat, though his pick of Car Seat Headrest's "Twin Fantasy (Face To Face)" brought a mixed bag of responses, some enjoyed, some meh'ed, and some cared less. A good effort tho, many thanks to him for the pick. In the frisbaton scrum that followed, somehow the errant projectile managed to make its way right over to Sydney, where our resident timezone-restricted lurker @zbender seemed surprised, but happy, to be on the receiving end. And so and lo, here he is with this week's intro...

"Listen to this softly, maybe in the background, maybe from your tube set in the corner.

Can I set the scene for you all?

It’s somewhere between 1968 and 1971, you can’t really remember. You somehow got together the fare to go visit your cousin down by the coast for the summer.

One evening, you stumbled into a house party, and as you rounded the corner into the yard heard a din. And you stayed all night, riding on the energy the unit put out. You couldn’t believe they were just there, at someone’s place! Days later, still humming a tune, you asked your cousin about them. Nodding, this mysterious cousin retrieved a poorly-pressed LP and said “But I need it back in a day or two”.

You found a reel-to-reel in the house, it must have been your aunt’s. Loaded up some fresh Ampex (BASF was too expensive), set a level you thought could cope with their range, and made a dub of that wobbly, dusty, vinyl. You gave the record back, as promised, with a nod. And the tape reels you nearly wore out, each summer, until you “grew up” and forgot about them, until you found yourself on Listening Club one evening…"

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


See you at 8pm BST (GMT+1) for playback!

The Listening Club - 22nd July 2018

Greetings folks,

Hope all is going well and good for you. This is definitely one of those times of the year where my intros kinda get a bit repetitive, or more repetitive that usual. Hot, sunny, blah blah blah. Not complaining though, even though it's hard to think past a certain level without an ice lolly first. Hottest summer since '76 so they say, which means if they get a refuse collection strike in the UK, it could be punk rock all over again. Which, given the current state of play over there, would probably not be a bad thing at all...

Last week, under the #LC gazebo, @Har_Shone was in the picnic chair, delivering, funnily enough, some cracking English Punk Rock, courtesy of Idles debut album "Brutalism", which shook the foundations of the assembled most satisfactorily. Thanks to Harriet for the pick, and for sailing the frisb across to the returning @thejayarr, who's right here with tonight's intro...

"I don't know if this band will be familiar to the Club. In certain circles they seem to have a die-hard following, but I'd never heard of them before a catching a snippet of one of this record's tracks on a podcast a few months ago. It was enough to make me listen to the rest and I think I was about two-thirds of the way through before deciding this was the best album of the year. Some twenty-odd plays later, that opinion hasn't changed.

The best art comes from honesty, and this is some of the most honest music I've ever heard. 

It is a bit long, though. Just putting that out there now."

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


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

The Listening Club - 15th July 2018

Greetings all,

Hope you're doing good. Warmness still gleefully in full flow here in Amsterdam, so a series of small outdoor festivals and food truck events are doing their bit to remind me just how much fun this city can be during the Summer months. Braincells still jangling too after the appearance here of King Crimson on Friday, surely one of the most awesomely intense and complex performances I've seen in a good long while, bless their polyrythmic socks...

Last Sunday evening, whilst I was flat on my back sipping beer and listening to Afrobeats in a park, @ohmyliver was in the chair, getting the assembled bopping with his pick of Sister Nancy's "One Two" from 1982. Many thanks to Oli for the pick, and for keeping the Frisb in London with the aid of @har_shone, who is here with tonight's intro...

"This album came to me earlier this year whilst I was going through a fairly rage-y phase, both at the world in general and in my own life. I really enjoy it and I suspect you will all hate it so, sorry, not sorry I suppose? ;)"

Okaydoke. Direct download is here, and HearBeSpoilerStream is below:


See you at 8pm BST tonight.

The Listening Club - 8th July 2018

Howdy folks,

Back from the fests and feeling good, DTRH was very nice indeed, excellent sets from Mr. Cave, Mr. Byrne, The belowmentioned Breeders, and a whole bunch more, and possibly the nicest location to have to withstand near 30°C every day whilst doing so. Also great to be home in a couple of hours, makes quite a change from that Glastonbury. Back off out again today to a local world / roots fest, so another afternoon of lying in the sun, sipping beer, eating spicy food and listening to oddball tunes awaits... no complaints.

Big thanks to @emmaprice for helming things last week, and for her pick of The Breeders' latest, "All Nerve", selections from which sounded mighty fine to these ears last week live at the fest, tho they didn't do the cover of "Archangel's Thunderbird" which was a shame. Thanks to Emma for getting it all together with aplomb, and sailing the frisbee across London to @ohmyliver, who's here with this week's deliberations...

"So, the frisbee was thrown over to me this week. 

I can’t speak for anywhere else, but in my South London neck of the woods, it’s been almost insufferably hot.  Which means, in my case, a hazy sleep deprivation born of heat addled insomnia. My ginger genes have made me somewhat ill-prepared for climate change.

At the beginning of the week I was eyeing up Aretha Franklin’s Amazing Grace, an amazing gospel album recorded in 1971 to raise money for the church that Aretha started her illustrious singing career when she was at the peak of her career.  It’s almost good enough to cause conversions. Almost. 

Then as the sleep deprivation started making things fuzzy I turned to Raymond Scott’s 1964 album of minimal ambient electronica Soothing Songs For Baby which I’ve been listening to out of curiosity.  Despite being really quite childish sometimes, I didn’t find it soothing enough.

By the end of the week, I had turned to a genre that works well in the heat, and with the somewhat spacy head state of not really sleeping enough for days on end, which would be Reggae.  I then progressed through the at times excellent live recordings of Saxon Sound featuring Daddy Freddy, Tipper Irie, Smiley Culture, etc in ‘84/85 and ended up here.

Here being 1982 album from the first female Dancehall DJ, which at times get a bit preachy, with a killer stand out track that you’ll probably know through hearing it out, and from it being sampled by people like Jay Z,  It’s not a new discovery, but it’s an album with enough charm to cause my periodic return to it over the years. 

Make sure you’ve got a decent bass response on your speakers or headphones, and if you’re drinking break out the Wray and Nephews. "

Okay and dokay. Direct download is here or here, and the HearBeSpoilers stream is below:

See you at 8pm BST (GMT+1) tonight for playback!

The Listening Club - 1st July 2018

Greetings all,

@emmaprice here with her best caretaking coat on while fun and frolics is being had down that there Rabbit Hole.

Last week @JimMcCauley treated us all to some banging indie dance pop in the form of Confidence Man's debut album, 'Confident Music for Confident People', which seemed to have everyone jumping around nicely. So thanks to Jim for the pick, and for chucking the frisbaton at me, who is here now to introduce my pick:

"I've had a bit of a tough time deciding this time around. After a day of angsting I narrowed it down to two albums and eventually resorted to picking names out of a hat with my eyes shut.

"I was introduced to this artist by my friend Mary at University. She quickly became my musical guru and has introduced me to many bands over our 20 year friendship.

"After a substantial hiatus and some eventful personal lives they recently released this album. This got a pretty good set of reviews and was album of the month in Fopp a while back (I felt all ahead of the curve for about 3 minutes).

"I've seen them a couple of times in the last year and can confirm they're on fine form at the moment."

Direct download is here and the herebespoilers stream is below.
 

See you at 8PM (BST)!

The Listening Club - 24th June 2018

Midsummer greetings to you all.

Although it's grey in Amsterdam right now, the forecast is fine and hot, which is grand as we're in full-on festival prep mode here for Down The Rabbit Hole next weekend. With Eels doing a grand (and surprisingly rocking) set last week and John Cale to come this week before we head for the fields, the pre-fest entertainments are going pretty swimmingly too. Big thanks to @emmaprice also, who will be running things here next Sunday in my absence...

Last week, @saucer was in the chair, rocking the assembled with his pick of Snapped Ankles' debut album "Come Play The Trees" which went down very well indeed. Many thanks to @saucer for the pick, and for sailing the frisb across to @JimMcCauley, who has this to say by way of introduction...

"It's that time of year when the turnout here's normally a bit thin because of Glastonbury, but with Michael Eavis taking a break this year so that he can, I dunno, murder more badgers while the weather's really nice or something, I thought I'd go for a bit of a festival vibe  tonight.

"This lot have been killing it at festivals all over the place for the past couple of years, and this, their debut album released this year, has quickly put them into the position of My New Favourite Band In The World That I Definitely Have To See Live At Some Point.

"They sound like the bastard indie dance pop children of Lady Miss Kier and Dieter Meier, their songs have a delicious vein of very dry humour running all the way through them, they know how to strike a pose and they’ve made this album of pretty much non-stop bangers that often sees me throwing shapes when I should be concentrating on making dinner.

"#DrinkingClub: something long and strong, in a plastic glass. Enjoy!"

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



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

The Listening Club - 17th June 2018

Greetings folks,

Hope you're all doing good. June is proving to be a bit of a let down here in Amsterdam following the scorching May weather, overcastness being the order of the days. Still, there's a raft of gigs on the horizon, including the lovely Eels on Thursday, so all is good, even if the sun is hiding...

Last week, @xpollen8 was in the chair, presenting what I'm pretty sure is a world first, an album by his dad, Mo, from 1976, which certainly had folks guessing, grooving and bamboozling in equal measures. Thanks to David for keeping it in the family, and for sailing the frisb across to @saucer, who sends this by way of introduction...

"Probably a quirk of the timing of my life, or of some synaptic issue I ought to see someone about, but I think of punk as something that ended (not began) with the Sex Pistols; so the thousand flowers that started blooming in 1976... and that still pop up now and then between the paving stones... certainly not punk but maybe they're post punk?

Now, folks don't talk much about "post Residents," but maybe it's a thing, too, in terms of employing musical surrealism as alchemy, or anonymity as an artistic statement.

(Oh. There's a "post Neu" element here as well.)

Please don't search for it because spoilers, but a review of the folks behind this evening's selection included the line "They're dressing up as trees but not being dicks about it."

Anyway, I do hope you enjoy this, whether it's your introduction or a relisten."

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


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

The Listening Club - 10th June 2018

Greetings folks,

Hope you're doing good. Pleasantness abounds here in Amsterdam, patches of sunshine and live rock'n'roll keeping spirits high. Quick note that I'll be away festivalling at the end of the month at Down The Rabbit Hole, so am looking for someone to handle this here shenanigan on Sun 1st July, let me know if you're up for helping out, thx.

Last week chez #LC, @Isperia_ was in the chair, with a double header of crazy dancing and beard stroking courtesy of "Poutatorvi" by Poutatorvi, from back in 2009. Many thanks to Teppo for the pick, and for sailing the frisb all the way across the Atlantic to @xpollen8, who's here with this week's intro...

"What can I even say about this? None of you have ever heard this before, nor anything much like it, probably.

Listen with open ears and I'll provide a link to an explanation afterwards."

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



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

The Listening Club - 3rd June 2018

Greetings folks,

Hope you're all doing fine. Still hot as balls here in Amsterdam (hottest May on record, so I read, hum ho), so Sundays are falling into the summer pattern already, either I get this done before I go out, or I go out, then have to drag myself back in when I remember it needs to be done. Today is one of the latter, but as we haven't gone any further than the stoop of the house, it's not so bad... heh.

Last week @akx was in the chair, sending the assembled bopping with a trio of EPs from Japanese Futurefunk artists MikazukiBigwave, Night Tempo & Macross 82-99. Which ones I have no idea, but they're fresh! Thanks to Aarni for the pick and for sailing the frisb across to @Isperia_, who's here with tonight's intro...

"Summery salutations!

Th​​ank you @akx for shoving me into the chair again - I've had a very busy week and haven't been able to scour my libraries, so I've returned to a personal summer classic.

This is a record I had in my car back when I still had a car, because this was almost perfect for cruising-around-music. The album stil sits on my shelf, and I always return to it during summer. And since summer hit a bit early here this year, it's high time to share it with all of you.

The band in question hasn't to my knowledge given themselves a specific style label, but "jazz progressive fusion" comes to mind.

Enjoy!"

Okaydokey. Direct download is here, and the HearMightBeSpoilers stream is below:

See you tonight at 8pm CEST (GMT+1)

The Listening Club - 27th May 2018

Greetings folks,

Hope you're doing fine. Melting a little here in Amsterdam, as Summer hits with an early vengeance, and in between the thunderstorms, there's not much that can be done apart from drawing a chair outside, grabbing your current reading matter and watching the world go by whilst sipping a cool beverage. Here's hoping the rest of the Summer maintains... this is rather pleasant.

Last week chez #LC, @ohmyliver was in the chair, pulling people out of their comfort zones with his pick of Peverelist's "Tesselations", which went down rather well, so it seems. Thanks to Oli for the pick, and for raffling the frisbaton to @akx, who is here with this week's pre-match...

"Hey hey hey!

Summer has come - unexpectedly and prematurely - to Finland, so I figured this week's pick should be something summer-appropriate. After a long while hemming and hawing in front of my CD shelves, vinyl shelves, list of digital albums and Bandcamp collection, I finally realized the genre I wanted to play tonight. Then there was the problem of figuring out what, or whom, exactly to play, so I thought what the heck . . . So here's a triple feature - three EPs (somewhat trimmed, mind) from three artists that are on top of the Japanese/Korean future funk/synthwave/vaporwave game. And I can guarantee this is fresh stuff; one of these EPs was released this week. :)

Weather allowing, I'd recommend listening to this outside (balcony, patio, walk, bike ride -- all good!), and grabbing a cold drink (something sweet, maybe, #drinkingclub)."

Right then. Direct download is here (right-click, save as), and the HearBeSpoilers stream is below:



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

The Listening Club - 20th May 2018

Hey there folks,

Hope all is going good for you all. A mighty fine day here in Amsterdam, which is much appreciated, as there's a free world music fest happening this afternoon in the Vondelpark, and a slice of live Italian soundtrack grooves courtesy of Calibro 35 to follow after, so it's all hands to the pumps right now...

Last week, @samsmitter was in the chair, smoothing us out in unexpected ways with his pick of "Classic Mellow Mastercuts Vol.2" by those legendary multi-billion sellers, Various Artists. Thanks to Sam for the mellow vibes, and for sailing the frisb across London to @ohmyliver, who's right here with tonight's intro...

"So I caught the fabled Listening Club frisbee  What to pick? 

Been listening to a bit of Drill, the newish sound of disaffected youth, which has emerged from Brixton in the last couple of years.  If you don’t know it, it’s the more trap influenced child of Grime, with the angry electronic innovation of youth making music with whatever they can get hold off like the PlayStation’s Music 2000 replaced by a less interesting heavy influence of US trap beats, and bars glorifying the behavior that manifests in things like the wave of stabbings and shootings by London youth.  Fear not I didn’t pick an example of this genre. Not out of Daily Mailesque moral panic, but because I don’t find the genre that interesting, probably because I’m too old.

A couple of weeks ago I badgered, in a fanboy way, Lawrence from Felt/Denim/Go Kart Mozart on the 55 bus as it slinked westwards from Old Street roundabout.  It was slightly depressing, especially as I love his work, to see a man seemingly shrunken by the disconnection between his talent and how much fame and success he actually got. He repeatedly asked if I had brought any of his records, and told me to buy his new record (he was on his way back from recording in Stokie) a number of times. As a consequence I’ve been adding to his Spotify play count whilst at work.  But I presume everyone’s familiar with his work, so didn’t pick any of that.

I did think about picking an album by Scott Bradlee’s Post Modern Juke Box, but whilst I love their cover of Bizarre Love Triangle, the rest of their stuff in all of its late-night talkshow knowing cleverness grates after a few songs.  

So I went for this, released last year.  It’s sort of post-dubstep Techno, done by the ex flatmate of Bristol’s Pinch (who’s track Qawwali is one of my favourite tracks from the ‘00s) who has veered away from Dubstep to something more Techno, because in parts, it has the feel of music that should be experienced to the backdrop of a still stimulated, but yawning, dawn of a sunny summer day.  Which, err, might or might not work at 8pm on a Sunday evening, but in parts it’s very good."

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


See you at 8pm BST (GMT+1)

The Listening Club - 13th May 2018

Greetings and salutations,

Hope you're all doing fine. Amsterdam has lobbed a wet grey day out after a glorious week, sadly curtailing any outdoor perching, which is a shame, so instead I'm inside working my way through a pile of art films looking for bits and bobs to appropriate, as I'm wont to do.

Chez #LC, last week, @eastvanhalen was in the chair, taking us down to New Orleans with her pick of Dumpstaphunk "Live at 2011 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival", which was a funkin' good time for all assembled. Thanks to her for the pick, and for sailing the frisb back over to London, where @samsmitter is waiting with this week's intro...

"My pick today is one of a series of CD compilations that I started to collect in the early 90s. These were very clearly a labour of love for the compiler, this much was obvious from the detailed liner notes, careful selection, and overall quality of production. It seemed very much like one man's mission to share his 12" collection with the world in the new CD era. As well as being full of great music, these things introduced me to a lot of artists and made me listen in a new way to stuff I might have turned my nose up at ten years earlier. The compilations covered different musical genres, and this one had a somewhat spurious "genre" as its heading, but it works, and of all of them on my shelf (and latterly, on my phone) it is the one I've gone back to the most. Hope you enjoy it! Sam x"

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


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