The Listening Club - 29th April 2018

Greetings folks.

Hope you're all doing fine. Gently does it here in Amsterdam, as we're still slowly recovering from a typically random and wayward Kings Day on Friday, which managed to just avoid being a washout (hooray for local weather patterns), but was still full of the chaos that we all know and love... and pay for after.

Last week @xpollen8 was in the chair, delivering an indie supergroup concept album in the shape of Pfarmers' "Our Puram", which went down rather well indeed. Many thanks to David for the pick, and for flipping the frisbee across to me, @kleptones. So here we go...

"I have to admit I had this album already earmarked a while ago, but it was definitely a surprise to be chosen to follow @xpollen8's pick, as there are quite a few similarities to his selection. It's another concept album (albeit a concept somewhat looser in narrative than previous), created by another bunch of folks who don't normally work together, one of whom even has a direct link with someone from his pick. However I think the similarities end there.

Hearing this for the first time a few months ago had me grinning like an idiot in parts, raising my eyebrows in parts, metaphorically "looking at my watch" in parts, and wondering if I'd skipped to a completely different album by accident once or twice. All of these qualities making it an ideal pick for this here shebang.

It's not a short album, so I apologise if you're time-strapped tonight. But I hope there'll be something within that you'll appreciate. Dim the lights, crack open a bottle, and let's give it a go."

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


See you at 8pm BST (GMT+1)

The Listening Club - 22nd April 2018

Hey folks,

Tapping this out a day early, as the weather is still pretty damn good, and I've got a personal anniversary to attend to tomorrow, so apologies for the brevity! Onwards...

Last week that @wojsvenwoj was in the chair, presenting some angular abstract hip-hop in the form of Nnamdi Ogbonnaya's "Drool", which hit the spot for many. Thanks to Woj for the pick and for sailing the frisb across to @xpollen8, who's here waiting with this week's intro...

"This little concept album concerns the experience of living in a rural Oregon commune in the early 80's. This record - inexplicably -  has not been the soundtrack of the recent Rajneeshi coverage."

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


See you at 8pm BST (GMT+1)

The Listening Club - 15th April 2018

Greetings folks,

Hope you're all doing fine. Amsterdam's definitely starting to shake off it's winter shackles, buds and blossom appearing at a goodly rate, and the appearence of the live Coachella stream on the TV (highlight so far, predictably David Byrne, tho Fleet Foxes are doing a fine job in the background as I type) is always a good reminder that there are warmer, tuneful times just around the corner...

Last week chez #LC, @saucer was in the chair, delivering the essence of indie in the shape of Dunedin's The Prophet Hens' spendidly titled "The Wonderful Shape Of Back Door Keys", which had folks discussing and debating all through. Many thanks to @saucer for the pick, and for sailing the frisb across to @wojsvenwoj, who's here with tonight's intro...

"One cool thing about the Twitter and other social medias is the window it gives us into the minds of the musicians and performers we admire and appreciate. Turns out, for the most part, they're not much different from us, thinking the same petty thoughts and making the same stupid jokes we do (albeit getting more likes and 'splodey hearts than mere mortals such as ourselves). However, many musicians, especially those who tour a lot, often seem to have a finger that's more on the pulse of new artists and new music than mine so I like to keep an eye on what they're listening to and talking about. And that's how I first heard about this artist. I don't remember who first mentioned him and it took me a while to finally get around to checking out this year-old album...but I've dug its grooves ever since."

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

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

The Listening Club - 8th April 2018

Greetings folks,

Hope you're all doing fine. Back after a fun week in England (Thanks to Jim for running things in my absence), catching up with folks (some #LC company included, happy to say), and returning to a considerably warmer Amsterdam, which jumped 10 degrees in our absence, and is now fairly basking in near 20 degress of celcius loveliness. So a weekend of spring cleaning has been the order of the day, and now that every window in the house is sparkling and letting in maximum early evening light, time to get on with this here business...

Last week, @AndersHanson was in the chair, and delivered Breton's "Other People's Problems", which seemed to go down well, and encourage an interesting discussion on the pros and cons of over-compression into the deal. Many thanks to Anders for the pick, and for sailing the frisb across to @saucer, who's here with tonight's intro...

"This album's country of origin is obvious from the first notes, if you know any music from there.

30 or so years ago I bought an album whose cover was a blurry picture of a creepy marionette. You know the one I mean, right? Wasn't sure, on early listens, whether it was amazing or quaint... but kept listening and came to slowly approach the not-so-profound realization that music could be both. 

Then I never stopped loving that album or its feel. 

I had the same sort of early reaction on first hearing tonight's band. Could a 21st-century band manifest the same spirit? 

Drinking club suggestion: something grown in volcanic soil."

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


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

The Listening Club - 1st April 2018

Happy joke egg day, everyone! It is I, @JimMcCauley, taking care of business while @kleptones is away doing whatever it is his people do on this, the holiest of opportunities for hilarious pranks. Today I'm mainly doing washing and bleeding radiators, as well getting excited about seeing the actual Daphne & Celeste in Bristol on Tuesday night. Fun times!

Last week surprising ex-roadie @faberfedor treated us to the wry musical observations of Deirdre Flint's 'Then Again', which didn't go down as badly as I think Faber might have been expecting; they can't all be zingers but there seemed to be something there for everyone. So thanks to Faber for the pick and for launching the frisbaton at @AndersHanson, who's right here, right now.

"I can't believe it's been 19 months since I last had the frisbaton, but then last year was a bit of an odd year and I wasn't around as much on a Sunday. However, despite all that time for me to think about my next pick it was only this morning that inspiration came and so here it is. I hope it'll have been worth the wait.

"This album I discovered through accidentally stumbling on one track that I became a little obsessed with and listened to loads and loads with it rapidly become of my favourites. For some reason though it was only much later that I finally went off and discovered the album it was on - that track I fell in love with being the last one on this album. The rest of the album is actually quite different in many respects although in genre terms this pick probably won't surprise many of you. Hopefully though there's enough in there for it not to be wholly predictable."

Right ho. Download is here, and the spoilery HearThis stream is below.


Catch you at 8PM (BST)!