The Listening Club - 29th December 2019

Greetings and seasonal compliments to you all.

Hope you've all been indulging in a little (or a lot) of what you fancy over the ascribed period. Here in Amsterdam it's been a gentle time, fine food and drink has been consumed and a most welcome and much needed annual decompression has been had. Although I'm not really one for New Year's resolutions, personally the last year has proved to be an annoyance and a disappointment in quite a few ways (can't win 'em all), so it's been good to have the headspace to consider some course corrections for the year (and indeed the decade) ahead. As far as the decade goes, I cannot complain on the whole, the choices I've made have proved to be good ones, so here's hoping that good fortune continues for the next ten years and more.... for everyone. *raises glass to you all*

Week before last, in regular #LC land, @faberfedor was in the chair, taking us back to his formative years with his pick of Santana's "Santana III", which percussed the assembled quite successfully. Thanks to Faber for the pick, and for sailing the frisb across to @brainspiritus, who has a good length of time to consider their options because first...

Yes, it's the 2019 #festivevortex. A cracking 24 tune selection, all over the shop as usual, but with one or two common threads running through, as you will hear. Thanks to all who chipped in a tune or two!

Direct download is here (backup link here if needed), and the stream is below.


Charge your glasses, and see you at 8pm GMT tonight!

The Listening Club - 15th December 2019

Greetings folks.

Well, that was depressing. Plenty I could say on the subject, but this is not the place for it. Suffice to say that deciding on the spur of the moment to go see Madness the night of the election was a really fucking good idea, providing a well needed dance (even if hearing this did reduce me to tears). All things considered, I'm looking forward to drawing a line under this year soon, for sure.

In administrative #LC mode, as we're heading up to the festive season, I'd like to propose taking a little break next Sunday for festive prep and travel, and return on the 29th for the customary #FestiveVortex - Yes, as always, I'd like a couple of your favourite tunes of 2019, we'll jumble them all together, crack open a few bottles, and dance the year into submission. So get thinking, folks...

Last Sunday, @holette was in the chair, delivering an early xmas cracker in the shape of "Joia!" by Carwyn Ellis and Rio 18, which got everyone grooving beautifully. Thanks to Sarah for the pick, and for sailing the frisb back across the ocean to @FaberFedor, who is right here with tonight's intro...

"On the first day of Mr. B.'s music class, he would give a test to see how much music we knew. He would play about 30 seconds of a song and we were to write down the song title, the artist and/or genre. I got about 50% on the test. I found it incongruous that he expected 13-year-olds in a small Western PA coal/steel town to have heard of Debussy and be able to tell the difference between Beethoven and Mozart. And who the hell is John Cage?

But there was one song where the drumming enthralled me. I had to have that song! I went out looking for that weekend and found it, naturally, at George's Song Shop. This is one of the first
three albums I ever bought; the first was "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath" and the other one was "School's Out". This is still one of my faves.

This album hit #1. The artist didn't have another #1 album until 30 years later.

A coupla' months ago, my town held its first "Diversity Fair" and I was quite chuffed to hear two songs off this album being played live. 

So, in the long and hallowed #listeningclub tradition of seasonally inappropriate albuns started last week by @holette, I give you this week's pick."

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

See you at 8pm GMT tonight!

The Listening Club - 8th December 2019

Greetings folks,

Hope all is good. Another grey week here in Amsterdam as per usual, but we gained a wonderful flash of musical colour on Thursday night courtesy of !!! (or Chk Chk Chk, as their parents call them), who seriously produced the Fraggle Rock vibes, allowing us to dance our cares away quite successfully for an hour or so. Sometimes dancing really is the best revenge.

Goes without saying, but I'll say it anyway, those in the UK, or from thereabouts, you know what you have to do on Thursday. Please, for the sake of the country's future, vote as tactically as you can, and encourage those around you to do the same... we cannot let these absolute cunts stay in power any longer.

Right then, last week @xpollen8 was in the chair, bringing us Bob Wiseman's 1995 album "Accidentally Acquired Beliefs", to a glowing positive response. Thanks to him for the pick, and for sailing the frisb across to a power-cut-hit house in deepest Snowdonia, where @holette tapped this out in morse code by way of introduction to tonight's pick:

"Here in the UK, this seemed an appropriate week to celebrate music that embraces internationalism, marginal cultures, music without borders. 

The album came out this year and the artist/producer link up was brokered by Chrissie Hynde of all people. This multi instrumentalist artist tours and plays on records with many more mainstream artists. This is one of his own projects, partly recorded with musicians and a producer in Brazil. It's a beautiful curiosity. 

There's a real warmth and charm to the music. I  don't have a translation for the lyrics but I read that loosely they address "non explicit anti Brexit / anti Bolsonaro" themes. 

Whatever the actual words mean,  there's a sense of joy and positivity and some amazing musicianship.  So here's wishing you a little bit of joy in the season of goodwill."

Download's here, stream's below:

See you at 8pm GMT.

The Listening Club - 1st December 2019

Greetings folks, pinch and a punch and all that.

Hope all is fine with you all. Delighted to report that Aldous Harding was truly excellent on Wednesday, a stunning performance indeed. And got a few decent gigs lined up for December, which should chase away the grey chills, I should hope...

Last week in these environs, @adam_steinert was in the chair for his debut pick, Roland Kirk's 1961 set "We Free Kings", which bopped the assembled quite nicely. Thanks to Adam for the pick, and for sailing the frisb across the sea to @xpollen8, who's right here with tonight's intro...

"I've been holding this one back for some time and only realized how SHORT it is after reviewing it.  If you want more, check out the 'tube.

Today's artist has graduated to film composition and music teaching, but in his younger days he produced music and had his own bands.

This selection is packed with ideas and the skills to execute.  I saw him once in a dingy club in San Francisco and it still ranks among my most memorable shows. He's that good. And funny, too."

Okaydoke. Direct download is here, and the stream's below.


See you tonight at 8pm GMT.

The Listening Club - 24th November 2019

Hey there folks,

Hope you're well and good. Shit, only one month to Christmas? Where has the year gone, etc. Been a quiet grey week here in Amsterdam, but there's Aldous Harding to look forward to on Wednesday, which should chase the grey away for a while, I hope...

Last week in the land of #LC, @eastvanhalen was in the chair, delivering a soulful selection box in the shape of the Soul Jazz Records compilation "Soul of a Nation - Jazz Is The Teacher, Funk Is The Preacher", which hit the spot with the assembled for the most part. Thanks to Steph for the pick and for boldly flinging the frisbee across to @adam_steinert, who has this to say by way of introduction to their debut pick...

"Hello All,

A relatively short one, this. This was an album that I first heard when I was 18 or 19, a generation after it was recorded. Hopefully you won't know it, but I'm not laying bets!

At the time, I was devouring all the records I could lay my hands on from this genre, from wherever I could. I found this down the local lending library, which had just started offering CDs. They really didn't carry a big range, and although I got through almost everything they carried, for me it remains pretty much a chance discovery. 

Even on first listen, though, it felt head and shoulders above most of the other stuff, a little rough around the edges in ways most of its contemporaries weren't. The same artist has more famous albums, more strident, more experimental, but to my mind this one still cuts it. I just wish it was closer to Christmas!"

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


See you 8pm GMT tonight!

The Listening Club - 17th November 2019

Evening all,

Yep, back from the front with tales to tell, mainly of 75-year old microtonal Pakistani singers, abnormal levels of sub-bass, mistreated theramins, Ethiopian legends dancing through a rather surprised crowd, on-stage facetime dial-ups to Contra Costa County, comedy 2am moshpits for Lightning Bolt, missing a surprise Bjork DJ set and not giving a toss, @nessiest's fine post-gig uitsmijters, the best/worst lounge-sax cover of Redemption Song I'll hopefully ever hear and (apart from that one tune ;) so much fucking fine music. Le Guess Who 2019 was business as usual, you'll be happy to hear.

Meanwhile, here at #LC, @JimMcCauley was running things, and @ohmyliver was getting funky with his pick of Spanky Wilson's 1969 stomper "Doin' It", which seemed to rock the house quite significantly. Thanks to Oli for the pick, and for sailing the frisb right across to Vancouver, where @eastvanhalen is waiting with a bag of beans and this to say...

"This week’s Listening Club is a first listen for me of an album that’s been sitting atop my stereo waiting for a spin for a couple of months. I bought it because I was browsing in a record store, and they were playing this, and I caught myself dancing my way down the aisle. Sold! 

It’s a compilation. There will be jazz, there will be funk, and there will be jazz funk. #drinkingclub as you wish — I’ll be having my usual strong coffee..."

Right. Direct download here, stream below.


You know the drill. See you at 8pm GMT tonight!

The Listening Club – 10th November 2019

Greetings and salutations. @JimMcCauley at your service, holding the fort while @kleptones and (and @nessiest) are away at Le Guess Who, and trying to ignore a painful neck which I must have twisted awkwardly yesterday. Seems less awful than when I got up this morning, although that could be the paracetamol talking.

Last week, then, it was me on the decks, working through loss with ASIP's Portals: The KLF's Chill Out (A New Dimension), which seemed to go down well for the most part. So thanks to me for the pick and for spinning the frisbaton at @ohmyliver, who I'm sure will be along shortly.

Any moment now.

Ah yes, here he is:

"This pick has been difficult. Which is why I'm writing this at 5pm, Sunday. Sorry. 

I didn't have a clear pick lined up.  

I would have picked Bodega's latest album, just for the 'play me on an open plan tech office sound system, I dare you' opening track. But I'm not sure about the rest of the album in it's arty 'we've heard The Fall, and 90s US indie, and have their obscure tracks too' thing.  No doubt I'll get really into it, and regret not picking it.

I would have picked Soundbwoy Killah's latest album in all it's 'yeah I might be young enough to be conceived during the come down to an early 90s rave, but I like old school 'ardcore *and* uk garage thing.  But it feels a bit wrong putting something like that to listen to at 8pm on a Sunday evening. Apologies if you've had a big night, and your heartbeat still seems to be recreating outtakes from an LTJ Bukem recording session in '93, you'd have dug it. 

I would have picked P-Money's Money Over Everything Vol3, as that's one of the best straight Grime albums in years. But I've picked 2 grime linked albums in the last 18 months or so. 

So, I went with this from the late 60s/early 70s. 

I first heard the cover of a Cream track from this album (in my opinion it's better than the original) on a compilation in the late 90s, and if you were ever out dancing in the Rob Lluis part of 90s Brighton clubland then you probably know it too. I've finally tracked down the album.

It's funky, it's a little jazzy, and it's great. There's a little bit of surface noise on the rip, but to quote the late John Peel, 'life's got surface noise'."

Righty ho then. Direct download is here, HearThis stream is below, you know the score.


See you at 8! (GMT!)

The Listening Club - 3rd November 2019

Greetings and happy blow up parliament day, nearly...

Got to admit this is one of the few times I do miss old blighty, there's nothing like building a damn good bonfire and chucking a few industrial-strength bangers around to cheer yourself into the winter months... The Dutch don't have much in the way of an equivalent, although New Year's eve does come close in the homespun pyrotechnical danger stakes...

Last Sunday, @SimonLandmine was in the chair casting out his folky demons in the shape of Greg Russell's 2017 "Shake The Chains" project, which brought forth great debate, as would be expected. Thanks to Simon for the pick, and for sailing the frisb across to @JimMcCauley, who's right here with tonight's intro...

"A friend died a couple of weeks ago, suddenly and unexpectedly. We'd only known each other for six months, but in that time we'd played, improvised, performed weird street theatre in the centre of Bath and had many drinks afterwards; the sort of things that break down barriers between people fast.

The last time I saw him we were down the pub with other friends from our little group, plotting an upcoming performance and batting mad ideas back and forth. There were hugs on the street afterwards, we went our separate ways and then at some point later he died.

I was at work when I received the email, and it knocked me sideways; I had to quickly finish up what I was writing and get the fuck out of there. The first music I reached for was @kleptones' LO, which hits so many of the emotional notes that have been in my head since I got the news, but I hope we're all familiar enough with that particular work.

So what I've chosen instead is something that appeared a couple of days after I got the news. Some of you may well have heard it already; I'm not going to explain what it is, only that it helped provide me and some friends with some lovely background noise when things were feeling pretty raw last Saturday morning."

Direct download is here, and the stream is below:

See you at 8pm GMT tonight.

The Listening Club - 27th October 2019

Greetings from the un-united kingdom.

Yep, I'm back over in the UK doing the traditional selection of DIY and IT support for my mum, as you do. Seem to have developed a habit of visiting these shores just before another brexit deadline flutters off into the distance. Even managed a couple of pints in the pub that I purchased my very first ever beer (aged 15), which last night was oddly hosting a Pink Floyd tribute band, who weren't that bad, as long as they kept away from the complicated bits...

Oh yeah, don't forget THE CLOCKS HAVE GONE BACK. So we're on GMT again.

Last week, @zbendr was indie mood, with his selection of Beirut's 2019 opus "Gallipoli", which massaged the ears of the assembled to mostly positive effect. Thanks to Ben for the pick, and for flipping the frisb back across to London, where @SimonLandmine has this to say...

"As I retrieved the Frisbaton from where @zbendr ably threw it (and I fumbled my catch, volleying it through next door's greenhouse), I opened up my Listening Club Ideas.txt file. And remained thoroughly undecided about any of them.

So instead of anything that was actually on that list, you get this
instead, which has been in the CD player in my study for a while now, and has grown on me each time. For a change, it's not an act I've seen many times - in fact, I think this line-up only came together for a tour, and this, the associated live album. And, to be honest, I missed the tour. But the CD was for sale on the merch stand after a performance by another associated project, in the physical implementation of the "If you liked that, you might like this" marketing algorithm of certain companies. And I thought "Ooh, that looks interesting."

This one's not so much about the artists, although they're talented, and known in their field, but more about the songs - a mixture of original pieces and some well-known covers, written and selected with a central theme by the chap who brought the project together. I hope that you enjoy them, and I apologise for the lack of unsurprise metal guitars. Blame the weather, or something. Normal service may be resumed another time.

Drinking Club - probably a mug of tea, maybe out of a thermos, and almost certainly in mismatched mugs, probably in a converted church, or maybe one still functioning as such when it's not a music venue. Sorry the pews are a bit hard - we did suggest you brought a cushion*.
(* Yes, that is a call-out to one specific London venue, where 'VIP membership' means a cuppa and a cushion.)"

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


See you at 8pm GMT. No ifs or buts.

The Listening Club - 20th October 2019

Greetings folks,

Hope you're all doing fine. As usual trying not to type anything related to current British politics, but the combination of that metashambles and me managing to lose a very, very important thing that will most likely never ever be seen again (no need for details, sure you've all been there) has led to a rather grumbly state of mind this weekend. Still, as I always say at times like this, thank god for music. And beer. And good company...

Speaking of which, last week chez #LC, wor @nessiest managed to hit everyone hard in the emotionals with her choice of Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds new opus "Ghosteen". Thanks to her for the pick and for sailing the frisb across to @zbendr, who is back within #LC timezone range, and has this to say by way of introduction to his pick of the day...

“Imagine…you lived in a shambolic world. Your everyday plod through life was a shambles, and things just crumbled and rusted when you touched them. You were…a Shambles King Midas, of sorts.

Now, imagine you scraped together a few coppers to pay for a holiday. After packing your favourite clothes into a small battered fibreboard suitcase, you took a discount airline to an exotic place, in a country that no longer exists.

But you’re not staying in the nice part.

You unpack your clothes into a broken wardrobe, grab your hat, and stroll down to the local taverna. I think that’s what they call them here : “tav er na”. As your first cheap drink arrives, a band unpacks battered and bent instruments and…simply starts playing.

And you realise that being shambolic is, sometimes, a bit magnificent."

Direct download is here, and the stream's below:

See you at 8pm BST (GMT+1)

The Listening Club - 13th October 2019

Greetings folks,

Hope all is good in your hoods. Not much to report here, yeah, still grey and rainy, and looking forward to Le Guess Who more than ever now the lineup timetable is out, even though it's clash city central all the way through (e.g. Godflesh, Gryff Rhys and William Tyler at exactly the same time, and that's just the first hour... what to choose?) But these are good problems to have, of course. Speaking of which, naturally I'll be needing someone to manage things here on that weekend (Sun 10th November) so if anyone's up for standing in, let me know, thx.

Last week, the returning @NeilPBardhan got lo-fi on our posteriors with his pick of Ah Holly Fam'ly's 2007 album "Your Body Will Become An Anchor", which seemed to strike a chord with quite a few folks. Thanks to Neil for the pick and for sailing the frisb back here, where @Nessiest is waiting with this to say...

"I haven’t heard this album yet, but I want to listen to it with the club. A nod to the origins of the Listening Club I guess.

It’s also fitting given it’s the time of year when Kleptones and I met (our anniversary was this week) and tonight’s artist was the first concert I bought tickets for us to go see. It was dead romantic too, which says a lot about my idea of romance.

Drinking club suggestion - something robust and warming, not too fizzy."

Direct download is here, and the stream's right down below.


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

The Listening Club - 6th October 2019

Greetings folks,

Well, it's been pissing down all day again, politics is getting worse by the minute, Ginger Baker has shuffled off his mortal coil (probably in 6/8 time) and the annual crapshoot for Glastonbury tickets failed for everyone in the gang, so as far as Sundays go, let's move swiftly on...

Last week, @emmaprice was in the chair, getting cosmic with The Comet Is Coming's debut elpee "Trust In The Lifeforce Of The Deep Mystery", which got the required positive response from all sides, and quite right too. Thanks to Emma for the pick, and for sailing the frisb up to the satellite that is @NeilPBardhan, who, after going 20 rounds with an external hard drive, has this to say by way of introduction to tonight's pick...

"Here's one from my vaults. Been a while since I even sat down for a full listen of this. More of a "red wine" selection for the Drinking Club set, I think. I've had a copy of this probably since about the time of its release, through an old friend who was part of this project. Not sure whatever became of the group, but I feel like they had some local and national success. It's interesting to go back on these Frisbaton selections and see what I've picked out over the years, how I can dig a little deeper each time, play to the crowd's interests (or not)."

Okaydoke. Direct download's here, and the stream's below.


See you at 8pm BST tonight!

The Listening Club - 29th September 2019

Greetings folks.

Wet, wet, wet. What a shit name for a band, eh? Highly appropriate right now though, as it continues pissing down for the nth day. Still, as the inside of the house is filled with the sound of random Sunday music and the smell of bubbling cassoulet, outside can do what it bloody well likes, we'll just sit in the window with a tasty drink and watch the soggy world go by...

Last week in #LC-land, @brainspiritus was getting us down and bluesy with their pick of  "Mad Dog Blues" by The Hamburg Blues Band, which did a fine job of turning our corner of twitter into a jumping dive bar. Thanks to them for the pick  and for sailing the frisb back across the channel where @emmaprice is waiting with this to say...

"Hello from a rather soggy south London where autumn is in full effect. When catching the frisbaton last week I (for a change) immediately knew who I wanted to pick. Normally the selection process is a matter of some angst in Emma world as I try and find something that will intrigue, excite and potentially amuse people.

I discovered this artist after seeing one of the musicians from this band in one of his other projects and and being absolutely blown away by the sheer vitality and life of their live performance. Definitely one of my live gig experiences of the year. The album is new to me as is their back catalogue but hopefully it will be the gateway drug to stumbling across them live for some of you.

Drinking club is something suitable for a darkened basement club where masters have been honing their craft since time immemorial."

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


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

The Listening Club - 22nd September 2019

Greetings folks,

Well, the weather gods have given us another glorious warm weekend, so after a Saturday of sun, beer, pizza, friends and music, today has been all about the gentle recovery, and tonight I think will be all about a large curry, and more music from these environs. Perfert weekend, really.

Last week, as a prelude to a week of flute-related discussion and punnery, @SimonLandmine was in the chair dosing everyone up with The Young Gods' 2008 acoustic escapade "Knock On Wood", which seemed to go down pretty well indeed (yes I am biased). Thanks to Simon for the pick, and for sailing the frisb across to @Brainspiritus, who has this to say by way of introduction to tonight's pick...

"This week, I'm breaking promises. I know some of you are hoping for entirely non-surprising metal guitars. (Did you not learn anything from last time?)  On the other hand, I promised the jester in me that should I catch the audio frisbaton in late summer, I'd pick a very particular version of a very particular work by Tchaikovsky to celebrate the return of Stollen and Christmas Pudding to the supermarkets. I guess we're all lucky tonight.

Tonight's pick, instead, is a 2008 mixed studio/live album by a group I stumbled across on an online radio stream around 2010. Funny how you need a streamer from California to learn about a band that's basically from one city over and has been going for over 35 years now. Sound-wise, they may be a bit on the rough and scruffy side sometimes (as one of their members once put it: "we're from a big city, where there's quite a bit of noise to shout over"), but I'm scruffy, too, so what do you expect? Also, Bonus points for recognizing the two guest vocalists from the UK, who've been quite successful with other groups or on their own.

#drinkingclub is probably pilsener, but a decent one, from a proper glass."

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


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

The Listening Club - 15th September 2019

Greetings folks,

Well, that late bit of sun seems to have appeared as hoped, so making the most of it picnic-style and "sunniest spot outside a bar we can find"-style has been the order of the days, alongside grabbing tickets for autumn/winter giggage, and starting to seriously look forward to Autumn's saving grace aka Le Guess Who Festival in November already...

Last week here in #LC land, the returning @Jonny_Pigg was in compilation mode presaging the Big Beat revival with his pick of "Dope On Plastic 4" from 1997, to which the assembled jigged and bopped and bantered, as would be expected. Thanks to Jonny for the pick and for sailing the frisb down to London, where @SimonLandmine is waiting with tonight's intro...

"This week, I managed to avoid drastically overthinking my selection (at least at time of writing this), and simply picked an album from my 'Listening Club Shortlist.txt' file. Hopefully people will enjoy it.

I first encountered this band when at university, and house-sitting for a mate over the summer holidays. He gave me leave to listen to his vinyl while there, and it introduced me to a number of acts I'd not previously encountered (including Neurosis, which some of you will probably be glad this is not).

And there was a live album by these chaps, who had, I have since discovered, named themselves after someone else's EP, and who have also covered the work of another artist previously featured on
Listening Club. Some of you may well be familiar with some of their oeuvre, but a few years ago (well, OK, over ten), they decided to have another go at some of it, and recorded and released this, which I am rather fond of as well. I finally got to see them live a couple of years ago, when they were doing one of those anniversary tours which have become popular."

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


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

The Listening Club - 8th September 2019

Greetings folks,

Feeling decidedly autumnal here in Amsterdam, already, and hoping the warms decide to return for a last hurrah before the grey sets in. In the meanwhilst, there's a thrum of tidying and sorting in and around the house, the traditional sort of post-hibernation prep that comes with the time of year, before it's impossible to go outside without layers on. Still, as the festival season comes to a close, the indoor gigging season begins again, hoorah. And so it goes. (Phew, managed to avoid mentioning the current British political shitshow, well done me...)

Last week, @ohmyliver was in the chair, providing a lyrical take on that which shall not be named and much more, in the form of Kano's "Hoodies All Summer", which went down pretty good with the assembled. Thanks to Oli for the pick, and for sailing the frisb up to Tyneside, and the returning @Jonny_Pigg, who has this to say by way of introduction to tonight's pick...

"So, it's been a while, turns out kids take up quite a lot of your time, who knew? Well, everyone I think still, I've managed a return and a frisbaton catch and here we are. 

First thoughts were to the list I still had in mind to work through and pick one, however, I'd not really listened to any of them lately, in fact the last few months have been a rabbit hole of Spotify's making which has introduced and re-introduced me to uncountable tunes which I'd like to play all of. Bands I'd forgotten about/never heard of but should have, songs I'd missed first time round, artists I'd ignored for no real reason. 

The hardest part here was picking an album as most of the tracks tended to be the standout or part of a small group of standout tracks on an album, with the rest not really catching my attention. So I thought about what listeningclub was to me and what I'd missed about it. Basically I like switching off on a Sunday with a drink and doing nowt but listening to music for an hour or so. Nice to chat to people as well and all that, but the switching off from the day and just settling in is a belter.  So, what album did I want to listen to uninterrupted? It's the end of the weekend, it's been a long week with another ahead, something I can switch off to, nod my head, tap my feet and just take it in. 4 albums sprung to mind, after a quick run through the winner was picked. 

Now, this is a 2 cd album of which I hardly ever listen to number 2, but as there's a couple of scratches on cd 1 I've had to edit out 2 tracks so as an encore I've added the first one on the second cd. So get comfy, this isn't going to be like the time I made you all listen to Japanese techno metal.

Enjoy"

Okaydoke. Direct download's here, and the stream's below:


See you at 8pm BST (GMT+1) tonight, while it lasts!

The Listening Club - 1st September 2019

Greetings folks,

Hope all is well and good. September already, really? Still holding on to the warm and sunny as best we can here, aided by a local band just round the corner serenading us with easy listening Latin-American sounds this afternoon. All very neighbourly and civilized indeed.

Last week round these parts, @xpollen8 was in the chair, serenading folks with the electronic stylings of Geotic's "Traversa" which seemed to go down pretty well. Thanks to David for the pick, and for sailing frisb across to post-carnival London, where @ohmyliver has this to say...

"So, I seem to have in my possession the Listening Club frisbee.   

Last week, I started out in a post-carnival glow.  It was a good Carnival.  Amidst the standard roots/reggae sound systems, I even had a bit of a boogie to some Dr Dre, and Drum and Bass.  Oh and Jam Rock, which I heard on 3 different sound systems as I pottered around Notting Hill/The Grove.  I’m not a huge fan of that song, but its bass rattling through the streets of Victorian terrace sounds great.  

So, I was wondering if I could get away with a Saxon Sounds live recording from ‘84.  Or a Channel One one from this year or last year.  Y’know, a big up to the London cultures which have been hugely important to British music, a big up to a still free festival which is a celebration of a London at risk from the rising nationalist effluence. 

But then, politics intruded.  The direction of travel of politics in the UK is alarming, to say the least.  Whilst the shutting down of Parliament by an executive which only has minority support, pushing through a hugely damaging (yet profitable to the right people) change which again has minority support, isn’t technically a coup, it sure fucking feels like the beginnings of one.  The Thick of it, with Alan Moore as script consultant, as you were. 

So I wanted to respond to this.  So something like Jungle Revolution by Congo Natty, or anything by Lowkey, would work wonders.  But then this popped up, like some sort of Grime divine intervention.  

It’s very new (came out a couple of days ago).  It’s from someone who started out in East London’s N.A.S.T.Y crew (alongside D double E, Jammer, etc), won various ‘best newcomer’ awards in 2004/5 and even got props from the then Mayor of London.  

I’ve listened to it a couple of times, and I can understand why it’s getting good reviews all over the shop.  I think I prefer the more introspective 0800-Dinosaur presents Trim, but it’s similar territory."

Okaydoke. Direct download is here, and the stream's down below:



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

The Listening Club - 25th August 2019

Greetings folks,

Well. the sunny and warms are back in these here parts, which is jolly nice, although I'm staying inside this arvo with a large fan for company feeling the aftereffects of a long day in the park yesterday. Beer may have been involved, yes...

Last week chez #LC it was me myself and I in the chair, dosing folks up with Alexander Tucker's "Don't Look Away", resulting in a bit of a mixed response, which is fair enough, his is definitely a bit of a marmitey sound for sure. All that was left was for me to sail the frisb across to @xpollen8, who is here with the intro to tonight's pick...

"Sometimes you just need something to chill to, and I've been
turning to this guy a bunch this year.  Also, his videos are super fun.
That's is all!"

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


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

The Listening Club - 18th August 2019

Greetings folks,

Hope you're doing fine. Still pissing down here, off and on, and probably in the UK too, which is a bugger for those attending Lowlands, Green Man or whatever festival. Sure they're making the most of it regardless, I know I would be, but I'm sitting here at home, watching Lowlands on TV (Franz Ferdinand currently) and tapping this out waiting for the rain to stop... or start again... que sera.

Last week, @holette was back in the chair getting the congregation moving with her pick of Donny Hathaway's 1970 debut album "Everything Is Everything". Caps were doffed by way of thanks and the frisbaton was sailed across to me, so...

"Didn't think I had anything in mind, so I was flicking through the collection, thinking a retro pick would be a good idea, when I noticed an old text file sitting in my documents folder titled "Listening Club picks". Inside there was one album listed. So, brushing aside the possibility that someone had hacked into my computer and left it there, let's see what past-me wanted you to hear...

There is still no feeling quite like discovering an artist and finding out they've got a nigh-on 25 year back catalogue to investigate. This is one such person, who's collaborated with a whole ton of interesting folks, and also managed to put together a stack of solo albums, of which this is the seventh. I'm very pleased to have finally made their acquaintance, hope you will be also."

Direct download is here, and the stream's below:


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

The Listening Club - 11th August 2019

Greetings,

Well, wet and windy is back in force across Europe, which is kinda sad for the Dutch, as August is traditionally holiday month here in the Netherlands, to the extent that offices are almost empty, many cafes and takeaways are closed, and public transport runs on a reduced timetable. Still, it's lovely and peaceful outside the tourist zones... even if it is grey.

Last week chez #LC, @saucer was in the chair, serving up Brazilian delights in the form of "Sem Nostalgia" by Lucas Santtana, which certainly got the braincells quizzically tingling. Thanks to him for the pick, and the surprise deflection of the Frisb back in the direction it came from, which means @holette is here again, with tonight's intro...

“I have Iggy Pop to thank for many things: Raw Power; one of the greatest live performances I’ve ever seen; a really cool T-shirt that used to fit me; and (do Iggy voice here) ‘facilitating connections’. These days he’s deliciously intimate company on Friday nights on the radio, during which time he’s introduced me to this artist. 

The voice speaks for itself. It makes me feel calm and uplifted - sadly ironic given the artist’s struggles with mental illness. There are better known tracks to explore if you like this album, but to me it’s a good place to start for the direct emotions,  melody and musicianship.”

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


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

The Listening Club - 4th August 2019

Greetings folks,

Yep, I'm back, after a week of rather hot holiday en France, plus a fine evening here in Amsterdam meeting up with @rougeforever and @mrhig of this parish, a cracking day yesterday bopping at Dekmantel Festival, and today a sweaty afternoon trying to hack the plants around the house back into some sort of sensible shape. So business as usual, and very grateful for all of it.

Thanks to @jimmccauley for keeping the lights on here in my absence, much appreciated, squire! And thanks also to @holette, who got the assembled bopping last Sunday with her pick of Sparks "No.1 In Heaven", and then sailed the frisb across the ocean to @saucer, who has this to say...

"Freshness and surprise are essential elements of music, and, frankly, sometimes my own taste bores me. These days I don’t have many musical friends IRL to pull me out of self-constructed ruts. 

That’s why I was so happy to meet a new musical friend... in an entirely nonmusical context... recently. They were conducting a test of something at work, and I, as a test subject, was lucky enough to get paired with them. This person is radically different from me in just about every respect you can imagine and we get along great: We’re both tickled by the disparities and also by the weird overlaps. She sent me one of her Youtube playlists and I disliked most of it, to my delight (and hers). It was fascinating to listen to.

Here and there among the entries I found points of brilliance, though, in the sense of tracks way outside the boundaries of my usual fare but nonetheless delicious and intriguing. That’s how I found the artist who made this album."

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


See you at 8pm BST (GMT+1)

The Listening Club - 29th July 2019

Howdy-doodly-do, listening chums! @JimMcCauley at your service once more, feeling just the tiniest bit jaded after a barbecue yesterday afternoon that I didn't get away from until after midnight. I'm sure an afternoon of writing about Kickstarter projects will sort me right out, yeah?

Last week found @SimonLandmine on the decks and taking full advantage of Apollo 9 nostalgia with his pick of Public Service Broadcasting's "The Race for Space", which seemed to get everyone moonwalking nicely. So thanks to Simon for the pick and for chucking the zero-G frisbaton at @Holette, who demands your attention this very instant.

"Right Listening Clubbers, get your dancing shoes on because this Sunday, it's disco night. I know some of you are dancing queens, while others on the indie spectrum might not feel the dance floor is your natural habitat. As for those that self identify as Metalers, well you're probably just going to hate it. 

Nevertheless, influenced by watching the recent Studio 54 documentary, I present to you the soundtrack of my New York City night out fantasy sequence. 

I've recently been turned on to Arthur Russell's absorbing experiments in avant garde disco and heart stopping folk songs through a radio interview with entertaining Manchester art pop collective Whyte Horses. Both Whyte Horses and Arthur Russell (and the Wild Combination documentary about him) are well worth seeking out if you like that sort of thing. But ultimately I fancied sharing with you some glistening, high octane electronic music by one of the weirdest acts to appear on Top of the Pops and a genius producer. 

This is the original album but a recent anniversary reissue holds some interesting nuggets for comedy fans which might just gatecrash the afterparty. 

So doors open at 8pm, dress to impress and join me at the Listening Club, where not even celebrities get in for free."

Groovy. Direct download is here, and the HearThis stream is down there.


See you at 8! (BST!)

The Listening Club – 21st July 2019

How do, listening chums! You're stuck with me, @JimMcCauley, for the next couple of sessions while @kleptones is off doing who knows what. Home alone this weekend, so I've been using the time wisely, to wit: playing videogames, fiddling with a lightsynth that I've almost completely forgotten how to operate properly and lost the instructions for, slicing a finger on a tin and getting yelled at by an increasing senile cat. Fun times!

Let's see now, so, last week… yep, last week @wojsvenwoj stepped up and punked us all good and proper with his pick of "Cost of Living" by Providence, Rhode Island's finest, Downtown Boys, which certainly did the trick. So thanks to Woj for the pick and for launching the frisbaton at @simonlandmine, who's just popped up in my inbox with these words:

"One of the challenges of Listening Club is picking an album that is not just fondly remembered for a couple of tracks, but that works reasonably well as a piece. And, at the same time, often one where there is at least some slight variety between the tracks. Picking tonight's album resulted in considerable musing and second-guessing, and quite a lot of listening through contenders - some of which have been removed from the short-list as a result, while others (more, in fact) have been added. This album was a late addition to the field, of which I was reminded while picking one of the other possibles off my shelves.

I was introduced to this by a friend by way of one particular track, and have since picked up the rest of the artists' catalogue. I suspect that quite a few, maybe even all of you, have already heard it, and I know that some have seen the act live and are keen apostles of their work. And despite that, once I'd thought of picking it, it remained at the back of my mind while I listened to some others, and in the end, I had to succumb, having checked the github to be sure that it hadn't been offered up before. For reasons that should become clear, this is a perfect time to listen to this album.

Drinking club? Not until after you've landed safely."

Right you are, then. Direct download's here and the HearThis stream (blah blah spoilers blah blah) is literally just down there.



See you at 8PM! (BST!)

The Listening Club - 14th July 2019

Greetings folks,

Hope you're all fine and well. We're back from the fields after a very enjoyable Rabbit Hole, plenty of fine performances, with Grace Jones, Thom Yorke & Janelle Monae scooping the medals for me. Bonus points to the oddball Dutch music/theatre group that put together three nights of (as far as I could tell) never repeating untimetabled entertainment including pastiche pop-dance groups, piss take rap, improvised kraut rock (possibly a piss take, difficult to tell with that stuff), poetry recitals-with-philip-glass-choral-backing, a guy-making-every-commercial-dance-music-style-ever-with-nothing-but-his-mouth-and-a-loop-pedal and loads more that I wasn't around to see. Still wish there was a festival over here that sold any above average beer - four days of Heineken tests my patience somewhat, but yeah, first world problems, innit. Still a great little fest.

As mentioned previously (I think), I'm away again next Sunday (21st) and the one after (28th), so if anyone feels like stepping up to the plate and helping out, please let me know, thanks!

Last week, @JimMcCauley was king of the hosts, and @ohmyliver was in the selector's chair, delivering "I Have to Feed Larry's Hawk" by Tim Presley's White Fence, which, from the looks of it, bamboozled, delighted and repulsed in quite equal measures (and listening in retrospect, I can see why). Thanks to Olli for the pick, and for listlessly flipping the frisbee across the Atlantic to @wojsvenwoj, who has this to say...

"Like most of you I imagine, I keep a running list of albums I want listen to...and since I keep misplacing those lists or writing them on pieces of paper that have other uses (bills, envelopes for bills, notes for work), I keep making new lists. 

These lists overlap often and this particular band had been on several before I finally got around to listening to their fusion of punk and activism. Had heard enough about them to know what to expect and they delivered as advertised: ferocious vocals urging all to take action over a bed of grooves, guitars, and horns. 

Settled on this album of theirs for a couple of reasons. First, it's only one they've released since the Trump administration came into power so it's rather relevant and pertinent to our times. Their previous two albums echoed the same themes and goals but that event crystallized their focus and sharpened their message. Second, at 34 and a half minutes, it's also their longest!

Fair warning: there is cussing."

Okay. Direct download is here, and the HearThis stream is right under this sentence.


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

The Listening Club – 7th July 2019

Hallo, listening chums! @JimMcCauley checking in, doing the thing while @kleptones and @nessiest are off at Down The Rabbit Hole. Lovely morning here in Bath, so here I am getting this done before heading over to Bristol for lunch with some friends; should be back in plenty of time but you never know.

Last week saw @faberfedor on the decks with Jane's Addiction's first studio album, Nothing's Shocking, which provoked a range of reactions that Perry Farrell would doubtless approve of. So thanks to Faber for the pick, and for flipping the old frisbaton thing at @ohmyliver, who is very much here now to tell you of tonight's festivities.

"This time the pick was easy.  So I’m not going to write a lengthy pub-bore style monologue about it, as is my wont. 

As soon as I listened to this album, I knew it would be my next Listening Club pick. You all might know it already, but you might not, so I'm going to take a chance.  I’d not heard of the person/band behind this before, which probably says much about how out of touch I am. But this album made me a fan. 

It came out earlier this year.  It’s a hazy low fi psych influenced downtempo album.  I was surprised to read that they had no connection to The Super Furry Animals, and are American.  At the risk of sounding like an effete wine critic, I’m getting hints of musical influences like Spacemen 3, The SFA, Syd Barret, and Harvest-era Neil Young, wrapped up in an understated low-fi ennui.

The second track is easily one of my favourite songs of this year, and the album will probably work well in the quiet of the darkening dusk of a summer Sunday evening."

Top-hole. Direct download is here and the HearThis (spoilers etc) stream is just down there.


See you at 8PM! (BST!)

The Listening Club - 30th June 2019

Greetings folks,

Hope you're all doing well and good. Still nicely baking here in Amsterdam, and hoping the dryness holds out past next weekend, when we'll be doing our own tent-in-a-field-with-music-and-booze thang. Speaking of which, looks like Glastobury has been going off quite nicely, even though the headliners this year are not really in alignment with my own tastes, there's still been plenty on the live streams to keep us entertained over the weekend, especially Idles on Friday and Lizzo yesterday, which makes us doubly happy as we're seeing her on Tuesday (in a much smaller venue, natch).

Last week in these here environs, @brainspiritus was in the chair, serving up the very Bronze-friendly sounds of Die Happy's 2002 album "Beautiful Morning", which brought out some strong opinions, to say the least. Big thanks to them for the pick, and for sailing the frisb across to @faberfedor, who has this to say by way of introduction...

"I've got a short list of LC selections so my selection critieria is if it fits the times, season, etc. My first selection would have fit well with the season; it being a hot summer with a holiday coming up, the music might be heard at a block party.  Unfortunately prepping the files proved a bit daunting; I need to do a deep dive to figure out how to change some of the m4v tags, if you know what I mean.

The atmosphere for this album, and where I first heard it... 30 years ago?! is a house party after the sun has gone down, filled with drugs, alcohol, and mainstream and counter-culture people all of which, nowadays, would be considered mainstream. I like the album for the sonic textures, lyric topics and the fact that these guys are probably doofuses IRL.

<ChefJohn> Enjoy! </ChefJohn>"

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


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

The Listening Club - 23rd June 2019

Greetings folks,

Hope you're all doing fine. Feeling better here in Amsterdam, partially as my back is recovering (not a slipped disc as first suspected, which is really good news, but still something I'd rather not have to deal with), and also finally we have some decent weather, and the first festival of the summer to attend, which brought lots of joy, and fine sets from African Headcharge, Joy Orbison and Laraaji amongst many others.

Speaking of ye festivals, providing my body holds together, we'll be away in a couple of weekend's time at Down The Rabbit Hole, so as usual, looking for a volunteer to run things here on Sunday 7th July in my absence, so let me know if you feel like helping out, thanks!

Last week, @akx was in the chair, going widescreen quite literally with his pick of The Cinematic Orchestra's "To Believe", which fared pretty well. Thanks to Aarni for the selection, and for sailing the frisb over to @brainspiritus, who's right here with tonight's intro...

"Happy Sunday from sunny Kiel, where the 125th Kieler Woche sailing regatta/music festival has just kicked off.

It's been a rough couple of weeks at work for me, so I hope you will indulge me in a trip to the past while I ignore the uncertainties of the future. Tonight's mystery album is a 2002 release by a band that was a bit of a two-hit wonder here in Germany around that time (even though they continue to release and tour to this day).

At that time, I had just about started university, and had the kind of priorities that people in that situation might have, i.e. finding approval and, I admit, lust, in other people's eyes may have been important to me in other ways than it is now. Alas, my salad days were not without their share of slugs (whose ever were?), and this is where this album fits in nicely, with its sense of juvenile righteousness that becomes so infuriatingly incomprehensible to people of a more sedate age.

It was also an interesting time technologically, because no longer was there the fine motor control and short-term memory needed for dialling a number from a phonebook on a rotary dial telephone, and smartphones that would need very carefully enunciated voice commands were still a thing of the far future, so it was far too easy to make drunken phone calls after listening to this album one too many times.

#drinkingclub: red wine, cheap, with the last sip reserved for blotting out that phone number on that cocktail napkin. Do not drink the lighter fluid you're using to burn those photos. And don't make that phone call.

As for my usual suspicions: I think it's fair to say there will be no surprise metal guitars in this one."

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


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

The Listening Club - 16th June 2019

Greetings folks,

Hope you're all doing fine, at least finer than me, as I'm currently horizontally confined to the sofa dealing with a slipped disc. Ouch and a half, and hoping I can recuperate in time for some festival visits in the near future... feel free to wish me well!

Last week chez #LC it was myself, getting all folky on your collective bods with a pick of Norma Waterson & Eliza Carthy's "Anchor", which went down very well indeed, I'm happy to report. Following that, the frisb was sailed across to @akx, who took time out from his busy schedule to send across this for tonight...

"As mentioned last Sunday, if you were keeping track, I'm submitting this one in absentia, since I'll be off to exotic Lahti (also called the Chicago of Finland, and not in a good way) for the weekend as one of the organizers of Desucon, arguably the finest convention on anime and Japanese culture in Finland... anyway, to the point!

This was one of those albums I knew was gonna be great the moment I heard the first single release off it (track #2), and the moment I got my paws on the full album, I knew it belonged on the #listeningclub shortlist. As such, you may have heard (some of) it already, and at the very least I wouldn't be surprised if you'd heard one of the ensemble's earlier albums. (They're all damn good.)

Oh, and this is one of those guest-vocalist sort of albums, so don't get too attached to one voice.

Anyway -- looking forward to what you think!

(As for #drinkingclub, I suggest a good wine or an elegant cocktail or several. A good whisk(e)y or bourbon wouldn't go amiss either, but maybe do skip the cheap lager for this if you can.)"

Okaydoke. Direct download is here, and the ol' Hear This stream is below:


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

The Listening Club - 9th June 2019

Greetings folks,

Hope all is good in your hood. It's been rather stormy here in Amsterdam (see here, just round the corner of our abode), which is quite a surprise, sad for many festivals and events that have been cancelled or drastically reduced as a result. Hopefully the "proper" Summer will start soon... Fortunately we're still buzzing from a truly astronomical weekend of Stockhausen-insanity (see here for some pics, although that doessn't show the insane 24 channel surround sound system or the all-round enormo-scale of the staging), topped off with a dronetastic Thurston Moore show on Monday. Seriously one of the most amazing weekends of sound and vision I've had in a good while.

Whilst we were in the midst of all that, @nessiest's pick of Kikagaku Moyo's "House In The Tall Grass" was psyching out the assembled chez #LC. Thanks to Ness for the pick, and for keeping the frisb on the sofa by flipping it across to me, so...

"No, it's not Stockhausen. Tempting though it would have been to do all 25 hours of Licht, and it's not 17 hours of Radiohead outtakes either, tempting though that would have been too...

Nope, I'm feeling in a gentle mood, so playing a bit against type, here's an album from last year, by a 79 year old English lady, accompanied in places by her daughter and her husband, and featuring works by Kurt Weill and Rudyard Kipling amongst others that you will surely recognise. It's definitely an album with a twinkle in its eye. Hope you enjoy."

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


See you at 8pm BST (GMT+1)

The Listening Club - 2nd June 2019

Greetings folks,

Hope all is well and good with you. Tapping this out a couple of days early as we have a bumper weekend of weird ahead of us in the shape of a huge chunk of Stockhausen's "Licht" opera cycle, which is being performed just up the road from here in the Westergasfabriek over the next three days, and, well... it would be rude not to, wouldn't it? (if you want a taste of what it might be like, click here). And then for dessert, Thurston Moore & Group are here on Monday. So best get on with it whilst I still can, eh?

Last week, chez #LC and also chez here, @emmaprice rocked up and out with Pins' "Wild Nights", which got the toes of the assembled tapping quite happily. Thanks to Emma for the pick, the visit, and for sailing the frisb across to the other side of the sofa, where @nessiest was sitting. The very same @nessiest who has this to say by way of introduction to tonight's pick...

"The 2019 festival season is starting, with any luck it will bring some musical discoveries, surprises of the good kind. We could use more of those, right? 

In the next couple of months an artist is going to play the opening beats of what is about to become your favourite earworm to you. If you get out there and see them, that is. Festivals are a salad bowl of sounds and the best place to be delighted by live music that’s new to you. 

Tonight’s album is from a highlight of 2018’s festival funs. They’ve since become regulars on my personal playlist. Their albums come close to their live work. Some of you will already know them, hope you don’t mind the re-listen. If they’re new to you but not your cup of tea, hopefully you’ll discover your own new faves at a festival this summer. If they’re new to you and you love them, I still hope you’ll also discover your own new faves at a festival this summer."

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


Assemble at 8pm tonight!