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!