The Listening Club - 27th December 2020

Greetings folks,

Hope you have managed some sort of (possibly restriction-limited) festivity wherever you are. Herein behold the last #listeningclub post of 2020, which I hope to look back on in my twilight years as the turning point towards new, fairer, safer and happier days. Mind you, hope didn't get us very far this year, so I'm off outside for a quick round of applause to make sure...

...right, now I've done my bit for humanity, last week @ohmyliver was in the chair, getting his stocking on the good foot with his pick of James Brown's "Funky Christmas", which definitely fulfilled, nay, exceeded expectations on both fronts. Thanks to Oli for the pick, and for sailing the frisb over to @zbendr, who has an extra week to consider their choice, as...

...yeah, it's that time again folks. The 2020 #festivevortex. 29 tracks from the widest corners of the bubbleworld, lovingly wedged together by yours truly. Enourmo-thanks to everyone that chipped in tunes, sorry if I ruined any of them.

Download's here, and the stream is below:

See you at 8pm GMT, bring booze, lots of it, and Class A's if you got 'em. Might as well.

The Listening Club - 20th December 2020

Greetings and Ho Ho Hum to you all.

Well, 2020 keeps it up to the very end, doesn't it? As new strains lock down big chunks of the UK even further (including the one my mum lives in, sadly), borders get shut down again, and Dutch numbers keep rising, I'm at a loss to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Still, at least I managed to get my shit together to resurrect #LockdownRadio, hopefully there will be a few more of these over the festive period and beyond...

Thanks to everyone who chipped in a vote to decide, pretty overwhelmingly, that the #FestiveVortex will be next Sunday 27th December, so please send me a couple of your favourite tunes of 2020 each as soon as you can, and we shall celebrate our collective tastes in fine style next Sunday.

Last Sunday chez #LC, it was me, @kleptones, in the chair, treating you all to Gil Scott-Heron's "We're New Again - A Re-Imagining by Makaya McCraven", which seemed to go down very well indeed. All that remained was to disinfect the frisb and sail it across to South London, where @ohmyliver is waiting with tonight's intro...

"Ahh, the Listening Club pick.   So close to Christmas, it has to be a Christmas album. 

But which one.   As soon as I got the pick, I knew which album.   Got everything ready that evening. 

But then, doubt crept in, like a lazy metaphor into an ill-thought out bit of writing. Should I go for that one?  Should I go for the Beach Boys’ Christmas album?  I mean ‘Little Saint Nick’ is a banger as the young folk might say.   What about the Motown stable’s only slightly saccharine Christmas Albums?  What about Atlantic’s ‘68 Christmas record, I mean ‘Backdoor Santa is a great gritty funk track, and only raises eyebrows slightly when it’s snuck on Spotify Office Christmas playlists? 

I even did a poll on that Twitter. 

I was going to pick Natty Christmas by Jacob Miller.   A fantastic late ‘70s Roots Reggae album reworking a number of well known Christmas songs into something more ital.  An in parts dubwise selection of tracks, replete with exhortations to be gifted not your standard Christmas dinner herbs. It’s got a lot of charm, and if you like roots reggae you’ll not be disappointed.

I was going to pick Phil Spector’s A Christmas Gift For You.   The man’s a murderous shit.  Having said that, this is THE Christmas Record, in no small part down to the skill of Darleen Love, The Ronnettes, and co.  The best Christmas album ever made so far.  Amazing pop renditions of the Christmas songs everyone knows with a sort of otherworldly Mall sheen to them.  An idealised Christmas seen on a glossy TV screen.  A framework to hang your own memories of Christmas, both good and bad, onto.  The album which takes me back to being a kid, and my father playing it.  The album that I sing along with my daughter.. 

But in the end, I went with this.   It’s a compilation of tracks from 3 Christmas albums by this artist. You’ll know who it is within the first minute of playback. It’s not as pop, it’s more angry than other Christmas songs.   But this is what we need. America might well be facing a fascist coup, and Britain is slipping into a sort of petty, venal, dystopia thought up over a boozy afternoon by Alan Moore, Charlie Brooker and Chris Morris.   A more ‘we aint going to forget, you f*ckers’ Christmas mood. "

Okaydoke. Download's here, and the stream's below:

See you 8pm GMT, and here's wishing you all a safe and peaceful holiday season - see you in the vortex!

The Listening Club - 13th December 2020

Greetings folks,

Hope you & yours are doing okay. Grey and wet as per usual in Amsterdam, with the infection numbers spiking up again following last week's Sinterklaas celebration (who'd have thought it, eh?). People really don't seem to care much any more about staying locked down, I guess they're all going "hey, we got a vaccine coming, it doesn't matter any more", but that really doesn't help everyone that's going to get sick in the meantime. Kinda weird that the more normal and regular folks insist on carrying on like nothings wrong, refusing to make even the smallest changes to their regular habits, whereas folks that live (or have lived) more on the cultural and societal edges understand the signs better and know instincivly when it's time to hunker down and wait it out. Or that's how it seems from here anyway... 

Worth noting that we're coming up to the end of the year, which, of course means #festivevortex - looking at the calendar, we could do it on the 27th December, or if too many folks are busy, we can leave it until after the new year (3rd January) - I'll stick a poll up on twitter tonight to see, but either way, as usual, I need a couple of your favourite new tunes released during 2020, if you have 'em, to blend into a fine vortex mix, so get thinking, and mail 'em in!

Last Sunday in #LC-Land, @faberfedor was in the chair, sending us back to more halcyon days with his pick of Genesis' "A Trick Of The Tail", which charmed and baffled the assembled in equal measures, as would probably be expected. Thanks to Sir Faber for the pick, and for sailing the frisb back over here to Me, @kleptones, so...

"Not much I can say about this album that won't give it away (although if you know the artist you'll recognise their voice immediately). It's definitely a "me" kind of record, as it's a re-interpretation of an existing work of one of my all-time favourites, someone who really understood what was going on around them, socially and politically, and suffered both the euphoric joys and mental anguish that such knowledge and awareness can bring. Having said that, this is a far more personal piece than some of their more well-known stuff, but no less powerful for it.

Taking on even a small slice of this artist's legacy is a tall order, but the musicians involved have done a beautiful job, and to anyone hearing this person for the first time and enjoying it, I'd suggest digging into their large and varied back catalogue. There's a lot of awesome music & words there, and this is a fine addition to their legacy.

(Oh, and it's another short one, only 37 minutes - wish it was longer!)

Hope you enjoy."

Download's here, and the stream's below:

See you at 8pm GMT.

The Listening Club - 6th December 2020

Greetings folks,

Hope you're all doing fine and keeping safe. Everything's twinkly in Amsterdam, as the Dutch festive season gathers momentum (it is huge, starting with the arrival of Sinterklaas on the dutch shores in Mid-November, then a couple of weeks of small present giving, hitting its first peak yesterday with Saint Nicholas Day, and after that you have the more globally-familiar Xmas in a couple of weeks - kids have got it made here!). It's a bit overkill, but all the windows festooned with (tasteful, natch) lights along the streets and canals are indeed very pretty, and everyone's in a good mood, even if social distancing seems to have gone out the window (our infection numbers are going back up, grr). Swings & roundabouts, as usual.

Last Sunday chez #LC, @wojsvenwoj was in the chair, throwing down some rave goth pop sensibilities with his pick of Night Club's "Die Die Lullabye", which got the assembled doing the bat shuffle quite successfully. Thanks to Woj for the pick, and for sailing the frisb across to @faberfedor, who's here with tonight's intro...

"I'm not even going to try to be coy about this artist. You know them. You love them. At least in their first incarnation. In their final incarnation, *JonStewart* eh...maybe not so much.*JonStewart*

This is one of my favorite albums, although I haven't listened to it in years. I understand it did well on the other side of the pond but I honestly don't know anyone on this side who is aware of it. Although it is quite similar to previous albums with their lush instrumentation and inventive lyrical ideas, (and the decidely British sensiblities) this particular one seems...brighter? Pop-ier? 

A month or so ago I asked Google Home to play it and have done so several times since. I always end up walking around with all manner of ear worms for the next week or two. I hope it does the same for you."

Okaydoke. Download's here, and stream's below:

See you 8pm GMT.

The Listening Club - 29th November 2020

Greetings folks,

Hope you're all doing well and keeping safe. Nearly advent calendar time already? Blimey. Must say, the last couple of weeks seem to have sailed by rather peacefully - it's amazing how much quieter things are without a certain orange blowhard upsetting the applecart on a daily basis (notwithstanding the occasional Giuliani Comedy Moment). Also, full disclosure, now having the T-word filtered out on social media also really makes a difference, my mental health highly recommends it...

Last Sunday in the land of #LC, @brainspiritus was in the chair, getting bluesy with their pick of Larry Garner's 2008 album "Here Today, Gone Tomorrow", which got everyone honking along in a fine way. Thanks to them for the pick, and for saling the frisb across the sea to @wojsvenwoj who's here with tonight's intro...

"If I remember correctly, I had one of the first - if not the first - pick after the 2016 Presidential election. My selection that Sunday was fueled by pretty much one emotion, anger about what my country had just done. 

Four years later, this election and its afters have at least superficially remedied that error and I find myself feeling a wider range of emotions: concern, trepidation, disgust, elation, relief, hope (yes, a little), and so forth. Thinking it would be a nice symmetry, I wanted this week's pick to be an album that captured that complex mixture so I queued up several records that, for me, have great emotional depth and poignancy. After careful consideration and listening to each of them, none of them seemed quite right for the moment.

So, I spun that compass around 180 degrees and here's something from the other end of the spectrum. It's a catchy, infectious, industrial-strength (and industrial-esque) chunk of saccharin that I unabashedly love. It ain't high art but it is fun, if dark. And if you don't like it, it's only 32 minutes long!"

Okaydoke. Download's here, stream's below:

See you at 8pm GMT.

The Listening Club - 22nd November 2020

Greetings folks,

Hope you're all keeping well. Another predictable week of political bickering and a rampant pandemic. Connected? Surely not... Still, the first signs of a vaccination plan have emerged here in the Netherlands, although it seems unlikely that plan will reach us until probably the middle-end of next year, but that's pretty understandable, there are millions more needy than us to deal with first... so we stay hunkered down, take care of the nearest and dearest, eat and drink good, and keep the music playing....

Last Sunday @NeilPBardhan was in the chair, high fiving everyone aurally with his pick of Fang Island's self titled album from 2010, which intrigued the assembled for sure. Thanks to Neil for the pick, and for sailing the frisb over to @brainspiritus, who, having discarded a realm of possibilities, has this to say by way of introduction...

"Good Sunday local-time-of-day, ListeningClub Friends!

This week, I bring you an unusual choice. Usually, picking week for me involves fretting to conjure up a shortlist and then boiling it down to hopefully one entry and wondering what y'all will make of it. (And I know I've had my share of hits and misses, and usually there's a cryptic twitter poll to gauge y'all's interest. And no matter what, the more confident I feel about my pick, the more lukewarm the response is.)

This time, not so much. This wasn't even really on the shortlist until Thursday morning, when @faberfedor, @simonlandmine and @eastvanhalen convinced me that this is probably what the people want. (Also, one of the many fine artists I've been introduced to by way of BU4B, so if this is your wheelhouse, see if you want to support a small mom-and-pop internet radio station?)

No surprise metal guitars tonight

(but then, I _would_ say that, wouldn't I? :-D)

#DrinkingClub is probably cheap bourbon (but no Coke, whatever you do, you do not want that Coke). #EatingClub could involve beans and rice and seafood."

Okaydoke. Download est ici, et la stream du jour est below:

See you 8pm GMT.

The Listening Club - 15th November 2020

Hey folks,

Well, for a change it's been a predictable week, sadly that means unprecidented levels of political bickering whilst thousands of people unnecessarily get sick and die. Oh 2020, you really are such a card...

Meanwhile in the oasis of sanity that is #LC, last week @Saucer was in the chair, dealing forth a most unusual selection in the form of the original 1961 stage cast recording of the South African "Jazz Opera", "King Kong", which entertained and bamboozled the assembled in equal measures. Thanks to Saucer for the excellent pick, and for sailing the frisb over to @NeilPBardhan, who's here with tonight's intro...

"Near as I can figure out now, I must have first come across this band in early 2010 through a now-defunct music site a friend was working on. Their name popped up again a few months later when I was figuring out my summer concert plans... and then again, a few thousand miles later in my early fall concert plans. After that second show, I introduced myself to them by saying "I've seen you on two continents in the past 6 weeks." They invited me to have a beer with them afterwards, but broke and in a strange logistical limbo, I had to decline. I'll always regret not sticking around for that beer.

Their tracks are full of melodic fuzz, joy, countless layers, and wonky angles. I don't know how I dance to it, only that I do. What lyrics I recognize are sparse and encouraging. These songs feel like church to me in the best way: redemption and catharsis. 

I've never found another band that sounds like this, and I'm not sure I want to." 

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

See you at 8pm GMT.

The Listening Club - 8th November 2020

Greetings,

Well, thank fuck for that, eh? Not that it's going to automatically set the world right, but the lack of toxicity in the air is already noticable, and that really does help. Also can't remember the last time there was actually some good global news to celebrate, so congratulations Joe, and good luck...

Last Sunday chez #LC, @akx was in the chair, getting the assembled bouncing in their seats with his pick of Selo I Ludy's "Bunch One". Many thanks to Aarni for the pick, and for sailing the frisb over to @saucer, who's here with tonight's intro...

"Good news for me in the LC-pick-stress department: being on political tenterhooks left me with zero fucks available for stressing about a pick.

However, yesterday, just before I clicked send on my (high energy, in your face) pick, the networks and newspapers declared Joe Biden winner in Pennsylvania.

And just like that my pick was no longer au courant, apropos, or sane. I love that.

So let's have a go with something else...

I suppose that in the context of 8th November 2020 this album could be an allegory within an allegory. I suppose you're still, like me, a few inches off the ground with seratonin and whatever hormones our bodies give us when we feel a glimmer of hope after years of (and amid continuing) dread. So I offer this little gem as a 30-minute soundtrack to help us savor this crazy beautiful moment in history.

If we were all together, masked up de rigueur, this is what I'd put on the turntable.

Pro tips: The first two tracks are lower volume than the others. Second, this album has a bit of a surprise ending. When it comes, picture a hateful orange being in all-white golf gear riding along smarmily in a cart that suddenly hits a divot, flipping the cart and throwing the golfer out onto his orange face, like so.

Drinking club: something you've been holding onto for the right time."

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

See you 8pm GMT.

The Listening Club - 1st November 2020

Greeting folks,

Pinch and a punch and all that. And happy spooky time too, if that's your bag. Meanwhile it's all eyes on the US, and crossing fingers firmly that President Snake Oil doesn't convince enough morons to put their X in his "I'm a narcissistic racist" box. Things and plans the world-over are going to be very different if he does, that's for sure, so chalk out your pentagrams, sharpen your broomsticks, fire up your cauldrons and let's help banish this orange fuck for once and for all.

Last week, chez #LC, @samquitter was in the chair, reaching back for the Sound Of '79 in the shape of Gary Numan's "The Pleasure Principle", which brought forth reminiscing and bopping in equal measures. Thanks to Sam for the pick, and for sailing the frisb over to @akx, who's got this to say by way of introduction to tonight's selection...

"Hey,

It's been a long week looking for and at houses, and carrying boxes

and bags from place A to place B (and curiously enough, these two

things are unrelated).

So, instead of a spooky scary pick you might expect (from me?!) around this time of the year, here's something entirely different and rather non-serious that actually came up as a Spotify Weekly Pick during a drive, and it had both us listeners laughing out loud and going "what the hell?!". We need some of that, don't we?

#drinkingclub: whatever you think goes down well with half an hour of slavic covers.

Hugs from the dark north,

Aarni"

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

See you at 8pm GMT.

The Listening Club - 25th October 2020

Greetings folks,

Hope you're all doing okay. Still looking for the light at the end of the tunnel here in Amsterdam, but it seems quite a way off - infection numbers are still rising and the govt really seem to be fumbling it terribly. Meanwhile I (and probably most of you) remain glued to what's happening in the US, and hoping that enough folks over there see sense and don't inflict four more years of orange-faced hell on us all... 

Last week in the #LC sanctuary, @unmannedfuture was in the chair, getting all slanted and enchanting the assembled with her pick of Pavement's "Brighten The Corners". Thanks extended for the selection, and for sailing the frisb over to @samquitter who's here with tonight's intro...

"It's another trip down memory lane for me this week - this is an album I was given a vinyl copy of on my 9th birthday and the artist was my absolute number one poster-on-the-wall musical hero at the time. He seemed mysterious, glamorous and futuristic to my young self and perhaps tied in with my sci-fi obsession a little. 

Then when I became a teenager I felt embarrassed about having been a fan, being by now a very mature person with very serious musical taste and generally way too cool for this sort of thing. It didn't help that the artist was clearly a bit of a plonker (actually a lot of a plonker) and - even worse - a proud Tory. 

I had not heard the album (with the obvious exception of the hit track) for almost 40 years when I noticed this summer that my son (who is now 15 and literally down with the kids) had been listening to it on my Spotify account. (This is also how I discover new music these days.) I gave it a spin and was pleasantly surprised, finding some of the music and instrumentation to be both pleasing and amusing. At the traditional and merciful album length of just over 40 minutes it just felt rude not to pick it. Hope you enjoy!"

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

See you 8pm GMT - REMEMBER THE CLOCKS HAVE GONE BACK!!!

The Listening Club - 18th October 2020

Greetings,

Hope you're all doing okay. Yep, it's week whatever in the shitty virus house and everyone is slowly losing their marbles one by one. Numbers keep going up, governments ability to deal with it without destroying the now-painfully-obvious-if-it-wasn't-already-economic-house-of-cards-they've-built-around-us becoming more apparent week by week, the American election is still not over, and yeah, it's still raining. Really starting to wish that I was twently-odd years younger, then I could gleefully zone out on a crapton of quality drugs and wait for this to be over. That said, I have to admit there could well have been a previous global pandemic during my mid-twenties and I probably would have been completely oblivious to it, but anyway, enough about me...

Last week chez #LC, @simonlandmine was in the chair, dealing out Jim Bob's "Pop Up Jim Bob", which charmed most of the assembled it seems. Thanks to Simon for the pick, and for sailing the frisb long distance to @unmannedfuture, who's here with tonight's intro...

"Whenever I go to buy a CD by this band at the cool kids 2nd hand record place, whoever is on the cash desk will always strike up a conversation about them. This is the favourite (rightly so, methinks).  I really disliked it the first time I heard it, but after a few go-rounds each tune got a serious hook into my head. When the CD makes it off the floor of my car and into the player, it usually stays there for a couple of weeks and passengers are inevitably beaten into submission. "

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

See you at 8pm BST (GMT+1) - Clocks go back next week, you have been warned!

The Listening Club - 11th October 2020

Greetings folks,

Hope you're all doing okay and keeping safe. What's to say? Here, the weather's getting shitter and infection numbers are still going up (second highest in Europe atm, sigh), elsewhere there's a no-deal Brexit looming bigger every week and over the pond, the orange lunatic gets worse by the day. At least we have a good soundtrack. Yes, it has been one of those weeks, how could you tell?

Last Sunday on the #LC oasis, @xpollen8 was in the chair, condensing the works of Judee Sill into a sweet half hour that did a fine job in calming and beguiling the assembled. Many thanks to him for the pick, and for richocheting the frisbee across to London, where @simonlandmine looks at it, smiles and writes the following...

"This is an artist whose voice some of you may recognise. Those who recognise the voice will probably do so almost immediately, and will also probably recognise the approach to writing lyrics, which came to the fore in the band they were previously associated with. After that act broke up for the last time, they continued along the furrow that they used to plough.

I saw them live in that former identity quite a few times, and have also seen them live in this newer incarnation a couple of times, both with a full band and as a solo performer.

I would say that this album is short but sweet but, frankly, sweetness is more a trait of their melodies than their lyrics, which have always tended more towards the sharp.

Drinking club: Why are you asking me? It's not like I drink at all often. With the previous band maybe a tin of Red Stripe nicked from the rider, some Johnnie Walker, or even some Galloway's Sore Throat Expectorant, although these days I suspect a bottle of red is more the style."

Right then. Direct download is here, stream's below:

See you 8pm BST (GMT+1)

The Listening Club - 4th October 2020

Greetings folks,

Hope you're all doing okay. Seems like 2020 is the year that just keeps on weirding, eh? Here's hoping it doesn't end up in a catastrophic season finale... :-/

Last Sunday, @holette was in the chair, smoothing our souls with her pick of Michael Kiwanuka's "Kiwanuka", which got the assembled grooving and discussing production techniques. Thanks to Sarah for the pick, and for sailing the frisb across to @xpollen8 who's right here with tonight's intro...

"This is not an album.

This is a short celebratory retrospective of an artist's short career.

After a difficult adolescence, she was the first artist signed to Geffen's Asylum label, and being kicked off of that label led to her re-descent into the drugs that she had been battling.

She died when I was just a kid.

I've put this set together from her only two releases and some captured performances.

I only recently came to know of her, and... she's made an impression.

Track 4 is among the most perfect songs I've ever heard."

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

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

The Listening Club - 27th September 2020

Greetings folks,

Hope you're all doing OK and keeping safe. Autumn has hit Amsterdam as expected, and the outlook is grotty, however last night trudging through the rain was a pleasure,  as we were off to see a friend DJ at a local (socially distant and covid compliant, natch) cafe, which was a ton of fun, and a much needed excursion, it's been a while...

Last week chez #LC, @eastvanhalen was in the chair, rocking out with Run The Jewels "RTJ4", which got the assembled bouncing in the way that only RTJ can. Thanks to Steph for the pick, and for sailing the frisbaton across the ocean to west Wales, where @holette has this to say by way of introduction to tonight's selection...

"This probably won’t be a mystery album to many of you. But in another anxiety inducing week in the business of holiday accommodation, I felt like turning to something familiar I’ve been enjoying for quite a while. The album brings back happy memories to me of listening to it in January on a sweaty, crowded train crawling across dusty Cambodia, watching exotic birds fly up from the paddy fields. What a different world that feels now.

I like the songwriting, pensive vocals and fuzzy guitars but it’s the musical fairy dust the production casts that make the songs really sparkle for me. 

Drinking club recommendation is a full bodied red, in the absence of any killer strength Cambodian Klang beer."

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

See you 8pm BST (GMT+1 while stocks last).

The Listening Club - 20th September 2020

Greetings folks,

Hope you're all doing okay. Looks like this is going to be the last sunny weekend of the summer here in Amsterdam, so I'm tapping this out early so we can get off out to enjoy it while we still can...

Last Sunday @ohmyliver was in the chair, bamboozling the assembled with his choice of "a selection of tracks from The Adventure Time Soundtrack volumes 1 to 5", which triggered quite the full spectrum of responses, which is a very impressive achievement round these parts. Many thanks to Oli for the pick, and for sailing the frisb across sea and land to @EastVanHalen, who's right here with tonight's intro...

"Remember way back in the other timeline when there were record stores and release days, and you’d show up when the shop opened to get the album you’d been waiting for for months? You don’t? Ok, the olds will at least...

This was like that. I waited on it for months, and when it dropped early in the depths of lockdown I stopped everything I was doing to download and listen to it.

Short, sharp, righteous: here’s the latest from my favourite artists of the last decade."

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

See you at 8pm BST (GMT+1)

The Listening Club - 13th September 2020

Greetings folks,

Hope you're all doing okay. Enjoying a short burst of late summer warmth here in Amsterdam, which is very enjoyable indeed after a few grey weeks, even if the city is still battling with increasing covid numbers, but at least that means finding new quieter spots to wander to, even further away from the tourist hustle of the centre than usual...

Last Sunday it was wor @nessiest in the chair, hitting the 2020 mood squarely between the eyes with her pick of Billy Nomates' eponymous debut album, which seemed to go down very well indeed. Thanks to Ness for the pick, and for sailing the frisb over to that London, where @ohmyliver is waiting with tonight's intro...

"I’ve been toying with this being my next pick for the last couple of weeks.  Knocked off course somewhat by Simeon Coxe of The Silver Apples dying, a band who turned a falling out with their guitarist into an innovative exploration of synths, and balearic beats a couple of decades ahead of its time, and of course the mighty mighty Toots, of Toots of the Maytels succumbing to covid.  2020: it’s the year that keeps on giving. 

Anyhoo.  On with the show. 

You want a Shimmy Disc style underground-absurdist concept album? A wigged out, yet wholesome exploration of growing up, belonging, loss, friendship and other similar themes, with hints of a quasi-mystical philosophy that makes complete sense at 4am on a very heavy night?  Listen no further. 

There are lots of short tracks.  Lots under a minute.   Think of it as a Nouvelle Cuisine style selection of tiny, but catchy, pop dishes. tasty hints of a range of influences.  Boom-bap rap, squarepusher mentalism, spacey proggy synths, 70s MOR pop, country, 8 bit computer game music, grunge, fey indie pop, doo-wap, autotune-pop, 80s funk, shouty rock diva etc, there’s hopefully something for a range of tastes.  But if a track sticks in the throat, remember you’ll hear something different in a few seconds. But there will hopefully be moments which will make you go Ooo. 

Ok, I’m struggling with the food metaphors here. Bit off more than I could chew with that one. I’m sure it’s not going to be to everyone’s tastes, but this has been one of my favourite musical discoveries of the last 5 years.

Drinkingclub?  Well, whatever you want. I’d advise some sort of altered state though.  Lack of sleep, a not your regular brand hand rolled cigarette, the bottom end of a bottle of mezcal, a one-too-many beer,  that sort of thing. "

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

See you at 8pm BST (GMT+1)

The Listening Club - 6th September 2020

Greetings folks,

Hope all is going OK. Same old same old here in Amsterdam, as the weather chills and the city decides its not possible to reopen clubs and venues yet, which is sadly justified, but still causing more than a little annoyance as you'd expect.... 

Last week chez #LC, @emmaprice was in the chair, hitting the assembled with the barnstorming sounds of Leftfield's classic debut album "Leftism", which brought grooving and rem'niscing in equal measures. Thanks to Emma for the pick, and for sailing the frisb back over here to Amsterdam, where @nessiest is waiting with this to say by way of introduction to tonight's pick...

"Today I had the common LC dilemma of vacillating between comforting familiar pleasure and something new and interesting but maybe not quite as comfortable.

I've not listened all the way through this, as I wanted to finish my first listen with you lovely lot. Please make yourselves comfortable because I didn't go for it. 

We should all be in a black-walled slightly dingy venue just to the right of the sound desk, about 20 metres from the front of the stage, listening to whatever's playing on the PA because there is no opening act. I've tucked my earplugs into my bra, just in case.

Drinking club suggestion: icy-cold pilsner in a scratched plastic grolsch glass."

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

See you 8pm BST (GMT+1)

The Listening Club - 30th August 2020

Greetings folks,

Hope you're all doing okay. Summer seems to have ended prematurely here in Amsterdam, as we go from mega-boiling to thinking-about-putting-the-heating-on in the space of a week. Bit of a shame, a little time inbetween the two temperature settings would have been nice...

Last week in #LC land, @JimMcCauley got his new pooter up and running, and dosed us all with UNKLE's second album "Never Never Land", which seemed to go down very well indeed. Thanks to Jim for the pick and for sailing the frisb over to @emmaprice, who's here with tonight's intro...

"Evening all, Its been a while. As the trash fire that is 2020 continues to evolve and find new ways to shock and awe us, I've been finding comfort in the familiar. For me music has been one of the few saving graces of the year. From fine sessions from our host, @jimmccauley & @simonlandmine to listening parties such as Tim's Twitter Listening party the communal experience of listening to music has been really important (particularly in early lockdown) to take the edge off processing the new normality.

It was at one of these listening parties I heard this album again for the first time in many a year. It definitely brought me some pure joy as I sat gently riding the anxiety train.

It's the bank holiday weekend and we should all be in a field somewhere dancing and watching the sun go down, beverages in hand. So please join me as I have a bit of a dance round the living room to compensate. Drinking club is whatever you drank in the kitchen at a 90's house party."

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

See you at 8pm BST/EST (GMT+1)

The Listening Club - 23rd August 2020

 Greetings,

Hope you're all doing okay. Heatwave is over here in Amsterdam, so we're back to the regular summer selection of sunny patches and showers, which is okay, I guess. Seems like we've reached the streaming festival highpoint of the summer, as Lowlands, Green Man, Fuji Rock and many others are filling up the net with stuff - here, we have been enjoying We Out Here's stuff especially, a fine selection of bopping tunes. So there's that.

Last week chez #LC, found me @kleptones unexpectedly dropped into the chair as @JimMcCauley battled computer problems, so everyone got a dose of sunny-day 90s electronico in the shape of Ultramarine's "Every Man And Woman Is A Star", which went down pretty well, I think. Looks like Jim is back in action again now, which is good news, so over to him for tonight's intro...

"The 2003 August bank holiday was a weird one for me; the tipping point of a lost weekend of a year that was a lot of fun but that all got a bit too much. It began on the Friday evening when a friend showed up with this, a leaked copy of an upcoming second album; after that it’s all something of a blur.

I remember the threatening skies on the Monday afternoon, the feeling that something wasn’t right and the unshakeable notion that a new year had just started. Things got dark for quite a while after that, and this album fitted my state of mind perfectly.

If you already know this album then you’ll find it slightly different thanks to a presumably uncleared sample that must have been pulled at the very last minute. And there’s a little audio glitch in there at one point that must have been some form of rudimentary digital fingerprinting; fat lot of good that did. I bought the album proper when it came out, but I still come back to this version.

Enjoy!"

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

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

 

The Listening Club - 16th August 2020

Greetings folks,

Hope you're all doing okay. Heat is finally breaking a bit in Amsterdam, after what is now "officially" the hottest week here on record ever.. Very glad it's finally dipping a bit, as its been the first week that working from home has become a real pain in the (sweaty) ass, and I've actually been pining for a lovely cool air-conditioned office. Still, right now we're keeping a very close eye on the rain radar, as storms keep passing either side of us and we could really do with some rain to dance around in. Hopefully tonight...

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Last week chez #LC, @zbendr was in the chair, dosing us with Bob Mould's 2014 waxing "Beauty And Ruin", which rocked out the assembled most successfully. Thanks to Ben for the pick, and for sailing the frisb across to @JimMcCauley...

...who sadly is stuck with computer-says-no issues. So, you'll have to wait until next week for Jim's selection; in the meanwhilst, it ME...

"After many years of not having a "Listening Club possibilities" list (well, a list with more than one album in it), I finally started keeping one this year, as I kept remembering albums I love that really deserve to be included. This, then, is one of those.

Also as quite a few folks have been on a 90s tip lately, this fits right in there. The early 90s for me was a time of bountious music discovery, all-night and often all-weekend partying, and, ahem, everything that goes with it. The final chapter of one of those party sessions would inevitably be the "all back to mine" part, and, if the "mine" in question happened to be my actual abode, once the mood had mellowed sufficiently, this was one of the albums that was regularly reached for. Hence this is a record imbued with many good personal memories... 

So much so at the time, that I trekked a good few hundred miles in the Summer of 1992 to see this artist play a free open air festival in Cambridge, not knowing what to expect. After a languid afternoon of rather hit and miss entertainment, the sun started to dip in the skies, the evening's refreshments began to take hold, a small gang of folks started setting up a stack of technology on stage, and as soon as I spotted an accordion in the midst of the tech, I knew it was going to be worthwhile. And it was.

Anyway, enough of the waxing lyrical. This is definitely an album for balmy Summer days. Hope it proves complementary to yours, whatever the weather."

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

See you at 8pm BST/EST (GMT+1)

The Listening Club - 9th August 2020

 ... in which things go from not quite warm enough to ouch blimey okay then. Yep, Amsterdam has hit the scorchio bit of the Summer, with over a week of 30+ degrees to keep us, well, tucked up inside with an electric fan and an ice lolly (ok then, an ice cold beer). And also a handy cooling mat for my feets, borrowed from a certain nonplussed feline. I've never missed a cooling festival tent (and accompanying  soundtrack) more in my life, sad to say... le sigh.

Last week, @AngelaKlaus was in the chair, serving up a soulful side of the 90s with her pick of "Wild Seed - Wild Flower" by Dionne Farris which got the assembled bobbing their heads and rem'niscin', as you do. Thanks to Angela for the pick, and for sailing the frisb way over to @zbendr, who has this to say by way of introduction to tonight's pick...

"Please, Amigas y Amigos, be careful with your audio levels at the beginning, and as things progress.

I blurb, you blurb, we all blurb for LC!

This came out at a very difficult time in my life, and was somehow already imbued with all the feelings I was having. The lyrics were written for *me*, maaaaaaan! It’s always amazing how music does that to us.

But with this, if I could please just invite you to “go with it”, you may discover tonal variations that tickle your sensibilities.

Life is endlessly confusing: do you want to be a butterfly, or a better caterpillar?

Beverage suggestions:

“Silver Moon” tea by TWG.

Long Island Iced Tea by you.

Personally, I shall draw a long measure of single malt and sit back, as the lights twinkle across a bay of the Arabian Gulf"

Right then. Direct download here in MP3 or FLAC (ooh!), or the streamy below:

See you at 8pm BST (GMT+1)

The Listening Club - 2nd August 2020

Greetings folks,

Hope you're all doing as well as can be expected. Feeling a bit under the weather which is an annoyance, but despite that, was very grateful to to get out yesterday and see the Nam June Paik exibition that's been here for a few months (and thankfully extended due to lockdown), which was really excellent, and relatively stress free in terms of distancing restrictions (despite a few inevitable idiots).

In #LC land, last Sunday @FaberFedor was in the chair, hitting the 90s vein deep with his pick of Live's "Throwing Copper" from 1994 (Produced by Jerry Harrison of Talking Heads / Modern Lovers, no less!) which hit the spot for some, and hit the dirt for others. Que sera. Thanks to Faber for the pick, and for sailing the frisb over to @AngelaKlaus, who's right here with tonight's intro...

"Many thanks to the fabulous Faber Fedor for flinging the frisbaton my way. And thanks also to the Listening Club for the opportunity to share one of my all-time favorite albums with you. 

I tried to stay away from all my '90's CDs (due to the recent glut on LC), but, alas, well -- this one practically jumped out of my attic. 

This selection was the debut - and breakout - album for this New Jersey (USA) native artist, although there was very little follow-up except for a few albums in the 2000's.  There is an interesting mix of pop tunes, funk, soul, rock, blues, and hip-hop. One of the tracks is a hard-hitting reminder of the results of racism in America - still, unfortunately, very relevant today in the 2020's. 

I travelled a lot in the mid-90s and this CD was one of my constant companions on many flights around the US.  I hope you enjoy this album as much as I have over the years."

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


See you at 8pm BST!

The Listening Club - 26th July 2020

Greetings folks,

Hope you're all doing okay. Sunshine and showers continues in Amsterdam as per standard, this afternoon being sunshine for a change, so let's get on with this so I can return to the stoop with a beer before it vanishes, yes?

Last Sunday @unmannedfuture was in the chair, with a dose of Hole's "Live Through This", which rocked the assembled quite successfully, I'd say. Thanks to Ann for the pick, and for sailing the frisb south to @FaberFedor, who's right here with tonight's intro...

"Continuing the long tradition of throwback albums started by @unmannedfuture last week, I give you another (grunge) throwback album.

You've heard of "one hit wonders"; those bands that had one hit song and never heard from again? Well this is a "one hit album wonder"; this album produced five or six top ten hits and then...crickets. I remember my freinds and colleagues being amazed how many hits came off this album. 

Let's see how well it holds up 26 years later."

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


See you 8pm BST/CEST (GMT+1)

The Listening Club - 19th July 2020

Greetings folks,

Hope you & yours are all doing okay. Weather a bit blah here, but we're doing our best to enjoy the occasional blue sky as it sails past. Feeling happy though, as our new fuzzy house companion was let back out into the wider world for the first time today and, after a period of climbing around the neighbourhood and saying hello to the other local fuzzballs, he returned home for a snack and a long nap. Which is as it should be, phew.

Last week, chez #LC, @wojsvenwoj was in the chair, blending modern and trad into an agreeable soup with his pick of Snakefarm's "My Halo At Half-Light" which went down very well indeed with the assembled. Thanks to them for the selection, and for sailing the frisb over to @unmannedfuture, who is right here with tonight's intro...

"What if back in the day Creem magazine had used its power to encourage girls to learn to play like Jimmy Page instead of sleep with Jimmy Page? We’ll never know."

Okay. Direct download here, and stream's below:


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

The Listening Club - 12th July 2020

Greetings folks,

Hope you're all doing okay. Not much to report here, the weather is a bit blah and a few more tourists have returned to the city, but house spirits are good, as "Fuzz" (our new feline friend) has settled in very well, seems to be slowly recovering from his time roaming the streets, and is already providing regular doses of fuzzy joy to our world. Bless 'im.

Last week chez #LC, @saucer was in the chair, with a soothing Sunday selection in the shape of Jenny O's "Peace & Information", which went down very well with the assembled. Thanks to them for the pick, and for sailing the frisb across to @wojsvenwoj, who has this to say by way of introduction to tonight's pick...

"As you may have noticed, I have an affinity for modern takes on folk music, whatever the tradition. I think I’ve only picked one album in the past that actually fits into that category but there have been several that came close to being selected...and may yet still be!

Anyway, like most imperial, capitalist, American pig dogs, I usually gravitate towards the music of other cultures when it comes to that sort of thing but there are lots of interesting takes on the folk songs of the United States (which, of course, are the amalgamation of many other traditions). This is one such album.

This band is a side project by a not-unknown-but-relatively-obscure woman and her also not-unknown-but-relatively-obscure husband. The first album they recorded for this project came out in 1999 and was one of my favorites that year. This is their second album, released in 2011, which I kind of slept on but have recently rediscovered and dig. Maybe you will too..."

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


See you at 8pm BST (GMT+1)

The Listening Club - 5th July 2020

Greetings folks,

Hope you're all doing okay. Amsterdam has slipped slightly into holiday mode, as the school year finishes and, like clockwork, tons of Dutch families immediately take their summer vacations. Given the global situation it will be interesting to see where they're headed, and also, given the travel rule changes over the past week in the UK, it will also be interesting to see who will soon be heading for us.... feeling very cautious about it all, I must say.

Last week in #LC land, it was me, myself and I, @kleptones in the chair, providing new from old in the shape of Bob Dylan's "Rough And Rowdy Ways", which seemed to go down really rather well indeed. All that remained after that was to sail the frisb across to @Saucer, who is right here with tonight's introduction...

"After five years of listening clubbing it is no easier to pick an album. It is more fascinating now. This time my short list (ha ha) grew to 28 (in this go-round spanning 1968 to 2020, country to breakcore to experimental noise to sludge to NYC, SF, Chicago, and LA rock, to what this is).

Last week's Dylan pick reminded me how much I care about lyrics and lyrical delivery. And my recent binging of Lola Uppochner (Lola Upside Down) reminded me what art feels like. So that was my mood going in.

I started with my new favorite lyricist and singer... who ended up on my SSD as a random discovery (I sometimes like to bounce around Bandcamp with minimal control to see what appears, and that's how I found this). It pulled me in first with the words, even though the nearly surreal sweetness that coated them confused me, at first.

Twenty-seven earnest attempts to find something more entertaining/first-listen-palatable for you led me on a wild chase that led right back to where I started.

I really love this album

It is very, very sweet. But antidote sweet not banal sweet. 

If this doesn't penetrate on first listen, you might want to give it a second chance. And then you might want to buy all her EPs and preorder her next album and harbor a crush. Just saying. I wouldn't judge you.

Oh, drinking club, I suppose I'll recommend a nice Armagnac."

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


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

The Listening Club - 28th June 2020

Greetings folks,

Hope you're all doing okay. Sunshine and showers here as usual, though a bit more of the former than the latter, which is fine by me. Been interesting watching all the Glastonbury remeniscing going on online from nearby shores, definitely making me pine for tent, tunes and booze for sure. Roll on next year...

Last Sunday, @SimonLandmine was in the chair, hitting the 90s vibe right between the eyes with his pick of the soundtrack for "Strange Days", which brought a varied reaction, as befits a varied album, I'd say. Thanks to Simon for the pick, and for sailing the frisb over here to the Netherlands, where it bounced off @nessiest and landed at my feet. So it goes...

"Most of the time when picking for #LC I'm pretty much certain from the start what I'm going to play and stick to it. This time I've changed my mind more than a few times, which says a lot about the changing state of the world and my own brain, I guess. So I've gone from considering a couple of vintage selections (will save for another time) and a possible 2.5hr Theo Parrish BLM brain dump (worth a listen, but too long and strange for here and now I think) to end up with this.

Possibly influenced by the weekend's festival reminiscences,  and in traditional #LC stylee, I've plumped for a brand new album by a well established artist that I've yet to listen to. So let's give it a spin and see if it's any kop..."

#drinkingclub = bourbon, i'd say, or maybe even a mint julep."

Download's here, stream's below.

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

The Listening Club - 21st June 2020

Greetings and Happy Summer Solstice to you all.

Yeah, well, usually for me, this time of year (if the ticket faries have been nice) is all about checking weather forecasts, clashfinding lineups and buying tent pegs, but this year? Well, at least it's half over now, eh?

Last week @brainspiritus was in the chair, funking up a storm with their timely pick of Brother Ali's 2012 album "Mourning In America And Dreaming in Color" (give or take a track), which went down a treat with the assembled. Thanks to them for the selection, and for sailing the frisb across to London, where @SimonLandmine has this to say by way of introduction to tonight's pick...

"And here we are again, with another pick from me. Somewhat different from my last selection. This one actually includes guitars. As well as a range of other instruments.

Listening again to the opening bars, I realised that there are two albums that it might resolve into from that point (and the other option was indeed also on my list of possible choices), but the Shrödinger situation should be answered a little further in. I won't say too much more about this one, as the more I say, the greater the chance of my just blurting out what it is, but there are some elements of current circumstances that reminded me of it. It's a favourite of mine for a couple of reasons, and contains several tracks I really enjoy, and I couldn't keep pushing it down my selection list any longer. Hopefully, those of you who recognise it do so because you like it, and hopefully at least some of you who didn't know it will also like it.

(And look on the bright side - I could have picked "The Nail File - The Best of Jimmy Nail" (and yes, that is what it's called), because for some reason I'm not entirely clear on, I appear to own that too -
although I've not gone so far as to rip it.)

#DrinkingClub - Something to toast an event with."

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


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

The Listening Club - 14th June 2020

Greetings folks,

Hope you're all doing okay. Sunshine and showers here in Amsterdam, so a bit of "gardening" and a bit of PC maintenance as appropriate.

Last week in #LC land, @mrtorture was in the chair, gently rocking out with Simon Fuga's "After Chaban", which went down rather well, it seems. Thanks to Senor T for the pick, and for sailing the frisb north again to @brainspiritus, who is right here with tonight's intro...

"Good time of day, dear friends of #ListeningClub, from a very rainy Germany.

Today's pick is curious, easy and difficult at the same time.

It's easy, because I can't have this on my shortlist now, and not pick it now, and then ever pick it later.

It's difficult, because it's a genre we don't see here very often, and it's so often steeped deeply in sexism and glorified violence to the extent that the genre and its ill standing have become eponymous. (Yes, this is an elaborate bad cryptic pun.) But that's not all there is to it, and it's not how it started either, and I guess this album is close to the roots in its style and intent.

It's also hard – if there was a genre "hard listening", this would probably be in it, and it has the black-and-white sticker to prove it, and wears it proudly. It might feel uncannily on point currently, but it was just as relevant in 2012 when it came out, and before that, and will be for quite some time.

Oh, and you're probably on some sort of watchlist now."

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



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

The Listening Club - 7th June 2020

Greetings folks.

Hope you're all doing okay. And well done, people of Bristol. About fucking time that thing went in the sea.

Last week in #LC-land, @xpollen8 was in the chair, wrestling with a DAT player to bring us a slice of his archives in the shape of a sound-desk recording of Frank Orrall and Poi Dog Pondering live in San Francisco in 1996, which was a nice slice of live in these gigless times. Many thanks to Del for the pick, and for sailing the frisb down south to @mrtorture, who's right here with tonight's intro...

"Alright folks. This week's choice kind of had me flooded. I had a list of choices that I prepped up back... in January. I cleaned it up and came back with nothing.

So I went all over it again, and went along with... a choice I could've used my last time handling the frisbaton. Fun times.

In any case, these fine folk define themselves as some sort of "street jazz". But don't worry, it's not jazz per-se. It has rock, it has funk, and maybe some jazz intertwined. Their music has been used as background music for radio shows, movies and even documentaries. They just blend so well in all of these landscapes. I believe this album was recorded in one or two takes.

Never had much of a success and propmtly broke up not long ago. Here's to hoping you like 'em as much as I do.

As for a #DrinkingClub choice... anything that may help you chill and lay back. (it's up to you, if a Bourbon is good for chilling, go for it!)"

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


See you at 8pm BST (GMT+1)

The Listening Club - 31st May 2020

Greetings folks,

Hope you're all doing okay. Sunny and warm here in Amsterdam, and one can feel the city bracing itself as the majority of public places reopen tomorrow, under strict rules, natch. We shall see...

Last week, chez #LC, @akx was in the chair, with a supreme dose of afro-futurism in the shape of Janelle Monae's "The ArchAndroid", which hit the spot for most folks. Thanks to Aarni for the pick, and for sailing the frisb over to @xpollen8, who, after some deliberation, has this to say by way of introduction to tonight's selection...

"Just an awful frame of mind this week as the mild Spring melts away leaving the weak to wither and the stupid brutes to thrive.

With only a single response to my plea for help in choosing which direction to take, I was forced to go with C) Bootleg.

Backstory: for a brief time in the mid 90s, recording engineer/producer Martin Stebbing (ex Wolfhounds, ex Jazz Butcher sound/eng) was in my band, because he was amused by what we were doing and wanted a part.

This brush with greatness exposured me to his friends when they were in town: Moonshake, Stereolab, and the like. I was recording everything to DAT at this point in my life, and the following is a recording from 1996 when a band that's quite popular in Chicago flirted with performing techno in realtime with a scaled-down version of their band.  Martin performed/ran sound on this, and my DAT was sucking up the soundboard.

To my knowledge, this is the only time they performed in this incarnation, and you are definitely the only people other than the 50 present at the time - to hear this. I just transferred it today.

Being (weird) mid-90s-rave music, some bits go on too long, but the concept is interesting, and the musicianship is certainly top-notch."

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


See you at 8pm BST.