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).