The Listening Club - 31st October 2021

Scary greetings to you, if that's your sort of thing. Yep, it's the day of spook, which doesn't mean much in these parts, it has to be said, apart from a few fancy dress parties here and there. Just as well really, as it's been pissing down all day, so any hopeful trick or treaters are going to be very soggy indeed, even before we get the hose out to remove them from the premises (joke, probably). 

Last Sunday we had @unmannedfuture in the chair, spacing everyone out with their choice of "Stateless" by Dirty Beaches from back in 2014. Many thanks to them for the pick, and for sailing the frisb over to @samquitter, who has an extra week to ponder because...

Yep, #vortex time again, and on a day like today, it can only be an #evenscariervortex. Another helping of spooky and scary sounds from your minds, as gathered and assembled by @akx... 

Download is direct here, or gdrive here, stream's below...

AND THE CLOCKS HAVE CHANGED. So it's 8pm GMT, see you then!

The Listening Club - 24th October 2021

Greetings folks,

Hope you're all doing okay. A regular kind of week in Amsterdam, bit wet, bit grey, but regular is okay all things considered (watches infection numbers warily). Very pleasant to be spending time listening to the vast list of performers playing at Le Guess Who in a few of weeks - yes, finally a festival! So I'll be needing a caretaker manager here on Sun 14th Nov if anyone fancies it, let me know...

Last Sunday we had @myemuisemo sending one in from about as far into left-field as you can get, in the shape of Randy Vanwarmer's "Terraform" from 1980, which boggled the assembled in the finest of ways. Many thanks to Eilonwy for the impressive pick, and for sailing the frisb across to @unmannedfuture, who's here with tonight's intro...

"So I did not know this of all things is what we were going to listen to, but it feels like a good soundtrack for trudging towards November, lying prone staring at ceiling, that sort of thing.  Perhaps contemplating the sonic landscape (there's a diagram in the liner notes I’ll post at the end) or perhaps the Artist’s Statement:  

All seasons are cyclical, like real life shit. We adapt and venture through each phase with intentions of engagement, embracing mistakes and chances that eventually become the foundation of identities and roles we take on in life. All pain is temporary, as in joy, anger, doubt and all human emotions. Nothing is forever. Just a constant cyclical randomization processed in patterns and algorithms. We can’t predict life, but we can try to brace ourselves for the ever changing tides of time.

Some dreams are worth breaking your limbs for.

 Dedicated to ALL the young gods out there."

Right then. Download's here, stream's below:

See you at 8pm BST (GMT+1) for the last time, clocks change next week!

The Listening Club - 17th October 2021

Greetings folks,

Hope you're all doing okay. Yep, @kleptones back again after an action packed couple of weeks off, dealing with much cavity swabbing on the way to and fro the sceptered isle (aka "Plague Island"), which seems to have passed without incident, although the level of paperwork and travel stress was considerably higher than any I have undertaken for many a year (probably since the last time I traveled to the USA... ah, NSA I do not miss your interrogations one bit, can't imagine what it would be like now...). Still, we got there, we experienced much reunions and rejoicing, and we got back okay, with a fine Nick Cave & Warren Ellis concert as a reward (front row to boot, yay!). So, nursing a small hangover, we proceed...

Last Sunday, @JimMcCauley run tings (thanks extended) and @corin_ja was in the chair, spacing folks out it seems with his pick of Gel-Sol's "Unifactor" from 2007. Thanks to Corin for the selection, and for sailing the frisb across to @myemuisemo, who is here with tonight's intro...

"This album’s a guilty pleasure, both for me and for the artist who recorded it. After a major hit with a ballad, this mystery songwriter turned to a more alternative sound for his next album. His label stepped into the traditional label role of villain by withholding support, so this one flopped hard. He never had another hit. Themes found in track 7 were especially dear to the artist’s heart, and that’s the track that fascinated me when I bought this album in a used-record store in Turlock, California, about five years after it came out. Some of my fondness for fusing singer-songwriter with electronic effects probably dates from listening to this album in college.

Pour yourself an amaretto sour and settle in."

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

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

The Listening Club - 10th October 2021

Afternoon, chums! @JimMcCauley at your service while @kleptones is off visiting some backwards washed-up hellhole country for a few days. Here in Bath it's turned out quite nice, so I have some washing out on the line, the cats are tucked up in their beds and I'm basically killing time until this evening's panto rehearsal (oh yes I am etc.).

Last week @emmaprice was at the decks, celebrating a new musical kindred spirit with her choice of Rory Gallagher's Deuce, which certainly seemed to do the job for everyone present. So thanks to Emma for the pick and for a well-aimed frisbaton flung squarely at @corin_ja, who will address you now from somewhere in the wilds of west Wales.

"Thank-you to @emmaprice for sailing the frisb my way, after a great selection last week. This was a tricky choice. I had 3 or 4 other records in consideration but this is something I've just been itching to play at other people for ages.

"I've missed a lot of Listening Clubs after attending the very first one ever back in March 2012, on account of usually spending Sunday night putting my kid to bed or just being too wiped out from the week to be even semi-coherent playing with others. So this record is in a sense a tribute to efforts to get some sleep, either mine or a wailing child's. Actually, this artist has other recordings that are better for that specific purpose, but this is a good compromise between inflicting one of those on the audience and playing something a bit more crowd-friendly.

"What I especially love here is the sonic effect, the sound of the production, and the sense of humour. Gotta admit it is a pothead record, probably best listened to whilst very, very stoned and chuckling slowly like Beavis on 33rpm. It amuses the hell out of me, but also at times I find it hugely satisfying and gripping. Sure, it's pretty niche but I reckon someone will find something here, or in the rest of the artist's catalogue, that works for them. Hope so anyway!

"Headphones on, lava-lamp on the go, bong warmed up - it's time to lie-down & be counted."

There we go, then. Direct download's here, or avail yourself of the HearThis stream below.

I won't be around for the playback but should just about be home in time for the big reveal, so have fun at 8PM (GMT+1) and I might catch you later.

The Listening Club - 3rd October 2021

Greetings folks,

Hope you're all doing okay. Solid rain here in Amsterdam, as autumn takes hold, much to the annoyance of Hype Cat, who was thoroughly enjoying the September sun, not too hot, not too cold, and is now grumpily staring out the window at the windy splatter. So it goes.

Also, in the "so it goes" category, thanks to changing border restrictions I'll be away next Sunday making a long-awaited UK family visit, so am in need of a caretaker-manager to run things here, if you can help, let me know! (Also there's a firm chance we'll be in that London for an evening (prob the 12th), so if any local types are around and feel comfortable with meeting up for a drink or two, let me know).

Last Sunday, as you should recall, we were gathered for the "Songs to or about anyone other than Maggie May Vortex", which brought together a fine collection of dedicated and / or nomenclatured tunage. Many thanks to @saucer for gathering and constructing a fine work, and all who chipped in tunes! Checking the schedules, we see @emmaprice clutching the frisbaton, with this to say by way of introduction to tonight's pick...

"Greetings my fellow Listening Clubbers. Life is feeling a bit strange at the moment and here in the UK it feels that we're only a couple of steps away from fortifying our positions on the parapet for the incoming zombie apocalypse.

Given this you can imagine my joy at being able to go to a festival again last month and to stand, pint in hand singing in a crowd of thousands while bearded men in wedding dresses and kids in fancy dress roamed free.

It was at this festival I met a kindred spirit, our eyes met over the crowds of festival goers and within 10 seconds of meeting we were talking about favourite albums. What's followed since is a sharing of the music that moves and inspires us - it's opened up new avenues and artists for me which co-incidentally is why we're here, sharing albums that excite, intrigue and bring us joy.

This pick today is by his favourite artist. Someone I'd not listened to myself and in fact I'm listening to this album for the first time while typing this. I'm picking this as a reminder of how precious those moments of musical connection are to us all.

Drinking club tonight is a pint of Guinness. I'm raising my glass to us all meeting again soon."

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

See you 8pm BST (GMT+1)