The Listening Club - 18th December 2022

Hey folks,

Hope you're all doing fine. Last regular #LC of 2022 tonight, which has turned out to be a little more tumultuous a year than most of us would have liked, I'd say. We return on Sunday 8th January with the customary #festivevortex, which requires one of two of your favourite tunes of 2022 to be sent this way (dropbox details to follow), so get your thinking caps on...

All that remains for me is to wish you all a highly enjoyable holiday season, whatever you decide to get up to, and to thank you for sticking around here to participate in our sessions this year (and especially to @saucer, @akx and @JimMcCauley for #vortex work), it's really been a lot of fun, and it would not be the same without you, natch.

Last Sunday it was m'self @kleptones in the chair, blending past and present with Nancy Mounir's "Nozhet El Nofous", which I'm pleased to report went down pretty good with the assembled. All that remained was to flip the frisb over to @woj, who has this to say about tonight's pick...

"The end of the year approaches and all that comes with it: holidays, the longest night of the year (or the shortest as the case may be), and, of course, year-end lists. As a result, this past week, I've been going back and forth between picking something festive, picking something from my favo(u)rite albums of 2022, and picking something off someone else's best-of-2022 list. After the requisite hemming and hawing, settled on the third option as (1) one person's festive is another person's depressive and (2) I still haven't listened to everything that came out in 2022 that I've been meaning to listen to so don't really know what my faves of the year are yet. Plus, having done this sort of pick before, it's actually pretty fun to do!So, after trawling through a few non-corporate magazines and blogs lists, I selected this album purely based on the blurb that this particular blogger wrote to describe it. Except to spot-check the audio, I've not listened to it and don't even know if I like it, nevermind if it is actually good or not! But I hope it is because the description is promising:

"It seems like each year you can count on just a small handful of incredible albums by artists you've never heard of before to emerge, seemingly from out of nowhere (actually it's usually Canada), vivid and fully formed, familiar and warm, destined to become lifelong favorites. The stunning debut full-length from Toronto's [REDACTED] is officially one of those rare gems for 2022. It's one of the most beautiful and affecting things you'll hear this year, as [REDACTED] imbues these timeless, heartbreakingly poignant songs with a graceful levity that only enhances the record's entrancing emotional pull."

I think it might have been the, "actually it's usually Canada," which tipped the scales for me.

So, sit back and ring out 2022's Listening Club with a mystery album that's a mystery to us all! I'll be listening along in a car somewhere between Newark and New Haven so won't be chatty today but will check in after I get home for sure..."

Right then, download's here, stream's below:

See you at 8pm GMT tonight.

The Listening Club - 11th December 2022

Hey folks,

Hope you're all doing good. Pretty chilly now here in Amsterdam, although staying very dry, so we're not quite into the slippery slidey zone, although the Dutch are all cleaning and sharpening their skates in anticipation, as is the custom at times like this...

Last Sunday we had @EmmaPrice in the chair, throwing a mighty beatdown in the shape of PVA's debut album "Blush", which got the assembled grooving quite happily indeed. Thanks to Emma for the pick and for throwing the frisb over to me, @kleptones, so I guess it's time I went all italic for the intro....

"...and there we go. 

Tonight's pick was nearly something else, but then I looked at the running time and realised it was more of an EP than an album, so I went with this instead, even though it turns out this is not much over half an hour either, so there you go. It's still potent stuff.

Can't really say much that won't give it away, suffice to say that this artist was playing this year's Le Guess Who (is he banging on about that again? yes he is...) but scheduling clashes meant that we didn't get to see them, and now, having caught up with this album post-festival, I'm regretting that decision seriously. So it goes. 

This may be a short album, but it's quite a deep one, so make yourselves comfortable, open a bottle of something full-bodied, and dive in.

Hope you enjoy!"

Download's here, stream's below:

See you 20:00 GMT tonight.

The Listening Club - 4th December 2022

Greetings folks,

Hope you're all doing good. Sudden drop in temps meaning a cold but clear week here in Amsterdam, which alongside the early festive street and house decorations has resulted in a very seasonal vibe. Despite the chill, it's been a good couple of weeks gig activity (forgot to mention last week in the platform-change hoo-ha), taking in Stereolab, The Cure and (most recently on Friday) HackeDePicciotto (Alexander Hacke from Einsturzende Neubauten and his wife Danielle de Picciotto), all excellent, and a solid end to the autumn gig season. Hooray for live music!

Speaking of seasons, it's worth noting this year is one of those in which both Xmas Day and New Years Day fall on a Sunday, so as we did in 2016, #LC will be closed for those two weeks, returning for the traditional end-of-year best-of #festivevortex on 8th January 2023.

Last Sunday we were celebrating our new home with a #HellophantVortex, which covered a considerable number of bases of elephantine greeting - and three folks picked the same tune, which I'm pretty sure has never happened before - many thanks to everyone for chipping tunes, and to @saucer for the fine work collecting and collating.

Looking back to regular programming we find @EmmaPrice holding the frisb with this to say by way of introduction to tonight's pick...

"Greetings all,

Tis a privilege to open up the musical offerings in our new home. Unlike many previous offerings I knew I was picking this album the moment I caught the frisbaton. It's not an album I know well myself yet as it is brand spanking new, but I have been listening to this artist quite a lot this year after I stumbled across them as a support act in the company of a fellow #listeningclubber. An apt reminder that Listening Club has been responsible for new discoveries, new friendships and an awful lot of fun & puns.

So, raise your glasses as we toast the Frisbaton's safe arrival - To our new home, and to all of you.

If you need me, I'll be in the kitchen making cocktails strong enough to strip the paint off a tank."

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

See you 20:00 GMT tonight.

The Listening Club - 27th November 2022

Greetings folks,

Hope you're all doing okay. Well, that was quite a move. I think we've done okay, most people seem to have come along, which is great, no idea about the lurkers because, well, they're lurkers, but we shall see. As I mentioned last week, if you haven't moved and you need help, please reach out on DMs and help will be provided!

Last week we bid farewll to our old zone, with @brainspiritus proviuding the soundtrack in the shape of Sa-Roc's "The Sharecropper's Daughter", which delighted pretty much everyone I'd say. Thanks extended for the pick, and for sailing the frisbee across the great platform divide to @EmmaPrice@universeodon.com, who has an extra week to ponder because...

Yep, end of the month means #vortex time, and possibly the most appropriate time to move platforms, as now we can have a #HellophantVortex (thanks @akx for the name) - Tunes have been gathered and assembled by @saucer, wonderful person that he is, so let's have it...

Download is here and the stream is below:

Hope to see you at 8pm GMT for playback.

The Listening Club - 20th November 2022

Greetings folks, hope you're all doing good.

<oldmanvoice>Well, that de-evolved quickly, didn't it? I really don't know what to say other than "oh dear". After ten (fuckin') years sittin' on the same corner, watching the world collapse around you doesn't quite have the same allure it used to, does it, sonny?...</oldmanvoice>

So... here's the deal. I'm personally done with Twitter. I have no desire to grab the popcorn and watch a daily dose of infinite-dumpster-fire, or my friends reactions to it. Also any future pay-to-play tweet-promotion stuff that surely *will* occur there will very probably impact our #LC real-time conversational abilities, which are already flaky at busy times, as u well kno. (Yes, the situation may change, but for now, it sucks, and the outlook is not good, is it?)

So... imho, we should be grateful we *can* go elsewhere. Mastodon seems good, takes a little bit of getting used to, but basically does what we need, without the dumpster-fire and hashtag spam - for now anyway. I can see that most of our regular folks have set up and followed us over there, (one or two haven't - please give it a go and feel free to let me know if you need any help setting it up), so I propose we move to Mastodon 100% from next Sunday for (maybe) a "Hi Hello How Are You" vortex. Please let me know what you think. 

(NB If the majority of folks wish to stay on twitter that is fine, but I'm sorry to say I will not be willing to administer the account, someone(s) else will have to take that on. And I have no desire to run both simultaneously either - again someone else is welcome to do it, but I don't want to!)

Anyways, last Sunday I was away having a fucking amazing time at LGW, whilst @JimMcCauley was kindly sorting things out here, presenting @corin_ja and his fine pick of Half Man Half Biscuit's 2008 opus "CSI: Ambleside", which presumably charmed and confused in equal measures, as is their wont. Thanks to Corin for the pick, and for the flip of the frisb across to @brainspiritus, who is right here with tonight's intro...

"Happy Sunday, folks!

Over here on the Baltic Sea, we're seeing the first snow of the season this weekend, even if it's currently gone back to "nasty sludge". I hope you are wrapped in thermally-appropriate clothing, enjoying the foods of the December season that have been in supermarkets for months now.

Today's album… I stumbled upon this artist when they had a guest appearance on a podcast and decided to give their latest album (from 2020) a go, and first got stuck on the occasionally almost "arabesque" weaving of melodies, and the excellent delivery, which gets only better after hearing it a couple of times, when all the double-entendres start to hit. (It seems to be a sort of catch-up album, because some of the music videos are a couple of years older than that.)

I can see how this is probably not going to be for everybody, because it's … not doing the usual melodic structure thing much? Also, this is a person with a lot of anger and struggle in their life, so it's a bit sweary and aggressive. (Trigger warning: contextualized variations of N-words, I'm sure there's the F-word in there, Abuse of various kinds.)

This has songs that hit you in the feels, and songs that hit you in the _other_ feels, the entire range from airhorn to ballad. I don't know about cowbells though, and you know I can't spoil surprise metal guitars.

Drink: Gosh, I guess a couple of molotovs?"

Okaydoke. Download's here (right-click, save as), stream's below:

See you 8pm GMT, I hope.

The Listening Club – 13th November 2022

Afternoon all! @JimMcCauley at your service while @kleptones is off at Le Guess Who. I was just about to do a spot of ironing before lunch, before heading off to this afternoon's Railway Children rehearsal, when I suddenly remembered that there was something else I needed to do, and this is it. Bit of close one, what? Anyway, hope you're all feeling reasonably splendid; I have lots on but having an excellent time with it, and I may or may not join you this evening, depending on how I'm doing after a four-hour rehearsal.

Last week we had @faberfedor at the controls with his pick of Johnny Cash's career-reviving American Recordings, the first in his series of albums with Rick Rubin, and while nobody was remotely surprised by the reveal, it all seems to have gone down very nicely indeed with the assembled. So thanks to Faber for the pick, and for flicking the frisbaton at @corin_ja, who will see you now.

"Thanks to @faberfedor for the frisbaton from last week after a superb selection.

"This is also kinda folk music (well, what isn't - as Louis Armstrong said, "ain't never heard a horse sing"), but of a particularly English variety. A favourite of John Peel's this lot, and they've been going for almost 40 years, which is pretty terrifying considering their early albums were teenage singalong fodder for me & my mates.

"I guess this will be a very marmite selection. Not everyone is going to like or get this. I hope those that do appreciate the strength of the melodies as well as the wit of the lyrics. We shall see.

"#DrinkingClub probably a pint of bitter or fizzy lager. Maybe a snakebite or a cider'n'black. Packet of crisps and ten B&H. You get the idea."

Wicked. Download's here or stream away below.

Maybe see you at 8PM; if I don't, have a good one!

The Listening Club - 6th November 2022

Greetings folks,

Hope you're all doing good, and if you're in the UK, hope you're dealing okay with your Bonfire Night Hangover / Glastonbury Ticket Sale Failure. Bit of a double-bill that one, for sure.

I wanted to take a minute to say something about the changes at Twitter - Although #LC is unaffected at the moment, there is a possibility things may change in the future that may make us not want to continue on the platform - we all have our limits. As Jim pointed out the other day, losing Tweetdeck and / or access to Latest Tweets would be tough (and make doing this nigh-on impossible), and for me personally, if a certain orange-faced c*** is allowed back, I would not be able to continue, sorry - As I said, we all have our limits, I'd be interested in knowing yours, so we can reach a consensus for the time being ("time being" being something that does seems to be changing rapidly, I admit). I know some folks have signed up on Mastodon, and I encourage those that haven't to do so also, or bookmark this URL for future use!: https://joinmastodon.org/

Next Sunday I am away at Le Guess Who filling my ears with fine music, so if anyone is able to run things here, please let me know.

Last Sunday, as was end-of-the-month time, a #timevortex was had, as collated and mixed by @akx, and a mighty fine time was had by all! Thanks to Aarni for the assemblage, and everyone who chipped in a track or two. Looking back, we see @faberfedor waving across the water with this to say by way of introduction to tonight's pick...

"A man and his guitar. It doesn't get much more minimalist than that. 

For an album with such a simple premise, this album had an outsized effect: it gave the finger to The Powers That Be, introduced the singer to a new generation and re-cemented his reputation as an American master.

Not bad for someone who swore he'd never make another album.

It's going to be a quiet night. So turn down the lights, grab some mountain dew -- and I don't mean the sugar water -- and relax into the evening."

Okay, download's here, stream's below:

See you 8pm GMT tonight.

The Listening Club - 30th October 2022

Happy Samhain and all that to you.

Hope you're all doing good. Unseasonably warm here in Amsterdam, but very overcast, which makes for some rather odd daytime activities. Looks cold out, but it ain't. Still keeping up the gig calendar with a cinema viewing of the (excellent) King Crimson documentary, and a gentle bounce around to Soweto's finest, BCUC (the huge burger I'd just consumed prohibited anything more, doh), in between the seemingly gargantuan annual task of listening through this years Le Guess Who line up... but hey, good to be keeping busy, fo sho.

Last Sunday we had that @simonlandmine in the chair, pausing his Whitby packing to deliver "Yggdrasil" from Wardruna, which went down pretty well with most assembled folks, despite its definite marmiteyness. Thanks to Simon for the pick, and for sailing the frisb over to @faberfedor who has an extra week to consider because...

Yep, #vortex time, and to celebrate the changing of the clocks n all that, a #timevortex it is, as gathered and assembled by @akx. Download is here, or here, and the stream is below:

So... see you at 8pm (20:00) GMT tonight!

The Listening Club - 23rd October 2022

Greetings folks, 

Hope you're all doing okay. Yep @kleptones back from a last minute weekend away in Paris with @nessiest to see the wondrous Angelique Kidjo perform her version of Talking Heads' "Remain In Light" album, which you may remember I picked for a Sunday listen a couple of years back. She doesn't often do a full show around the album, so in lieu of a closer one, Paris it was, which was grand, as there's plenty else to keep you occupied in the city of lights, and plenty of fine food and wine to consume whilst you're doing so... 

Anyhoo, next week is end of the month, which means #vortex time, so get your thinkiing caps on for a theme as per the usual. Also advance notice that imma gonna be away again (Sun 13th Nov) as it's Le Guess Who time again, so anyone that can fill in - please come forward if you can, it doesn't take long, and as it seems evident that @JimMcCauley is really fuckin' busy right now, I'd rather not we rely on his good nature all the time, eh?

Anyways, that very same @JimMcCauley was doing that very same favour last Sunday, which saw @zbendr flip his schedule to bring everyone Naima Bock’s “Giant Palm”, which seemed to go down well, if the tweets are anything to go by. After that the frisb sailed half way around the world to @simonlandmine, who's here with tonight's intro:

"I was initially undecided which end of my shortlist to go with this time, but what with my last pick having been at the rocky end, the conversation about slower music last week, and the time of year (the rapid approach of Gothmas), this seemed suitable.

I've missed a couple of opportunities to see this act live, but I can't recall now exactly how they came to my attention around the time they released their first album - it certainly wasn't from any prior knowledge of the band two of the members were previously in. After a

bit of due diligence, I've picked up all of their albums to date. Since I got this, their second release, they've attracted slightly more general attention and, depending on your viewing habits, you may

recognise some of the tracks - although given the musical awareness you all have, I'll probably find more than half of you have the album already. They are also now on a major label, which may mean more chances for me to miss seeing them live, which it seems is quite the experience.

This does seem like an album to listen to while the nights draw in, probably with the lights down very low."

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

See you 8pm BST (GMT+1) for the last time this year, clocks go back NEXT WEEK.

The Listening Club – 16th October 2022

Ahoy there, listening chums! @kleptones (along with @nessiest) is away in Paris this weekend, so I (@JimMcCauley, natch) have found a window in my ludicrously packed schedule to do the thing. Getting it out of the way nice and early so that I can research and start writing an article for tomorrow, before heading off to one rehearsal (The Railway Children, Rondo Theatre, Bath, 24-26 November) then maybe catching the last hour of another (Beauty and the Beast, Rondo Theatre, Bath, 12-15 January). All of which means I won't be joining you this evening, but frankly that's how it's mostly going to be for the next three months.

*scrolls back through TweetDeck #listeningclub column* So apparently last week @ohmyliver was on duty and treated everyone to The Baby Huey Story: The Living Legend, which, it would appear, went down very well with the assembled as well as triggering memories of drinking Thunderbird. So thanks to Oli for the pick, and for eventually hitting @zbendr with the frisbaton. Look, here he is now!

"Don't wallow, luxuriate!

This record came to me recently at a changing/pivoting time of my life. Was I down? Relieved? Unburdened? Seeing clearly?

Yes.

The record goes and ebbs and flows and pushes and pulls at your feelings, but it never toys with your emotions. It's all at once familiar and unusually unique: it's like a few things but unlike most things.

Give it a chance and see if it puts a little dent in you…?

The FLAC is only CD-resolution, as I couldn't source a high-resolution/high-sample rate version. But it sounds noice in headphones and phat stax alike."

All righty, then. Ben's provided a FLAC download here, but if that's a bit much for you, I've done an MP3 version that you can grab here. Alternatively, stream below.

I won't see you at 8PM (BST), but enjoy! (And don't break anything.)

The Listening Club - 9th October 2022

Greetings folks,

Hope you're all doing good. Cool but bright weekend here in Amsterdam, which is nice, he says, standing in a sunny window sipping coffee and watching a variety of tourists wandering off the beaten track and getting lost. No gig to go to tonight, which makes a change after three Sunday gigs in a row, but I'll be making up for it next weekend with a gig excursion to foreign climes, therefore I'll be needing someone to run things here, please let me know if you can help, thanks!

Last Sunday saw @saucer in the chair, slicing off the first "disc" of the new Stereolab complation, "Pulse Of The Early Brain", which included their collaborations with Nurse With Wound (which pleases me considerably, as I've always hoped NWW would end up here somehow by a process of collective osmosis). As expected it delighted and boggled in equal measures, so thanks to Murray for the pick and for sailing the frisb over to @ohmyliver, who's here with tonight's intro...

"Sometimes albums come to you like they're fated.  Like the universe is saying ‘this should be your soundtrack for now’.  I had rinsed a track from this last year, but never got around to listening to the rest of it until a few weeks ago.  

The album’s title is tragically ironic. It’s full of rhythm and blues, funky, replete with funk tropes like the sort of utterances that a buttoned-up cat like myself can only make if I stub my toe really badly. It also has an obvious nod towards late 60s heavy rock. It grooves, but in places it also moves.  There seems to be a pretty dark backstory to it as well, going by an interview with one of the musicians who worked on it that I recently watched on YouTube.

This album has been sampled by a veritable who's-who of ‘80s and ‘90s Hip Hop. From Public Enemy, to A Tribe Called Quest, to The Sugar Hill Gang, to Eric B and Rakim, to Double Dee and Steinski, to The Wu Tang Clan, etc etc. Also the call and response spoken, vocals  on one of the tracks is clearly a precursor to hip-hop. 

The artist was famed for gigging constantly for years, but only released a handful of singles, and this album, in the years they were active. It’s got a fairly well known producer, who you might be able to name by the fx/production/percussion on some of the tracks.  Both the producer, and band, were part of a close knit scene of influential Chicago soul musicians/groups

There’s a good chance that people might know the album, but it’s a mostly great album which hasn’t been picked before, so I’m taking that risk.

Drinking recommendations for those who do, is a specific brand of fortified wine, popular in the late 80s/early 90s with British students, goths, punks, and assorted people whose cash-strapped need to get drunk outstripped the needs of their taste buds."

Right then, download's here, stream's below:

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

The Listening Club - 2nd October 2022

Greetings folks,

Hope you're all doing good. Amsterdam is settling into early autumn as previously reported, but despite forecasts to the contrary (and event cancellations resulting), it's dry, mild and sunny right now, which is jolly nice, as we're off out soon for a bite to eat and then entertainment in the shape of Nick Lowe & Los Straitjackets, so there you go.

Quick note that due to another addition to the gigging calendar, I'll not be around on Sunday 16th October, so if anyone is available to do this here shebang, please let me know, otherwise it'll be awful quiet...

Last Sunday, we were wringing out the last of the mourning whine with our #royalvortex, which definitely covered the full range of regal interpretations. Many thanks to all who chipped in tunes, and to @saucer for wrangling and assembling. The very same @saucer is now also here clutching the frisbaton with this to say by way of introduction to tonight's pick...

"Once again, the challenge of the hot seat for LC sent me down a hundred musical rabbit holes, which is so, so fun. Again I'm reminded that our kind (humans) produce an incredible amount of beautiful audio art, each piece of it an act of resistance against fascism/dullness/amorality/stupidity.

The first two tracks on this record come from a pairing of artists you might not expect to even be aware of each other, let alone collaborate to create something so wonderfully of a piece. The other tracks have less odd provenance but are apparently not available for streaming or download... outside of this taster for Listening Club. I hope you enjoy.

Suggested pairing: chocolate."

Right then, download's here, stream's below:

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

The Listening Club - 25th September 2022

Greetings folks,

Hope you're all doing okay. Summer is well out of the way now here in Amsterdam, with no sign of a last mini-heatwave, sigh. Still, when the outdoors is not so good, the indoors comes along to make up for it, so it's another Sunday gig for us tonight (Vaudou Game this time) and another to follow next Sunday too (Nick Lowe & Los Straitjackets), so as always, I really shouldn't be complaining, eh?

Chez #LC, last Sunday we had @akx in the chair, jazzily mellowing folks nicely with his pick of  Linda Fredriksson's "Juniper", which looked like it went down very well indeed. Thanks to Aarni for the selection, and for sailing the frisb across to @saucer, who will deal with it in due course, as he has other fish to fry...

That's right, it's end-of-the-month, and that means #vortex time, and this time, maybe understandably as it's been in everyone's faces for the last couple of weeks, folks plumped for a #royalvortex, so that very same @saucer has been gathering and sorting your selections on a regal theme, for better and for worse, and here they are...

Download's here, stream's below:

See you 8pm BST for playback.

The Listening Club - 18th September 2022

Greetings folks,

Well, finally the warm embrace of summer ends, to be replaced by the clammy grey embrace of cloakroom season. Kinda apt as I'm off out this Sunday and next at gigs, hoorah.

Last Sunday saw wor @nessiest in the chair, sending the assembled spiralling off into the cosmic range with her pick of Gene Clark's "No Other" from 1974, which hit the spot that only "No Other" can hit, hence the name, I guess... Thanks to Vanessa for the pick, and for flipping the frisb over to Finland, where @akx looks up and declaims...

"This was on repeat for a while when it was released in April this year.

#drinkingclub: an introspective dram, or a pot of tea or coffee."

Right then, download's here or here, stream's below:

See you 8pm BST (GMT+1) tonight

The Listening Club - 11th September 2022

Greetings folks,

Hope you're all doing good. Still warm here in Amsterdam, although the rains are creeping in, but the shorts and flip-flops remain resolutely in use as much as possible. Been an unusual week all things considered (as u may kno), but glad we found time to pop out and see the Concertgebouw Orchestra kick off their season with an open air show in the westerpark, which, even though it was quite middle-of-the-road as classical stuff goes, was bloody lovely.

Last Sunday we had @iamwahl in the chair, dealing out "The Worse Things Get, the Harder I Fight, the Harder I Fight, the More I Love You" from Neko Case, which definitely hit the spot, both with those who knew, and those who didn't. Thanks extended for the pick, and also for the frisbaton sail across the ocean to @nessiest, who, despite having a super busy week (can testify), emailed this over as an intro for tonight's pick...

"I love this album. When @kleptones wanted to watch a documentary about this artist one evening, I was hooked. Many of you will know this, although if so I am hoping you haven’t listened to it in a while.  If you don’t know it, I think you should, voila! It’s been on my list of possibles for a long time. 

The artist is of Irish and Native American heritage and well, I just want to hear their voice this weekend.

Drinking club recommendations, gosh. Neat bourbon or a mug of tea."

Right then, download's here, stream's below:

See you 8pm BST (GMT+1)

The Listening Club - 4th September 2022

Greetings folks,

Hope you're all doing good. September eh? *Looks at thermometer* well, you coulda fooled me (26°C since you ask) *cracks open cold one*, nope, still not complaining, at least until the electric bill arrives. #truth

Last Sunday, we danced about the place to the #architecturevortex, which was a very fine selection of interpretations, thanks everyone for chipping in tunes and especial thanks to @jimmccauley for the excellent construction work. Prior to that we had @iamwahl clutching the frisb, so here he is with tonight's intro...

"This week’s selection comes to you courtesy of serendipity. I had something else completely cued up and ready to process and file with the editors. Then, while making a short drive to a favourite trail park for a late afternoon dog walk following last week’s vortex, a track on one of the mixed CDs I regularly cycle through while driving caught my attention and I couldn’t believe this recording wasn’t already in my pocket for upcoming ListeningClub inclusion. I think this artist is a monster of creativity and imagination, bringing a big dose of both to this album. Not easily pigeonholed or categorized, I hope the range of tunes and tones on this record will deliver at least a little something for everyone. Added bonus, it is from this decade…!

For #DrinkingClub I’d suggest a favoured brew, or something “neat”…."

Right then, direct download's here, stream's below:

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

 

The Listening Club - 28th August 2022

Greetings folks,

Hope you're all doing good. Still sunny and dry here in Amsterdam, though temps are back down to a more seasonal average, but seeing as it's been the "official hottest and sunniest summer since records began" (apparently), that's fair enough, I guess. Still, impending ecodisasters notwithstanding, I very much enjoyed it, and will be sad to see things cool down... le sigh.

Last Sunday we had that @zensolo back in the chair, getting angular in an early 80s NYC stylee with his pick of The Golden Palominos' debut album, which got the assembled bopping in a zippy way. Thanks to David for the pick, and for sailing the frisb across to @IamWahl, who has an extra week to ponder because...

Yes, vortex time again, and this time we prepare to dance to an #architecturevortex - Advance thanks to everyone who has chipped in tunes, and double treble thanks to @JimMcCauley for stepping in late in the day to do the heavy lifting. (I should note here that we're always looking for more vortex compilers, so if you have the skills and want to have a go, please send us a DM, would be great to have your help!)

Anyhoo, direct download's here, and the stream's below...

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

The Listening Club - 21st August 2022

Greetings folks,

Hope you're all doing good. A little cooler this week in Amsterdam, with a few thunderstorms, which has been welcomed by the parched and somewhat stinky (thanks local dogs!) streets. Still warm enough to take in some alfresco cinema ("Millie Lies Low", highly recommended) and check out some lesser known Amsterdam venues, well, the ones with outdoor spaces anyways... no complaints right now, really, which is nice, eh?

Last Sunday we had @fertanish in the chair for their debut pick, sailing out the brain-boggling "Tan Man's Hat" by Sean Noonan Pavees Dance which certainly got the assembled classes chattering happily. Thanks to Bill for the pick, and for doing a fast return of the frisbee back to @zensolo, so here's that man again...

"Last week's selection fueled repeated dives down some musical rabbit holes, leading to the realization that I actually have more jazz and jazz-adjacent sounds on this HD than I realized, as I haven't listened to them in a while.

This, of course, triggered the usual bout of second-guessing as I pondered a choice for this Sunday's selection, but, at the risk of being a bit too obvious, I'm sticking with the original idea of following through on some musical connections:

The bottom line (ouch) was-- last week's bass player is a guest on a couple of tracks here.

The motor for the project was, indeed, the rhythm nexus, which led to variations-- an evolution?-- in sound and style according to the variety of personnel invited to contribute from one recording to another.

Next year will be the 40th anniversary of this first outing's release! The labels 'no-wave' and 'avant-funk' hold up pretty well. The grapevine, even at this historical distance, is that the record didn't quite live up to what this outfit, in all its various permutations, could deliver onstage.

So I'll just shut up now. There's a fun, fun connection for an afterparty selection I'll keep under wraps...enjoy!"

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

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

The Listening Club - 14th August 2022

Greetings folks,

Hope you're all doing okay. Hot as balls here in Amsterdam, so it's been a week of low achievement and high speed fans, interspersed with occasional outdoor eating / drinking sessions when the temperature is agreeable. Even the expected tourist foot traffic around the neighbourhood has reduced to almost nothing, which is saying something. Meanwhile, most of our neighbours are away to their regular destinations of Italy, South of France, Spain etc... Good luck with that, I say.

Last Sunday we cooled our heels to the sounds of Marc Ribot's "Silent Movies" from back in 2010, as selected by @zensolo for the assembled's delectation, and collective appreciation, I'd say. Thanks extended for the pick, and for sailing the frisb across to @fertanish, who has this to say by way of introduction to their debut selection....

"He walked behind the drum kit and looked at us with wide eyes and a goofy grin. The message was clear, “we are going to have fun up here.” Every note played was new to my ears, but the joy of the show made it easy to turn the songs into friends.

I bought this release only hours after being introduced to the “Rhythmic Storyteller” and his wonderful band. I had doubts that the energy of the show I had just watched would be as infectious on a studio recording; however, this is easily the most-played album I have bought this year (which is really saying something). Thanks for the opportunity to share it with you and mentally revisit that concert."

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

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

The Listening Club - 7th August 2022

Greetings folks,

Hope you're all doing good. August already? There goes the summer etc. Felt good to get out for a boogie day to Dekmantel festival this weekend, and as it's Pride week, the city seems a little more friendly and smiley than normal, funny that...

Last Sunday, as was a month's end, twas a topical #heatwavevortex, and folks delivered quite splendidly, as did @saucer on the pick'n'mix front. Thanks & ice pops all round, I'd say. What's more, in the distance we see @zensolo with this to say by way of introduction to his pick for the eve...

"A last minute swerve. My first couple of choices went back to 1980- '82-- they were records that, with the passage of time, I have developed some mixed feelings about and thought of sharing, as per Rod Serling, 'for your consideration'. Maybe next time?

Decided this 2010 release would be truer to my current-- but usual or recurrent-- melancholy mood:

Solo guitar by an artist who usually plays a LOT louder & wilder. A soundtrack for (an) unmade film(s)-- which shows what his current direction may be...

Early in his career, he became known as a regular and favored session player with more than a few well-known artists, then developed three near-simultaneous projects.

This is a full hour. I hope it hits the spot & doesn't drag. Maybe a good meditative soundtrack for catching up on personal stuff?"

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

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

The Listening Club - 31st July 2022

Greetings,

Hope you're all doing okay. Bit of a grim dark grey day here in Amsterdam, humid as hell too, so I have the weird combination of both fans and lights on. Que sera, I guess, although it's been a successful day of very tedious administrative dealings with government entities and phone companies, so I'm feeling very pleased with myself, which makes a change all round...

Last Sunday chez #LC we had @holette in the chair, getting motorik with her pick of "Anaphora" by Mood Taeg, which succeded on all fronts it seems. Many thanks to Sarah for the pick, and for sailing the frisb over to @zensolo who has an extra week to ponder their pick, because...

...of course it's the end of the month, and that means vooooortexxx, this time a pretty self explanitary #heatwavevortex (apologies to any Antipodean readers, who would probably prefer the inverse, but hey, that's kinda the problem, innit?). Anyhoo, our man on the spot, @Saucer, has been gathering tunes all week and has this to say by way of introduction...

"Most of these songs about heat were written using it as a metaphor for libido or emotion, so it's an interesting twist to listen to them through the lens of climate disaster on the macro level and some very unpleasant (and sometimes very dangerious) days on a personal level. Thanks, all, for the privilege of playing with your awesome picks. Enjoy!"

Download is here, stream's below:

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

The Listening Club - 24th July 2022

Greetings folks,

Hope you're all doing okay. Nearly the end of July already, blimey, where does the time go? Still toasty here in Amsterdam, not quite boil in the bag levels like last week, but I've still got the cat's "cool mat" keeping my feet from overheating as I type (cat is outside, he's decided he loves the temps). So it goes.

Speaking of what goes, it's nearly the end of the month, so I figure that means a #vortex. I was awol last Sunday in Utrecht eating Afghan food and then watching Joe Jackson, so not sure if there was a theme decided, but sure we'll sort it out in the tweets tonight, eh?

Last Sunday, whilst I was enjoying my concert, the #LC was enjoying @wojsvenwoj's selection of Sudan Archives' "Athena" which went down well it seems. Thanks to Woj for the pick and for sailing the frisb over to @Holette, who's here with this to say...

"I thought I'd choose tonight's selection as it is obviously indebted to a genre I don't think I've heard much of on Listening Club. The originators of this experimental genre from the late 60s and early 70s have had a huge influence on some of the records I love.

This album only came out last year, created, very much in the spirit of the genre, by a collective of artists and musicians spanning Scotland, Shanghai and, inevitably, Düsseldorf. I've been enjoying a bit of time with the music and I hope you do too.

Drinking club: Perhaps a schnapps or two."

Right then, download's here, stream's below: 

See you 8pm BST (GMT+1)

The Listening Club - 17th July 2022

Greetings,

Hope you're all doing okay. Bit scorchio on this side of the planet right now, which is more than a little alarming. Here in Amsterdam we're only going to get a couple of days of mega heat (well, this time round anyway), which is a relief, and not until next week, which is also a relief as we're off out tonight to see Joe Jackson in Utrecht, so yes, tonight you have both me and our erstwhile selectionist absent, which may well be interesting...

Last Sunday we had @Andrew_Oleksiuk in the chair, dealing out a decidely quirky slice of American twang in the shape of The Meat Puppets' (possibly weather-appropriate) "Up On The Sun", which went down very well indeed so it seemed. Thanks to Andrew for the pick, and for flipping the frisb across to @wojsvenwoj, who had this to say before sloping off elsewhere....

"Like most of you I imagine, I always have a few albums in the back pocket that are potential picks for Listening Club. Oddly enough though, this was not one of them even though it really caught my ear when it came out a few years ago. 

That artist has a new record coming out later this year which, as I mentioned on Twitter earlier this week, I thought was already released and had been thinking it would be fun to do a first listen to with all y'all...but alas, that was not to be.

So, I took all the back pocket albums, added the last album by the mystery artist, queued them up to listen to on Friday evening's drive out of town, and, by gum, that was the one that tickled my fancy most.

I know that's a bunch of words about the process instead of the music but, well, sometimes that how it goes. I will say this though: it's one of those albums that both Stereogum and I agree on. 

I'll try to check in sometime during the appointed hour but, either way, enjoy!"

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

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

The Listening Club - 10th July 2022

Greetings folks,

Hope you're all doing okay. Feeling a little humdrum here, if I'm honest, now that the planning and activities of the last month or so have subsided, it's time to, well, try and find something else to get excited about, I guess... and make some damn hay whilst the sun thinks about coming back out, heh.

Last Sunday we had @saucer in the chair, piling on the noise and atmospherics with their pick of "A Quiet - Earthquake Style" by the bi-lingually puntastic La Morte Young, which had the assembled oohing and aahing like the auditory firework display it was. Thanks to Mr. S for the pick, and for sailing the frisb over to @Andrew_Oleksiuk, who's right here with tonight's intro...

This album slept deeply in the vinyl LP collection up until recently. I hadn’t played or heard it in decades and when I did it blew me away. Writhing in nostalgia (for me) and yet still fresh as morning biscuits, the band was a staple of the college rock scene in the US in the 80s and influenced many. The band’s illicit intoxicant-fueled touring habits eventually backfired, though they reunited and carried on after some tragic personnel pyrotechnics over the years. This album is among their earliest. Nearly a decade later they would break out into the nascent alternative space in the early 90s. Includes bonus tracks not on the original album. 

Although you may spell vibes with a “V”, I say enjoy the wibes of the hour. We all need some."

Right then, download's here, stream's below:

See you at 8pm BST tonight!

The Listening Club - 3rd July 2022

Greetings folks,

Hope you're all doing good. Yep, @kleptones here again, back from the fields of Worthy Farm and pretty much recovered from what was most definitely a very, very good Glastonbury indeed. Weather gods were on our side (phew!) and the collective mood was wholeheartedly celebratory and kind from start to finish (understandable as everyone had been waiting three years for this to happen), which made the whole thing go with an almighty swing. Fun to play a few bar DJ sets too, especially whilst drinking some fine cornish ales, and catching up with a whole ton of friends and acquaintances, none of whom I'd seen since pre-pandemic times, if not longer (our last Glastonbury was 2017, which seems decades ago now....). A well worthwhile escapade indeed.

Back here in #LC-land, major thanks go out to @JimMcCauley for minding the store and taking care of the annual #livevortex, and also gracias to everyone who chipped in a track or two. Checking the notes left here, we now find @saucer waving the frisb with this to say...

"One of the many things this wonderful little club teaches me is to pause, calm down, and trust my musical friends to listen along with me to picks I'm very unsure about in terms of whether anyone else might like them. For example, when I picked Jenny O. Or Horse Lords. Or a 1961 original cast (poor-quality) recording of a biographical musical called King Kong.

This pick? Thank you in advance, I'm just going with it, and I do hope you find it as engrossing as I do.

If you're in the mood for something cozy or danceable or cheery, well, I expect track one will dash that posthaste. Then again, maybe this music is all those things."

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

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

The Listening Club – 26th June 2022

Hey there listening chums! @kleptones is at Glastonbury, so you get me, @JimMcCauley, taking care of business this weekend. I haven't seen a lot from Pilton this weekend so far, but my high points have been Confidence Man's set on Friday afternoon, and spotting photos in the Guardian of my pals from the Natural Theatre Company doing their flowerpot thing, which must have been sweaty work. And I was frankly gutted to be living a bit too far from Frome to get over there and nab a ticket for Macca's secret warm-up gig on Thursday.

Anyway, last week @corin_ja was on the decks, delighting the assembled with Minnie Riperton's Come to My Garden, which definitely hit that whistle register. So big thanks to Corin for the pick, and for lobbing the frisbaton at @saucer, who will of course be up next week because...

That's right, it's the more-or-less-annual Live Vortex: 16 live tracks to get you up, down and all around, without the prospect of having to find your way back to a tent in the dark afterwards. Thanks to everyone who lobbed in a track or two; the download's here or you can stream it just down there.

Catch you all at 8PM! (BST!)

The Listening Club - 19th June 2022

Greetings and happy advance solstice!

Hope you're all doing good. Busy busy here in Amsterdam, as the weather bounces between boiling and showering, and inside the house we bounce between suitcase and rucksack, preparing ourselves for yet another Glastonbury - for me this marks the 29th year since my first one in '93, and I've been to about 3/4s of the ones inbetween, which makes me pretty fucking bonkers any way you look at it. Sigh. Still, it's the one place I really can't say no to, dammit, so off we go into the land of suncream and mud once again...

Of course that means that we need someone else to run things here next Sunday, which is also a #vortex week, so let me know in the tweets if you can help out!

Last Sunday we had @SimonLandmine in the chair, hitting an unusually rocktastic note with his pick of Slash's eponymous solo album from 2010, which er, rocked the assembled quite succesfully it seems. Thanks to Simon for the pick, and for sailing the frisb over to @corin_ja who has this to say by way of introduction to tonight's selection...

"Short one from me this week. Something to sink into while you're drifting in-and-out of wakefulness in a warm, sunny meadow, or perhaps besides a pool, a glass of something sparkling and indulgent at your elbow.

I was reflecting on my own tendency to choose white rock guys when people ask me to name my favourite albums, etc. Thought I'd swim against my own unconscious bias by deliberately seeking out something different. This is a record I don't know that well, although the artist is someone I'm very familiar with thanks to a sadly-defunct UK festival of the late 90s and 00s. They've contributed some highly influential music, both as a band-member and a solo performer, but here I thought I'd go back to the beginning and we can discover the record together, pretty much.

#drinkingclub has to be a cocktail of fizz, pink vodka & fresh raspberries. Cheers!"

Reet then. Download's here, stream's below.

See you 8pm BST (GMT+1)

The Listening Club - 12th June 2022

Hey there folks and all that.

Yes, @kleptones back here again, tanned and happy after a Barcelona sojourn. Primavera Sound definitely has a lot going for it musically (Saturday night's wham-bam of Einsturzende Neubauten > Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds > Idles > Squarepusher will take some beating), but shoddy organsation (fixable) and awful over-branding (que sera) made it a bit of an"enjoyed despite" event, instead of an "enjoyed because" event, if you know what I mean. Still, Barcelona remains a grand place, the temps were very bon, and you can't go wrong with that.

Thanks to @JimMcCauley for minding the house in our absence, which saw @IamWahl getting smooth with his pick of David & David's "Boomtown" from 1986, which seemed to trigger some serious genre discussions, from what I can see. Thanks extended for the pick, and for the sail of the frisb across to @SimonLandmine, who has finally decided on his pick, it seems...

"As usual, I had a few ideas for my selection this time around, but one of them gave me second thoughts, and I was undecided between the next two, as one seemed more summery, but the other longer one was possibly better. And then I remembered an event that was on this weekend, and I decided a change of style was required, because me doing the selection this weekend could be some kind of sign. Or something. So I looked further down my 'short' list and this jumped out at me.

What you have here is an album of collaborations, but it shouldn't take some of you too long to identify who the common factor is. They're someone justifiably renowned within their scene, and for a lot more than the act that initially brought them to fame. Due to the range of collaborators there is more variety in this album than is often found in 'solo' albums - this is someone willing to take cues from others and work with them. And at least one of the collaborators was quite a surprise, branching out into a genre that they're not really known for.

I know it may not be a genre that you're all big fans of, but I hope that you'll give it an hour of your Sunday, and hope that you find something to appreciate it in, or can at least play "identify the collaborator". At least it's not Duran Duran covering Public Enemy this time ...

For #DrinkingClub ... it's got to be Jack Daniels, really, but with a variety of mixers, much like this album."

Right then. Download's here in dropbox or google flavour, and the stream's below:

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

The Listening Club – 5th June 2022

Hey there, listening chums! It's @JimMcCauley at your service, while @kleptones (along with @nessiest) is away at Primavera, from where he taunted me on Friday night with a photo of The Armed on stage, damn his eyes. Luckily I haven't had much time to dwell on this as, due to an unexpected turn of events, I now find myself producing a play, which so far is very much like herding cats, something I've had a lot of practice with over the last couple of years. Fun times!

Last week was the can't-believe-we-hadn't-already-done-it #ThemeTuneVortex, which turned out just dandy, so thanks to everyone who contributed tracks and, of course, extra thanks to @akx for gluing them all together. Normal services returns this week with a pick from @IamWahl, who is here to tell you all about it:

"This album first came to my attention out of nowhere and became a repeated listen in its day, that (for me) now represents a certain era. Can’t say it is especially iconic, remotely a renowned classic, or representative “of a generation” but it hangs on as something I can return to that is somehow a comfort. Obviously, this is personal, and it probably won’t be for everyone’s tastes. That said, I hope there is a little bit of something for all to be found here—could be the songwriting or narratives, the range of instrumentation/tonality, the arrangements, the (now all too) familiar production. If you haven’t heard it, you may as well know it is out there; and if you have heard it, but haven’t for a time, perhaps it will be a refreshing and/or satisfying journey to another time in your life.

"For #DrinkingClub there are so many poor beverage choices to be made that might be associated with this music that tomorrow morning could be a bit jangly (Sex On The Beach, Long Island Iced Tea, White Zinfandel, Slippery Nipple, Between The Sheets, Light Beer, Tequila Sunrise, B52, Wine Coolers, Fuzzy Navel, any of the range of drinks made with Blue Curacao…)."

Splendid. Direct download is here, or simply stream below:

See you at 8PM (BST)!

The Listening Club - 29th May 2022

Greetings folks,

Hope you're all doing okay. Summer seems to be temporarily on hold here (i hope) in Amsterdam, after a week of cool, grey and wet dampening the general spirits, and more to come next week it seems, so just as well me & V are going off to sunnier climes for a bit... and as I mentioned before, I still need someone to run this thing next Sunday, so let me know if you want to help out or it'll be a bit quiet!

Last Sunday we had the honorable @FaberFedor in the chair, sending forth the swing as only Stephane Grappelli, Joe Pass and Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen can bring, in concert at "Tivoli Gardens" (it's in Copenhagen, folks!). Thanks to FF for the pick, and for sailing the frisb over to @iamwahl, who has an extra week to consider their options because...

Yeah, #vortex innit. This time, thanks to the brainwave of @JimMcCauley we have a #themetunevortex - do what thou wilt he said, you did, and @akx has collected and merged the results as proof.

Download's here - gdrive, direct, stream's below:

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

The Listening Club - 22nd May 2022

Lots of twos there, eh?

Hope you're all doing good. I'm feeling tired but fulfilled after a week on the workout farm (aka doing DIY on my mum's house in the UK), managing to zoom back here late yesterday in time to see Billy Bragg finally get to do a show that I bought tickets for over 30 months ago. And it was excellent, bless 'im. 

In #LC land, it was me, myself and I @kleptones that left Henri Salvador's "Homme Studio" compilation of home recordings from 1970-75 for the assembled to groove to, and groove to it they did, which was pleasing. All that remained was to flip the frisb over to @faberfedor, who's here with tonight's intro...

"I decided to clean out the front closet this week: throw away things I've not used in years, select books to go to the library, etc.

In one of the crates I came across had some old sheet music I played many moons ago: jazz, classical, medieval, baroque, stuff along those lines. That led me down a couple of other rabbit holes, including listening to some CDs I haven't heard in a while. It was a nice nostalgic afternoon.

And now I get to share one of them with you. While we've had this genre before, we haven't had, to my recollection, this particular niche on display. The artists involved are considered some of the best that ever played their instruments. The style isn't for everyone but I think it's good selection for a hot sunny sunday afternoon. 

It'll be a nice change of pace (I hope!)."

Download's here, stream's below.

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