The Listening Club - 21st April 2024

Salutations folks,

Hope you're all doing well and good. An up and down week here in Amsterdam, some things good, some not so good, as befits a week of sunshine and showers, alongside chilly temps thanks to a chilly northerly, which fortunately looks like warming up a bit before Kings Day (current forecast 17°C and partly cloudy, which is fine by me!). Anyhoo, looking forward to seeing folks on Saturday for that, and the whole weekend in general, bring it on!

Speaking of which, next Sunday is End-Of-Month, so make ready with your #vortex suggestions please!

Last Sunday we had @ThatNewSound in the chair for their debut pick, and that turned out to be Pinback's "Blue Screen Life" from 2001, which went down mighty fine with the assembled. Thanks extended for the pick, and for sailing the frisb over to @aqidraco for tonight's pick, and here's the intro...

"9784 is the number of scrobbles of this artist at the top of my most listened to songs list on Last.Fm. 

It’s time to recognize the importance this artist had for me over the past decade plus. I probably discovered them in the late 2000s. Even if I haven’t listened as much to them in the recent years, it is hitting all the feels anytime I do. 

It has been quiet around them, the last record came out in 2016. It made it to number 12 on the German charts. I’m happy to report that they are currently on tour in Germany and there is buzz about a new record out there. 

Join me on this nostalgic electronics trip with your favorite drink from the 2010s."

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

See you 20:00 BST (GMT+1) tonight.

The Listening Club - 11th April 2024

Greetings folks,

Hope you're all doing good. Another little heatwave blowing across Amsterdam, so, for the second weekend in a row, it's been clear and warm and all that that entails. The lilac and wisteria out the front are reacting accordingly also, which is grand. Crossing fingers that it maintains the rhythm (and the blossoms), as it's Kings Day in two weeks time, and you know what that means...

Last Sunday saw @corin_ja in the chair, firing out a classic of the slightly-lesser-known category, in the shape of Joan Armatrading's eponymous debut album from 1976, which got the assembled folks grooving and swooning satisfactorily, I'd say. Thanks to Corin for the pick, and for sailing the frisb across to @ThatNewSound, who's right here with the intro to their debut selection...

"Well... That was as hard as I expected. I listened to a lot of music this week trying to find the right album for a debut pick. It felt like picking the soundtrack to the first 10 seconds of meeting someone for the first time. It took a while to realise I was entirely missing the point by trying to find something everyone else would like so here is something I like. Probably my favourite album by probably my favourite artist. It's an album I found accidentally in my late teens and instantly fell in love with and a band I wish more people knew about. I would love to hear if anyone knows the band or album, and also love to hear if anyone can identify the sample on track 3! I hope you enjoy it.

If you're listening with a beverage the only suggestion has to be your favourite craft IPA."

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

See you 20:00 BST (GMT+1) tonight for playback.

The Listening Club - 7th April 2024

Salutations folks,

Hope you're doing good. Freakishly warm weather here in Amsterdam, as a slim wave of saharan heat has travelled all the way through Europe up to us, providing a rather lovely weekend, if a little odd for the time of year. Still, the denizens (and tourists) ain't complaining, that's for sure. So, fortified by some prime early-season stoop-sitting and treat-consumption, we continue...

Last Sunday was a rare thing, Easter Sunday and also last Sunday of the month, so a #ComebackVortex made good sense, and who better to welcome back to do the assembly than @JimMcCauley, and the result? A multitude of interpretations, and some mighty fine sounds indeed - thanks to everyone for chipping in.

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

"The customary blurb. For this week’s Listening Club I have chosen an album that I really like and that I want to share with you all. The artist was a big deal in their heyday but I feel is currently under-appreciated. I must have first heard them when I was a kid, and I wasn’t that bothered back then, but returning to their work more recently I have found the music comforting and absorbing and clever. I particularly like the lyrical narratives, little stories that are played out in a number of these tracks. The musicianship is also excellent, and the production is superb - apologies if this crappy MP3 doesn’t convey that. So, I invite you to sit back, relax and enjoy this record. Pour a glass of wine, if you take it, but maybe add a little water."

Download's here, stream's below:

See you 20:00 BST (GMT+1)

The Listening Club - 31st March 2024

Greetings folks,

Happy Easter to you all, however you wish to celebrate it, with chocolate and bunnies, getting together with family, or just taking advantage of a long weekend. All of which have been happening here and keeping me occupied, so as the clock is now ticking loudly, let's get on...

Last Sunday saw @FaberFedor in the chair, sending us back in time for a tribute to even further back in time in the shape of 1993's "Stone Free: A Tribute To Jimi Hendrix", which got everyone grooving and rocking out like a Saturday night down at The Bronze. Thanks to FF for the pick, and for sailing the frisb over to @corin_ja who has an extra week to ponder because..

...yep, first Easter Sunday vortex ever? No one has said otherwise so let's say it is. And as the returning mixmaster @JimMcCauley suggested appropriately, a #ComebackVortex it is. As to what that means, there's only one way to find out...

Download's here, stream's below:

See you at 20:00 BST (GMT+1) clocks have changed here - check your local timezones carefully!

The Listening Club - 24th March 2024

Salutations folks,

Hope you're doing good. Spring continues to grab hold of Amsterdam, sending a weekend of sunshine and showers our way, which means opening of windows and clearing out, cleaning up and general removal of winter grot, nothing to do with my mother visiting next weekend, honest... hem hem. Speaking of which, twill be Easter Sunday next time, and also a #vortex which I don't think has happened before (expect to be corrected on that stat) so discussion on a theme to follow tonight, I'm sure...

Last Sunday it was me, @kleptones, deeply chilling in my preferred style with James Blackshaw's 2007 album "The Cloud Of Unknowing", which had the desired effect on most of the attendees. All that remained was for a quick fling of the frisb across to @faberfedor, who's here with tonight's intro....

"During LC Anxiety Week, I came up with three great selections.

I tossed all of them at the last minute.

I randomly selected something out of The Box.

I'm wondering what else is in The Box!"

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

See you 20:00 GMT tonight (daylight-saving hoo-hah may apply, be aware).

The Listening Club - 17th March 2024

Greetings folks,

Hope you're all doing good. More spring signs across the city as blossom appears here and there, and a general spread of buds on the wisteria and lilac has appeared around the outside of the house, which is very welcome. Also with the seasonal change comes the occasional flurry of lost-looking tourists squinting at their phone-maps and trying to figure out where the hell they are. All as it should be really,

Last Sunday @EastVanHalen was in the chair, spinning soulful Egyptian sounds in the shape of Al Massrieen's "Modern Music", a compilation of 70s & 80s tracks put out in 2017 by the esteemed Habibi Funk label, which got everyone grooving most effectively, I'd say. Many thanks to Steph for the pick and for sailing the frisb across to, me @kleptones, so it's time to go all italic for tonight's intro...

"...right then. 

I deliberately left tonight's pick to the last minute, as I knew we were heading out to see Underworld last night, which would definitely influence what I wanted to pick tonight. And so, unsurprisingly after having had my senses seriously pummeled for a few hours, tonight's pick is a somewhat gentler contrast to help soothe those jangled senses, and the inevitable hangover, natch.

I'm surprised I've never picked this artist before (had to go and check the list to be sure) as their music has been a regular listen ever since I first discovered them over 15 years ago, but there you go. 

I think also this is the first time someone has picked a solo instrumental album for #LC, but I'll probably be proved wrong by someone. I'm sure there are similar musicians dotted around the world (you may know of one or two), but in this instance the discovery happened to be a reasonably local person (from Hastings, not far from my old home in Brighton), which allowed me the opportunity to see them perform close-to-home several times in appropriately intimate environments.

As usual I'm reluctant to say much more, other than to warn that this is a rather deep and spacious listen, so feel free to get comfortable in advance - you may even nod off, which is fine - I'm really not expecting the hashtag chat to be super lively either, although as always, you never know..

The album dates from 2007, but it's a little short, so I've attached a bonus track from their following album at the end, partially to extend the mood, and partially because the track in question is really beautiful, so consider it a pre-attched after-party tune.

Hope you enjoy!"

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

See you at 20:00 GMT tonight!

The Listening Club - 10th March 2024

Hey folks,

Hope you're doing good. Back in Amsterdam after a spontaneous soujourn to Prague last weekend, where the local beer and wine continues to flow deliciously and the sausages, goulash and dumplings do a grand job of soaking it all up. Back in Amsterdam there are plenty signs of an early spring, as buds and blossom appear around the neighbourhood, and the sun pokes its head out for the first time in god-knows-how-long, which is all very well and good, it must be said.

Whilst we were returning from the above, last Sunday @woj was in the chair, rocking and a souling with his pick of Barrence Whitfield & The Savages "Glory", which seemed to go down pretty damn well. Thanks to Woj for the pick, and for sailing the frisb over to @EastVanHalen, who's here with tonight's intro...

"I’ve been feeling weirdly stuck lately - busy with good work, grateful for friends and family, but treading water elsewhere. After many years of activism I’ve become used to fighting through hard situations and hard times, but the past few years have been heavy with many things, not least with the awareness that a lot of the 'good guys' - and the parts of activism that circle hungrily around power - aren’t so good at all. 

So it was happy luck to come across a comrade’s writing about his own feelings of being stuck, and about how he’s been finding his way back to hope. “[This artist] tells us, that even though things are really hard, seem hopeless, and you don’t see a way forward—the sun rises in the morning and calls to us: 'Ebda’ Men Gedid!' (Start from the Beginning!)" This comrade is from Egypt, the songs are in Arabic, I knew nothing about this artist, but it’s been cool to start exploring. And it has me thinking about what starting from the beginning looks like in my own traditions.   

In case you’re interested, here’s the blog post that got me (and us) here (spoiler alert!)"

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

See you 20:00 GMT, watch out for daylight-saving changes in other time zones!

The Listening Club - 3rd March 2024

Hey folks,

Hope you're all doing fine. Whizzing this out a few days in advance as we're heading off to the land of fine beer for a weekend away,  so let's get on with it...

Last Sunday we entertained alternate timelines in fine style with the #NeverEverVortex, a random, but somehow interconnected selection of tunes, the likes of which we will never see again, we hope. Many thanks to all who chipped in, and double plus thanks to @akx for the assembly work. Back in regular #LC-land, we find @woj holding the frisb, with this to say by way of introduction to their pick...

"A couple weeks ago now, we lost the great Dexter Romweber. Probably most well-known as a co-founder of the Flat Duo Jets, he also had a pretty storied career as a sideman for many big names and then with his sister Sara in the Dex Romweber Duo. His command of the stage, his presence, and his antics were legendary and, by all reports, way larger than life. Unfortunately, I never had the chance to see them - the Flat Duo Jets due to constraints of time and space and the Duo because I foolishly passed on the times he and his sister played in town thinking there would always be a next time. Alas. 

While ruminating about Dex, I got to thinking about other larger-than-life stage presences which naturally lead to this week's artist. He's also a maniac behind the mic and takes complete control of the audience with his powerful, soulful voice and his utter commitment to the performance. I have seen him and his band -- in the same small room that Dex and Sara would frequent here in New Haven in fact -- and his performances are not to be missed. Fortunately, most of that comes through on the studio albums...so here's his most recent release from last year. Turn it up and boogie woogie!"

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

See you 20:00 GMT on Sunday night!

The Listening Club - 25th February 2024

'Lo there folks,

Hope you're all doing good. Bit of a non-week here in Amsterdam, the usual blend of grey and wet, although the sun made a rare appearence today, there's a few flowers poking out of the ground here and there, and the wood pigeons are nesting in the bush over the way, so here's hoping these signs indicate an early spring for a change...

Last Sunday @holette was in the chair delivering Elliot Smith's posthumous final album "From A Basement On The Hill", which met the approval of the assembled quite whole heartedly, and deservedly so, imho. Thanks to Sarah for the pick, and for sailing the frisb acxross to @woj, who has a little extra time to ponder because...

Yep, end of the month means vortex time, and this time the conversation drifted over to a #NeverEverVortex - Ideas never used, artists never picked, for whatever reason, here's an opportunity to give them a moment in the sun. However you've interpreted it, it's here, mixed into a froth by @akx...

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

See you at 20:00 GMT tonight.

The Listening Club - 18th February 2024

Salutations folks.

@kleptones here, back from faraway lands (which were very welcoming and enjoyable indeed, thanks for asking), and now suffering the traditional jetlag-enhanced "back-to-work" discombobulations. Huge thanks to @emmaprice and @saucer for keeping the ball rolling in my absence, very much appreciated. Also the calendar tells me it's going to be an end-of-the-month-sunday next week, so get your #vortex ideas out and we'll shake them all about later today...

Last Sunday (it says here), @aqidraco was in the chair sending out a solid classic (for me, anyways) in the shape of Talk Talk's "Spirit Of Eden" from back in 1988, which went down rather well, so it seemed. Thanks to Aqi for the pick, and for sailing the frisb over to @holette, who's here with tonight's intro....

"I don't really feel like saying too much about this album before you listen. 

Some of you will know about it and I hope it will be a chance to revisit the music and songwriting. It's an album I know really well but had somehow dropped off my playlist for years. It's been an absolute joy discovering it all over again. 

Drinking club recommendation: Two shots of happy, one shot of sad."

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

See you 20:00 GMT tonight.

The Listening Club - 11th February 2024

Hey it’s @Saucer again filling in for @Kleptones for one more week as we head into Saint Valentines Day. Not much to report from Boulder, as I gratefully suffer the aftermath of a vaccination… and kind of drift in and out of capacity to press keys on the keyboard in a nonrandom order. b;lnasdh

Last week @Erimichkea treated us to the third LP from Minneapolis band Poliça, United Crushers. A dreamy listen that evoked lots of near recognitions among the assembled. 

(In parallel, some controversy broke out regarding which Groundhog Day mascot rules. And yet… after some hot contention, not sure whether Punxsutawney Phil, Flatiron Freddy, or someone else came out on top….)

Which brings us (?) to this week’s pick, enabled by a deft, last-minute frisbaton snag by @aqidrago, here now with her intro…

“I really wanted to share and listen with you all together to this album on Sunday, May the 14, 2023. But then another album jumped ahead in line and took its spot. So, here we are 8 months later. You probably know a number of their famous songs. This album is more, well, experimental. It is an album, I only discovered through Mastodon and I keep coming back to it.

“As choice of beverage, I dare you to try something new, something experimental, outside of your usual choice of beverages and invite you to join me on this soundscape escape.

Happy Valentine’s Day. Aside from the typical commercial cards, chocolates, and flowers, why not do something non-commercial for your loved ones. Paint a picture, write a poem, sing a song… make a mixtape. 🥰”

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

See you 20:00 GMT tonight!  (That’s noon Pacific, 15:00 Eastern, 21:00 Central Europe)

The Listening Club - 4th February 2024

Hey LC fam, 

It’s @Saucer here filling in this week & next for @Kleptones on the old blog front. As I write you, it’s a mix of freezing rain, snow, and fog in Boulder. And apart from needing to go out and do some errands in a few… this is very much my kind of weather (not only happy when it rains, I promise). Poor birds, though! They were just getting accustomed to the sun & relative warmth and now everything’s covered in wet, heavy snow.

But speaking of warmth and winter… big thanks to @EmmaPrice for handling the LC duties last week for our winter/summer/Camus vortex… with a record-setting name suggested by @Vinomadic that reminded me of album titles by Spacemen 3 or Keiji Haino/Sumac: In the Depths of Winter, I Finally Learned that Within Me There Lay an Invincible Summer. What a vortex title. Big thanks to each of you who sent in such excellent tunes. Was an honor and a pleasure to sort and stich.

Just before our Camus vortex, @iamwahl had flipped that ol’ frisbee to @Erimichkea, and here she is now with her intro to tonight’s selection: 

"I hadn’t listened to this full album in a few years, and I found it again while searching for something to contribute to last week’s vortex playlist.  The title of the first track would have fit the theme nicely, but after listening to the whole album again, I decided to save it for my selection this week.  It’s a music genre that I don’t listen to a lot, but I’ve always enjoyed the singer’s vocals. The band has several other albums before and after this one, but this is the one I keep coming back to."

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

See you 20:00 GMT tonight!  (That’s noon Pacific, 15:00 Eastern, 21:00 Central Europe)

The Listening Club - 28th January 2024

@emmaprice here once again with the renegade master coming live from Amsterdam. As promised in last week's #listeningclub I shall be going on a hipster baiting Soapbar mission during my soujourn here.

Speaking of last week @iamwahl was in the chair and treated us to Don't Call Me Buckwheat by Garland Jeffreys which seemed to go down rather well with the assembled throng.  

The Frisbaton was deftly caught by @erimichkea who has another week to ponder their choice as tonight we're delving into the world of Albert Camus with our 'In the Depths of Winter, I Finally Learned that Within Me There Lay an Invincible Summer' Vortex. As always huge thanks to @saucer for compiling and creating tonight's #Vortex

#ITDOWIFLTWMTLAIS #nowthatswhatIcallahashtag

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

The Listening Club - 21st January 2024

Greetings fellow lovers of the tune. @emmaprice here sitting in for our tunemeister while he's off to sunnier climes. Last week I was in the hotseat and treated you all to Funke & The Two Tone Baby and his 2023 release Reacclimate which seemed to go down rather well.

The frisbaton was deftly caught by @iamwahl who is here with this introduction

While this isn’t my most favourite album by this artist, like every other of their albums I possess, it remains in the stack of recordings I regularly return to for repeated listens. There was a break in their career and, I must confess, I lost contact with them when there was nothing forthcoming for many years. Partly as a result of this, I didn’t discover this album until well after its initial release (yes, it was another thrift-store find), which in turn was more than a decade after the most recent of this artist’s recordings that I had originally fallen in love with. This may not be the most recognizable of this performer’s output (although in some locations it may be) but it is representative of the breadth of their creativity and articulate voice. This is personal. There is an angry bite here, that delivers a mouthful of sweetness. As Emma Goldman said, "If I can't dance, I don't want to be part of your revolution”—come on down to the barricades, raise your fist, and swivel those hips….

As it is (for some) #DryJanuary I’ll leave #DrinkingClub up to each participant’s whims…

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

The Listening Club - 14th January 2024

Hey folks, 

Hope you're all doing good - Pretty standard grey / wet here, with a little touch of clear / cold occasionally, but we're pretty much bedded into winter, which seems like a perfect time to head off to a different part of the world or two, which is what we're about to do - first decent trip away for a good few years, thanks to pandemics and other real world concerns, so we're seriously looking forward to it. Major thanks to @EmmaPrice & @Saucer who have offered to take over management here whilst we're away - never know though, we might be tuning in from a distance if we get a chance, will have to wait and see... either way, see you in a month or so!

Last Sunday, we marked the changing of the years in customary #LC style with the 2023 #FestiveVortex, 33 slices of super-varied sounds, the mixing of which always causes no end of furrowed brows for me, so thanks for the post-playback props, it's always very much appreciated!

Looking back into '23, we see the aforementioned @EmmaPrice was left holding the frisbee, so over to her for the first #LC intro of '24...

"Evening all, hope 2024 is treating you well so far.

You know when you start getting to know someone better and realise you've found a musical sibling who reacts in the same way you do to the music that's within your soul. Someone who reminds you why you love a certain track or the way someone makes a guitar sing. It opens the door to the very heart of who you are and what's important in your world. I've had that experience recently and it's intoxicatingly glorious. My first gig with this person was this artist in an intimate London venue late last year and it was one of my gigs of the year. I've not done the final tally yet but my band count for last year is 150+ so you can understand why I'm so excited to share tonight's artist with you.

When the frisbaton landed I instantly knew I was picking this album. It was such a refreshing change to not have pickers angst/doing the whole shortlisting process.

This artist was a Boomtown Festival discovery thanks to a late night chat backstage with someone I met in a mosh pit due to his most excellent band shirt. Once I'd recovered from going to bed at 10am on the final day I started listening to this artists work and was immediately hooked. This album came out in October and has been on pretty constant rotation for me since. Only reason I didn't put a track into the best of 2023 vortex was not spoilering tonight.

Drinking Club is something yellow - White wine/beer/cider all count by my reckoning :)"

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

See you 20:00 GMT tonight!

The Listening Club - 7th January 2024

Greetings folks, and Happy New Year to you all.

Hope you've had an enjoyable one, whatever you've been up to. Been a gentle time here in Amsterdam, eating, drinking and conversing as befits the season - not much partying, but we're saving that for later this month when we vacate the premises for a few weeks (from Sun 21st Jan for 4 Sundays!) . Thanks to those of you who have offered services to keep this ship running in my absence - I will be in touch on M-don in the next few days to discuss the details - and still open to more offers of help if you're so incluned, please let me know.

Way back in time, we saw @Woj on frisbee duty, playing his traditional end-of-year game of "I wonder what that's like?! with "Data" by Tainy, which definitely got the assembled bopping in an early-xmas-party-where's-the-punch sort of way. Thanks extended for the pick and for sailing the frisb over to @EmmaPrice, who has had a serious amount of time to consider her pick, and still a week more to go, because...

...Yeah, it's that time again, when the best new sounds that passed through your ears in the preceding year gather together in one place to duke it out, it's the 2023 Festive Vortex - This year a bumper crop of 33 selections, from the sublime to the ridiculous and back again, encased in just over two hours of playtime (looks like we're going to have to restrict submissions a bit in future, eh?, especially if folks insist on picking such long tunes, hemhem!).

Anyway, much like 2023 itself, it is what is was, so download here, stream below:

See you at 20:00 GMT Tonight. Bring leftovers!