The Listening Club - 21st December 2025

Greetings folks,

Hope you're all doing good. Amsterdam is clear, dry and cool for a change, and we've got a full day's itinerary, so let's get this tapped out early, eh?

Reminder that we are taking the week off next Sunday, returning in the new year on 4th January with our customary annual #FestiveVortex, for which we'd like you to pick out one (or two, if they're short) of your fave new raves of 2025. A dropbox will open up at some point in the next few days to gather up your selections, and @kleptones will be on hand to whip them up into a fine mix for playback. So until then, whatever you're up to at this time of year, wishing you a peaceful and joyful holiday season, and hoping for a mighty fine '26 for you all. 

Last Sunday saw @wbwolf in the chair, summoning the sparkling world of Shibuya with his pick of Pizzicato Five's "Bossa Nova 2001", which got the assembled bopping quite satisfactorily. Thanks to him for the pick, and for sailing the frisb over to @EastVanHalen for the last #LC of 2025, and here she is with the intro...

"Hullo lovely listening clubbers,

This week’s suggestion comes courtesy of the excellent John Tweed (@heytweed), whose musical brain I’ve been fortunate enough to pick for the past 30 or so years.

Might as well tell you straight off that this is a Christmas album - so if you don’t do Christmas, my apologies - but not all the songs are Christmas songs. Mainly what’s great about it is the vibe. The first time I saw this artist was when he was touring this show. Didn’t know exactly what to expect. What he brought began as a spark of enjoyment that grew inexorably into the broadest grin possible. The guy just makes me happy, every time.

So I figure this is a good way to close out a year in which happiness has needed extra tending to keep it shining. Get whatever you like to drink this time of year - even egg nog, which is inexplicable to me :) - and settle in. And it’s winter solstice today, too, so…here’s to the beginning of the days."

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

Hope to see you 20:00 GMT later today.

The Listening Club - 14th December 2025

Greetings folks,

Hope you're all doing good, hopefully better than me, stuck with a very painful computer audio problem that is going to take some slow, methodical figuring out and fixing with firmly crossed fingers - less said the better right now, so let's move on briskly, shall we?

#ListeningClub PSA - Holiday season approaches, which means time for our annual #FestiveVortex, for which we will soon be asking you to chip in one of your favourite new tunes of 2025 (or two, if they're short). After a quick glance at the calender and a chat between the #VortexMasters, it's been agreed that the calendar for the next few weeks will look like this:

2025-12-21    Last regular #LC of 2025

2025-12-28    CLOSED

2026-01-04    #FestiveVortex

So you've got plenty of time to get your picks sorted!

Last Sunday saw @AccordionBruce deliver one of the most unique picks in the many years of #LC, with his selection of The Sursiks' "Lydia Grace", which generated some rather spirited discussion, to say the least. Many thanks to Bruce for the pick and for sailing the frisb across to @wbwolf, who's here with today's intro...

"This album is a throwback, looking forward. A new scene was developing, based on plundering the past to make something new. Soon, it would catch the ears of the international tastemakers. This was the third album after relaunching with a new label and a new singer. The album contains the band's first hit in their native land, and their biggest selling album. But this is the last album with the band as a trio.

The co-producer of this album was in the process of recording his first solo album after the band he was in split in two. This is also his first producer credit outside of his own work. 

This album was the favorite for the mailing list devoted to the band and related artists, though personally, I first heard many of the songs on later international compilations. I am always amused about one reviewer who complained about the album's title, stating it had nothing to do with [redacted]."

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

Hope to see you 20:00 GMT later today.

The Listening Club - 7th December 2025

Greetings folks,

Hope you're doing good. December already, blimey, he says as he sweeps a ton of leaves off the front stoop whilst hype cat supervises efficiently. Kinda happy to be doing that really as I've been struck with a mysterious ailment most of the week, which has now (I hope) cleared up, thank the gods. It's that time of year for sure.

Last Sunday saw us delve into the murky world of bass in all it's forms with a #LowEndVortex, and a fine selection it was too, sidestepping some of the genres that many expected, but going very large on others. Thanks to everyone for chipping in a tune or two, and extra large thanks to @saucer for blending the frequencies effectively.

Back to reg prog, we see @AccordionBruce holding the frisb with this to say by way of introduction to today's pick...

"I was going to play something else. Then thought of this and started grinning. So here we go:

Today’s album is the Sgt. Pepper’s of a genre not usually associated with the avant garde.

The producer recently released a note-for-note a cappella version of Captain Beefheart’s masterpiece Trout Mask Replica, so this is sort of a preview of that work.

Their other most famous recording is one where they took answering machine recordings and composed melodies based on the pitches of people’s speech. Spoiler: the title of that album, I Didn’t Know I Was Singing.

This one similarly takes the subject’s recorded voice and builds full band arrangements around their spontaneous compositions. The result is varied and unforgettable.

Genuinely catchy stuff here. I can’t wait to hear what you think.

Drinking recommendations?

Fruit Juice? Cereal and milk? Pure sunlight and dreams of youth?"

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

See you 20:00 GMT later today.