The Listening Club - 17th May 2026

Greetings folks,

Hope you're doing okay. Back in Amsterdam again, just in time for a week of thoroughly crappy weather, both cold and wet, which is not pleasing either myself or Hype Cat one bit. No chance of an early summer, it seems. Being stuck inside means being productive musically tho, so it's not all bad, but I really am missing the balmy mood of a sunny stoop and cooling beverage combo, hopefully next week should bring the warms, if the weatherman is to be believed - we shall see, eh?...

Last Sunday saw @iamwahl in the chair, deliverying a rockin' slice of antipodean grooves courtesy of Yothu Yindi's 1991 album "Tribal Voice" which got the assembled bopping quite successfully. Thanks to Mr. W for the pick, and for sailing the frisb over to @corin_ja, who's here with today's intro...

"I wanted to choose something from a genre that I think is a bit under-represented in Listening Club, although I haven't done any real statistical analysis of the chosen styles so it could just be a misfired gut feeling. I think I probably lean to white rock so probably it's true for my picks at any rate. Anyhoo, the one problem here is that this is not an album-oriented genre. Sure, there are plenty of examples but I'm afraid to say many of them contain a handful of bangers, but often a lot of filler. This is a 12" vinyl dominated field. So what I've gone for is a bit of a bend of the LC rules. I hope I can be forgiven. Anyway, let me invite you for the next hour into a late-70s apartment off Broadway in New York's Greenwich Village. You slip in past a relaxed doorman, to a darkened space dominated by large speaker stacks, balloons and mood lighting. Help yourself to some of that punch over there, or grab a spot on the floor. Enjoy"

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

See you 20:00 BST (GMT+1)

The Listening Club - 10th May 2026

Greetings folks, direct from the quite windy, but still very much rolling Kentish hills. 

Yep, I'm back in the homeland for a week of seasonal family assistance, doing many outdoor jobs and sorting out house and garden affairs here and there. All very gentle and, for the most part, sunny and dry, so no complaints from me. Tapping this out early before heading off for another couple of traditional English activities, a large and tasty Sunday Lunch and a couple of pints of equally tasty local beer. Looking forward, natch!

Last Sunday saw @woj in the chair, getting tuneful in a decidedly indian-influenced style with his pick of Church Of Betty's "Comedy Of Animals", which went down pretty well, so it seemed. Thanks to Woj for the pick, and for sailing the frisb across to @iamwahl, who's right here with today's intro....

"Last week's delightful, if woefully too brief, cultural fusion offering from @woj that took us back to the later 90s set me to reflecting on the many musical twists and turns I followed through the years that closed the millennium. In the early years of that final decade I had relocated to Canada's west coast and found myself in a magical, if sleepy, little community that had me feeling like I was living in significant isolation, in spite of being about two hours travel from one of Canada's major cities. On the occasional work-related trips that saw me driving thither and yon across the communities that make up the "lower mainland" I would try to squeeze in some overnight stays that allowed me to take in shows at the wide variety of venues that existed then in Vancouver. I also used these trips to check out new releases at A&B Sound. And that leads us to the recording I'm sharing with the #ListeningClub today. Last week when I was invited to provide this week's program I immediately had an idea of what I would present. After listening to the album that first came to mind, I took the opportunity to re-listened to several other recordings I acquired in those years. After an extensive trip down memory lane, I hit upon this CD by a band who mix traditional and contemporary sounds from yet another corner of this amazing world. Hoping you will find it as intriguing as I did (and still do)…

For #DrinkingClub, something sparkling and refreshing for warmer climes (I'll be having a ginger ale, because, noon)…"

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

Hope to see you on the 'don later today at 20:00 BST (GMT+1).

The Listening Club - 3rd May 2026

Hey folks,

Hope you're doing okay. Rainy weekend here in Amsterdam, which is not pleasing the tourists but the locals are happy as it washes the stains and remains of Kings Day away. Not that it was a bad day, on the contrary it went much better than expected, fine weather, sounds and smiles all round, but it does leave the city requiring a good wash and brush up afterwards. Also happy to report peak wisteria and lilac blooms in effect chez K, which, as mentioned before, is the first time they've arrived in sync, much to the delight of Kings Day revellers and endless passing armies of instagrammers, hem hem. So it goes.

Last Sunday, being end-of-month, saw us in #vortex mode, this time a #storytellingvortex was decided, and a mighty fine selection of tales were dropped into the box indeed. Many thanks to everyone for chipping in tracks, and to @saucer for splendidly segueing the selections. Back in regular #LC land, we see @woj with the frisb, and an intro for today's pick...

"Well, usually, my first Listening Club selection of any year is an album I've never heard by an artist I've never heard of selected from the top album lists from famous music magazine or music blogs chosen based entirely on its description. However, it's May and we're a third of the way into this terrible year so it does not feel right to do this time time around.

Instead, I've falling back on a favorite band that I first heard while doing whatever it is program directors at college radio stations do. The debut record by this act was released in 1989 and its Indian-flavored sound immediately caught my ear. the primary driver behind the band delved more into studying Indian music for a few years so the band didn't release anything else until 1994, kicking off a four album run that is their classic line-up, if you will. They were New York-based so I got to see them now again during this period, having moved to New Jersey in 1990, and it was always a joy to catch them on the Lower East Side and later in Brooklyn. After that, they all went in different directions but they did record a couple more albums in the 2000s and 2010s which are good. I always am drawn to that fertile 90s period though and present to you the first of those aforementioned four albums and hope you enjoy and hope you have some spiked lassis on hand!"

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

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