The Listening Club - 14th February 2016

Greetings and happy Valentine's Day, if that sort of thing floats your romantic boats... Hope you've had a satisfactory day, whatever you've been up to... Quick reminder that I am again away next weekend, so am looking for another caretaker manager, if anyone cares to volunteer. It's not a vortex week, but that will be coming soon too so dig out those suggestions...

Last week @holette was in the chair, confusing, confounding and cheering in equal measures with her pick of the Yoko Ono remix / remake / cover version / all of the above album "Yes, I Am A Witch", a fine pick for sure. Many thanks to her for that, and for flipping the frisbee across to me! So... *attaches fake moustache*

"Howdy! Didn't see this coming, so the "possible #lc picks" cupboard was a little bare, but this album has served me well over the last few months, particularly in the "blotting out everything going on around you with your headphones" department. Swans being the usual main go-to for me in that area, but fret-ye-not, faint hearts, this isn't them... 

That said, it does have a rather solid sound and some seriously rock-out psych moments (or is it psych-out rock moments?) and maybe even a touch of 70s glam, but all backed up with some surprisingly tasty songwriting. 

True, there's nothing here musically that couldn't have existed 40 or more years ago, but it's wrapped in a fine production that places it very much in there here and now. Also seems to me to be an under-represented genre in the old #lc firmament, so crank up the volume real high, crack open a vessel of whatever tickles your fancy and let's set sail...."

Direct download is here, and the HearThis stream (if there's any luck, as they've started removing stuff too, now) should be below...

The Listening Club - 14th February 2016 by listeningclub on hearthis.at

Hope to see you at 8pm!

The Listening Club - 7th February 2016

Evening all, hope you're doing fine. Nice and chill here in AMS, following a rather large portion of various foods and drinks last night, today is proceeding gently and at it's own pace, sorting out old episodes of Top Of The Pops and sipping tea. As you do, of course...

Last week, @JimMcCauley and @Holette were running things, and did a splendid job presenting the #bowievortex, an excellent selection - many thanks to all for the contributions, and to Jim for the assembly.

Back to regular programming, we find the very same @holette with the frisbee, and here she is with the intro...

I heard about this remix album recently having seen publicity for a sequel due for release later this month.  I was intrigued to see what a bunch of diverse bands and singers could do with material by an iconic artist, famous for being experimental, highly distinctive and provocatively influential.  I think it's an interesting way of bringing a wider audience to the creative spirit of an artist who notoriously divides opinions.  See if you can spot some of the featured artists, including one or two Listening Club favourites.  

If you like it there's plenty more to delve into, including, somewhat oddly, a dance remix version of this album which features a couple of right bangers.  The track list and artists will be posted on the blog for your perusal later.

Reety-ho. Direct download is here, and the HearThis stream should be....

The Listening Club - 7th February 2016 by listeningclub on hearthis.at

See you at 8pm GMT!

The Listening Club - 31st January 2016

Hello listening clubbers...

...from @JimMcCauley and me, @holette, sitting in this week while our Captain does... something else.

Last week, those of us that made it through the drum solos, were digging @faberfedor's pick of Spirit's 1977 live album called, imaginatively, "Spirit Live".  Thanks to him and for tossing the frisbee from a frosty USA across to myself for next week.

But now it's over to @cdrose_writer to introduce tonight's #BowieVortex:

"I was about 9, had been given a transistor radio for my birthday, was off school sick and remember lying in bed, switching it on and tuning to Radio 1.  This sound came out of the tiny speaker: slowly descending shimmering notes, an octave’s worth, then a swift sashaying guitar lick and the words: blue blue.  

"Forty years later, I’m in bed again, and the radio clicks on at 8am, and this time there are no phosphorescent tones, no tremulous baritone, but a newsreader’s voice: David Bowie has died. 

"I can’t and won’t write any more of the many things that have already been written (he gave me the freedom to be the person I wanted to be, I once met someone who once saw him buying a cream bun in Greggs, he was from another planet etc. etc.), but as I spent that morning listening to the radio and hearing song after song I was drawn back to that moment so long ago, and realised that those few seconds of sound had haunted me ever since.

"I think so many of us are like this: there is no one, but no one, I realised, who doesn’t like Bowie.  Probably not the whole lot (we can forget about most of the 80s), but whether it’s Ziggy or Aladdin or the white soulboy or the moody Berlin aesthete (my fave, btw), those who stayed with the 70s or those who first saw him in the Labyrinth, to later ones who discovered his entire back catalogue synchronically via Spotify, the music touches everyone somehow.  I’d wager that were all the Listening Clubbers to get together, Bowie would be the one (and probably) only artist we could all agree on.    

"So this evening, let us rejoice! I hope your selections cover the whole gamut, and will be curious to find out if anyone has even picked some Tin Machine…"

Right right! Download is here, and HearThis stream is below:

#BowieVortex by Jedburgh on hearthis.at

See you at 8PM GMT!

The Listening Club - 24th January 2016

Greetings everyone,

Hope you're all doing fine - Grey, cold and wet here in Amsterdam, tho we've managed to avoid the deep white descendance that has occupied plenty other areas. Also been busy making plans to help turn 2016 into a decent game, after the rather below-par kickoff of the last couple of weeks. More on that soon, but need to mention that I'm going to be away next weekend, and also the weekend of 21st February and 6th March also, so if any of you can help out and run this show on those weekends it would be very, very, very much appreciated! Please let me know asap if so, especially for next weekend, which is also a #vortex for which we also need a theme! It's all happening!

Last week @JimMcCauley had the frisbee on rather a tough week, and came through with a cracking sideways Bowie tribute in the shape of Lou Reed's "Transformer". Thanks to him for the singalong pick, and for flipping the frisbee across to @faberfedor, who managed to put his snow-shovel down for long enough to do this introduction....

"Welcome to this week's Listening  - Snowmagedon Edition! You may have heard we got a wee bit of snow on the side of the pond; 27 inches in my driveway, more down south.  So it was a good time to stay in and go through old albums and find things I haven't listened to in years. Hence, this week's pick.

I don't know how big this band was back in the day. They had on or two hits. If you're into late 60's early 70's rock band, you _may_ have heard of these guys. The guitarist is known for having played in one of Jimi Hendrix's band and for having a well-known artist plagiarize him, maybe.

I know this won't be everyone's cup of tea (Sorry, Arni) but it's an old favorite of mine and I thought I'd share.

Now, if you will excuse me, I need to clean off my car."

Okidoke - direct download is here, and the HearThis stream is....

The Listening Club - 24th January 2016 by listeningclub on hearthis.at

See you at 8pm GMT!

The Listening Club - 17th January 2016

Greetings,

Yeah well, what's left to be said? From the five-year old me, pointing out "Space Oddity" at the top of the singles rack in the Co-op in Dover, in response to my mum's question of "Which one is it, then?" to last weekend, sat with @nessiest listening to Blackstar for the first time in wonderment, his music has been a constant in my life. Like a lot of folks, I thought he'd go on forever.... I'll miss you deeply, David.

Last week that @nessiest was on frisbee duty also, and danced us all into 2016 with her pick of Shamir's "Ratchet" which hit the spot for most folks. Many thanks to her for the pick, and for trying hard to sail the frisbee to someone who wasn't going on their winter holidays, who turned out to be @JimMcCauley in the end. And here's Jim...

"I'll keep it brief because there's been so much written about David Bowie in the past week, and as someone who always admired Bowie more than I actually liked him – Life on Mars is clearly one of the greatest songs ever written and if I were ten or so years older I'd have completely lost my shit over Ziggy Stardust, but by the time I really noticed him he was all sharp suits and stadiums, and that kind of impression sticks – I don't really have anything to add, so let's get straight to it.

Tonight's album is what David Bowie means to me. Enjoy!"

Right then. Direct download is here, and the HearThis stream is...


Hope to see you at 8.

The Listening Club - 10th January 2016

Greetings all,

Headlong into 2016 we tumble, spending the weekend waving goodbye to the xmas tree and joining a large global congregation in raising a glass or two to the recently departed Mr. Kilmister, but keeping both eyes fixed firmly on the horizon, as always...

Last week we kicked off our 2016 season in fine style with @andershanson's pick of Yeasayer's "Odd Blood" from way back in 2010, which seemed to go down rather well. Many thanks to Anders for the pick, and for sailing the frisbee across the north sea to @nessiest, and here she is with the pre-match...

"Call me indecisive-ness. As at around 2am today you were *this close* to hearing at least the first 30 seconds of Ace of Spades. A few hours before it was Mr Bowie’s ★ which to me feels too freshly-hatched to be a listening club pick, but by crikey it’s a good listen. Then there was the lovely but unerringly melancholic folk album which is my first music purchase of the year and almost my pick. But…

This year my only resolution is to invest energy and attention in the inspiring and invigorating fun stuff I want to do, rather than the awfully responsible stuff I feel I should do. Which makes me doubly glad you lovely beans are around each Sunday.

So no introspective folk ballads tonight, instead measured, self-aware, fresh pop from a new artist with a decent dose of sass. You might, possibly, recognize one track from a past vortex. Now you get the full treatment of the debut album. Cowbells ahoy! This is an album that deserves effervescence, pick your drinking club choice accordingly."

Right then. Download is here, and the HearThis stream is...


See you 8pm GMT!

The Listening Club - 3rd January 2016

Happy new year folks, hope you had a fine one whatever you got up to - here in Amsterdam it was fireworks insanity as per usual, so we hit the streets and had a seriously random roam through the city centre for a change, resulting in rather a splendid time indeed. And so into 2016 we go...

Last week, of course, we #festivevortex'ed, and as usual had a cracking selection of tunes, many thanks to you all for chipping in your favourites and popping in for a listen. Now over to @andershanson, who is waiting with the first pick of the year...

"Despite two weeks in which to make my Listening Club pick, most of which was spent off work, I only got round to making my decision on which album to go with in the early hours of this morning. It was a decision that was complicated by me realising at the last minute that despite having only done this three times, my preferred album was one I'd forgotten that I'd already chosen before.

This album is one that I found by hearing one of the tracks played in the background in a bar. Having found the song, downloaded the album and then soon after been able to see the band perform at a brilliant gig round the corner from my flat, it became a firm favourite. It's an album that I've neglected for a bit but now feels a good time to dust it off and give it another play. It's catchy, with a few quirky touches that make it a bit different, but also some elements that leave you in no doubt that it's me that's picked it."

Right then. Direct download is here, and the HearThis stream is...


See you at 8!