The Listening Club - 19th May 2024

Hola, folks

Hope you're all doing good. Summer seems to have arrived well and truly and maybe a bit earlier than expected here in Amsterdam, which is very pleasant indeed (hope it lasts!), although lacking a certain something as @nessiest is away for the week somewhere even warmer for a bit of peace, tranquility and yoga, therefore I should apparently be sat in my smalls eating beans from the tin (there's a mental image for y'all), but sadly it's not true - I've ordered pizza! (also have correct amount of clothes on, sorry to disappoint)

Genial reminder that next week is last-Sunday-of-the-month, which means #vortex time, so get your suggestions ready for later tonight, ok?

Last Sunday saw @iamwahl rocking the assembled hard with his pick of Joe Satriani's "The Extremist", which got everyone reaching for their air-six-strings and more besides, yikes. Thanks extended for the selection, and for sailing the frisb across to @akx, who's here with tonight's intro...

"It looks like summer is finally happening in Finland with clear weather and 20+ Celsius all week! That also means there's been lots of drinking beer and rosé and cocktails interwoven with hedge trimmingand other garden work, of course... Took a bit of hmming and meh'ing and "nah, not that"ing in front of the album shelf to finally spot this one that suits the weather and mood, and I'm frankly surprised these Norwegians (who I've seen live back in the day, being the opening act for Moby) have, according to the #listeningclub records, only shown up twice, and only in vortices..."

Right then, download's here (right click - save as) and stream's below:

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

The Listening Club - 12th May 2024

Greetings folks,

Hope you're all doing good. A lovely sunny warm weekend in Amsterdam, therefore much genial wandering around, indulging in one of the annual food truck festivals and also of course, some prime stoop stitting. All of which makes one feel a little better following the shocking news of Steve Albini's passing. Not much to say that hasn't already been said, but this one really hurts - Steve attitude towards art and commerce, and his ability to continue to learn and grow throughout his life yet compromise as little as possible was a massive positive example to legions of folks, myself included. Regardless of that, the thought that I'm never going to see him on stage again beating up his aluminium guitar and grinning like a madman makes me so very sad. World's really gonna miss him.

Last Sunday we had @david in the chair, hitting a range of buttons with his pick of  a live performance of "BRAT" by NNAMDI at Lincoln Hall in Chicago, which certainly got the assembled pondering and apporeciating in equal measures. Thanks to David for the pick, and for flipping the frisb across to @iamwahl, who's here with tonight's intro...

"As I continue my journey of discovering what other folks already know, this is another album (and artist) I came to after the fact. It's not something I turn to often but when it's what I want, it's EXACTLY what I want. I originally had something very different all cued up for my submission this time (again!). So this wasn't my first, or even second, pick for this week's show. However, as I listened my way through my short list, this kept nudging me, saying, they won't see this coming. And everyone likes surprises, right...right?

PS...you're probably going to want to turn it up to 11 (so position yourself accordingly)!

For #DrinkingClub, I'm going to try and find a few hoppy beer (not an easy task in small-town Italy), but I think any of  your favourite bevies will go down nicely with this...just don't let the music tempt you to overdo it..."

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

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

The Listening Club - 5th May 2024

Greetings folks, and Happy Liberation Day.

Hope you're all doing well and good - a relaxed and good-natured week here in Amsterdam, as always occurs after Kings Day, as the city collectively deals with its hangovers, cleans up the empties and goes back to it's regular activities. Weather has been fine too, which is welcome, although the city always benefits from a drenching around this time for obvious stinky reasons...

Last Sunday saw our traditional end-of-month gathering, this time a #SoundtrackVortex, which saw @saucer gathering together a seriously wide ranging selection of cinematic accompaniments from you all. Thanks to everyone for chipping in tunes, as always, and to Mr S for the fine mix. Looking back to regular programming, we see @david holding the frisb with this to say by way of introduction to tonight's pick...

"I learned about this guy by following his name from producer credits on another's record, and was blown away with what I found. Gimmicks, pain, humor, beauty, virtuosity. And falsettos. Each of his music videos are as creative as the music he makes.

This week's selection is his second (physical) album played in full, live."

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

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

The Listening Club - 28th April 2024

Salutations folks,

Hope you're all doing fine. Feeling rather tender here after a pretty raucous Kings Day yesterday, which saw the usual blend of alcohol, loud music and orange clothing take over the country. Happy to contribute to the 2nd of those things with our now-customary day-long tune session, which brought familiar faces from far and wide to our corner, and much mayhem ensuing. So, yea verily, tenderly we continue...

Last Sunday saw @aqidraco in the chair, with a slice of English electronica in the shape of Mesh's "Who Watches Over Me?" from 2002, which went down pretty well with the assembled, I'd say. Many thanks to Aqi for the pick and for sailing the frisb across to @david, who has an extra week to consider their options because...

...yep, end of month means vortex, and this time a rather straightforward, or so it may seem on first inspection, #soundtrackvortex, as lovingly collected and assembled by @saucer. So grab your popcorn and see you down the front - download's here, stream's below:

See you 20:00 BST (GMT+1) tonight. 

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)